Sponsoer by :

Friday, October 7, 2011

Review: Offline Gmail app good for casual use (AP) : Technet

Sponsored

Review: Offline Gmail app good for casual use (AP) : Technet

Review: Offline Gmail app good for casual use (AP)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 12:14 PM PDT

By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Technology Writer Anick Jesdanun, Ap Technology Writer – Fri Oct 7, 3:14 pm ET

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Google's new software for using Gmail without an Internet connection comes across as a throwback to an era when we weren't connected all the time and on all sorts of devices, from phones to iPads.

These days, if I need to read or write an email when I'm not at a regular computer, I can usually do so on my phone. Wi-Fi is also plentiful _even on planes and trains_ when I need to catch up on messaging using my laptop.

But I found myself lacking both options during a recent trip abroad. Fortunately, Google recently came out with Offline Google Mail, software that lets me use Gmail while disconnected. Messages that I write, delete or move to a folder — or label, as Gmail calls it — get synced with my Gmail account the next time I'm online. I can also read messages that had been sent to me before going offline.

As a result, I was generally able to get away with buying a half-hour or an hour of Internet access at a time in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, where "complimentary Internet" is a term foreign to hotels.

I composed emails on a flight to New Zealand and had them sent during a brief layover at the Auckland airport. I read and wrote more emails on the flight back to the U.S. and synced the account once more at my parents' home in New Jersey. By the time I was back in my apartment in New York, I was caught up on three weeks of email.

The software itself was easy to install and use — once I found it. It requires a Gmail account and won't work with Yahoo, Hotmail and other Web-based email services.

Also, it works only with Google's Chrome browser, which means I had to install it on my laptop to start things off. I then had to open the browser and open a new tab to find a link to Google's Chrome Web Store. After that, I had to find the free Offline Google Mail software among the scores of offerings at the store.

The software is still in a "beta" test mode, a label that Google Inc. sometimes slaps on products for months or years. That's a way of saying that you may encounter glitches along the way.

I indeed ran into a few problems.

The key problem is that messages stored offline sometimes disappears. That included an email I had composed to send later. As a result, I wasn't able to depend on the software to retrieve notes that I had stored as email messages, nor was I able to respond to a number of emails that went missing.

I learned from Google later that the software typically keeps only messages from the past three days and sometimes up to a week. It also keeps older messages that Google's technology thinks is important. Drafts and messages marked with a star are always stored, but you have to remember to do that in the short time you might have online.

The software also failed at times to store attachments, which is a problem when someone sends me a document I need to review. I might have run into a storage cap of 25 megabytes for all attachments combined, which isn't much when Gmail allows attachments that large on a single email. The software was also inconsistent in loading images, which means I could miss good deals from retailers that spell out offers in graphics.

Two other faults: There are limits in my ability to organize messages using labels. I could attach existing ones, but I couldn't create new ones. That could keep my main inbox cluttered. And the interface feels like Gmail of the early days, not the dynamic website of today that grew out of years of user feedback, redesigns and upgrades.

That said, Offline Google Mail largely does what it is supposed to do. It gives you access to your messages — your digital life — when an Internet connection isn't readily available. It also gives you the ability to write emails anytime you want, as long as there's no urgency in sending them.

It's similar to the way I read and wrote email more than a decade ago, using Netscape software and getting online through a dial-up modem every now and then to send messages and get new ones.

When you do have that Internet connection, the Google software syncs your mail automatically, as long as you have the Chrome browser open. There's no need to open Offline Google Mail or even visit Gmail.com.

Standalone email software such as Thunderbird also lets you read and write messages while offline, but you need to open the software to sync. You also need to know how to set it up for Gmail, while there's no need to configure anything for Offline Google Mail.

I wouldn't rely on Google's software, though, if you absolutely must have access to your messages all the time. The product is too new and has glitches and storage limitations that are bound to strike when you can least afford them.

Still, it's a good alternative to standalone software when you need only casual access to your messages offline. It's simple to use and it does the job — most of the time.

Sprint down after testy meeting with analysts (AP)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 03:13 PM PDT

By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer Peter Svensson, Ap Technology Writer – Fri Oct 7, 6:13 pm ET

NEW YORK – The struggling wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. said Friday that it will need to raise more money to build a higher-speed data network even as it must spend more to subsidize sales of the new iPhone to its customers.

Sprint's stock fell 20 percent. Shares of Clearwire Corp. fell 32 percent after Sprint disclosed details of its new network, known as 4G, for fourth-generation.

