MAJOR PAPERS:

• In an interview with the Financial Times (subscription required), Carl Icahn said of Motorola (NYSE: MOT): "There is value there, and if that value doesn't manifest itself, I as an activist, would think very seriously about coming back."

OTHER PAPERS:

• Universal Music is in talks with Sony Corporation's (NYSE: SNE) Sony BMG and Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) over launching a music subscription service to be called Total Music, which would be free on certain devices, reported the Telegraph.
• While Emerging Memory Technologies CEO Sreedhar Natarajan would not confirm the deal, stating "I'm under a non-disclosure agreement," it is clear that EMT has been acquired by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), the Ottawa Citizen reported.
• Lehman Brothers analyst Douglas Anmuth believes Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) will launch a mobile phone similar to that of Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone in February, reported the Independent.
• The Associated Press reported that Nomura Holdings (NYSE: NMR) announced that it will close its mortgage-backed securities business in the U.S., and expects a group pretax loss of between $240M and $510M for the quarter ended in September.

WEBSITES:

• According to Unstrung.com's sources in the finance community, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is expected to enter the WiMax arena before the end of the month, and Navini Networks is Cisco's preferred target.

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.

OTHER PAPERS:

• 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.

WEBSITES:

• 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.

Jim Goldman, CNBC's Silicon Valley Bureau Chief, apparently laid a big egg.

Goldman reported yesterday that Palm Inc (NASDAQ: PALM) was going to be acquired by Motorola Inc (NYSE: MOT) for $25 per share, according to his shareholder source.

More and more information pointed to Motorola as the likely acquirer. Ed Zander, Motorola's CEO, backed out of a speaking engagement for the CTIA Wireless conference and rumors had been floating around for weeks that Palm was soon to be sold.

However, Zander said last night during Motorola's conference call that he backed out of the speaking engagement for family reasons (it did come across as legit). Also, the naysayers for a Motorola deal came out screaming that there was little strategic fit.

Goldman's source said a Palm deal would be announced by Friday. Another Internet site, Unstrung.com, reported a Palm deal was to be announced by today. We will have to see if Unstrung.com is also being strung along.

Stay tuned to CNBC to see how Goldman covers his tracks. One could imagine Goldman had a serious conversation with the source before going on the air today.

Over the past few months, there has been a ton of takeover talk about Palm Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM). The company is certainly attractive. It has lots of cash and a strong global footprint. Today there was a report in Unstrung that says a deal could be wrapped up this week.

The buyers may actually be two major private equity firms: Texas Pacific Group and Silver Lake Partners. Of course, Palm would be a nice fit for a strategic party like Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) or Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK). In fact, a deal with Motorola may actually quell some of the ardor of its big shareholder, Carl Icahn.

To add even more drama, Palm is going to report its earnings on the 22nd. Unstrung says the offer for Palm is likely to be above $20. And, given all the suitors, I think a high price is likely. Currently, Palm is trading at $19.01.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• According to the Wall Street Journal, Take-Two Interactive Software's (NASDAQ: TTWO) announcement that it is considering a sale is being considered a "ploy" by the company to hold off a shareholder revolt, according to analysts.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) has agreed to buy Maher Terminals, the owner of the largest container operation at the Port of New York and New Jersey.
• The Financial Times reported that FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) will launch guaranteed next day deliveries within China beginning in May.

OTHER PAPERS:

• The New York Post is reporting that Apollo Management is near a deal to acquire Claire's Stores Inc (NYSE: CLE) for $3B, according to sources familiar with the situation.
• The New York Times reported that two Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD) directors will not seek re-election at the company's annual meeting in May.
• Investor's Business Daily's "New Issue America" column highlighted ETelecare Global Solutions (which will trade under the symbol ETEL on the NASDAQ), which is expected to price the week of March 26 with an offering price of $12.50-$14.50.

WEBSITES:

• A Palm Inc (NASDAQ: PALM) buyout could be finalized by Thursday at $20 a share, with Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) as the leading bidder, reported Unstrung.com.
• CNet.com reported that Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) will offer themes for its personalized homepages.

According to Unstrung.com, Palm Inc (NASDAQ: PALM) is said to be announcing a deal with a prospective buyer this Thursday for $20 per share. This deal will not be the last in the wireless space.

Openwave Systems (NASDAQ: OPWV) is also under intense pressure from large shareholder Harbinger Capital. In addition, SAC recently became a large shareholder.

Openwave has similar characteristics as Palm in that it has close to $500 million in cash on its balance sheet, little-to-no debt and has new product launches underway.

While there seems to be money to be made in Palm if the $20 per share offer as reported is on target, Openwave could provide even more upside.