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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Cisco earnings fall 18 percent in 2Q (AP) : Technet

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Cisco earnings fall 18 percent in 2Q (AP) : Technet

Cisco earnings fall 18 percent in 2Q (AP)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 04:35 PM PST

By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer Peter Svensson, Ap Technology Writer – Wed Feb 9, 7:35 pm ET

NEW YORK – The economic recovery seems to be bypassing Cisco Systems Inc., which is facing growing competition while struggling to sell its computer-networking equipment to cash-strapped governments — from local to federal.

Shares of the world's largest maker of networking gear plummeted almost 9 percent in extended trading after it provided another outlook Wednesday that disappointed investors.

Cisco said it expected earnings, excluding items, of 35 cents to 38 cents per share in the current quarter, which ends in April. Analysts were expecting 40 cents per share.

The company warned late last year that sales to government customers were dropping off, and Cisco CEO John Chambers on Wednesday told analysts that the trend was continuing. Many U.S. states are struggling with big budget shortfalls.

"The challenges at the state, local and eventually federal level will worsen over the next several quarters," Chambers said.

In addition, the company saw sales of one of its core products, network switches, decline by 7 percent over the previous year. Chambers blamed this on a "product transition," as Cisco is moving new models into the market.

Analysts see competition from smaller companies as being part of Cisco's problem. For instance, Juniper Networks Inc. reported that sales grew 26 percent for the fourth quarter.

San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco reported Wednesday that revenue for the fiscal second quarter, which ended Jan. 29, rose 6 percent from a year ago to $10.4 billion. Analysts were expecting $10.3 billion, after Cisco had warned off slow growth.

Cisco said it earned $1.5 billion, or 27 cents per share, down 18 percent from $1.9 billion, or 32 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.

Excluding items and the cost of stock-based compensation, Cisco earned 37 cents per share in the latest quarter, 2 cents more than the average forecast of analysts polled by FactSet.

Chambers said he expected revenue for the just-started quarter to rise 4 percent to 6 percent from a year ago, a far cry from last summer, when revenue was rising 27 percent from the doldrums of the recession. It's also lower than Cisco's oft-stated long-term growth target of 12 percent to 17 percent.

On the conference call, analysts asked Chambers if the long-term goal still stood. He didn't give a clear answer, but promised to keep expenses in line with order growth, so as not to reduce earnings.

The revenue forecast works out to $10.8 billion to $11 billion, straddling the analyst forecast at $10.9 billion.

For the next quarter, ending in July, Chambers said he expects sales growth to jump back up to 8 percent to 11 percent over the previous year. Analysts have been expecting 8 percent growth.

"Bottom line: I think we will look back on this period of time and wish we could have avoided it. And yet it will make us stronger in the long run," Chambers said.

Cisco's shares fell $1.91 to $20.13 in after-hours trading Wednesday. They had closed the regular session up 5 cents at $22.04.

Iconic 'Guitar Hero' video game gets the ax (AP)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 05:05 PM PST

By The Associated Press The Associated Press – Wed Feb 9, 8:05 pm ET

NEW YORK – These days, guns are more popular than guitars, at least when it comes to video games. The company behind "Guitar Hero" said Wednesday that it is pulling the plug on one of the most influential video game titles of the new century.

Activision Blizzard Inc., which also produces the "Call of Duty" series, is ending the "Guitar Hero" franchise after a run of more than five years. The move follows Viacom Inc.'s decision in November to sell its money-losing unit behind the "Rock Band" video games. Harmonix was sold to an investment firm for an undisclosed sum. Harmonix, incidentally, was behind the first "Guitar Hero" game.

Game industry analysts have long lamented the "weakness in the music genre," as they call it — that is, the inability of game makers to drum up demand for the products after an initial surge in popularity in the mid-2000s. Music games are often more expensive than your typical shoot-'em-up game because they require guitars, microphones and other musical equipment. While extra songs can be purchased for download, this hasn't been enough to keep the games profitable.

Activision's shares tumbled after the announcement, but investors appear more concerned with the company's disappointing revenue forecast than the demise of the rocker game. As far as investors go, discontinuing an unprofitable product isn't the end of the world, even if "Guitar Hero" fans disagree.

"In retrospect it was a $3 billion or more business that everybody needed to buy, so they did, but they only needed to buy it once," said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter. "It's much like 'Wii Fit.' Once you have it, you don't need to buy another one."

"Guitar Hero" was iconic and often praised for getting a generation weaned on video games into music. But its end after a mere half a decade is a big contrast to other influential video game franchises, such as the 25-year-old Mario series from Nintendo. "Call of Duty" first launched in 2003, two years before "Guitar Hero."

In a conference call, Activision said its restructuring will mean the loss of about 500 jobs in its Activision Publishing business, which has about 7,000 employees. But the company's overall work force numbers are not going to change much because it is hiring people elsewhere.

Activision did better than expected in the fourth quarter, which ended in December, but that already was anticipated. After all, it launched "Call of Duty: Black Ops" in November. That game, which is mostly set during the Vietnam War, made $1 billion after just six weeks in stores. Its latest "World of Warcraft" game has also been doing well.

Bobby Kotick, Activision's CEO, said the company's big franchises "have larger audience bases than ever before and we continue to see significantly enhanced user activity and engagement for our expanding online communities." Revenue from so-called "digital channels" — that is, downloads, subscriptions and extra game content sold online — now accounts for 30 percent of the company's total revenue.