Sprint said it will stop selling phones and other devices compatible with Clearwire's current network at the end of next year, after it switches on its own 4G network. Sprint is Clearwire's largest customer and majority owner, but doesn't control it. Phones labeled "Sprint 4G" use Clearwire's network today.

Sprint's stock rose as much as 13 percent on that news, but reversed those gains after Sprint disclosed the need to raise more money for the new network and failed to offer earnings guidance that incorporates the effect of the iPhone.

At an event for investors and analysts in New York on Friday, CEO Dan Hesse said that the iPhone would over time "be one of our most profitable devices" but did not elaborate.

Sprint, which is based in Overland Park, Kan., started taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4S on Friday and hopes that the phone will help the company recruit and keep customers in competition with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless. Those two larger carriers had been able to lure people with the iPhone, which Sprint didn't have until now.

But Sprint will pay Apple Inc. dearly for the privilege of selling the phone. An iPhone that Sprint sells for $200 with a two-year contract costs $600 or so wholesale from Apple. Like other carriers, Sprint has to count on making up the difference over time through service fees. Analysts were looking for some clarity on Sprint's math here, and were frustrated.

After rising as high as $3.39, Sprint's stock fell 60 cents to close at $2.41. Clearwire's stock fell 66 cents to $1.39. Earlier in the day, the shares revisited an all-time low of $1.32 hit in August.

Analysts were perplexed that Sprint isn't including Clearwire in its network revamp project. Sprint's president of network operations, Steve Elfman, said that the company is already building its own 4G network and will inaugurate it next summer. By the end of 2012, it will cover as many people as Clearwire's network does today, and a year later, it will be far larger.

Sprint is using a 4G technology known as LTE, for Long-Term Evolution. Rivals AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless are using the same technology. Clearwire, on the other hand, uses an earlier technology called WiMax. That means today's "Sprint 4G" devices will need to be replaced to use the new LTE network.

Clearwire, which is based in Kirkland, Wash., has said that it plans to build an LTE network in parallel with WiMax, and Sprint's Hesse left the door open to having Sprint buy access to that network after 2012. However, Clearwire's finances are weak, and it would need additional funding to build out LTE.

"I don't think anything fundamentally changed for us after today," Clearwire CEO Erik Prusch said in an interview. "Sprint is still dependent on us for their network."

Sprint, like other carriers, need additional spectrum to keep up with the long-term growth in wireless data use, and Clearwire has that spectrum, he said.

In a testy exchange with Sprint executives, a member of the audience at the investor meeting questioned why Sprint would risk forcing Clearwire to seek bankruptcy protection when it owns 54 percent of the company, and could lose its share of Clearwire's spectrum in a bankruptcy case.

Sprint executives didn't directly address that possibility, but Hesse noted that no bankruptcy case involving a wireless company has resulted in a disruption of service.

Sprint's network revamp will help the company support its iPhone users with wireless data, Sprint executives said. However, today's iPhones can use neither Clearwire's 4G network nor Sprint's coming one.

The radio spectrum that Sprint is using for 4G is being freed up by the shutdown of the Nextel network, a process that's set to be completed by the end of next year.

Sprint bought Nextel in 2005, an acquisition that soon turned disastrous. Nextel subscribers started leaving, and Sprint was saddled with the cost of running two incompatible networks. That has contributed to the company's constant quarterly financial losses since 2007.

"Overall, Sprint appears to be doing the best it can to chart a course forward, but it is starting out significantly hamstrung by decisions made in the past," Ovum analyst Jan Dawson said.

Report: Jobs funeral Friday, ceremony private (AP)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 01:52 PM PDT

– Fri Oct 7, 4:52 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the funeral for Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is being held Friday.

The newspaper cited an unnamed person familiar with the matter. The person described the ceremony as a small private gathering. The person would not say where or when Friday the funeral is taking place.

Apple would say only that no public funeral services are planned. Apple has invited the public to send memories, thoughts and condolences to rememberingsteve(at)apple.com

Jobs died Wednesday at 56. Apple Inc. announced no cause of death, but Jobs had been diagnosed with a rare pancreatic cancer seven years ago and had a liver transplant in 2009.

