Week in review: Apple, Netflix earnings and the return of Agent Smith

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

“Matrix” villain Agent Smith enlists GE to turn us all into batteries. (April 26, 2013)

Boston Marathon bombing to spur video surveillance gear spending hike. (April 26, 2013)

Redbox-parent Coinstar to change name to Outerwall. (April 26, 2013)

Apple smartphone growth slows to a crawl in Q1. (April 26, 2013)

Netflix CEO writes obituary for linear television. (April 25, 2013)

Microsoft Xbox upgrade to give video game industry needed boost. (April 25, 2013)

Apple cuts retail store staffing by 5%. (April 25, 2013)

Apple goes from growth to value company in six months. (April 24, 2013)

Apple smartphone strategy: It’s the ecosystem, stupid. (April 24, 2013)

Apple CEO: Don’t hold your breath for new products. (April 24, 2013)

Apple’s big buyback and dividend hike fail to impress investors. (April 23, 2013)

Netflix getting picky as it “curates” content. (April 23, 2013)

ARM Holdings jumps on Q1 earnings and market opportunities. (April 23, 2013)

ARM sales of low-power chips spark high-powered Q1 results. (April 23, 2013)

Netflix pops higher on subscriber growth and streaming profits. (April 22, 2013)

Apple facing delays for next iPhones and iPad Mini. (April 22, 2013)

ARM Holdings forecast hinges on consumer spending. (April 22, 2013)

Apple gets boost from two analysts’ buy recommendations. (April 22, 2013)

Photos: Actor Hugo Weaving reprises his “Matrix” villain role for a GE commercial. 

Week in review: Samsung Super Bowl ad, tech execs play Pebble Beach tournament

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

BlackBerry is the David Hasselhoff of smartphones. (Feb. 8, 2013)

Coinstar’s Redbox unit suffers from declining DVD business. (Feb. 8, 2013)

Microsoft is on a mission to prove that Google is evil. (Feb. 7, 2013)

IRobot Q4 earnings hobbled by U.S. military robot cutbacks. (Feb. 7, 2013)

Monolithic Power Systems charges ahead on Q4 results. (Feb. 7, 2013)

Tech executives aiming for subpar performances at Pebble Beach. (Feb. 6, 2013)

Trimble Navigation stock down on mixed Q1 guidance. (Feb. 6, 2013)

Apple and Samsung take all smartphone profits, leave only crumbs. (Feb. 6, 2013)

ARM’s Q4 growth fueled by tablet and smartphone boom. (Feb. 5, 2013)

HP and Lenovo sow seeds of doubt with Dell customers. (Feb. 5, 2013)

Dell, a PC leader amid a makeover, going private for $24.4 billion. (Feb. 5, 2013)

ARM beats forecasts for Q4, guides higher for Q1. (Feb. 5, 2013)

ARM Holdings momentum at stake with Q4 profit report. (Feb. 4, 2013)

Samsung raises its cool cred against Apple with Super Bowl ad (Feb. 4, 2013)

Hulu leads the market for free streaming television services in the U.S., but TV viewers have no problem finding alternatives. (Feb. 4, 2013)

Photos: Samsung’s Super Bowl ad featured actors Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Bob Odenkirk (top); funnyman Bill Murray played golf with tech executives at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Week in review: Ultra HD television predicted to dominate 2013 CES show

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

Ultra HD television, or 4K TV, will be a CES highlight, but no breakout device is seen for upcoming consumer tech show. (Jan. 4, 2013)

Discovery Communications weighs entry into ultra high-definition TV. (Jan. 4, 2013)

Coinstar stock falls on CEO change at the Redbox parent company. (Jan. 3, 2013)

Apple predicted to launch Internet radio service. (Jan. 3, 2013)

3D printer maker 3D Systems to acquire software company Geomagic. (Jan. 3, 2013)

Microsoft buys home automation software firm, report says. (Jan. 3, 2013)

