EDS Acquisition Saves H-P Quarterly Results; But Profit Still Drops Sharply, Sparks More Layoffs

May 19, 2009
Without EDS, H-P financial quaterly results would have been dismal

Without EDS, H-P financial quaterly results would have been dismal

[Update] H-P said it will trim 2 percent of its 321,000 employees this year or 6,400 jobs, in addition to the already announced cuts associated with the EDS acquisition. Most the firing will happen outside the U.S. confirmed the Palo Alto, Calif.-company.

The recession is hitting H-P right at its core.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-company saw a revenue and profit decline in all of its businesses – aside of the Services division (more on that later) – including, PCs, servers, printers, software and financial services.

Even H-P’s golden egg, its Imaging and Printing Group (IPG), recorded a double digit decline in revenue (-23%), to $5.9 billion, from the same period a year ago.

On the other hand, H-P’s Services division recorded a whopping 99% increase in revenue to $8.5 billion, and an amazing 130% surge in profits, to $1.2 billion!

But the comparison is obviously flawed as H-P closed the EDS acquisition only last August and did not include EDS financial results until then.

Although H-P’s short-term outlook is still sombre, with revenue flat to down 2% sequentially, the world’s largest IT company still sees only a modest revenue drop for the year, at about 4% to 5%.


GMail Gets Automated Translation Option; 41 Languages Supported

May 19, 2009
Gmails translation feature will let people converse in their own language

Gmail's translation feature will let people from around the world converse in their own language

I have mixed feelings on the usefulness of Gmail’s new translation feature launched today: would I do business or have a relationship with someone I can not communicate with?

Personally I won’t. And I know I will receive a lot of flak because of what I just said.

Yes, I’m cutting myself off from probably most of humanity that don’t either speak English, French or Spanish or a mix of all three i.e. Italian, German (French is the most Germanic of the all the romance languages)…

Should I care? For my line of work (tracking innovation in Silicon Valley), not really. For my personal enrichment, sure!

Anyway, Google’s automatic message translation feature – which is an extension of Google Translate service – would definitely come in handy for people learning a language (although I’m not sure you can see the translated email before sending it), or absolutely needing to do business in a foreign language or just for fun or in my case, when family members just don’t speak the same language but still want to communicate which each other (yes, I admit, it happens!).

Here’s how it works (from Google):

Simply enable “Message Translation” from the Labs tab under Settings, and when you receive an email in a language other than your own, Gmail will help you translate it into a language you can understand. In one click.

If all parties are using Gmail, you can have entire conversations in multiple languages with each participant reading the messages in whatever language is most comfortable for them.


Palm Pre Coming June 8th For $200; But Sprint Unlimited Plan Is $1,200 Less Than AT&T’s

May 19, 2009
Sprint unlimited plan can save you more than $1,200 over the 2-year contract

Sprint's unlimited plan can save you more than $1,200 over the 2-year contract vs. AT&T's

It’s now official, Sprint will launch the much-anticipated Palm Pre on June 8th – in 20 days – for $200, with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate (I hate those!).

The Palm Pre will be available nationwide in Sprint stores, Best Buy, Radio Shack, in some Wal-Mart stores and online at Sprint.com.

Palm Pre is $1 more expensive than Apple iPhone, but Sprint’s unlimited plan is $50/month cheaper than AT&T’s!

At $200, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-company latest smartphone is a tat more expensive ($1!) than Apple’s 8GB iPhone 3G.

However, if you look at the monthly phone bill – the most important expense over the contract agreement – Sprint’s Simply Everything plan (unlimited voice and data) is $50 per month cheaper than the equivalent plan at AT&T or a $1,200 savings over two years!

Can’t beat that.

Bottom line, if you’re a heavy phone user, and don’t have an iPhone yet or looking to stop being a cash cow for AT&T, the Palm Pre/Sprint combination is an attractive alternative.


Tiecon 2009 Defies Recession; Celebrates Bold Entrepreneurs, 50 Hot Startups

May 18, 2009

This past weekend more than 3,500 attendees flocked Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara convention center to attend the 16th edition of Tiecon, billed as the world’s largest conference for entrepreneurs.

And unlike its peers, Tiecon – which theme focused on the “The Bold Entrepreneur” – has done better this year than last, attracting about 20 percent more people according to the organizers.

The energy at the conference was high and networking opportunities abundant, with more than 150 speakers attending (from entrepreneurs to VCs) in more than 50 sessions.

