Bartle Doo Article Archives

By Ralph Jennings, Contributor

Cutting-Edge Devices vs. Blunt Marketing at HTC

April 15, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

A publicist with Taiwanese mobile phone developer HTC called one day in January and said to expect a package. I got one a new, late-model smartphone with instructions to use it for up to six months and then comment on my experience. Three weeks later I sent it back with my comment: not suitable.

From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphjennings/2013/04/15/cutting-edge-devices-vs-blunt-marketing-at-htc/

By Evan Niu, CFA, The Motley Fool

Is Samsung About to Get Samsunged?

April 13, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under: Investing

Pop quiz. Name this company:

A vertically integrated South Korean conglomerate with an extensive supplier relationship with Apple has ambitious hopes in the smartphone market. The company will aggressively imitate the products of rivals in the pursuit of success, and also further integrate additional key components, such as investing more heavily in its own mobile processors.

Time’s up
Pencil’s down. The correct answer? LG Electronics.

That’s right; LG is in the process of doing to Samsung what Samsung did to Apple. LG has just unveiled a new “Value Pack” of software upgrades for its Optimus G Pro, and some of the features that the company is adding are straight out of Samsung’s playbook.

LG‘s Smart Video pauses videos when the user looks away, an obvious carbon copy of Samsung’s Smart Pause. There’s also the Dual Camera feature, which simultaneously takes pictures using both sensors, and is exactly like Samsung’s Dual Shot. This is all for a device that already looks identical to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 (except without the stylus).

Galaxy Note 2 (left) vs. Optimus G Pro (right). Sources: Samsung and LG.

The Optimus G Pro was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February, so it technically predates the Galaxy S4 that it also resembles. The 5.5-inch phablet isn’t expected to launch in the U.S. until May, though, which comes after the Galaxy S4.

The bad news for Samsung is that there’s little stopping LG from successfully using its own strategy against it. One of the benefits of enormous marketing budgets, however, is that Samsung has been able to build its Galaxy brand.

Another big marketing spender
While smaller rivals like HTC simply can’t keep up with Samsung’s marketing budget (even if HTC offers higher-quality products), larger competitors such as LG have more of a chance. Last year, LG spent $1.1 billion on advertising. When you add in other below-the-line marketing expenses like promotions ($652 million) and commissions ($1.6 billion), we’re talking about more than $3.3 billion in marketing.

That’s more than the $1 billion that Apple spent in fiscal 2012 (but less than Samsung) on advertising ,and Apple doesn’t really use below-the-line marketing as much. The Mac maker doesn’t typically offer very many promotions, and most of its sales are conducted through its online store or retail stores, where sales reps aren’t compensated with commissions.

Android loyalty isn’t Samsung loyalty
Android consumers have shown their fickleness before. It seems like just yesterday that HTC was the Android champion, but that was 2010. Even for users loyal to the platform, they’re normally not loyal to the OEM brand. It’s quite conceivable that another Android vendor could supplant Samsung in exactly the same way that Samsung displaced HTC.

Source: IDC.

Maybe it won’t be LG; maybe it’ll be Chinese vendors like ZTE or Huawei, both of which showed up on the global top-five radar last year. This may be more likely, since

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/13/is-samsung-about-to-get-samsunged/

From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2013/04/13/htc-reminds-everyone-what-made-them-a-smartphone-leader/

HTC Reminds Everyone What Made Them A Smartphone Leader

April 13, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Ewan Spence, Contributor The release of the HTC First, which is a Facebook phone, but not the Facebook Phone, is a timely reminder of what brought HTC to prominence in the smartphone world. Namely white labelling smartphones. Could they return to that strength.

