News Briefs for the Week Ending 12/23/2010






News Briefs for the Week Ending

12/23/2010



Copyright 2010, Faulkner Information Services. All Rights Reserved.

Docid:00020009

Publication Date: 1012

Publication Type: NEWS



ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES


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AOL to Buy Social Network Aggregation Site about.me

AOL announced that it has agreed to acquire about.me, a Web site designed to allow users to create a single profile that would unify all of their online identities in one place, including
profiles on sites such as Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as email, and personal blogs. Once the transaction is completed, about.me will become part of AOL’s Consumer
Applications Group. Financial terms for the transaction were not released.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

AT&T to Acquire Qualcomm’s FLO-TV Spectrum

AT&T announced it will buy spectrum licenses from QUALCOMM for $1.925 billion USD in a deal that expands AT&T’s 4G capacity. Qualcomm currently uses the spectrum for FLO TV, a
mobile television service it plans to shut down by March 2011. The licenses encompass more than 300 million people across the country, with more than 70 million in the 15 largest metropolitan areas, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles,
and San Francisco. AT&T is currently testing its 4G technology and plans to offer it commercially next year. The transaction, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close in the second half of 2011.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Boeing Announces Completion of Summit Aeronautics Acquisition

Boeing made a brief announcement to reveal that it has completed its acquisition of the Summit Aeronautics Group. The acquired company will be renamed Boeing Helena, and will be integrated into Boeing Fabrication, a
division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The renamed business will focus on manufacturing titanium and other hard-metal structures for Boeing’s aircraft. No financial terms for the transaction were disclosed.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

Cardinal Health’s Acquisition of Kinray Cleared by FTC

Cardinal Health made a brief announcement to inform the public that its acquisition of Kinray has received regulatory approval. The transaction was under review by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its
compliance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.

Source: Vendor, 12/17/2010

Citrix Signs Agreement to Acquire Netviewer AG

Citrix announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Netviewer AG, a European Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) vendor specializing in collaboration and IT services. Following the purchase,
Netviewer will be incorporated into the company’s Citrix Online services division. Citrix plans on using the expansion to enhance its own SaaS offerings in Europe. The transaction is expected to close early in 2011. No financial terms for the acquisition
were disclosed.

Source: Vendor, 12/17/2010

CSC Acquires CenTauri Solutions

Comptuer Sciences Corporation (CSC) announced that it has acquired CenTauri Solutions, a provider of IT systems for the national security and intelligence communities. CSC says the acuisition will allow it to deliver
services under the Defense Intelligence Agency’s $6.6 billion Solutions for Information Technology Enterprises indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The employees affected by the trasnaction will become part of CSC’s Intelligence business area.
No financial terms for the agreement were disclosed.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

EarthLink Acquires One Communications

EarthLink announced a definitive merger agreement under which it will acquire One Communications (One Comm) for $370 million USD, which includes payment of approximately $285 million of One Comm net debt. One Comm
stockholders have the right to elect to receive the net merger consideration in the form of cash or EarthLink common stock. One Comm’s shareholders will retain liability for all costs relating to One Comm’s pending litigation with Verizon New York,
according to EarthLink’s press release. The merger has been approved by the boards of both companies and the stockholders of One Comm. One Comm has its corporate headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts, and operational headquarters in Rochester, New
York. It is privately held. EarthLink provides Internet Protocol infrastructure and services to medium-sized and large businesses, enterprise customers, and more than 1.5 million residential customers in the US.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

eBay to Acquire German Fashion Site Brands4Friends

eBay announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire brands4friends, Germany’s largest online shopping club for fashion and lifestyle. The transaction will be completed for a cash total of $200 million.
eBay plans to use the acquisition to strengthen its position as an online fashion retailer across Europe. eBay will also be acquiring the company’s interest in UK-based SecretSales.com and in Japanese site brands4friends.jp. The acquisition is expected to
close some time in the first quarter of 2011, subject to regulatory approval.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

FTC Gives Nod to Intel/McAfee Deal

Chipmaker Intel has received regulatory approval from the US Federal Trade Commission to proceed with its proposed $7.68 billion takeover of security vendor McAfee. Intel also needs
approval from the European Commission.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

Nortel Completes Sale of Ottawa Carling Campus

Nortel Networks, which is operating under bankruptcy protection, said it has completed the sale of its Ottawa Carling Campus to Public Works and Government
Services Canada
for a cash purchase price of $208 million CAD ($204.4 million USD). As previously announced, the sale provides that Nortel will continue to occupy parts of the campus for varying periods of time to facilitate Nortel’s continuing work on
its global restructuring, including work under the transition services agreements with buyers of Nortel’s sold businesses.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

Raytheon to Acquire Applied Signal Technology

Raytheon announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Applied Signal Technology, a company specializing in the collection and processing of communications signals to support tactical and strategic
intelligence missions. Under the terms of the agreement, Raytheon will purchase the company for an all cash offer of $38.00 per share, or an aggregate total of approximately $490 million. Raytheon plans on adding the assets of the acquired company to its
own sensor technology, program management, mission support, and system integration capabilities to enhance its offerings to the US intelligence community. The transaction, still subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close some time in the first
quarter of 2011.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Siemens to Divest Stake in Krauss-Maffei Wegmann JV

Siemens will sell its 49 percent stake in Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to joint venture partner, the Wegmann Group, which already holds the other 51 percent. The transaction will require approval by anti-trust authorities,
and will close in the 2011 first quarter. The purchase price was not disclosed. Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Software AG Completes Merger with IDS Scheer

