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  • Earnings: Sony Ericsson Breaks Even; Profit Plummets 97 Percent

    Sony ( NYSE: SNE ) Ericsson ( NSDQ: ERIC ) managed to break even in the face of what it called "challenging market conditions and increased competition," the company announced today in its Q2 earnings report. Net income nosedived in the second quarter, plummeting to 6 million euros ($9.5 million), down from 133 million euors ($211 million) in the first quarter, and 220 million euros ($348 million) a year ago. More Details: — Sales Down: Sales slipped 9 percent in the quarter to 2.82 million euros ($4.47 million) compared to a year ago. The handset maker, which now puts its global market share at 8 percent, blamed its poor performance on the continuing decline of the mid-to-high end market, increased competition and unfavorable exchange rates. — Gross Margins Fall : Gross margins were also down, sinking to 23.1 percent in Q2 from 29.2 percent sequentially, and 29.6 percent a year ago. SE, which was particularly hard hit in Europe, acknowledged that its "less favorable product mix" was partially to blame, as was the increased price competition. — ASP Down: Sony Ericsson's average selling price (ASP) also fell, coming in at 116 euros ($184), as compared to 121 euros ($192) last quarter, and 125 euros ($198) a year ago. SE blamed increased competition one again, as well as the bigger proportion of low-end phones in its portfolio. — Market Outlook: Meanwhile, the company came out with a similar forecast to its rival Nokia ( NYSE: NOK ), predicting that the global handset market for 2008 would grow at a rate of around 10 percent from more that 1.1 billion units in 2007. In its earnings report yesterday, Nokia said the market would grow by 10 percent or more. It also said the majority of growth would come from emerging markets, where low-end phones dominate. — Challenges Ahead: Sony Ericsson warned that it expected "challenging" marketing conditions to "prevail" for the company, especially for the third quarter, but would continuing...
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  • Belgacom Buys SMS Parking Payments Provider Mobile-For

    Belgian network operator Belgacom has bought SMS parking payments provider Mobile-for. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The two year old start-up was created by Belgian parking operator Apcoa Belgium and the Estonian Now! Innovations and currently offers SMS parking in seven Belgian cities. It plans to roll out in three more by the end of the year. Belgacom said the purchase fits with its strategy of investing in the growing mobile payments market, which would allow it to expand its products ( release ). Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .
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  • Google Q2 Call: How Did They Miss? Chief Economist Varian: Consumers Showing Weakness

    Google's ( NSDQ: GOOG ) conference call is getting underway, and it should be an interesting one, following the miss. They spent a good portion of the call talking up mobile activity… -- Mobile thoughts : Sergey Brin is asked to riff on mobile: revenue per query will vary from market to market. iPhone users do some 30x queries compared to others, though no comments yet on the iPhone 3G. Later an analyst asked whether there would be a total separate marketplace for mobile. Brin: Once you get these phones with capable browsers, there's less reason to separate mobile and regular ads. -- Wireless Strategy and Android : The last question of the call concerns general wireless stuff: "We want our products on as many devices as possible. (Symbian, iPhone, Blackberries, Windows Mobile)." Android: "We're still very excited… We are still expecting phones shipped by the end of the year ." Not much there ultimately. Call is done. Full coverage of the call is at paidContent.org . Webcast (4:30 ET) | Transcript (via SeekingAlpha) Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .
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  • Earnings Call: Nokia Confirms Touch Coming This Year; Raises 2008 Phone Forecast; Progress In U.S.

    During the Nokia's ( NYSE: NOK ) conference call , the company dove in a bit deeper when it came to some aspects of it's Q2 earnings ( Earnings Release | Conference Call ). Here's a look: -- On touchscreen devices: Nokia's EVP of Devices Kai Oistamo: "We are fully committed to bringing out a complete portfolio of touch input devices to the mass market from the high-end to the low-end. We aim to appeal to the broadest part of the market, and leverage our scale in platforms, manufacturing and distribution. Our first touch device will be aimed at the volume part of the market. It's competitively spec'd, considering the price point, and it's scheduled to be out in the second half. Our platform approach to the software will allow us to roll out touch across the entire range from top to bottom, it's just a matter of Nokia figuring out what features and what specs we want to include, such as GPS, Wi-Fi and Qwerty keypads." -- 2008 Global Forecast: Nokia now expects industry mobile device volumes in 2008 to grow 10 percent or more , which is up from its previous estimate of just 10 percent. Last year, Nokia estimated that the market would total about 1.14 billion units, which would mean global volumes in 2008 hitting at least 1.25 billion. CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo: "We feel confident by the estimate given that we are already more than half way through the year and based on how we see the state of the market today." -- Progress in the U.S.: Kallasvuo: "Our overall global marketshare was 40 percent in Q2, which is up 2 percent year-over-year, and up 1 percent sequentially. Sequentially we were up in all regions except China and Latin America." In the U.S., device volume was up 80 percent sequentially in the US. "While I'm happy about making progress in the U.S., we have a lot more work to do to be satisfied with our position there." As part of its North American strategy, in June, Nokia said it will ship...
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  • Earnings: Nokia Bucks Expectations; Market Share Increases To 40 Percent

