Browse by Tags

• Nokia takes on Google with Symbian buy

  Posted Jun 24 2008, 06:41 AM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: Google, Apple, Nokia, Research in Motion, wireless
  Rating:

  

  Nokia is buying Symbian, a company that makes operating systems for mobile phones. Nokia already uses Symbian software in its smartphones, so the move isn't a huge surprise. But in an unexpected twist, Nokia is going to make Symbian open and royalty-free for software developers. In doing so the company is clearly going after Google for the future of mobile phone systems.

  Nokia was already paying Symbian some $250 million a year to use Symbian's software in phones, analysts say. So buying Symbian outright for $410 million is smart business. Nokia shares were up slightly in morning trading to $24.48, and Google shares are down just slightly to $543.36.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 2 comments) 3,337 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Investors vote strong "NO" on Motorola break-up

  Posted Mar 26 2008, 10:16 AM by Douglas McIntyre
  Filed under: Nokia, Motorola, wireless, stocks
  Rating:

  Motorola announced this morning that it would break itself into two companies. By sometime next year the handset division will be pulled away from the mobility and enterprise divisions.

  The problems is that, even broken into pieces, Motorola isn't worth more than its current market cap. The handset business is simply sinking too fast. (Update: After languishing most of day, the stock rallied to end regular trading up 2.6%.)

  In the fourth quarter, Motorola's handset division revenue fell 38% to $4.8 billion. The operation lost $388 million compared to an operating profit of $341 million in the same period a year earlier. The company sold 40.9 million handsets in Q4.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 215 comments) 153,407 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Handset stocks at risk in a recession

  Posted Feb 07 2008, 12:45 PM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: Nokia, Research in Motion, Palm, Motorola, wireless, Brightpoint
  Rating:

  Handset companies who do business in North America will be hit hard in a recession, Citi analyst Jim Suva said in a note this morning. Suva takes a close look at Brightpoint, Motorola, Palm and Research in Motion, and calls out the latter as the stock that could "see the greatest damage to share price."

  Suva writes that Research in Motion "faces double-barreled risk," according to Barron's, because of its strong presence in North America and its high P/E multiple (currently at 45.20). The stock could drop to $63 in a worst-case, global recession. RIMM shares closed today at $84.68.

  Embattled Palm is very exposed in North America, and Suva thinks a recession could push shares down to $3 or $4 a share. Palm closed today at $5.99.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 4 comments) 3,663 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this