Week in review: Zynga goes public

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Zynga’s success in social network games on Facebook is attracting competition, including Electronic Arts. Zynga became a publicly traded company today. (Dec. 16, 2011)

Adobe Systems beats Wall Street views in Q4, but faces headwinds ahead in digital media and digital marketing sectors. (Dec. 15, 2011)

Adobe Systems is in “perpetual fix it” mode, one analyst says. (Dec. 15, 2011)

Lam Research to buy rival Novellus Systems in an all-stock deal worth $3.3 billion that will create a major rival for No. 1 chip gear maker Applied Materials. (Dec. 14, 2011)

Best Buy missed Q3 forecasts because it had to price aggressively to compete with Amazon, Costco and Wal-Mart this holiday shopping season. (Dec. 13, 2011)

Best Buy shares fall 12% after the consumer electronics retailer misses Q3 profit and revenue estimates. (Dec. 13, 2011)

Intel lowers its Q4 sales outlook on hard-disk drive supply, but does seem to have some trends in its favor. (Dec. 12, 2011)

Days after Texas Instruments and Altera cut their revenue outlook for the current quarter, chip giant Intel followed suit with its own sales warning, blaming the global shortage of hard disk drives. (Dec. 12, 2011)

Week in review: Tablet holiday season

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Analysts have cut their Apple iPad 2 sales forecasts for the holiday shopping season. Reasons: Diminished expectations, saturated market for early adopters, competition from Amazon’s Kindle Fire and consumers waiting for iPad 3 in early 2012. (Dec. 9, 2011)

The success of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet is boosting the fortunes of Monotype Imaging. (Dec. 7, 2011)

Wireless router maker Netgear is benefiting from the popularity of tablets, especially Apple’s iPad. (Dec. 5, 2011)

Worldwide semiconductor sales are forecast to accelerate over the next two years. (Dec. 5, 2011)

Photo: Apple’s iPad 2.

Week in review: Segway turns 10

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Remember the crazy speculation 10 years ago over a mysterious invention called Ginger, or IT, that was going to change the world? Apple’s Steve Jobs and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos raved about it. The Segway didn’t change the world, but it did help the tourism industry. (Dec. 1, 2011)

Microsoft is predicted to buy Netflix and LinkedIn in 2012. Research firm IDC says those deals will be part of a flurry of tech M&A next year. (Dec. 1, 2011)

For those keeping tabs, Samsung won a legal round against Apple to sell its Galaxy Tab tablet in Australia. (Nov. 30, 2011)

Dell is gaining ground in servers while Hewlett-Packard slips. (Nov. 29, 2011)

Photo: Woman rides a Segway i2 personal transporter. Photo from Segway Inc.

Week in review: Amazon Kindle Fire tablet hot

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Amazon.com is setting the pace this holiday season with its Kindle Fire tablet and low prices on electronics.
Shoppers at Best Buy, other stores comparison-shopping in the aisles with Amazon on their smartphones. (Nov. 25, 2011)

Holiday online retail spending is forecast to rise 15% this year over last, ComScore says. (Nov. 23, 2011)

Amazon’s $199 tablet is drawing away sales from Apple’s iPad and other tablets, as well as e-readers. (Nov. 21, 2011)

Amazon Kindle Fire tablet is a hit with the public, but its success drags on Amazon’s stock. (Nov. 21, 2011)

Consumer demand is high for Amazon Kindle Fire tablet, which is more likely to hurt sales of second-tier tablets than Apple’s iPad. (Nov. 21, 2011)

Photo: Amazon’s Kindle Fire media tablet

Week in review: Victoria’s Secret hooks up with fans on Facebook, Twitter

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

How Victoria’s Secret uses social media to boost sales in the holiday shopping season. (Nov. 18, 2011)

Samsung is tweaking the design of its tablets and smartphones to avoid Apple patent infringement issues. (Nov. 17, 2011)

Video game retailer GameStop reported in-line results for Q3, but said Q4 will likely disappoint. (Nov. 17, 2011)

Dell focused on profitability, misses Q3 sales forecast. Computer maker says it’s walking away from low-margin PC deals. (Nov. 15, 2011)

Dell earnings expectations low ahead of Q3 report. (Nov. 15, 2011)

Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet is already a hit with software developers, who rank it No. 2 behind Apple’s iPad. (Nov. 14, 2011)

Photo: Adriana Lima at the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, airing Nov. 29 on CBS. See show photos of Lima at the Daily Mail and Just Jared.

