Archive for July, 2011

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PNS, ALTI and SMMF: Tuesday’s Big Small Cap Gainers

July 27th, 2011
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Pinnacle Data Systems (AMEX: PNS), Altair Nanotechnologies (NASDAQ: ALTI) and Summit Financial Group (NASDAQ: SMMF) were among the very few small cap stocks that topped the big boards for gains, Specifically, PNS rose 70.78%, ALTI rose 32% and SMMF rose 32.95%. However, investors should remember that soaring stocks, especially if they are small cap stocks, can just as easily come back down to earth if there is no real justification for the sudden rise in share price. Hence, here is a closer look at PNS, ALTI and SMMF to help you decide on an investing strategy:

Pinnacle Data Systems (AMEX: PNS) Inks an Agreement With IBM

Pinnacle Data Systems is a global provider of services and products for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of computer hardware products as well as products that contain computer hardware. On Tuesday, Pinnacle Data Systems announced that it had entered into an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement with IBM giving the company the ability to design and sell products that are based upon IBM’s System p and System x technologies. Hence and on Tuesday, Pinnacle Data Systems rose 70.78% to $2.35 (PNS has a 52 week trading range of $0.95 to $3.45 a share). However, investors should also note that Pinnacle Data Systems has an earnings call scheduled for Thursday, July 28, 2011 and last quarter, it had reported a slight rise in both revenue and net income.

Altair Nanotechnologies (NASDAQ: ALTI) Closes Its Share Agreement With Canon

Altair Nanotechnologies develops, manufactures and sells nano lithium titanate battery products as well as provides related design, installation and testing services. ALTI is primarily focused on marketing large-scale energy storage solutions to both power companies and electric grid operators around the world. On Monday, Altair Nanotechnologies announced that it had closed a Share Subscription Agreement with Canon Investment Holdings Limited via an affiliate, Energy Storage Technology (China) Group Limited (EST). According to the terms of the agreement, Altair Nanotechnologies issued 37,036,807 shares at $1.5528 per share to raise $57.5 million. On Tuesday, Altair Nanotechnologies rose 32% to $1.65 (ALTI has a 52 week trading range of $0.72 to $3.32 a share). However, investors should note that the entire battery sector has been thoroughly beaten up by the market. In the case of Altair Nanotechnologies, it reported a 1Q2011 revenue increase of 114% to $2.6 million and a net loss of $5.9 million verses $6.1 million for 1Q2010 – not the most exciting financial results for investors.

Summit Financial Group (NASDAQ: SMMF) Is Up But It Still Needs to Finish Cleaning Up Its Loan Portfolio

Summit Financial Group is a financial holding company providing community banking services in the Eastern Panhandle and South Central regions of West Virginia and the Northern region of Virginia. I am not seeing any news to immediately explain why on Tuesday, Summit Financial Group rose 32.95% to $3.51 (SMMF has a 52 week trading range of $2.48 to $5 a share) on a trading volume of 17,096 verses an average trading volume of 2,393. For 1 Q2011, Summit Financial Group had reported a net loss of $322,000 verses 1Q2010 net income of $46,000. SMMF also noted that it was working to reduce its portfolio of nonperforming assets – which was cited as the principal factor contributing to their lack of profits.

The Bottom Line. Depending upon how its earnings call goes on Thursday, PNS could be an interesting stock for long term investors to take a closer look at while ALTI and SMMF are probably better suited for more risk tolerant investors.

Source:http://www.smallcapnetwork.com/PNS-ALTI-and-SMMF-Tuesday-s-Big-Small-Cap-Gainers/s/via/3414/article/view/p/mid/1/id/106/

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R.I.P. DVD: Six Reasons It’s Time for Discs to Die

July 27th, 2011
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When Apple launched refreshed hardware last week, it was no surprise that the ultrathin MacBook Air still does not have an internal DVD drive. Many were shocked to find out, though, that Apple has now also removed the DVD drive from the Mac Mini. But, Apple shouldn’t stop there, and the revolution shouldn’t be limited to Apple, or even just to PCs for that matter. It’s time for discs to die.

