White Noise News

4/14/2010- Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) forecast rising sales for the quarter and record profit margins for the year, which signals a rebound in technology spending after revenue jumped 44% in the first three months, according to a Bloomberg report. The company said that second quarter revenue is expected to climb as high as .6 billion, above consensus estimates, and 2010 gross margins will widen to a record. CEO Paul Otellini said that consumers served as a “big driver” of computer demand and corporate executives, more confident about their prospects, are replacing aging machinery. Intel shares rose 3.6% in extended trading following the announcement. Shares closed at .77, which represents a 12% gain for the year.

04/13/2010 - Analysts are expecting high-posted earnings from tech heavy rollers Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD) due to investor optimism and rising technology demands. Intel Corp. will report Q1 results on Tuesday and is trading up 0.07% at .56 on volume of 27937711, versus the average volume of 63831700. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. will report Q1 financials on Thursday and is trading up 0.74% at .49 on volume of 6020688, versus the average volume of 20321600.

3/24/2010- Blockbuster (NYSE:BBI) is now offering on demand video via T-Mobile’s (NYSE:DT) new HTC HD2 smartphone as the company looks for ways to overcome its nearly billion in debt, according to cnnmoney. The news comes a day after the company said that it signed a new agreement with Warner Bros. (NYSE:TWX). The deal will allow Blockbuster to offer the studio’s new releases about a month before Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) and Coinstar’s (NASDAQ:CSTR) Redbox. A Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst, Michael Pachter, said. “Blockbuster is trying to keep itself from bleeding to death, but they’re putting on a lot of Band-Aids.”

3/22/2010-AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) said Monday that it will sell Dell Inc.’s (NASDAQ:DELL) Aero–the computer maker’s first US smart phone–and add two Palm Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) phones to its portfolio. AT&T said that it will introduce the Aero soon and that the phone will “feature a new, beautiful custom user interface developed by Dell and AT&T.” The wireless carrier also said that Palm Inc.’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus smart phones will be available with its wireless service “in the coming months.”

3/16/2010-Shares of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), the world’s largest semiconductor maker, are trading 0.3% higher to .24 premarket Tuesday after the company said it has already shipped more than 100000 units of its Xeon 5600, a server chip that officially goes on sale today, Bloomberg reported. Boyd Davis, a director of marketing at the company, said that the Xeon 5600 is the first Intel server part that has six processing cores built onto one piece of silicon and that it includes new security features. Intel is trying to push ahead of chief rival Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD), which later this month will begin offering its Magny-Cours design in 8- and 12-core versions. “They’ve taken the path of throwing a lot of cores at the performance problem, and ultimately that’s a challenge,” Intel’s Davis said in an interview in San Francisco, “Based on the raw performance numbers, we’re going to be in very good shape.” Patrick Patla, a vice president of AMD, said in an e-mailed statement that amd’s new chips allow computer makers to attach more memory and are going to be “aggressively priced.”

3/10/2010-Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) is reportedly following the footsteps of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), by taking advantage of the popularity of downloadable applications in smart phones to push its Atom chip into new markets for netbooks, the Wall Street Journal reported. In addition, Intel also expects the chip being used in smartphones, tvs and other devices with the chip being used in LG Electronics’ smartphone starting this year.

3/11/2010-Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) previewed its upcoming 32nm Core i7-980X processor, a six-core CPU codenamed “Gulftown,” and a new rumor has suggested the chip could find its way into Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Mac Pro line as early as next Tuesday, Apple Insider reported Thursday. zdnet’s Adrian Kingsley-Hughes wrote Wednesday that he had received tips from sources that the new processor would make its way to the Mac Pro desktop systems on March 16. “If you’re thinking of buying a Mac Pro, you might want to wait a few days,” Kingsley-Hughes wrote. He also noted that he’s heard no reports of impending changes to the macbook Pro line. Apple usually doubles the processors in its high-end professional workstations, according to Apple Insider, so it’s possible the new Mac Pro system could have a total of 12 cores and 24 threads.

3/2/2010-Nokia (NYSE:NOK) unveiled its new C5 smartphone model Tuesday, hoping to capitalize on the market for low cost smartphones and increasing demand for mobile social networking capabilities. The C5 handset will be one of Nokia’s cheapest smartphones, selling for 135 euros (USD 3), excluding taxes and subsidies, and is scheduled to go on sale at some point in the second quarter. The compact gives users access to Facebook or myspace and quick and instant messaging as well as email accounts from Ovi Mail or other email providers. The handset features a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 2GB memory card (included in the sales package) and a high-speed data connection for image loading and videos on a number of social networking sites. The C5 also boasts the latest version of Ovi Maps with Free service car and pedestrian navigation, which includes the ability to share one’s geographic location with friends on Facebook. The C5 can also browse the internet, enabling users with easy access to music through Ovi Music. Following the introduction of the C series, Nokia now has four smartphone product families; The E series, for enterprise, the X series for youth and music, and the N series, which is the company’s most advanced models.

2/24/2010-Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) said in a regulatory filing that it was the target of cyber attacks in January, around the same time as the reported attacks on Google (NASDAQ:GOOG). Intel said, “These attempts, which might be the result of industrial or other espionage, or actions by hackers seeking to harm the company, its products, or end users, are sometimes successful.” The company continued, “One recent and sophisticated incident occurred in January 2010 around the same time as the recently publicized security incident reported by Google.” Spokesman Chuck Mulloy declined to comment further on the cyber attacks.

Today, at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) and Skype announced plans for a strategic partnership that is expected to bring an exclusive, easy-to-use Skype mobile offering to Verizon Wireless 3G smartphones in March, offering users a new ability to make calls around the globe. John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless, commented, "Skype mobile on Verizon Wireless changes the game. For Verizon Wireless' more than 90 million customers, Skype mobile adds great value because we're effectively giving customers with smartphones and data plans the option to extend their unlimited calling community to hundreds of millions of Skype users around the globe. And you're not limited to using a single type of phone; we'll have nine smartphones ready right at launch in March." Josh Silverman, CEO of Skype, noted, "People want to take their Skype conversations with them wherever they go, whether it's on a PC, TV or increasingly mobile phones. Verizon Wireless will give US consumers the best Skype experience on mobile phones and will truly change the way people call their friends and family internationally."