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OD, Any idea where we can hear the call again? I went to the IDCC website with no luck finding a replay.
I'm sure the CCall print will be out on Alpha tomorrow or Wed., but I'd still like to hear WM's voice. He sounded very confident and assured in his remarks.
Ellis, Thks! It must be Schwab, as my screen still shows Zero/zero for the B/Ask
Strange! At 7:30 CST, my Schwab streamer showed the Bid and Ask of IDCC ONLY as zero. And also showed the "Last Price" at $31.42 - the closing price of yesterday's trading. All the other stocks on the screen retained their last trading Bid and Ask as well as the last trading price. The IDCC trading volume is accurately shown at 916,500 shs for today.
Not sure what it means, but it's different than every other stock.
Hmmmmmmm?
Loop, Another classic.
Thanks for all you've contributed to my knowledge, resolve, and sanity over the last (almost) 2 decades.
Fingers crossed!
Danny, Thks! I suggested to Schwab that they "back-check" these guys, to see if there are other similar reports of such shabby and mis-leading information.
They just reported that they cannot directly correct the Vendor supplying the info, but he's passing it over to Schwab's Tech Support to contact the vendor.
Triangle, I contacted them as well, and they are checking it out now.
The incorrect news was reported to Schwab by Acquire Media Corp.
Lots of people read that Schwab News.
Anyone have a direct contact that can straighten them out and get a corrected version printed?
Another example of "How we got into this Mess"
Subject: Derivatives
An Easily Understandable Explanation of Derivative
> Markets:
> >
> > Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. She
> realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as
> such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem,
> she comes up with new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later.
> >
> > She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger
> (thereby granting the
> > customers loans).
> >
> > Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later"
> marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers
> flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in
> Detroit.
> >
> > By providing her customers' freedom from immediate
> payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she
> substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed
> beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively.
> >
> > A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank
> recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and
> increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue
> concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral.
> >
> > At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders
> transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and
> PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets. Naive
> > investors don't really understand that the securities
> being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of
> unemployed alcoholics.
> >
> > Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and
> the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the
> nation's leading brokerage houses.
> >
> > One day, even though the bond prices are still
> climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.
> He so informs Heidi.
> >
> > Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons,
> but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their
> drinking debts. Since, Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is
> forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their
> jobs.
> >
> > Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in
> price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the banks
> liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and
> economic activity in the community.
> >
> > The suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous
> payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the
> various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having
> to write off her bad debt a supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer
> supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant
> and lays off 150 workers.
> >
> > Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and
> their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion
> dollar no-strings attached cash infusion from the Government. The funds
> required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed,
> middle-class, non-drinkers.
> >
> > Now,..... you get the idea?
> >
T-Mobile USA Launches Next Google Phone (HTC)
By Roger Cheng
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090708-711328.html?mod=dist_smartbrief
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--T-Mobile USA Wednesday showed off the second iteration of a smart phone powered by Google Inc. (GOOG), MyTouch 3G, as the struggling wireless carrier attempts to keep pace with other high-profile device launches from its rivals.
T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (DT), is feeling the pressure from both sides as the larger national players outdo it with better phones and the pre-paid carriers undercut its monthly plans.
Google's first phone powered by its Android mobile operating system and built by HTC Corp. (2498.TW), the G1, was a rare success for T-Mobile last year - a million units sold between its launch in October to the end of 2008.
Cole Brodman, chief technology officer for T-Mobile, said he expects MyTouch to outsell the G1, citing a broader appeal.
"A vast majority of customers will be new to Android and new to smart phones," he said.
But a lot has changed since the first phone was released. Unlike last year's launch event, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were nowhere to be found. Handset makers Motorola Inc (MOT) and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SSNHY), meanwhile, are making Android phones for other carriers.
While aware of the potential competition, Brodman said that the only way for Android to be successful is to have multiple phones on different carriers.
As more Android phones hit the market, Google is expected to be less visible. Brodman said the lack of Google's presence wouldn't affect the launch strategy, and that the Web titan is more focused on the evolution of its platforms and application market.
The MyTouch comes during a busy summer season of phone launches. The Palm Inc. (PALM) Pre and the Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone 3GS have already launched, and Research in Motion Ltd.'s (RIMM) Blackberry Tour is set to hit stores later this month.
Android also isn't the newest platform. That honor goes to Palm's WebOS software which was released on the Pre last month.
So how does T-Mobile plan to set itself apart? To begin, with a better design. The MyTouch is a sleeker phone than the G1, and there is more of a focus on different applications. The Android Marketplace boasts 5,000, although it is still a tenth of the size of Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) App Store.
Mimicking Sprint Nextel Corp.'s (S) Ready Now program, T-Mobile will start "Make It Work," where store representatives will help customers set up their MyTouch phones. The carrier will also release an App Pack to help new subscribers find useful programs.
Along the lines of personalization, T-Mobile will offer custom cases for the device. The phones come packed in a travel case.
Reaction to the product, however, was mixed.
"Basically, it's the G1 without the keyboard," said Avi Greengart, an analyst for Current Analysis. "They're just marketing it differently."
The MyTouch was the result of addressing the criticisms of the G1, said Jason MacKenzie, vice president of marketing for HTC's U.S. business.
The product will hit stores on Aug. 5 and will sell for $199 with a two-year contract, $20 more than the G1.
While it is positioned as the flagship product for the second half, Brodman said more Android phones would be released later this year.
-By Roger Cheng, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2153; Roger.Cheng@dowjones.com
Reuters
Samsung issues strong Q2 guidance, shares jump
07.05.09, 09:54 PM EDT
SAMSUNG/ (UPDATE 2):UPDATE 2-Samsung issues strong Q2 guidance, shares jump
* First ever earnings guidance from Samsung
* Q2 consol op profit seen up to 2.6 trln won, jump vs Q1
Article Controls
* Q2 sales seen at 31-33 trln won, up from year-ago and Q1
* Shares gain more than 4 percent, market up 0.5 pct
* All key businesses outperforming - analyst (Adds analyst comments, updates shares)
By Rhee So-eui and Marie-France Han
SEOUL, July 6 (Reuters) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics <005930.KS>, the world's top maker of memory chips and flat screen TVs, on Monday forecast second-quarter earnings well above market estimates, driving its shares up more than 4 percent.
"It looks like all key businesses -- semiconductors, LCD and mobile phones -- outperformed expectations," said Lee Min-hee, an analyst at Dongbu Securities.
"We've been expecting Samsung's earnings to show a V-shape recovery in the first half, and it looks like it's a much steeper recovery."
Samsung, which is also the world's No.2 maker of mobile phones, said in a filing to the Korea Exchange it expected to post a consolidated operating profit for April-June of 2.2 trillion-2.6 trillion won ($1.74 billion-$2.05 billion).
