Filed under: Products and services, Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL)

T-Mobile’s G1 mobile phone — with its Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) powered — may have a bill of materials that’s about 10% cheaper than Apple, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 3G, according to research firm iSuppli. No wonder it retails for only $179 with a two-year contract while the 8GB iPhone 3G sells for $199 with the same two-year contract.

Part of the difference may be in the memory of both units. While the iPhone 3G comes with 8GB of memory already installed, the T-Mobile G1 comes with a paltry 1GB memory card, which of course can be upgraded unlike the iPhone’s memory capacity. The cost breakdowns: $144 for the G1 and $160 for the iPhone 3G. Even with the price break of a meaningless $20, can the G1 ever hope to compete with the iPhone’s sales numbers?

Doubtful, at least in its current configuration. Apple’s iPhone 3G surpassed the Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) RAZR to become the best-selling handset in the U.S. in this year’s third quarter. The G1 is just now hitting the market as of late October. With the prices of the two units within $20 of each other, and with the iPhone’s huge lead in being on the market, the G1 won’t make much headway against iPhone sales. 2009 - and a second-generation G1 - could see renewed interest in T-Mobile’s offering. Right now, it’s all Apple.

Google’s G1 phone cheaper to make than the Apple iPhone originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Google (GOOG), Technology

In yet another example of how technology and the Internet can, potentially, both increase efficiency and transform business models, Google said it is now testing a new Web tool that’s tracking fast-spreading flu outbreaks, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Called Google Flu Trends, Google’s philanthropic arm is testing the tool, which developers say may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu a week to 10 days before they are reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Times reported.

“It turns out that traditional flu surveillance systems take 1-2 weeks to collect and release surveillance data, but Google search queries can be automatically counted very quickly,” Google said on its official blog, the Agence France-Presse reported Wednesday. For now, the service will track only flu cases in the United States, but Google is hoping to eventually use the technique to track the flu worldwide, The Times reported.

Google, Inc.’s (NYSE: GOOG) shares fell $15.97 to $295.49 Wednesday afternoon amid a broader market sell-off.

Continue reading Fluoogle: Google will use searches to track flu’s spread

Fluoogle: Google will use searches to track flu’s spread originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Consumer experience, Rants and raves, Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Cisco Systems (CSCO), eBay (EBAY), AT and T (T), Sprint Nextel Corp (S), Clear Channel Commun (CCU), Comcast Cl’A’ (CMCSA), Verizon Communications (VZ), Time Warner Cable (TWC), Serious Money

This is the first in a four part series which I hope gives buyers, sellers, shareholders and dare I say management a platform for discussion.

Over the years I have written numerous stories about eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), which I think has evolved from a must own stock of the new economy to just another company struggling to adapt to the rapidly shifting sand under its feet.

Having made money (bought after bubble burst) and lost money, owning a few remaining shares (sold most at $34), I have been pondering what I would do if I ran the company. My conclusion is that I might break up eBay; at a minimum, I would refocus it.

eBay has had spectacular growth in the past, though less now. It has made highly profitable acquisitions like Pay-Pal and terrible buys like money-losing Skype.

Here are some tidbits for all to cogitate on. In my view, Skype belongs in the hands of a communications company, not an online store. It has millions of users but eBay has not been able to monetize its growth. I think it’s time to sell it. The telephone and wireless companies could make much better use of this asset by integrating it into complimentary service bundles.

Continue reading Serious Money: eBay should auction off Skype

Serious Money: eBay should auction off Skype originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Google (GOOG)

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) may be the best internet company in the world. It is certainly one of the most admired. It has 65% of the U.S. search market and similar dominance throughout much of Europe. But its stock hit a three-year low Monday at $309.44.

What’s that about? The analyst consensus is that the search company’s revenue will grow 27% in the next quarter and the EPS will rise to $5.17 from $4.43 last year.

The answer is probably that earnings forecasts are now considered at risk for even the most dominant company in the industry.

