It's a forgone conclusion that Apple (AAPL) has been the savior of AT&T (T) for the past few years. Little did any of the wireless companies know that Apple's various iPhone models would change the face of the wireless phone industry and sell millions and millions.

And the thing just turned three years old. Is there pent-up demand, though, to use the iPhone on different networks than AT&T (at least, in the U.S.)?

Continue reading Apple's Banner Year Is 2011 -- with Verizon Wireless

Apple's Banner Year Is 2011 -- with Verizon Wireless originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While Ford Motor (F) has been busy integrating the Sync hands-free entertainment system into many of its passenger car lines in recent years, most other auto manufacturers have been late to the game. That is, until now. After all, we're all connected 24/7 by laptops, netbooks, iPads, iPhones and other smartphones -- why should the car be any different?

The voice-activated music and wireless phone technology already exists in $500 smartphones -- why aren't automakers taking a lead in integrating more tech into vehicles? That's a question Ford answered years ago and GM is just now -- after a tumultuous few years -- finally realizing.

Continue reading GM and Ford to Compete for the More Connected Car

GM and Ford to Compete for the More Connected Car originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Best Buy to Resell Clearwire's Mobile Broadband

Best Buy to Resell Clearwire's Mobile Broadband originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After watching Apple, Inc. (AAPL) jet past them in market capitalization last month, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) has to be wondering what will come next -- more quarterly revenue? While that didn't happen with the latest set of financials, Redmond is probably asking "not if, but when." Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, although dismissive of the Apple iPad originally, has seen his rival now sell more then three million of them.

Continue reading Microsoft's Ballmer: Tablet Computers a Top Issue for Us

Microsoft's Ballmer: Tablet Computers a Top Issue for Us originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Should Sirius XM Radio Be Worried About Internet Radio On Smartphones?

Should Sirius XM Radio Be Worried About Internet Radio On Smartphones? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Does Dell Still Lag Behind Acer in PC Shipments?

Does Dell Still Lag Behind Acer in PC Shipments? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Apple: Repeating the Mistakes From The 80s?

Apple: Repeating the Mistakes From The 80s? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Walmart (WMT) seems to have the big-box retail format cornered. It is growing sales faster than the competition, is expanding internationally with success and seems to be able to do no wrong (albeit with a few small sidesteps).

Shares haven't really done much in recent years, closing yesterday right above $50 after sitting in $40 land for much of the past three years. About this time last year, shares were on a trajectory to hit $60 -- which they made before declining again.

Continue reading Walmart's 'Small Box' Strategy Moving Forward

Walmart's 'Small Box' Strategy Moving Forward originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dell, Inc. (DELL) is coming under fire for allegedly selling defective PCs full of faulty electronics. The Round Rock, Tex. company supposedly knew of technical problems in many of its corporate-level personal computers, but sold them anyway and deflected issues when customers started complaining.

Continue reading Dell Defends Its Practice of Shipping Faulty PCs

Dell Defends Its Practice of Shipping Faulty PCs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Former Target Corporation (TGT) merchandising chief and current Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) merchandising chief John Fleming will be leaving the world's largest retailer come August. The retailing veteran succumbed to four straight quarters of declining same-store sales, and made the personal decision to leave the company. In all fairness, would any merchandising chief had fared any better through the recent economic recession, even as Walmart fared well among all retailers?

Continue reading Walmart Marketing Chief John Fleming to Leave Company

Walmart Marketing Chief John Fleming to Leave Company originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nissan has launched one of the first interactive iAd mobile marketing campaigns for the new Apple, Inc. (AAPL) iPhone 4, and it's taking the chance to promote its new all-electric Leaf passenger car. Although hybrid vehicles have been around in the U.S. for years (think Toyota Prius), all-electric cars have been limited to those teeny-tiny, mileage-limited vehicles. Nissan wants to change that with the four-door Leaf sedan.

Continue reading Nissan to Open U.S.-Based Electric Car Assembly Plant

Nissan to Open U.S.-Based Electric Car Assembly Plant originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Much has been written in recent years about the waning relevance of the world's largest software company, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT). The cancellation of some of Microsoft's mobile efforts just this week, after two short months, as well as seeming uncertainty about its overall strategy outside operating system and productivity software, has made its stock languish for years.

Continue reading Microsoft's Still-King Relevancy in Tech: By the Numbers

Microsoft's Still-King Relevancy in Tech: By the Numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Where is eBay (EBAY) going these days? Sure, the online auctioneer has the same brand power it's had for years, but the transition to bulk discounter from garage-sale auction house hasn't really occurred like CEO John Donahoe wanted it to.

Instead, we see eBay's marketplace still filled with one-off auctions for all kinds of goods (and junk trading hands) along with thousands of Chinese-based bulk sellers selling everything for a few dollars each.