It was the first time Samsung has provided earnings guidance. The group's second-quarter earnings are due on July 24.
"The guidance is very likely to translate into a parent-basis operating profit well above street forecasts of about 1 trillion won," said Dongbu's Lee.
Shares in Samsung Electronics were up 4.2 percent at 626,000 won at 0130 GMT, outpacing the market's <.KS11> 0.6 percent rise.
Technology companies have seen their valuations hit as a global downturn has prompted consumers to cut back on buying electronics goods. Samsung's bottom line in recent quarters has been dented, too, by an historic slump in memory chips.
"A very good performance in televisions may explain the strong consolidated figures," said Peter Yu, analyst at BNP Paribas ( BNPQY.PK - news - people ). "TV margins are expected to be very high, especially in the newly launched LED televisions," Yu said, referring to the latest liquid crystal display (LCD) models using light-emitting diodes (LED) as backlights.
Analysts remained sceptical as to whether Samsung's bullish forecast signalled a recovery for the hard-hit IT industry.
"It would be difficult to say Samsung's earnings guidance signals a recovery in the overall technology sector," said Park Hyun, an analyst at Prudential Investment and Securities. "It would rather show Samsung's improving competitiveness."
The consolidated operating profit range represents a significant jump from the previous quarter's 470 billion won, and is comparable to 2.4 trillion won profit a year ago.
On a parent basis, which excludes Samsung's numerous overseas subsidiaries, the company posted operating profit of 148 billion won in the first quarter and 1.89 trillion won in the year-ago period.
Samsung forecast second-quarter consolidated sales of 31-33 trillion won, compared with 28.7 trillion won in the first quarter and a revised 29.1 trillion won in the 2008 second quarter.
According to Reuters Estimates, Samsung is forecast to post 1.18 trillion won in second-quarter net profit. No market consensus data is available for consolidated operating profit and revenue. ($1=1265.7 Won) (Editing by Jonathan Hopfner and Ian Geoghegan)
Looks like another End Run by NOK:
"Nokia is clearly hoping that it can win approval to expand its North American foothold."
Nokia Siemens Tries to Play Nice with Canada
by: Mark Evans July 05, 2009 | about: NOK / NRTLQ.PK / SI
http://seekingalpha.com/article/146955-nokia-siemens-tries-to-play-nice-with-canada?source=email
Nokia Siemens Networks’ (NOK, SI) efforts to win public support for its $650-million bid for Nortel’s (NRTLQ.PK) CDMA wireless business and LTE R&D unit went on the offensive last week when NSN CFO Luca Maestri told a press conference in Toronto that the company not only plans to keep all 800 wireless jobs in Canada but add more as its makes Canada a global “next-generation wireless development” centre.
“I made it very clear we want to make it the centre of excellence for LTE technology for us,” Mr. Maestri told the National Post. “We really want to keep Ottawa as a centre of excellence — it is going to be a global centre.”
Nokia has a vested interest in keeping jobs in Canada given Export Development Canada, a Crown agency, is providing $300-million of financing to support the company’s bid.
While there is a possibility that another bidder may emerge for Nortel’s CDMA business and LTE R&D unit, Nokia is clearly hoping that it can win approval to expand its North American foothold.
The EU Stabs Apple in the Back
by: Anton Wahlman June 30, 2009 | about: AAPL / ERIC / MOT / NOK / QCOM / RIMM
http://seekingalpha.com/article/146145-the-eu-stabs-apple-in-the-back?source=email
First Qualcomm (QCOM), now Apple (AAPL). Remember the GSM vs CDMA phone standards wars some 15+ years ago? The European Union [EU] at that time turned against Qualcomm in favor of the Nokia (NOK)-Ericsson (ERIC)-Alcatel (ALU)-Siemens (SI) backed GSM standard, mandating it in Europe and therefore limiting what would have been an even greater potential for Qualcomm.
Fast forward some 15+ years, and they’re baaack! The EU is now mandating that all cell phones be compatible with 3rd-party MicroUSB chargers by January 1, 2012. I first wrote about this subject on SeekingAlpha on December 24, 2008, and this development is now reaching its final stages of lawmaking in Europe.
This new EU mandate isn’t a big deal at all for essentially every cell phone maker in the world, including Nokia, SonyEricsson (SNE), RIM (RIMM), Samsung, LG, HTC and Motorola (MOT), because they are in most cases already well underway of implementing the MicroUSB standard in all of their products. Just walk into your neighborhood AT&T (T), Verizon Wireless (VZ), Sprint (S) or T-Mobile USA store, and look for yourself – we will probably approach 90% MicroUSB exiting this year.
For Apple, however, this represents an ugly inconvenience. The iPhone uses Apple’s proprietary 30 pin connector, and there is a vast jungle of devices and docks built around this engineering decision. Therefore, it isn’t so easy for Apple to “just switch” to MicroUSB as it was for all the other cell phone makers. Apple at this point has two options:
1. Simply rid itself of its 30-pin connector in favor of MicroUSB. Most people seem to suggest that this is as unlikely as an Obama budget cut. Apple wouldn’t want to jettison its accessory ecosystem.
2. Add a MicroUSB connector elsewhere on the device, presumably on top or on one of the sides. This appears more likely. It does, however, impose cost and an engineering problem with all sorts of ramifications, including aesthetics. Apple would do this kicking and screaming.
It has been suggested that there is a third way for Apple to comply with this new law. That would be to offer a 30-pin to MicroUSB adapter. This has the obvious advantage of not dealing with the painful two alternatives listed above. However, it has two deficiencies: (1) One more thing to carry and (2) It’s not clear whether this would comply with the EU mandate. I think it would be unlikely to comply, because it would be against the spirit of standardization and would require a piece of equipment that would largely negate the purpose of the law. The EU would also seize the opportunity to make life difficult for Apple by interpreting the EU ambition in this way, thereby further favoring their home area companies such as Nokia.
For Apple, “The European Problem” also becomes a global problem, because Apple doesn’t want to design two different iPhones – one for Europe and one for the US. Apple will eventually add more models, but this is an unnecessary degree of duplication it will not want to engineer.
Qualcomm more than survived the EU’s attempts to make life difficult for it, many years ago. Likewise, Apple will more than survive this attempt as well. That said, this represents a road bump in Apple’s product road map, of which I have not heard much to date. It’s over a year into the future, and whatever Apple decides to do, I don’t expect an implementation until June 2010 at the earliest.
There are many political ironies in this story. First and foremost, this is part of an industrial policy in the EU. We are being told day in and day out that industrial policy is such a good thing, despite that it’s been proven to be one of the greatest disasters of mankind. Now, Washington DC gets a taste of its own self-defeating medicine.