But the market may be wrong about Google. There is a powerful case to be made that, in a recession, marketers cannot cut all of their advertising dollars. They still have to keep customers coming in. While print, TV, and internet display ads may not be effective at doing that, Google’s search product has proved, time after time, it can bring in result that are better than any other medium.

Google may shock analysts. Its product may be so good and so efficient that even in a recession it is the marketing platform of last resort and the one place advertisers cannot afford to do without.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24/7 Wall St.

Google shares at a three-year low originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), General Electric (GE), Starbucks (SBUX), General Motors (GM), Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI), Citigroup Inc. (C), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), Money and Finance Today, Automatic Data Proc (ADP), Bank of America (BAC), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Procter and Gamble (PG), Mattel, Inc (MAT), Oracle Corp (ORCL), Toll Brothers (TOL), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Wells Fargo (WFC), General Dynamics Corp (GD)

In the News:

8 Safe Stocks to Buy Now
These household names will hold up no matter how bad things get. They include General Dynamics, Google, J&J, American Tower, Oracle, Accenture, Thermo Fischer Scientific and Automatic Date Processing.
http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/picks/archive/2008/pick1110.htm

The End of Dividends
The big dividend was a hallmark of the big bull market. Now, the dividend is going the way of extinction. Among companies you can expect to see sharply lower dividends or no dividend at all in the future are Bank of America, Wells Fargo, New York Times, Gannett, CBS and General Electric.
http://www.247wallst.com/2008/11/the-end-of-divi.html

Continue reading 8 safe stocks to buy now, the end of dividends & best things to buy in bulk - Today in Money 11/11

8 safe stocks to buy now, the end of dividends & best things to buy in bulk - Today in Money 11/11 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Google (GOOG), General Electric (GE), Market matters, Citigroup Inc. (C), Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Cramer on BloggingStocks

From TheStreet.com Network

• Cramer: Be Like Me, Ignore the Futures
• Citi Imposes Moratorium on Foreclosures

TheStreet.com’s Jim Cramer says that bid has kept a floor under equities, but things are dire without it.

Without the futures ramping, don’t things seem so expensive? Those consumer nondurables — uh-oh, they have dollar pressure. The stimulus package of China? Is that why we bought Fluor (NYSE: FLR) (Cramer’s Take)? Where are the orders? All those oil stocks looked so inexpensive with oil at $66 going to $70. But we just paid $2.25 at the pump with no line and the futures are at $60. Citigroup (NYSE: C) (Cramer’s Take) hit a 52-week low despite talking about an acquisition, and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) (Cramer’s Take) is a smidge above the 52-week low. What happens if it takes it out? What happens if Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) (Cramer’s Take) takes out $300? Where is the Nasdaq bid, for heaven’s sake? Where did all of those morning buyers go who kept coming back right until the end?

And that’s the problem, isn’t it? The collective cheapness of equities vs. the overvaluation of stocks. We simply don’t get an opportunity to do anything but lose less than the other guy, and we are supposed to like it because stocks only get this inexpensive once or twice in a lifetime.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Without futures support, stocks look ugly

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Without futures support, stocks look ugly originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Before the bell, Earnings reports, Analyst reports, Google (GOOG), Starbucks (SBUX), General Motors (GM), Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI), Market matters, American Express (AXP), Toll Brothers (TOL), Economic data, Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

U.S. stock futures were lower Tuesday morning as economic concerns increased. China, which boosted markets only Monday with its own stimulus plan, today showed signs of slowing growth as well. World markets responded, with Asia markets posting losses and European markets opening down as well. Oil prices declined again to as low as $60 a barrel. Gloomy corporate reports as well as housing and financial sector woes are weighing heavily on markets today.

[Note: Extended hours indications can change as news progresses, changes.]

Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX), the once high flying company, reported Monday 97% lower profit in its fourth quarter. Excluding items, Starbucks earned 10 cents per share, below analyst estimates of 13 cents per share. Fewer U.S. customers and higher costs for closing poorly performing stores led to lower sales and profit. SBUX shares declined 2.75% in after-hours trade 7:56 p.m.

