China Mobile Beijing branch and the Beijing-based hypermarket retailer Wumart Stores have signed a strategic cooperation agreement on payment by mobile phone. Under the agreement, China Mobile Beijing users who have mobile phones with RFIDSIM cards will be able to pay their bills with their mobile phone in over 300 Wumart retail sites in Beijing. They [...]

What Investors Need To Know About Android’s Upcoming iPhone “Shuffle.”

Tony Daltorio, Investment U Research

Name any internet-connected device and you’re bound to find an application or “app” store for it.

It’s all the rage these days, and every telecommunications company worth mentioning has put significant time, money and resources into having the best array, including:

Nokia (NYSE: NOK)
Palm (Nasdaq: PALM)
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)
Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM)

And that list doesn’t include the surging number of gadgets running the Android operating system from Google (Nasdaq: GOOG).

They each provide access to online retail centers where people can browse, buy and install programs on their mobile phones.

Apple started it all with the iPhone, which still reigns supreme today with 100,000 available applications, a number that has greatly aided the company in nearly matching Google for market value.

But while much of the

…

What Investors Need To Know About Android’s Upcoming iPhone “Shuffle.”

Tony Daltorio, Investment U Research

Name any internet-connected device and you’re bound to find an application or “app” store for it.

It’s all the rage these days, and every telecommunications company worth mentioning has put significant time, money and resources into having the best array, including:

Nokia (NYSE: NOK)
Palm (Nasdaq: PALM)
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)
Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM)

And that list doesn’t include the surging number of gadgets running the Android operating system from Google (Nasdaq: GOOG).

They each provide access to online retail centers where people can browse, buy and install programs on their mobile phones.

Apple started it all with the iPhone, which still reigns supreme today with 100,000 available applications, a number that has greatly aided the company in nearly matching Google for market value.

But while much of the

…

Atmel Corp. (ATML) recently announced that it has licensed Immersion Corp.’s (IMMR) TouchSense technology for its products. Atmel will integrate this functionality into its touch product families to offer users a better experience in consumer products including mobile phones, game consoles, navigation devices, cameras, Netbooks, appliances, PCs and peripherals.

Immersion is a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology.

The company is aggressively marketing its new maxTouchTM technology. Touch-sensing technology is the fastest growing area in Atmel's microcontroller business and it is expected to remain a major growth driver in the coming quarters. Atmel's maxTouchTM is beginning to gain traction among the OEMs and is expected to be one of the leading new technologies in the smart-phone and large screen applications.

Management expects to release additional maXTouch touchscreen solutions in the fourth quarter of 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, the company also announced that its plans to sell its wafer

...

Atmel Corp. (ATML) recently announced that it has licensed Immersion Corp.’s (IMMR) TouchSense technology for its products. Atmel will integrate this functionality into its touch product families to offer users a better experience in consumer products including mobile phones, game consoles, navigation devices, cameras, Netbooks, appliances, PCs and peripherals.

Immersion is a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology.

The company is aggressively marketing its new maxTouchTM technology. Touch-sensing technology is the fastest growing area in Atmel's microcontroller business and it is expected to remain a major growth driver in the coming quarters. Atmel's maxTouchTM is beginning to gain traction among the OEMs and is expected to be one of the leading new technologies in the smart-phone and large screen applications.

Management expects to release additional maXTouch touchscreen solutions in the fourth quarter of 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, the company also announced that its plans to sell its wafer

...

On Monday, MoneyGram International Inc. (MGI) announced its decision to make an optional repayment of $40 million to its debtors on Dec 22, 2009. The prepayment of $40 million is against its tranche B term loan taken under the senior secured credit facility. This will bring down the total outstanding debt of the company to $187 million, shrinking it by 19% since Jan 2009.  MoneyGram’s debt-cutting initiatives have become a major priority for the company as mounting losses in the securities portfolio are already hampering the organic growth and earnings. These losses have largely resulted from the deterioration in the value of the company's holdings of asset-backed securities, which were negatively impacted by changes in the credit ratings or their underlying collateral. However, the company is realigning its portfolio and has also used valuation gains on put options to partially offset the net security losses.  Additionally, ...

Upon completion of the acquisition of SANYO Electric Co Ltd. (SANYY), a manufacturer and seller of electronic equipment and rechargeable batteries, Panasonic (PC), a leading manufacturer of electronic and electrical products, systems and components, today announced changes to its subsidiaries to reflect the integration of SANYO’s business.   Panasonic consummated the transaction on Dec 16 with the acquisition of approximately 3.3 billion shares of SANYO (or more than 50% of the company’s total shares) for approximately $4.6 billion (403.8 billion yen). Panasonic now has a 50.2% stake in Sanyo.   As a result of the conversion of the Class B preferred shares of SANYO, which Panasonic acquired through a tender offer, SANYO and its subsidiaries such as SANYO Asia PTE Ltd, SANYO North America Corp. and SANYO Europe Ltd. have now become Panasonic's subsidiaries.   Associated with the acquisition of SANYO’s business activities, Panasonic also implemented ...

SK Telecom (SKM), South Korea’s wireless kingpin, is reportedly entering the mobile credit card market. The company has sealed a deal to acquire 49% stake in Hana Card, the credit card unit of Hana Financial Group, for KRW400 million (US$346 million). Hana Financial, the fourth largest financial company in South Korea, will hold the remaining 51% stake.   Hana Card currently holds 3.5% share of South Korea’s credit card market and targets to become the leading player in this market within five years through this deal. SK Telecom’s Board recently approved the transaction, which if completed successfully (expected in Feb 2010), will enable South Korea’s first telecom operator to enter the credit card market.     The deal will enable SK Telecom to offer wide-scale mobile payment services to its 24 million wireless customers. The company will soon introduce a mobile credit card (a chip installed on

...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – December 14, 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: Panasonic Corp. (PC), SANYO Electric Co Ltd. (SANYY), Sony (SNE), Hitachi (HIT) and Health Net (HNT).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Panasonic Takes Over Sanyo

Panasonic Corp. (PC) announced the acquisition of SANYO Electric Co Ltd. (SANYY), which will bring greater expertise in two areas – batteries and solar panels. Sanyo is a leading company in the rechargeable battery business focused on lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.

...

Panasonic Corp. (PC) announced the acquisition of SANYO Electric Co Ltd. (SANYY), which will bring greater expertise in two areas – batteries and solar panels. Sanyo is a leading company in the rechargeable battery business focused on lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Panasonic is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic and electrical products, systems and components.  Panasonic said that it has completed the tender offer to acquire approximately 3.1 billion shares of SANYO (or more than 50% of the company’s total shares) for approximately $4.6 billion (403.8 billion yen). The tender offer was planned for Nov 5 through Dec 9 at a price of 131 yen per share. Panasonic will have 50.2% stake in Sanyo.  Panasonic had entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with SANYO in Dec 2008, which could not come into effect due to various regulatory hurdles from anti-monopoly authorities in the ...