Week in review: Activision releases ‘Modern Warfare 3’, latest in blockbuster game series

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Monotype Imaging’s purchase of Bitstream’s font business will give it added heft to take on Adobe Systems in the Web fonts market. (Nov. 11, 2011)

Activision’s “Modern Warfare 3” has record sales, but investors unimpressed. (Nov. 11, 2011)

Monotype Imaging buys the font business of rival Bitstream. (Nov. 11, 2011)

New “Call of Duty” game will be a biggie for Activision, but investors are focused on the company’s fast-slipping “World of Warcraft” subscriber base. (Nov. 8, 2011)

Activision Blizzard shares jump on huge “Modern Warfare 3” video game launch. (Nov. 8, 2011)

Netflix looks outside the U.S. for growth; announces content deals for U.K., Ireland and Canada. (Nov. 7, 2011)

Week in review: Sabre booking virtual travel

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Sabre now booking virtual travel; partners with Polycom on videoconferencing. (Nov. 3, 2011)

Lenovo is grabbing PC market share as rivals back away. (Nov. 2, 2011)

Monotype Imaging shares down 6% today in overall sour market. Posted Q3 EPS topping views with in-line sales. (Nov. 1, 2011)

Disney’s deals with Amazon and Netflix show that content companies hold all the cards in streaming video. (Oct. 31, 2011)

Photo: Polycom room videoconferencing system.

Week in review: Redbox raises DVD rental prices; Netflix shares take a tumble

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

PC makers are spending too much time copying Apple when they should be innovating on their own. (Oct. 28, 2011)

Redbox plans to raise DVD rental prices by 20%. Yeah, because that worked out so well for Netflix. (Oct. 27, 2011)

Coinstar beats Wall Street’s Q3 views, but disappoints on Q4 guidance. Stock down 10% after hours. (Oct. 27, 2011)

IRobot shares up on strong Q3 report, led by international sales of home robots such as Roomba. (Oct. 27, 2011)

Netflix shares fall 27% after the company issues dismal outlook for Q4 and 2012. (Oct. 24, 2011)

Could Netflix be the next AOL or Palm? (Oct. 24, 2011)

Netflix’s U.K. expansion plans fail to distract from U.S. woes. (Oct. 24, 2011)

Week in review: Apple disses Amazon tablet

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

In solid first-quarter financial results, Microsoft’s Office stayed strong, including cloud version, but Windows came up light. (Oct. 20, 2011)

Apple CEO is dismissive of Amazon’s tablet prospects vs. iPad. (Oct. 19, 2011)

Without Steve Jobs, Apple disappoints on Q4 results. (Oct. 19, 2011)

Photo: Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet will take on Apple’s iPad this holiday season. 

Week in review: Netflix nixes Qwikster

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Netflix made three big mistakes with its ill-fated Qwikster business. (Oct. 14, 2011)

Apple shares gain on iPhone 4S launch, Samsung patent case rulings. (Oct. 14, 2011)

Electronic Arts wins video game sales crown in September with three of the top five best-selling games. (Oct. 14, 2011)

Personal computer shipments were lower than expected in the third quarter. (Oct. 12, 2011)

Polycom brings videoconferencing to the Apple iPad and other tablets, rather than build its own device like Cisco and Avaya. (Oct. 11, 2011)

Netflix customer losses likely big from Qwikster controversy, analysts say. (Oct. 10, 2011)

Many Netflix subscribers still upset about Qwikster, want CEO fired. (Oct. 10, 2011)

Netflix shares jump on news that Qwikster is no more. (Oct. 10, 2011)

Photo: Screenshot of the Qwikster.com preview website, which now redirects to Netflix.

Week in review: Apple carries on without Steve Jobs, launches iPhone 4S

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

With Steve Jobs gone, Apple could turn into an “ordinary company,” focused on operations not disruptive innovation. (Oct. 6, 2011)

The Top 10 achievements of Steve Jobs. (Oct. 6, 2011)

Apple looking to grow its smartphone market share with cheap iPhones. (Oct. 5, 2011)

Apple is turning its smartphones into personal assistants that can answer spoken questions and take dictation. (Oct. 4, 2011)

Investors unimpressed with Apple’s latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S. (Oct. 4, 2011)

The spotlight is on new CEO Tim Cook at Apple’s iPhone event. (Oct. 4, 2011)

Art: Cover of Oct. 17, 2011, issue of Time magazine.

