Thursday, December 30, 2010

THE MICROSOFT INVESTOR: How Will Microsoft Stock Weather The New Year? (MSFT)

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StormMSFT Off Slightly As Market Bounces
As we approach the new year, stocks are all over the place on light volume. Shares of MSFT are off marginally with the rest of tech in early trading. Upcoming catalysts include Steve Guggenheimer of Microsoft's OEM Division will speak at the JP Morgan Tech Forum at CES on Thursday, January 6; holiday quarter earnings results announced after the close on Thursday, January 27; entrance into the tablet market (to be announced at CES); Windows Phone 7 adoption; strides against current market leaders in cloud computing; and holiday sales of Kinect. The stock currently trades at 8x Enterprise Value / TTM Free Cash Flow, inexpensive compared to historical trading multiples.

How Will Microsoft Fare In The New Year? (The Motley Fool)
T2 Partners' has a recent presentation on Microsoft that shows how this company could easily beat the S&P 500 over the next several years. That said, the world has changed, and not in a way that favors Microsoft either in the present or the future some say. So how will Microsoft do in 2011? If you look at recent and projected financial performance, it's no wonder the bulls are buying. That said, Microsoft's best days are likely behind it and it has much to prove in 2011.

Microsoft Ties Up With 40 OEMs In Embedded Software Play (Smart Grid)

Microsoft Corporation has entered into a strategic alliance with 40 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for a cooperation in mobile embedded software in China. The alliance members include a group of big names such as GRG Banking Equipment (ATM), Advantech and EVOC Intelligent Technology (industrial computing), Hanwang Technology and Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific (consumer electronics), and Shenyang Neusoft (software solution supplier). This is likely part of Microsoft's initiative to inject as much as $1 billion into research and development in China in the next three years.

Microsoft Building $200 Million Data Center In Iowa (Des Moines Register)

Microsoft is building a data center in West Des Moines, Iowa. Microsoft has estimated it is investing $200 million in the project set to be completed by December 2012. Microsoft received final approval Dec. 8 for its site plan for the 42-acre property.

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THE MICROSOFT INVESTOR: How Will Microsoft Stock Weather The New Year? (MSFT)


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How To Make Video Calls With Skype On Your iPhone And iPod Touch (AAPL)

Skype for iPhone Video ChatFinally! You can now make video calls with your iPhone 4 over a wireless network with ease.

Skype released a new version of its iOS app last night that lets you make video calls using your iPhone 4 or fourth generation iPod Touch.

You can also receive video calls if you have an iPad or older iPhone or iPod without a front-facing camera. And like previous versions of the app, you can still make calls to desktops running Skype.

To sweeten the deal, Skype's update lets you make video calls over 3G, instead of tethering you to wifi like Apple's FaceTime. Pretty neat if you're traveling somewhere and want to beam live video to someone else at home.

One caveat though: 9 to 5 Mac says it uses 3.4 mb of data per minute. So if you have a limited data plan, you don't want to go crazy with the Skype chat over 3G.

With more than 25 million people using Skype on a variety of different devices (not just those made by Apple), you can be sure you'll get more use out of it.

We tested the app this morning and it worked great. Video quality was just as good if not better than Apple's Facetime, even over 3G. If Apple doesn't start opening Facetime to other devices or allow 3G calling, Skype has the potential to become the go-to video chat app.

If you don't already have Skype for iPhone, you can download it here.

Click here to see how to use video calling with Skype's iPhone app →

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How To Make Video Calls With Skype On Your iPhone And iPod Touch (AAPL)


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65% of Internet users have paid for online content, says Pew.

65% of Internet users have paid for online content, says Pew.

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65% of Internet users have paid for online content, says Pew.


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Nokia Wouldn't Work With Microsoft Because It's Just As Controlling As Apple (NOK, MSFT)

Stephen Elop Ballmer

Nokia is unlikely to sell phones running Windows Phone 7 software because Nokia "in their fashion," is "just as insistent on control over their ecosystem as Apple is," writes soon to be ex-Nokia employee Watts Martin on his blog.

Previously there were rumors that the two companies could hook up on some sort of smartphone project.

Here is Watts' argument for why Nokia is as controlling as Apple:

Symbian and MeeGo are both open source, but Nokia is by far the most important corporate developer of both (let’s face it, Symbian never really had anyone else working on it). The API for both of them is Qt, developed by Nokia-owned Trolltech. Nokia’s mapping and navigation is supplied by Nokia-owned Navteq. Their search tools are being developed with pieces (and people) they kept from MetaCarta. They don’t have a closed “app ecosystem” like Apple, but if you are supplying software components in Nokia’s ecosystem that they come to rely on, it’s a good bet they’re going to buy you or write a homegrown replacement for what you do.

For these reasons, it would be out of character for Nokia to just decide to give up control to Microsoft.

Further, Watts says Windows Phone 7 is weaker than MeeGo. It doesn't have multitasking, it has fewer apps, and it has less enterprise support.

Overall, Watts' thinks Nokia's OS strategy is good. The biggest problem for the company is user experience and its irrelevance in North America. And it's not like Microsoft would help with the latter of those two.

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Nokia Wouldn't Work With Microsoft Because It's Just As Controlling As Apple (NOK, MSFT)


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Skype for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad Now Allows Video Calls Over 3G or Wi-Fi

Skype has launched a new version of its iOS app that enables Skype-to-Skype video calls, via 3G or WiFi for free, with near CD quality sound. Those with an iPhone 4 or 3GS, or 4th generation iPod touch, will be able to make two-way video calls with any other Skype user, including desktop and laptop PC users, and presumably other mobile Skype users on Android or BlackBerry.

Skype for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad Now Allows Video Calls Over 3G or Wi-Fi


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Track IP Location on Your Windows Desktop

Many times webmaster are keen to track the IP location of the website or blog users. Many web based services claimed to provide the location of a corresponding IP address, but they comes with limited number of use. The best way to track any IP addres

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Track IP Location on Your Windows Desktop


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