Sunday, May 29, 2011
Datamatics Technologies Ltd Recommends Final Dividend
Datamatics Technologies Ltd announced that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on May 27, 2011, inter alia, has recommended a final dividend at 15% i.e. INR0.75 per share to the shareholders for the year ended March 31, 2011.
Compucom Software Ltd Recommends Final Dividend; Appoints Bhubneshwer Sharma To Act As CEO
Compucom Software Ltd announced that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on May 27, 2011, inter alia, has recommended dividend @ 15% i.e. INR0.30 per equity share of INR2 each as the final dividend for the financial year ended March 31, 2011. Board also Approved the appointment of Mr. Bhubneshwer Sharma, Manager (Accounts) to act as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company.
Former Wipro Joint CEO Girish Paranjpe To Head Bloom Energy Intl
Bloom Energy, a Silicon Valley-based provider of breakthrough solid oxide fuel cell technology which produces clean, reliable and affordable onsite power, has roped in Girish Paranjpe, former joint CEO of Wipro, India's third biggest software exporter.
Paranjpe has joined as the Managing Director of Bloom Energy International and will report to KR Sridhar, principal co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy, the energy storage company said in a statement.
As part of his role, Paranjpe will be responsible for developing the global market for Bloom Energy. He will also focus on creating new solutions around the Bloom Energy Server and the flagship Bloom Electrons' offering. In an effort to ensure that clean energy reaches millions around the world, Paranjpe will lead Bloom Energy's initiative to partner with energy industry innovators, as well as leading solution and infrastructure providers.
Because of its compact fuel cells which can generate electricity with low carbon emissions, Bloom Energy is one of the most hyped companies among Silicon Valley’s growing roster of green start-ups. The new company, with more than $100 million in funding from Credit Suisse Group and Silicon Valley Bank, receives federal grants for up to 30 per cent of what it spends on the fuel cells.
Founded by Indian-born KR Sridhar, a former director at NASA, Bloom Energy offers modular electricity generating boxes which convert fuel cells into electricity. Globally, eBay and Google are among some of the high profile customers already using Bloom Boxes. Now, the company plans to tap into newer markets and increase its footprint.
Announcing Paranjpe's appointment, KR Sridhar said, "We are extremely happy to have Girish on board. Bloom Energy today is at an inflection point, having developed and proven the technology in California. It is now time to expand our markets. Girish will help us start the journey of taking the promise of Bloom’s technology to the global marketplace. I am confident that Girish will build a strong worldwide organisation that will make a significant impact on distributed generation solutions."
Commenting on his new role, Girish Paranjpe said, "The opportunity with Bloom is quite exciting for multiple reasons. Bloom's ability to generate clean, reliable and affordable baseload power is unique, and its technology will have a far-reaching impact for businesses and society. Throughout the world, both developed and emerging countries are looking for breakthrough alternatives to fulfil growing electricity needs. Bloom is at the cusp of a new beginning and there is an opportunity for me to do something significant, similar to what I did as part of the IT industry. Initially, we will enter a select few geographies, yet to be finalised, which have the following key attributes – unmet customer needs, the right policy environment, support for the right infrastructure and strategic like-minded domestic partners."
Prior to joining Bloom Energy International, Paranjpe was the co-CEO of Wipro’s IT business and was an executive director on the board of Wipro Ltd. He jointly carried the responsibility for strategy and operations at Wipro’s IT business. Paranjpe also represented Wipro and the IT industry in various public forums including the prime minister’s task force on information technology, NASSCOM and at leading global business schools.
On January 20, Bloom announced a new payment option which would help it generate power at competitive prices on a large scale. A programme called Bloom Electrons offers 10-year contracts for metered electricity at 5 per cent to 20 per cent below the grid rate in California. Before Bloom's new payment method, customers had to pay $700,000-plus for a unit which provides 100 KW of electricity (about what 100 US homes may use). Founded in 2001, Bloom Energy is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and claims that it is changing the way the world generates and consumes energy.
Paranjpe has joined as the Managing Director of Bloom Energy International and will report to KR Sridhar, principal co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy, the energy storage company said in a statement.
As part of his role, Paranjpe will be responsible for developing the global market for Bloom Energy. He will also focus on creating new solutions around the Bloom Energy Server and the flagship Bloom Electrons' offering. In an effort to ensure that clean energy reaches millions around the world, Paranjpe will lead Bloom Energy's initiative to partner with energy industry innovators, as well as leading solution and infrastructure providers.