From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2013/04/12/nokias-bet-on-windows-phone-looks-like-a-good-one-so-far/

Nokia's Bet On Windows Phone Looks Like A Good One So Far

April 12, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Trefis Team, Contributor

Nokia’s faith in Windows Phone seems to be paying off for now. The company continues to not only dominate the Windows Phone market but also take away market share from rivals such as Samsung and HTC, according to a recently released report by AdDuplex. The usage stats for April show that Nokia has increased its share of the Windows Phone market to 80%, up from about 78% a month ago.

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

Turner Broadcasting, Funny Or Die, HTC and NCM Media Networks Team Up for New Comedy Content to Run

April 11, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under: Investing

Turner Broadcasting, Funny Or Die, HTC and NCM Media Networks Team Up for New Comedy Content to Run On-Air, Online and in Theaters

James Van Der Beek to Lend Comedic Talent for Funny Or Die Branded Entertainment Introducing the new HTC One

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Turner Broadcasting and Funny Or Die, together with HTC, have developed a short-form comedy sketch featuring James Van Der Beek (Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23, Varsity Blues) designed to promote HTC‘s new smartphone, the HTC One. Debuting on Funny Or Die Friday, April 12, the content will extend through a multi-platform promotion across the Turner portfolio of comedy television networks and digital screens, leveraging the power of brands like TBS and Adult Swim, along with TeamCoco.com. Additionally, the comedy piece integrating the new HTC One marks Funny Or Die’s debut in top movie theaters nationwide through NCM Media Networks.

Filmed on-location in Malibu, CA, Van Der Beek stars in a dating show parody featuring the HTC One and competing bachelor contestants – Smart Phone, Flip Phone, Rotary Phone and ’90s Phone – all vying for the heart (and ear) of a beautiful bachelorette. Van Der Beek plays the role of the show’s suave host, who occasionally forgets that he’s not part of the consideration set. The content will debut on Funny Or Die Friday, April 12, with promotion across TBS and TBS.com, Adult Swim and AdultSwim.com, truTV and truTV.com, as well as TeamCoco.com beginning the week of April 15. Theatre audiences will also be entertained by the Funny Or Die content on 8,000 movie screens exclusively in NCM’s FirstLook pre-show program in hundreds of theatres nationwide from April 26-May 23.

“Funny Or Die is an expert in this space – creating content that makes people laugh, that people want to share within their social circles, and that brands trust to help make deeper connections with consumers,” said Ed Wise, senior vice president, Turner Branded Entertainment. “Amplifying creative like this across the range of the Turner portfolio gives HTC the reach and the audiences they are looking for as they launch the HTC One.”

“A multi-screen approach has been at the core of our global media strategy for the HTC One and this is the perfect integration to deliver this strategy in a unique and relevant way – through the creation of original entertainment content. We are excited about this

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/turner-broadcasting-funny-or-die-htc-and-ncm-media/

By Tim Brugger, The Motley Fool

This Should Have Nokia Fans Jumping for Joy — Right?

April 9, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under: Investing

First, the good news: Nokia isn’t just the leading manufacturer of Microsoft‘s Windows 8 global smartphone market. According to a recent report from AdDuplex, it’s absolutely destroying the competition. Combined with the Q4 announcement of 4.4 million Lumias sold, that should make even Nokia bears stand up and take notice. But with so many ongoing questions regarding the impact of Windows 8 in the smartphone OS market, does Nokia’s resurgence even matter?

The envelope, please
As of April 4, the date of AdDuplex’s report, Nokia was the manufacturer of choice for 80% of all Windows 8 phones in use worldwide. HTC was a distant second, holding 14% of the Windows phone market, and Samsung, with its limited Windows smartphone alternatives, accounted for 5%. A smattering of others, including Huawei, ZTE, and Acer, shared what little was left.

Nokia’s dominant position isn’t entirely a surprise. As the world’s No. 2 phone manufacturer, and the first to go all in with Windows 8, Nokia was always going to be ahead of the pack. But 80% is a staggering market share.