Mellanox stock falls on fourth-quarter sales warning and analyst downgrades. (Jan. 3, 2013)

Mellanox interconnect products aim to speed data throughput. (Jan. 2, 2013)

Apple iPhone 6 and iOS 7 being tested and a smart watch could be on the way, reports say. (Jan. 2, 2013)

Facebook, Apple, Katy Perry star in 2013 predictions. (Dec. 31, 2012)

2013 tech trends: slowing smartphones, speeding mobile payments. (Dec. 27, 2012)

Apple to manufacture Mac Mini computers in U.S., report says. (Dec. 27, 2012)

Marvell Technology vows to fight big patent verdict. (Dec. 27, 2012)

Marvell Technology Group loses patent case to Carnegie Mellon University and is ordered to pay $1.17 billion. (Dec. 26, 2012)

Digital gifting extends into Christmas Day. (Dec. 26, 2012)

Semiconductor sales outlook slashed for 2012 and 2013. (Dec. 26, 2012)

IRobot stock rises along with New England Patriots. (Dec. 24, 2012)

Photo: Samsung TV display at CES 2012 in Las Vegas. (Photo by Consumer Electronics Association.) 

Week in review: Mississippians are klutzes when it comes to using Apple iPhones and iPads

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

Analyst report says rumored Apple iPad Mini and iTV are real and in production now. (Aug. 17, 2012)

Qualcomm, Broadcom and Fairchild Semiconductor among the chip suppliers expected to benefit from Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone. (Aug.16, 2012)

Add Coinstar and Electronic Arts to the list of companies that might be targets of private equity buyers. (Aug. 16, 2012)

Applied Materials sees chip slowdown as ‘short-lived.’ (Aug.15, 2012)

Apple iPhone 5 ‘tsunami’ to impact chip suppliers. (Aug. 15, 2012)

People in Mississippi are klutzes when it comes to using Apple iPhones and iPads, according to a new study. (Aug. 15, 2012)

Applied Materials predicted to post lower EPS and sales. (Aug. 14, 2012)

Chart: SquareTrade forecast for iPhone damage rates over next two years.

Week in review: Apple, Netflix, Ancestry.com, Coinstar post second-quarter results

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

Audio chip designer Cirrus Logic seen slowing in fiscal first quarter. (July 27, 2012)

Apple likely buying AuthenTec to add digital wallet capability to iPhone. (July 27, 2012)

Coinstar sags as Redbox DVD rental activity declines. (July 27, 2012)

Monotype Imaging gets Q2 boost from Bitstream acquisition; plans quarterly dividend. (July 27, 2012)

Apple loses ground to Samsung in smartphone market as iPhone 5 waits in the wings. (July 27, 2012)

Coinstar investors give thumbs down to Redbox parent’s Q2 results. (July 26, 2012)

Ancestry.com climbs on Q2 results. Online genealogy service sees 1940 U.S. Census and DNA service as growth catalysts. (July 26, 2012)

Roku and Apple duel over streaming video set-top box market. (July 26, 2012)

Apple iPhone sales crimped by Samsung smartphones and rumors about the next-generation iPhone. (July 25, 2012)

Netflix expects to go in and out of profitability as it shovels earnings into international expansion. (July 25, 2012)

Five key take-aways from Apple’s Q3 earnings report. (July 25, 2012)

‘Bruised’ Apple misses Q3 targets and lowers Q4 outlook. (July 24, 2012)

Netflix will have a tough time hitting its U.S. streaming subscriber target this year. (July 23, 2012)

Apple sweats possible iPhone summer slowdown. (July 23, 2012)

Apple’s revenue, earnings poised for Q3 slowdown. (July 23, 2012)

Apple iPad Mini rumors likely to impact sales of Google and Amazon 7-inch tablets. (July 23, 2012)

Photo: Roku set-top box showing Netflix.

