Nokia (NOK - option chain) shares are rising today after the company announced that its Nokia N900 is now on sale in the United States. The phone retails for $649. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on NOK.

NOK opened this morning at $13.95. So far today the stock has hit a low of $13.85 and a high of $14.04. As of 11:45, NOK is trading at $13.95 up 27 cents(2.0%). The chart for NOK looks neutral and S&P gives NOK a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Analyst upgrades:

• Wells Fargo upgraded Qualcomm (QCOM) to outperform from market perform. The firm believes key risks have been eliminated, such as the license dispute with Nokia (NOK) and litigation with Broadcom (BRCM), and thinks Qualcomm is well-positioned for handset unit shipments growth. Wells has a $50 to $60 target range on shares.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Juniper Networks (JNPR) to outperform from perform as it views shares as compelling at current levels and thinks the company is well positioned for 2010. Opco set a $31 price target on the stock.
• FBR Capital upgraded Frontline (FRO) to outperform from market perform after raising its rating on the tanker industry to overweight. The firm raised its target on shares to $33 from $23.
• PetSmart (PETM) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Career Education (CECO) was upgraded to equal weight from underweight at Barclays.
• Rosetta Resources (ROSE) was upgraded to buy from neutral at SunTrust.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says taking down all of software on the back of this outlook is a mistake.

And on the fifth down day, we decided that SAP's (NYSE: SAP) (Cramer's Take) butt getting kicked means the industry is faltering? This is the thought that went through my head when I saw SAP's disappointing news and its alibi that business is weak. That's why it stumbled. Of course, SAP's comments immediately took all of Europe down. Nobody said, "Hey, maybe it is SAP's fault because Oracle's (NASDAQ: ORCL) (Cramer's Take) kicking their butt." No one said, "Sure it is weak, because in the end Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) (Cramer's Take) got a better mousetrap."

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) has been losing market share in the mobile phone business to faster and more innovative companies like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Korea's Samsung Electronics. Although Nokia is still the world's largest mobile phone maker by volume, the company's most recent quarterly results don't speak highly of its efforts as of late.

And, when you start suing competitors, your back must be against a pretty hard wall. What is Nokia going to do? Try to innovate again and manufacture wireless handsets that carrier partners are glad to have on shelves and customers seek to purchase? Sorry, the iPhone already has beaten you -- for a few years now -- to the punch. A potential $1 billion judgment against Apple is proof in the pudding. But if Nokia thinks some of its newer phones can compete with Apple as easy as other competitors, Nokia is dead wrong.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) higher Q3 earnings topped expectations but revenue was in line.
• Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) posted better-than-expected Q3 results, but shares sold off.
• Allegheny Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ATI) was downgraded on concerns about its Q4 guidance.
• Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) shares fell after it posted a deeper-than-expected quarterly loss.
• Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) fell victim to profit taking despite reporting better-than-expected earnings.
• CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) better-than-expected Q3 earnings sent shares higher, despite a decline in revenue.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) to Outperform from Market Perform on expectations that derivatives trading will increase in the coming quarters.
• NutriSystem (NASDAQ: NTRI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral by Janney Montgomery, which believes that the company's earnings have hit bottom, while the company could report better-than-expected Q1 results.
• Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital. The firm thinks the company is an early-cycle story that has significant upside potential.
• UBS upgraded Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) to Buy from Neutral citing cost cutting efforts and slowing store growth.
• Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Benchmark Co.
• Safeway (NYSE: SWY) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by BB&T.
• Needham upgraded Targacept (NASDAQ: TRGT) to Buy from Hold.
• Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jesup & Lamont.

Even for a company the size of Nokia (NYSE: NOK), a quarterly loss of $834 million is still a big deal. And, this is what the company posted for its Q3 report (it's the first net loss since 1996).

OK, the main reason for the red ink was the write-down of a joint venture with Siemens that develops network equipment. No doubt, the business has been brutal. But, Nokia somehow thinks there's potential for growth.

In the online music world, there is a trail of dead companies. But, some have somehow found ways to not only survive -- but thrive. One is Shazam, which builds applications for mobile phones.

This week, the firm hit 50 million users. And, it was also able to secure venture funding from the premier VC firm, Kleiner Perkins (the other investors include Acacia Venture Partners and DN Capital). The amount was not disclosed.