Another irony is that Apple, of course, is a product of as much of an industrial policy-free entrepreneurial environment as it gets. If Apple had been run out of Washington DC, it would have looked like the US Post Office competing with FedEx. Instead, Apple has proven itself to be perhaps the greatest innovator of its kind, yielding more success than imagined years ago precisely because of the lack of any government mandates deciding its business. Walk into any Apple Store, Mr and Mrs America, and you will find that Apple offers its own insurance policy for some $99 per year (“AppleCare”), which is completely privately funded and completely unregulated. And customers love it.
Disclosure: I’m long RIMM, AAPL and QCOM. I’m short NOK.
AMR - Actually there's some would say, it's a bit/lot of both: Read this installment of Naked Short Selling, Hedge Fund theft, and SEC malfeasance.
http://www.deepcapture.com/michael-milken-60000-deaths-and-the-story-of-dendreon-chapter-5-of-15/
Senator Kaufman pushes (a reluctant SEC) to curb the abuses of NSS (Naked Short Selling) and other issues
http://kaufman.senate.gov/press/press_releases/release/?id=CA3242DB-4EC7-4966-AD09-A302D13901
INTERDIGITAL INC - Nasdaq: IDCC
Time & Sales most recent next page
Rec. Time Action Price Volume
4:00:02 PM Trade 23.9 70300
3:59:57 PM Bid 23.82 200
3:59:57 PM Bid 23.81 12900
3:59:57 PM Trade 23.82 100
3:59:57 PM Bid 23.82 100
3:59:56 PM Trade 23.82 295
3:59:56 PM Trade 23.85 300
3:59:56 PM Bid 23.82 200
3:59:56 PM Ask 23.85 500
3:59:56 PM Bid 23.82 500
3:59:56 PM Trade 23.85 300
3:59:56 PM Bid 23.81 13100
3:59:56 PM Bid 23.81 13200
3:59:56 PM Bid 23.81 13100
3:59:56 PM Ask 23.85 800
Jim, Schwab showing 253,100 right now.
revlis, "Nice?" It's Extraordinary! 222,000 shs in less than 20 mins., is something we only see with major news.
You can bet though, that the "Boys" are sitting there waiting for this "irrational exuberance" to die off, so they start their 100 shs bomb attack.
Keep it going guys, we might just be able to take back the $25 mark today.
jjff, I was using the posted 3m avg vol.
Day's Range: 23.22 - 24.59
52wk Range: 16.20 - 33.69
Volume: 875,070
Avg Vol (3m): 708,003
Market Cap: 1.06B
P/E (ttm): 106.14
EPS (ttm): 0.23
Div & Yield: N/A (N/A)
We're 4 hours into the trading day and the share volume is almost 800,000. That's 90000 OVER our avg daily volume. All markets are Green and we're down 1.4%.
The Bad boys Really want us to close under 25 tomorrow.
This might be a good time to pick up a few shs.
* AT&T changes upgrade policy for some iPhone customers
Video: iPhone Owners to Get Cheaper Upgrades
Proclaiming "We've been listening to our customers," AT&T has announced that it will change its upgrade policy for the iPhone 3G S, which goes on sale Friday so that some current subscribers can buy the phone for the same $199 price as new buyers, a $200 savings. AT&T said it would offer the lower price to subscribers who become eligible for upgrades in July, August or September. ClipSyndicate/Associated Press (6/17) , The Wall Street Journal (6/18) , Reuters (6/17) , MocoNews.net (6/17) LinkedInFacebookTwitterEmail this Story
* Apple releases iPhone 3.0 to critical applause: Learning from past glitches, Apple offered its latest iPhone 3.0 software upgrade on Wednesday, two days before opening the gate on its new 3G S model in order to avoid the processing issues of past years when they were released simultaneously. The upgrade went off without a hitch, according to media reports, and the software earned strong praise from New York Times and Wall Street Journal reviewers. The New York Times (6/17) , Computerworld (6/17) , The Wall Street Journal (6/18)
Thanks ODog, I was just checking to see what kind of volume was being used on the selling, and picked a random page from the FreeRealTime site.
Why we need the Uptick rule back.
Does this look like major selling or a controlled seller hitting the Bid with 100 sh bombs to keep/lower the price down
INTERDIGITAL INC - Nasdaq: IDCC
Time & Sales most recent next page
Rec. Time Action Price Volume
11:00:35 AM Ask 23.77 100
11:00:23 AM Ask 23.78 500
11:00:12 AM Ask 23.78 600
11:00:09 AM Trade 23.77 100
11:00:09 AM Ask 23.78 500
11:00:07 AM Trade 23.77 100
11:00:03 AM Bid 23.76 200
11:00:03 AM Trade 23.77 100
11:00:03 AM Trade 23.77 100
11:00:02 AM Bid 23.76 100
10:59:32 AM Trade 23.76 100
10:59:32 AM Trade 23.76 100
10:59:32 AM Ask 23.77 100
10:59:19 AM Ask 23.76 100
10:59:02 AM Ask 23.77 100
10:58:54 AM Ask 23.77 200
10:58:53 AM Ask 23.77 300
10:58:52 AM Ask 23.77 200
10:58:50 AM Trade 23.76 100
10:58:50 AM Bid 23.75 700
10:58:50 AM Bid 23.76 100
10:58:50 AM Ask 23.77 100
10:58:49 AM Trade 23.76 100
10:58:49 AM Ask 23.78 700
10:58:49 AM Bid 23.75 700
10:58:49 AM Trade 23.76 100
11:00:49 PM Trade 23.76 100
10:58:49 AM Trade 23.76 100
10:58:49 AM Trade 23.76 100
10:58:48 AM Ask 23.78 600
10:58:27 AM Trade 23.78 200
10:58:02 AM Bid 23.76 100
10:57:29 AM Trade 23.78 100
10:57:28 AM Bid 23.76 200
10:57:27 AM Bid 23.76 100
10:56:25 AM Ask 23.78 500
10:56:25 AM Trade 23.77 100
10:56:24 AM Trade 23.76 100
10:56:24 AM Ask 23.77 100
10:56:14 AM Trade 23.76 100
10:56:06 AM Ask 23.76 100
10:56:05 AM Trade 23.75 100
10:56:05 AM Bid 23.75 700
10:56:04 AM Trade 23.75 100
10:56:04 AM Ask 23.76 200
10:56:04 AM Bid 23.75 800
10:56:04 AM Ask 23.76 100
10:56:01 AM Ask 23.77 100
10:56:01 AM Ask 23.78 400
10:56:01 AM Ask 23.77 100
most recent next page
11:15:38 AM EDT - Thursday, June 18, 2009 - data is delayed 20 minutes
If we close under 25 tomorrow, the Call Sellers pocket the premiums on 20000 contracts, each for 100 shs, or 2m shares.