Week in review: Amazon launches its Kindle Fire tablet, takes aim at Apple’s iPad

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Amazon is selling its Kindle Fire tablet at a loss. The $199 tablet probably costs $210 to make, IHS iSuppli says. The e-commerce leader hopes to make up the difference with sales of digital and physical goods. (Sept. 30, 2011)

Amazon’s Kindle Fire is likely to spark a tablet price war that could impact even Apple’s iPad. (Sept. 29, 2011)

Google looks to make its mark in the online travel business, where Expedia and Priceline dominate. (Sept. 26, 2011)

HP’s new CEO fails to impress investors. Stock falls to a 6-year low. (Sept. 23, 2011)

It’s official: HP names Meg Whitman its new CEO. But can she succeed at an enterprise IT firm with her consumer business background? (Sept. 23, 2011)

No word, as of this moment, on fate of Hewlett-Packard’s CEO Leo Apotheker, but investors voting for change. (Sept. 21, 2011)

Netflix apologizes to upset customers, then angers them again. (Sept. 19, 2011)

Angry customers give Netflix an earful. (Sept. 19, 2011)

Netflix pisses off subscribers once again by splitting its DVD and streaming services into separate businesses. (Sept. 19, 2011)

Week in review: Netflix stumbles

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Apple’s iPad tablet is taking the corporate market by storm, shaking up how businesses operate. (Sept. 16, 2011)

Netflix hits a 10-month low as recent price hikes force it to concede that it will actually lose U.S. subscribers this quarter, only the second time ever. (Sept. 15, 2011)

Sylvan Goldman invented the shopping cart and revolutionized retail. (Sept. 14, 2011)

Windows 8 is Microsoft’s best, and possibly last, chance to be relevant in tablets. Nice features, but no release date yet. (Sept. 13, 2011)

Microsoft shows off Windows 8, its next-generation computer operating system, due out next year. (Sept. 13, 2011)

Analysts expect more M&A in wireless networking chip field after Broadcom-NetLogic deal. Cavium and EZchip could be in play. (Sept. 13, 2011)

Broadcom shares down 2% early Monday on news that it plans to buy NetLogic for $3.7 billion. (Sept. 12, 2011)

China’s top Internet search engine, Baidu, plans to take on Apple in the China mobile device market, with Dell as a hardware partner for smartphones and tablets. (Sept. 6, 2011)

Week in review: Netflix not dancing with Starz

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Starz ending its contract renewal talks with Netflix could be a negotiating ploy. (Sept. 2, 2011)

Apple’s iCloud could be Steve Jobs’ last hurrah. (Aug. 25, 2011)

Tree huggers embrace Apple iPads, Amazon Kindles and other tablets and e-readers as paper-saving devices. (Aug. 22, 2011)

Stock market volatility is not hurting StockTwits. (Aug. 17, 2011)

Dell lowers its sales outlook because of an “uncertain demand environment” and the stock tumbles. (Aug. 16, 2011) 

Microsoft could benefit from Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility. Samsung and other hardware makers could move toward Windows for mobile phones and tablets. (Aug. 15, 2011)

Week in review: Redbox a mature business

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Online games, digital downloads take a bite out of retail video game sales. July sales lowest since October 2006. (Aug. 11, 2011)

Cisco Systems beats the Street and guides higher. Stock jumps after hours. Cisco could be on the comeback trail. (Aug. 10, 2011)

Investors are likely to shift to big-cap tech stocks if downturn continues. Old tech giants like IBM, Intel and Microsoft could offer a port in the stormy stock market, analysts say. (Aug. 8, 2011)

Why can’t Redbox bounce higher with all the issues troubling Netflix? Coinstar’s Redbox business has moved from rapid growth to inventory management. (Aug. 5, 2011)

The invention of Bubble Wrap was the result of a failed attempt to make a textured wallpaper. (Aug. 4, 2011)

Photo: Customer at Redbox kiosk

Week in review: Ancestry.com, Netflix disappoint investors with their outlook

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Monotype Imaging shares up 5% after quarter beats; CEO says creative professionals key. (July 29, 2011)

Online genealogy service Ancestry.com beats Wall Street views in Q2, but stock falls on slowing subscriber growth. (July 28, 2011)

iRobot beats and raises, but stock down with overall market. Demand strong for military and home robots. (July 27, 2011)

