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Space Google's Next Frontier
Monday, December 18, 2006
Google isn't just your guide to the web; soon it will be your guide to the galaxy. NASA's Ames Research Center will make its data about the Earth, Moon, and stars available to Google's search technology.
The Space Act Agreement is a technology sharing agreement in which the organizations will partner on manipulating massive data sets, distributed computing and user interface development.
NASA data will be incorporated into Google Earth, and in the future the groups will provide "Real-time weather visualization and forecasting, high-resolution 3-D maps of the moon and Mars, real-time tracking of the International Space Station and the space shuttle."
Google's search technology will be applied to the wealth of information that NASA collects about the environment on Earth.
Google's reputation as computing experts continues to grow as big boys like NASA turn to them for help. I can't wait to see what ads AdSense will bring up on pages covering the changing landscape of Tajikistan.
http://www.marketingshift.com/2006/12/space-googles-next-frontier.cfm
Google, NASA Ames to cooperate on technical projects
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - 9:24 AM PST Monday
NASA Ames Research Center and Google Inc. said Monday they will work together on a variety of technical problems ranging from large-scale data management and massively distributed computing to human-computer interfaces.
Moffett Field-based NASA Ames, and Mountain View-based Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) said that as the first in a series of joint collaborations, they will focus on making the most useful of NASA's information available on the Internet.
Real-time weather visualization and forecasting, high-resolution 3D maps of the moon and Mars, real-time tracking of the International Space Station and the space shuttle will be explored in the future.
Moving forward, NASA and Google said they intend to collaborate in a variety of areas, including incorporating agency data sets in Google Earth, focusing on user studies and cognitive modeling for human computer interaction, and science data search utilizing a variety of Google features and products.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2006/12/18/daily8.html?surround=lfn
I am amazed that this market still doesn't capture the enthusiasm it deserves, given the run. Of course, some of that could be the incessant media attack on it: Today it's a Wall Street Journal piece about the slowing of Google (GOOG - commentary - Cramer's Take - Rating). Good grief. Last week was the subprime worry. Give me a break, with lower rates and a bottoming in real estate, that fret will subside.
http://www.thestreet.com/p/_yahoo/rmoney/jimcramerblog/10328415.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=PREMIUM...
You said the same thing at GOOG 459... [#msg-14177909]
NASA to reveal major Google announcement Monday
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=423
Orange Google phone?
The future for Orange could soon be Google in your pocket
David Smith, technology correspondent
Sunday December 17, 2006
The Observer
Google is on the move. The internet giant has held talks with Orange, the mobile phone operator, about a multi-billion-dollar partnership to create a 'Google phone' which makes it easy to search the web wherever you are.
The collaboration between two of the most powerful brands in technology is seen as a potential catalyst for making internet use of mobile phones as natural as on desktop computers and laptops.
Executives from Orange flew to Silicon Valley in California for a meeting at Google's headquarters, or 'Googleplex', to hold preliminary discussions about a joint deal. The companies believe that they have an affinity as brands that are perceived as both 'positive' and 'innovative'.
Their plans centre on a branded Google phone, which would probably also carry Orange's logo. The device would not be revolutionary: manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese firm specialising in smart phones and Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), it might have a screen similar to a video iPod. But it would have built-in Google software which would dramatically improve on the slow and cumbersome experience of surfing the web from a mobile handset.
A source close to the talks told The Observer: 'Google are software experts and are doing some amazing work compressing data so that the mobile user gets a much better experience. They don't know so much about mobiles, but they are eager to learn from Orange's years of experience.'
Among the potential benefits are location-based searches: aware of your handset's geographical position, Google could offer a tailored list of local cinemas, restaurants and other amenities, and maps and images from Google Earth. It is believed that the Google phone would not go on sale before 2008.
Google value the expertise of Orange, which is owned by France Telecom, Europe's second-largest telecoms group. A joint deal could be highly lucrative. Google recently became Silicon Valley's most valuable business at £81bn, although it still has a long way to go to eclipse the Seattle-based Microsoft. France Telecom has had a rockier spell, but this year announced sales of £33bn.