Activision said Wednesday it lost $233 million, or 20 cents per share, in the latest quarter, compared with a loss of $286 million, or 23 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. Net revenue fell to $1.43 billion from $1.56 billion.

Its adjusted earnings of 53 cents per share were better than last year's 49 cents and beat analysts' expectations of 51 cents, according to FactSet. Revenue that's been adjusted to account for games with online components was $2.55 billion, up slightly from $2.50 billion a year earlier and above analysts' $2.25 billion forecast.

For the current quarter, which ends in March, Activision forecast adjusted earnings of 7 cents per share, and adjusted revenue of $640 million. Analysts are looking for earnings of 10 cents per share on higher revenue of $771 million.

Activision Blizzard also said its board authorized a new $1.5 billion stock buyback plan. And it declared an annual dividend of 16.5 cents, an increase of 10 percent from the dividend it issued in February 2010, its first ever.

Shares of the Santa Monica, Calif.-based company, which is majority-owned by France's Vivendi SA, tumbled 87 cents, or 7.4 percent, to $10.82 in after-hours trading. The stock had closed the regular session down 19 cents at $11.69.

HP shows first webOS tablet computer, the TouchPad (AP)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 04:11 PM PST

– Wed Feb 9, 7:11 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Hewlett-Packard Co. unveiled its first tablet computer that uses smart phone pioneer Palm's technology on Wednesday — a skinny black gadget that the companies believe will help them catch up with Apple Inc.'s immensely popular iPad.

Jon Rubinstein, head of HP's Palm unit, showed off the TouchPad at a media event in San Francisco. It will run the same webOS operating software as Palm's Pre and Pixi smart phones.

"Today marks an important new beginning," Rubinstein said as he prepared to introduce the tablet and two new smart phones that will also use webOS, a business-geared version of the Pre called the Pre 3 and a tiny Pre-like smart phone called the Veer.

HP also revealed plans to put webOS into future versions of its personal computers — a decision that lets HP more fully control the software that goes into its machines, but which has the potential to disrupt its more than 25-year relationship with Microsoft Corp. HP insists that its relationship with Microsoft is strong.

The TouchPad announcement adds one more tablet to a bevy of devices that have been revealed since Apple launched the iPad last April. Apple wasn't the first to offer a tablet, but it was the first that managed to capture consumers' attention, and a slew of touch-screen tablets were shown off at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January as companies large and small try to capitalize on the iPad's success. Forrester Research estimates that 24 million tablets — mainly iPads — will be sold this year in the U.S.

Palm and Hewlett-Packard, which bought Palm last year after Palm tried and failed to turn around its smart phone business, could use a hit product: Both had less than 1 percent of the smart phone market during the first three quarters of last year, according to IDC.

With all this history and effort, HP and Palm hope their device will stand out from the pack. The TouchPad includes a 1.3-megapixel camera on its face for video chats and a 9.7-inch touch screen. It comes with 16 or 32 gigabytes of storage and a speedy dual-core processor. It weighs nearly the same as Apple Inc.'s iPad and is about as thick.

Like the Pre, the TouchPad includes webOS' multitasking capabilities and the ability to view open apps as "cards" that you can slide across the screen, tap to enlarge or flick to dismiss. You can also stack cards on top of each other to group related things — you might put a Web page for a clothing site on top of a to-do list that includes a note to buy a birthday present for a friend, for example.

The device is compatible with HP's wireless printers, and supports Flash video content (something the iPad does not do). And if you have a Pre and someone calls or sends you a text message, both will show up on the TouchPad and you can respond right from the tablet.

Palm said a Wi-Fi version of the TouchPad will be available this summer, and versions that run on 3G and 4G cellular data networks will be available in the future — the company did not specify when or with which wireless carriers. Palm did not give a price for the TouchPad.

The TouchPad may boost Palm by beating out tablets running Android or RIM's upcoming PlayBook tablet, Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps said. But she said it won't catch up to Apple this year or in 2012.

"Consumers will consider the TouchPad, and then buy an iPad," she said.

Still, even a moderate hit would be a boon for Palm, which helped originate the handheld computing market in the '90s with its Palm Pilot "personal digital assistants" but fell behind due to numerous reshufflings. As handheld computers became smart phones, Palm struggled behind competitors like Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry, Apple's iPhone and phones running Google Inc.'s Android operating software. The company attempted a turnaround in 2009 with a sleek new device called the Pre and its then-new webOS software, but consumers were slow to latch on to the Pre and its smaller sibling, the Pixi.

HP has also floundered in the handheld market. Known for its printers and PCs, HP also has a line of phones called the iPAQ, but the company has sold very few units. HP is hoping the TouchPad and other new Palm products can help it catch up as the market for tablets and smart phones zooms along at a furious pace. The company is clearly confident in webOS: It also said Wednesday that "hundreds" of engineers have been added to the webOS team and that it will be including it in its computers, though HP did not say when.

Charles Golvin, another Forrester analyst, said he doesn't expect HP's relationship with Microsoft to suffer much from HP's decision to use the alternative operating software from Palm in future PCs.

Analysts said it was too early to tell the impact that HP's new smart phones might have on lifting the company's fortunes in a hot but fiercely competitive market that has dealt both HP and Palm its fair share of blows over the years. Golvin noted that one reason Palm and HP have suffered in phones in the past is they had trouble getting support from the wireless carriers, which can make or break a product depending on the amount of marketing muscle they choose to throw behind a launch.