Volume of 200 thousand shs in 1 hour, is way above normal. In a green market today, most of it is to the downside. With Calls totaling 285 thousand shs at the 25 strike still up for grabs expiring this Friday, the boys are working hard to have them expire worthless. This is along with the 1.7+ million Call shs already out of the money.
Some good news from KoP would turn this around into a rout for the Short and Call sellers.
Looks like a correction to my earlier post
Apple iPhone 3GS Sold Out? Nope!
Published: Monday, 15 Jun 2009 | 2:53 PM ET
Text Size
By: Jim Goldman
Silicon Valley Bureau Chief
Quick, how many blogs have you read since yesterday suggesting that pre-orders for the new Apple iPhone 3GS [AAPL 136.06 -0.91 (-0.66%) ] have been so robust, that they're already sold out? Boy Genius Report had that news yesterday. InformationWeek is reporting that Apple and AT&T [T 24.63 -0.38 (-1.52%) ] have both already sold out of their launch day pre-order units.
Not quite.
AT&T may have issues meeting demand in its stores, but the Apple web site is still offering to satisfy those early adopters. And in a remarkably easy process. Go to Apple and the site is still letting shoppers reserve their 3GS's today and pick them up at an Apple retail store on June 19; or reserve the phone with an online pre-order today and it'll be shipped to you for arrival on the release date on June 19. Oh, and shipping is free!
So once again, hype begins to steamroll its way through the marketplace. Of course, judgment day comes this Friday when we'll know for sure whether these pre-orders actually get filled. But I just spoke with Apple, and the company directed me to the website to get the latest availability news. And yes, Apple is still taking pre-orders online.
Also, no one is talking about how many of these phones are actually available, or how many will be available at AT&T stores versus the stockpile Apple is sitting on, but you gotta wonder if Apple is holding out on its carrier partner! Whether it is or isn't, shoppers have a choice, and if your local AT&T store is crying "sell-out," there's another option, and it comes directly from the source.
AT&T Sold Out of First-Day 3GS
Stephen Silver
Jun 15, 2009
http://www.dealerscope.com/article/customers-wanting-new-iphone-opening-day-cant-expect-get-atandt-because-carrier-already-sold-out-devices-release-date-408380_1.html
Customers wanting the new iPhone on opening day can't expect to get it from AT&T, because the carrier is already sold out for the device's release date.
According to AppleInsider.com, preorders starting this past weekend will arrive between seven and fourteen days later, meaning they will miss the scheduled release date of June 19.
A similar delay was reported for the release last June of the iPhone 3G.
This time, however, the iPhone will be available in more locations from the start, including Best Buy and Walmart as well as Apple Retail Stores.
Can't find a partner in the U.S -- try Russia!
Thomson Reuters
MTS, Nokia in joint Russia sales push
06.05.09, 06:15 AM EDT
pic
HELSINKI, June 5 (Reuters) - Russia's top mobile phone operator MTS said on Friday it has agreed to form a strategic partnership with Nokia for sales of the top handset maker's phones in Russia.
The first joint project of the two companies will be the sales launch of Nokia ( NOK - news - people ) N97, Nokia's new top-of-range model, which will go on sale in more than 75 countries this month.
Re: Naked Short Selling (NSS) From another Bd.
Press release from Senate re: NSS
What these Senators should really put out is a statement saying that due to SEC ineffectiveness and unwillingness to enforce securities laws, they have introduced legislation to eliminate the agency and turn over securities enforcement to the DOJ with a mandate of immediate prosecution of fails to deliver and receive.
And retroactively at that.
Anyway, here's their statement, FWIW:
For Immediate Release
June 3, 2009
Levin, Grassley, Specter Release GAO Report onSEC Actions to Curb Stock Failures to Deliver and Manipulative Naked Short Selling
WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee; and Senator Arlen Specter, D-Penn., Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report analyzing recent actions taken by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to curb failures to deliver securities and manipulative naked short selling.
Senator Levin said: "Naked short selling enables unscrupulous traders to manipulate the stock market and can directly damage U.S. companies and the shareholders who own them. This report confirms that the SEC should consider and implement an arsenal of we apons to combat abusive short selling. A requirement that short sellers must borrow shares before engaging in a short sale would go a long ways towards ending this abusive practice. Although decreasing the number of failures to deliver is certainly not the only measure for success in fighting abusive short selling, I note that when the SEC issued a temporary preborrow requirement last July on a limited number of stocks, the number of new failures to deliver in those stocks dropped by 78%."
Senator Grassley said: "Private property and voluntary exchange are the cornerstones of a free market economy. Shareholders are part owners of the corporations in which they invest. Shareholders must have the right to determine the terms and conditions under which they will lend their securities to others. Naked short selling without regard to the number of shares outstanding or the lending conditions placed on the available shares is a violation of property rights and deprives shareholders of the value of their ownership. Unless the SEC can develop an appropriate alternative, a strict preborrow requirement may be the only way to adequately protect shareholders' rights."
Senator Specter said: "As this GAO study establishes, the SEC is capable of enforcing pre-borrow and delive ry rules when it so desires. For modestly capitalized companies, short selling stocks and then failing to deliver the shares results in phantom or fraudulent shares and can be a death knell. We need an SEC that will protect investors in all companies—including those would-be targets of naked short selling. I join Senators Levin and Grassley in calling for needed regulatory reform."
A "short sale" occurs when a person sells a borrowed stock. The person then will "cover" the position by buying the stock back, and returning it to the lender. If the stock price falls in value, then the short seller could profit by selling for more than it cost him to repurchase — selling high and then buying low. As the GAO report notes, "n general, short selling is used to profit from an expected downward price movement, provide liquidity in response to unanticipated demand, or hedge the risk of a long position … in the same or related security."
However, because short sellers may profit on the decline in a company's stock price, they may seek ways to drive downward the stock prices in the companies in which they invest. And while most short selling is legal, some is not. As the GAO report notes: "short selling also may be used to illegally manipulate the prices of securities. Generally speaking, it is prohibited for any person to engage in a series of transactions to create actual or apparent active trading in a security or to depress the price of a security for the purpose of inducing the purchase or sale of the security by others."
Naked short selling refers to selling short without having borrowed the securities to make delivery. Selling shares that are not in the seller's actual possession may create an artificial downward pressure on the share price of the stock by flooding the market with sales.
Failures to deliver (FTD) occur when the seller of an equity security does not deliver the security to the purchaser within the required settlement period. Although FTD can be caused by mechanical errors and processing delays, they also result from naked short selling. The GAO report states that FTD "may undermine the confidence of investors, making them reluctant to commit capital to an issuer that they believe to be subject to such manipulative conduct."
