Fed Rate Announcement & More on Skype

10-Aug-2010 | Reggie | Communications Government Investment Ideas

With the announcement about the federal banking rate today, it became clear the Government of the United States isn’t taking any precautions when it comes to this economic recovery.  Not only did they keep rates low, they also promised to invest some of the proceeds from the $1.3 trillion the government holds in mortgage related debt.  This should go a long way to keeping rates low and money available for businesses looking.  Despite the governments best efforts with stimulus spending, there still seems to be some lingering fears about the health of the economy.  Fortunately, much of that fear seems to be largely unfounded as GDP data continues to show strong growth.

Just to follow up Kate’s blog a bit yesterday I downloaded and tried Skype for the first time ever.  I was super impressed with how well it worked.  It was very easy to find and then connect with a friend.  The chat itself was perfectly clear.  One of the biggest complaints from Vonage users was the delay as the message was digitized and then sent through the internet.  Users also complained about a tinny sound.  Skype had neither of these problems.  It really worked flawlessly.  If Skype manages to catch on with the mainstream and further penetrate handheld wireless devices, it really could be a very huge shift in the telecom sector.

This blog has been prepared by the Retire First Team. The blog expresses the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of Retire First Ltd. Statistic and factual data are from sources Retire First believes to be reliable but their accuracy can not be guaranteed. This blog is furnished on the basis and understanding that Retire First is under no liability whatsoever in respect thereof. It is for informational purposes only and is not be construed as an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities. Retire First Ltd. And its officers, directors, employees and their family may from time to time invest in the securities discussed in this blog. This blog is intended for individuals where Retire First Ltd is registered as a dealer in securities.

Retire First is a member of the Canadian Investors Protection Fund.

Commission, trailing commissions, management fees and expense all may be associated with mutual funds. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. A recommendation of any of the mentioned investments would only be made after a personal review of individual portfolio. Third Party research has been used in formulating the writer's opinions.

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Hewlett-Packard snaps up Palm for $1.2 Billion

28-Apr-2010 | Reggie | Communications Technology

The offer made earlier today is for $5.70 per share and represents a 23% premium to todays closing price of $4.64.  Although Palm products haven’t sold like hot cakes over the past few years compared to some of their competitors, their technology offers a lot of appeal to many of the technology firms out there.  The Palm Pre was released a few years ago to the accolades of the tech community.  Many were enthralled with the touch screen interface, the smooth and fast operating system that allowed for multiple programs to be open simultaneously, and slick styling.  Before the Pre was for sale to the general public, there was speculation that the Pre would be an iPhone killer.

When it was reported that Palm was shopping around for a buyer, there was a lot of speculation that Research In Motion would be the ones to pull the trigger.  It was thought that the technologies behind Palm would mesh nicely with the Blackberry makers.  Some think that the Blackberry operating system is preventing the device from catching on with the average personal use consumer.  While extremely proficient at handling emails and attachments, many find the blackberry lagging behind its competitors when it comes to internet browsing and media use.

Hewlett Packard making the purchase shouldn’t come as a big surprise.  Handheld devices are really becoming the next frontier in the world of technology.  Apple becoming the 2nd largest publicly traded company in the United States is evidence of this.  All the biggest players making a move to get a foothold on the sector.  Google, Windows, Sony, HTC, Research in Motion, Nokia, Apple, and soon to be HP.  This is great news for consumers as the market becomes far more competitive as the developers struggle to out-innovate and out price one another.

This blog has been prepared by the Retire First Team. The blog expresses the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of Retire First Ltd. Statistic and factual data are from sources Retire First believes to be reliable but their accuracy can not be guaranteed. This blog is furnished on the basis and understanding that Retire First is under no liability whatsoever in respect thereof. It is for informational purposes only and is not be construed as an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities. Retire First Ltd. And its officers, directors, employees and their family may from time to time invest in the securities discussed in this blog. This blog is intended for individuals where Retire First Ltd is registered as a dealer in securities.

Retire First is a member of the Canadian Investors Protection Fund.