Fools should also note the growth of Nokia’s Lumia 920, its latest, greatest, and most expensive smartphone. The Lumia 920 has taken over the top spot of all Windows 8 phones worldwide, jumping from fourth place just a month ago.

With Nokia’s earnings announcement slated for April 18, let’s hope CEO Stephen Elop shares Lumia sales numbers specific to the China Mobile deal Nokia inked late last year. With 700 million subscribers, China Mobile is the world’s largest wireless carrier; a good start there would certainly help to explain the jump in Lumia’s position and position Nokia for further growth.

Internationally, Nokia dominates Windows 8 smartphone sales the way Samsung and Apple do in the U.S., with more than 90% market penetration in its top 10 markets. South America in particular loves its Nokia Windows 8 smartphones; four of Nokia’s top 10 countries by market share hail from the continent, with Argentina clocking in at 99% market share for all Windows 8 phones in use. Impressive.

Now for some perspective
Windows Phone, while growing market share in the U.S., remains a distant fourth behind Google‘s Android, Apple iOS, and BlackBerry , according to recent data from comScore. Android OS and iOS together own slightly more than 90% of the market domestically, and the story’s about the same internationally. Nokia and Microsoft can only point to Windows Phone 8’s movement in the right direction. Along with iOS, Windows 8 was the only operating system to increase its share of the domestic mobile OS pie the past quarter, up to 3.2% from 3% in November.

The battle lines have been drawn, and for mobile OS developers, that means the immediate objective is a fight for third place. Unseating Android and iOS will have to wait. Right now, BlackBerry’s holding onto that position. With its new BB10 slowly but surely rolling out across various markets, it should be able …read more

By Rick Munarriz, The Motley Fool

Apple Stock Could Use a Phablet Boost

April 9, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under: Investing

Apple may be ready to concede that size matters in the smartphone world.

Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White believes that bigger iPhones are one the way.

Now, before we get ahead of ourselves — dreaming of larger smarpthones and even fabled phablets — let’s frame this note appropriately. White has been known to dream big and wake up empty.

White turned heads last April when he slapped a price target of $1,001 on the stock. Two months later he suggested that the ballyhooed Apple HDTVs could hit the market in time for the 2012 holiday season. Neither vision materialized. A year later, Apple stock is trading at less than half of his price target. Anyone asking Santa for an iTV last year had to settle for an iPad Mini and a bag of coal.

However, he may be on to something this time.

White is trekking through Asia, visiting Chinese and Taiwanese suppliers that Apple and other consumer tech giants rely on for prototypes and eventual production runs. If a source in Apple’s supply chain is pointing to two — and possibly even three — different screen sizes for this summer’s inevitable iPhone 5S rollout, it’s a better wager than an analyst at home engaging in wishful thinking.

Go big or go home
The market initially applauded Apple’s decision to bump up the size of the iPhone 5. Going from 3.5-inch screens to 4-inch screens gave the stock a boost. Apple shares peaked the day that the iPhone 5 hit the market.

However, with Samsung and HTC embracing larger standards at 5 and 4.7 inches, respectively — and Google‘s Android continuing to run away with the market — Apple can’t ignore the call for wireless devices with larger screens.

The iPad recognized the market demand for smaller tablets by rolling out the wildly successful iPad Mini. Now it’s time to realize that the even the bigger iPhone 5 may not be big enough.

Analysts have been disappointed to see iPhone buyers flock to the older iPhone 4 and 4S models, but wireless customers aren’t going that route because they want smaller screens. They’re merely being won over by the notion of saving $100 or $200 on their phones.

BlackBerry‘s Z10 is off to a slow start this year, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the smartphone pioneer suffer another sequential dip in subscribers this quarter. Nokia flooded the market with Lumia phones, and even Microsoft‘s marketing muscle to push the Windows Phone-fueled devices failed to slow Android’s momentum.