“This is the year to innovate and start a company. The current macro-economic environment is a unique opportunity for the bold entrepreneur,” said the conference c0-chairs, Shaukat Shamim and Gara Gauba.

For the first time this year, Tiecon organisers honored their top 50 “hottest” emerging startups in 5 segments (Tie50), out of 1,200 nominated and after 50,000 votes!


Intel To “Port” Google Android On Moblin Linux

May 18, 2009
Intel is taking aim at Android with a project to port Googles handset software on Moblin Linux

Intel is taking aim at Android with a project to port Google's handset software on Moblin Linux

Will Google Android and Intel’s Moblin Linux ever merge?

As crazy as it sounds, that’s exactly what Intel executives suggested at a recent meeting with Wall Street analysts.

The beta version of open source project Moblin 2.0 – Intel’s own flavor of mobile Linux for smartphones and netbooks - is expected to be released this week.

“Moblin is really for non-Windows usae models, mostly handset focus. It’s a complete experience, a complete stack, all the way to the user experience for full Internet experience with MIDs and also for some particular usage models of netbooks,” said Intel software chief, Renee James.

Intel’s secret plan is to then “port” the Google Android framework onto Moblin, in a move to further unify the mobile Linux distributions but also leverage Google’s eco-system.

“Our intention is to port Android on top of Moblin, so that it has all the goodness of the IA optimizations and all the applications base that Google is developing around Android,” adds Intel CEO Paul Otellini.

Moblin: a snack and go Internet experience!

Intel promises a “boot time” of 7 seconds with Moblin, from start to Web.

Nokia has recently joined the Moblin project to specifically work on the telephony piece, while OpenedHand – a UK-based company Intel acquired last September – is focusing on the user experience.

“Google Android user experience on a netbook is simply not good,” confided James.

With Android netbooks coming out this year, that’s certainly makes for an interesting challenge between Intel and Google!

Here’s a video clip of Intel’s Otellini and James comments on Moblin and Android:


Google Gains Market Share While Yahoo And Microsoft Lose (A Little)

May 18, 2009

Google’s search market share rose modestly in April while Yahoo and Microsoft saw their standings in the U.S. slip slightly.

ComScore reported Monday that Google now holds 64.2 percent of the online search market, up from 63.7 percent in March. Google’s 4 percent growth in traffic came during a month where the search market rebounded, growing 3 percent in the U.S. to 14.8 billion searches.

Search market rebounds with 3 percent growth in the U.S.

Search market rebounds with 3 percent growth in the U.S.

Yahoo and Microsoft both lost 0.1 points of market share. Yahoo ended April with 20.4 percent of the market and Microsoft finished with 8.2 percent.

They both grew traffic slower than the market’s expansion.


Amazon Rain Forest Weight Loss Spam Now Accounting For 10% Of Spam

May 18, 2009

Acai is a small berry from the Amazon rain forest filled with antioxidants and believed to be potent agent of weight loss.

Cutwail botnet believed behind the rain forest campaign

Cutwail botnet believed behind the rain forest campaign

It also is at the heart of a fraudulent spam campaign accounting for as much as 10 percent of spam coursing across the Internet.

According to MessageLabs, part of Symantec, the swarm has increased over the past two months from about 5 percent of worldwide volume to a peak of 10 percent.

It appears to be coming from the Cutwail network of botnets, and it links people by way of several URLs to a Russian Web site.

The spam messages tout a concoction called Acai Power Slim and direct a victim to a site where a special offer is available.

The power of the Cutwail botnet is obviously astonishing.


Companies Falling Behind With Online Security

May 15, 2009

The global downturn is lifting unemployment and lowering consumer demand. It also is handing an advantage to cyber criminals as companies cut spending and fall behind on online security.

According to a recent survey of telecommunications, media and technology companies, nearly a third of firms have cut security budgets this year

A third of companies surveyed say they are spending less on security this year

A third of companies surveyed say they are spending less on security this year

Similarly, 60 percent believe they are falling behind on just treading water as they try to keep up with evolving security threats, says the study from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Only 49 percent felt the same way last year.

The work, reported Friday, points to an emerging challenge facing corporations. By slashing spending, companies can bring immediate relief to the bottom line. But in the process, they create long-term exposures that can remain for years.

For instance, only 28 percent of firms rate themselves as highly confident they can repel internal security threats, one of the biggest challenges facing corporations. That is down from 51 percent in 2007.