Commission, trailing commissions, management fees and expense all may be associated with mutual funds. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. A recommendation of any of the mentioned investments would only be made after a personal review of individual portfolio. Third Party research has been used in formulating the writer's opinions.

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Smart Phones set to become more popular than Cell Phones

30-Mar-2010 | Reggie | Communications Technology

A research study conducted by Nielson concluded that by fall of next year, sales of Smart Phones will make up 50% of total wireless devices.  Not just for the business type anymore, Smart Phones hold a mass appeal thanks to the huge amount of utility and fun they play.  While the devices of yesterday were limited to sending and receiving messages, now they are fully fledged media devices that have high resolution Cameras, MP3 players, and social networking devices with fully functioning and fast internet browsing, all for the price of Chinese food for six. (On select 3 year terms of course)  Makers such as Apple, Research in Motion, Samsung, and Motorola have seen their sales increasing by leaps and bounds as users upgrade to these new devices.

With all these features packed into a device smaller than your wallet, its no surprise that demand for these devices has gone through the roof.  This is fantastic news for the wireless providers and makes it easy to see why Telus and Bell invested big bucks into their networks over the past few years.  In order to tell your friends what you had for breakfast on twitter, post a picture of a goat you drove past on the highway on Facebook, or watch a You Tube video of a fat guy falling off a bicycle.  This means that the total amount of data usage is increasing quite substantially.  Charging for data is big bucks for the telecom companies and the average cellular bill with data is nearly double that of just a phone plan.  This could make for a significant trend that should bolster the profits of the telecoms and the handset makers as people continue to upgrade their devices.

This blog has been prepared by the Retire First Team. The blog expresses the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of Retire First Ltd. Statistic and factual data are from sources Retire First believes to be reliable but their accuracy can not be guaranteed. This blog is furnished on the basis and understanding that Retire First is under no liability whatsoever in respect thereof. It is for informational purposes only and is not be construed as an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities. Retire First Ltd. And its officers, directors, employees and their family may from time to time invest in the securities discussed in this blog. This blog is intended for individuals where Retire First Ltd is registered as a dealer in securities.

Retire First is a member of the Canadian Investors Protection Fund.

Commission, trailing commissions, management fees and expense all may be associated with mutual funds. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. A recommendation of any of the mentioned investments would only be made after a personal review of individual portfolio. Third Party research has been used in formulating the writer's opinions.

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Sony has gone to 3D

09-Mar-2010 | kate | Asia Communications New Announcements Uncategorized

Sony is taking a leap into the future, launching their 3D Plasma in Japan today. The company expects that up to 10% of their Bravia line will be made up for 3D sales, which means that they will sell over 2.5 million 3D TV that retail for over $6,500.

The world of TV has changed yet again, as the newest and hottest TV product was released today by Sony.  The Bravia product line is hoping that their latest additional will boost sales in their Blu-ray and video game players as well.

It appears that Sony is envisioning becoming a comprehensive entertainment company, taking advantage of their game business and movies, while their rival competitors, Samsung and LG stay focused on developing hardware. Last month Samsung started offering 3D TV’s in South Korea. The forth largest LCD TV maker, Panasonic Crop is launching their 3D TV in the US tomorrow and is working with Best Buy to release the product.

Well the TV makers are hoping this technology will be the biggest innovation since color TV, many sector analysts are concerned that consumers will be unwilling to make the switch to 3D because they have just recently purchased the HD TVs.

We at Sony will liberate 3D from the confines of movie theatres and make it something that people can enjoy at home,” Sony Senior Vice President Yoshihisa Ishida told a news conference. The sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar” and other recent titles have sparked massive interest in 3D movies, and electronics makers are now rushing to get flat panel TVs with three-dimensional visual effects to the market. Several broadcasters are even jumping abroad launching 3D stations through Asia, EU and even ESPN in North America.

Global demand for 3D TVs will likely reach 15.6 million units in 2013 from an estimated 1.2 million units this year, according to research firm DisplaySearch. But will 3D TV bring Sony to the number two TV maker spot, bumping LG to third? We will just have to wait and see.