Tecca TV: TechLife on the legacy of Steve Jobs, the iPhone 4S, the craziest tablet accessory ever, and more! (Yahoo! News)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 09:05 PM PDT

Want to terminate your contract? It’s going to cost you (Yahoo! News)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 07:00 PM PDT

Find a Job in Social Media, Communications or Design (Mashable)

Posted: 06 Oct 2011 06:07 PM PDT

Stephanie Buck Stephanie Buck – Thu Oct 6, 9:07 pm ET

If you're seeking a job in social media, we'd like to help out. For starters, Mashable's Job Lists gather all our resource lists, how-tos and expert guides to help you get hired. In particular, you might want to see our articles, How to Leverage Social Media for Career Success and How to Find a Job on Twitter.

[More from Mashable: Like Scary Movies? Tweet to Win Paranormal Activity 3 Premiere]

But we'd like to help in a more direct way, too. Mashable's job boards are a place for socially savvy companies to find people like you. This week and every week, Mashable features its coveted job board listings for a variety of positions on the web, social media space and beyond. Have a look at what's good and new on our job boards:

Mashable Job Postings

Community Intern at Mashable in New York, NY.

[More from Mashable: How Twitter Reacted to the iPhone 4S Announcement [INFOGRAPHIC]]

Graphic Design Intern at Mashable in New York, NY.

Editorial Intern at Mashable in New York, NY.

Tech Reporter at Mashable in San Francisco, CA.

Editorial Assistant at Mashable in New York, NY.

Mashable Job Board Listings

CTO at Sproutlet in Hoboken, NJ.

Front End Engineer at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

Platform Product Manager at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

Official T-Shirt Wearer at IWearYourShirt.com in Jacksonville, FL.

Social Media Officer at Amalgamated Pest Control in Archerfield (Brisbane), Australia.

Account Manager/Search Analyst at adMarketplace in New York, NY.

Senior Web Analyst at Ignited in El Segundo, CA.

Senior Digital Media Planner at Ignited in New York, NY.

Web Designer at University of Washington Bothell in Bothell, WA.

Vice President, Digital at Emanate in New York, NY.

Quality Engineering Manager at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

Agency-wide Manager - Paid Search/SEM at Morpheus Media in New York, NY.

Web Analytics Associate (contract or fulltime) at Total Beauty Media, Inc. in Santa Monica, CA.

Director, Social Media at Razorfish in San Francisco, CA.

Director, Digital Cross-Platform Programming at MTV Networks in New York, NY.

User Acquisition Analytics Manager at Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. in Burbank, CA.

Digital Product Manager at Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. in Burbank, CA.

Junior Digital Traffic Project Manager at Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, OR.

Senior Program Manager, Community Engagement at Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, CA.

Project Manager at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

Senior Engineer at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

Web Developer at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in Piscataway, NJ.

Director at Attention in New York, New York.

Digital Account Supervisor - Travel & Hospitality Marketing at BCF in Virginia Beach, VA.

Senior Editor, Kaiser Health News at Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Online, Social Media & Mobile Program Officer at Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, CA.

Internship, Health Communicaiton & Media Partnerships at Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, CA.

Online Marketing Data Analyst at Acquinity Interactive in Deerfield Beach, FL.

Interactive Art Director, Teach For America at Teach For America in New York, NY.

Senior Community (Social Media) Manager, Shooter Vertical at Electronic Arts in Los Angeles, CA.

Integrated Media Program Leader at Whole Foods Market in Austin, TX.

Social Media Director at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.

Director, Social Media at TrueAction Network in New York, NY.

Director of Student Engagement - Social Media at Chegg in Hillsboro, OR.

Group Director of Social Media Communications at Deep Focus in New York, NY.

Digital Marketing Specialist at The Nature Conservancy in Arlington, VA.

Marketing Manager at Border Stylo in Los Angeles, CA.

Web and Graphic Designer at Evans Hotels in San Diego, CA.

Marketing Manager: New Product Development at The Motley Fool in Alexandria, VA.

Product Manager at Synacor in Buffalo, NY.

Lead Devloper- Director of Technology at Attention in New York, NY.

Entry Level Designer at Hudson Horizons in Saddle Brook, NJ.

Director of Information Technology at Eastern Mountain Sports in Peterborough, NH.

Product Manager - Local Business Products at Yelp Inc. in San Francisco, CA.

Group Program Manager, Social Media Campaigns & Communities at Spring Creek Group in Seattle, WA.

Media, Social Media Intern at SAGE Publications in Newbury Park, CA.

Creative Copwriter for Digital Advertising at Intermarkets in Reston, VA.

Digital Marketing Director at Direct Wines in Norwalk, CT.

Client Account Manager at C-4 Analytics in Saugus, MS.

Mobile Engineer at eHarmony in Santa Monica, CA.