Software AG announced the completion of its merger with IDS Scheer. The remaining shareholders of IDS Scheer will be given 4 Software AG shares for each block of 33 shares of IDS Scheer owned. The newly combine
entity will refocus itself on “Business Process Excellence,” the company says. Software AG also raised the cost saving estimates for this transaction to between EUR 25 and EUR 30 million, due to the rapid completion of the merger.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

Swisscom Acquires Axept AG

Swisscom announced that it has acquired Axept AG, a company specializing in unified communications and collaboration software. The transaction, which did not include Axept Business Software AG, will be used to
strengthen Swisscom’s own software-based unified communication and collaboration solutions. Axept will continue to exist as an independent subsidiary of Swisscom, with its name, brand identity, and management structure intact. No financial terms for the
acquisition were disclosed.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Teledyne Technologies to Acquire DALSA

Teledyne Technologies (Thousand Oaks, California) announced that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries has signed an agreement to acquire DALSA, which is based in Waterloo,
Ontario, Canada. Teledyne will pay CAD $18.25 per share in an all-cash deal. The aggregate value for the transaction is approximately CAD $341 million ($335.7 million USD), taking into account DALSA’s stock options and net cash as of September 30, 2010.
DALSA makes digital imaging and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and has approximately 1,000 employees worldwide. Teledyne Technologies provides electronic subsystems, instrumentation, communication products, engineered systems, aerospace engines,
and energy and power generation systems.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

TelePacific to Acquire Covad Wireless

TelePacific – a California-based CLEC serving business customers – announced it will acquire fixed wireless Internet service provider Covad Wireless from MegaPath. (IP
services provider MegaPath owns NextWeb, which does business as Covad Wireless.) TelePacific Communications will gain approximately 3,500 broadband fixed wireless business customers in California, Nevada, and suburban Chicago through an all-cash purchase
of capital stock. Specific financial terms of the acquisition were not released.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

Teradata Agrees to Acquire Aprimo

Teradata announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Aprimo, maker of cloud-based integrated marketing software. The transaction will be completed for a total of $525 million, including the
assumption of $25 million in cash. Teradata says it will use the acquired assets to create business analytics solutions designed to improve and optimize marketing performance with data-driven insight. Aprimo will be integrated into Teradata’s operations,
but will continue to operate under its own name, and market its own products and services.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

Twitter Acquires Team Behind Fluther Question and Answer Site

Twitter announced that it has acquired the team behind the social start-up Fluther. Fluther specializes in providing crowd-sourced answers to users’ questions. Twitter said employees of the acquired company will be
put to work developing methods to help users find content relevant to them on the micro-blogging site. The actual Fluther.com Web site was not included in the agreement, and will continue to function as normal.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

ALLIANCES & JOINT VENTURES


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Accenture Signs 5-Year Agreement with Magneti Marelli

Accenture announced that it has signed a five-year contract with Magneti Marelli to collaborate on the company’s in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), telematics, and embedded software initiatives. For its part,
Accenture will be providing its Automotive Solution Centers around the globe to help implent the systems. The centers are all networked allowing customers to be served in any of them, regardless of location. No financial terms for this contract were
disclosed.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

DIRECTV Joins Starcom Media Group for Addressable Advertising

DIRECTV announced that it has formed an alliance with Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) with the goal of creating and delivering scaled, household-addressable advertising to customer households with DVRs. This will
allow SMG to market the ability to address highly relevant advertising messages to advertisers wishing to reach any of DIRECTV’s customers. The consultation portion of the agreement will begin immediately, while the testing phase for the required
technology will begin in 2011. The new service is expected to reach approximately 10 million households when fully deployed.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

New Partnership Enables Kaspersky to Secure Russian Smartphones

Kaspersky Lab and MegaFon, a Russian mobile operator, have joined forces, enabling MegaFon users access to an application based on Kaspersky Mobile Security. Kaspersky Mobile Security is provided to the mobile
operator’s clients via a subscription service.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

BIOMETRICS


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New Publication Correlates Biometrics, Illegal Employment

A newly-published whitepaper from BIO-key discusses how biometric technology can be deployed to help fix what it describes as serious flaws in the current
E-Verify system used by US authorities to check the validity of documents presented to employers by job applicants.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

BUSINESS CONTINUITY


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Oracle Releases Newest Oracle Business Intelligence for Utilities

Oracle announced the release of the latest version of Oracle Business Intelligence for Utilities. The software is designed to
help utility companies control the expected data boom resulting from the implementation of smart meter and smart grid deployments. Oracle’s software handles this via extractors and schema that pull data from specific Oracle Utilities production
applications. The company says it will continue to expand the Business Intelligence for Utilities product line with modules over the course of the next year.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

CARRIER SERVICES


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Cincinnati Bell Fioptics Reaches 25K Customers; Expansion Planned

Incumbent local exchange carrier Cincinnati Bell announced that more than 25,000 Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky households now subscribe to its Fioptics product suite. Fioptics offers digital television,
broadband Internet, and home phone service delivered through a fiber-optics network. The company launched Fioptics in 2009. Cincinnati Bell said it plans to steadily expand Fioptics coverage as it completes necessary network upgrades.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

Clearwire, Sprint Launch 4G Services in Denver, Bridgeport

Broadband wireless provider Clearwire and its majority owner Sprint both announced the official launch of 4G wireless services in the Denver, Colorado area and in the
Bridgeport, Connecticut metro area. The Denver launch includes cities along Colorado’s Front Range: Boulder, Fort Collins, and Greeley. Clearwire’s broadband service is marketed under the CLEAR brand, and Sprint’s under the name Sprint 4G.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Cricket to Launch New Music Service as Part of Flat-Rate Plan