Against this backdrop we have Samsung’s 5-inch Galaxy S4 coming out later this month, and there’s plenty of chatter of Samsung introducing devices with 5.5-inch and 6.3-inch screens later this year. This would naturally be phablet territory, and Samsung has already fared well there with the Galaxy Note line. If Apple is going to go bigger than the iPhone’s 4-inch screen — and if it is introducing …read more

By Evan Niu, CFA, The Motley Fool

Nokia Lumia 521 to Launch on T-Mobile in May

April 9, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under: Investing

No. 4 wireless carrier T-Mobile will be exclusively launching Nokia‘s Lumia 521 phone starting in May, the company announced today.

The carrier had said in February that it would offer the device without detailing a specific time frame. The Lumia 521 is positioned as an affordable device. However, T-Mobile did not provide specific pricing details or a specific date in May for launch.

The Lumia 521 willl feature a 4-inch display and 5-megapixel camera, and offer several of Nokia’s first-party services such as Nokia Music. The device will be powered by Microsoft Windows Phone 8. T-Mobile plans to distribute the Lumia 521 through its retail stores, as well as Wal-Mart and Microsoft retail locations.

T-Mobile currently offers only two Windows Phone devices, the HTC 8X and Lumia 810.

link

The article Nokia Lumia 521 to Launch on T-Mobile in May originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | <a target=_blank href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/09/nokia-lumia-521-to-launch-on-t-mobile-in-may/#comments" title="View reader …read more

Is the iPhone 5 About to Disappear?

By Adam Levine-Weinberg, The Motley Fool

Filed under: Investing

Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, Apple has reliably updated the device once a year. For the past several iterations, beginning with the release of the iPhone 3GS in 2009, Apple has dropped the price of the previous model by $100 to provide a lower-cost option for price-sensitive customers. Thus, the typical price structure for the current iPhone options in the U.S. — assuming a two-year contract and a carrier subsidy — is the following:

Standard U.S. iPhone Pricing

Model	Price
iPhone 5	$199
iPhone 4S	$99
iPhone 4	Free

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the next-generation iPhone, thought to be called the “iPhone 5S,” will enter production this quarter. Analysts believe that time frame puts Apple on track to release the iPhone 5S in June or July. But I don’t think Apple will follow its previous custom by dropping the iPhone 5 subsidized price to $99 this summer.

The iPhone 5. Source: Apple.

Instead, the company may choose to discontinue the iPhone 5 when its replacement arrives. That would line up with the strategy Apple followed for the most recent iPad update: The fourth-generation iPad replaced the third-generation iPad as the high-end model, with the iPad 2 remaining in production as a cheaper alternative.

New iPhone coming
The main rationale for a new high-end iPhone is to keep the pressure up on Apple’s competitors. BlackBerry finally released its new Z10 all-touch smartphone in the U.S. last month, and CEO Thorsten Heins has publicly called the iPhone “outdated.” Meanwhile, major Google Android vendors such as Samsung and HTC are releasing new flagship phones this spring. Last year, Samsung used the gap between its spring release of the Galaxy SIII and the iPhone 5’s fall debut to pick up significant market share.

Apple needs to update the iPhone sooner rather than later to keep its products in the spotlight and bolster its position vis-a-vis Android phone vendors. However, it needs to do so without putting further pressure on its profitability, which has become a concern recently.

Gross margin is the key
The introduction of the iPhone 5 dented Apple’s gross margin, which dropped 610 basis points year over year, from 44.7% to 38.6%, in the fall quarter. Some of these increased costs relative to the 4S were temporary, as the iPhone 5 required a new manufacturing process, new equipment, and other upfront costs. However, while those initial cost headwinds may be subsiding, the iPhone 5 still includes more expensive components than the iPhone 4S — better screen, LTE modem, and the like.

In the fall quarter, Apple was able to make up for the lower-margin profile of the iPhone 5 and other products by boosting revenue. In contrast, the company is expected to post a significant year-over-year decline in profit this quarter. To restart earnings growth, Apple needs to halt or (preferably) reverse its gross-margin decline.