HP would say only that it is getting broad interest globally from wireless companies.

While HP may have to overcome old prejudices to gain traction in smart phones, in tablets it might face an easier time because the market is new.

Still, "they face the same challenge in the tablet space as they do in the smart phone space — apps and developers," Golvin said.

HP unveils WebOS-based TouchPad, minus “Palm” brand (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 11:51 AM PST

By Ben Patterson ben Patterson – Wed Feb 9, 2:51 pm ET

After months of anticipation, HP has finally announced the WebOS-based TouchPad, a full-on tablet complete with a 9.7-inch display, a dual-core processor, slick multitasking capabilities, and video chat. Missing in action at Wednesday's lavish San Francisco press conference, however, was the actual "Palm" brand name.

The 1.5-pound, 13.7mm-thick TouchPad will go on sale this summer, said HP, which didn't reveal any pricing details. Also coming later this year: the HP Veer, a mini version of the old Palm Pre smartphone, as well as a new, bigger brother, the Pre3.

HP's Todd Bradley, EVP of the company's personal computing division, also dangled the possibility of bringing the WebOS platform to printers and even PCs, although he left any and all details to the imagination Wednesday.

Under the hood, the upcoming TouchPad tablet will boast a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm "Snapdragon" processor, along with optional embedded 3G networking, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 16GB or 32GB of storage.

The TouchPad will also pack in a 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat, along with enhanced audio via HP's "Beats Audio" system, a trio of motion sensors (including an accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope), and a microUSB port.

Accessories for the TouchPad will include a larger version of Palm's—er, HP's—"Touchstone" wireless docking station, as well as a carrying case and a wireless keyboard.

Perhaps the most important feature on the TouchPad, though, is WebOS, the mobile platform developed by smartphone pioneer Palm, which itself was swallowed up by HP last April.

Now enhanced for the TouchPad's 9.7-inch, 1024 by 768 display (the same size and resolution as the iPad, by the way), the tabletized version of WebOS adds features such as system notifications that drop down unobtrusively from the top of the screen, a stackable "deck" of multitasking applications that can include items like individual e-mail messages as well as apps, a resizable on-screen QWERTY keypad (nice), and a new "touch-to-share" feature that'll let you quickly share Web pages with nearby WebOS smartphones.

As with earlier versions of WebOS, you can sign in to services like Facebook and Twitter to instantly sync up all your contacts, all thanks to a feature called Synergy. HP execs also pushed other cloud-friendly features on the TouchPad, including the ability to sync documents on Google Docs and Box.net and photos on Facebook, Snapfish, and Photobucket.

HP kicked off its press event Wednesday with the Veer, a bite-sized version of the old Palm Pre with a 2.6-inch touchscreen, a slide-out QWERTY keypad, a 5MP camera, and 8GB of storage. The diminutive, 3.6-ounce handset is powered by a 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor, and while HP didn't make any mention of carrier, the Veer's GSM radio tips the scales toward AT&T and/or T-Mobile. Expect the Veer to arrive in early sprint, HP said.

Also announced Wednesday: the Pre3, a larger, business-oriented handset with a 3.58-inch display, dual cameras (5MP in back, complete with 720p video capture capabilities, plus a VGA lens in front for video chat), and a slide-out QWERTY keypad (larger than the Veer's), all powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8x55 processor. The Pre3 is slated to land this summer—and again, no pricing details yet.

Interesting stuff, but attendees at today's press conference (which I followed remotely from New York) couldn't help but noticed the virtual absence of the Palm brand at the event.

No Palm logos were to be seen at the venue, blogger and reporters tweeted, with all the new products getting "HP" rather than "Palm" branding—hence, the HP TouchPad and the HP Pre3. For now, at least, there's still a Palm website, although the actual Palm name is relegated to the Web page title.

— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.

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WSJ’s iPad 2 story deflates some “lofty” expectations (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 08:44 AM PST

By Ben Patterson ben Patterson – Wed Feb 9, 11:44 am ET

Yep, it's another iPad 2 rumor story, this time from the Wall Street Journal—except this one seems as focused on lowering expectations for Apple's next-generation tablet as it is on hyping its new and improved features.

The reportedly in-production iPad 2 will indeed add "at least one" camera for video chat, the anonymously sourced Journal story claims—raising the possibility that it won't get a rear-facing camera for recording HD video, like on such Android-powered competitors as the Dell Streak 7, the Motorola Xoom, and the LG G-Slate.

The new iPad will also be "thinner and lighter," but the display may "disappoint customers" hoping for a "significant improvement" in resolution, the Journal reports.

While the current iPad's display resolution of 1024 by 768 is nothing to sneeze at, earlier rumors had it that the new iPad might get an ultra-dense, double-resolution screen, similar to the "retina" display on the iPhone 4.

And while the iPad 2 will be available through both AT&T and Verizon, it won't be offered by Sprint or T-Mobile—and don't count on 4G data support either, the Journal adds.

On the other hand, the LG G-Slate will work on T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network, with later versions of the Motorola Xoom slated to support 4G LTE data on Verizon. (Initial Xoom tablets will also get 4G access via an update, Motorola promises.)

The Journal story also notes a few other rumored (and oft-repeated) details about the iPad 2, including word that it'll boast more memory for better overall performance and improved multitasking, plus a souped-up graphics processor for games and video.