No-contract, flat-rate wireless carrier Cricket Communications – owned by Leap Wireless – is launching a new music service for customers, offering unlimited song
downloads as part of a $55 per month flat rate plan. The new plan, scheduled for January introduction, offers a combined voice, datam and text plan, along with all-you-can-download music. The company said the new Muve service will offer music from the four
major record labels, and will launch on the $199 Samsung Suede, which is equipped with a special card from flash memory maker SanDisk. The Suede will be able to hold between 2,000 to 3,000 songs. The music is stored on and tied to the card, and cannot be
removed. If a customer stops paying for Muve, they lose access to the music.Muve will also be available on smartphones running Google’s Android software in the future.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Verizon Launches FiOS Internet Service for Small Businesses

Verizon has launched FiOS Internet service for small businesses in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Verizon FiOS Internet for Business offers speeds up to 150/35 Mbps delivered over Verizon’s fiber-optic FiOS
network. The service is available in parts of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas ,and Virginia. The service is also available to some
medium-sized businesses, Verizon said.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

CLOUD COMPUTING


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Fujitsu Launches Cloud System Monitoring Software

Fujitsu Japan launched Proactnes II SM V01, software for monitoring the communications response and data volume of networks within the large scale datacenters that provide cloud services and the Internet for
connecting to them. According to Fujitsu, the pay-per-month software detects early signs of failure by pinpointing areas in the cloud where problems arise, essentially preventing system problems from occurring in a private cloud, service provider public
cloud, or information and communications technology system. Presumably, it also allows the customer to improve operating efficiency. It is available exclusively in Japan.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Novell Joins Microsoft Windows Azure Technology Adoption Program

Novell announced that it has joined the Microsoft Windows Azure Technology Adoption Program to design Novell Cloud Security Service solutions based on Microsoft’s platform. The
companies will collaborate on pre-release, non-commercial, internal testing and validation of Novell Cloud Security Service on Windows Azure. The goal of the alliance is to produce a consistent access, security, and compliance management framework for
applications being hosted on Microsoft Azure cloud environments.

Source: Vendor, 12/16/2010

Oracle Unveils VM VirtualBox 4.0

Oracle announced the launch of Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.0, the newest edition of its open source, cross-platform virtualization
software. The system is designed to allow a single computer to run several guest operating systems simultaneously. Enhancements to version 4.0 include increased capacity and throughput, enhanced virtual appliance capabilities, and usability improvements.
VM VirtualBox 4.0 is available now.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS & EQUIPMENT


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Alcatel, A1 Telekom Demonstrate High Speed Broadband

Alcatel-Lucent and A1 Telekom Austria demonstrated A1’s new high speed broadband network, which they say will provide high speed services to 40 percent of Austria’s households and businesses, through
nationwide GigaNet. GigaNet uses Fiber to the Curb and Fiber to the Exchange. The demonstration included technologies such as Very high bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line Vectoring and the so called “Phantom Mode.” Downstream speeds of up to 390M bps, at 400
meters, were shown. Purportedly, Phantom Mode holds the key to speed boosts for those unable to access a fiber optic connection.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Ericsson to Help Upgrade MTN Rwandacell Network

Ericsson provided multimedia and charging technology for MTN Rwandacell’s network in Rwanda. It says the upgrade will allow MTN to migrate to an IP based, converged network, and also migrate subscribers to a common
IP based service platform for next generation multimedia services – including chat, presence, and video communications on mobile or fixed networks – for prepaid customers. According to the Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Agency, prepaid mobile subscribers
constitute more than 80 percent of the country’s telecommunications market.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Nokia Siemens to Upgrade SFR’s 3G Network in France

Nokia Siemens Networks was selected by French mobile broadband network operator SFR to build extra capacity in its existing 3G network, in anticipation of exponential traffic growth in 2011 and beyond
due to the growing popularity of smart devices. The companies will extend network capacity using 42M-bps mobile broadband technology (2X current peak rates), for which they offered a live demonstration. Nokia Siemens will provide its longterm
evolution-ready Flexi Multi-radio Base Station, to support enhanced High Speed Packet Access + services. It will also provide software, network planning, and optimization services.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Nokia Siemens Deploys LTE Network for Telefonica O2

Nokia Siemens Networks supplied a longterm evolution (LTE) pilot network for Telefonica O2 Germany, between the German cities of Halle and Munich. The network will allow it to offer ultra high-speed
broadband services, including high definition video conferencing and VoIP. It began installation last September Nokia Siemens will also operate and run the LTE network, which includes 17 locations throughout Halle, as well as three in Teutschenthal.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

CONFERENCING


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Cisco. Etisalat, Tata Launch TelePresence Room in Dubai

Cisco Systems reported that Etisalat launched a Public TelePresence room – also in collaboration with Tata Communications – at the
Dubai World Trade Center. The Etisalat Public TelePresence room will provide high definition virtual conferencing. It is built on Cisco’s advanced Public TelePresence infrastructure, and includes a network of 23 public TelePresence rooms, deployed by Tata,
in cities including New York City, London, Mumbai, and Shanghai. Etisalat is also hyping a new interactive 24×7 online booking system, for allowing businesses to book the room in advance.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

CONSULTING & MANAGED SERVICES


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Accenture Earns 42-Month IT Services Contract in Nagaland, India

Accenture announced that it has received a 42-month IT services contract from the government of Nagaland, India. Accenture will be tasked with the implementation of the state’s new public services portal. The
portal will be used to enhance and ease the distribution of information between the government and the citizens of Nagaland. No financial terms for the contract were disclosed.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Boeing Teams with Fujitsu for Aircraft Maintenance Services

Boeing announced that it has partnered with Fujitsu to create a service to enable greater efficiency in aircraft maintenance operations. The companies plan on employing technologies such as Radio Frequency
Identification Devices (RFID) and Contact Memory Buttons (CMB) to reduce the costs associated with inventory management, and data entry errors. Fujitsu will be providing the technology platform, including automated identification technology, device
readers, software applications, and a system integration and deployment service. Boeing, meanwhile, will be tasked with customizing and installing the services to best suit each customer’s needs. The alliance plans to commence offering the service to both
Boeing and non-Boeing fleets some time in the first quarter of 2012.