In 2004, the SEC issued Regulation SHO to address large and persistent FTD and manipulative naked short selling. In 2008, the SEC took additional actions to restrict naked short selling. In July 2008, in the midst of the current financial crisis, the SEC issued an emergency order that restricted short sales in the publically traded securities of 19 large financial institutions, unless the seller had borrowed, or arranged to borrow, the security prior to the sale, and required delivery of the security on the settlement date. Almost immediately, the order was amended to except market makers engaged in market making transactions and the sales of restricted securities. This preborrow requirement expired in August.
Out of concern that Regulation SHO's locate and close-out requirements had not gone far enough to reduce FTD and curtail manipulative naked short selling, the SEC issued an emergency order in September 2008 that temporarily increased delivery requirements on all short sales, implemented an antifraud rule regarding short sales, and eliminated an exception for options market makers from the close-out requirement. Based on continued concerns of market conditions, the SEC also temporarily banned all short sales of approximately 800 financial institutions. The enhanced delivery requirement was subsequently adopted as an interim final temporary rule set to expire on July 31, 2009.
GAO analyzed FTD data from January 2005 through December 2008, and found that the SEC's actions last September resulted in a significant decrease in the number of securities with large FTD. GAO also found that staffs of both the SEC Enforcement Division and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) conceded that "market manipulation is difficult to detect and successfully prosecute, and the potential damage to an individual company could be severe." Further, the SEC Trading and Markets and FINRA staffs agree that the potential for market manipulation is possible e ven under the current temporary rule requiring broker-dealers to close out FTD on the morning of the fourth day after a trade.
The GAO report further recommends that the SEC "finalize, in an expedited manner upon finalization of the temporary rule, the revised 1994 Prime Broker Letter (SEC staff guidance that laid out the responsibilities of both the executing and prime brokers for trades they executed and settled on behalf of their clients), and develop a process that allows Commission staff to raise and resolve implementation issues that arise from SEC regulations, including interim final temporary rules, in a timely manner."
The GAO report can be found online at http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/supporting/2009/report.GAO.060309.pdf
This reviewer is Pro- Palm Pre, and Anti- Apple. Rimm brings up the Rear.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/141477-palm-vs-apple-vs-rim-the-mobile-os-wars-heat-up?source=email
Palm vs. Apple vs. RIM: The Mobile OS Wars Heat Up 3 comments
by: BlindReason June 05, 2009 | about stocks: AAPL / PALM / RIMM
The Palm Pre (PALM) launch is right around the corner, along with Apple's (AAPL) WWDC next week and a lot of people are wondering how this will impact the market dynamics in the handheld wars. The last time Palm innovated was around the time it acquired Handspring. This is its first innovative product in years-- will this save Palm?
I think this device puts Palm back in the race and while the PRE looks fantastic, this device launch alone is not enough to turn Palm into a contender again without a few more devices to round out the PRE family. Most importantly, it has shown that Palm can innovate again which is a fact that's been in dispute for this former market leader. People forget Palm defined this category and they have not had an interesting and innovative product since the Handspring acquisition. My bet though is it gets them enough runway to yet engineer a nice exit to Dell (DELL) or some other acquirer.
If they can have a successful launch, then launch an OLED version of this thing with a 4+ size inch screen for more of a media device they could generate some interesting market share gains. I think that's enough for Palm's private equity investors to declare victory and walk off into the sunset as happy innovators.
A lot of reviewers including Mossberg paint this as a challenger to iPhone and given the lead designer came straight out of Apple a lot of these comparisons hold true. However, I think this device has implications for Rimm (RIMM) as well. This device will be on every carrier starting Q1 2010 and folks who have wanted an iPhone and not wanted to switch to AT&T (T) will pick this device instead of another Blackberry. Most people hate AT&T's network and why switch when you can get most of the functionality of the iPhone without having to move networks?
Just a quick word about Rimm. I think this continues a longer term decline for Rimm in terms of it's advantages in the marketplace and it's relative value proposition. A keyboard version of the iPhone which essentially the PRE is, only accentuates this trend. Interesting post on BlindReason here a year or so ago that shows how the OS market has changed so quickly.
Palm Pre on multiple carriers also makes it a lot more important for Apple to either push out a CDMA version of it's phone and drop AT&T exclusivity (which Apple doesn't want to do because of a small hit to margins by producing more versions of the phone) and/or to get LTE networks up and running in the United States. LTE plans look to be increasing for all the carriers but the current forecast is more for late 2010 or early 2011.
The Mossberg review on the PRE is out here and it is pretty compelling. I think it's great to have Palm out with a device that goes toe to toe with Apple. Apple has been just way too lazy in terms of innovation and this might put a little more competitive intensity into the pace of innovation (and probably an Apple lawsuit).
The device we are going to get at WWDC next week is more than likely going to be just one more semi boring iteration from Apple as it rides an innovative way that is impressive but a few years years old now. Video Chat is interesting and I am sure Apple will implement it in an excellent fashion but they are just putting enough gas on the pedal to stay ahead of the pack, rather than trying to push the envelope some true innovation. The introduction of the compass should make the location based applications a lot more interesting as well.
Unless I have been completely tricked by false rumors coming out of Asia, we are not going to get an OLED screen out of Apple which would be a boon to battery life and make the screen absolutely beautiful. This is another example of Apple just milking 3 year old innovation rather than truly pulling ahead of the pack. The general consensus is that Apple will have multiple versions of the iPhone and there is a possibility we may get a a high end OLED version either now or at a later date in the year (which would break their pattern of annual product announcements).
If you were hoping that you'd get a keyboard version of the iPhone next week, most (if not all) sources conclude their won't be one and you'd have better luck hoping for peace in the Middle East or for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and sing Kum Ba Ya.
A lot of people are really going to love the keyboard on the Pre even if it is a little tiny for most fingers and somewhat inferior to Rimm keys. If they can launch a media Pre I think they can tempt a lot more iPhone users to switch. What would a "Media Pre" look like? They need to get the screen size and resolution up while still maintaining battery life. I think they can do a lot of that with an OLED screen at a slightly higher price point.
There's been some stories about the inside Apple battles over whether to include a keyboard and that the designer who pushed hard for a keyboard left for Palm giving us essentially an iPhone his way. Now that we have seen the Pre, it sort of feels like we've got that. It also accelerates the view that there are likely going to be some litigation between the two companies around who owns what.
Internet browsing on the Pre is much faster than the iPhone and I think that's a function of Sprint's (S) network just being much faster as well as the faster processor inside the Pre which contributes quite a bit to page load time. I know AT&T advertises the fastest network but it just plain isn't and I wish Sprint would push it's own data capabilities more in the marketplace.
Sprint is a perfect example of a fantastically engineered network with really horrible marketing and leadership. They have suffered substantially from the lack of interesting devices on the CDMA side the last few years however which is being ameliorated somewhat of late. They have had a faster network now for 4 years and get a bad rap. Every day I don't see some enterprising class action lawyer suing AT&T for it's ridiculous claims about its horrible network in Manhattan and San Francisco is a day I awake surprised.