Because of its compact fuel cells which can generate electricity with low carbon emissions, Bloom Energy is one of the most hyped companies among Silicon Valley’s growing roster of green start-ups. The new company, with more than $100 million in funding from Credit Suisse Group and Silicon Valley Bank, receives federal grants for up to 30 per cent of what it spends on the fuel cells.
Founded by Indian-born KR Sridhar, a former director at NASA, Bloom Energy offers modular electricity generating boxes which convert fuel cells into electricity. Globally, eBay and Google are among some of the high profile customers already using Bloom Boxes. Now, the company plans to tap into newer markets and increase its footprint.
Announcing Paranjpe's appointment, KR Sridhar said, "We are extremely happy to have Girish on board. Bloom Energy today is at an inflection point, having developed and proven the technology in California. It is now time to expand our markets. Girish will help us start the journey of taking the promise of Bloom’s technology to the global marketplace. I am confident that Girish will build a strong worldwide organisation that will make a significant impact on distributed generation solutions."
Commenting on his new role, Girish Paranjpe said, "The opportunity with Bloom is quite exciting for multiple reasons. Bloom's ability to generate clean, reliable and affordable baseload power is unique, and its technology will have a far-reaching impact for businesses and society. Throughout the world, both developed and emerging countries are looking for breakthrough alternatives to fulfil growing electricity needs. Bloom is at the cusp of a new beginning and there is an opportunity for me to do something significant, similar to what I did as part of the IT industry. Initially, we will enter a select few geographies, yet to be finalised, which have the following key attributes – unmet customer needs, the right policy environment, support for the right infrastructure and strategic like-minded domestic partners."
Prior to joining Bloom Energy International, Paranjpe was the co-CEO of Wipro’s IT business and was an executive director on the board of Wipro Ltd. He jointly carried the responsibility for strategy and operations at Wipro’s IT business. Paranjpe also represented Wipro and the IT industry in various public forums including the prime minister’s task force on information technology, NASSCOM and at leading global business schools.
On January 20, Bloom announced a new payment option which would help it generate power at competitive prices on a large scale. A programme called Bloom Electrons offers 10-year contracts for metered electricity at 5 per cent to 20 per cent below the grid rate in California. Before Bloom's new payment method, customers had to pay $700,000-plus for a unit which provides 100 KW of electricity (about what 100 US homes may use). Founded in 2001, Bloom Energy is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and claims that it is changing the way the world generates and consumes energy.
Sony Ericsson needs Sony firepower for Android war
Last year the 10-year-old venture set itself the ambitious target of capturing the market for Google's Android platform, the world's most popular smartphone software, in order to rake in returns from the fast-growing and profitable market.
But to reach its goal, Sony Ericsson needs a dynamic owner with deep pockets and multimedia assets. Its brand is languishing by comparison with Apple Inc, whose iPhones and iPads have wowed gadget-hungry consumers.
A full takeover of the venture with Sweden's Ericsson would boost Sony's overall offering, which includes content, gaming devices, consumer electronics and even tablet computers, but is still missing its own smartphones.
"Sony has not seemed interested so far in making such a move, but now the full offering story is very, very 'in', and Sony might be looking at Apple and thinking they could come up with a similar offering," Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said.
Sony and Ericsson's 50:50 venture -- formed in 2001 -- thrived after its breakthrough with Walkman music phones and Cybershot cameraphones, both of which leveraged Sony's brands.
But it lost out to leaner rivals at the cheaper end, and its share of total handset sales dropped to just 3 percent from more than 9 percent at its height.
Now, Sony Ericsson is pinning its hopes on a switch in focus to smartphones, the fastest-growing part of the mobile market, and particularly phones powered by Android.
It is making some progress and turned a net profit of 90 million euros ($127 million) last year, after a booking a loss of 836 million euros in 2009.
JAPANESE COMPLICATIONS
In order to snare new customers, Sony Ericsson needs access to Sony's popular content. This includes PlayStation, a music catalogue including artists Justin Timberlake and Bob Dylan, and movies and TV shows like popular U.S. comedy "Seinfeld".
It has taken steps in that direction already. It recently rolled out the Xperia Play smartphone which gives users access to PlayStation games.