Continue reading eBay's Turnaround Stalls, Along with Stock's Upward Mobility

eBay's Turnaround Stalls, Along with Stock's Upward Mobility originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Best Buy (BBY) is living on cloud nine these days. It's principal competitor, Circuit City, went belly-up over a year ago and retailing behemoth Walmart (WMT) still can't match (yet) Best Buy's consumer electronics product depth or presentation. That doesn't mean Best Buy's aggressive moves into mobile and services are the only two legs the retailing giant is relying on.

The retailer's moves into mall kiosks and nontraditional retail areas is helping attract more female shoppers, something the traditional consumer electronics retail segments largely forgets. While Best Buy sells 22% of the consumer electronics products in the U.S., only 16% of women buy their consumer electronics there.

Continue reading Best Buy Dishes More Power to Female Employees to Goose Sales

Best Buy Dishes More Power to Female Employees to Goose Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dell's (DELL) lack of good press these days centers around what could be considered a tired game of "me too" in the consumer electronics business combined with the relatively banal business of corporate IT. Even so, the Round Rock, Tex., company has its head in the clouds in a good way.

Dell's bet in the clouds is part of a strategy to revive its stock price from the doldrums of sub-$20s it has languished in for years. While keeping its status quo in the PC and server business -- and losing some of its shirt to HP (HPQ) and Acer -- the company needs to lead in a hit area. Selling a billion or so in goods for high-end server farms specifically targeting the delivery and interaction of high-tech games to game addicts seems like a great area to target.

Continue reading Dell Places Some Bets on 'Cloud Gaming'

Dell Places Some Bets on 'Cloud Gaming' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google's (GOOG) investments have amassed to over $26 billion in cash. With a stockpile like that -- in the area of what Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) have on hand -- one cannot let an amount like that sit under the mattress.

Google, as it turns out, has a team of investment analysts that spend all day ensuring Google's cash hoard return a good rate. With a Google trading floor now in existence, you can bet Google's cash and short-term investments are adding up a return greater than a Bank of America (BAC) annual CD.

Continue reading Google's Trading Floor Is a Huge Competitive Advantage

Google's Trading Floor Is a Huge Competitive Advantage originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although indoctrinated Yahoo! (YHOO) CEO Carol Bartz is a sharp-tongued devil when it comes to dealing with the media, sometimes that is not a good thing.

Bartz was recently asked what Yahoo! was. Take a deep breath:

Continue reading What Is Yahoo! -- And Where Is It Going?

What Is Yahoo! -- And Where Is It Going? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TiVo Inc. (TVO) has been desperately trying to find as many strategies as possible to ensure it stays the household name among the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) market. From a marketing perspective, the term "DVR" trumping the term "tivo" could signal the television recording pioneer's downfall. Based on its latest quarterly numbers, it may already be happening.

For the fifth time in a row, TiVo recorded a quarterly loss. This after just announcing the TiVo Premiere product that intends to integrate television/cable/satellite with web-based video content and give the customer a single interface for all their video. Problem #1: it's $300 -- quite a wallop. Problem #2: the competition is heating up fast. What does TiVo intend to do about it? If it can't make money on its hardware and subscribers are being lost to competing DVR services on cable and satellite networks, there's darkness on the horizon.

Continue reading Does TiVo Have What It Takes to Survive After Another Quarterly Loss?

Does TiVo Have What It Takes to Survive After Another Quarterly Loss? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Appple (AAPL) has never been worth more than rival Microsoft (MSFT). Although the brand equity in Apple is at an all-time high and it can't make its newer products fast enough, Microsoft's continuing bankroll every quarter from software licensing has trumped just about every other computer company (hardware and software) for years. Microsoft's consumer electronics products (except for maybe the Xbox 360) have never had the cache or consumer love factor as Apple's products. And, it finally happened: Apple's market cap bypassed Microsoft's this week.

Continue reading Apple's Moment: Market Cap Leaps Past Microsoft's for First Time

Apple's Moment: Market Cap Leaps Past Microsoft's for First Time originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Motors continues to recover from a disastrous 2008 and 2009, and in that respect its latest quarterly numbers indicate it is partially on the way to becoming a consistent profit maker. But, it has a very long road ahead. In converting more shoppers into buyers and taking away from the competition, the automaker will be teaming up with Google Inc. (GOOG) to offer more in-car technology in combination with its existing OnStar service.

Ford Motor Company (F) has had a relationship with Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) for in-car entertainment and calling for years now, so it's good to see GM finally step up its game. It still has a way to go in keeping up with Ford's continual technology announcements, but a partnership with the largest internet brand is a good start. Google will provide its Google Maps navigation product directly onto the OnStar product, and it will initially debut on the upcoming Chevy Volt electric vehicle.

Continue reading GM to Use Google Services in the New Chevy Volt

GM to Use Google Services in the New Chevy Volt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.