Week in review: Twitter co-stars with Katy Perry; Robot Hall of Fame returns

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

Twitter co-stars in Katy Perry movie, but followers didn’t follow through. (July 13, 2012)

Intuitive Surgical, iRobot and Terminator to be inducted into Robot Hall of Fame two years late. (July 13, 2012)

Coinstar shares fall on analyst report raising questions about Redbox-Verizon joint venture. (July 13, 2012)

Video game sales at U.S. retail are down nearly 28% year to date; Batman games stand out in June. (July 12, 2012)

Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Microsoft shares down on lackluster Q2 PC shipment data. (July 12, 2012)

LinkedIn shares down for second straight day on concerns about Facebook competition. New survey shows Facebook gaining in online job recruiting. (July 10, 2012)

Apple to start selling new iPad in China after settling tablet trademark dispute. (July 10, 2012)

Applied Materials lowers its full-year outlook on weak demand. (July 10, 2012)

LinkedIn stock falls on Facebook plans to launch a job posting board. (July 9, 2012)

Photo: Pop singer Katy Perry in “Katy Perry: Part of Me.”

Week in review: Coinstar's Redbox DVD rental kiosks to invade Canada

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

Coinstar’s Redbox DVD rental kiosks to invade Canada this quarter. (April 27, 2012)

Chip designer Silicon Motion Technology falls on Q1 report, but Cirrus Logic climbs on its Q1 results. (April 27, 2012)

Facebook dominates social networking field, but upstarts like Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr are growing faster. (April 27, 2012)

Coinstar shares fall on disappointing full-year guidance. (April 26, 2012)

Apple executives see continued momentum behind the company’s iPhone and iPad devices, after those two key products delivered blowout second-quarter results for the consumer electronics giant. (April 25, 2012)

Redbox DVD rental kiosk operator Coinstar is benefiting from Netflix’s declining DVD business. (April 25, 2012)

Top 5 key takeaways from Apple’s blow-out Q2 report. (April 25, 2012)

Apple defied the skeptics by posting fiscal second quarter results that crushed Wall Street’s estimates on mighty iPhone and iPad sales. (April 24, 2012)

ARM Holdings stock down on full-year sales outlook. (April 24, 2012)

Netflix stock falls on subscriber growth worries. (April 24, 2012)

Netflix surprised Wall Street with a much smaller loss than expected for the first quarter and news that it would return to profitability in the current quarter – two quarters earlier than anticipated. (April 23, 2012)

Apple shares fall below key support level – its 50-day moving average price line. (April 23, 2012)

Microsoft sells big chunk of recently acquired AOL patents to Facebook. (April 23, 2012)

Companies like Zynga and Electronic Arts that offer free versions of online or downloadable games convert 40% of players to paying customers, a new study shows. (April 23, 2012)

Adobe Systems puts its Creative Suite software in the Internet cloud. (April 23, 2012)

Shares of Check Point Software Technologies tumbled after the Internet security software maker posted better-than-expected first-quarter results but offered mixed guidance. (April 23, 2012)

Photo: Mother and daughter use Redbox DVD rental kiosk (Coinstar photo).

Week in review: Apple faces antitrust lawsuit over e-book price-fixing scheme

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

Coinstar results show that customers have accepted Redbox DVD price increase. (April 13, 2012)

Apple shares fall on legal setback in patent infringement case against Motorola Mobility. (April 13, 2012)

Texas Instruments, Semtech and Monolithic Power Systems rated top stock picks in recovering chip sector. (April 13, 2012)

Online daily deals service Groupon saw its stock fall to new lows on concerns about the health of its business, heightened competition and class-action lawsuits. (April 13, 2012)

Apple denies violating antitrust laws; says it broke up Amazon’s e-book monopoly. (April 13, 2012)

Indian tech services firm Infosys forecasts a “challenging” year ahead for the information technology services sector, prompting investors to dump shares. (April 13, 2012)

A consumer survey provides positive news for Netflix, bad news for Nintendo and GameStop, and a mixed bag for Amazon. (April 12, 2012)