Source: Vendor, 12/17/2010

HP to Provide Global Data Center Services for BP

HP Enterprise Services UK signed a $400+ million USD outsourcing deal to provide global data center services for BP International, presumably to help standardize and consolidate hosting
services, and also allow it to accommodate new cloud computing services. HP will provide monitoring, backup and recovery, site management and maintenance services, and database and middleware management, and will also provide BP with a platform to deploy
HP private and public cloud computing services, and external cloud services. HP already provides data center services for BP’s European data centers in the UK. The agreement includes regional data centers in Europe and the Americas.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

NCR Earns Contract Renewal with NRT Technology Corp

NCR announced that it has signed a contract renewal with NRT Technology Corp. The renewed agreement calls for NCR to continue servicing 1,300 NRT Ticket-in/Ticket-out (TITO) cash redemption devices across the United
States. The original agreement was signed three years ago.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

CYBERCRIME


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Harvard Report Details DDoS Attacks

Harvard University published a report on distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that target independent media
and human rights Web sites. The document makes recommendations on how to mitigate such risks.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Botnet, Not WikiLeaks Behind Spamhaus Attack

Spamhaus, an anti-spam group has been hit by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack but the hackers are not WikiLeaks supporters as originally suspected, according to a
report by eWeek. Spamhaus came under a DDoS attack last weekend. It was assumed that supporters of WikiLeaks were behind the hack. because Spamhaus had issued a warning last week that WikiLeaks was redirecting to
wikileaks.info, a fake site hosted by a Russian provider known for hosting phishing and malware Web sites. Ultimately, Spamhaus determined that a botnet was actually the cause for the cyberattack.

Source: eWeek, 12/21/2010

ENTERPRISE APPLICATION SOFTWARE


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Oracle Launches Updated Documaker Enterprise Edition

Oracle announced the availability of Oracle Documaker Enterprise Edition, its solution for creating and managing enterprise communications. This
new update features adaptive enterprise content, a new Web-based iDocumaker, a single administration point, and multi-language support.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Oracle Launches Oracle Insight 7.0

Oracle announced the launch of Oracle Insurance Insight 7.0, the company’s data warehouse and business intelligence solution designed
specifically for insurers. The newest version introduces adaptive data modeling to the software. Oracle says this allows users to configure lines of business via a warehouse palette tool. Oracle Insurance Insight 7.0 is available now.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING


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IBM Teams with Telvent to Develop Traffic Solutions for Small Cities

IBM announced that it is teaming with Telvent to develop and market traffic management solutions for smaller cities, universities, government campuses, and business districts. The companies are targeting less populous
locations that become overcrowded during specific periods of increased activity during the day. They plan on integrating traffic control, road sensors, bus schedules, real-time GPS location, and IBM’s analytics to create solutions to ease the congestion in
these areas. The alliance’s proposed solution would see drivers being notified of predicted trouble spots hours ahead of time, including suggestions for alternate routes. No specific timeframe for availability was announced.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

NCR Releases New Enhancement Suite for Self-Serve Checkouts

NCR announced the launch of its new NCR SelfServ Checkout Enterprise Suite. The new product is designed to centrally manage self-checkout terminals across an entire network of retail locations. The suite will consist of
a series of modules, each designed to enhance a single aspect of the retail process. The first of these released will be the new Item Security module, followed by Personalization, Configuration Management, and Distribution in 2011. The software is
available to new, or existing NCR customers.

Source: Vendor, 12/17/2010

FINANCIAL


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Accenture Posts Impressive Q1 2011 Financials, Raises FY Guidance

Accenture posted its financial results for the first quarter of its 2011 fiscal year. Revenues for the quarter totaled $6.47 billion, up from the same quarter last year when the company reported total revenues of
$5.74 billion. Net income rose as well, reaching $605 million, or $0.84 per share. This is a considerable increase over the corresponding quarter of 2010, which saw a net income of $524 million, or $0.70 per share. Based on these results, the company
raised its full-year guidance to include 8%-11% revenue growth, and a range of $3.08 to $3.16 for total earnings per share. Accenture’s success this quarter was largely due to $6.31 billion in new bookings.