So, what gives? GigaOm has an interesting perspective, noting that the Journal piece "feels like an intentional leak" on Apple's part, intended not only to "bolster interest" in the next-generation iPad but also to deflate "some of the loftier expectations floating around," such as word that the iPad 2 might arrive with an eye-popping, 2,048-by-1,536 pixel display.

Word had already been circulating that a "retina" display for the next iPad might not materialize, although there's still plenty of chatter that the iPad 2 will boast a pair of cameras—one in front, another in back—and perhaps a longed-for SD memory card slot. (The Journal didn't address the SD slot rumors, by the way.)

Apple, of course, has yet to officially announce the iPad 2, but the general consensus is that an unveiling could be just weeks away—perhaps by the end of this month, although some observers believe we'll have to wait until March.

OK, but when will the new iPad actually go on sale? Given the Journal's claim that the new iPad is already in production, a "March or April release is most likely," GigaOm predicts.

That would put the new iPad on the market about a year after the original, and smack-dab in the middle of a host of tablet competitors, including the latest, Honeycomb-powered Android tablets, the upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook, and HP's just-announced TouchPad webOS tablet.

Analysts seem to believe that Apple will be able to fend off the coming tablet horde, with Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley telling the Associated Press that Apple stands to sell a whopping 34 million iPads this year, well up from the 14.8 million iPads sold in 2010. The proof will be in the pudding, of course.

What do you make of the latest iPad 2 rumors—excited? Disappointed? Plan on snagging the new iPad the day it comes out, or will you go the Android way—or the BlackBerry or WebOS way, for that matter?

Note: I've expanded my original post to include more background and context.

Related:
Apple's New iPad in Production [Wall Street Journal]
iPad 2 Said to Now Be In Production; Here's Why I Believe It [GigaOm]

— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.

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Facebook and Google size up takeover of Twitter: report (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 08:47 PM PST

– 51 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Google Inc and Facebook Inc, plus others, have held low level takeover talks with Twitter that give the Internet sensation a value as high as $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In December, Twitter raised $200 million in financing in a deal that valued it at $3.7 billion. The company, which allows users to broadcast 140-character messages to groups of followers, had 175 million users as of September.

The Wall Street Journal reported on its website that executives at Twitter have held "low level" talks with executives at Facebook and Google in recent months about a possible takeover of Twitter.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said other companies have also held similar talks.

"But what's remarkable is the money that people familiar with the matter say frames the discussions with at least some potential suitors; an estimated valuation in the neighborhood of $8 billion to $10 billion," the report said.

The paper said the talks have so far gone nowhere and that Google, Facebook and Twitter all declined to comment.

Despite the valuation, the report said Twitter's executives and board were working on building a large, independent company.

"People familiar with the situation said the company believes it can grow into a $100 billion company," the WSJ said.

Twitter, created in 2006, is among a crop of popular Internet social networking services that includes Facebook, Zynga and LinkedIn.

A growing secondary market has developed in shares of the privately held Web sensations and investors are monitoring the companies closely in the hope they might float shares.

It was only in the middle of 2010 that Twitter offered marketers a way to advertise on the service.

Industry research firm eMarketer said last month that Twitter, which doesn't disclose financial information, generated an estimated $45 million from advertising in 2010 and is expected to generate some $150 million this year.

Google, the world's number 1 Internet search engine, generated roughly $29 billion in revenue in 2010 and Facebook, recently valued at $50 billion, produced about $1.9 billion, eMarketer said.

(Additional reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; writing by Neil Fullick, Editing by Dean Yates)

Switch Modular Pocket Knife lets users carry just the right tools (Digital Trends)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 07:00 PM PST

Kelly Montgomery Kelly Montgomery – 2 hrs 38 mins ago

If you've ever complained that no one has made the perfect pocket knife, or if you have three different ones for different occasions, now's your chance to craft your perfect manly creation yourself. The Switch Modular Pocket Knife ($80) can be dismantled and reassembled into three different sizes of pocket knife, complete with your favorite tools. The set comes with two exterior body covers, two slotted caps to hold things together, and three sizes of interior axles from small (2-6 tools) to large (7-13 tools) to fit just what you need. The kit contains 17 tool attachments, including screwdrivers, a saw, various blades, a bottle opener, a flashlight, a pen, a magnifying glass, and even a 1GB USB drive. It all arrives in a neat little box so that you can easily assemble a perfect set of tools for everyday, or a grand adventure.

HP TouchPad photos (Digital Trends)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 06:12 PM PST

Digital Trends Staff Digital Trends Staff – Wed Feb 9, 9:12 pm ET

HP TouchPad


HP unveiled the new TouchPad tablet today at their WebOS event. The device runs on an updated WebOS 2.1 and has a resolution of 1024 x 768. It weighs 1.5 pounds and is 13.7mm thick. Under the hood is a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor with a choice between 16GB and 32GB of internal storage. The standard WebOS card-like interface is still around, but it has been enhanced for the tablet, allowing users to group cards (apps, windows) together and multitask a bit easier than on the smartphone. It also features some social networking features and QuickOffice for light spreadsheet, document, slide show, or PDF editing. Beats Audio will also be included in the device. No word on battery life, but the Wi-Fi version of the TouchPad will arrive sometime this Summer for an undisclosed price. 3G and 4G versions are on the way sometime later in the year.

