The Hottest Tech Stories Investors Must Know from the Week

Here’s your Cheat Sheet to this week’s top tech industry business headlines:

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG): Current price $831.52

The tech ministry in China is of the opinion that Google has too much control over that country’s smartphone industry through its Android mobile operating system and has discriminated against some local firms. According to a white paper written by the research arm of China’s Ministry of Industry, “Our country’s mobile operating system research and development is too dependent on Android. While the Android system is open source, the core technology and technology road map is strictly controlled by Google.”

Recently, Google started to test a same-day delivery service with retailers, it its most recent move into Amazon.com Inc’s e-commerce turf. Google Shopping Express will assist local retail stores in selling products online, and it will have the items delivered to shoppers the same day, claims an individual familiar with the test. Google arranges for third parties to pick up the products from local stores and deliver them to shoppers. Neither the stores nor Google will handle the deliveries, explained one source who requested to be anonymous because the service is still in the early development stage.

Google’s Motorola Mobility hardware division has started the process of laying off roughly 1,200 employees, representing more than 10 percent of its headcount, according to a company email seen by The Wall Street Journal, as the smartphone manufacturer continues its attempts to return to profitability.

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Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK): Current price $3.68
Nokia’s much-rumored Catwalk phone seems to have gotten into last week’s Mobile World Congress thanks to a special invitation-only session. Attending the session was the Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin, who was able to examine the phone. In a blog out on Monday, he said that Nokia is ramping up the Catwalk as an enhancement over the Lumia 920. The device will be housed in a slimmer, all-aluminum body and features a thinner version of the 920′s PureView Phase 2 camera, according to a translation of Murtazin’s remarks by Electronista. Earlier reports about Catwalk indicated that it would improve upon the typical Lumia’s polycarbonate body with an aluminum design. However, Murtazin and other attendees of the session did have one critique of the Catwalk: it’s not an Android device.

Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now.

Pandora Media (NYSE:P): Current price $13.79

On Tuesday, the internet radio service reported that its audience data will appear in the three most popular media buying platforms, among which include STRATA and Mediaocean’s Donovan and Mediabank stewardship systems. Radio buyers will then be permitted to compare Pandora’s audience data side-by-side with broadcast radio stations nationwide.

Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY): Current price $13.06

This week, the German Federal Office for Information Security approved an arrangement through which the  government will buy 5,000 BlackBerry Z10s for employee use. All of the devices will be equipped with Secusmart tech, which will afford additional security measures such as data encryption, secure voice, and text messaging.

Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now.

Don’t Miss: Does Google Plan to Join the E-Commerce Party?

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ): Closing price $21

On Tuesday, two leading proxy advisers pressed HP shareholders to remove a number of board directors for their part in the ill-fated 2011 purchase of the United Kingdom software firm Autonomy. ISS, the top proxy adviser which is closely followed by investors seeking guidance on controversial matters, has suggested that the investors vote against Chairman Ray Lane and fellow board members John Hammergren and G. Kennedy Thompson.

Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT): Closing price $28

An unnamed inside source says that rumors claiming that the next Microsoft Xbox game console will block used games are “completely false,” according to the Strategy Informer gaming blog. Weakness in recent trading sessions in the shares of Gamestop has been credited to chatter that the new systems from Microsoft and Sony Corporation might block used games from being played.

Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL): Closing price $431.72

Chief Executive Tim Cook might intimate that Apple is diligently working on a television to fuel the next era of growth, but its wristwatch-style device (think Dick Tracy), still in development, could turn out to be more profitable. The world watch industry will generate in excess of $60 billion in sales in 2013, says the analyst Oliver Chen at Citigroup. As enormous as it sounds, that figure is smaller than the chunk of revenue that comes from televisions. Gross margins on watches are about 60 percent, which is four times larger than for televisions, according to Anand Srinivasan, an analyst for Bloomberg Industries.

The company’s stock saw a drop after Citigroup (NYSE:C) decided to reduce its estimates and price target on the stock due to the firm’s belief that iPhone and iPad sales have been slowing. In a note to clients, Citi’s analysts stated,  ”indications of reduced demand to Apple’s suppliers contribute to our existing concerns that end-demand for 10-inch iPad and iPhone 5 in particular is softening, which shows a share loss by Apple in the tablet market and the smartphone market. The firm has reduced its estimates for Apple’s March and June quarters, and the firm keeps its Neutral rating but lowered its price target to $480 from $500 on the stock.

United States Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal in San Jose has ordered that Apple must show in detail how it’s complying with court orders to turn over evidence in a privacy lawsuit, saying that he can no longer rely on what the firm tells him in the case. Grewal issued the order subsequent to the plaintiffs’ attorneys claiming that Apple withheld documents it had previously been ordered to produce. The judge said that he had already “refereed” the dispute, and that it was “unacceptable” that Apple took over three months to verify whether it complied with his November order to turn over documents. The suit alleges that Apple was collecting data on the locations of customers via iPhones, even after the device’s geo-location feature was turned off.