Don’t get me wrong, discs were great and contributed to the evolution of technology–I greatly appreciated when CDs came along to replace stacks upon stacks of floppy disks. We are now at a point, though, where discs are unnecessary and cause more problems than they solve.

1. Noise. The CD or DVD drive has mechanical parts that spin the disc at high speed while the data is read using a laser. Even if you can’t obviously hear it, the whirring of the drive adds ambient noise. In some cases–like my Xbox 360 drive–the spinning of the drive is audible and annoying from the next room.

2. Maintenance. Things with mechanical parts that spin at high speed eventually break. Disc drives can collect dust which can affect the ability of the laser to read the data. Looking back over the last decade, disc drives have been the number one cause of repair and replacement costs for me whether it’s in a desktop or notebook PC, a game console like the Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360, or the variety of DVD and Blu-Ray players we have gone through.

3. Energy. It takes more juice to keep the disc spinning, and using a CD or DVD drive greatly reduces battery life on portable devices. Whether we are talking about an Xbox 360, a desktop PC, or a portable notebook, a disc drive consumes more energy than the alternatives.

4. Speed. Reading data from a solid state drive (SSD), or even from a traditional hard drive is exponentially faster than reading that same data from a CD or DVD. Your mileage will vary depending on the drives you’re comparing, but you will get significantly better performance from data stored locally on a drive than you will reading it from a CD or DVD.

5. Media. This is the main reason I won’t be sad to see discs go–the discs. The discs take up space. If you need to reinstall a program a year later, you have to try and remember where you stored the disc, and hope it is not unusably scratched or cracked. Hard drive capacity is cheap and virtually limitless, and it can be easily searched to find what you’re looking for.

6. Convenience. I bought a Blu-Ray player over a year ago. I own one Blu-Ray movie and I can count on one hand the number I have rented. Why? The player also connects to my Internet connection and provides streaming media content–enabling me to choose and watch movies instantly rather than going to a video store or waiting for a disc to arrive in the mail.The same convenience applies with computer software, and with console games. Why deal with having to get or wait for a physical disc when the software can be delivered over the Internet in a few minutes?

I don’t care that Apple ditched the drive in the Mac Mini, or that it only offers Mac OS X Lion as a digital download. I don’t mind that Netflix seems to be intentionally driving customers away from using physical DVDs. I welcome rumors that Microsoft might develop a disc-less Xbox console.

Thank you for your service CDs and DVDs, but your time has passed. Buh-bye.

Source:http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/236559/rip_dvd_six_reasons_its_time_for_discs_to_die.html

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Inside Apple’s iOS 5: AirPort, Time Capsule setup goes PC-free

July 27th, 2011
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An iPhone running iOS 5 will automatically recognize AirPort Base Station hardware that needs to be set up, and users will be able to accomplish this task through the Wi-Fi Networks option in the Settings application. The new feature was discovered by AppleInsider reader Cameron Pierson, who sent along the included screenshots.

Under Wi-Fi Networks, a new option reads “Set up an AirPort Base Station…” In setting up a Time Capsule, users are given the option to create a Wi-Fi network, complete with password, or “Do something different.”

Selecting the latter option gives users the option to join an existing network, or to replace a base station. Users are also given appropriate error messages or details on how to fix any issues directly from the iOS Settings application.

Upon setting up a Wi-Fi network, users can also select “Show Passwords,” which will display any applicable network password, base station password and disk password so that users may save them for later.

Source:http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/07/26/inside_apples_ios_5_airport_time_capsule_setup_goes_pc_free.html

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The Ultimate Reboot: Recycling Computer Hardware

July 27th, 2011
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When your computer Relevant Products/Services outlives its usefulness, do you sell it, donate it or take it to the dump? Those are the standard options. But a new do-it-yourself movement is offering something else, an afterlife.