Tony Cooper, a telecoms consultant at Deloitte, said: 'There are numerous situations in which people say "I wish I had Google in my hand", and I can imagine the younger generation of users would think that a Google phone is a cool idea. It could bring in location-based searches like "Find a Thai restaurant in my area".'
He added: 'It has a potential to be a success, and to offer commercial success for both companies, particularly if Orange can link it to its broadband offering. If I was Orange, I'd want to get a share of the ad click-through revenues; if I was Google, I'd want a share of the airtime revenue. The potential stumbling block is if it's clunky and hard to use.'
Google already offers its search engine and other services on mobile phones. It has a partnership with Vodafone and last month announced a broadband agreement with the operator 3. It is working to make youTube, the video-sharing site it bought recently for £870m, easily accessible on handsets. But it is eager to expand in what experts see as a huge potential market, possibly the key to the future of the internet.
Manufacturers such as Nokia and Motorola are working to make the mobile internet commonplace. Earlier this year Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice-president of Nokia, said at a product show in New York: 'In the mid-Nineties I said that if you don't have a mobile phone you will be making a declaration that you wanted to be outside organised society. People said I was crazy, but now everybody has a mobile phone. Today I'm saying that in 10 years' time the same will be true if you don't have the full internet in your pocket.
A spokesman for Google said: 'We don't comment on market speculation and rumour, but we are focused on mobile and there's nothing new in our commitment to that space.' Orange declined to comment.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1973885,00.html#article_continue
If they do, those shorts will miss GOOG 2.0... and the run of the century...
Google 2.0: From search engine to media powerhouse
San Jose Mercury News
Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., is now poised to deliver news, entertainment and business applications to any computer, phone or cool new gizmo that can connect to the Internet
Just a few months ago, investors wondered whether Google would have an Act 2.
The novelty of search-based advertising had faded along with triple-digit growth in quarterly revenues. Meanwhile, Google's strategy for releasing new products seemed incoherent.
No more.
Investors are cheering the emergence of Google 2.0, sending the share price of the search engine cum media powerhouse past $500 for the first time last month.
In addition to the leading search engine and the most lucrative online advertising business, the new Google is poised to deliver news, entertainment and business applications to any computer, phone or cool new gizmo that can connect to the Internet.
It is both big media and Microsoft rolled into one...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003471551_btgoogle11.html
Google to post Realtor MLS data
Some are predicting that by the end of the decade at least 80 percent of home listings across the country will be available on Google or some other searchable Web site.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16149832/
Google Sky linkup is just the beginning...
Google has the best search technology and the best system for making money from each query. Because of that, even those directly threatened by Google's power, such as Ebay, have selected it as an advertising partner.
So which is the case in Google's link-up with BSkyB in the UK? Probably a bit of both. Sky is clearly excited about the chance to work with Google. The reality of the relationship, at least for a while, is likely to be a little more mundane. The first phase appears to be a souped-up search deal (like that signed with plenty of others). The difference is that Sky is the first to license a broader suite of Google technology for, say, e-mail and video sharing. That is helpful; after all, Sky is not a software company. But such functionality is not unique to Google.
More interesting is the potential, one day, of trying to line up Google's search expertise with Sky's television advertising. If there is a way of targeting adverts more effectively or opening slots up to Google's broader range of potential advertisers, it could be lucrative. For both sides, a link-up should be broadly useful. Sky is the most powerful commercial media company in the UK, a country where online accounts for a particularly high share of the advertising pie. Sky provides a test case for Google to try getting its suite of technologies used more widely.
Google, meanwhile, is clearly a technology leader and could be particularly useful to Sky for its proven ability to monetise search. But, beyond that, the alliance sounds glitzier than the near-term results are likely to be.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ft/061208/fto120820061419447673.html?.v=1
Keep yer eyes on the ball, PV...
Barely two months ago pundits were predicting a litigation explosion for Google and its new YouTube video-sharing unit. But look what's happening instead...