Source: Vendor, 12/16/2010

Adobe Reports First $1 Billion Quarter, Strong FY 2010 Results

Adobe posted its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ending December 3, 2010. The fourth quarter saw Adobe break the $1 billion mark in revenue for the first time in its history. This was a 33%
increase over the $757.3 million reported for the fourth quarter of FY 2009. Net income for the quarter also improved greatly, reaching $286 million, or $0.53 per share, compared to the same quarter of 2009 when the company suffered net losses of $32
million, or $0.06 per share. The fiscal year was equally prosperous for Adobe. It reported a FY revenue of $3.8 billion, versus 2009’s $2.9 billion. Net income was $774 million, or $1.49 per share, compared to $386 million, or $0.74 per share reported for
2009. The company says its success is a result of its diversification and increased sales figures across all of its major businesses.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

AT&T Board Okays Dividend Increase, Share Repurchase

AT&T‘s board of directors has approved a 2.4 percent increase in the company’s quarterly dividend and a 300 million share repurchase authorization. AT&T directors increased the quarterly dividend rate from $0.42 to
$0.43 a share on a quarterly basis, which would be an increase from $1.68 to $1.72 a share on an annualized basis. The dividend will be payable on Feb. 1, 2011 to common stockholders of record on Jan. 10, 2011. At the same time, AT&T announced a new share
repurchase authorization for 300 million shares. The authorization represents approximately 5 percent of outstanding shares and has no expiration date. The timing and nature of share repurchases are subject to market conditions and applicable securities
law, AT&T said.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

Cox Business Marks $1 Billion Revenue Milestone

Cox Communications announced that Cox Business, the company division that provides voice, data and video services for business customers, will surpass $1 billion in annual revenue this month.

Source: Vendor, 12/6/2010

Cox Communications Revenue Up 3.5% for Year

Cox Enterprises said its revenue fell 3.3 percent to $14.7 billion in 2009, down from $15.2 billion in 2008. Privately-held Cox, which has more than 66,000 employees, does not report operating profits or losses. Cox
Communications
, which accounts for 61 percent of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises’ revenue, posted a 3.5 percent increase in revenue. The telecommunications subsidiary’s sales rose to $9 billion in 2009, up from $8.7 billion in the prior year. Among Cox’s
other three divisions, a small increase was posted at AutoTrader.com (up 1 percent to $629 million), followed by declines at newspaper and broadcasting unit Cox Media Group (down 18 percent to $1.8 billion, though that includes some discontinued
operations), and automobile services firm Manheim (down 5.6 percent to $3.4 billion).

Source: Vendor, 4/27/2010

RIM Earnings Up 45% for Third Quarter

Research in Motion reported a 45% increase in its third-quarter earnings compared with the same quarter last year. RIM said its net income for the quarter was $911.1 million, or $1.74 per diluted share. BlackBerry
smart-phone sales accounted for much of the growth. RIM reported that it made 14.2 million BlackBerry shipments in the quarter, a 40% increase from the same period last year, and gained about 5.1 million net new subscriber accounts. The quarter’s revenue
came 82% from devices, 15% from service, and 3% from software and other revenue.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

TIBCO Reports Strong Gains in Q4, FY 2010

TIBCO announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2010. For the quarter, the company’s revenue totaled $241 million, a significant increase over the $195.5 million reported for the
corresponding period in 2009. Quarterly net income totaled $37.5 million, or $0.23 per share, compared to Q4 2009, when TIBCO reported a net income of $31.7 million or $0.19 per share. For the fiscal year, the company’s total revenue was $754 million, a
substantial gain over 2009, when the company took in $621.3 million. Net income also rose, reaching $78 million, or $0.49 per share, compared to $62.3 million, or $0.37 per share. Vivek Ranadiv‚, TIBCO’s chairman and chief executive officer, pointed to the
company’s broadening of its business model as an important component in the strong growth for both the quarter and the fiscal year.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

Vonage Completes Refinancing

Voice over IP operator Vonage has completed its planned refinancing, replacing its first, second and third lien debt of $194 million USD with interest rates at 16-20 percent. The new $200 million, five-year term loan
facility will provides the company with a more efficient capital structure, the company said.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS


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SAIC Signs $45 Million Contract with US SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) announced that it has signed a contract with the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific to provide engineering services for afloat and ashore
networks and information systems. SAIC will be called on to provide technical support for such areas as shipboard wide area networks, programs associated with local area networks, and future technology development and technical services. The agreement has
a three-year base period, two one-year options, and a total value of more than $45 million if all options are exercised.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

Unisys Added to FBI and Justice Department’s IT Triple S Contract

Unisys announced that it has been added to the list of companies included in the FBI and Justice Department’s Information Technology Supplies and Support Services (IT Triple S) prime contract. This allows Unisys to
compete for task orders in areas such as information technology hardware, software and services, integration, and operations and maintenance. The contract, which now includes 46 companies, has a ceiling value of more than $30 billion over 8 years.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

INTERNET


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comScore: Yahoo Sites Top Google Sites for November Visitors

comScore revealed that the Yahoo network of sites overtook the Google network of sites for the month of November 2010. The Yahoo network
finished the month with 180.9 million unique visitors, while Google fell to second place with 178.7 million. The Microsoft network of sites followed at third with 175.7 million, while Facebook took fourth place with 151.7 million unique visitors.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

LAPTOPS & TABLETS


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NEC to Introduce Dual-Screen LifeTouch Tablet

NEC Japan will unveil a dual screen, seven inch touchscreen device that uses the Android operating system, at January’s International CES trade show. The tablet will be based on the LifeTouch model NEC debuted in
November. It is intended for use as an access device for cloud based services, and will support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G cellular networking. NEC is not offering the LifeTouch directly to Japanese consumers, and will instead look to service providers to
offer it to consumers, bundled with an online service. NEC will also introduce an Android netbook with physical keyboard, new single and dual screen Cloud Communicator tablets, and new Android powered mobile notebooks.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

LEGAL


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Nokia Expands Patent Infringement Legal Actions Against Apple