Continue reading Before the bell: Stocks headed lower; AXP, SBUX, TOL, GM, SIRI, GOOG, LVS

Before the bell: Stocks headed lower; AXP, SBUX, TOL, GM, SIRI, GOOG, LVS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Deals, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Verizon Communications (VZ)

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) is talking to Verizon Wireless in an effort to replace Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) as the default mobile search provider on the second-largest wireless network in the U.S. Why does Microsoft want this? Because, it has lost the web search business to Google on the PC screen — so perhaps it thinks it can compete better (or win) the web search race on the cellphone screen.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has reminded the world that Google’s next large focus is on the mobile market. Although mobile search and mobile web browsing has taken a while to gain steam, the sheer number of mobile devices with internet connectivity dwarfs the PC market. Google and Microsoft are both licking their chops over this one.

So, it’s kind of like entering the web search market back in 1988 here — whichever company can seal as many deals to become the de-facto mobile search and information portal for major wireless companies will own the space. It’s the same argument that has stood for a while in the PC market: consumers will use whatever default software or services offered on the device they just bought. Why type in “google.com” on your cellphone or smartphone keypad if Microsoft’s search is right there waiting for you? Seeing that Verizon Wireless doesn’t have an outside partnership for mobile web searches, this may be a huge battle that gets little attention — but that doesn’t mean it’s not important.

Microsoft talking to Verizon about displacing Google as mobile search provider originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO)

Yahoo!’s (NASDAQ: YHOO) stock has been up a bit in the last two days as the market fell apart. The theory behind it was simple. The partnership with Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) to sell search ads has fallen apart. Yahoo! lost some revenue potential, but it also lost its best case for staying independent.

With Yahoo! in trouble, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) could come back to the table with a new offer to buy the portal company. It would be much less than the $33 that was on the table earlier this year, but Yahoo! might get a 50% premium over where its stock is today — $14.

No such luck. Microsoft has made it plain that it won’t be back. According to Reuters, “Software giant Microsoft Corp dismissed speculation it might still be interested in a takeover of Internet firm Yahoo Inc.” In CEO Steve Ballmer’s own words, “We made an offer, we made another offer … We moved on.”

With the tremendous downturn in internet advertising and concerns that even Google’s search marketing business may be hurt by the recession, Microsoft may simply have determined that owning large internet properties is not a terribly good business. Its own MSN division loses money. Microsoft can continue to work on developing its own search engine technology and assume that Yahoo! does not have the capital to compete in that business over time.

Microsoft is telling Yahoo!, and anyone else who will listen, that it is prepared to take the long road to a decent position in the search industry. It may take time, but it is less expensive.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24/7 Wall St.

Ballmer says ‘no’ to Yahoo! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Google (GOOG)

US News admitted that the advertising climate and competition from Time and Newsweek was too tough, so after decades as a weekly, it said a while back that it would publish 26 times in 2009. That is a lot of savings in printing and postage. The publication probably let a few people go.

But the magazine never made it to its new publishing frequency. Things are so bad in print advertising that now it says it will go monthly. According to The New York Times “Just five months after saying it would drop its frequency to every other week, U.S. News & World Report has decided instead to become a monthly magazine.”

The magazine, which was founded in 1948, might as well fold. Putting out a news publication once a month when the internet allows people to get news minute-by-minute is not a smart idea. There is a good chance the magazine will not be around at the end of next year.

Over the last week, large magazine publishers like Rodale, Time, Inc., and Conde Nast have put a total of over 1,000 people out of work. The magazine industry is beginning to look like the newspaper sector. That means it is trapped without a way out.

As magazine publishers focus more on the internet, they confront competition like Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) News and CNN. Even on the web, publishing is too crowded for everyone to make it.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247WallSt.com.

As US News goes monthly, magazines must face their fate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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