Go here for more on HP's WebOS event.

4 Ways to Make LinkedIn Your Company's Best Friend (PC World)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 05:02 PM PST

Katherine Noyes Katherine Noyes – Wed Feb 9, 8:02 pm ET

Visitors to Websites tailored more toward business professionals than consumers are increasingly choosing to log in using their existing LinkedIn identities, said social tool provider Gigya on Tuesday.

In fact, whereas only three percent of users to such sites chose to sign in using their LinkedIn identities in a Gigya study last July, that number had increased all the way up to 20 percent by January, the company reported this week in a blog post on the topic.

Gigya helps integrate online businesses with social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, including providing the technology that enables what it calls "social sign-on," or the ability to sign in using an existing identity from a social network. Gigya technology is used by more than 280 million users each month across more than 500,000 sites, it says.

While it's still more common to see sites that allow visitors to sign in using their existing Facebook and Twitter identities, LinkedIn began providing similar functionality about a year ago. Now, it looks like users of business-oriented Websites are taking full advantage of that capability.

In January, LinkedIn accounted for 27 percent of the social sign-ons at stock market news site SeekingAlpha, Gigya notes, while the Harvard Business Review saw 20 percent of its social sign-ons come through LinkedIn. The Internet Advertising Bureau, meanwhile, saw 14 percent come in that way, Gigya reported.

Companies Large and Small

Gigya also reports some descriptive data about the users who sign in to business-focused sites via LinkedIn. Of particular note are that finance, high-tech, and medical are the industries most often represented, while sales was the most frequently seen job function.

A full 30 percent of the people signing in via LinkedIn came from companies with 1000 or fewer employees, whereas the greatest proportion--41 percent--came from firms with more than 10000.

A big part of the reason for the growing use of LinkedIn for social sign-ons, Gigya believes, is its recent incorporation of a variety of social tools.

"They've really made some great moves over the past year especially to encourage more communication and collaboration among people using the service," Gigya explains. "LinkedIn users can share content from sites in the same way they can to Twitter or Facebook, and LinkedIn publishes shared content in a prominent feed."

LinkedIn Best Practices

Indeed, now that LinkedIn is enjoying increasing prominence as a sign-in tool among users of business sites, small and medium-sized companies should make sure they're incorporating the professional social network as fully as they can. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Integrate

First and foremost, it's clear from Gigya's data that if you operate a business-oriented Website, you should be sure to offer customers and other visitors a way to sign in using their LinkedIn identity. As a recent Wall Street Journal blog notes, "people do seem to be separating their online professional identities from their personal identities more than they used to, now that the tools are available." Visitors may not want to use their Facebook identity, in other words, when signing into a professionally oriented site.

2. Participate

Make sure your company has a presence on LinkedIn. Given all the new ways to connect through the site, you'd be remiss not to get involved and at least use it to connect with customers and post company news. It's a good idea to synch your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, for example, and blog content can be promoted there as well. You can also search LinkedIn's Groups directory for industry groups to get involved with and use the resulting connections to find service providers, seek mutual referrals and advice, and generally grow your network.

3. Collaborate

A number of services have sprung up to help enterprises collaborate through LinkedIn. Examples include Huddle.

4. Generate

There's nothing like demonstrating your expertise to drum up new business, and two ways you can do that on LinkedIn are through recommendations and through LinkedIn Answers. Ask satisfied customers to write recommendations for your business, for instance, and you can use the site yourself to answer relevant questions. Prospective customers who search on Answers will then have a chance to be impressed by what you have to say.

As people increasingly separate their personal and professional identities, it seems likely that LinkedIn--currently the most prominent professionally oriented social network--will only grow in importance as a business networking tool. Make sure your company makes the most of that trend.

Follow Katherine Noyes on Twitter: @Noyesk.

Camera Armor protects your DSLR with rugged silicone (Digital Trends)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 06:30 PM PST

Kelly Montgomery Kelly Montgomery – Wed Feb 9, 9:30 pm ET

Not very many people carry around a smartphone, iPad, or laptop without some type of case to protect it. As sturdy as most DSLR cameras are, when out of a camera bag, they are vulnerable to clumsiness and being knocked around. With the help of Camera Armor ($40), you can protect your expensive DSLR and lenses from bumps, bruises, and scratches. The snug silicone protectors are individually engineered for most popular DSLR models to ensure a perfect fit. All important controls and ports still have easy access, and the armor includes a rugged protective ring to safeguard most 52-77 mm filter lenses from impact. Screen protectors and a lens cap leash also come with the armor. We're not sure why it would be necessary, but the armor is also heat stable up to 420 degrees Fahrenheit. Not a bad investment for your camera, especially if you are the type to bang it into walls by accident.

Google exec's role in Egypt a corporate dilemma (AFP)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 07:59 PM PST

by Chris Lefkow Chris Lefkow – 1 hr 38 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – When Egypt cut off Internet access last month in a bid to quell anti-government protests, Google joined forces with Twitter to create a tool that lets Egyptians "tweet" by telephone.

Google said it came up with the "speak-to-tweet" service to help Egyptians "stay connected at this very difficult time" -- a move very much in keeping with the Internet giant's stated commitment to the free flow of information.

Since then, however, Google has found itself drawn even further into the turmoil with the emergence of a young company executive, Wael Ghonim, as a prominent voice of the protesters seeking to oust President Hosni Mubarak.