Apple investors shrug off e-book antitrust lawsuit; Trade groups, legal scholars come to the company’s defense. (April 12, 2012)

Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs and vice president Eddy Cue are accused of coordinating e-book price-fixing conspiracy with publishers. (April 11, 2012)

The U.S. Department of Justice accuses Apple and five publishers of e-book price fixing. (April 11, 2012)

Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone is rumored to have a bigger display and be out in October. (April 10, 2012)

Best Buy is done with Dunn. CEO Brian Dunn quits as the consumer electronics retailer struggles to compete with Amazon, Wal-Mart and Costco. (April 10, 2012)

AOL sells patents to Microsoft; Deal seen as a win for Facebook. (April 9, 2012)

Apple shares downgraded by analyst, yet stock hits new high. (April 9, 2012)

Photo: Apple’s iBooks app

Week in review: Redbox, Verizon, Amazon take on Netflix

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

Cadence Design Systems is benefiting from the semiconductor industry’s increased spending on research and development. (Feb. 10, 2012)

Apple is expected to announce iPad 3 in early March. Its latest tablet is predicted to have a faster processor, improved display and bigger battery. (Feb. 9, 2012)

IRobot stock short-circuits as 2012 outlook disappoints. (Feb. 8, 2012)

Amazon.com strikes content deal with Viacom for its streaming video service to take on Netflix. (Feb. 8, 2012)

Medical-records software firm Cerner posts strong fourth-quarter earnings, sales and bookings. (Feb. 8, 2012)

Harman CEO sees opportunity to grow car infotainment systems business. (Feb. 8, 2012)

Redbox movie rental kiosk operator Coinstar announces plans to buy NCR’s DVD kiosk business. (Feb. 6, 2012)

Verizon and Coinstar’s Redbox are teaming up to take on Netflix; Details of their competing offer are skimpy though. (Feb. 6, 2012)

Photo: Netflix on Nintendo’s Wii video game console.

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: 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, 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: 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)

Week in review: Microsoft Kinect hits stores

Microsoft has been getting some good news lately. First, it posted great results for its fiscal first quarter. Then it launched its much-anticipated Kinect motion-controlled video game system for its Xbox 360 console.
The following is a roundup of my recent stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

More smart phones using OLED displays means a revenue boost for Universal Display Corp. UDC expects video on smart phones to drive OLED adoption. (Nov. 4, 2010)

Profile of the Connecticut men who created the Sunfish sailboat. (Nov. 4, 2010)

Universal Electronics stock way up after its purchase of a Chinese remote-control company. (Nov. 4, 2010)

Microsoft needs Kinect to be a big success and spur sales of Xbox 360s and video game software. “Dance Central” from Viacom’s Harmonix unit expected to be killer game title. (Nov. 3, 2010)

Microsoft posts stellar results thanks to Windows and Office. Stock up over 2% today. (Oct. 29, 2010)

Coinstar’s Redbox is taking a cautious approach to streaming video. It’s talking with partners to launch in 2011. (Oct. 29, 2010)

Microsoft can’t seem to get investors interested in its stock no matter what it does. (Oct. 27, 2010)

Sony is moving a lot of PlayStation Move. (Oct. 21, 2010)

Week in review: Netflix on fire, Blockbuster on the ropes

It’s a tale of two video rental firms.
Netflix has taken a leading role in the industry, while one-time king Blockbuster is fading fast.
The following is a roundup of my recent stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

Netflix stock hits new high; rival Blockbuster on the ropes. (Aug. 13, 2010)

U.S. video game sales fall for fourth straight month. PC game sales hopping with Activision’s hit “StarCraft II.” (Aug. 12, 2010)

Coinstar invests in mobile phone recycling kiosks. (Aug. 11, 2010)

Netflix shares approaching record high on streaming video deal with Epix. (Aug. 10, 2010)

Netflix says its streaming service is a plus for premium cable channels (Aug. 10, 2010)