    Nokia ( NYSE: NOK ) reported second quarter earnings today, which saw its net income fall 61 percent to 1.1 billion euros ($1.74 billion), from 2.83 billion euros ($4.49 billion), compared to a year ago. The Finnish handset maker blamed among other items the 259 million euro ($411 billion) charges related to its Bochum, Germany-plant closure. Still, according to analysts surveyed by Bloomberg , this beat their expectations of a net income of 1.26 billion euros ($2 billion). Moreover, Nokia reported second-quarter sales of 13.2 billion euros ($21 billion), beating analyst predictions of 12.8 billion euros ($20.2 billion) . Mobile device volumes rose 21 percent year on year, or 6 percent sequentially, to 122 million units, which Nokia says gives it a total global market share of 40 percent. Average selling price (ASP) fell to 74 euros ($117) from 79 euros ($125) in the first quarter. Nokia blamed some of the fall on the declining dollar, noting that 40 percent of the ASP decline was caused on exchange rates moving against them. Nokia chief Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, meanwhile, said that the company's early stage efforts to transform its business to a more services-based one saw "good momentum" in the second quarter. Other Earnings Highlights: — Emerging markets were once again Nokia's strongest growth areas, especially in Latin America and Asia Pacific, the company's two largest markets. China, usually a strong performer for Nokia, saw sales fall 16 percent quarter on quarter, while North America, still its tiniest market by a long way, saw a 73 percent increase in sales from Q1. In Nokia's conference call, Kallasvuo said that there was "a lot more work to do [in North America] before I'm satisfied with our perfomance there." — Nokia's Devices & Services division saw its gross profit decrease 3 percent to 3.3 billion euros ($5.2 billion), compared with EUR 3.4 billion ($5.4 billion) in the second quarter 2007. Gross margin meanwhile...
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  • SK Telecom Denies Plans To Buy Stake In "Any" Major US Carrier

    In a filing with the Korea Exchange today, SK Telecom ( NYSE: SKM ) rejected the notion that it is planning to buy a stake in any of the US's major carriers, reports Reuters . "We are studying various business opportunities in the United States but are not seeking to take control in (any) major U.S. mobile operator," the Korean carrier stated, after the exchange ordered SK to come clean on the rumors that started on Tuesday when CNBC reported that SK was in talks to buy Sprint ( NYSE: S ). This was quickly shot down, with new reports saying the two companies were actually discussing collaborating on technology. Of course, SK Telecom did call the rumors of a Virgin Mobile-Helio tie-up " groundless ." Related Updated: SK Telecom In Strategic Talks With Sprint Nextel: Reports
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  • Player X Buys Spanish Games Firm, Splits Production And Publishing Arms

    UK mobile games maker Player X is buying Madrid-based mobile games publisher Gaelco Móviles for an undisclosed cash amount - its first acquisition and part of a European expansion plan. At the same time, it's separating out its production and publishing operations in to two new divisions - Studio X and Player X Distribution . Joining the latter unit on game aggregation and portals, Gaelco Móviles is mostly strong in the Mediterranean, has carrier tie-ups with Telefonica ( NYSE: TEF ), Vodafone ( NYSE: VOD ), TNM, Bouygues and Wind, and is responsible for titles like Mini Morris Fun Car (after the jump). Player X CEO Tony Pearce said it's the first of a "raft of significant strategic moves" that are coming. Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .
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  • Twitter Buys Micro-Blogging Search Site Summize; Reportedly $15M Cash+Stock

    Twitter announced today that it has officially acquired Summize, according to a post written by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. All five of Summize's engineers will move to San Francisco and take jobs at Twitter, according to the company. "This is an important step forward in the evolution of Twitter as a service and as a company," Stone wrote. Summize will help users search Twitter and keep up to date with news real-time (which they have already enabled, as shown above and on their site )—two examples they use is keeping up to date on Mars, and what people are thinking of the new Will Smith movie. As for the details, the company says the Summize service and API will be merged with our own and integrated under the Twitter brand. To get an idea of how search works, it can be checked out at search.twitter.com. The terms of the deal were not announced, but Silicon Alley Insider is reporting that Twitter paid $15 million in cash and stock. Twitter has received a lot of criticism recently for its ability to handle all of its traffic, but as of recently seems to be making a bit of a turnaround. Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .
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  • M:Metrics Co-Founder Seamus McAteer Steps Down Following ComScore Acquisition