The firm is presently altering its shipment estimates for its 9.7-inch iPad and iPad mini products for this year from 60 to 33 million and from 40 up to 55 million, respectively, say industry sources to DigiTimes, which also reported that Apple expects the iPad mini to sell significantly better during the year.

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Facebook (NASDAQ:FB): Closing price $27.96
Facebook gets ready to host a Wednesday event at which it is expected that an updated News Feed will be introduced. The News Feed is the basic space Facebook users see when they first log in, with streaming status updates from friends or other feeds. The last major change was the debut of Timelines late in 2011. A reworked News Feed application for mobile devices could be the next key to unlocking Facebook’s full mobile advertising potential.

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AT&T (NYSE:T): In the U.S. market, those eager to purchase the slate-styled BlackBerry Z10 smartphone might need to direct their attention to AT&T, since the carrier is rumored to be the first to offer the device in the States. The BlackBerry Z10 is expected to arrive on three of four national carriers; Sprint announced that it would skip the Z10 to offer only the QWERTY-enabled BlackBerry Q10 for its LTE network.

Verizon (NYSE:VZ): The company weighed a number of options concerning its relationship with Vodafone Group Plc and its joint ownership of Verizon Wireless, ranging from ending its wireless venture with the European company to a full merger with Vodafone, according to Bloomberg. The U.S. and UK mobile-phone operators discussed a full combination in December, reports Bloomberg, citing those familiar with the situation. The talks stalled in regards to issues of leadership and location of a new company, which indicates that a buyout or partial sale of Vodafone’s stake in Verizon Wireless is more likely, according to the sources. Verizon Communications currently has a 55 percent stake in Verizon Wireless, and the rest is owned by Vodafone.

Verizon Wireless has filed a patent for a mobile surveillance system that could wirelessly transmit surveillance data back to a server if the owner of the system is in danger, said a patent filing with the United States Patent & Trademark Office, according to FierceWireless. Although Verizon filed the patent application on Sept. 2, 2011, it was published this week. In the filing, Verizon describes a mobile surveillance system that includes wearable wireless devices, created to transmit data wirelessly about a dangerous event happening to the user of the system, or to send that user an alert telling them about some kind of emergency event.

Sprint (NYSE:S): Sprint Nextel has replaced a $2.2 billion revolving line of credit, expiring during October with a larger pact. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) arranged the new deal, which is set to mature in February 2018 and expands its borrowing capacity by $600 million, the company claimed today in a regulatory filing. Proceeds are to be used for general corporate purposes, claims Sprint Nextel. Under terms of the credit pact, the company’s debt to earnings is not allowed to exceed 6.25 times through June 30, 2014, reducing gradually to four times for the fiscal quarter that ends on December 31, 2016, and remaining at that level for its duration, according to the filing.

MetroPCS Communications (NYSE:PCS): The company made an announcement that the DOJ allowed the waiting period to lapse on the planned merger between the two companies. This waiting period was required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, indicating that the DOJ does not see any objections to the merger. Furthermore, there are no other regulatory approvals that are required by the companies to get in order to close the deal. It is imperative that the Federal Communications Commission approve the transfer of spectrum licenses.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT): The company has been fined 561 million euros by the European Commission because it took too long to fulfill its commitment to a 2009 settlement to provide consumers with a choice of Internet browsers in its Windows OS. This penalty will bring total EU fines for Microsoft over the past decade to 2.26 billion euro. Google is currently under an EU investigation for possible abuse of its search dominance as well.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN): Amazon said yes to a test pilot for an original children’s series, which adds to the company’s Prime video service library when exclusive content continues to become more and more important. Today, the company’s movie and series production arm, Amazon Studios, claimed that the new show, named “Sara Solves It” is to be co-developed by WGBH and Out of the Blue Enterprises. The show was created by Emmy Award winner Carol Greenwald, who has worked on “Curious George” and “Arthur,” and Emmy nominee Angela Santomero of “Blues Clues,” along with other shows.

Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC): Intel Capital, the chip company’s venture-capital arm, made a new investment in BlueStacks. The companies announced the deal yesterday, but they didn’t reveal the amount that Intel Capital invested in BlueStacks. BlueStacks offers software, named App Player, allowing users to run their mobile applications on a Mac or Windows PC. According to BlueStacks, the company’s platform was downloaded over 5 million times, and it supports the most popular titles, like Angry Birds and Instagram. These applications are designed for mobile platforms running on ARM architecture, so getting them to run on an Intel-based Mac or Windows PC requires another development.

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM): The company has raised its dividend by 40 percent to 35 cents, and it has set up a $5 billion share buyback plan to reward investors following an increased demand for smartphones running on its technology spurred sales growth. The new share repurchase plan has replaced an older $4 billion plan with $2.5 billion remaining. Since 2003, Qualcomm has been able to return nearly $19.9 billion to investors via a combination of stock repurchases and cash dividends.

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA): Luciano Alibrandi NVIDIA’s Director of Corporate Communications spoke at MWC 2013, suggesting that eight-core smartphones will not be enough and “people will never be satisfied” with the CPU capabilities that are available via their smartphone devices. “It’s never enough,” Alibrandi stated when he was asked about the imminent jump to eight-core smartphones. “I think people will never be satisfied as there will always be something better and some new trend.” Suggesting that consumer and developer demand cannot be met, the NVIDIA head claimed: “The more you provide, the more it is developed, the more people expect and want.”