Analyst says ARM, which beat with Q2 results, is a “great story” but lacks big mo at the moment. (July 26, 2011)

Netflix could lose 2.5 million subscribers over its rate changes. (July 25, 2011)

Netflix shares dive on weak Q3 outlook related to subscription plan changes. (July 25, 2011)

Week in review: Almost all about Apple

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Polycom CEO says Q2 results prove investors erred in grouping his firm with Riverbed and F5 Networks. (July 22, 2011)

Microsoft had a nice Q4 on Office and enterprise spending, but needs to overcome investor concerns about tablets and consumer PCs. (July 21, 2011)

Apple makes big push for enterprise sales of iPads and iPhones. It hopes to turn trials into full-scale deployments. (July 20, 2011)

Apple delivers another blowout quarter on better-than-expected iPhone and iPad sales. (July 19, 2011)

Competitors haven’t been able to slow Apple’s momentum, but maybe the fragile economy can. Q3 earnings out Tues. (July 18, 2011)

Week in review: Netflix upsets customers with subscription changes

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Netflix is fostering a “high performance” corporate culture. (July 15, 2011)

Take-Two Interactive Software nabs top two best-selling video games in June, both M-rated. (July 14, 2011)

Wall Street and Main Street don’t see eye to eye on Netflix’s pricing plan changes. (July 13, 2011)

Q2 PC shipments lag views on weak economy and tablet competition, but Apple gains market share vs. HP and Dell. (July 13, 2011)

Polycom links with Microsoft’s Lync unified communications system. (July 12, 2011)

Chip gear maker Novellus kicked off the tech industry’s Q2 earnings season with a decided thud. CEO says customers are cautious. (July 12, 2011)

LED lighting is poised to capitalize on the phase-out of traditional incandescent light bulbs. But it could take years. (July 8, 2011)

Netflix shares jump more than 5% on news of the company’s rapid expansion into Latin America and the Caribbean later this year. (July 5, 2011)

Week in review: First Amendment victory

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

HP begins selling its TouchPad tablet in a bid to take sales from Apple’s iPad. (June 30, 2011)

Microsoft puts Office in the cloud, which elevates competition with Google (June 28, 2011)

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales sees no Internet bubble part 2, he says in IBD Q&A. (June 28, 2011)

U.S. Supreme Court shoots down California law prohibiting sale of violent video games to minors. A victory for free speech and the First Amendment. (June 27, 2011)

Photo: Promotional art for violent video game "Grand Theft Auto IV."

Week in review: Robots from iRobot and others aid in Japanese nuclear crisis

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Tibco Software’s Q2 profit and sales handily beat views, but Q3 profit outlook cause for a bit of concern. (June 23, 2011)

Tibco Software makes push for cyber security business. (June 23, 2011)

Robots from iRobot and QinetiQ prove their mettle at Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima. (June 23, 2011)

Mobile device accessories maker Zagg sees its shares jump on iFrogz acquisition. (June 22, 2011)

Photo: PackBot robots from iRobot inspect a damaged nuclear reactor at Fukushima in Japan.

Week in review: Top 10 tech rivalries

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

IBD ranks the Top 10 tech rivalries today. Find out where Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Apple and more rank. (June 17, 2011)

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales credits his “pathological optimism” for his success. (June 14, 2011)

Anthony Weiner has a lot of company in sexting. A new survey finds that 19% of U.S. online adults have sexted or sent naked pictures of themselves online. (June 14, 2011)

Best Buy’s Q1 results beat Wall Street’s forecast thanks to strong sales online and overseas, especially China. The retailer has big plans for tablets. (June 14, 2011)

Take-Two Interactive Software’s “L.A. Noire” and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 were big winners in video game sales in May. But overall sales slumped 14% from a year ago. (June 13, 2011)

Photo: Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt gestures toward Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. 