The CBS deal shows that a direct connection can be made when it comes to free-for-all TV downloads. Networks now have both YouTube figures and Nielsen numbers at their disposal. "CBS is learning about its audience as never before," said CBS Interactive president Quincy Smith.
It won't take long for other networks to embrace YouTube. Witness how NBC, a General Electric (Charts) unit, and CBS jumped on the iTunes bandwagon after Disney (Charts)-owned ABC paved the way. So don't be surprised to see NBC, Fox and ABC launch their own YouTube channels. (This week British channel Sky, controlled by Rupert Murdoch's British Sky Broadcasting (Charts), announced a deal for its own version of YouTube, built with Google technology.)
http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/08/magazines/business2/youtube_piracy.biz2/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote
Dennis, Doc, Mickey, would someone take this lad & his pocketful of MOBL out back to the woodshed and straighten him out. thx
Google Subsidies May be Disruptive
By Thomas Fredrickson
Posted 06 December 2006 @ 11:59 am EST
Google (NASQ: GOOG) subsidies to promote its Checkout payment service through 2007 could allow the Internet search leader disrupt the ecommerce market, according to one analyst.
The Checkout service, which provides users with a unified way to make secure purchases across participating websites, may accelerate Google’s expansion in to rivals’ territory, according to Sifel Nicolaus analyst Scott Devitt. Currently, merchants using the service are allowed to accept credit card payments without incurring fees.
"Google is spending aggressively on gaining traction with its Checkout product and we think the offering has the possibility of disrupting eBay’s (NASQ: EBAY) off-platform PayPal business as well as the general ecommerce market," Devitt said. "Google is now effectively paying all credit card fees for partners for a full year. We think Checkout is becoming Google’s Internet Explorer, if you will, and we think it is time to start paying close attention."
In addition to subsidies, Google also attracts merchants to its Checkout service by coupling the product with the AdWords advertising platform. AdWords places advertisements across the Internet related to content displayed on the website. Merchants enrolled in AdWords who also use Checkout would get a special icon placed next their ad, potentially raising visibility.
"We think, if it works, it is potentially very disruptive to the competition and materially beneficial to Google’s core Adwords business," Devitt added.
Devitt maintained his Buy rating and $554 price target for Google shares.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20061206/google-checkout-paypal.htm#
Convergence is the name of the game...
Alvarion Ltd. (NASDAQ:ALVR), the world's leading provider of wireless broadband solutions and specialized mobile networks, today introduced two new converged solutions combining Wi-Fi functionality with both WiMAX and pre-WiMAX products. The BreezeMAX WI2 and BreezeACCESS WI2 enable carriers to capture additional revenues, while moving towards advanced Personal Broadband services, providing a powerful cost-effective, converged network that combines high performance Wi-Fi portability for IEEE 802.11b/g devices with WiMAX quality-of-service (QoS).
Each WI2 solution consists of an outdoor Wi-Fi access point with integrated power module capable of connecting to various commercial power sources, either a BreezeMAX or BreezeACCESS VL unit for backhaul and network management software.
As a fully ruggedized, all-outdoor Wi-Fi access point solution for hot zone applications, service providers now deploying WiMAX networks can extend their BreezeMAX networks in 2.3, 2.5 or 3.X GHz and BreezeACCESS VL networks in 5 GHz with Wi-Fi hot spot coverage. The result is full support in a single broadband network for both WiMAX users and subscribers using standard Wi-Fi devices such as laptops, PDAs, smart-phones, and portable gaming devices.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/061206/20061205006284.html?.v=1
Google and BSkyB Sign Search, Email, Video Deal
By JESSICA HODGSON
December 6, 2006 9:54 a.m.
Google Inc. signed a deal with British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC, the U.K. satellite broadcaster, enabling BSkyB to provide a Sky-branded search portal, mail and video services to its broadband customers.
The deal underlines both the growing value of Internet search-based advertising to media companies and Google's need to develop partnerships with content owners and distributors.
BSkyB said it would use the deal, which it described as the first of its kind, to launch an online user generated content site, an email service and a search portal.