Project Manager at Paperless Post in New York, NY.

Strategic Partner Development, Media at Facebook in New York, NY.

Strategic Partner Development, Brand Marketers at Facebook in New York, NY.

Mashable's Job Board has a variety of web 2.0, application development, business development and social networking job opportunities available. Check them out here.

Got a job posting to share with our readers? Post a job to Mashable today ($99 for a 30 day listing) and get it highlighted every week on Mashable.com (in addition to exposure all day every day in the Mashable marketplace).

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, YinYang

This story originally published on Mashable here.

European Commission Approves Microsoft-Skype Deal (NewsFactor)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 01:08 PM PDT

Barry Levine, newsfactor.com Barry Levine, newsfactor.com – Fri Oct 7, 4:08 pm ET

Microsoft is one step closer to adding Skype to its lineup. On Friday, the European Commission approved the software giant's $8.5 billion acquisition of the voice-over-Internet communications company.

The U.S Federal Trade Commission approved the purchase in July, and the company awaits decisions from regulators in the Ukraine, Russia, Serbia and Taiwan.

'Not Significantly Impede' Competition

The European decision was handed down by the commission official in charge of competition, Joaquin Almunia.

A Skype competitor in Italy, Messagenet, had asked the commission to block the sale unless the Skype user network was opened to other companies, but the request was not granted.

In a statement, Almunia said the "deal would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area." The commission's investigation found the two companies already overlap in video communications, considering that Microsoft offers such capabilities through its Live Messenger and other products. It also found that this media communications market is growing and has "numerous players," including Google.

For enterprise communications, the agency also found that Skype's presence is limited and does not compete with Microsoft's Lync enterprise communication product.

One question addressed was whether Microsoft might downgrade Skype's interoperability with other software, or if Microsoft would integrate Skype with its widespread Windows operating system, creating market advantages others could not match.

On the first matter, the commission found that Microsoft would have no incentive to diminish Skype's interoperability, since it's to the advantage of the Skype brand that it be available via as many partners and platforms as possible.

124 Million Registered Users

Concerning whether Microsoft could integrate Skype with Windows, as it had been accused of doing with its Internet Explorer browser, the commission reasoned that most users can readily download a version of Skype if they want, and that most users who buy a PC with Skype pre-installed are already registered Skype users.

In one obvious area of growth for Skype, enterprise markets, the commission determined Microsoft does not have an advantage, and already faces strong competitors such as Cisco.

Assuming it has the all the necessary governmental approvals, Microsoft has said it intends to create a separate Skype business division, with the current CEO, Tony Bates, as the head. The plan is to integrate Skype and its huge user base into the Lync VOIP Platform, Messenger, Hotmail, and Xbox Live. The Redmond, Washington-based company has also said it will continue to offer Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms.

Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, and it has about 124 million registered users. It is the largest Internet communications company, but has had difficulty becoming profitable. eBay bought the company in 2005 for an estimated $2.6 billion, but then sold it to an investor group last fall for an estimated $2 billion.

EU clears Microsoft's Skype acquisition (Reuters)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 08:57 AM PDT

– Fri Oct 7, 11:57 am ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Microsoft secured EU approval on Friday to purchase internet voice and video service Skype for $8.5 billion, its biggest ever acquisition.

The European Commission said that its investigation of the takeover showed that the firms' activities mainly overlapped for video communications, where Microsoft is active through its Windows Live Messenger.

"However, the Commission considers that there are no competition concerns in this growing market where numerous players, including Google, are present," it said in a statement.

The deal is expected to lead to new customers for Microsoft's Windows and Office software.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission cleared the deal in June.

(Reporting By Foo Yun Chee)

AT&T sold 200,000 iPhones in 12 hours (Reuters)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 05:20 PM PDT

– Fri Oct 7, 8:20 pm ET

(Reuters) – AT&T (T.N) sold more than 200,000 of Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) latest iPhone in the first 12 hours and said it had seen "extraordinary demand" for a gadget unveiled a day before the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

The iPhone 4S was unveiled on Tuesday and immediately underwhelmed fans who had hoped for a revolutionary design after a wait of more than 15 months.

But Wall Street analysts are betting that hardware updates and software enhancements, including a well-reviewed voice-recognition software system, will pull in buyers.

AT&T, Verizon (VZ.N) Wireless and Sprint (S.N) began taking U.S. online orders for the device on Friday.

