Some people are so eager for Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) to buy Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) that they will do anything to make it happen -- even spread rumors to gullible members of the media. I pity the investors who bought Yahoo!'s stock on this rumor.

Earlier today, TechCrunch's Michael Arrington reported that the talks were back on but also noted that "The information we have is thin, but what one source is saying that Microsoft is talking a price lower than the $33." Thin? So even Arrington was not sure whether he was being told the truth. Interesting.

CNET's Dawn Kawamoto refuted TechCrunch's post, arguing that all Microsoft wanted to do was "sweeten its previous offer" of a partial buyout of Yahoo!'s search business, citing "one major investor who has been in contact without parties."

So, Kawamoto is taking the word of one person to make such a bold statement. This person must be very important if both Microsoft and Yahoo! are willing to confide their most inner-most confidences in him or her. Or maybe not. It's tough to tell. Dow Jones Newswires also denied Arrington's report but added that its sources "indicated the companies might be open to alternative transactions" whatever that means.

Continue reading Media World: Yahoo! rumors spin out of control

Media World: Yahoo! rumors spin out of control originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX), the DVD rental firm, and LG Electronics, have formed a partnership to have movies delivered over the Internet by Netflix to also be shown on TV screens via a new device, reported the Wall Street Journal. Efforts by Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) have not worked.
• According to people familiar with the situation, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is expected to indicate as early as today it will focus attention on Tata Motors as a bidder for its Land Rover and Jaguar units, the Wall Street Journal reported.

• After Intel Capital's (NASDAQ: INTC) president, Arvind Sodhani, resigned from the board of Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ: CLWR), speculation began that Intel has some new plans in the Wimax arena that don't involve Clearwire, according to TheInquirer.net.
• Tech Crunch reported that Plaxo, an early social networking site with per-visit numbers comparable to that of Facebook, is for sale, and has hired Revolution Partners to handle the effort.

Newspaper wrap-up: Netflix partners with LG Electronics originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Barron's Online's (subscription required) "Inside Scoop" column reported that Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE) founder and co-chairman John Warnock sold 25K shares for $1.1M last week, according to SEC data.
• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, last night said that while the housing market will continue to be a "significant drag" on the U.S. economy next year, strong income growth has kept consumer spending steady.

• Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) told Congressional investigators that it has provided customers' telephone records to federal authorities in emergency cases without court orders hundreds of times since 2005, reported the Washington Post.
• Ad agency WPP Group (NASDAQ: WPPGY) is in final negotiations to acquire Blast Radius, an Internet agency, reported the U.K. Times.
• Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) is being investigated by the SEC on bribery allegations, according to the U.K. Times.
• Activist investor Knight Vinke is attacking HSBC (NYSE: HBC) once again, according to the U.K. Times.

• DigiTimes.com reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM) has denied a report by the Ottawa Citizen which speculated that Taiwan Semi was seeking to acquire Canadian design house Emerging Memory Technologies, saying the rumors were false.
• TechCrunch.com reported that Napster (NASDAQ: NAPS) is switching from its desktop client to a fully web based client, enabling users to listen to their music from any computer after logging into the service.

Newspaper wrap-up: Bernanke calls housing a 'significant drag' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Is TechCrunch being Punk'd? A case of Google voodoo and Ashton Kutcher's bare torso originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• It was revealed yesterday that Terra Firma is among the potential bidders for Ford Motor Company's (NYSE: F) Jaguar and Land Rover brands, reported the Financial Times.
• There is a 40% to 45% risk that a recession will be triggered by the housing market downturn in the U.S., the CEO of Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) warned, the Financial Times reported.

• From BusinessWeek's "Inside Wall Street" column:
  
• Investors looking for fast growth in the $110 billion business-enterprise telecom market are betting on Time Warner Telecom (NASDAQ: TWTC), which offers broadband connections for data, high-speed Web access, local voice, and long-distance service.
• Plum Creek Timber (NYSE: PCL) is flying high despite the housing slump and market decline driven by the subprime mortgage crisis.
• Universal Electronics Inc (NASDAQ: UEIC), which makes the remote controls for TVs and other appliances, has caught the Street's eye.

• Unstrung.com reported that Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO) is close to buying a WiMax base station company, according to sources, and one possible target is Alvarion (NASDAQ: ALVR).
• Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) is reportedly going to reduce the amount of money and effort it spends on premium services related to music, games, TV, and movies, reported TechCrunch.com.

Newspaper wrap-up: Terra Firma interested in Jaguar and Land Rover originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I am very pleased to have been given the opportunity to interview Dave Chalmers, Chief Operating Officer of Validas Inc. Validas is a startup company that is assertively carving out a niche for itself in the realm of wireless telecommunications billing processes. Mr Chalmers explained that Validas is built by a team that hails from companies such as Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless, and he made clear that Validas presents its offerings supported upon the following premise: "Simplicity defines our service and detail defines our mission." In reflection of his company's declared intent, I found Mr. Chalmers to be both to the point and clearly definitive with his answers.