"Sky will be Google's first partner globally to deploy Google's suite of search, advertising, communications and video services, all of which will be tailored and branded for Sky's fast-growing broadband platform," both companies said in press statements.
Google, which recently bought online video networking company YouTube, said earlier Wednesday developing partnerships with content owners was a key priority.
A number of large media and entertainment companies including the Walt Disney Co. and Universal Music Group, a unit of Vivendi, have alleged copyright infringements against the video sharing site. Universal has issued legal action against MySpace.
Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but the agreement will see the two companies sharing revenues generated by sponsored search links. A BSkyB spokesman said the agreement was "multi-year" but declined to say when it expired. The deal isn't exclusive.
"These agreements will bring Sky customers a valuable set of services from the world's leading search company, including cutting edge tools for video sharing and communications," BSkyB's Chief Executive James Murdoch said in a press statement.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116541525185842283.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo
Has Terry Semel seen this yet? Yee-ouch!!! Just don't tell Susan!
More free processing: Earlier this month, we announced that we were processing all Google Checkout sales for free until the end of 2006. Since then, we've had such a positive response from merchants that we decided to extend the offer through the end of 2007. From now through December 31, 2007, we'll process all of your Checkout transactions for free.
http://googlecheckout.blogspot.com/2006/12/new-features-make-checkout-even-easier.html#links
Take it up with the analysts, webber. Looks like they're all aboard.
http://tools.thestreet.com/tsc/quotes.html?symb=GOOG&pg=analyst
Another upgrade to $600 would suggest so!
Google's latest $600 price target
By Ben Charny, MarketWatch
Last Update: 10:27 AM ET Dec 4, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of large Internet companies began Monday trading mostly higher, with Google Inc. up after another analyst set a $600 price target for the stock, (GOOG ) added almost $3 to trade above $482 after Bear Stearns analyst Robert Peck raised his target price for the stock to $600 from $525. Peck also elevated his fourth-quarter profit estimate to $2.2 billion.
Peck is at least the fifth analyst to set a $600 price target on Google shares. In his note to clients, Peck cited recent market share data from comScore Networks Inc. that shows Google continuing to dominate Internet search, and his own sources citing Google's ongoing "strong" fourth quarter.
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BABC4185C%2DDE17%2D44B6%2DB4FB%2D82411116AC6...
Gotta pay attention to the numbers that really matter, webber!
Google "buy," target price raised to $615
Saturday, December 02, 2006 6:57:21 AM ET
Stanford Financial Group
NEW YORK, December 2 (newratings.com) - In a research note published yesterday, analysts at Stanford Research reiterate their "buy" rating on Google (GOOG.NAS). The target price has been raised from $550 to $615.
http://www.newratings.com/analyst_news/article_1435771.html
SIRI TV in '07?
Sirius plans to offer TV service in cars by 2007
Updated 11/30/2006 10:13 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) — Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI) expects to offer a live television service in cars by late 2007, and deals with content providers may be set as early as January, CEO Mel Karmazin said Thursday.
In an interview at the Reuters Media Summit in New York, Karmazin said the mobile video, likely to be available in 2008 model lines, would be geared toward young viewers sitting in the back seat.
Shares of Sirius rose 11 cents to $4.26 after his remarks. The stock is still down about 36% this year, hurt in part by concerns about industry spending on programming and the auto industry's woes.
"We have three content deals that are very close to being finalized. I don't know if they will be done by CES, but that is what we are shooting for," he said, referring to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. "We will have video in the rear seat of the car up and running."
Sirius has touted the possible launch of such a service for years. In 2004, it said it would offer video services by mid-2005, adding at the time that the timing depended on automakers' wishes rather than Sirius' capability. It later said TV service would launch in '06.
Larger rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings has also talked about the possibility of nationwide broadcast of live TV to cars. However, XM has said it would wait for signs of a significant market before it rolled out such a service.
Sirius subscribers who want the video service would have to pay an extra charge to their $13-per-month subscription, Karmazin said, but declined to detail the price or the cars in which it may be offered.
