Verizon
FeedComcast to Boxee: Bring it on, we're ready for the competition
Alex Salkever
Nov 12th 2009 at 4:40PM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Media, Apple, Verizon, Comcast
Boxee CEO Avner Ronen put up a slide at the NewTeeVee confab in San Francisco Thursday that showed a startling trend: There will be more Apple (AAPL) iTunes subscribers than Comcast (CMSCA) subscribers within a few years, Ronen contended. Them's fighting words for cable and programming giant Comcast, which is putting up a lively fight to keep control of customers in the face of incursions both from tech giants like Apple, with its Apple TV product, and upstarts like Boxee, which offers a browser that acts like a TV guide for video content available online. To this end, Comcast is on the brink of rolling out a video-on-demand service to most of its customers that would let them watch programming paid for under their Comcast subscription on any device and over any type of reasonably fast connection. Called Fancast, this untethered access would compete directly with Apple, as well as Netflix (NFLX), Verizon (VZ) and Qualcomm (QCOM).
Wireless data market booms, but Clearwire may be an also-ran
Vishesh Kumar
Nov 11th 2009 at 6:20PM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Investing, Google , Intel, Sprint Nextel Corp., AT&T, Verizon, Comcast
Wireless network operator Clearwire (CLWR) is pinning its fortunes on the booming mobile data market. But while wireless data usage grows at a blistering pace, investors should take a look a close look at how Clearwire's technology stacks up to the coming technologies from much larger rivals such as Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) before getting on board. "If ever there was a rising tide that is lifting all boats, this is it," Clearwire CEO William Morrow told investors after the company reported third quarter earnings on Tuesday. Adjusted earnings losses narrowed to 43 cents per share from 45 cents per share, while revenue was up 13% to $68.8 million.
Ma Bell's wake-up call: Deals among Net calling firms may sap big telcos' revenue
Alex Salkever
Nov 10th 2009 at 6:45PM
Filed under: Google , Research In Motion, Apple, AT&T, Verizon
Phones are ringing off the hook at businesses that facilitate making calls over the Internet. With the apparent resolution of the spinout of Net calls pioneer Skype several days ago has come frenzied dealmaking in the VoIP -- short for voice over Internet protocol -- space. First, Google bought startup Gizmo5. Now, as TechCrunch reports, there is a bidding war ongoing for JahJah, a Skype-like service that offered low-cost calling to tens of millions of users of Yahoo's (YHOO) instant messenger service. Numbers thrown around for the deal are a whopping $200 million to $400 million, a significant sum in the current environment.
First Droid, then AdMob: Google goes for Apple's jugular in mobile business
Alex Salkever
Nov 9th 2009 at 7:20PM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Google , Microsoft, Motorola, Apple, AT&T, Verizon, Palm
The $750 million acquisition of mobile advertising network AdMob by search giant Google (GOOG) signals a new stage of the battle for the soul of the mobile Internet between Google and its arch-rival Apple (AAPL). The acquisition gives Google the strongest player in the fast-growing market for putting advertisements on smartphones. And it's the latest brawny move by Google in an unspoken war that has broken into pitched battle in the past two weeks.Verizon Droid unleashed on NYC: 'We're gonna need more phones'
Sam Gustin
Nov 6th 2009 at 4:40PM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Google , Motorola, Apple, Verizon
After weeks of build-up, Verizon Communications's (VZ) Verizon Wireless unleashed its new Google (GOOG)-powered Droid smartphone on Friday, and New York City retailers were selling out of the device -- billed as the first legitimate challenger to Apple's (AAPL) iPhone's first legitimate challenger -- on the first day."We're gonna need more phones," Amanda Leavelle, a Verizon Wireless store manager in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, said around 2 p.m. "I just checked, and our inventory is running low, so I've got to call for some more."
Apple really needs a better iPhone answer to Google Navigation killer app
Alex Salkever
Nov 6th 2009 at 1:30PM
Filed under: Technology, Investing, Google , Research In Motion, Apple, AT&T, Verizon
Lots of people claim that Apple's (AAPL) iPhone is the first smartphone to really unleash the potential of the Internet on a handset. And they are right. iPhone users suck up so much more Web time than Blackberry (RIMM) users (even though far more Blackberry units have been sold over time) that Apple partner AT&T (T) has struggled to handle the load and, by many indications, still can't keep up. But let's not forget that the iPhone's Web utility was not the only killer app in the mobile devices space.Long before the iPhone hit it big, the GPS market was hockey-sticking. I watched this trajectory with amazement as Garmin (GRMN) devices went from geek gawkware to standard hardware for housewives in the O.C. and salesmen cruising the office parks of middle America looking to bag more clients.
Droid takes Manhattan: 100-plus lined up at midnight for new Motorola phone
Douglas McIntyre
Nov 6th 2009 at 8:45AM
Filed under: Company News, Motorola, Sprint Nextel Corp., Apple, Verizon, Palm
Some pieces of news are worth mentioning only in passing because they are interesting, but may not mean a thing. CNET says that over 100 people lined up at midnight to be early buyers of the new Motorola (MOT) Droid handset at a Verizon (VZ) store in Manhattan. The store in Herald Square had 500 phones in stock to meet the early demand.
The Droid is Motorola's answer to the Apple (AAPL) iPhone and Palm (PALM) Pre. Wall Street is hopeful that the Droid will lift the handset maker's fortunes, and has driven Motorola stock up over 30 percent in three months. After three years of lean sales since Motorola's flagship RAZR phone went out of style, the company may have a hit again. But one day's sales do not a trend make.