Business experts said Ghonim's high-profile role in the protests poses a dilemma for management, even for a company like Google that has not hesitated to take on countries such as China in the past.

"I'm sure Google is very nervous about having their employees publicly associated with politics," said Charles Skuba, an international business professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

"It's a slippery slope," Skuba told AFP. "Whenever an employee of a company becomes publicly associated with a political situation there's often more peril for the company than there is advantage."

Google campaigned vigorously for the release of Ghonim, a 30-year-old Egyptian who is the company's marketing chief for the Middle East and North Africa, after he went missing in Cairo on January 27.

Freed on Monday after 12 days in custody, Ghonim addressed huge crowds the next day in Tahrir Square, epicenter of the protests against Mubarak.

Hailed as a hero, Ghonim also revealed that he was behind the "We Are All Khaled Said" page on Facebook that has been credited with helping mobilise the pro-democracy protests that have gripped the country.

While profusely thanking Google in a Twitter message for seeking his release, Ghonim took care to emphasize that his actions are his alone.

In a message on his Twitter feed, @ghonim, on Monday, he wrote: "My friends please don't create logos with my personal photos in general. Also specially if it has Google logo in it."

Google for its part issued a brief statement welcoming Ghonim's release but has declined further comment. "It is a huge relief that Wael Ghonim has been released. We send our best wishes to him and his family," Google said.

Rhonda Reger, an associate professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, said Ghonim may be acting on his own but he will still be associated with Google.

"Whenever an executive speaks, even if he says this is just me speaking, if he's identified as being an executive of the company, people assume it's the company's position as well," Reger said.

She said she expected that discussions have been taking place at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, about "what's the right stance to take (with Ghonim) because it's fairly uncharted ground.

"They don't want to put out something that then becomes a headline 'Google silences executive,'" she said. "But I would not be at all surprised if they're not talking to him.

"Undoubtedly they have policy about this, about what you can and cannot say," Reger continued. "In general, the first responsibility (of an executive) is to be a viable concern and not harm the company and not harm the brand."

Ayman El Tarabishy, a research professor in management at George Washington University's School of Business, said Ghonim's prominent role in the protests is a "double-edged sword" for Google with both risks and rewards.

Social networking titans Facebook and Twitter have been attracting more attention recently than the Internet search giant and the Egyptian protests have put Google back in the limelight, he said.

At the same time, El Tarabishy said, "what they should also be concerned about eventually when this all settles down is how people in power will look at Google.

"Will they be seen as business friendly or as tools in aiding in revolution or uprising?" asked El Tarabishy, who is of Egyptian origin and was in Cairo when the protests began on January 25.

Georgetown's Skuba said Ghonim's activism could be interpreted as being consistent with Google's corporate philosophy of "Don't Be Evil."

"The company cannot afford to be public about their views," he said, "but I would not expect Google to take any action against him."

Skuba said Ghonim "is now a hero in Egypt and in other countries across the Middle East and elsewhere and Google's association is going to be very positive with many people and their customer base.

"The upside is the positive political imagery with this situation," he said. "The downside is potential government actions by Egypt and other countries that may impact Google down the road."

Would Google or Facebook Pay $10 Billion For Twitter? (Mashable)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 02:44 PM PST

Charlie White Charlie White – Wed Feb 9, 5:44 pm ET

We're hearing chatter about a possible sale of Twitter, and extraordinary valuations are part of the conversation, with various executives talking about numbers upwards of $10 billion.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook and Google executives have engaged in "low-level talks" with Twitter. According to the WSJ's "people familiar with the matter," those discussions are estimating the value of the microblogging service "in the neighborhood of $8 billion to $10 billion."

But don't get your hopes up, because those same sources are saying that the talks aren't getting anywhere yet. Could that $10 billion number be too low? It's hard to believe that just two months ago, my friend Owen Thomas at Venture Beat was calling a $3 billion valuation for Twitter "nonsense."

High, indeed, but there's a high value placed on attention, and Twitter's getting that: In fact, the company set an all-time record for tweets during a sporting event during the final minutes of last weekend's Super Bowl, recording an astonishing 4064 tweets in a single second.

The overall record was set last New Year's Eve in Japan where revelers sent a total of 6,939 tweets per second just after the clock struck midnight. Now that's engagement.

What do you think, readers? Is Twitter actually worth somewhere between $8 billion and $10 billion? Please let us know in the comments.

Just got a Verizon iPhone? Download these apps first (Appolicious)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 10:10 AM PST

Rumor: PlayBook to sell for $499.99, arrive late April (Digital Trends)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 04:58 PM PST

Molly McHugh Molly Mchugh – Wed Feb 9, 7:58 pm ET

blackberry-playbook-heading-office-depot

As the tablet market continues to explode, we're finally hearing that the RIM's PlayBook is due in the very near future. According to a leaked Office Depot screen shot from Boy Genius Report, the 16GB, Wi-Fi BlackBerry tablet will be released during "week 17" – which puts it somewhere around late April. As BGR points out, the timing seems dead on, since the next week is the BlackBerry World conference in Orlando.

If the image is legit, then earlier reports that RIM would undercut the iPad's pricetag with the Playbook were off target. According to the memo, the PlayBook will match the iPad's initial $499 price.

Regardless of its price, the PlayBook was one of the most impressive tablets we saw at CES this year and easily one of the most capable platforms that could break into the corporate market. There will be some challenges though, and we met them this week: HP's webOS TouchPad and Dell's Windows-based device. The PlayBook will have a leg up with its release date, and we officially can't wait for week 17 to arrive.