And for those history buffs out there, this isn’t the first time the 3D experience has been marketed to the home audiences. In the eighties (with poor technology of course) 3D  was launched for the home markets and did not fare well in the America’s but has done well in China where  a company called TCL has been selling 3D TV for several years for  $20,000 using a lenticular system that does not require glassed. A 3D channel has even been available in Japan since 2008.

This blog has been prepared by the Retire First Team. The blog expresses the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of Retire First Ltd. Statistic and factual data are from sources Retire First believes to be reliable but their accuracy can not be guaranteed. This blog is furnished on the basis and understanding that Retire First is under no liability whatsoever in respect thereof. It is for informational purposes only and is not be construed as an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities. Retire First Ltd. And its officers, directors, employees and their family may from time to time invest in the securities discussed in this blog. This blog is intended for individuals where Retire First Ltd is registered as a dealer in securities.

Retire First is a member of the Canadian Investors Protection Fund.

Commission, trailing commissions, management fees and expense all may be associated with mutual funds. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. A recommendation of any of the mentioned investments would only be made after a personal review of individual portfolio. Third Party research has been used in formulating the writer's opinions.

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Shaw VS the Aspers & Goldman Sachs, US Raises the Discount Rate

24-Feb-2010 | Reggie | Canadian Investing Communications

It appears as though the Asper family is not quite ready to give up the family business despite the recent bankruptcy troubles and restructuring that left the Canwest a shadow of what it was before.  The bid appears to be quite serious thanks to some high quality financial backing, and big-time possible financers.  The Aspers will be helped by two former Rogers Communications execs, John Tory and Rael Merson.  Financing would be assisted from Goldman Sachs which already owns a nice chunk of the media company.  The announcement that Goldman Sachs would be part of this deal is quite a surprise considering how frustrated they have been over some of the actions that have been taken by the Asper family during their financial troubles.

The main competition to the Asper’s bid will be coming from another made in Canada family business, Shaw Communications.  Shaw announced their intention to go after Canwest late last week.  News that they would have to fight for it came to a surprise to many after Fairfax gave up their bid.  Shaw wants to get a hold of the very worthwhile and prosperous specialty channels, while leaving the newspapers for whoever wants them.  If Shaw succeeds at getting a piece of the Canwest pie, it could prove to be quite lucrative to incorporate ownership and sales of the channels into the big Shaw picture.

It was announced came about that the US central bank would be lowering their discount rate that is often used as a source for emergency funds.  The rate will be raised up 0.25% up to 0.75%  It is believed that this is the first step towards normalizing the monetary system and raising interest rates back towards more normal levels.  The Asian markets seemed to have been quite concerned by this as the Hang Seng declined by nearly 530 points or 2.6%  Fortunately, the European and North American markets managed to shrug it off for the most part and post some small gains.  Many still believe that increases to the main rate used for monetary policy are still a ways off, as inflation as remained quite low.  Still, the US continues to post strong economic data as a sign they are still the world’s economic powerhouse.

The raise in the rate should have a few major impacts to it:

♦We’ll likely see an increase in short term rates as banks adjust their lending practices to target consumers in an effort to get more bang for their buck of each dollar lent.

♦The US dollar should begin to rise as the US reasserts its position as the world’s biggest and strongest economy.

This blog has been prepared by the Retire First Team. The blog expresses the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of Retire First Ltd. Statistic and factual data are from sources Retire First believes to be reliable but their accuracy can not be guaranteed. This blog is furnished on the basis and understanding that Retire First is under no liability whatsoever in respect thereof. It is for informational purposes only and is not be construed as an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities. Retire First Ltd. And its officers, directors, employees and their family may from time to time invest in the securities discussed in this blog. This blog is intended for individuals where Retire First Ltd is registered as a dealer in securities.

Retire First is a member of the Canadian Investors Protection Fund.

Commission, trailing commissions, management fees and expense all may be associated with mutual funds. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. A recommendation of any of the mentioned investments would only be made after a personal review of individual portfolio. Third Party research has been used in formulating the writer's opinions.

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