"The investment is already made and the benefit for us is (average revenue per user)," he said, referring to an increase in the money it will receive from subscribers. "You want to get more subscribers and increase your (average revenue per user) and … one of the ways is with some other services, and video is one of them."
http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2006-11-30-sirius-tv_x.htm
Google: 'iPod will hold all the world's TV in 12 years'
The future of music inspires the future of mobile
By Jo Best
Published: Monday 27 November 2006
The idea of fitting your entire music collection into a single device the size of a packet of cigarettes might have seemed outlandish 15 years ago. But that was before the iPod. Now, one Google exec is predicting the iPod will lead a further media transformation of similar magnitude in the coming decade.
Speaking at the FT World Communications Conference, Nikesh Arora, Google's VP of European operations, told delegates that, in the coming years, the plummeting price of storage and its increasing volume-to-size ratio will give iPods almost unlimited potential to hold music and video.
Arora said, by 2012, iPods could launch at similar prices to those on sale now and yet be capable of holding a whole year's worth of video releases. Around 10 years down the line that could be expanded, creating iPods that can hold all the music ever sold commercially.
He said: "In 12 years, why not an iPod that can carry any video ever produced?" The Google exec said tech is now pursuing a price volume game - searching for the price point at which content will take off for the mainstream.
He added: "It's clearly begun happening," citing iTunes' 99¢ per song download model.
And, Arora believes, mobile is likely to follow the same path. "Mobile is not going to be a different thing," he added - and if the mobile industry is to capitalise on the growth of content, it would be wise to ape the development of the internet.
He said: "The mobile industry has to go through the same phases the internet has gone through... Mobile will have the same learning curve. It would be somewhat foolish to leapfrog the stages the internet went through.
"But before they get there, they will need to satisfy the basic things people are used to doing on the internet."
As a result, the Google VP believes, there will be greater convergence between mobile and internet, as consumers expect to be able to access traditional web content and services on the mobile platform.
Google has already begun to exploit the union by expanding its ad sales business to the world of mobile, after signing deals with operators in Asia and Europe.
The search giant's CEO believes advertising will eventually go on to play a greater role in the mobile industry: eventually doing away with subscriptions in favour of users agreeing to watch targeted advertising.
http://hardware.silicon.com/storage/0,39024649,39164360,00.htm
Google revenue soars driven by International growth
http://www.isedb.com/db/blogs/1840/Google-revenue-soars-driven-by-International-growth.html
"We had an excellent quarter in all respects, especially in international," -- Eric Schmidt.
http://news.com.com/Google+profit+nearly+doubles/2100-1030_3-6127658.html
Short of Halley's Comet striking GOOG HQ, GOOG's phenomenal international growth will probably weather any U.S. housing weakness better than most.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6139641091939940902&q=asteroid+commercial&hl=en
They're here-ere!
SIRI was 4.75 in Jun, 5+ in Apr, 6+ in Feb, and 7+ last Dec.
It's only been trolling the depths since July.
http://finance.yahoo.com/charts#chart1:symbol=siri;range=1y;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshai...
Time for a new eye prescription, webber, ya think?
Google, the world’s most-used Internet search engine, reached a settlement with Belgian photographers and journalists yesterday in a copyright dispute over how Google’s news service links to newspaper content.
“We reached an agreement with Sofam and Scam that will help us make extensive use of their content,” Jessica Powell, a spokeswoman for Google, said in a phone interview yesterday. She declined to give details of the agreement or say whether it involved paying the groups for the content, and declined to say whether Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., was considering similar accords with the newspapers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/25/technology/25google.html?ex=1322110800&en=d35ff1ef67c0437a&...
Nope. Fund Managers are in the driver's seat, and they are sophisticated to know that PEG not pps is what matters.
Go With the Crowd on Google
By Dan Fitzpatrick
RealMoney.com Contributor
11/24/2006 10:42 AM EST
Several money managers I know are light stock and heavy cash. Virtually all are waiting for "the" pullback to put that cash to work. The problem is that there's no universally accepted definition of pullback. Each potential buyer converts to an active buyer at different times and price levels. As long as that dynamic exists, the Wall of Worry is steep and without many solid hand holds.
