"As the tech industry has matured, some technology companies are beginning to devote some of their cash flow to dividends," explains George Putnam, who notes, "This helps reduce downside volatility and offers some positive return when the stock prices lag."

In his industry-leading The Turnaround Letter, the advisor highlights some dividend-paying tech stocks; here a look at three of those picks.

"Many tech stocks have underperformed for the last couple of years as capital spending on technology products has been weak. The sector will eventually rebound, but the timing is far from certain.

"A conservative way to play the industry is to focus on technology stocks that pay dividends. That way you at least get paid something while you wait for the rebound. The following technology stocks pay decent dividends, many of them higher than the average 2.1% dividend paid by the stocks in the S&P 500 Index.

Well, another month's gone by, and I see that the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii system is still the number-one selling console in the United States. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. According to Bloomberg, the Wii moved over 666,000 units in June. Yeah, that may be an evil number, but it's a righteous one to Nintendo, since Sony (NYSE: SNE) sold a little over 400,000 PlayStation 3 consoles last month while Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) convinced just under 220,000 users to adopt the Xbox 360. So if you add the performance of the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 together, it's still less than Nintendo's.

Bloomberg reported that the Wii has been purchased by (or for) 10.9 million gamers, making it the number-one installed platform out there. Driving the results in June was the Wii Fit, which continues to be popular and difficult to get. However, the top-selling game software was not Wii-related, it was PlayStation 3-related, believe it or not. Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots, distributed by Konami (NYSE: KNM), sold over 770,000 discs. One big opportunity Nintendo needs to work on is third-party attachment rates. As several readers have mentioned to me, the attachment rates for the Wii isn't as good as it probably should be. Most Wii owners are in love with Nintendo-published games, but sometimes don't see the value of software made by other publishers. An increased focus on this would be helpful to the platform and its continued success.

Nintendo is setting itself up very nicely for the holiday season. Sure, it's the height of summer, but it's never too early to be thinking about the holidays, is it? I would love to get into Nintendo's stock, but I am still stubbornly holding out for a better pullback on the ADR's. I'd love to see the price close below $60 at some point.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.

Amid the reports and cacophony of (seemingly) one bad economic news story after another, it's important -- perhaps essential -- to take time out to notice the good economic news stories out there.

And there are good news stories about business models, products, and services out there, because despite this period of extraordinary economic problems, the United States remains the most resilient, adaptable, and technology-advanced economy in the world.

An intelligent parking space system/service

One such good news story: smart parking technology, currently being tested in San Francisco.

This fall, San Francisco will test 6,000 of its 24,000 metered parking spaces in the nation's first large trial of wireless sensor network that will communicate which spaces are free at any moment, The New York Times reported.

Sony Ericsson, a joint venture between Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) and Sweden-based Ericsson Telecommunications Co. (NASDAQ: ERIC), announced to Billboard Wednesday that the company would be incorporating AM/FM radio features into selected new devices and phones before the end of the year. Designed for global markets, the R300 Radio and R306 Radio phones will be launched in South America first with hopes that the specific AM capability will spur emerging markets and consumer interests in sporting events and listening to music.

According to Billboard, the new phones resemble transistor radios but are not equipped "to allow users to download tracks from the radio but do have a feature that identifies the song and artist played." Sony Ericsson's marketing VP for South America, Stephan Croix, told the trade paper the devices are part of "a very simple and straightforward concept that will make music more relevant in the mass market," as opposed to more sophisticated technology like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s iPhone that merges music capabilities with phone and Internet functions.

Sony Ericsson recently issued a second profit warning for 2008, hoping to recover in the second quarter after falling behind rival South Korea-based LG Electronics in the first quarter. The warning points to declining European sales, which could indicate why the new radio/phone devices are being pushed in South American markets, in addition to the obvious reasons outlined above. The company is also hoping for a massive resurgence in quarter three with the launch of the new Xperia X1 handset in September. The release of the iPhone and how it performs after this week will only add to complications and competition Sony Ericsson may have before the radio/phones are released regionally and later globally.

USA Today reported Tuesday that "more carmakers are adding digital tuners in their bid to woo audiophiles and add electronics." The report comes on the heels of South Korean based Hyundai Motor Company offering digital -- or HD -- radio in new Genesis model sedans up for sale this month. Germany-based BMW already offers HD radio tuners as a stand-alone option, and Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) owned Volvo Cars will begin offering HD Radio as a standard feature in 2009 for most of the company's models.