Most Apple followers …read more

Not Even Facebook Can Save This Smartphone Maker

By Evan Niu, CFA, The Motley Fool

Filed under: Investing

It’s been a rough couple of years for Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC. Once upon a time, it was the cream of the Android crop. Nowadays, South Korean rival Samsung has supplanted the company, primarily with advantages in distribution and marketing. With marketing being one of its biggest weaknesses, the company has realized that the whole “Quietly Brilliant” motto wasn’t working so well, promising to take a louder approach going forward.

HTC is also partnering with Facebook to launch the HTC First, which will be the first device to feature Facebook Home. Pairing up with the social network will certainly appeal to avid Facebookers looking to get their hands on the first real Facebook Phone, but ultimately the First is a mid-range device that won’t be able to turn the tables. That job is up to the HTC One.

Unfortunately for HTC, suppliers no longer consider it a “tier-one” smartphone maker, so it has been having trouble getting all the ingredients it needs. Cameras, in particular, are bottlenecking production, and HTC was forced to delay the global launch of its One device. The One delays have contributed to HTC posting its lowest profits on record.

HTC‘s bottom line in the first quarter was just $2.8 million. Revenue was down 37% to $1.4 billion, below even the low end of its guidance. In February, HTC guided to first-quarter sales of $1.7 billion to $2 billion.

A recent Chipworks teardown showed that HTC is sourcing cameras from STMicroelectronics and OmniVision . STMicroelectronics is providing the primary rear camera, which is a 4-megapixel shooter that HTC is hoping will dispel the megapixel myth in the smartphone camera wars. OmniVision is supplying the front-facing 2-megapixel sensor.

The primary sensor is the first backside-illuminated sensor that Chipworks has seen from STMicroelectronics, a technology in which OmniVision used to enjoy first-mover advantage. That’s notable because OmniVIsion offers a sensor with identical specs, yet STM was still able to score the design win. However, it’s also possible that HTC is dual sourcing (Chipworks only tore down one unit), but that implied commoditization isn’t necessarily a good thing, either. It’s not clear which of these companies is the supply chain culprit that’s holding back the One.

Everything is quite literally riding on the One. The flagship launches domestically this month, barely beating Samsung’s Galaxy S4 to market. Still, Samsung’s same advantages will still apply. For example, the Galaxy S4 will be available on all four major U.S. carriers, while HTC said the One won’t reach Verizon Wireless (the biggest of the four). AllThingsD reports that the One will indeed make its way to Big Red‘s network eventually, so perhaps HTC was playing coy.

For HTC, the One will make or break the company in 2013.

It’s incredible to think just how much of our digital and technological lives are almost entirely shaped and molded by just a handful of companies. Find out “Who Will …read more

Science & Technology

Taiwan's HTC reports record low net profit

Taiwan’s smartphone maker HTC said Monday net profit slumped 98.1 percent in the three months to March compared to a year earlier, hitting a record low of Tw$85 million ($2.83 million). …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org

Computers

HTC's Q1 profit sinks to record low

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC reported a major decline in its first quarter profit, after the company was forced to push back the launch of its newest flagship phone to April.

HTC on Monday said its net profit for the quarter reached NT$85 million (US$2.84 million), its lowest for the quarter according to online financial records stretching back to 2005. The weak earnings mark a considerable dive from past first quarters when the company’s net profit consistently exceeded 1 billion Taiwanese dollars. Last year, for example, the net profit for the first quarter reached NT$4.47 billion.

HTC‘s revenue, at NT$ 42.8 billion, also came in under company projections of NT$50 billion to $60 billion.