On the downside, you have to remember if you are on a CDMA network you are not going to be able to do data and a phone call at the same time which most reviewers don't mention. My own gut on which device is better depends on what you use your device for. If you do a lot of email and need that keyboard input or if you want to be able to multitask, the Palm Pre is going to be a better choice for you. Right now though, I think iPhone has the advantage for video type media because the screen is larger. Additionally, my gut is the compass is going to make location based applications a lot more interesting on the iPhone than the PRE.
Mossberg made a big deal about the advantage of the iPhone App store. It is a bit of an issue for a lot of people who have grown dependent on one or two key apps. For me, I use email, internet browsing on the go and location based services--the rest of the apps, I can survive without for a bit.
The biggest conclusion for me out of this is that if the Pre gets some share as I expect that it will, Apple absolutely positively has to drop that exclusivity deal with AT&T. They have reached diminishing marginal returns in terms of their ability to force covert people over to AT&T and in order to maintain product growth the math basically forces them to distribute to a wider base. Math is now starting to work against Apple and the AT&T deal has to go.
Here is a piece of the Mossberg review:
I consider the Pre to be potentially the strongest rival to the iPhone to date, provided it attracts lots of third-party apps, which it sorely lacks at launch. Its design is much better than that of the two other main iPhone-class competitors: the T-Mobile G1, which uses Android, and RIM’s touch-screen BlackBerry Storm.
Whether the Pre is better than the iPhone depends on your personal preferences, though I’d note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features that could alter those calculations.
The Pre’s biggest advantage over the iPhone is that, in addition to sporting an elegant touch-screen interface that matches or exceeds Apple’s, the new Palm device has a real physical keyboard that slides out from its curved body. While I like the iPhone’s virtual on-screen keyboard, others hate it, and yearn for a device with both a great touch interface and a physical keyboard. The Pre delivers.
Many other iPhone wannabes have physical keyboards, including the G1. But none combine that keyboard with the stylish software of the Pre and its beautiful industrial design, which makes the new Palm feel great in the hand. The phone is relatively small — though pretty thick — and has a gently curved back.
The Pre also features an elegant new take on the multitouch user interface. It uses a card metaphor. Each program, or window, appears in virtual cards on the screen, and you can flip through them and zoom in to use one, or quickly dismiss one by flicking it up and off the screen. An individual email, or contact, can occupy its own card. And, unlike on the iPhone, the Pre can simultaneously run any programs you choose.
Also, some gestures — like a quick sideways swipe to go to the previous screen — are performed in a black area below the display, which also has a button that zooms in and out of card view.
The other big, new idea in this phone is called Synergy. It automatically can merge similar contacts from disparate sources, like Google and Facebook, and can display multiple calendars from different sources as well.
Palm stresses wireless capability. It automatically syncs over the air with Google’s calendar and contacts, and with Microsoft Exchange. This worked pretty well in my tests, though syncing some items wasn’t instant. It also can connect with numerous email services and performs BlackBerry-style push email.
Going further, the Pre features a wireless backup service that automatically stores a copy of your data — email, contacts and calendar — on remote servers, so you can recover your stuff if need be.
For syncing big files, like photos, videos and music, Palm has taken an audacious approach: It simply uses its rival’s software, Apple’s iTunes. The Pre team, headed by a former top engineer at Apple, figured how to make iTunes think a Pre is an iPhone or iPod, and the software acts accordingly. Of course, Apple can alter iTunes to block this, but in my tests, it worked perfectly.
All things D also has a nice roundup of all the Gadgety Reviews here.
Disclosure: I am long Apple calls, AT&T common and Sprint common.
Nic, Hear, hear.
I don't post very often, and seldom offer opinions or evaluative comments on this board. I have watched the tennis match between you and Miller, and some of the board members. In truth, the tongue-in-cheek wording that you've sometimes used, somewhat biased me in favor of your responder's opinions.
This post however, rates a loud and sincere, Congratulations! It's personal and informative, with your apparent honest feelings showing through the explanations of your thoughts.
I believe that if more of your posts were similar to this one, you'd never catch flak from a soul.
Nice job.
Here's the text
InterDigital, Inc.
InterDigital Receives NASDAQ Letter of Reprimand Closing Compliance Matters
Prompt Corrective Actions by Company Cited in Closure of Review on Matters Relating to Director Independence Requirements
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., May 28, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC) today announced that it received a letter of reprimand from the Listing Qualifications Staff of the NASDAQ Stock Market for non-compliance with the majority independent board and solely independent audit nominating and compensation committee requirements set forth in NASDAQ Listing Rule 5605. The Staff notified the company that it has completed its review and deemed it appropriate to close the matter, based in part upon the prompt corrective actions taken by the company after discovering and notifying NASDAQ about the compliance issues.
On April 30, 2009, InterDigital(R) announced in a Form 8-K that it had self-reported to NASDAQ its non-compliance with Listing Rule 5605 and had made changes to its Board of Directors and related committee assignments to restore compliance with the rule.
In reaching its determination to close the matters by issuing the letter of reprimand, the Staff considered, among other things, that the company "has not demonstrated a pattern of non-compliance." The Staff also noted that "once this compliance issue was discovered by the [c]ompany, it was cured in a prompt and effective manner" and that, based on discussions with the company, the Staff believes that the company "inadvertently violated the Listing Rules."
Revlis - It looks to me like this is a non-event. But the Heading of the document is causing a knee jerk reaction in the mket
Cheaper iPhone Plans from AT&T?
AT&T may offer lower-cost data plans for iPhones, which would attract new subscribers and force smartphone rivals to cut prices, too
By Olga Kharif
Technology
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2009/tc20090515_773194.htm
Telecom May 15, 2009, 6:48PM EST text size: TT
Victor Lin wants an iPhone, but he's put off by the price. The smartphone costs at least $199 up front, and if he wants unlimited Web and e-mail access in addition to calling, he'll need to pay an additional $70 a month. "I like the idea of having a full-featured Web browser," says Lin, a 43-year-old San Francisco software engineer. "However, I think the monthly fee is a little bit too high."
AT&T (T) may have gotten the message. The exclusive U.S. iPhone service provider is considering cutting the price of its monthly service package or offering a range of lower-priced plans, say people with knowledge of the company's thinking. One plan that could be introduced as early as late May would include limited data access at a $10 monthly reduction, the people say.
The possible price cut likely reflects the back-and-forth between AT&T and Apple (AAPL) as they work out whether and under what terms AT&T would remain the sole U.S. iPhone carrier. Apple may want flexibility in pricing as a condition, analysts say. "We understand it's part of the extension [of its contract] that AT&T wants to maintain," Richard Doherty, director at consultant Envisioneering Group, says of the prospect of lower data-plan prices. As Apple considers whether to widen its circle of U.S. providers, AT&T may have less ability to balk at Apple's requests. Representatives of Apple and AT&T declined to comment.