HD radio has picked up significantly since 2002, when only 11 stations (AM and FM) offered a digital signal in addition to traditional analog signals. Now, more than 1,700 stations offer HD radio as well as second and third signals of specialized shows because digital signals use less bandwidth than analog signals. USA Today reports that carmakers moving in this direction is a major positive move for HD radio since the car is a major venue for radio. The newspaper also speculates that HD radio might prove a major threat for XM Satellite Radio Holdings (NASDAQ: XMSR) and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) subscriptions as well as any merger those companies make.

Unfortunately, many insiders point to many consumers unfamiliarity with and not knowing about HD radio as a problem for the product's success. It seems likely that with carmakers picking it up as a standard feature, more consumers will become aware and adopt HD radio as a venue, if at most because it will be a standard feature. Regardless, HD radio much like HD television is another development that gives consumers better quality and offers technology that audiophiles can enjoy and embraces new developments that are occurring concurrently with music industry and digital tracks.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of watching all the red on the screen. Everyday we're faced with doomsday predictions facing the real estate market, the credit crunch, rising inflation, natural disasters, and my favorite, the Iranian threat facing the entire world.

Bloomberg is out with a story this morning that details the soaring arson rate in foreclosed homes around the U.S. As foreclosed homes are vacated, arson rates are on the rise. Not surprisingly, the highest arson rates are in the states with the highest foreclosure rates.

According to Bloomberg, "Last year, fires in vacant Nevada buildings increased 4 percent from a year earlier." Local officials think that number may grow this year. Bloomerg further states, "The state had the worst foreclosure rate in the U.S. during the first quarter, with one filing for every 54 households, according to data compiled by RealtyTrac Inc. The national rate was one filing per 194 households, analysts at the Irvine, California company said."

How can investors play this without taking out policies on their neighbors' houses? Investors may want to look at Tyco International (NYSE: TYC). Yes, that same company that had corporate execs dipping both hands into the cookie jar and spending on lavish parties, apartments, umbrella stands -- all during the excesses of the late 1990's. Well, the company is a leader in Fire and Safety products: everything from sprinkler systems in office buildings to its ADT division, a leading alarm monitoring firm.

The stock hasn't done much after the company broke itself up into three separate, publicly traded companies. It's pretty diversified in its products and does have a lot of exposure to the building industry -- so, a prolonged downturn in the housing industry could affect the firm. But it's got some world class products, a global sales and marketing infrastructure and is diversified in its businesses to capture global growth.

Hopefully, it won't crash and burn like the foreclosed, U.S. homeowner.

Zack Miller is the managing editor of IsraelNewsletter.com and a former equity analyst for a leading multinational hedge fund. Author is long TYC stock.

Panasonic, the main American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.(NYSE:MC) is getting serious about its bet on the next generation of televisions. Panasonic is going with what's known as OEL (organic electroluminescent) or OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs. They're vastly thinner---less than a quarter of an inch---and are supposed to faster, sharper and use less energy. (Some have disputed the last point.) But they could wear out quicker than other TVs, and by organic they just mean carbon based.

Sony (NYSE: SNE) already has the lead in the a OLED TV market. But Sony's TV is only 11 inches and it costs $2,500. They plan to release a 27-inch version "fairly soon," according to this blog dedicated to OLED. Matsushita---which is changing its name to Panasonic come fall---is planning a 37-inch screen for around $1,400, according to Reuters, which was picking the story up from the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun. But that's still years away.

Toshiba (TOSBF) is also working on one, but suffered some delays. Samsung just announced they were investing $530 million in OLED production. There have been plenty of delays in this OLED technology--almost as many as there have been with the rival technology SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display). Toshiba and Canon (NYSE:CAJ)is the big backers of SED TVs. After years of delays the battle for the next, thinnest TV is heating up.

Yahoo's (NASDAQ: YHOO) embattled management and board have one month left to prove to shareholders that they made the right call in rejecting Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) bid. With shares trading at about $20, they are going to have to do some fancy footwork to show why rejecting a $31to $33 per share offer was actually good for shareholders.

