• Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) agreed to pay Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD) $1.25 billion to settle a private antitrust lawsuit

• Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) announced plans to enter the smartphone business, in partnership with China Mobile and Claro. Its first product, the Mini 3, will be designed around Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system

• Disney (NYSE:DIS) reported fiscal fourth quarter results after yesterday's close, with earnings ex-items coming in 5 cents a share better-than-expected at 46 cents. Revenues of $9.87 billion came in well ahead of Zacks estimates of $9.18 billion

• McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) addressed its plans to open 1,000 additional restaurants next year, and provide an image makeover to the rest.  The firm set targets for average annual sales growth of 3-5% and average annual operating earnings growth of 6-7%

• Abercrombie and Fitch (NYSE:ANF) reported third quarter non-GAAP earnings of 30 cents a share, well above Zacks estimates of 20 cents, as revenues of $765.4

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• Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) reported fourth quarter earnings of 24 cents a share, up from last year's 10 cents, above Zacks estimates of 21 cents, as revenues dropped 3.7% to $2.42 billion. The firm raised its 2010 guidance to 15-20% earnings growth from prior guidance of 13-18% growth

• Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) shares gained 12% on their NYSE debut.  The company sold 38 million shares at $25 per share

• JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) lifted its price target on Ford (NYSE:F)

• The smartphone marketplace will watch today's launch of Verizon's (NYSE:VZ) much-heralded new "Droid" launch, using Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system

• AIG (NYSE:AIG) reported third quarter earnings of $2.85 ex-items

• Bernstein upgraded General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares

• JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) upgraded Macy's (NYSE:M) shares

• Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) upgraded Blue Nile (NASDAQ:NILE) shares, lifting the price target from $30 to $50

Zacks Investment Research

Forget Microsoft-Apple or Microsoft-Google. A new rivalry is developing in the tech world. Google and Apple are increasingly squaring off over lucrative markets like the mobile computing field.

The rivalry between the two companies is occurring on a worldwide battlefield. And now this budding Apple-Google rivalry has spread to perhaps the most important mobile phone market in the world – China. China is the world’s largest mobile phone market with 700 million subscribers.

However, China has only recently launched third generation services, which offer broadband-speed data connections. Smart phone penetration in China is running at 10 percent of all handsets sold. But the smart phones are expected to generate higher revenues as subscribers access features such as music, multimedia and games downloads.

China Mobile will fire the opening shot in the battle for high-value subscribers over the next couple of months with the launch of the 3G OPhone, which

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The battle for the smart phone market is heating up this year because the smart phone market is the only game in town. Although smart phones account for just 1 in every 7 mobile devices sold, this segment has doubled its share of the global mobile phone business over the past three years. Revenues from smart phones are expected to double, to half the industry total, by 2014.

Recent figures from market research company Gartner confirm this trend. Gartner’s figures showed that shipments of phones that allow web surfing, email and other popular software applications rose 27 percent in the second quarter to 41 million units. This occurred even while overall handset sales remained on track for their first full-year decline ever. For the three months to June 20, overall mobile phone sales fell 6.1 percent to 286.1 million units. Even during the recession it seems consumers are abandoning ‘dumb’ phones

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Intel (INTC) and Nokia (NOK) have joined hands to tap the smart phone and MID market. Nokia will use the Atom processor in its smart phones and mobile Internet devices going forward, even as Intel licenses Nokia's 3G HSPA modem technology.

The two companies have used open source software from Linux to develop their respective mobile platforms. The strategic relationship is expected to enable Intel's Moblin (currently in beta stage) and Nokia's Maemo to incorporate several open source applications, such as oFono, ConnMan, Mozilla, X.Org, BlueZ, D-BUS, Tracker, GStreamer and PulseAudio through some co-coordinated effort. The association will also enhance device functionality for both in terms of Internet connectivity, wireless communication, superior graphics and comprehensive multimedia capabilities.

Nokia currently holds about 40% share of the mobile phone market and a 34% market share in smart phones. The partnership should, therefore, be of great strategic

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 2, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Cisco Systems (CSCO), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), International Business Machines (IBM), Intel (INTC) and Google (GOOG).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Monday's Analyst Blog:

GM & Citi Replaced on the Dow

I think Dow Jones missed a good opportunity to position the average for the changing global economy.

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has long been considered to be a prime candidate for the Dow. Given its size and influence, it's

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New Dow Components: Cisco & Travelers The Dow Jones editorial board, which runs the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DJI), selected Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Travelers (TRV) as replacements for General Motors (GM) and Citigroup (C). GM is being removed because it is bankrupt. C is being removed because of its ongoing restructuring. I think Dow Jones missed a good opportunity to position the average for the changing global economy. CSCO has long been considered to be a prime candidate for the Dow. Given its size and influence, it's difficult to argue against adding the telecom equipment company. However, the average already has Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), International Business Machines (IBM) and Intel (INTC) -- 3 bellwethers of the tech sector. Therefore, I think a better choice would have been Google (GOOG). Adding GOOG would have given the Dow ...

Against the backdrop of a possible launch of Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) new smartphone, federal regulators are now investigating if an overlap of directors on the boards of Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Google Inc. (GOOG) breach antitrust laws.

The Silicon Valley giants share two directors on their boards, Eric Schmidt, chief executive of Google, and Arthur Levinson, former chief executive of Genentech Inc. (DNA). The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is examining if such connections thwart market competition in software and services.

Under federal antitrust law, "interlocking directorates" is not allowed if it decreases competition between two companies in the same sector. This law, or the Clayton act, is seldom used and difficult to enforce. The typical outcome of violation under the act would be resignation of the concerned directors from one of the boards.

While Schmidt has been on Google's

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