Comparisons are difficult because the iPhone is now carried by three wireless operators, versus just one. Last year AT&T was the only carrier to sell the phone. But the previous generation of the smartphone, the iPhone 4, was the fastest-selling mobile in Apple's history, with 1.7 million devices selling in the first three days.

Estimates vary, but some analysts expect Apple to sell about 27 million to 28 million iPhones in the October-December quarter.

The latest iPhone 4S hits store shelves around the world on October 14. It debuts at a critical juncture for Apple.

Phones based on Google Inc's (GOOG.O) Android -- such as Samsung's (005930.KS) Galaxy -- are providing heightened competition just as a new CEO, Tim Cook, takes the reins.

Jobs, who died on Wednesday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, ceded the top job to Cook in August. Some analysts say people seeking to commemorate the legacy of Apple's iconic co-founder may scoop up the very last iPhone to be unveiled in his lifetime, giving sales a bump.

Apple was not immediately available for comment. Sprint iPhone sales were not mentioned during a an unrelated news conference by Spring on Friday.

Shares in Apple were holding steady at $370 in after-hours trade.

(Reporting by Abhishek Takle in Bangalore and Edwin Chan in Los Angeles; Editing by Gary Hill and Carol Bishopric)

Android App Tablet Review: Google Body (Appolicious)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 05:30 PM PDT

Nearly 300,000 status updates are posted to Facebook every minute (Digital Trends)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 09:19 PM PDT

Mike Flacy Mike Flacy – 1 hr 25 mins ago

facebook-status

Vancouver-based social media and promotions agency Popcorn released an infographic on its blog detailing actions taking place across the major social networks every 60 seconds. With more than 800 million users on Facebook at of late, over half a million comments are posted on Facebook every single minute. Over 290,000 status updates are posted to profiles and nearly 140,000 photos are uploaded per minute. At that rate, it would take about 15 minutes of Facebook photos uploads to equal the number of photographs stored in the New York public photo archives. It's clear that Facebook's audience has no problem creating astounding amounts of content for the social network.

instagramRegarding rival social network Twitter, the organization sees about 120,000 tweets rolling out each minute. However, Twitter only sees a fraction of the photo uploads each minute through third party services, approximately one percent of total photos uploaded to Facebook. Rival photo network Flickr sees about 3,500 photos uploaded each minute and Instagram sees about 1,350 photos uploaded every sixty seconds. On the location-based FourSquare, users check-in to a bit over 2,000 locations every minute. On the popular blogging network Tumblr, the company sees about 1,000 posts per minute and 300 reblogs. Finally, the user review site Yelp receives about 20 new reviews every minute in addition to 120 new photos each hour. While not included on the infographic, users of video site YouTube upload about 48 hours of video footage every single minute.

The rapid posting rates for services like Facebook and Twitter have been spurred by the adoption of smartphones over the last few years. More users of the services are updating the social networks while mobile as well as uploading photos of their current location. Facebook's recent changes to sharing are likely to increase posting rates even more as services like Spotify automatically post what a user is currently listening to on the Facebook feed.

Sprint Details Agressive High-Speed LTE Roadmap (NewsFactor)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 03:43 PM PDT

Mark Long, newsfactor.com Mark Long, newsfactor.com – Fri Oct 7, 6:43 pm ET

Sprint Nextel briefed investors Friday concerning the carrier's aggressive plans to begin operating a new high-speed wireless LTE network in selected markets across the United States beginning in mid-2012. The supporting architecture is designed to accommodate all the traffic from the carrier's 3G, 4G and Direct Connect customers on new multimode base stations being built by partners Samsung, Alcatel Lucent and Ericsson.

"We have a single network architecture that we are taking advantage of to deliver all [wireless] capabilities to our customers on a single, flexible platform," said Sprint Senior Vice President Bob Azzi.

The hardware consolidation effort is expected to enable Sprint to dramatically reduce the number of cell sites it requires nationwide from more than 60,000 right now. "Work on 22,000 cell sites is currently under way [and] the balance will be started in the next few months," Azzi said.

The switch to multimode base stations is also expected to reduce power consumption costs as well as significantly cut the carrier's greenhouse gas emissions, Sprint said.

Ramping Rapidly

There are two key attributes of Sprint's next generation Network Vision platform, said Steve Elfman, president of network operations and wholesale at Sprint.

One is "having a multimode network platform that enables multiple technologies and spectrum to be deployed on a common platform at a lower cost structure," Elfman said. The other is having "an integrated device chipset that enables devices to function on multi-spectrum bands and multimode technologies."