Dave Chalmers revealed to me that there's an extremely unique quality to the service offering that Validas puts forward in that Validas is thoughtfully positioned to benefit both wireless service consumers and wireless communications providers alike. Simply put, the focus of Validas is to save each and every wireless customer time and money by providing them with nearly instant clarity of their wireless communications bills, and then by giving the customer clear and concise input on how to best tailor their wireless service usage to more closely suit their particular needs and budget. The customer may then approach their service provider with a clearer definition of their needs and expectations, and the information needed to follow through on those expectations. Dave summed it up by telling me that above all else, "we are 100% focused on how we can help consumers and small businesses with our service."

Continue reading Interview: Dave Chalmers, COO, Validas Inc.

Interview: Dave Chalmers, COO, Validas Inc. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to a report at TechCrunch, Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) is working on programs that will drive adoption of video advertising online. CPMs, the rate that advertisers charge customers, are estimated to be over $40 for online video. This is much higher than the rate for simple banners.

Google obviously has an edge, if it can come up with a program that both advertisers and content companies will accept. Due to its ownership of YouTube and Google Video, the company has the largest audience for video content. What it still lacks is a broadly accepted program to move TV advertising to the web.

One of the issues facing Google and competitors is whether people are willing to watch ads that are much longer than 10 or 15 seconds. Longer ads clearly offer a better opportunity to explain product features, but if web visitors will not take the time, it does not matter.

The other substantial problem is where the ads go. Do they belong in the programming or in some other spot on the web page.

With display advertising growth rates slowing and text search ads reaching a level where their year-over-year numbers are likely to be less robust, the battle for internet revenue may well turn to video.

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.

Google continues push into video ads originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Jul 2007 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CNET Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNET) is launching a group of blogs in the hope of expanding its news coverage and appeal to a broader base. The company's stock did not move and is down today. In early 2006, the shares traded for almost $16. They now rarely trade above $9.

CNET would seem to be a good business. With the immense need for information its tech news service, download center, and reviews of new devices would seem to be critical to the needs of executives following in the industry and consumer electronics buyers.

But, as some observers have pointed out, online readers turn to blogs like Gigaom and TechCruch for the kinds of information CNET used to have. The blogs are often faster at breaking news and have more of an edge in reviewing new electronics. This may be because the newer websites do not rely on mainstream advertisers for most of their revenue.

And, the blogs have gotten big, very big. A recent look at Alexa rankings show CNET as the 153 most visited web destination. But, Engadget is No. 641 and TechCrunch is No. 644. These blogs do not have to support the large editorial and infrastructure costs that CNET does.

It is too late for CNET to get into the tech blog business. It is already commanded by independent operators with large audiences and rock-bottom costs. CNET's only open tactic is down the M&A road and perhaps the industry will see some consolidation.

CNET's blog empire is too late originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a suit accusing Dell Inc (NASDAQ: DELL) and affiliate Dell Financial Services of deceiving consumers, including fraud, false advertising and deceptive business practices, to increase computer sales, reported the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).
• Alan Greenspan signed Allianz's (NYSE: AZ) Pacific Investment Management, known as Pimco, as his first economic consultant client, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Barron's Online's (subscription required) "Inside Scoop" column reported that Blue Nile Inc (NASDAQ: NILE) CEO Mark Vadon sold 250,000 shares and CFO Diance Irvine sold 40,000 shares, with InsiderScore.com's Ben Silverman advising caution on Blue Nile due to the selling.
• The Financial Times (subscription required) reported that Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C) shares rose sharply in after-hours trading yesterday after Edward Lampert, the hedge fund manager who controls Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), disclosed he had acquired an $800M stake in Citigroup.

• TechCrunch.com reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the deal, that News Corporation's (NYSE: NWS) MySpace will acquire Flektor for a price in the $10M-$20M range.

Newspaper wrap-up 5-16-07: Dell in hot water originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 May 2007 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As a self-proclaimed Web 2.0 geek (those who know me will agree with that label) I am constantly reading about the next wannabe MySpace, Flickr, and YouTube. On Wednesday, TechCrunch profiled Stockpickr, "the stock idea network" targeting the financially inclined and boasting a new partnership with TheStreet.com (NASDAQ: TSCM). I have to say it was a breath of fresh air. A rarity for Web 2.0 (although certainly not the ONLY Web 2.0 finance company), Stockpickr is proving to be very helpful for those of us who have a hard time choosing stocks and funds. The site allows users to create a profile of the stocks that they normally track and then generates stock ideas based on publicly available investing information.

I haven't had the chance to fully demo it (I do, in fact, have a full-time job) but I did navigate through some of the community profiles on the left side of the page, such as Warren Buffett's holdings. It not only showed me who else bought the stocks Buffett owns, but Stockpickr also told me what else they might recommend for buyers of said stock. For example, if you were interested in Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST), Stockpickr shares what other people who own this stock also bought -- such as, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), or Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO).