Nokia announced it has filed claims in the UK High Court, Dusseldorf and Mannheim District Courts in Germany, and the District Court of the Hague, Netherlands, alleging that Apple
infringes Nokia patents in many of its products sold in those countries, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. These actions add 13 further Nokia patents to the 24 already asserted against Apple in the US International Trade Commission and the Delaware
and Wisconsin Federal courts,” said Paul Melin, vice president, Intellectual Property at Nokia.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

MALWARE WATCH


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India Named Top Spam Producer for November

Kaspersky Lab reported that the amount of spam detected in email traffic decreased by 0.6 percentage points in November compared with October’s figure, averaging 76.8% of all email traffic. India became the top
spam producing nation with 10.4% while Vietnam (8.8%) took second place behind it, according to Kasperky’s report.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

MOBILE APPS


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Amazon Launches Periodicals Store for Kindle App for Android

Amazon announced an update for the Android version of its Kindle e-reader application. The new version of the app adds the new ability to purchase and read more than 100 newspapers and periodicals. Buying options
include single issues or full subscriptions. This is the first of Amazon’s applications to be given this functionality, although it is expected to be available soon on other platforms. Amazon has created a page listing the periodicals currently available via the new service. The latest Kindle e-reader app can be downloaded from the Android Marketplace. Users with the app already installed will
receive this update automatically.

Source: Vendor, 12/17/2010

Vonage Updates Facebook App for iPhone with Invites

Vonage announced the update of its Vonage Mobile application for Facebook for iPhone to version 1.2. This new edition allows users to quickly invite their friends to use the app from their handsets. The invite can be
sent via SMS or email, and will direct the recipient to the Apple App store to download the application.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

MOBILE PLATFORMS


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Microsoft: 1.5 Million Windows Phone 7 Devices Sold by Manufacturers

Microsoft revealed that 1.5 million of its Windows Phone 7 Series devices have been sold by their manufacturers. This does not constitute 1.5 million phones in the hands of consumers. Rather, this means that
carriers, retail stores, and other phone sellers have purchased 1.5 million units for sale to consumers. The actual number of devices sold and activated remains unknown. Microsoft says this number meets with its expectations for the mobile platform, and
that it expects to see sales increase in 2011.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

PERIPHERALS


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Google Asks Manufacturers to Delay Google TV Debuts at CES 2011

Google has asked three device manufacturers to cancel planned Google TV product unveilings at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), The New York Times reported. The show,
which will take place in January, was supposed to serve as the launch pad for new Google TV products from Toshiba, LG, and Sharp. According to the Times’ sources, the company has asked the manufacturers to delay their product debuts until changes can be
made the software. The current generation of Google TV products has been getting mixed reviews due largely to buggy software and slow performance. The Times further noted that this misstep reinforces the idea of a weak business culture at the search giant,
which has frequently released products in a beta state of development only to be forced to stop production or release emergency patches to fix them. Both Samsung and Vizio still have Google TV product demonstrations planned to coincide with CES.

Source: NYT, 12/21/2010

PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION


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AOL Hires Lawson as New Head of Video Programming

AOL announced that Amber J. Lawson has been named to the newly created position of Head of Video Programming. Her responsibilities will include procuring, programming, and promoting AOL’s original video content to the
company’s audience. She will also head a team that will oversee AOL Studios, AOL Video hub, AOL.com, and 3rd party production houses. Prior to joining AOL, Lawson served as head of the international comedy business at Babelgum.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

AWS Opens New Edge Location in Jacksonville, Florida

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the opening of a new location in Jacksonville, Florida to serve users of its Amazon CloudFront and Amazon Route 53 services in the south east US. This is the 10th location to
open in the US and 17th in the world. Customers located adjacent to the new center can expect reduced latency following its opening. AWS plans to continue opening new edge locations through 2011.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

Delicioius Not Shutting Down, Seeking a New Home Instead

Social Bookmarking site Delicious made a post on its corporate blog to deny the widespread rumors that it would be among the
services included in a recent set of cancelled Yahoo products. The post says that, contrary to what many online news outlets were reporting, Delicious is not being shut down. However, the service has determined that it
is no longer a good fit at Yahoo, and is actively seeking a new home. There are currently no plans for any downtime during this transition, although the company assures that its blog will be updated to report any information on the matter.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

Ericsson Announces New SVP, General Counsel

Ericsson reported that, effective January 1, 2011, Nina Macpherson will become SVP, general counsel, and head of Group Function Legal Affairs. Macpherson has served as a lawyer and legal advisor for several firms
prior to joining Ericsson in 1996 as group legal counsel. It also announced the impending retirement of executive leadership team member Carl Olof Blomqvist, on March 31st.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

Motorola Spin-off Companies Begin Trading

As Motorola prepares for a formal split early next year, the “when issued” shares of its spin-off companies opened for trading on December 17th. Motorola Mobility Holdings, the spin-off smartphone division, opened
at $27.50, then fell 2.8% to $25.20 in the first 90 minutes of trading, according to Total Telecom. Motorola Solutions, the business that makes public safety radios, handheld scanners and telecommunications network gear, opened at $39.25 and rose to
$39.75. When-issued” trading allows market participants to seek out the market value for spin-off stocks ahead of the official split.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Northrop Grumman Taps Ricci as Corporate Director of Pricing

Northrop Grumman announced that David E. Ricci has been named corporate director of Pricing, Estimating and Program Control. He will report directly to Susan Cote, vice president, Corporate Contracts, Pricing and
Supply Chain. Ricci’s responsibilities will include leading the development of corporate-wide pricing, estimating and program control policies, guidelines and procedures. He will also serve as chair for both the Corporate Pricing and Estimating Council and
the Corporate Earned Value Management Council.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Sprint Taps Current Qwest CFO to Succeed Retiring Bob Brust

