posted 03-07-2001 10:17 AM         

Microsoft, apparently serious about turning software into a service, is testing the waters with a number of new, fee-based MSN services including virus protection, music subscriptions and even an e-mail-via-phone plan, sources say. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2692936,00.html

Even Wall Street bulls are bearish on Nortel Networks. With new customers failing, established customers shaken and networking rivals swiping sales, investors and analysts are seeing what Nortel can't: Growth is slowing to a crawl. (source: The Street) http://www.thestreet.com/tech/telecom/1330076.html

As the number of PC memory chipmakers declines along with the market, Micron looks set to weather the storm, despite missing its most recent earnings estimates and being downgrading by most analysts. (source: Forbes) http://www.forbes.com/2001/03/06/0306dram.html

posted 03-05-2001 04:16 PM         

In the midst of the Net stock mania, naysayers often noted that first-mover companies in previous technology booms weren't the long-term winners. For example, PC pioneers Osborne and Kaypro eventually lost out to latecomers Dell, Compaq and Gateway. So is it possible that the Amazons and eBays of today will soon be replaced by a new generation of Internet stocks? (source: Forbes) http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2001/03/01/0301simons.html

In a move underscoring its desire to remain independent, Yahoo has announced that its board of directors has adopted a shareholder-rights plan designed to prevent a hostile takeover. Walt Disney, Viacom and various European and Japanese telcos have been mentioned as possible suitors of the Internet portal, now that its stock price is trading more than 85% lower than its all time high. (source: The Standard) http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,22587,00.html

posted 03-02-2001 05:46 PM         

Transmeta founder Dave Ditzel will step down as chief executive officer to become vice chairman and chief technology officer, the company said Thursday. Mark Allen, the company's president and chief operating officer, will become the new CEO. Both Allen and Ditzel will serve on the board. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2691901,00.html

Why is Bill Gates smiling these days? Sure, the Microsoft breakup proposal seems to be on the ropes, but more importantly, there are new markets to tackle. (source: U.S. News & World Report) http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010305/microsoft.htm

This columnist reminds investors that there is a difference between the time when technology companies will recover and when their stocks will. For many companies, they will never see the levels experienced in early 2000. The columnist takes a look at Intel and Broadcom to illustrate his thoughts. (source: MoneyCentral) http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/invest/jubak/6361.asp

In Brief:

- Lattice Semiconductor announced the its revenue would drop 20% in the March quarter. The company cited weak demand for chips.

posted 03-01-2001 06:02 PM         

Peer-to-peer computing promises to revamp the software industry, but, according to Intel's chief technology officer, could also help jump-start some of the plodding segments of the PC industry. (source: CNET) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-4983991.html

posted 02-28-2001 06:11 PM         

A few months back, after Microsoft issued its first earnings warning in ten years, this columnist told investors that there didn't appear to be any positive near-term catalysts for the stock. He says he was wrong, and the catalyst he didn't foresee has a name: the U.S. Court of Appeals. Now he contends that Microsoft investors are being blinded by flashy court proceedings and ignoring the gravity-stricken PC market environment. (source: Red Herring) http://www.redherring.com/index.asp?layout=story&channel=20000002&doc_id=460018046

The bad news from Wall Street hasn't quite penetrated every corner of the country, but watch out when it finally does. This columnist's crystal ball sees a flinching economy and more tech suffering. (source: MoneyCentral) http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/invest/models/6216.asp

The so-called four horsemen of the Internet economy were an envied bunch. The executives of Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, EMC and Oracle saw nothing but blue skies. Then the dark clouds rolled in with a vengeance this winter. Cisco and Sun had to guide down investor expectations, and even storage powerhouse EMC has hedged its bets by lowering the range of its revenue target. Oracle, however, has remained eerily silent. (source: Upside) http://www.upside.com/texis/mvm/hardwareSoftware/story?id=3a9c30d920

posted 02-27-2001 06:02 PM         

AT&T's broadband unit has agreed to sell cable-television assets in four states to Mediacom Communications for about $2.22 billion in cash. Mediacom said Tuesday that the deal will enable it to double its size for the second time in two years. (source: The Standard) http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,22482,00.html

If the events of the past few trading days are any indication, Qualcomm's Irwin Jacobs may need to add "chief firefighter" to his chief executive officer title. Upside takes a look at the problems with the company's plan for third-generation (3G) wireless technology and the effects that has had on the company's smoldering stock price. (source: Upside) http://www.upside.com/Communications/3a9abb1d1.html

posted 02-26-2001 06:08 PM         

Microsoft is facing federal charges of false and deceptive advertising for the second time in less than a year, casting new light on its business tactics just as it opens its appeal of the government’s antitrust case. The case is focused on Microsoft’s aggressive advertising campaign targeting Palm, whose products compete against those hand-held devices using Microsoft’s Windows software. (source: MSNBC) http://www.msnbc.com/news/536009.asp

Intel agreed to buy VxTel Inc., a closely held semiconductor company, for about $550 million. Intel said the combination of VxTel's products with Intel's Internet Exchange Architecture networking components will help telecommunications providers accelerate their transition to an integrated voice-and-data network. (source: Wall Street Journal) http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB983198694983390251.html