Sprint has been working with Qualcomm and other partners to ensure that CDMA-LTE devices are available by the middle of next year. Approximately 15 Sprint devices are expected to hit the market throughout 2012, including handsets, tablets and data cards.

What's more, Sprint now envisions a far more rapid LTE deployment scenario than when the carrier initially introduced Network Vision in the fourth quarter of last year. "We are building as we are speaking and we expect to be largely complete by the end of 2013," Elfman said.

By then Sprint projects that its LTE network will be within range of 250 million people. Overall, however, the carrier has a very aggressive rollout schedule to maintain, said Gartner Research Vice President Phillip Redman.

"Adding the integration to CDMA will be complex," Redman said in an email Friday. "I would anticipate delays."

New Priorities

Though Sprint is poised to launch Apple's iPhone and will continue to offer unlimited data plans, the carrier believes its new multimode network architecture and base stations will be able to keep pace with the voracious mobile data growth ahead.

"We believe we can handle the demand [to come from] the announcement this week of the iPhone," Elfman said.

Redman said Sprint has a tremendous amount of spectrum but would have to harvest it from WiMAX support. "It appears that support is winding down, so that is a possibility," he said.

Sprint said it remained committed to supporting its customers on WiMAX and will be continuing to sell WiMAX devices through 2012. When Sprint's new LTE network launches, however, the carrier's new priorities will be to first use the spectrum it already owns at 1900 MHz and 800 MHz, and then add hosted 1600 MHz spectrum once the FCC approves LightSquared's pending license application, Elfman said.

"We have a wholesale agreement with Clearwire for WiMax at this point in time, and that's where we'll go next," Elfman said.

Clearwire noted that it is uniquely positioned to offer capacity to Sprint and other carriers -- particularly in urban areas where demand is high and their 4G spectrum will be inadequate.

"Even with their reallocation of existing spectrum, it's obvious that their spectrum resources are insufficient to meet the long-term demands of mobile data," Clearwire said in a statement Friday. "But this is not unique to Sprint."

Android App Tablet Review: HoneyGram (Appolicious)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 03:30 PM PDT

Sprint seeks to raise capital; investors flee (Reuters)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 03:20 PM PDT

By Sinead Carew and Supantha Mukherjee Sinead Carew And Supantha Mukherjee – Fri Oct 7, 6:20 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sprint Nextel Corp said it needs to raise more money and signaled it will burn through its cash reserves, raising concerns about the wireless provider's financial stability and business strategy.

Shares fell 20 percent to close at $2.41 on Friday, while its credit default swaps rose, reflecting greater concerns about a default risk. Shares of Sprint affiliate Clearwire Corp tumbled 32 percent to $1.39.

The news that Sprint could spend more cash than it brings in to upgrade its network provoked angry questions at an investor meeting with Chief Executive Dan Hesse.

Analysts complained that Hesse gave few clear answers and instead raised many fresh questions. In particular, they were worried that Sprint said its cash shortfall did not yet factor in the undisclosed sum of money the carrier has to pay Apple Inc for the right to sell the popular iPhone.

"They're going to be spending more money than they're bringing in for the next couple of years... even before iPhone costs," Hudson Square analyst Todd Rethemeier said, adding that this makes Sprint -- already a risky investment prospect -- an even more dangerous bet.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Sprint agreed to pay Apple $20 billion over four years as part of their agreement.

Hesse conceded that selling the iPhone would be expensive, but promised it would be "quite accretive" to Sprint's profits over time.

"The part we struggle with here is the fact that Sprint wants us to think about the subscriber benefit from the iPhone, but ignore the financial impact," Jennifer Fritzsche from Wells Fargo wrote in a research note.

LIQUIDITY QUESTIONS

Sprint outlined a plan to spend $7 billion on a network upgrade that it wants to complete by the end of 2013, two years earlier than previously suggested. The company said that upgrade would save it $10 billion to $11 billion.

Chief Financial Officer Joe Euteneur said Sprint would pay for the upgrade with cash from its balance sheet and by raising capital. He said he could not provide details as he wanted the flexibility of being able to tap the market at the best time.

The company also flashed a presentation slide saying it expects its liquidity to improve after 2013, implying a tough two years before that.

Analysts, many of whom have covered Sprint for years, told management that they did not understand the presentation and several asked about liquidity.

"Seeing all these balls in the air is a little scary," said Evercore analyst Jonathan Schildkraut.

Analysts said there was no immediate risk of Sprint defaulting on its debt. But, in a sign of investor nervousness, Sprint credit default swaps rose.