Massucci's Take: AT&T's lawsuit against Verizon draws attention to its own flaws
Anthony Massucci
Nov 4th 2009 at 7:30PM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Columns, Apple, AT&T, Verizon
AT&T (T) is suing Verizon Wireless for misleading advertising. But its actions could do the company more harm than good. The reason for the lawsuit: Verizon (VZ) has been mocking Apple's (AAPL) iPhone "There's an App for That" ads. Verizon TV ads show off a coverage map depicting its larger, third-generation (3G) wireless coverage next to AT&T's smaller 3G coverage map. In its advertisements Verizon quips: "There's a Map for That."That may irk AT&T, but the company does not dispute Verizon's larger 3G coverage. But it is suing Verizon for highlighting its spotty coverage in a misleading manner. In Verizon's ads, the maps display blank space in AT&T's coverage area. The intent, according to Verizon, is to show where AT&T lacks 3G coverage. But AT&T claims the ads imply that AT&T provides no coverage at all in those areas.
Smartphone war heats up: AT&T sues, Verizon launches stealth fighters
Sam Gustin
Nov 4th 2009 at 11:31AM
Filed under: Technology, AT&T, Verizon
Last week, we discussed how Verizon Wireless is consciously trying to associate its forthcoming Droid smartphone series with a more macho identity than Apple's iPhone, long-linked to the "geek chic" aesthetic. In its new ad, "Stealth," Verizon continues in this direction with a militaristic spot that depicts an air-wing of Stealth fighters launching Droid-containing missiles into the American landscape to the bewilderment of locals.But the real combat is taking place off the air, where AT&T has filed a lawsuit against Verizon Wireless charging that Big Red's "There's a Map for That" campaign -- which highlights AT&T's spotty 3G coverage -- is "misleading." The air and legal warfare illustrate the competitive ferocity of the mobile phone market heading into the holidays.
Even a hit Droid phone won't fix Verizon's woes
Vishesh Kumar
Nov 3rd 2009 at 2:20PM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Google , Motorola, Research In Motion, Apple, AT&T, Verizon
As the hype mounts for Verizon (VZ)'s launch of its Google (GOOG) Android-powered phone, investors have started anticipating what a hit could mean for Google's and Verizon's bottom lines.Shares of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIMM) got hammered yesterday after analysts said that the Droid might become a major competitor in the business market, where Apple (AAPL)'s iPhone has largely failed to gain ground. And Droid handset-maker Motorola (MOT) has seen its shares surge, partially around anticipation that the operating system may give it a hit phone after a long drought.
Verizon opens fire on iPhone's 'geek chic' with the bad-boy Droid
Sam Gustin
Oct 28th 2009 at 10:20AM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Media, Google , Microsoft, Research In Motion, Apple, AT&T, Verizon, Palm
After teasing its forthcoming Droid attack on Apple's iPhone in an ominous TV spot earlier this month, Verizon Wireless has launched a print marketing blitz aimed at sowing the seeds of doubt into the hearts of potential iPhone buyers. The ads make it abundantly clear that Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon (VZ) and Vodaphone (VOD) and the largest wireless provider in the country, isn't going to stand back while Apple and AT&T reign over the smart-phone market.Below the surface of these ads, however, is an interesting study in shifting attitudes toward popular male identity. Verizon appears to be challenging a prevailing definition of "geek chic" sex appeal, lately personified by Justin Long's "Mac" character, Apple's blasé, hoodie-wearing hipster.
Verizon earnings reveal the pressure from AT&T-Apple's iPhone
Vishesh Kumar
Oct 26th 2009 at 2:00PM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Earnings, Apple, AT&T, Verizon
When Verizon Communications (VZ) announced its third-quarter results on Monday, they were largely in line with analyst estimates. But they fell short in an area that could be cause for concern: Verizon added fewer postpaid wireless customers than Wall Street had anticipated. The telecom giant said that Verizon Wireless, a joint venture with Britain's Vodafone (VOD), added 900,000 postpaid customers versus consensus estimates of between 1 million and 1.1 million. Even though Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the U.S., the latest report stood in contrast to that of rival AT&T (T), which said it activated a record number of iPhone customers over the quarter. Indeed, Apple's (AAPL) iPhone 3GS may have taken the wind out of Verizon's sails.
Verizon profit falls 30 percent as costs rise
AP
Oct 26th 2009 at 8:05AM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Earnings, Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), the second largest U.S. phone company, on Monday said third-quarter profit fell nearly 30 percent as higher costs offset an increase in revenue that largely was driven by an acquisition in its wireless business.
The company continues to manage the decline in its wireline business as customers increasingly disconnect their landlines in favor of cell phones.
Before the bell: Stocks set to rebound as more earnings on tap
Melly Alazraki
Oct 26th 2009 at 7:30AM
Filed under: Economy, Investing, Verizon
U.S. stock futures were higher Monday morning, with markets seemingly ready to rebound following last week's declines. With not much in the way of economic news, investors looked ahead to more earnings reports, counting on them to continue to exceed expectations.With no economic releases scheduled for Monday, it seems the GDP report due out Thursday is really the one in focus this week as it could reveal a better picture of the U.S. economy and whether it has returned to growth.
AT&T: Good for investors, not so good for customers
Vishesh Kumar
Oct 22nd 2009 at 12:40PM
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Earnings, Apple, AT&T, Verizon
AT&T (T) customers complain about dropped calls, glacial web-surfing speeds and shoddy coverage. Wall Street, on the other hand, loves the way the phone giant runs its network. For an explanation of that disconnect, let's take a look at AT&T's third-quarter earnings, announced earlier today. The telecom's results topped Wall Street profit forecasts and delivered revenues in line with estimates. Shares gained about 2% in midday trading to around $26.40.
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