Disney, Google among big players lining up to play the social-networking games game (Aug. 9, 2010)

Coinstar’s Redbox expanding to CVS stores. Deal will add 7,000 DVD rental kiosks to Redbox’s current 23,000. (Aug. 5, 2010)

More than a third of iPhone 4 owners say they’ve had a problem with reception. And 7% call it a “very big problem.” (Aug. 4, 2010)

Netflix is leading a revolution in television called “over-the-top TV,” which could upend the pay TV business. (Aug. 4, 2010)

Sonic Solutions, maker of DVD burning software, is in no rush to offer DVD ripping app, despite copyright rules change. (Aug. 4, 2010)

Apple iPhone 4 users very satisfied, despite antenna issue. (Aug. 4, 2010)

Nuance Communications pitches dictation software as back-to-school item. (Aug. 3, 2010)

Week in review: iRobot ramps up military robot production; Tech firms seek Olympic gold

Athletes are pursuing gold medals at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this month and sponsors are hoping to boost their brands by affiliation with the games.
Acer, Atos Origin, Panasonic and Samsung are worldwide Olympic sponsors. The four companies are in British Columbia to entertain potential clients and showcase their technology products.
Also this week, iRobot, the company best known for its Roomba vacuum-cleaner robot, outlined its plans to increase production of robots for the U.S. military. It already has delivered 3,000 such robots for use in reconnaissance and bomb detection and disposal missions.
The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

Samsung, Panasonic, Acer and Atos Origin seek Olympic branding gold in Vancouver. (Feb. 19, 2010)

Dell defends its consumer PC business performance. (Feb. 19, 2010)

Logitech, Panasonic, Best Buy and others see big opportunities in the home video surveillance gear market. Best Buy is test marketing home video security gear in its stores. (Feb. 18, 2010)

Dell still unable to resume profit growth. But sales in Q4 rose for the first time in six quarters. (Feb. 18, 2010)

iRobot is ramping up its military robot production. (Feb. 18, 2010)

LogMeIn predicts boost from Apple’s iPad. (Feb. 18, 2010)

Redbox blindsides customers planning to rent “The Blind Side.” (Feb. 17, 2010)

From spy gear for kids to dog collars that post pet activity on Twitter, toy makers are using more tech. (Feb. 16, 2010)

Coinstar's Redbox caves to Warner Bros., agrees to delay DVD rentals. (Feb. 16, 2010)

Mattel’s latest toy discriminates against cats. The fur will fly when cat lovers find out. (Feb. 16, 2010)

Photo: iRobot’s SUGV 320 robot climbing stairs

Week in review: Tech nerd Barbie; earnings reports from Activision, EA, Coinstar

The corporate earnings season is in full swing.
Investors this week cheered quarterly reports from Activision Blizzard and Harman International, but booed results from Coinstar, Electronic Arts and Nuance Communications.
On a lighter note, Mattel announced that online voters had chosen a new career for its Barbie doll. Computer engineer Barbie will debut this fall.
The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com and Click, IBD’s Tech Blog.

Nintendo’s sales show the power of evergreen video games. (Feb. 12, 2010)

Redbox struggles with movie studio restrictions. (Feb. 12, 2010)

Sign of the times: Barbie is a tech geek. Mattel introduces Computer Engineer Barbie. (Feb. 12, 2010)

Coinstar raising fees for its coin-counting machines. (Feb. 11, 2010)

Activision beats forecasts, starts paying dividend. (Feb. 10, 2010)

GameFly files for IPO. GameFly is the Netflix of video games. (Feb. 10, 2010)

Apple, other Silicon Valley tech firms looking to hire. (Feb. 9, 2010)

Electronic Arts takes a beating on diminished outlook (Feb. 9, 2010)

Audio electronics firm Harman tunes operations, boosts profits. (Feb. 8, 2010)

Speech recognition tech company Nuance Communications beats earnings views, but sales lag. (Feb. 8, 2010)