What explains the success of Shazam? First of all, the company has cool technology that lets your phone hear a song and then it will figure out its name as well as the artist.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Polaris Industries (NYSE: PII) to Buy from Hold after channel checks indicated the company's sales trends improved through September. The firm raised its target on shares to $49 from $33.
• Jefferies upgraded Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) to Hold from Underperform after channel checks indicated IT spending will be strong in the second half of 2009, but the firm finds the stock fully valued at current levels. Jefferies raised its target on shares to $40 from $32.
• Pali Captital upgraded Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) to Buy from Neutral on valuation and expectations that lower pricing and international growth will be catalysts going forward. The firm set a $45 price target on shares.
• Plum Creek Timber (NYSE: PCL) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan.
• Advanced Micro (NYSE: AMD) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• PPD Inc. (NASDAQ: PPDI) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.

Analyst upgrades:

• UBS upgraded Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $265 from $170, citing higher iPhone expectations, new partnerships, and likely upward revisions to Street estimates driven by gross margins.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) to Outperform from Market Perform. The firm views a possible deal between end General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal positively, as it thinks NBC will provide higher-margin growth for Comcast.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Michael Baker (AMEX: BKR) to Buy from Neutral after the company completed the sale of its Energy business. The firm raised its target on shares to $46 from $40.
• Jefferies assumed coverage of Endo Pharma (NASDAQ: ENDP) and upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold. The firm cites valuation, a strong base business, and solid cash flow for the upgrade, and has a $30 target price on shares.
• Marten Transport (NASDAQ: MRTN) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.
• U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says Research In Motion's troubles are an exception to the greatness of the mobile Internet theme.

No, this isn't meant to be a bullish article. I am just trying to put Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) (Cramer's Take) in perspective because I think that people will confuse the greatness of the mobile Internet theme with the hazards of investing in the BlackBerry maker.

First, you have to ask yourself, what really went wrong with RIMM? Was it demand? No, demand was strong. They actually guided to the upper end of units. The issue was average selling price because it has gotten more competitive out there.

Much of the focus this week will no doubt be on the FOMC meeting on interest rates and the subsequent decision, as well as on the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh, were the agenda will include bonuses for bank executives among other things.

Things will be fairly quiet again on the earnings front as the next earnings season has yet to ramp up. However, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters do have high hopes for a handful of companies that will release results this week.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded Ann Taylor (NYSE: ANN) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect a recovery in the missy sector and the company's product improvement. The firm raised its target on shares to $19 from $13.
• Roth Capital upgraded Marvell Tech (NASDAQ: MRVL) to Buy from Hold based on product cycle strength in wireless and Ethernet, HDD share gains, and a return of PC growth. Target is $22.
• Goldman upgraded Colgate (NYSE: CL) to Buy from Neutral citing valuation and expectations for a pick-up in unit growth. The firm raised its price target to $85 from $83. Note that Goldman downgraded Clorox to Neutral from Buy.
• Cadbury (NYSE: CBY) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at HSBC.
• Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) was upgraded to Buy from Underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Qwest (NYSE: Q) was upgraded to Market Weight from Underweight at Thomas Weisel.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) earnings prospects and declining sales resulted in a downgrade.
• America's Car-Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) stronger-than-expected Q1 results led shares to a four-year high.
• ArcSight Inc. (NASDAQ: ARST) reported strong Q1 numbers on increasing demand for cyber security.
• Brown-Forman Inc. (NYSE: BF.B) Q1 results easily topped expectations despite a decline in revenue.
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) posted a Q3 loss but revenue improved sequentially, and shares rose.

Analyst upgrades:

• Credit Suisse upgraded Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Outperform from Neutral after the close Monday. The firm believes Motorola's devices segment will approach breakeven in 2010 while operating margins in nonhandset segments will expand, and that a break-up story will reemerge. Credit Suisse raised its target on shares to $9.50 from $7.
• UBS upgraded BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) to Buy from Neutral. The firm cites BHP's leverage to iron ore, coking coal, copper, and oil for its upgrade after raising its commodity price forecasts.
• Merriman upgraded Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) to Buy from Neutral to reflect higher met coal price forecasts. The firm believes Chinese demand is strong and has a target range of $66-$72 on the stock.
• Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL) was upgraded to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.
• Coach (NYSE: COH) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.