    Following comScore's ( NSDQ: SCOR ) nearly $50 million acquisition of M:Metrics, co-founder, chief product architect and senior analyst Seamus McAteer said he is stepping down for personal reasons effective today, we have learned and confirmed. "I feel that I achieved what I set out to achieve with M:Metrics," McAteer told us in an email. "If you looked at our first investor presentation before we launched the company, it had as a roadmap of everything that we did over the last four years. I also know that I have succeeded in a primary goal of making myself totally expendable. I built a team that included people who were much smarter than I am and Will and they are better equipped than me to help the business scale as part of a bigger company." McAteer's departure does not have anything to do with the layoffs the company conducted in June , a spokeswoman said. However, she would not confirm if McAteer was walking away from a $1 million in restricted stock that both he and M:Metrics' CEO Will Hodgman received from comScore as incentive to stay at the company. Prior to starting M:Metrics, McAteer was managing partner at Zelos Group, and was a director and research fellow at Jupiter Research. Related ComScore Buys Mobile Research Firm M:Metrics For $44.3 Million In Cash ComScore Cuts Staff At M:Metrics Following Acquisition Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .
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  • Updated: SK Telecom In Strategic Talks With Sprint Nextel: Reports

    South Korea's SK Telecom ( NYSE: SKM ) is in talks to buy Sprint Nextel, the third-largest U.S. carrier, according to CNBC, Reuters reports . The report did not name any sources for the story, but said a deal between the companies would be friendly and that it would be the biggest takeover of a U.S. company by a South Korean company. Sprint Nextel's shares rose almost 14 percent after the report was aired. Sprint declined to comment and SK was unavailable for comment. Most recently, SK Telecom negotiated a merger between Virgin Mobile USA ( NYSE: VM ) and Helio, which was a joint venture between SK Telecom and Earthlink ( NSDQ: ELNK ). The merger required a lot of participation by Sprint, which both companies used as their network. Sprint agreed to cut the costs associated for the MVNOs. CNBC reported that any deal would include private equity because SK Telecom is smaller than Sprint (NYSE: s) in terms of market capitalization. The unidentified sources also told CNBC that talks are on-going, but a deal is not imminent and any agreement could be weeks away. The deal would be complex because of the foreign regulatory hurdles that would have to be met, however, on the technology front Sprint Nextel and SK Telecom both use CDMA, which would help on any sort of integration efforts. UPDATE: Reuters is now reporting that sources are calling the CNBC report incorrect—that the two companies are not in acquisition talks, but rather are talking about collaborating on technology efforts. "There are no acquisition talks going on right now between SK Telecom and Sprint ( NYSE: S ). Any discussions that are going on are around technology collaboration," the source told Reuters. WSJ is reporting something similar: The two are in prelim talks to form a "strategic partnership to develop new handsets and services". Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .
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  • Mobispine Mobile News Aggregator Buying RSS Reader NewsAlloy

    Mobile newsreader service Mobispine is acquiring NewsAlloy , an Ajax, web-based RSS reader, intending to merge the two in to a "seamless" product offering personalized newsfeeds across desktop and mobile. The acquisition price is not disclosed. The NewsAlloy website claims 11,331 registered users, and Stockholm-based Mobispine says it has over 300,000 active mobile users per month. Somewhat ambitiously, they are targeting 10 million users for the combined operation . The online RSS reader game is frankly a tough challenge, in the face of mature offerings from bigger players like Google ( NSDQ: GOOG ) Reader, Bloglines and easier alternatives like My Yahoo ( NSDQ: YHOO ). But Mobispine says its NewsAlloy combination can offer "a welcome change" that can be used by "everyone from tweens to seniors". It also uses the word "murfing" seriously in its release . Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .
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  • Chatterous Raises Angel Round To Develop Group Chat Across Platforms

    A company called Chatterous has raised less than $500,000 in angel funding to help users create private groups that they can chat with using text messages, email and instant messaging, according to VentureWire via VentureBeat . The Seattle-based company lets you create an online group of friends and gives everyone a common Chatterous email address, Jabber/Google ( NSDQ: GOOG ) Talk address and short code to make it easy to communicate from one entry point and reach people wherever they may be. As VentureBeat points out, there's other startups tackling this problem, but from a different angle. Companies like Orgoo and Digsby bring your email, IM and SMS accounts together in a single page or service, and Twitter lets you post messages, but they are public, not private. Our mobile application for Blackberry and other Smartphones brings you the latest headlines when you're on the go. Go here to download .
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