Technology and the Future

31-Aug-2011 | Reggie | Market Outlook Technology

Here in Canada there isn’t a whole lot of talk regarding technology.  With commodities having been super hot over the past few years, and RIM seemingly in decline, technology has taken a back seat in many investor’s minds.  However technology has not become less important since the tech bubble burst 10 years ago.  There are many ways in which technology will change our lives and the entire world.

Mobile computing through hand-held devices has spread like wildfire.  It’s estimated that some time this year more people will be using smart phones than regular cell phones.  These people will then be connected to the internet 24/7.  It’s not just the availability that has increased, it’s the number of things you can do using the internet.  Physical credit cards and debit cards are in the process of being replaced by smart phones.  Services such as Netflix and Hulu are changing the way we watch television and movies.  Complicated programs are being written to calculate whether oil and gas wells are economical and the best possible way to optimize production.  Social networking, cloud computing, and mega-fast computers are among the myriad of technological innovations that will probably have a drastic impact on the world as a whole.

Companies like Google and Apple are at the forefront of the latest and greatest in technology thanks to the likes of the mobile Android operating system and iPhone and iTunes.  They may be the big boys that are running the field, but there are many companies that are discovering ways to capitalize on the shift.  Many are composed of engineers and software developers, while others like Wi-Lan are composed of lawyers that sue and enforce different patents on the technologies themselves.  Microsoft and Nintendo changed how people play video games with their movement recognition technologies.  While these technologies are major breakthroughs, there is still much more to come.

Many believe that it is only a matter of time before we are no longer using gasoline and diesel to power our vehicles, but there is no question that computers, internet, and mobile devices are here to stay.  These are technologies that will continue to develop and expand to the masses.  New technologies, features, and abilities will be added constantly to add more and more ways to use the devices in everyday business and consumer life.

 

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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Big Telecoms playing Dirty

28-Jan-2011 | Reggie | Canadian Investing Law Suits

Over the past 15 years the internet has been one of the biggest sources of innovation and growth in the world.  Businesses like EBay, Amazon, Skype, Google, and Facebook have all been huge innovations that have changed our lives increasing our standard of living.  These businesses have been the future that made it easier to shop via finding hard to get items at great prices, talk to businesses or family members across the globe for pennies.  Google indexed billions of web pages and made it incredibly easy to find absolutely anything on the web, including just about any address on the globe.  Facebook allows millions of people to keep in touch at once.  The service is so popular it has eclipsed Google in the number of page views it receives.  In short, these innovations that have made our lives less expensive and far more convenient have been made possible thanks to the internet.  Unfortunately, many of these innovative new services are in direct competition to the owners and providers of internet service in Canada.  Hello Bell, Shaw, Telus, and Rogers.

In case you missed it, the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission) just passed a bill which allows the internet service providers to charge for internet based on usage.  Simultaneously, most providers silently lowered the maximum amount of data allowed.  With no other internet providers available, this leaves customers in a bad position as smaller internet providers such as Primus buy their internet from the big guys.  This ruling will result in some pretty serious consequences for Canadian consumers as the internet has been absolutely vital in opening up new alternative businesses for Canadians.

When you look at all 4 of these companies you see that they offer very similar services to each other, cable/satellite TV, landline phones as well as cellular services (all except for Shaw which has been thinking about joining the cellular market for some time), and of course internet services.  These Canadian telecoms have often been accused of being anti-competitive, and too comfortable and complacent while offering Canadians fairly poor service relative to their peers internationally.

Canadian long distance rates have always been quite expensive.  When companies such as Skype came along and offered users extraordinarily cheap international calling rates (around 2 cents a minute if you’re calling a landline or free computer to computer www.skype.com) people rejoiced at the opportunity to use a different company than the oligarchs they have been stuck with for years.  For comparison, the average landline long distance rate for a bell customer is around 8 to 10 cents per minute in Canada.  If you were to make a call to Hong Kong, that rate would jump to $1.15 and a whopping $3.69 a minute if you had to make a call to Saudi Arabia. (http://www.bell.ca/web/wireline/en/all_regions/pdfs/LD_OverseasSched_1.pdf)

Cable and/or satellite TV are staples of many homes across Canada.  Digital cable from Shaw starts at $36.95/month and goes up to $79.95/month for a premium service which includes a few movie channels along with the specialty networks.  Digital TV also offers some on demand movies along with a plethora of pay per view movies which will set up back about $6 a movie.  Back in November Netflix announced that they would be making the move to Canada offering their streaming service to Canadians for $8 per month.  Users can then pick for a plethora of TV shows and movies and watch them streamed through the internet with the ability to pause, fast forward, and rewind at any time.  It is extremely convenient and of great value for its users.  It is easy to see how Shaw, Rogers, Telus, and Bell see Netflix (www.netflix.ca) as a serious threat to their service.  Shortly after getting Netflix I canceled my premium cable service.

These actions seem extremely anti-competitive and as a pretty clear cut way to take the rug out from under the telecoms innovative competitors.  There has been quite the outrage so far as businesses and consumers worry about the increase in charges they could soon be facing and the limit in choice that goes along with that extra cost.  If the CRTC decision is over ruled, there could be some major implications for the telecoms as these new innovative companies look to take away market share with their superior service and price.

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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