I believe the market's current strength is a byproduct of underperformance by a lot of money managers. If I'm correct, then the plethora of reasons spewed by market pundits for the current strength of the market is just noise. It's not the economy, stupid. I believe that instead, the market is being jacked up by money managers who are chasing beta, buying the stocks that will gain ground on the S&P 500 in a strong market.
The last time we looked at Google, the stock was just moving out of the symmetrical triangle drawn on this weekly chart. So far, the upside resolution is moving "according to Hoyle"; that is, by the rulebook.
I'd just hang on and pay less attention to the news and more attention to the price action. This stock has such a high profile that not much in the way of fundamental developments will get past the crowd. So rather than fret too much about all the growling and snorting, just follow the crowd. But don't neglect to protect your profits with a fairly loose trailing stop.
http://www.thestreet.com/p/_yahoo/rmoney/technicalanalysis/10324073.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=PRE....
comScore Reveals U.K. Top Sites and Web Traffic Trends for October: Google Becomes Most-Visited Web Property In U.K.
LONDON, November 22 /PRNewswire/ --
- Traffic to U.K. E-Tailers Increases, Indicating an Early Start to the Holiday Shopping Season
comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today revealed the top U.K. Internet properties for October, based on data collected through its comScore World Metrix audience ratings service. Google Sites (not including YouTube) edged out Microsoft Sites in October to become the most-visited Web property in the U.K. for the first time, followed by Microsoft Sites and eBay.
"We have watched the popularity of Google consistently grow over time," said Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe. "While the current month-over-month increase was small, it was just enough to earn them the number one spot."
Added Ivins: "Also notable was YouTube's 24 percent increase in traffic in October. YouTube's ascent in popularity around the world and in the U.K., demonstrated by the site's month-after-month double-digit percentage increases, has been remarkable."
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=184947
Flying back east on Weds, D, so keep the Google train zipping along!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-720070595222616866&q=bullet+train&hl=en
Need an extra 10 bucks, D?
Get a $10 bonus for signing up.
Google Checkout gives you a faster, safer way to shop online. If you're new to Checkout, sign-up by Nov 26 and we'll automatically apply a $10 bonus to your first purchase of $10 or more (before shipping & tax) from any store below. Bonus expires Dec 31, 2006.
http://www.google.com/checkout/signupbonus.html#utm_campaign=acct10&utm_source=us-en-et-checkout...
Found him...
Remember when?
Google (GOOG) broke $500. That's the story of the day, and rightly so. Since Google came public, its move has been something to behold.
Remember when the stock made its debut in the high double-digits? Everyone thought that was a terrible idea because of some twisted logic about how low-priced stocks are better for individual investors.
Remember when that hedge fund manager in Barron's trashed Google when it was at $175 or so and said it was fair value at $25?
Remember when everyone was upset that Google did a $4 billion secondary?
Remember when Google reported a soft quarter, and the world panicked and said the company's growth trajectory was over? (Doesn't that happen just about every other quarter?)
Remember when Google crossed $400 the first time and everyone wanted it to split because of some twisted logic about how that would help liquidity in this very liquid stock?
Remember when Google bought YouTube for $1.7 billion?
I expect Google to have a lot more upside ahead of it over the next few years. I also expect that I'll be typing a column someday that says, "Remember when Google first crossed $500?"
I'm still sticking with Google.
http://www.thestreet.com/p/_yahoo/rmoney/codywillardblog/10323608.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=PREMI...
Expect another round from analysts soon!
You want crazy? [#msg-14992639]
GOOG 825?
By Jim Cramer
RealMoney.com Columnist
11/21/2006 2:32 PM EST
When will people understand that it is, in the end, the P/E -- the price of the stock divided by the earnings -- that controls?
I have been inundated with questions about where Google (GOOG - news - Cramer's Take - Rating) can go, as if it's a plane that is breaking the sound barrier and people want to know if it can possibly get to Mach 5. You have to figure out what Google is worth based on what it will earn and what people will pay for it.