Lawsuits in Fla., England related to Elvis music (AP)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 02:50 PM PST

By ADRIAN SAINZ, Associated Press Adrian Sainz, Associated Press – Wed Feb 9, 5:50 pm ET

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Elvis Presley Enterprises said it's suing men in Florida and England on claims of copyright infringement and illegal sale of a DVD and CD box set of recordings and footage of the singer's performances.

Meanwhile a third person, Europe-based DJ Spankox, is disputing a British court ruling against him in a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by the company.

The Memphis-based company said Wednesday it filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the Chancery Division of the High Court in England and Wales against Joseph Pirzada, alleging he is the source of the box set.

The set includes footage from a 1977 television special called "Elvis in Concert" and raw footage of Elvis in Omaha, Neb., and Rapid City, S.D., according to the company, which owns copyrights on those materials.

Company lawyers and computer experts, with authorization by the court, searched Pirzada's home Jan. 25 for evidence of the sale and distribution of the set.

An e-mail sent Wednesday to a recording company that lists Pirzada as its owner was not immediately returned.

On Feb. 2, Elvis Presley Enterprises sued Bud Glass, who has previously published an Elvis book and DVD series, on claims he illegally sold and distributed the Pirzada box set in the United States.

An e-mail sent to Bud Glass Productions on Tuesday afternoon was not immediately returned. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Florida.

Elvis Presley Enterprises has been known to go after entities it claims have violated its copyright and licenses. The company manages the dead singer's music publishing assets and a worldwide licensing program.

The company said it's considering filing additional lawsuits against others involved the manufacture, sale, and release of the box set and other bootlegs.

"Elvis Presley Enterprises will not tolerate infringement of our intellectual property rights," said Jack Soden, CEO of the corporation.

In more court action, Elvis Presley Enterprises said it won a judgment in the England and Wales chancery court against Agostino Carollo, known as DJ Spankox.

The company had sued Carollo, alleging breach of contract and trademark infringement related to a Christmas remix album that included the company's trademarks, logos and photos.

The DJ and the company had entered into an agreement in 2008 on Carollo's first album of Elvis remixes and a follow-up album, but the company told Carollo in 2009 that it would not support nor endorse the Christmas remix album.

The British court on Feb. 1 barred Carollo from infringing on the company's trademarks and ordered him to pay damages and attorney's fees.

Carollo denies wrongdoing and says he is working to get the ruling discharged.

"They filed the Claim out of nowhere, without even trying to contact me with one single letter, accusing me of infringing EPE's copyright when they instead knew that I didn't infringe anything," he told The Associated Press in an e-mail to the AP's London bureau.

Carollo criticized Elvis Presley Enterprises for filing the lawsuit in England, when he lives in Italy.

He also said the recently released "Viva Elvis-The Album," which features reworked versions of Elvis songs, was inspired by one of his own remix albums.

"It felt like a friend had stabbed me in the back," Carollo said.

___

Associated Press Writer Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed to this story.

___

Online:

Elvis Presley Enterprises: http://www.elvis.com

New iPhone, iPad app helps you keep track of sins (AP)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 06:40 PM PST

– 2 hrs 58 mins ago

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Can your iPad or iPhone bring you closer to God? A new application for the devices aims to help Roman Catholics who haven't been to the confessional booth in a while keep track of their sins, one Commandment at a time.

The $1.99 "Confession: A Roman Catholic App" can't grant forgiveness — you still need to receive the sacrament from a real, live priest like always. The app's designers and some believers see it as a way to spur Catholics back into the habit of repenting.

"There's a reason we designed it for these mobile devices: We want you to go to confession," said Patrick Leinen, one of the developers and a co-founder of the company Little iApps.

Over the last several decades, American Catholics have been receiving the penitential sacrament less frequently, and many of them may not know how it's done.

"As somebody who's heard thousands of confessions, there are some people who get so scared coming in that they lose their train of thought and they're not able to remember everything they planned to say," said the Rev. Dan Scheidt, pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mishawaka, who advised the developers.

The text-based app takes the user through the Ten Commandments, with a slew of questions attached to each, a process known as an examination of conscience, which penitents undergo before confession.

Questions range from "Have I wished evil upon another person?" to "Have I used any method of contraception or artificial birth control in my marriage?" and users can check a box next to each sin they've committed.

Once that's done, the app lists the user's sins and displays a written act of contrition, a prayer recited by the penitent. From there, it walks the user through the rest of the steps of confession and even advises when to say "amen."

Melanie Williams is a 17-year-old Catholic who helped test the app after co-developer Chip Leinen asked for volunteers at the area high school where he runs a youth group.

Williams said she used to freeze up whenever the time came to confess: "I have a horrible time remembering what I want to say when I'm actually in the confessional."

With the app, "when I get to the confessional and I'm able to say all these things, it makes me feel a lot better," she said. "When you're done, an inspirational message pops up. It's so cool. It feels like that's just what I needed to hear at that moment."

Religious applications for mobile devices are nothing new. Things like daily inspirational text messages and digital compasses that point Muslims in the direction of Mecca have been around since the early years of mobile technology.

But as that technology becomes a bigger part of daily life, the faithful are finding ways to incorporate it into their religious lives, said Heidi Campbell, a communication professor at Texas A&M University who studies how religious communities use technology.