ARM Holdings (NASDAQ:ARMH): The Benchmark Company’s semiconductor analyst Gary Mobley gives ARM Holding a Hold rating and  a $44 price target. Today, Mobley has written that these tablet computers that are based on the chips that use ARM technology, like parts from Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), are “far more power efficient” than Microsoft‘s (NASDAQ:MSFT) “Surface Pro” tablet running Intel’s microprocessors. Surface Pro will be available on February 9, and it will join the Surface RT model, based on Nvidia’s chip, which was put on sale on October 26th. Although this allows users to run fully fledged Windows 8 applications on the Surface Pro, Mobley views the device as having some significant drawbacks.

After purchasing a 6 percent stake in Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), billionaire Carl Icahn has publicized his opinion that the PC maker should eschew a proposed private buyout and remain public, reports Forbes.

Icahn will reportedly come out against founder Michael Dell’s proposal, announced earlier this year in partnership with private equity firm Silver Lake and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). Dell intends to take the company private for $24.4 billion. News of Icahn’s involvement comes mere hours after a special committee on Dell’s board issued a statement in favor of the buyout, stating the $13.65 buyout assures the maximum value for shareholders…

CHEAT SHEET Analysis: Is Icahn’s Involvement a Catalyst for Dell?

One of the core components of our CHEAT SHEET Investing Framework focuses on catalysts that can affect a company’s stock. Icahn’s involvement in Dell is sure to drive prices higher for a number of reasons.

First, when Icahn gets involved in big companies, he does not do so half-heartedly. This is the same man who got involved with Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) earlier this year and helped orchestrate chief executive Aubrey McClendon’s resignation. Southeastern Asset Management, the largest external stakeholder of Dell with 7 percent, was also involved in the Chesapeake Energy debacle. The two know how to work together.

Dell’s stock is also about to rise for one of two reasons: the stock is either undervalued or Michael Dell’s offer will increase in value.  Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management either believe Dell is undervalued, or they’re trying to squeeze Michael Dell into paying more per share and making off with a handsome payout.  Either way, Dell looks fit to see a boom in the coming days.

Don’t Miss: Here’s More Depressing News for the PC Industry.

BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY): Current price $13.06

In an interview with a Spanish newspaper Expansion, BlackBerry Chief Executive Thorsten Heins reported that his company’s new Z10 model has attracted more interest than anticipated from users of rival smartphones, commenting that “we are receiving a very positive response to BlackBerry 10 from our customers, but it’s also been attractive for customers coming from other platforms, We are a little surprised by that.” BlackBerry, was formerly known as Research In Motion, and is launching the Z10 country by country as part of an effort to win back market share lost to Apple and Samsung’s Galaxy. In February, Heins said that sales have been above the firm’s “ambitious” expectations and that output has increased.

BlackBerry’s new Z10 device will be available at AT&T (NYSE:T) on March 22, according to two knowledgeable sources, who also said that the touch-screen phone will begin appearing in United States stores that day. The Canadian firm receives around 20 percent of its revenue from the U.S., and is counting on the Z10 to boost its brand’s appeal against more popular competitors led by Apple’s iPhone.

Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT): Current price $28

The European Commission has imposed a 561 million euro fine on Microsoft for failing to comply with its commitments to offer users a browser choice screen, which would allow them to easily choose their preferred web browser. Back in 2009, the Commission had made these commitments legally binding on Microsoft until 2014, and in Wednesday’s decision, the Commission found that Microsoft did not introduce the browser choice screen with its Windows 7 Service Pack 1 from May 2011 until July 2012. Thus, 15 million Windows users in the European Union did not see the choice screen during this period, and Microsoft has conceded that the choice screen was not displayed then.

Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ): Current price $21

HP has recently turned to China-based manufacturers for its component supplies in order to lower costs and remain competitive in the personal computer market, reported sources from the upstream supply chain, which pointed out that the company’s purchases from the suppliers should expand over the next 1 to 2 years. Considering China manufacturers’ strong cost advantages, Taiwan-based makers could be in danger of being replaced.

The New York City Comptroller John C. Liu said on Friday that the New York City Pension Funds will vote against HP directors John H. Hammergren and G. Kennedy Thompson “because of their failure to protect investors from costly, misguided acquisitions,”  referring to its 2011 acquisition of the United Kingdom software maker Autonomy. Beyond that, two crucial proxy advisory firms have also recommended voting against those directors.

Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now.

Investing Insights: Can Microsoft Keep Growing?

Immersion Corporation (NASDAQ:IMMR): Current price $9.53

Immersion Corporation has secured a multi-year license agreement with Samsung Electronics. In addition to providing a license to Immersion’s TouchSense and Integrator solutions, the accord includes a patent license covering Samsung’s prior and the future use of simple forms of haptic effects, often referred to as Basic Haptics, in its smartphones and other mobile products.

Are these stocks a buy or sell? Let us help you decide. Check out our Stock Picker Newsletter now.

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