Week in review: Apple’s iCloud, new campus

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

New generation of leaders emerging in the video game industry: FarmVille’s Zynga, Angry Birds’ Rovio Mobile, etc. (June 8, 2011)

Should the Wii U be renamed the P.U.? Investors dump Nintendo shares on doubts about prospects for the company’s new video game console. (June 8, 2011)

Research firm Gartner cuts its 2011 global PC shipment forecast, following IDC’s similar move. (June 8, 2011)

Apple CEO Steve Jobs won’t take his medical leave lying down.
Jobs makes his second big presentation in two days, this time touting Apple’s planned corporate campus (June 8, 2011)

Apple makes its long-awaited push into cloud computing with iCloud. (June 7, 2011)

Research firm IDC slashes 2011 PC shipment forecast on weak economy, competition from tablets. (June 6, 2011)

Photo: Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs introduces iCloud at the company's 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Week in review: Smartphones and grilled cheese sandwiches

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Microsoft, Nokia and Research In Motion face big hurdles in the smartphone market. (June 2, 2011)

Flip Video founder Jonathan Kaplan thinks Flip could have sold 40 million camcorders if Cisco hadn’t killed it.
Kaplan’s new business venture is a chain of restaurants selling gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. The first Melt restaurants will open in San Francisco in August. (June 1, 2011)

Freescale Semiconductor CEO says his company’s debt is “significant” but not posing any “strategic challenges.” Freescale's IPO is subdued. (May 26, 2011)

Semtech is still rolling with its 40-gig, 100-gig chips; Q1 results, Q2 outlook beat views. (May 25, 2011)

Netflix shares jump on news of partnership discussions with Facebook. (May 25, 2011)

Apple will face greater iPad shortages after China factory explosion. Shares down 1.6% on the news. (May 20, 2011)

Based on its Q1 EPS growth and upped outlook, Dell’s conversion from PC firm to enterprise services firm is on pace.
Dell impresses investors with Q1 profit growth. (May 17, 2011)

Week in review: Microsoft buying Skype

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Time Warner’s “Mortal Kombat” and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console help drive U.S. retail video game sales up 20% in April. (May 12, 2011)

U.S. Justice Department ends its 10 years of overseeing “anticompetitive” Microsoft.
DoJ issues press release patting itself on the back for declawing the once-dominant tech company. (May 11, 2011)

Microsoft is buying Skype for consumer credibility and to keep the Internet telephony service away from Google. (May 11, 2011)

Intel unveils 3-D chips to power its mobile push. (May 4, 2011)

ESPN president says his sports network is committed to its 3-D TV channel, no matter how low viewership is right now. (May 2, 2011)

Week in review: Ancestry.com, Coinstar, iRobot, Microsoft, Netflix report earnings

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Market for medical robots seen growing by two-thirds to $1.3 billion in 2016. Intuitive Surgical is a leader in the space. (April 29, 2011)

Coinstar’s Redbox unit posts huge gain in Q1 and will add video games to its movie rental machines in June. (April 29, 2011)

Ancestry.com’s Q1 results show that genealogy is becoming a big pastime in the U.S. and abroad. (April 29, 2011)

Microsoft’s Q3 financial results are mixed. Consumer PC sales are down, hurting Windows sales. (April 28, 2011)

iRobot turns in solid Q1 results, but its Q2 and full-year guidance disappoint. Shares down nearly 8% today. (April 27, 2011)

Chip designer ARM Holdings easily beat Wall Street’s Q1 forecast thanks to strong smartphone sales.
ARM president tells IBD that licensing is strong. Stock nears a 10-year high. (April 27, 2011)

What did you do in high school? These three teens won this year’s Intel Science Talent Search with some amazing projects. (April 27, 2011)

Netflix beats Wall Street’s Q1 views, but Q2 earnings outlook has bears saying, “Told ya so.” (April 25, 2011)

Netflix might speed up its international expansion. If so, blame Canada. (April 25, 2011)

Altera and Xilinx are benefiting from wireless and fiber optic network buildouts worldwide. (April 25, 2011)

Week in review: Apple, IBM, Intel report earnings

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

SanDisk beats the Street in Q1 thanks to sales of flash memory to smartphone and tablet makers. (April 21, 2011)

Apple now No. 1 cellphone maker by revenue, ahead of Nokia. Its iPhone business accounted for half of Apple’s total sales last quarter. (April 21, 2011)

Apple shares pop after another ho-hum earnings blowout. Company reports big iPhone sales, but iPad sales disappoint. (April 20, 2011)

Institutional investors have been dumping Apple shares. (April 20, 2011)

Intel’s Q1 results show PC sales are alive and well, despite the tablet threat. (April 20, 2011)

IBM beats Wall Street expectations for Q1 and raises full-year guidance, but investors are unimpressed. (April 19, 2011)

Week in review: Pokemon still popular

Pokemon, the Japanese “Pocket Monsters” media franchise, continues to sell well in the U.S.
The video game, cartoon and trading card franchise will celebrate its 11th anniversary next month.
The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Pokemon gives Nintendo a badly needed lift.
Nintendo’s “Pokemon Black and White” DS games were the top-selling video games in March. (April 15, 2011)