Federal judges in Washington began grilling lawyers for Microsoft and the U.S. Justice Department as the two sides faced off in the next stage of the software company's historic antitrust case. At least two out of the seven judges hearing the case sent clear signals that Microsoft faces an uphill battle in its fight to overturn a ruling that the company broke U.S. antitrust laws and should be split in two. (source: CNNfn) http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/02/26/technology/microsoft/

A portfolio manager and an analyst square off on whether Juniper Networks (which, despite a 72% drop from its 52-week high, still trades 67 times higher than its 2001 consensus earnings estimate) is a buy. (source: Forbes) http://www.forbes.com/2001/02/26/0226streetfight.html

Cramer sounds off on why tech dips aren't buying opportunities. (source: MoneyCentral) http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/common/cramer.asp

In Brief:
- 3Com will trim 1,200 jobs (about 10% of its workforce) in an across-the-board cut. The company hopes to save around $200 million as a result of the restructuring.
- Qwest Communications reiterated that it's on track to meet its 2001 targets, thanks to strong sales for its high-tech Internet services in January. The company also said it will re-enter the long-distance business in several states.

posted 02-23-2001 06:33 PM         

Motorola issued a brief statement Friday morning with a simple, clear warning: it would miss its previous top- and bottom-line projections for the first quarter, and possibly incur an operating loss. (source: theStreet) http://www.thestreet.com/brknews/semis/1316971.html

Apple Computer has unveiled a hipper upgrade of its colorful iMacs, but it still may not be enough to shake the blues of the overall soft PC market. (source: Business 2.0) http://www.business2.com/content/channels/technology/2001/02/22/26810

How can you put all the stocks you’ve heard mentioned on a level playing field and compare them with each other to decide which is best for you, right now? This columnist doesn't claim to have the definitive system for doing that, nor the most sophisticated. But in his own efforts to sort through the technology sector sector, he's come up with a rough-and-ready method for comparing stocks to understand the differences between potentially attractive issues and to rule out some equities entirely. (source: MoneyCentral) http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/invest/jubak/6211.asp

Instead of beefing up free downloads to increase brand awareness and prove that their software is effective and easy to use, wireless software companies are re-emphasizing efforts on corporations willing to pay for services. In most cases, the companies plan to continue targeting consumers, but primarily through more lucrative partnerships with wireless service providers. (source: ZDNet) http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2689213,00.html

Just when you thought things at Lucent Technologies couldn't get worse, they have. Far worse. How bad? After seeing debt ratings lowered to BBB-, one notch above "junk" status, company executives are scrambling to restructure a balance sheet that is rapidly deteriorating. On Thursday, $4.5 billion of the company's $6.5 billion in lines of credit was set to expire. The apparent solution to relieve Lucent's debt load: to sell its most prized assets, at any cost. (source: Red Herring) http://www.redherring.com/investor/2001/0223/inv-lucent022301.html

VerticalNet is a company in transition. The company, which provides online marketplaces and software to industrial customers, started as a content company. It bulked up by acquiring an electronics component exchange, which it unloaded after just a few months. The company is now focused on software sales, a move that pits it against the likes of Ariba and Commerce One. (source: CNET) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-201-4928777-0.html?tag=mn_hd

posted 02-22-2001 06:21 PM         

Siemens, the German electronics and engineering group, is bidding $1.5 billion ($23.50 per share - a 90% premium over Wednesday's closing price) for U.S. DSL equipment maker Efficient Networks to become one of the top three suppliers of routers, modems and broadband access software. Both companies' boards have approved the deal. (source: MarketWatch) http://cbs.marketwatch.com/archive/20010222/news/current/siemens.htx

The bears rule Wall Street once again. With technology stocks enduring a fresh round of pummeling, what should long-term investors do? (source: Red Herring) http://www.redherring.com/investor/2001/0222/inv-pc022201.html

The entire tech sector has learned its lesson, yet the beatings go on. These columnists say it's time to remember that innovation has a future and growth still beats value. (source: MoneyCentral) http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/invest/extra/6265.asp

posted 02-20-2001 06:19 PM         

Intel will delay employee raises, curb hiring, and cut back on expenses in an effort to weather the downturn in the U.S. economy. (source: Cnet) http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-4876495.html

posted 02-19-2001 01:32 PM         

It's bad enough that Cisco missed earnings estimates for the first time in six years. But a report released by the Center for Financial Research and Analysis suggests that Cisco's situation is even worse than it seems. (source: Light Reading) http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=3743

Celera's publication of the full human genetic code has biotech investors excited again. The stock soared on Monday, but it's given back most of its gains since then. What's next? (source: Red Herring) http://www.redherring.com/investor/2001/0215/inv-celera021501.html

Network Solutions, a unit of VeriSign, is selling its domain-name database - the names, street addresses, and site information for the millions of users that have registered for domain names. While the offer is an amazing opportunity for marketers, it proposes major privacy issues. (source: Wall Street Journal Online) http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB982282009562632162.html

A vast army of volunteers were arguably one of the most the critical factors in AOL's ultimate success, but have nothing to show for their efforts. Now some are turning to the courts for what they claim is their due compensation, and what comes out of those courtrooms may not only alter the value of America Online, but the future of the entire high tech industry. (source: Forbes.com) http://www.forbes.com/ecommerce/asap/2001/0219/060.html