Sprint Nextel announced that Joseph J. Euteneuer, 55, has agreed to become chief financial officer of Sprint, succeeding Bob Brust, who is retiring. Sprint expects Euteneuer, who currently serves as executive vice
president and chief financial officer for Qwest Communications. to join the company following the completion of the proposed merger between Qwest and CenturyLink. Brust, 67, will remain as Sprint CFO until that time. Before serving as Qwest’s CFO,
Euteneuer served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of XM Satellite Radio. Prior to that, he held management positions at Comcast.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

Verizon Teams Up with NORAD to Track Santa Around The Globe

Verizon Business is partnering with the North American Aerospace Defense Command to provide and answer the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline. Starting Dec. 24 through Dec. 25,
children across the US and Canada can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to determine Santa’s exact location. Callers outside North America can reach the hotline by dialing the local Colorado Springs number at 719-556-5211, using the appropriate country code.
(International charges can apply. Verizon said that, in 2009, more than 74,000 calls were answered at the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center. This year, more than 1,200 volunteers representing military personnel from Colorado Springs, their families and
friends, and NORAD Tracks Santa corporate sponsors – including members from Verizon Business – will be manning the hotline. Real-time information about Santa’s travels can be found at the NORAD Tracks Santa Web
site. The information is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese – along with radar maps and streaming “SantaCam” video images from cities along Santa’s journey.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Yahoo Cuts Buzz, Traffic API, Other Services

Yahoo has confirmed that it plans to cut its Buzz product, and other failing offerings, the LA Times reports. The Times writes that this closing is relating to the same cost
cutting efforts that led the company to slash 600 jobs earlier this month. The only other service being terminated that Yahoo specifically named was its Traffic API, although it did confirm others would be included. Yahoo says this move will allow it to
better focus on its core strengths, and fund newly developed innovations.

Source: LA Times, 12/21/2010

PUBLIC SAFETY


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FCC Reviewing Non-Voice Technologies for Emergency Systems

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comments on how Next Generation 911 can enable the public to obtain emergency assistance by means of communication technologies beyond traditional voice-centric
devices. The FCC is proceeding in response to a recommendation in the National Broadband Plan seeking to use text messaging, email, video, and photos from mobile and landline broadband services during emergency situations.

Source: Vendor, 12/21/2010

Frontier to Host Free Disaster Preparedness Webcast in January

Frontier Communications is hosting a free live webcast on January 12, 2011 that will feature experts on terrorism, cyber attacks, and other business-crippling events. The “Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail” session will be webcast on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 11 AM Central Standard Time. Registration details are available at Frontier’s Web site. A replay of the webcast will be available
immediately following the event.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

REGULATORY & GOVERNMENT AGENCIES


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Level 3, AT&T Issue Statements of Support for FCC’s Action

Level 3 has applauded the order issued December 21st by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that set rules forbidding any carrier from blocking customer access to legal
content. AT&T, which has strongly opposed any extension of the FCC’s regulatory powers over wireless broadband access, posted its lukewarm support for yesterday’s FCC action, calling the ruling a “compromise that appears
to balance major differences despite a number of lingering concerns.”

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

FCC Adopts Compromise “Net Neutrality” Rules

As expected, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted 3-2 to adopt rules that essentially create a framework for
regulating two classes of Internet access, one set of rules for fixed-line providers and the other for wireless carriers offering broadband connections to the Internet. While the new framework – formally called the Open Internet Order – aims to keep
service providers from blocking access to any sites or applications with legal content, it stops short of preventing higher fees being charged by the carriers supplying bandwidth to high-volume services. Further, the new rules give wireless companies even
more flexibility to control and price access to services over their networks. Wireless companies, of course, are often fixed-line operators, too (e.g., AT&T, Verizon). The new rules allow for “reasonable network management” by broadband providers (e.g.,
Comcast) and discourage but do not forbid “paid prioritization,” which allows a media or technology company (e.g., Google’s YouTube) to pay a provider (e.g., Verizon) for faster transmission of data. The order does require “transparency” about network
management practices. In short, the Open Internet Order represents what FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski considers a hard-won compromise between the competing demands of commercial service providers and advocacy groups for the concept of total Net
Neutrality that would preserve not only “openness” but forbid tiered pricing for services. The new rules, circulated as a “draft framework” on December 1, are a step back from
more aggressive Net Neutrality proposals floated by the FCC earlier this year. That so-called “Third Way” withered in the face of strong opposition from major carriers, and others, and faced political opposition, as well – opposition that would have likely
increased as Republicans take control of the House of Representatives next year. The final FCC vote broke along partisan lines, with the FCC’s three Democrats voting to pass the rules many Net Neutrality advocates see as watered-down, while the two
Republicans opposed the new rules, saying the Order represents unnecessary regulation. Court challenges to the new rules are expected, as is activity on the legislative front. Verizon posted a press release expressing
its strong opposition to the Order soon after the FCC vote was taken, saying “the FCC appears to assert broad authority for sweeping new regulation of
broadband wireline and wireless networks and the Internet itself. This assertion of authority without solid statutory underpinnings will yield continued uncertainty for industry, innovators, and investors. In the long run, that is harmful to consumers and
the nation.”