More than half of the companies said that with the recession underway, senior executives are uninterested in fully funding efforts to meet regulatory requirements.


Wall Street Journal Tells Reporters To Act Professional Online

May 15, 2009

The proliferation of online social networking and other Web 2.0 sites (read: Twitter) creates a new minefield for reporters.

Dont connect with confidential sources on social networks, Dow Jones advises

Don't connect with confidential sources on social networks, Dow Jones advises

Already journalists labor under the fear that an anything-goes Internet has undermined press ethics. Independent bloggers don’t necessarily have to live by the rules of established media outlets, giving them a potential advantage on an un-level playing field.

Now the popularity of micro-blogging site Twitter and of publicly exposed social networks lays new traps to snare reporters.

That’s why the Wall Street Journal stepped in with clear rules on what journalists can and can’t do in the rapidly evolving world of cyber reporting.

Unsaid in the WSJ guidelines is the sense that the public cares more about press integrity than might be expected.

According to the rules, reporters must identify themselves and say they work at Dow Jones, traditional requirements at the company. They also must shy away from expressing personal opinions.

Here are some additions for the social networking and Web 2.0:

“Don’t recruit friends or family to promote or defend your work.

“Consult your editor before “connecting” to or “friending” any reporting contacts who may need to be treated as confidential sources. Openly “friending” sources is akin to publicly publishing your Rolodex.

“Let our coverage speak for itself, and don’t detail how an article was reported, written or edited.

“Don’t engage in any impolite dialogue with those who may challenge your work — no matter how rude or provocative they may seem.

“Avoid giving highly-tailored, specific advice to any individual on Dow Jones sites. Phrases such as “Travel agents are saying the best deals are X and Y…” are acceptable while counseling a reader “You should choose X…” is not.

“Business and pleasure should not be mixed on services like Twitter.”

Maintaining press integrity is critical at a time of industry upheaval.


Moxi Takes On Tivo With Multi-Room Viewing, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube And More

May 15, 2009
Digeo offers an inexpensive multi-room DVR experience with the Moxi Mate. But the main DVR set-top box will cost you $800!

Digeo offers an inexpensive multi-room DVR experience with the Moxi Mate. But the main DVR set-top box still will cost you $800!

[Update 1] Digeo’s PR firm wrote to say that Moxi Mate is not available yet and despite costing significantly less than $800, will however not be priced at $79.

[Update 2] Digeo finally released today (August 3rd 2009) its Moxi Mate at a whopping $199, if purchased in a bundle or by an existing Moxi HD customer ($399 otherwise!). Moxi is really the Sonos of video. I guess they should Mate!

Can Moxi come-back comes from a $79 set-top box?

Speaking yesterday at the Telecom Council Silicon Valley Connected Home event, held at Microsoft’s Mountain View, Calif.-campus, Digeo CEO Greg Gudorf confirmed the launch in 2-weeks of the long-awaited Moxi “multi-room”HD video recorder, which include the Moxi Mate extender unveiled at CES last January.

According to Gudorf, the now 90-people startup sold half a million Moxis in 5 years. Currently, Digeo’s DVR box has a sticker price of $800 (Tivo HD starts at $300)! Gudorf did say that customers can also apply for a monthly payment plan, crisis oblige!

Despite its “premium” offering, Digeo – the Seattle-company behind Moxi – targets 12-15 million digital cable customers and is now available in 100 markets across the U.S.

Moxi can PlayOn Internet content

Moxi’s main differentiator from TiVo  is that it comes with no recurring monthly costs, versus a $13 per month fee on top of Tivo’s purchase price.

The other main difference is that users can now play Web-based streaming content on the Moxi box, like Hulu, Netflix, YouTube or CBS. However the solution Digeo came up with requires users to download and install the PlayOn media server app (a free licence is included) to a PC on the same network as the Moxi.

Not really plug and play, but it works.

Still waiting for the Mate

Finally the multi-room capability is certainly a plus as – unlike Tivo – it doesn’t require another of those expensive Moxi DVR but the much cheaper Moxi “extender”, the Mate, which could be priced as low as $79.

“The Moxi Mate is not yet available, and Digeo hasn’t disclosed pricing for that yet. It will be significantly less than the main Moxi HD DVR but it will not be $79,” wrote Digeo’s PR firm.

Now, what prevents the $99 Roku box to do pretty much everything Tivo’s and Digeo’s expensive DVRs do? Well, I understand it could… eventually!


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