It now costs $1.5 million paid upfront to insure $10 million of Sprint debt for five years, in addition to annual payments of $500,000, according to data provider CMA. That is up from an upfront cost of $1.04 million plus $500,000 a year on Thursday.

CLEARWIRE UNCERTAINTY

Sprint owns 54 percent of Clearwire, and was questioned about how long it plans to support the venture.

Executives for Sprint said it would stop selling phones using Clearwire's high-speed WiMax network by the end of 2012, and refused to speak about plans beyond that.

Sprint also said it hopes to bolster its own network using spectrum from Clearwire's rival, LightSquared, backed by hedge fund manager Phil Falcone, if that becomes available.

Sprint declined to comment on whether it would offer Clearwire more funding. When asked if Sprint would let Clearwire go bankrupt, Hesse's response was that if there was a bankruptcy, he would "expect it to be constructive."

Clearwire Chief Executive Eric Prusch told Reuters that he was optimistic that the company would be able to raise the $1 billion financing it needs to continue to operate and upgrade its network. He added that Sprint was still dependent on Clearwire's network.

At the Sprint meeting, Joan Lappin of Gramercy Capital Management angrily asked why it was spending to upgrade its own network while Clearwire, which has much more spectrum than Sprint, needs funding.

The question was greeted by loud clapping and cheering among analysts and investors.

Sprint said its network upgrade would help boost its margin from operating income before depreciation and amortization by 4 percent to 6 percent by 2014. It also said it would raise its margins by another 4 percent to 6 percent by improving its operations.

But analysts questioned whether investors would see any boost in profit because of the spending plans.

Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett also worried that Sprint's service could suffer while it sets aside spectrum for the network upgrade. It is not clear how the company would avoid "creating a capacity gap" when there will be big demands on the network, he said, particularly iPhone users.

Sprint plans to upgrade its network using Long Term Evolution, the same technology used by bigger rivals, AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.

(Additional reporting by Liana B. Baker. Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Robert MacMillan)

Netflix and AMC sign expanded deal, includes 'The Walking Dead' (Digital Trends)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 10:00 PM PDT

Mike Flacy Mike Flacy – 44 mins ago

the-walking-dead

Announced by AMC Networks and Netflix Inc. earlier today, the partnership between the two companies has expanded to include more AMC shows, including exclusive access to the modern-day zombie survival tale The Walking Dead. The entire first season of The Walking Dead is currently available on Netflix's streaming video service and future seasons will become available shortly prior to the airing of the following season. For instance, the second season of the series will become available to Netflix users in 2012 right before the third season airs. Users that prefer to watch the second season of the series this year will have to tune into AMC next week for the premiere or purchase the episodes on services like iTunes or Amazon for a premium cost. 

BridezillasIn addition to The Walking Dead, Netflix has gained non-exclusive streaming rights to provide a variety of AMC-owned properties such as IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv content to subscribers. Programming includes WE tv's Bridezillas, My Fair Wedding and Braxton Family Values as well as IFC's Portlandia and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. Sundance Channel's provided programming includes All On The Line with Joe Zee and Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys. Since July, Netflix has been home to all four seasons of AMC's Mad Men and seasons one through three of AMC's Breaking Bad have been available on Netflix since mid-September.

Netflix has been on a barrage of content related announcements as of late. During late September, Netflix announced an expanded deal with the Discovery Channel bringing previous seasons of shows like Man vs. Wild, Say Yes to the Dress, and River Monsters to subscribers. Netflix also signed a deal with Dreamworks during September that secures exclusive rights to DreamWorks's films and TV specials, but won't kick in for subscribers until 2013. Netflix's content library has also received a bump in early October from NBC Universal as the most recent seasons of The Office, 30 Rock, Psych and other popular shows came available for online streaming.

Sony buying movie rights to Steve Jobs biography (AP)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 04:50 PM PDT

By RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima, Ap Business Writer – Fri Oct 7, 7:50 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Sony Corp.'s movie studio is in final talks to acquire the movie rights to the highly anticipated authorized biography of Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the studio is negotiating to pay about $1 million for the rights to the project.

The person declined to be identified because the deal has not been finalized.

Sony was also behind the Oscar-winning biopic "The Social Network," about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and "This Is It," a documentary made of concert rehearsal footage of pop star Michael Jackson.

The news was earlier reported by Hollywood blog Deadline.com.

After Jobs' death on Wednesday, publisher Simon & Schuster pushed up the release date on Isaacson's "Steve Jobs" by a month to Oct. 24.