But its product was late and expensive and is being undermined by parent Sony, which is rolling out other products in direct competition.
Sony recently launched a tablet computer that runs on Android software, as well as an own-brand portable gaming device. It also plans to franchise PlayStation to other phone makers.
Nobuo Kurahashi of Mizuo Investors' Securities said it made far more sense for Sony to roll Sony Ericsson into its strategy rather than competing with it.
"Having Sony Ericsson phones involved (separately) could make it harder for Sony to achieve its goals," Kurahashi said.
"Having ... the whole thing under their control could well make it easier to build their network strategy."
But it won't be easy, with Sony distracted by headaches elsewhere. This week, Sony said it would make a $3.2 billion net loss for the fiscal year that ended March 31 due to the effects of March's earthquake in Japan.
The company had already been struggling, outmanoeuvred by Apple in portable music and Samsung in flat-screen TVs and challenged by Nintendo and Microsoft in the battle for dominance of video game consoles.
It also faces a massive undertaking to recover customer trust after hackers accessed client data from its online gaming platform in April.
"Given the enormity of Sony's current challenges, a move for Sony Ericsson in the short term seems unlikely," said CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber.
SILENT SWEDISH PARTNER
The impetus may come instead from partner Ericsson, which could push Sony to buy it out if their joint venture continues to fade in relevance.
Sony Ericsson finally turned a profit last year, but that may not last, given the odds currently stacked against it.
"I think it (Sony Ericsson) is already fairly irrelevant in the market in terms of volumes and even value market share," said WestLB's Thomas Langer.
However, Ericsson has no urgent need for the 1 billion to 2.5 billion euros some analysts reckon half of Sony Ericsson's equity is worth, based on its revenues of 6.3 billion euros.
Debt would not be an issue, since the venture had net debt of only 5 million euros at the end of March.
Meanwhile, Ericsson's own core business is soaring as telecom operators raise spending to boost capacity in networks choked by smartphone customers.
It has also made joint ventures part of its targets for the 2010-2013 period, possibly signalling no sale is on the cards.
Even if Sony Ericsson does sort out its ownership issues, the going will be tough.
The smartphone market is growing fast, with shipments nearly doubling year on year in the first quarter to 100 million handsets, according to IDC's mobile phone tracker report.
But competition for a larger slice of the pie is fierce, and Sony Ericsson will not only have to battle deep-pocketed, larger rivals like Samsung Electronics , but also nimbler Asian players such as HTC, China's ZTE and Huawei.
Sony Ericsson has 9 percent of the market for smartphones running on Android software, compared with 26 percent for Samsung, according to researcher Strategy Analytics.
Eight analysts polled by Reuters all thought Sony Ericsson would likely miss its target of becoming the biggest seller of Android.
Some say that makes it all the more important for Sony to take stronger ownership.
"Sony needs a mobile presence, and Sony Ericsson needs Sony content and services. This can arguably only be achieved if Sony takes control of the joint venture," said CCS Insight's Blaber.
But to reach its goal, Sony Ericsson needs a dynamic owner with deep pockets and multimedia assets. Its brand is languishing by comparison with Apple Inc, whose iPhones and iPads have wowed gadget-hungry consumers.
A full takeover of the venture with Sweden's Ericsson would boost Sony's overall offering, which includes content, gaming devices, consumer electronics and even tablet computers, but is still missing its own smartphones.
"Sony has not seemed interested so far in making such a move, but now the full offering story is very, very 'in', and Sony might be looking at Apple and thinking they could come up with a similar offering," Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said.
Sony and Ericsson's 50:50 venture -- formed in 2001 -- thrived after its breakthrough with Walkman music phones and Cybershot cameraphones, both of which leveraged Sony's brands.
But it lost out to leaner rivals at the cheaper end, and its share of total handset sales dropped to just 3 percent from more than 9 percent at its height.
Now, Sony Ericsson is pinning its hopes on a switch in focus to smartphones, the fastest-growing part of the mobile market, and particularly phones powered by Android.
It is making some progress and turned a net profit of 90 million euros ($127 million) last year, after a booking a loss of 836 million euros in 2009.
JAPANESE COMPLICATIONS
In order to snare new customers, Sony Ericsson needs access to Sony's popular content. This includes PlayStation, a music catalogue including artists Justin Timberlake and Bob Dylan, and movies and TV shows like popular U.S. comedy "Seinfeld".