Since late 2011, HTC has struggled to maintain earnings as it has faced heated competition from rivals such as Apple and Samsung. The company has sought to bounce back by promoting a new flagship smartphone brand, called the “One” series, while also increasing product marketing.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Five Reviews Of The HTC First, With Facebook Home

April 7, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Ewan Spence, Contributor

Alongside the software download of Facebook Home, the other announcement from Facebook was that HTC would be launching the HTC First on AT&T in the US, with availability in other territories to follow in the near future. A number of reviewers have been able to look over the handset, and here is a quick summary of their thoughts, and links to the full reviews. …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

By Anthony Wing Kosner, Contributor

The Big House: Do We Want To Escape From Facebook Home?

April 6, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled “Facebook Home,” a “launcher” for the social network’s mobile apps on Android devices. The software will come pre-installed on HTC‘s $99 First phone, but that was presented as almost an afterthought. …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

By Travis Hoium, The Motley Fool

The Dow's Top 3 Stocks This Week

April 6, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under: Investing

If you’d only read the headlines, you’d think it was a rough week on Wall Street. Employment numbers were terrible and the housing market may be slowing a bit, but stocks moved sideways once again. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell just 0.09% this week, and the S&P 500 lost only 1%. Despite the declines overall, there were a few big winners on the Dow this week.

UnitedHealth Group jumped 8.5%, boosted by a surprise increase in Medicare Advantage reimbursements. The government initially proposed a 2.2% cut in rates, but after much lobbying from the industry, it did a 180 and decided to increase reimbursements by 3.3%. Across the board, insurers loved the news, and UnitedHealth won’t be under the same margin pressure some had feared in 2014.

AT&T was second on the Dow, climbing 3.6% for the week. Investors cheered when Facebook announced that the first Facebook Home-specific device, made by HTC, will be exclusive to AT&T. The pop on Thursday was probably overdone, though, because Home will be available on most Android phones and there doesn’t appear to be any long-term advantage for AT&T with Home. Friday was also the last day to own AT&T before getting a $0.45-per-share dividend, so that may have boosted the stock slightly late in the week.

Merck rounds out the top three this week, climbing 2.1%. Aside from a lawsuit against India’s Glenmark Pharmaceuticals over the potential infringement on two diabetes drugs, it was a fairly quiet week for Merck. The company got a bit of a boost when the Medicare Advantage reimbursement news came out, probably because investors are hoping margins won’t be squeezed further down the medical value chain. If insurers are generating less revenue, they’ll push for lower prices from pharmaceutical companies, so the higher rates may be an incremental positive for the company. Investors are also looking forward to earnings, which Merck will release on May 1.

Can Merck beat the patent cliff?
This titan of the pharmaceutical industry stumbled into 2013 and continues to battle patent expirations and pipeline problems. Is Merck still a solid dividend play, or should investors be looking elsewhere? In a new premium research report on Merck, the Fool tackles all of the company’s moving parts, its major market opportunities, and reasons to both buy and sell. To find out more click here to claim your copy today.

var FoolAnalyticsData = FoolAnalyticsData || []; FoolAnalyticsData.push({ …read more

By Tim Beyers, The Motley Fool

Like a Zombie, Facebook Phone Is Back From the Dead

April 5, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Filed under: Investing

Finally we have a Facebook phone. Sort of. At a press event yesterday, the social network unveiled its “Home” overlay for the Android operating system. Downloading and installing the app gives it control of your home screen and allows users to connect with friends regardless of what other app they may be using at time.

Later this month, HTC will unveil First, a smart handset with Home pre-installed. Will the move disrupt Google , which has been taking steps to better compete with Facebook? Which of these two is better positioned to grab a bigger slice of the fast-growing mobile data pie?

The Motley Fool’s Erin Miller asks Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova for his perspective in the following video. Click to watch the whole interview, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think about Facebook’s strategy.

For further analysis of the social network’s mobile ambitions, check out our newest premium research report in which we dissect Facebook’s expanding empire and tell you what the company is really worth, and whether there’s reason to “like” the stock for your portfolio. Access your report now by clicking here.

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