There is quiet revolution taking place in communication. It's PC telephony. It's been around for years, but is catching the imagination of users around the world. The key driver of PC telephony is cost. Skype offers free online phone calls to any receiver who also has Skype.

Such calls require a microphone and desktop speakers. In a business setting where cubicles are adjacent to one another, the noise can be distracting.

Continue reading Are Headsets Displacing the Office Phone?

Are Headsets Displacing the Office Phone? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Five Promising Tech Stocks

Five Promising Tech Stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's usually tough finding the right gift for an entrepreneur. Hey, the best thing would probably be a loan or some customers, right?

OK, being realistic, there are some gifts to consider. Let's take a look:

The Cloud: It's all the rage right now -- that is, on-demand software services. The good news is that much of it is affordable. Take a look at Salesforce.com (CRM). The company has a small business edition of its customer relationship management (CRM) offering that comes to only $50 per year.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Best holiday gift for the entrepreneur?

Entrepreneur's Journal: Best holiday gift for the entrepreneur? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman removed shares of Air France (NYSE: AKH) from its Conviction Buy List due to the increase in the price of fuel and the possibility of an economic slowdown.
  
• Goldman downgraded BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) to Neutral from Buy and removed the stock from its Pan-Europe Buy List due to valuation.
  
• Merrill Lynch downgraded shares of AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) to Sell from Neutral to reflect increased competition from generic-drug makers, a poor pipeline and slow earnings growth.
  
• Wachovia downgraded shares of Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) to Hold from Buy to reflect valuation and the company's lower than expected Q3 results. Shares were also lowered to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Stanford lowered Savvis (NASDAQ: SVVS) to Hold from Buy and notes that the company's Q3 results and Q4 revenue guidance brings the company's 2007 revenue outlook $15M below the consensus, and advises investors to remain on the sidelines. The firm believes the company's strategy is sound, but that its execution has been slow.

• Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) and Akzo Nobel (OTC: AKZOY) were downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Friedman Billings downgraded the E&P sector, including Brigham Exploration Company (NASDAQ: BEXP), Mariner Energy (NYSE: ME) and Nobel Energy (NYSE: NBL) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• Baird downgraded Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) to Neutral from Outperform.
  
• Goldman downgraded Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) to Neutral from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: AKH, BHP, AZN, BRCM and SVVS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• JP Morgan started Crocs Inc (NASDAQ: CROX) with an Overweight rating based on the company's strong growth model.

• JMP Securities upgraded Plantronics Inc (NYSE: PLT) with a Market Perform citing price competition and visibility in the speaker market.

• MasterCard Inc (NYSE: MA) was started with an Underweight rating at Thomas Weisel citing concerns regarding increased pressure from bank issuing partners regarding fees and reduced cross border pricing benefits. Additionally,

• Thomas Weisel started American Express Co (NYSE: AXP) with an Overweight rating, expecting increased card issuance migration and merchant migration due to increased pressure on bank fees and increasing consumer demand for rewards...

• Stifel started Microsemi Corp (NASDAQ: MSCC) with a Buy rating and $28 target.

• JP Morgan initiated shares of Deckers Outdoor Corp (NASDAQ: DECK) with an Overweight rating.

• Goldman started Eastman Kodak Co (NYSE: EK) with a Neutral rating.

• Soleil initiated shares of Urban Outfitters, Inc (NASDAQ: URBN) with a Buy rating.

• United Therapeutics Corp (NASDAQ: UTHR) was initiated with a Sector Outperformer rating and $83 target at CIBC.

Analyst initiations 5-16-07: AXP, CROX, EK, MA and URBN originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 May 2007 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Prudential raised shares of Schering-Plough Corp (NYSE: SGP) to Overweight from Neutral to reflect management's activity on the deal front and recent data on the drug TRA.

• ThinkEquity upgraded shares of Jones Soda Co (NASDAQ: JSDA) to Accumulate from Source of Funds after disappointing Q1 results. The firm believes results will get better in FY07 as the canned soda roll-out continues and high fructose corn syrup inventory is depleted.

• RealNetworks Inc (NASDAQ: RNWK) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at JP Morgan, citing valuation.

• Bear Stearns upgraded shares of Westwood One Inc (NYSE: WON) following reports the company hired UBS AG (UBS) to help find potential buyers.

• KeyBanc Capital markets raised Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) to Buy from Hold based on accelerating same-store sales at Olive Garden.

• Bear Stearns raised Plantronics, Inc (NYSE: PLT) to Peer Perform from Underperform.

• SunTrust Robinson Humphrey upgraded Career Education Corp (NASDAQ: CECO) to Neutral from Reduce.

• Credit Suisse upped Estee Lauder Cos (NYSE: EL) to Outperform from Neutral.

• Needham upgraded shares of Andrew Corp (NASDAQ: ANDW) to Buy from Hold.

• Wedbush upgraded Crocs, Inc (NASDAQ: CROX) to Strong Buy from Buy with a $95 target.

Analyst upgrades 5-04-07: CROX, DRI, EL, JDSA and RNWK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 May 2007 10:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• UBS downgraded shares of Baidu.com Inc ADS (NASDAQ: BIDU) to Reduce from Neutral with a $99 target following first quarter guidance calling for flat Q/Q revenue growth in the first quarter. The broker attributes the forth quarter upside to lower expenses and the booking of tax income.Citigroup downgraded Baidu.com to Sell from Neural with a $105 target while Brean Murray downgraded to company to Hold from Buy.

• XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: XMSR) was downgraded to Hold from Buy with a $15 target at Stanford based on the shift in retail share and a remote chance of a merger with Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI).

• Buckingham downgraded Vonage Holdings Corp (NYSE: VG) to Underperform from Neutral following the disappointing fourth quarter results.
  

• Schering-Plough Corp (NYSE: SGP) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Prudential, citing valuation.

• Matrix USA downgraded Plantronics Int (NYSE: PLT) to Strong Sell from Sell based on the softening demand for entertainment headsets.

• DA Davidson downgraded Alcan Inc (NYSE: AL) to Buy from Hold.

• Citigroup downgraded CSX Corp (NYSE: CSX) to Hold from Buy with a $42 target and removed the company from its Recommended List on valuation.

• Deutsche Bank downgraded Radio One Inc (NASDAQ: ROIAK) to Hold from Buy telling clients that Q1 revenue trends could be weaker than expected.

Analyst downgrades 2-15-07: Vonage, XM Satellite downgraded originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: JetBlue Airways (JBLU), Plantronics (PLT) and Qwest (Q) top today's list of upgrades.

• J.P. Morgan upgraded JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ:JBLU) to Neutral from Underweight, citing management's bullish outlook for the fourth quarter.
• Robert W. Baird upgraded Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE:PLT) to Outperform from Neutral based on positive revenue and margin trends in call center & office segments, and its valuation.
• UBS expects Qwest Communications International, Inc. (NYSE:Q) to report strong third-quarter margins and upgraded the company to Buy from Neutral.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBSN) was upgraded to Strong Buy from Outperform at JMP Securities based on the company's stronger than expected third quarter.
• CIBC upgraded Silicon Image, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIMG) to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer. The firm believes current levels suggest a buying opportunity given Silicon Image's robust HDMI business, solid recent execution and storage diversification plan forming in 2007.
• A stable outlook and improving operations at Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI) was enough for UBS to upgrade the company to Neutral from Reduce.
• Finally, Western Union Co. (NYSE:WU) was added to Goldman Sachs Conviction Buy List. Goldman believes the December quarter will mark a trough for fundamentals and they advise building positions at these levels.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

Analyst upgrades 10-25-06: UBS upgrades Qwest to Buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.