AT&T and Apple also have added scope for price reductions as iPhone manufacturing costs decline. Apple plans to introduce a new version of iPhone software in June, and it may unveil a new, cheaper device in June or July. New devices may cost as much as one-third less to produce than earlier versions, Doherty says. The cost of touchscreens, the most expensive component, has declined by more than 30% in the past year, estimates Michael Cote, an analyst at consultant Cote Collaborative Wireless Strategy.
Lower-priced data plans would probably lure a lot of fence-sitters, including students and consumers with lower incomes. A reduction could boost AT&T's iPhone subscriber additions by 20% to 25%, estimates wireless industry consultant Chetan Sharma. A survey late last year by comScore (SCOR) indicated that 43% of iPhone buyers earned more than $100,000 a year. But many of the wealthiest subscribers have already signed up. In the first quarter, AT&T activated 1.6 million iPhones, and 40% of those activations were for users new to AT&T. "[A price reduction] absolutely makes sense," Sharma says. "AT&T is starting to hit a wall in terms of new subscribers." In the first quarter of 2009, AT&T's net subscriber additions were 5.6% lower than in the year-earlier period.
A $99 iPhone or a Prepaid iPhone?
Some analysts have speculated that in addition to cutting the price of service plans, AT&T will also reduce the up-front price of the new iPhone by as much as $100, to $99. Apple is even toying with the idea of coming out with a prepaid iPhone, opening up the device to mainstream consumers, Doherty says.
A cheaper plan, coupled with new and possibly cheaper iPhones, could give AT&T a larger share of the U.S. smartphone market. "They are going to give AT&T the bulk of smartphone users [in the country]," Doherty says. And unless prices drop on other smartphones in AT&T's stable, those rival handset makers, such as Research In Motion (RIMM), could end up losing market share in AT&T's stores. The plan could also make it more difficult for the new Palm (PALM) Pre, expected from Sprint Nextel (S) in June, to gain share. "That would definitely push the pricing on high-end smartphones down," Sharma says.
A new plan could also usher in an era of tiered wireless data plans for consumers from other carriers, too. Already, AT&T offers corporate data plans for BlackBerry devices, among other gadgets; these include the unlimited option, as well as cheaper plans with caps on monthly data usage. Some data plans also allow for so-called tethering, which lets users cut costs by using the phone—instead of a wireless data card—to get wireless broadband access on a computer. But there's less flexibility for consumers that way; data plans for smartphones typically include unlimited data and go for a flat $30 a month. Many analysts think it may make sense to offer a cheaper limited option for, say, $20 a month.
The rest of the industry will likely mirror AT&T's moves into tiers of personal wireless data services to stem iPhone-related subscriber defections. "It seems to me if there's one carrier who is more at risk [of losing subscribers], it's Sprint," says Charles Golvin, an analyst at Forrester Research (FORR). "Their marketing has been about their unlimited plan being a better value." But Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile may need to take a page from AT&T's playbook as well.
Kharif is a senior writer for BusinessWeek.com in Portland, Ore.
A shot at "reducing" Naked Short Selling - A good start if enacted.
SEC Expected to Make Fails Rule Permanent
By Nina Mehta
May 13, 2009
The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to make permanent an emergency order it instituted last September to reduce naked short selling. The temporary rule, known as Rule 204T, was put in place when markets were in free fall and investors blamed abusive short-selling practices for the decline. The rule expires on July 31.
"I expect the Commission to consider adoption of that [rule]," said James Brigagliano, co-acting director of the SEC's Division of Trading and Markets. He added that the SEC could "adopt it as it exists or in response to comments" from the industry. Brigagliano spoke at a Security Traders Association conference in Washington, D.C., last week.
Rule 204T requires clearing firms, by 9:30 a.m. on the day after settlement date, which is the third day after the trade, or T+3, to close out short sales that did not settle. The SEC added Rule 204T to Regulation SHO to counter naked short selling, in which investors fail to borrow the shares needed for settlement. Abusive naked short selling occurs when investors deliberately don't borrow the shares.
The SEC's rule imposes strict penalties on firms whose internal desks or customers flout the new rule. Until the failed trades settle, those firms must "pre-borrow" (arrange in advance to borrow) shares for new short sales in that name, instead of simply locating the shares. That raises trading costs for those firms.
Richard Ketchum, the newly installed head of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, called Rule 204T a success. "It's remarkable how well that has worked," he said at the STA conference. He noted that it was implemented "in a fairly short time when firms didn't even have technology systems in place."
Industry members also support the rule. Kevin Cronin, director of global equity trading at mutual fund giant Invesco, said the problem of naked short selling "has been effectively dealt with through Rule 204T." At last week's SEC roundtable discussion on short selling, Cronin said the rule should be made permanent. Jerry O'Connell, chief compliance officer at Susquehanna International Group, a large market maker in options and exchange-traded funds, agreed that Rule 204T had "fixed" the problem of abusive short selling.
According to the SEC's Office of Economic Analysis, the average daily number of stocks on the "threshold list" of securities (those with large and persistent levels of failures-to-deliver, which represent stock sold short whose shares were never borrowed) decreased to 63 per day in March, down from nearly 600 last July. Overall, the daily fails in all securities declined 81 percent to 0.43 billion shares on March 31, from a high of 2.2 billion shares last July 16. Fails can result from abusive naked short selling as well as operational glitches.
But not everybody thinks the SEC is off the hook. Roel Campos, a former SEC commissioner who is now partner in charge of the Washington, D.C., office of law firm Cooley Godward Kronish, credits the SEC with reducing fails, but doesn't think the agency went far enough. "Failures-to-deliver, a proxy for naked short selling, continue to occur in companies that do not appear on the Regulation SHO threshold list," he wrote in a letter to the SEC in late March on behalf of a dozen issuers. This can happen when the company has a large number of shares outstanding, raising the bar to get on the threshold list.
Campos thinks the SEC should require investors to pre-borrow shares for all short sales. The Commission, he said, should also require disclosure of whether trades are long or short in the Order Audit Trail System.
http://www.tradersmagazine.com/news/-103750-1.html
Just finished reading the transcript. It's really garbled. I think the CCall typist needs their own translator to help out.
If you missed the call, you're in trouble. Hopefully, the call will be available at the IDCC site for those who missed the real event. It a shame, as that was a great call today.
Verizon Switches To Smartphones For Maintenance Requests
The company unveiled its iSite open source tool that allows service techs to analyze problems and manage work lists in real time from their BlackBerrys.