Read more of TechCrunch's review of Stockpickr here.

Web 2.0 meets finance in Stockpickr originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to Techcrunch, eBay Inc.'s (NASDAQ:EBAY) PayPal is preparing a new secure online storage feature called DropBox.

I read Techcrunch's report, but some things remained vague. For example, he writes that the feature could allow users to securely store files and that the storage area would be associated with the account. What kind of files, I wonder? Invoices? That would probably make sense and be a useful feature. It isn't known yet whether the feature is for merchants only or for all users.

The explanation of how the feature works, almost makes me think Web 2.0 - some sort of bookkeeping Web 2.0 perhaps? Or maybe simply offering secure storage for those who lack proper security on their computers? Or, as the commenters suggest, digital products delivery?

It's been a while since we've heard about anything new coming from PayPal (I believe since the introduction of PayPal credit cards in the UK), so it's high time we did: investors might be a little worried the company has run out of innovative creativity.

eBay's possible new feature - DropBox originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Insider Blogging looks at the blogs about our favorite companies, exposing the last legal way to get "inside information."

I'm what you might call a First Amendment scholar, having taken law-school-level courses on the subject and researched a number of such cases for my various, data-rich employers. And even though I'm a political liberal, I have a bias against extending "privacy" laws to online behavior, especially when said online behavior is conducted on very public services. I just don't agree that there is a "compelling interest" in protecting one's search behavior, especially if it can't be definitively traced back to the individual. In a free society, private enterprises should be able to do whatever they wish with the information you type into their tools; unless they've told you otherwise. In my opinion? Your behavior on a search engine is just as protectable as anything else you do in the public realm; what groceries you purchase, for instance, or what car you drive.

So I'm entirely not shocked that AOL put a bunch of customer search data (without, it must be noted, any identifying information about who did the searching) online 10 days ago. Now, apologies have been issued ("This was a screw-up, and we're angry and upset," says a spokesperson). I seem to be in the minority, however; the internet, it is horrified.

Michael Arrington at TechCrunch seems to be most shocked, saying that "The utter stupidity of this is staggering ," [emphasis his] and he claims that "the abilitiy to analyze all searches by a single user will often lead people to easily determine who the user is, and what they are up to ... many people often search on their own name, or those of their friends and family, to see what information is available about them on the net. Combine these ego searches with porn queries and you have a serious embarrassment. Combine them with "buy ecstasy" and you have evidence of a crime. Combine it with an address, social security number, etc., and you have an identity theft waiting to happen. The possibilities are endless."

Wow. That's a bit inflammatory, Michael, don't you think?

Continue reading Insider blogging: the great AOL search caper

Insider blogging: the great AOL search caper originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Aug 2006 20:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Netscape.com relaunched as web 2.0 media site originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sphere, a new search engine with $3.75 million in VC funding from Hearst Publishing, Trident Capital and About.com founder Scott Kurnit, launched this week. GigaOm reviewed the site last fall, giving it a thumbs-up. Zdnet also gives it a good review, noting that is "generally speedy" and the interface is "clean and easy to navigate." Here are some other reviews:

TechCrunch:  "As great as the basic search platform is, what I like best about Sphere is in the Tools area. Install the "Sphere It" bookmarklet and click it whenever you are reading something that you'd like more information on. Sphere will analyze the page in real time and present blog search results that are relevant to that topic. It's important to note that this is not a search to find blogs linking into that page you are viewing; rather you are finding fresh blog content that is related to the subject matter of what you are reading. I've tested this and find it extremely useful."

Continue reading Reviews of new search engine, 'Sphere'

Reviews of new search engine, 'Sphere' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 May 2006 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yahoo! deserved its exclamation point today. The stock ran up $1.01 (more than $1!), which amounts to a 3% jump for the now $33 stock.

Message boards were jumping today as investors cheered the rally. "Yhoo, two year low, going back up!" proclaimed one poster. Another: "The lights are green for a buy!" Why such optimism? Probably because the stock was going up, of course. The message boards referred to an analyst upgrade that I could find no evidence of.

However, what I did find is a lot of talk in the blogosphere about Yahoo! Go, the company's new free DVR player fueled by its purchase of Meedio (more thoughts and links on the technology and what it means for Microsoft's media player from Techcrunch). The folks at The Fly On The Wall (subscription required) attributed Yahoo's run-up to excitement over the new service.

As our stock blogger notes, this could be a huge business for Yahoo. Try it yourself and let us know what you think. If it really changes the way we watch TV -- and once Wall Street catches on to the implications -- Yahoo shares could get more of a boost.

Yahoo! closing bell: Yahoo! Go makes Yahoo's stock go originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.