Saturday, May 22, 2010

Week in review: Apple’s iPad remains hot

A new survey by ChangeWave Research shows that demand for Apple’s iPad remains strong and portends a big Christmas shopping season for the media tablet.
Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard and others are planning their own tablet computers.
Apple calls the iPad a “revolutionary” and “magical” device. It can run applications for just about everything except for porn, says Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Of course, you can still get porn through the Web on the device, so I’m not so sure what Jobs is so proud of. See above photo of Ryan Keely from Gizmodo.
The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

Dell is trying hard to be seen as an enterprise IT solutions company. (May 21, 2010)

Dell finally returns to year-over-year earnings growth, but its profit margin falls short of analysts’ views. (May 20, 2010)

Demand for Apple’s iPad media tablet remains high, as does customer satisfaction. It’s looking like an iPad holiday season ahead. (May 20, 2010)

Best Buy enters crowded movie download field. Partner Sonic Solutions benefits. (May 18, 2010)

Google and HP likely will lead the pack of challengers to Apple’s iPad media tablet. (May 17, 2010)

Millennials are fast changing how media is consumed, Nielsen Co. chief says. (May 17, 2010)

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Week in review: “Iron Man 2’ overkill

The makers of superhero action movie “Iron Man 2” have gone overboard with product tie-ins and marketing deals.
I had enough when I saw this Iron Man USB drive for sale.
The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

U.S. video game sales nosedived in April. Nintendo DS and portable games were especially weak. (May 14, 2010)

Microsoft is turning Outlook in Office 2010 into a “social hub” by linking to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other services. (May 13, 2010)

Sick of Iron Man yet? Studios have gone overboard with marketing and product tie-ins for “Iron Man 2.” (May 10, 2010)

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Week in review: Gadgets for Mother's Day

Spring is the moms, dads and grads shopping season. Consumer electronics vendors are touting their devices as gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and high school and college graduations.
First up is Mother’s Day on Sunday. Best Buy, Target and others are promoting e-book readers, Flip camcorders and digital cameras for Mom this year.
Household robot maker iRobot is advertising its Scooba floor-washing robot with the slogan “Save Mom From The Mop!” (See above photo.)
The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

In the video game biz, like the movie industry, you’re only as good as your last hit.
Activision Blizzard posted better-than-expected quarterly results on the strength of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.” Nintendo disappointed as sales slowed for Wii consoles and aging evergreen game titles. (May 8, 2010)

“High School Science Champ Erika DeBenedictis Reaches For The Stars.” These Intel Science Talent Search kids are really bright. (May 7, 2010)

It’s moms, dads and grads season for consumer electronics vendors. Companies looking to benefit include Apple (with the iPod Touch and iPad) and Cisco (with Flip camcorders) and retailer Best Buy. (May 6, 2010)

Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system making people forget about Vista. (May 3, 2010)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Week in review: Top 10 tech rivalries today

The technology industry has seen a lot of fierce rivalries over the years and some big ones are raging right now.
Investor’s Business Daily just published its list of the top 10 tech rivalries today. At No. 1 is Apple vs. Google, followed by HP vs. Cisco and Apple vs. Adobe Systems.
The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

Top 10 tech company grudge matches today: Apple vs. Google, HP vs. Cisco, etc. See who makes the list. (April 30, 2010)

Activision counters EA move by snagging “Halo” developers. (April 30, 2010)

Dolby earnings sound sweet to investors. Shares up on Q2 sales and earnings beat. (April 30, 2010)

Ancestry.com, iRobot and LogMeIn jump on upbeat earnings reports. (April 29, 2010)

Apple’s iPad 3G launch is a big test for the tablet computer and its emerging usage model. Is the iPad mostly for use at home or on the go? (April 29, 2010)

Redbox takes home video market share from fading Blockbuster. (April 29, 2010)

Dolby Laboratories likes the sound of the PC sales rebound. (April 26, 2010)

Photo: Because of Apple’s rivalry with Adobe, Adobe’s Flash video and animation software is not supported on Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad. Web surfers on those devices see blank spaces with blue Lego bricks where Flash was supposed to be.
The website, The Blue Lego: The World Without Flash, has posted a series of images with the blue Lego superimposed to show something missing. The above photo of Apple CEO Steve Jobs with a blue Lego is a good example.