Large numbers of pre-orders of the digital e-book for $16.99 pushed the title to No. 1 on Apple's iTunes store and No. 2 on Amazon.com. Pre-orders of the hard cover copy, for $17.88, put the book at No. 1 on Amazon.

Oracle to pay $199.5 million to resolve false claims case (Reuters)

Posted: 06 Oct 2011 02:08 PM PDT

– Thu Oct 6, 5:08 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Oracle Corp (ORCL.O) has agreed to pay $199.5 million plus interest to settle allegations that the software giant failed to give promised discounts to the federal government, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

The world's No. 3 software company was also accused of making false statements about its sales practices and discounts and failing to meet its contract obligations to provide complete information about its sales practices.

Additionally, Oracle did not disclose higher discounts given to other customers and as a result the federal government paid more for its products than it should have, according to the Justice Department.

The settlement over false claims allegations is the largest involving the General Services Administration, which handles procurement for the federal government.

"Resolutions like this one - the largest GSA false claims settlement in history - demonstrate our commitment to ensure taxpayers are not overpaying for the products and services they receive," Tony West, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, said in a statement.

Oracle denied any wrongdoing or that it engaged in fraud as part of the contract, which dates back to 1998, and argued that many of the witnesses were no longer available or did not remember the events.

Nevertheless, company spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said "Oracle has therefore decided to avoid the distraction and high cost of litigating this case by settling."

The settlement represents about 11 percent of the $1.84 billion in net income Oracle had in the quarter that ended August 31.

The case involved a former Oracle employee who became a whistleblower, Paul Frascella, and he will receive $40 million as his share, according to the Justice Department.

Oracle shares closed up 56 cents, or 1.9 percent, at $30.07 in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington and Jim Finkle in Boston, editing by Carol Bishopric, Gary Hill)

Oracle Unveils Public Cloud and Social Network (NewsFactor)

Posted: 07 Oct 2011 10:53 AM PDT

Barry Levine, newsfactor.com Barry Levine, newsfactor.com – Fri Oct 7, 1:53 pm ET

Oracle is getting deeper into collaboration and the cloud. Earlier this week, the technology giant announced that it is launching a Public Cloud containing its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application, its Human Capital Management (HCM) application, and a social-networking environment.

The announcements, made at the company's OpenWorld conference in San Francisco, position the company in the quickly growing market of cloud-based services and collaboration for businesses, areas that Salesforce, Amazon, Google, SAP, IBM and others are fast developing.

CRM, HCM

The services are part of the company's new Public Cloud for enterprises, which includes its Fusion applications such as CRM and HCM, a Social Network for working with business partners and customers, plus services for Java and, of course, database.

The Public Cloud is intended to provide integrated services that are managed, hosted and supported by Oracle. Pricing will be based on a monthly subscription model, and each app can also be purchased independently. Common services include resource management, security, data exchange and integration, virus scanning, white-list management, and centralized, self-service monitoring.

For the cloud version of CRM, customers can begin with using one module and then expand to the suite. It features the ability to combine customer and product data with all CRM processes, which the company said was a "first" for cloud-based CRM.

Similarly, the HCM Cloud Service allows for starting small and then expanding over time, and includes core HR, payroll and benefits management capabilities. Features include tracking employee information via employee dashboards, maintaining worker directories, integrating employee provisioning with identity management, and delivery of management for compensation, incentives, performance and goals.

Integrated Apps

The new Oracle Social Network is designed so that businesses can find and collaborate with suppliers, partners, and customers, using information from human resources and private social networks. A range of collaboration tools includes personal profiles, groups, activity feeds, status updates, forums, file sharing, instant messages and web conferencing.

Integration of the Social Network with Fusion Applications in the cloud allows real-time feeds to inform the social interaction, and to help resolve business issues.

While Oracle has previously expressed some reluctance about cloud-based services, the market pressure from Salesforce and others has apparently led it to reconsider. In September, for instance, Salesforce bought Assistly, which allows corporate customers to set up customer service in minutes, via the cloud. This acquisition added to a variety of cloud-based, socially-connected applications Salesforce offers.

Brad Shimmin, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, noted that Oracle has had collaborative applications before, such as Oracle Beehive collaboration software and social elements in its Web Center suite.

But now, he said, social networking is "tied with Oracle Fusion apps," and built with Fusion middleware, to create an integrated approach available through the new cloud that allows quick provisioning for specific purposes.
at 10:55 PM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

My Blog List