I don't understand why Google doesn't command the highest multiple in the market, something like 55 times, but the absurdity of saying $825 to those who don't understand this kind of analysis causes immense problems.
People think you get it out of thin air.
Google is going higher. It is going higher now.
Because getting to $600 -- where it is valued at only 40 times earnings -- seems, alas, not that hard.
When it gets there, I will leave it to those who like to clock the velocity of planes.
http://www.thestreet.com/_tscct/markets/activetraderupdate/10323651.html
Jim Cramer's Stop Trading! Google $750
By TheStreet.com Staff
11/21/2006 2:55 PM EST
Google (GOOG - commentary - Cramer's Take - Rating) is going to $750, Jim Cramer said Tuesday on CNBC's Stop Trading! segment.
Cramer, reiterating his oft-made argument that Google is "the only game in town" for mutual fund managers who want a real growth stock, said the stock is on its way to $600 from Tuesday's first move above $500. And from there, Cramer added, it's heading to $750, assuming interest rates stay in place or fall, as they appear poised to do.
http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/funds/stoptrading/10323659.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&...
Last I heard, he was on the road...
Mother Nature is long GOOG too...
MOBL's time will come... [#msg-14980889]
Google Shares Pass $500 as Investors Bet on Dominance
Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Shares of Google Inc. passed $500 for the first time as investors bet the company will extend its dominance in Internet search and advertising.
Google joined a group of six other companies whose shares trade above that level, including Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Washington Post Co. Google shares have jumped 21 percent this year and rose $9.08 to $504.13 at 10:50 a.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading.
The advance, spurred by surging revenue and analysts who predict further gains, marks a more than fivefold jump in Google's stock since its 2004 public offering at $85 a share. The Mountain View, California-based company turned its focus to radio and print advertising to help extend the gains.
``This is a stock to own,'' said Scott Kessler, an analyst at Standard & Poor's in New York. ``People definitely get excited about this type of milestone.''
Kessler, who rates the stock ``hold'' and doesn't own it, has a $500 price forecast. He spoke before the shares crossed that mark and declined to say whether he will change his target.
Google reached $400 a year ago. Standard & Poor's said last week that the stock is set to replace HCA Inc., the biggest U.S. hospital operator, in the S&P 100.
Raising Stakes
All but one of Google's largest 10 shareholders increased their holdings of the stock in the third quarter, data complied by Bloomberg show. Fidelity Investments, the world's biggest mutual-fund company, boosted its stake by almost a million shares to 25.5 million.
The rise gives Google, the most-used Internet search engine, a market value of more than $154 billion, placing it third behind Microsoft Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. in market value among U.S. technology companies. Yahoo! Inc., the No. 2 in search, is worth about $37 billion.
``Google remains our top pick in the Internet space,'' Heath Terry, an analyst at Credit Suisse in New York, wrote in a note last week. Along with Piper Jaffray & Co.'s Safa Rashtchy and Citigroup Inc.'s Mark Mahaney, Terry predicts the shares will top $600.
Of the analysts who follow Google, 33 recommend buying the shares, four advise holding, and one, Guzman & Co.'s Philip Remek, suggests selling.
Google now trades at 62 times what the company earned in the past 12 months, compared to Yahoo's 55 times and Microsoft's 22.9 times, according to Bloomberg data.
Share Sales
Google went public when it sold 19.6 million shares on Aug. 18, 2004. The company sold another 14.2 million shares at $295 apiece in September last year.
The company has beaten analysts' profit estimates in all but one of its nine quarters as a public company. A combination of marketers spending more of their ad budgets online and improvements to Google's advertising software contributed to those results.
``The Internet ad business will ultimately be a very large component of overall advertising,'' Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt said this month at a conference in San Francisco.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aujPj1UWO_yk&refer=home
Don't let the naysayers get you down, doc. Just like Jay & Jerry, stay focused on the promise of MOBL's muni-wireless build-out. Short-sighted people didn't see GOOGLE coming either.