Worldwide PC shipments decline in Q1 after six straight quarters of year-over-year growth.
Hurt by tablets and more, PC shipments fell for the first time since the Great Recession. (April 13, 2011)

Intel gives mobile device chips another try in hopes of taking market share from ARM Holdings. (April 13, 2011)

Week in review: Chip merger tops the news

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Signs point to Q2 as the top of the current semiconductor equipment spending cycle. (April 8, 2011)

Dell is going from selling physical computers to selling virtual ones.
The company announces a $1 billion investment in cloud computing effort. (April 7, 2011)

Texas Instruments deal to buy National Semiconductor could spark more chip mergers and acquisitions. Analysts say the pairing of the analog chip companies is a natural. (April 5, 2011)

Photo: A manufacturing associate wears a "bunnysuit" while handling wafers at a 1,200-degree Centigrade furnace at a National Semiconductor factory. 

Week in review: Wow! A Playmobil miniature Apple Store with Steve Jobs action figure

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

I want this toy! A Playmobil miniature Apple Store play set, complete with mini Steve Jobs. (April 1, 2011)

Now that the hype has subsided, 3-D TV adoption is poised to rise steadily. (April 1, 2011)

Analyst says every 2.5 tablets sold cannibalizes one PC sale. Could translate to 28 million PCs lost to tablets in 2011.
Intel and other PC-centric stocks fall on signs of weakening notebook demand. (March 31, 2011)

Apple’s smartphone market share has peaked, poised to decline. Microsoft’s Windows Phone set to come on strong, IDC says. (March 29, 2011)

Week in review: Nintendo debuts 3-D game system; Best Buy and Adobe report earnings

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Nintendo hopes its glasses-free 3D portable video game system gets people to forget about gaming on smartphones and tablets. (March 25, 2011)

Best Buy plots sales growth in three markets: mobile phones, household appliances and video games. (March 24, 2011)

Best Buy's Q4 sales drop 2% as TV and notebook PC sales disappoint. (March 24, 2011)

Adobe Systems is planning yearly updates to its Creative Suite software to keep up with tablets. (March 23, 2011)

Adobe Systems cuts its Q2 outlook on lower sales prospects in Japan following earthquake there. (March 22, 2011)

The March 11 earthquake in Japan has knocked out 25% of the world's silicon wafer production used to make semiconductors. (March 21, 2011)

Week in review: Netflix links with Facebook, adds original programming

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

Netflix officially adds original programming to take on HBO and other pay TV channels. (March 18, 2011)

A bad experience getting an oil change drove Jim Hindman to build the Jiffy Lube chain. (March 17, 2011)

Netflix has begun its deep integration with Facebook, IBD has learned. (March 17, 2011)

More Americans are taking work home with them. A new study shows the rise of home offices for after-hours work. (March 17, 2011)

Netflix could be taking on HBO by adding original content. Analysts see it as logical next step. (March 16, 2011)

Week in review: Literal and figurative earthquakes rock tech industry

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s tech blog.

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan damaged a Sony factory and could impact supplies of semiconductors and other tech products. (March 11, 2011)

The legacy of Apple’s iPad 2 media tablet could be the mainstreaming of video calls. (March 11, 2011)

Why some public firms are better off going private.
Tech products reseller CDW, taken private 3.5 years ago, is mapping out a long-range plan to go public again. (March 11, 2011)

Activision’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops” is now the top-selling video game ever at U.S. retail with 13.7 million units. (March 10, 2011)

Apple’s iPad 2 media tablet is likely to leave rivals in the dust, a new survey indicates. (March 10, 2011)

Lenovo joins Intel’s affordable education PC initiative. It will ship 158,000 laptops to Argentina this spring. (March 10, 2011)

Facebook offers one movie for rental and viewing on PCs only and Netflix investors race for the exits. What’s up with that? (March 9, 2011)

Netflix investors spooked by Facebook’s video experiment with Warner Bros. (March 8, 2011)

Week in review: Apple unleashes its iPad 2

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

Apple cloud-based music service is unlikely to have the market to itself. (March 4, 2011)

Apple’s lead in tablet computers could be insurmountable. (March 3, 2011)

Apple likely now tops Amazon in e-commerce accounts, Steve Jobs says. Amazon won’t comment.
Apple boasts having more than 200 million accounts with credit cards. (March 3, 2011)

Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes shots at iPad rivals as the company trots out its second-generation media tablet. (March 2, 2011)

Plantronics is working on a clever product for baby boomers who want to monitor the well-being of their aging parents. (Feb. 26, 2011)

Apple, Plantronics, iRobot and Skype are among the companies poised to cash in on the aging population. (Feb. 26, 2011)

Ratings are up for NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?,” which should help online family history service Ancestry.com. (Feb. 26, 2011)

Royal wedding planners tap Monotype Imaging for fresh look for William and Kate’s wedding invitation. (Feb. 25, 2011)

Online genealogy service Ancestry.com now has 1.4 million subscribers, up 31% from a year ago. (Feb. 24, 2011)

Proposal to make public Apple’s CEO succession plan voted down at annual meeting, which Steve Jobs doesn’t attend. (Feb. 23, 2011)

Netflix investors are concerned about Amazon’s entry into streaming video. (Feb. 22, 2011)

Week in review: Apple’s iPad considered a PC

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

The slump in U.S. video game sales at retail continues. Activision’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops” is the top seller for the third straight month. (Feb. 18, 2011)

Apple is the world’s top maker of mobile PCs, says DisplaySearch, the second market tracker to combine tablets and PCs. (Feb. 16, 2011)

Physical toys like Barbie dolls and Zhu Zhu Pets go online, while virtual toys like the “Angry Birds” video game go offline.
At the 2011 Toy Fair in New York City, “transmedia” toys are a big trend. (Feb. 16, 2011)

Dell’s Q4 profit is way over views. Company executives cite supply-chain efficiencies, lower component costs and rising enterprise business. (Feb. 16, 2011)

Apple unveils new subscription plan to halt “Steve Jobs tax” criticisms. (Feb. 15, 2011)

Week in review: HP joins tablet game

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

No. 1 tech products distributor Ingram Micro expects big growth in its mobile devices business. It sees tablets and smart phones becoming a billion dollar business for it soon. (Feb. 11, 2011)

iRobot sees big demand overseas for its home robots. Customers say oui and si to Roomba and Scooba. (Feb. 10, 2011)

HP is in the tablet game with WebOS it got in Palm purchase, but surprises with WebOS PC announcement. (Feb. 9, 2011)

HP makes another enemy in Microsoft snub. How many corporate battles can one company fight? (Feb. 9, 2011)

Glu Mobile is hoping to get valued in the same way as Zynga, Ngmoco and others, CEO says. (Feb. 8, 2011)

The Daily, Rupert Murdoch’s new iPad-only newspaper, is responding to complaints that it’s buggy. Can News Corp. fix the bugs before it starts charging subscribers? (Feb. 7, 2011)

Week in review: Verizon getting the iPhone will impact RIM as well as AT&T

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

AT&T subscribers aren’t the only ones switching to get the Verizon iPhone. Verizon’s RIM BlackBerry and Android users are switching devices too, poll shows. (Feb. 4, 2011)

Redbox parent Coinstar’s latest results stink like an Ashton Kutcher movie. (Feb. 3, 2011)

Amazon.com is poised to give Netflix its first major competition in subscription online video. (Feb. 2, 2011)

Microsoft beats Wall Street’s sales and EPS estimates for Q2 thanks to Kinect sales and stock buybacks.
(Jan. 27, 2011)

Microsoft hopes to revolutionize the living room with its popular Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360 game console. (Jan. 27, 2011)

Netflix sees DVD shipments declining in the coming quarters. (Jan. 27, 2011)

Netflix plans deep integration with Facebook, hoping to shift over time from household accounts to personal accounts. (Jan. 26, 2011)

Netflix posts big subscriber gains in Q4. But some see red flags for its business. Its lack of full-year guidance worries some analysts. (Jan. 26, 2011)

Apple is No. 3 in PCs worldwide, if you count iPads. (Jan. 26, 2011)

MIPS sees dip in chip licensing revenue as a blip. (Jan. 25, 2011)

Week in review: Apple earnings, Steve Jobs’ health dominate the headlines

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

Robot company stocks jumped Friday. Intuitive Surgical and iRobot rose on heavy volume. (Jan. 21, 2011)

Devices running Google’s Android operating system will turn up the heat on Apple’s iPhone and iPad this year. (Jan. 19, 2011)