By W. David Gardner
InformationWeek
May 6, 2009 04:53 PM
http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/smart_phones/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217300527
In a high-tech example of the proverbial shoemaker whose children go without shoes, many of Verizon (NYSE: VZ)'s service managers haven't had the convenience of smartphones to assist them in responding to help and maintenance requests.
That will change now, according to an announcement from Verizon Communications, unveiling an open source software program for BlackBerry phones that will let technicians and support personnel at Verizon Communications and its Verizon Wireless unit put away their laptops in favor of BlackBerrys.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson announced and showed a prototype of a phone it's temporarily calling Idou. It features a high resolution display, and a 12.1 Megapixel camera, running the Symbian OS. Internet Evolution's Web Wide World takes us to Rwanda, a country torn apart by genocide, and now attempting a radical transformation from an agrarian society to a knowledge-based economy, via the Internet Ralph De La Vega, the president and CEO of AT&T's consumer and mobility division, talked to the Web 2.0 audience about the recent Wayport acquisition, Uverse upgrades and the iPhone.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericsson announced and showed a prototype of a phone it's temporarily calling Idou. It features a high resolution display, and a 12.1 Megapixel camera, running the Symbian OS.
The iSite program, unveiled Wednesday at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium in Orlando, Fla., presents views of ordering systems, provisioning processes, and repair records while eliminating the necessity to contact people manning the systems.
"With iSite, Verizon managers who are addressing customer service issues have instant access -- no matter where they are -- to both systems and individual customer records, so that they can intervene and more quickly resolve problems or issues affecting customer service," said Charles Henry, VP of IT program management, IT operations, and systems automation for Verizon's telecom team.
At the WES event last year, Henry showed a BlackBerry-based tool that field technicians had been able to use to track customer installation and repair work. The new iSite solution features advanced analysis tools for identifying root causes of problems as well as work-list management tools to improve field repair efficiency. Holistic and predictive analyses of service processes also let Verizon managers improve service in real time.
"The key here is the versatility and mobility that access to these systems via Verizon Wireless high-speed data service allows," said Henry.
Japan’s Carriers To Invest $10 Billion Into 3.9 G Network
By Dianne See Morrison - Wed 06 May 2009 05:12 AM PST
http://www.moconews.net/entry/419-japans-carriers-invest-10-billion-into-3.9-g-network/
Japan’s wireless networks, already some of the most advanced in the world, are set to get even faster. Bloomberg, citing local business paper the Nikkei, reports that Japan’s four mobile phone operators, incumbent NTT Docomo, KDDI, Softbank Mobile, and Emobile, will jointly invest 1 trillion yen ($10 billion) over the next five years to build a 3.9 generation cellular network, which will rival the speeds of fixed fiber optic networks. The Nikkei, which did not cite sources, said the four operators were applying for licenses by May 7, and the government is expected to issue the licenses “within months.” Japan’s dominant operator, which is seeing its market share eaten away by its smaller rivals, is hoping to launch the new service in 2010, and has put in as much as 400 billion yen ($40 million) into the venture. Its smaller rivals are aiming to roll out services between 2011-2012.
RIM Bolsters Enterprise BlackBerry Products
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/blackberry/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217201403
The company reveals deals with Hewlett-Packard and Cisco, and a new application programming interface for developers.
By Marin Perez
InformationWeek
May 4, 2009 02:01 PM
Research In Motion (NSDQ: RIMM) announced a plethora of BlackBerry-related products at its eighth annual Wireless Enterprise Symposium on Monday, including deals with Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and Cisco (NSDQ: CSCO), a new application programming interface for developers, and the next generation of BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
The BlackBerry maker said it would collaborate with HP to bring enterprise software to its handsets. This deal will enable mobile users to wirelessly print documents using a BlackBerry handset and HP's CloudPrint service. HP also will bring its Operations Manager software to RIM's smartphones, providing an end-to-end view of enterprise apps running on the BlackBerry platform. The companies did not say when the software would be available.
More Personal Tech Insights
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Videos
BlueTooth headsets were everywhere at CES, but Blue Ant always has something new and innovative. This year, it was showing off its slim Q1, with some significant wind suppression modifications and voice control. Scott E-vest offers the latest in geek-wear with a multi-pocket vest that can hold just about every gadget you own. Yahoo aims at mobile developers with an open developer platform called Yahoo Go.
Yahoo aims at mobile developers with an open developer platform called Yahoo Go.
"As businesses look for new ways to increase service levels, reduce operational costs, and improve productivity, they can meet these challenges by transforming how they manage the infrastructure that powers their mobile workforces," Ann Livermore, HP's executive VP of technology solutions, said in a statement. "Emerging models of communications and collaboration have created an opportunity for RIM and HP to provide service-based mobile solutions that deliver value to customers."
RIM also updated its BlackBerry Mobile Voice System Server in order to optimize it for Cisco's latest Unified Communications Manager. This enables users to make calls from the smartphone using either the corporate line or the BlackBerry phone number, as well as let the IT department route calls through the Unified Communications Manager to reduce long-distance calling charges. The updated server is available now through business channels or through RIM's Web site.
Developers also got some good news, as RIM said it would open up its push architecture for applications. This means content creators can make programs that deliver real-time information without having to constantly ping a server. RIM said this can lead to improved battery life, as well as innovative apps for news, weather, banking, and other categories.
The company also officially launched BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0. Like its predecessors, the BES 5.0 sits behind the corporate firewall and enables secure syncing between smartphones and the enterprise's messaging and collaboration software. The updated server improves administrative controls, enhances e-mail capabilities, and offers 450 security policies.
Mickey, this is from Yahoo. Note there are only 2 analysts weighing in on Earnings, and they are $.02 apart. Whereas there are 3 for Revenue and they are 9 mill apart.
Analyst Estimates Get Analyst Estimates for:
Earnings Est Current Qtr
Mar-09 Next Qtr
Jun-09 Current Year
Dec-09 Next Year
Dec-10
Avg. Estimate -0.21 0.43 1.54 2.02
No. of Analysts 2 3 2 3
Low Estimate -0.22 0.18 1.47 0.91
High Estimate -0.20 0.60 1.61 2.74
Year Ago EPS 0.15 0.13 0.57 1.54
Next Earnings Date: 6-May-09 - Set a Reminder
Revenue Est Current Qtr
Mar-09 Next Qtr
Jun-09 Current Year
Dec-09 Next Year
Dec-10
Avg. Estimate 73.36M 76.12M 303.62M 350.95M
No. of Analysts 3 3 4 4
Low Estimate 69.30M 74.07M 294.70M 311.31M
High Estimate 78.00M 80.00M 329.00M 402.00M
Year Ago Sales 56.03M 58.71M 228.47M 303.62M
Sales Growth (year/est) 30.9% 29.7% 32.9% 15.6%