Yahoo is trying to convince investors that a proposed 'search' deal with Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) will provide the growth needed to restore Yahoo to previous glory. According to an AP report: " By relying on Google's superior technology to show some of the ads alongside its search results, Yahoo believes it can increase its annual revenue by about $800 million and generate another $250 million to $450 million in annual cash flow."

Keep in mind that since the Microsoft deal fell apart, Yahoo has lost more than $16 billion in market cap. It is going to have to generate a lot more in revenues to show that they made the right choice.

My other problem is that I have many friends who over the last week have told me they can't access their Yahoo mail or open up their saved stock portfolio's on Yahoo Finance. I, personally, have been locked out for two days.

Driving on the LA freeways yesterday, there was a message on the periodic amber signs. That is, drivers will need to use hands-free mobile devices if they want to talk on their cell phones.

And, yes, it's caused a stir (LA folks love their cars and cell phones -- hey, it's a lifestyle here). At the same time, I've almost got into a few accidents because of another driver's cell phone use (and, in some cases, texting).

But, will the new California law make any difference?

Well, according to a piece in the Daily Breeze, the answer may be: it depends.

For example, Larry Rosen, who is a psychology professor at the California State University, Dominguez Hills, believes that the law doesn't address the core problem. Basically, cell phone use -- whether hands-free or not -- is a distraction (known as "inattention blindness").

Of course, there are a variety of studies on the topic. Unfortunately, the conclusions are mixed. In other words, it's pretty tough to isolate cause-and-effect on a large scale.

There is one thing that's certain: the new law should result in a boost in hands-free device sales by such makers as Motorola (NYSE: MOT) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK).

So, to learn more about the new law, you can check out CA Hands-Free.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Minyanville Professor Adam Katz dares to share the kind of keen insight and actionable information you won't find in any prospectus. For more original thought, visit www.minyanville.com.

I've said it before: the second quarter is going to be the inverse of the first. Expectations going in were simply too high.

What I find interesting is that Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL), Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) and Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) have all taken down guidance due to the sluggishness they're starting to see in their businesses.

What the Street seems to be ignoring is that the dollar has been crushed for over a year now, which means that the currency tailwind is only getting weaker as the year drags on. If one uses $1.55 euro per dollar as a benchmark, the second-quarter effect was a 14% year-over-year currency tailwind.

In the third quarter, that drops to 10%; in the fourth, it will drop to 5%. Add in macroeconomic headwinds -- along with the fact that credit markets have been pushed back into a state of mild panic -- and it's a surefire recipe for a very tumultuous back half of the year.

I'm looking hard for reasons to be optimistic, but they seem to be thin on the ground. In the information technology (IT) sector, at least, we'll likely see a meaningful budget flush at the end of the year - if only because they'll be cut in a big way starting in 2009. This means that IT managers, if they even think they might need anything over the next year or so, need to use or lose whatever's left in their 2008 budgets come the fourth quarter.

This will create an environment where people will be calling the bottom for IT in the fourth quarter - but it's more likely to be the last hurrah before the bottom drops out.

Position in RHT

Spurred by a near epidemic occurrence of brain-degenerating conditions as we age, people of all ages and backgrounds are stepping up their personal efforts to improve and maintain their brain health. According to a story in USA Today, sales of brain fitness software reached nearly $230 million in 2007. USA Today stated, "SharpBrains, (a market research firm) estimates the brain fitness software market will reach $2 billion in 2015 in the United States."

Prudent investment strategy might include a speculative foray into this popular and growing field. In light of this, you may wish to pay heed to blogger Steven Mallas, and read his take on Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI).

First on the list for brain maintenance is physical activity, which probably accounts for the outstanding sales of Nintendo's Wii Fit. from Nintendo Ltd. (OTC: NTDOY). Active lives promote healthy blood circulation, which helps to feed steady amounts of oxygen to the hungry brain. Good hard work, cardiovascular exercise and even regular sexual activity can all help to keep your heart pumping adequate levels of oxygen into your brain.

I read an interesting article over at CNBC about News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace asset. It seems that the social-networking site wants to do something about the fact that it won't succeed in booking $1 billion in net sales before the conclusion of the conglomerate's fiscal year. MySpace will undergo an aesthetic overhaul to make the site more appealing. As it is now, many users might find the site too busy and not so friendly in terms of navigation. The changes will take place over time, beginning this week and concluding in the fall.