Steve who?
Apple’s stellar Q1 results and upbeat guidance help investors forget CEO Steve Jobs is seriously ill again. (Jan. 18, 2011)

Why Steve Jobs’ latest health scare should worry Apple investors. (Jan. 17, 2011)

Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes his third medical leave of absence in six years.
Questions about his future at Apple return. (Jan. 17, 2011)

Movie rentals sluggish at Redbox kiosks.
Business hurt by 28-day delay in renting new movies. Coinstar stock plunges. (Jan. 14, 2011)

Corporate PC refresh cycle isn’t even halfway done yet, Intel CEO says. (Jan. 14, 2011)

Flash memory chip maker SanDisk is benefiting from the growth of smart phones, tablets and SSD notebooks. (Jan. 13, 2011)

Intel posts better-than-expected Q4 results on strong server chip sales, which offset weaker PC chip sales. (Jan. 13, 2011)

Video game software sales across all channels flat to down 1% in 2010.
Activision’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops” was the year’s top-selling video game. (Jan. 13, 2011)

Personal computer shipments slow in Q4 and come in below Gartner and IDC forecasts. Tablets partially to blame. (Jan. 12, 2011)

CES 2011: Tablets, smart TVs and Reese’s Minis

The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show is over, but my feet are still aching.
The ginormous tech trade show in Las Vegas attracted more than 140,000 attendees, including more than 5,000 media and analysts.
Vendors shows off scores of tablet computers, 3-D TVs and Internet-connected devices.
My personal favorites included iRobot’s new pint-sized Scooba 230 floor-washing robot, the Tivizen mobile digital TV receiver from Valups, and notebook PCs running Intel’s new second-generation Core processors. Those are three things I want to buy.
The 2011 CES had its share of oddities.
For instance, Reese’s launched a new candy at the show, Reese’s Minis, which are basically small chocolate peanut butter cups. They’re pitched as snacking candies because they’re unwrapped candies in a bag. Reese’s is part of the Hershey Company.

The following is a roundup of my CES stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

No surprise to anyone at CES this year, but attendance was way up. Tops 140,000. (Jan. 10, 2011)

Netflix is looking to go global. (Jan. 8, 2011)

Hollywood’s UltraViolet is a play for more download movie sales. (Jan. 8, 2011)

At CES 2011, “smart” is in and “green” is out with tech marketers. (Jan. 7, 2011)

Verizon uses CES to ballyhoo first phones and tablets expressly to run on its super-fast 4G wireless network. (Jan. 7, 2011)

Microsoft insists Windows is still in the smart phone race, and shows off some nifty features. (Jan. 6, 2011)

Netgear says this year is tipping point: Home networks will connect more consumer electronics than PCs, for first time. (Jan. 6, 2011)

Speedy new Core chips from Intel unveiled at CES. A big advance for personal computers. (Jan. 6, 2011)

LG Electronics is making TV remote controls that operate like Nintendo’s Wii video game remote. (Jan. 6, 2011)

Consumer Electronics Show gets under way with press events. Big themes include Internet TV, tablet computers to rival Apple’s iPad, 3-D TV and broadband mobile. (Jan. 4, 2011)

New floor-washing robot from iRobot is small enough to clean around toilets and other tight spaces.
(Jan. 4, 2011)

Photos:
Samsung's booth at CES 2011 (top) and Reese's employees hand out candy samples.

Week in review: Tablet computers big at CES

The following is a roundup of my recent stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

Vendors to show off some 80 tablet computers at CES. But will any of them challenge Apple’s iPad? (Dec. 31, 2010)

Investor’s Business Daily chooses Netflix CEO Reed Hastings as CEO of the Year. (Dec. 31, 2010)

Freescale Semiconductor among the big techs looking to go public in 2011. (Dec. 31, 2010)

Can Netflix continue to soar as it transitions from DVDs by mail to streaming? Netflix and partners say yes. (Dec. 29, 2010)

Facebook merging with Google tops the list of the most audacious tech industry predictions for next year. Top 10 boldest tech predictions for 2011. (Dec. 27, 2010)

IBD’s Mining-metal ores group ranks No. 2 out of 197 industry groups. Top companies include BHP Billiton, Cliffs Natural Resources, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Mesabi Trust and Southern Copper. (Dec. 23, 2010)

Adobe Systems regains some credibility with Wall Street with its Q4 earnings report. Adobe gives stellar outlook three months after disappointing results. (Dec. 21, 2010)