It has taken steps in that direction already. It recently rolled out the Xperia Play smartphone which gives users access to PlayStation games.
But its product was late and expensive and is being undermined by parent Sony, which is rolling out other products in direct competition.
Sony recently launched a tablet computer that runs on Android software, as well as an own-brand portable gaming device. It also plans to franchise PlayStation to other phone makers.
Nobuo Kurahashi of Mizuo Investors' Securities said it made far more sense for Sony to roll Sony Ericsson into its strategy rather than competing with it.
"Having Sony Ericsson phones involved (separately) could make it harder for Sony to achieve its goals," Kurahashi said.
"Having ... the whole thing under their control could well make it easier to build their network strategy."
But it won't be easy, with Sony distracted by headaches elsewhere. This week, Sony said it would make a $3.2 billion net loss for the fiscal year that ended March 31 due to the effects of March's earthquake in Japan.
The company had already been struggling, outmanoeuvred by Apple in portable music and Samsung in flat-screen TVs and challenged by Nintendo and Microsoft in the battle for dominance of video game consoles.
It also faces a massive undertaking to recover customer trust after hackers accessed client data from its online gaming platform in April.
"Given the enormity of Sony's current challenges, a move for Sony Ericsson in the short term seems unlikely," said CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber.
SILENT SWEDISH PARTNER
The impetus may come instead from partner Ericsson, which could push Sony to buy it out if their joint venture continues to fade in relevance.
Sony Ericsson finally turned a profit last year, but that may not last, given the odds currently stacked against it.
"I think it (Sony Ericsson) is already fairly irrelevant in the market in terms of volumes and even value market share," said WestLB's Thomas Langer.
However, Ericsson has no urgent need for the 1 billion to 2.5 billion euros some analysts reckon half of Sony Ericsson's equity is worth, based on its revenues of 6.3 billion euros.
Debt would not be an issue, since the venture had net debt of only 5 million euros at the end of March.
Meanwhile, Ericsson's own core business is soaring as telecom operators raise spending to boost capacity in networks choked by smartphone customers.
It has also made joint ventures part of its targets for the 2010-2013 period, possibly signalling no sale is on the cards.
Even if Sony Ericsson does sort out its ownership issues, the going will be tough.
The smartphone market is growing fast, with shipments nearly doubling year on year in the first quarter to 100 million handsets, according to IDC's mobile phone tracker report.
But competition for a larger slice of the pie is fierce, and Sony Ericsson will not only have to battle deep-pocketed, larger rivals like Samsung Electronics , but also nimbler Asian players such as HTC, China's ZTE and Huawei.
Sony Ericsson has 9 percent of the market for smartphones running on Android software, compared with 26 percent for Samsung, according to researcher Strategy Analytics.
Eight analysts polled by Reuters all thought Sony Ericsson would likely miss its target of becoming the biggest seller of Android.
Some say that makes it all the more important for Sony to take stronger ownership.
"Sony needs a mobile presence, and Sony Ericsson needs Sony content and services. This can arguably only be achieved if Sony takes control of the joint venture," said CCS Insight's Blaber.
Google Versus Facebook: Following the Money
If you’ve been disconcerted by the news that Facebook was conducting a smear campaign against Google, perhaps a little look at the financials might clear up a few key points.
Both companies have already been in fierce competition for online ad dollars for a few years. Google makes the majority of its income from search ad programs like AdWords and AdSense, but as the incumbent in online advertising, it has to watch its back very carefully.
Facebook’s ad revenue hit an impressive $1.86 billion for 2010, and the site may account for as much as one-third of display ad impressions. For 2011, Facebook is expected to bring in $4.05 billion in advertising revenues worldwide, $2.19 billion of which will come from the U.S. market.
Also, given Google’s recent launch of +1 ? a half social, half traffic-generating web search feature ? Facebook might be feeling even more pressure to make sure users are wary of the tool and less likely to use it without overthinking it. After all +1 is a Facebook Like competitor. And both +1 and Likes can generate valuable data used in ad targeting. So if Facebook can convince the web-surfing world that Google is negligent about user privacy, +1 won’t be as valuable as Google might otherwise hope.