The question on my mind now is, did News Corp. really need MySpace? Sure, the site has a heck of a lot of registered users, well over 100 million worldwide, but now people are wondering how effectively these users can be exploited in terms of generating economic value. The article mentioned the disappointing results so far from an advertising deal made with Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) back in 2006, one which had a $900 million figure attached to it.

The problem here for News Corp. is that users are fickle and may eventually find another MySpace in the future (obviously, Facebook is an example of how social networking continues to evolve and how any big brand in this arena can be challenged at any time). That wouldn't be good for long-term growth. Another problem cited is the fact that active MySpace users just want to socialize with their friends and/or network; they don't care about the ads. There's a lot of truth to this claim, and it's a huge issue going forward.

I want to add Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to my portfolio. I've been thinking about it for a while. I blew the opportunity of the most recent pullback. But that's in the past. So, what should I do now?

I'm a little reticent about buying Apple at these levels. Why? Is it some fundamental reason? Some overly technical reason? Well, it's more the latter than the former, but to be quite honest, it's mostly a gut feeling. I'm worried that the stock is going to flounder around throughout the dog days of summer. Yesterday's closing price of $176.84 is comfortably away from the 52-week high of $202.96, and it is well above the 52-week low of $111.62. If the stock went back to its 52-week high by the end of the year, that would represent a double-digit gain. AOL Finance gives the stock a forward P/E ratio of 31. For a company like Apple, one that has excellent growth prospects ahead of it, that isn't bad.

As many have observed, this tech company, an arch competitor of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a cult stock. Not only does Apple have rabid fans eager to buy its iPod and iMac products, but it has an avid following for its shares. If Apple could just get one more big dip, I'd think seriously about buying in. As of now, I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger. Perhaps during the summer Apple will see a nice retreat from current levels, and it will be an interesting idea ahead of the Q4 holiday season. I will be keeping my eye on Apple.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned here; positions can change at any time.

A recent study by Evans Data Corporation shows that developers don't like Vista any more than the rest of us. Six times as many are clinging to XP than switching to Vista. Only 8% of developers are working on programs to run on Vista, compared with 50% who are writing for Windows XP. That's not good news for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), who hopes that its customers will grudgingly tolerate the withdrawal of XP on June 30.

Many are begging Microsoft to relent, especially InfoWorld. The developers do plan on doing more work for the troubled operating system next year, but still not as many as are hanging onto XP. Next year, 24% of developers expect to target Vista while 29% will still work with XP.

Evans data doesn't say how much the Vista disaster has helped Linux and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), but it's clear Vista has sent many fleeing. eWeek reported last week that Apple now has a 14% market share -- nearly four times what it had in 2005. Using data from NPD Group, eWeek points out that Apple sells two out of three computers in the $1,000 and above category. That's largely because Macs are still way, way more expensive than PCs. If Apple ever got around to offering a computer at a price the masses were willing to pay, Microsoft might be in trouble. Microsoft may not hear the complaints about its operating system, but it understands that people want to pay less for computers.

Editor's Note: This post comes courtesy of Sean Udall, a wise player in the tech field. For more, visit www.minyanville.com.

Interesting article on Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone "potential" teardown. Implications are that the 3G iPhone will carry higher margins than previous model. We will see shortly and I still expect Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) to benefit from the actual teardown.

Speaking of Broadcom, the company got the all clear on a patent infringement deal with SiRF Technology Holdings (NASDAQ: SIRF) and I like the emerging technical setup on BRCM.

Elsewhere, Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) reports today and has been a solid tech name this year, really many years for that matter. I don't expect any big surprises.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) is at the William Blair growth conference. Gaming sales were reported strong again last week. This is probably a cheap solid grower but I prefer the growing online gaming model, I've discussed on the Buzz in the past.

SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR) was upgraded this morning and presenting at an Alternative Energy conference on Wednesday. I was going to trade this again but the analyst action is spiking the stock today.

Evergreen Solar's (NASDAQ: ESLR) shareholder and analyst meetings is scheduled this week and I'm thinking this could fuel bullish action.

Regarding Comverge (NASDAQ: COMV) and EnerNOC (NASDAQ: ENOC), I overheard some bullish comments on these stocks on CNBC this morning. I've discussed COMV on the buzz previously and ENOC is their sister company. Both companies offer technology solutions for managing the power grid more efficiently and I think both stocks are cheap emerging growth stocks.

Position in BRCM, ESLR, COMV.