Source: FCC, 12/21/2010

SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS


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Boeing Signs $1 Billion Contract for Mexican Satellite Network

Boeing signed a $1 billion contract with the government of Mexico for a new satellite communication system known as MEXSAT. The system will consts of three satellites, two ground locations, and associated network
operations systems and reference user terminals. The satellitel network will be used as a secure communications channel for the country’s national security needs. The first satellite is scheduled to launch before the end of 2012.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

SEARCH


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Google Launches Ngram Viewer: a Text Search Engine

Google announced the launch of a new search tool called the Ngram Viewer. This new Web app allows users to search the company’s expansive library of collected texts, over 5.2 million, for occurrences of their queried
words. The viewer will also provide visitors with a graph of how often that word appeared in literature between the year 1500 and today. Google believes the new tool will be useful for generating ideas in the academic community, but says it does not expect
the service to replace traditional research.

Source: Vendor, 12/16/2010

SECURITY FLAWS & FIXES


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Flaw Discovered in Patched Version of Microsoft IIS

An error when processing FTP requests has been confirmed in fully patched Microsoft Internet Information Services 7.5 for Windows 7 Professional. There is no fix for this vulnerability, but users should restrict
access to the FTP service.

Source: Secunia, 12/22/2010

Unpatched Holes in Microsoft’s WMI Admin Tools

Microsoft WMI Administrative Tools has several vulnerabilities, which were confirmed in version 1.1 (WBEMSingleView.ocx 1.50.1131.0). No fix has been provided for these issues.

Source: Secunia, 12/22/2010

Microsoft Updates Earlier Security Advisory

Microsoft updated an advisory that was originally released back in August regarding the Extended Protection for Authentication on the
Windows platform. The vendor removed an FAQ entry about a non-security update, resulting in the updated advisory.

Source: Vendor, 12/17/2010

SECURITY PRODUCTS & COMPANIES


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Survey Finds Passwords Are Weak Link in Online Security

A new ZoneAlarm survey from Check Point Software has revealed some staggering behavior in terms of passwords. Of those consumers interviewed, 79% admitted to using risky password construction practices, including
personal information and words. The survey also found that 26% of respondents reuse the same password for important accounts such as email, banking or shopping, and social networking sites.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

New Article Stresses Security Importance in Layer 2 Technology

The UK’s Center for the Protection of National Infrastructure released a new document that offers guidance for deploying Layer 2 Ethernet switches. The paper discusses the importance of using Layer 2 technology
safely to avoid leaving networks and data exposed to vulnerabilities.

Source: CPNI, 12/20/2010

Kaspersky Details Bredolab Botnet in New Publication

A new white paper from Kaspersky Lab describes the inner workings of the Bredolab botnet, which first emerged
in mid-2009. In October, 2010 the Dutch police force’s Cybercrime Department shutdown 143 Bredolab botnet control servers, which were responsible for hacking some 30 million global computers.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

Microsoft Publishes Article on Resolving Security Patch Issues

An update to Microsoft Outlook 2007, which was included in the Patch Tuesday Bulletin on December 14 has caused several issues which might require the need to uninstall the patch. Microsoft has published a blog post with instructions on how to resolve these problems.

Source: Vendor, 12/17/2010

Simulated Botnet Has Researchers Taking Notes

NetworkWorld reported that a group of scientists created a controlled botnet in order to study its interworkings. Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, at Nancy University in France, and Carlton
University in Ottawa joined forces to study the botnet, which they kept isolated to prevent the contamination of other machines. A published paper provides more
details about this experiment.

Source: NetworkWorld, 12/20/2010

NIST Publishes Paper on Passwords, Master Keys

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a document on techniques for deriving master keys from
passwords to protect stored electronic data. The paper is identified as Special Publication 800-132.

Source: NIST, 12/21/2010

Two Security Publications Available from NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a report regarding Framework for Emergency Response Officials Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure. That report is listed as NISTIR 7601. NIST also published a special publication on Information Security
Continuous Monitoring for Federal Information Systems and Organizations. The document is identified as Draft Special Publication 800-137.

Source: NIST, 12/16/2010

SOCIAL MEDIA


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France Telecom-Orange Employees Connect Via Internal Social Network

All 100,000 of France Telecom-Orange‘s employees in France are able to meet on “plazza,” the company’s new corporate social network. Plazza aims to strengthen employees’ social ties by providing a
platform that connects them, an initiative in keeping with the “Conquest 2015” project France Telecom launched to “reconnect” with its employees after a rash of employee suicides. Built in partnership with Microsoft, the social network is based on the
Microsoft Sharepoint 2010 collaborative application.

Source: Vendor, 12/22/2010

WEB COMMERCE


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comScore Reports Increase in E-Commerce Sales Growth Rate

comScore released its most recent finding on holiday e-commerce spending. For the first 47 days of the November-December 2010 holiday season the company has recorded a total of $27.46 billion having been spent
online. This represents a 12% overall increase over the same time period in 2009, with the most recent week reaching a 14% increase. The purchasing during this week was led by the so called “Green Monday” (December 13) with $954 million and Free Shipping
Day (December 17) with $942 million. Free Shipping Day showed the largest single-day increase of the 2010 shopping season with a 61% rise, year-over-year.

Source: Vendor, 12/19/2010

Internet Ad Spending to Surpass Newspapers: eMarketer

Internet research firm eMarketer says advertisers will spend more on Internet ads in 2010 than newspaper ads for the first time. Online ad spending will grow 13.9% to $25.8 billion for the full year in 2010, while
advertisers are expected to spend just $22.78 billion on print newspaper ads this year, down 8.2% from 2009, eMarketer estimates.Total newspaper ad revenues from print and online ads are expected to hit $25.7 billion this year, still shy of the $25.8
billion advertisers will spend on internet ads, eMarketer said in a blog post.

Source: Vendor, 12/20/2010

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