Ultimately, these two corporations are not making web apps for the pure joy of protecting user privacy; they’re in it to make money. And if Facebook can grab a bigger piece of that pie, it certainly will.
Both companies have already been in fierce competition for online ad dollars for a few years. Google makes the majority of its income from search ad programs like AdWords and AdSense, but as the incumbent in online advertising, it has to watch its back very carefully.
Facebook’s ad revenue hit an impressive $1.86 billion for 2010, and the site may account for as much as one-third of display ad impressions. For 2011, Facebook is expected to bring in $4.05 billion in advertising revenues worldwide, $2.19 billion of which will come from the U.S. market.
Also, given Google’s recent launch of +1 ? a half social, half traffic-generating web search feature ? Facebook might be feeling even more pressure to make sure users are wary of the tool and less likely to use it without overthinking it. After all +1 is a Facebook Like competitor. And both +1 and Likes can generate valuable data used in ad targeting. So if Facebook can convince the web-surfing world that Google is negligent about user privacy, +1 won’t be as valuable as Google might otherwise hope.
Ultimately, these two corporations are not making web apps for the pure joy of protecting user privacy; they’re in it to make money. And if Facebook can grab a bigger piece of that pie, it certainly will.
IBM briefly topped Microsoft in market value..
IBM briefly topped Microsoft in market value on Wall Street to become the second-largest technology company after Apple.But IBM shares lost 0.25 percent to close at $170.16, giving the New York-based company known as 'Big Blue' a market capitalization of $206.1 billion.
Microsoft shares shed 0.91 percent to close at $24.49, giving the US software giant a market capitalization of $206.5 billion.
During mid-day trading, however, IBM shares hit a high of $171.15 and the company topped Microsoft in market value at one point.
Apple, maker of the Macintosh computer, the iPod, iPhone and iPad, dethroned Microsoft in market capitalization in May of last year to become the largest US technology company in terms of market value.
IBM announced meanwhile that it is investing an additional $100 million in data analytics and unveiled new software and services to help clients manage large amounts of data.
'The volume and velocity of information is generated at a record pace,' Steve Mills, senior vice president of IBM Software and Systems, said in a statement.
'This is magnified by new forms of data coming from social networking and the explosion of mobile devices,' Mills said.
'Through our extensive capabilities in business and technology expertise, IBM is best positioned to help clients not only extract meaningful insight, but enable them to respond at the same rate at which the data arrives.'
Microsoft shares shed 0.91 percent to close at $24.49, giving the US software giant a market capitalization of $206.5 billion.
During mid-day trading, however, IBM shares hit a high of $171.15 and the company topped Microsoft in market value at one point.
Apple, maker of the Macintosh computer, the iPod, iPhone and iPad, dethroned Microsoft in market capitalization in May of last year to become the largest US technology company in terms of market value.
IBM announced meanwhile that it is investing an additional $100 million in data analytics and unveiled new software and services to help clients manage large amounts of data.
'The volume and velocity of information is generated at a record pace,' Steve Mills, senior vice president of IBM Software and Systems, said in a statement.
'This is magnified by new forms of data coming from social networking and the explosion of mobile devices,' Mills said.
'Through our extensive capabilities in business and technology expertise, IBM is best positioned to help clients not only extract meaningful insight, but enable them to respond at the same rate at which the data arrives.'
Cloud Computing and the 10X Effect
As a rule of thumb, systems can grow ten times under their current architecture or paradigm, and then they must be re-architected. This 10X effect causes old technologies to become obsolete, new ones to emerge and underlies the massive shift to cloud computing.
It was the '80s when the last major computing infrastructure paradigm shift happened. It was the introduction of the client server for designing business applications in the new way. Those applications typically ran on x86 computers – aka PCs.
Then, came the internet in the '90s and the 'client' part of this design changed completely. Applications were being accessed through web browsers rather than having them runn on a desktop PC. Now is the time when we are being witnesses to the 'server' side of client/server which is being disrupted and replaced by cloud computing.
It was the '80s when the last major computing infrastructure paradigm shift happened. It was the introduction of the client server for designing business applications in the new way. Those applications typically ran on x86 computers – aka PCs.
Then, came the internet in the '90s and the 'client' part of this design changed completely. Applications were being accessed through web browsers rather than having them runn on a desktop PC. Now is the time when we are being witnesses to the 'server' side of client/server which is being disrupted and replaced by cloud computing.
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