"People now are saying, we live our lives connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, so how do we highlight our spirituality in the same way," she said.

Response to the new app from the church has been cautious but positive; the Most Rev. Kevin Rhoades, bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, gave his imprimatur to the app, essentially an acknowledgment that it doesn't conflict with Catholic teaching.

The Vatican weighed in as word of the app spread through Catholic circles. A church spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, stressed that only a priest may hear confession.

"This cannot be substituted by any computer application," he said. "This must be emphasized to avoid misunderstandings. One cannot speak in any way of 'confession by iPhone.'"

But a believer could use a digital instrument, such as an iPhone, to prepare for confession in the same way people once did with a pen and paper, he said.

The Catholic Church is far from a novice when it comes to using new technology to reach the faithful: Catholic apps cover everything from the calendar of the liturgical year to guides for priests on celebrating the Mass. Pope Benedict XVI has encouraged priests to get involved in at least one aspect of online ministry, whether blogs, podcasts or something else.

"The Internet is a chance for some people to ease into it," said the Rev. Jay Finelli, pastor of Holy Ghost Church in Tiverton, R.I., who has been podcasting as the iPadre since 2005.

"People have the opportunity to approach a priest or learn something, where maybe they're afraid to approach their local priest," he said.

Ultimately, Scheidt said, that's the goal: getting people right with God.

"If this brings one person back to confession, there's more joy in heaven over that than over 99 people who already have their acts together," he said.

Chinese hackers infiltrate five energy firms: study (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 09:13 PM PST

By Diane Bartz Diane Bartz – 22 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hackers working in China broke into the computer systems of five multinational oil and gas companies to steal bidding plans and other critical proprietary information, the computer security firm McAfee Inc said in a new report.

The report, which named the attacks Night Dragon, declined to identify the five known companies that had been hacked and said that another seven or so had also been broken into but could not be identified.

"It ... speaks to quite a sad state of our critical infrastructure security. These were not sophisticated attacks ... yet they were very successful in achieving their goals," said Dmitri Alperovitch, McAfee's vice president for threat research.

The hackers got into the computers in one of two ways, either through their public websites or through infected emails sent to company executives.

During the at least two years -- and up to four years -- the hackers had access to the computer networks, they focused on financial documents related to oil and gas field exploration and bidding contracts, said Alperovitch.

They also copied proprietary industrial processes.

"That information is tremendously sensitive and would be worth a huge amount of money to competitors," said Alperovitch.

The hack was traced back to China via a server leasing company in Shandong Province that hosted the malware, another term for malicious software, and to Beijing IP addresses that were active from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beijing time.

McAfee's report did not identify who was behind the hacking.

"We have no evidence that this is government sponsored in any way," said Alperovitch.

McAfee provided the data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which did not respond to requests for comment.

"This is normal business practice in China. It's not always state sponsored. And they do it to each other," said Jim Lewis, a cyber expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

Asked if Beijing normally agreed to arrest hackers, Lewis responded: "It's not impossible, but it hasn't happened very often."

Western governments and companies have long been concerned about corporate espionage based in China.

"We are aware of these types of threats, but we can't comment specifically about what's in the Night Dragon report," said FBI spokeswoman Jenny Shearer.

Washington believes that hacking attacks on Google Inc that briefly prompted the company to pull out of China were orchestrated by two members of the country's ruling body, according to U.S. diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks.

The French government is looking into a possible Chinese role in spying on carmaker Renault SA's and Nissan's electric vehicle program.

In 2007, a Chinese student working at car parts maker Valeo was sentenced to prison for obtaining confidential documents from the automaker. A French tribunal stopped short of an industrial espionage verdict, instead finding that she had "abused trust."

(Editing by Andre Grenon)

Microsoft Names New Server and Tools President (PC World)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 10:30 AM PST

Joab Jackson Joab Jackson – Wed Feb 9, 1:30 pm ET

Microsoft has appointed its online services veteran, Satya Nadella, to head its US$15 billion server and tools business, the company announced Wednesday.

Nadella will assume the role of president for that business, a post that Bob Muglia announced in January that he would be vacating.

In announcing the appointment, Microsoft highlighted Nadella's expertise in cloud computing, a skill the company sees as essential in finding its place in the emerging market for cloud computing services and tools. Nadella's "deep experience" in Microsoft's server business and online services will "help accelerate our momentum while setting the course" for its future cloud offerings, CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement.

Nadella formerly led engineering efforts in the company's online services division. He led the technical efforts to launch Microsoft's Bing search engine, as well as updates to the Microsoft MSN consumer portal and the integration of the ad services between Yahoo and Bing.

Nadella, 43, had been with the online services division since 2007. Before that, he led Microsoft business solutions, which offers the company's Dynamics line of enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management products. He has been with Microsoft for 19 years.

The server and tools business division oversees the Windows Server operating system, along with related development and administration tools. The division will also oversee the company's cloud computing offerings, including the Windows Azure group. In his new role, Nadella will have to develop a technology road map and overall strategic vision for both the server tools software and enterprise cloud offerings, according to the company.

Muglia plans to leave Microsoft by mid-2011, after he helps Nadella get acquainted with the new job.

Joab Jackson covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Joab on Twitter at @Joab_Jackson. Joab's e-mail address is Joab_Jackson@idg.com
at 9:48 PM

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