Today’s hardware Relevant Products/Services is often outdated after just a few years, meaning it’s time to get more modern equipment. But instead of just getting rid of your old machines, try to find another use for them.

In some parts of the world, like Europe, there are programs designed to encourage technical reincarnation. Recycling of electronics and electronic components is “essential” for the environment Relevant Products/Services, according to EU waste guidelines.

And, when it comes to reusing electronics, the sky is the limit. Here are some suggestions:

Put some housing on your hard drive: This one is very easy to implement. Even if it’s just a 20-gigabyte (GB) drive, an old hard drive is ideal as an external drive for data Relevant Products/Services backups. All you need is a housing with a USB connection, available for just a few euros in most stores.

You’ll need a 3.5-inch version for PC Relevant Products/Services hard drives or a 2.5-inch version for laptop Relevant Products/Services hard drives. Be careful when setting up the connections. Older drives use the IDE plug while newer ones use a SATA plug. Even if your notebook Relevant Products/Services or PC lacks a USB 3.0 port, it’s still worthwhile to buy a housing that supports the newer, faster USB standard.

Turn a computer into a network Relevant Products/Services drive: Old PCs or unused laptops or netbooks can be turned into a home network drive. First, take out everything that’s unnecessary and uses up power Relevant Products/Services. That means graphics, sound and video Relevant Products/Services cards.

For software Relevant Products/Services, Manuel Schreiber of the German computer magazine Chip recommends using an old Windows Relevant Products/Services license with the freeware FileZilla server. When installing, pick the option “Install as a service Relevant Products/Services started with Windows,” so that the program starts with Windows. Users who want to access Relevant Products/Services the mini-server need the free FTP client FileZilla.

Source:http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Creating-an-Afterlife-for-Old-Hardware/story.xhtml?story_id=122003XE9PB6

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Jefferies Expands Global Technology, Internet, Media and Telecommunications Equity Research

July 26th, 2011
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In a further expansion of the firm’s global equity research effort, Jefferies announced today the addition of Jason Kupferberg, Mark Lipacis, David Reynolds and Robert Lea, who join the firm as Senior Equity Research Analysts. Mr. Kupferberg will cover the Computer Services and IT Consulting sectors and is based in New York, Mr. Lipacis will cover the Semiconductor industry and is based in San Francisco, Mr. Reynolds will cover the Internet sector and is based in London, and Mr. Lea will cover the Semiconductor industry and is based in Hong Kong.

“We are extremely pleased to increase our research commitment within the broader Technology, Internet, Media and Telecommunications sectors,” commented Steven R. Black, Global Head of Equity Research at Jefferies. “Jason, Mark, David and Robert are established analysts and we are excited to welcome them to our team as part of the strategic build-out of this dynamic and opportunity-rich industry.”

Jefferies’ broader Technology, Internet, Media and Telecom (TIMT) Equity Research team is comprised of 25 senior analysts in New York, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo covering the Computer Services & IT Consulting, Data Networking and Wireless Equipment, Internet, Media, Software, Technology Hardware, Telecom Equipment / Wireless, and Telecommunications Services sectors.

Jefferies’ global equities business provides full-service research, sales and execution services across cash equities, electronic trading, equity derivatives, exchange traded funds, convertibles, prime brokerage and securities finance. The group is comprised of over 700 professionals in research, sales, and trading, including over 250 research professionals covering over 1,200 companies globally.

Mr. Kupferberg joins Jefferies from UBS, where he spent 10 years and was a Senior Equity Research Analyst covering Computer Services and IT Consulting companies. In 2010, he was a Runner Up in the Institutional Investor analyst survey, and was ranked #3 in 2009. Previously, he worked for Ernst & Young Consulting (now Capgemini). He received an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a BS from The George Washington University.

Mr. Lipacis joins Jefferies from Morgan Stanley, where he spent four years and was a Managing Director and Senior Semiconductor Analyst. In 2010, he was a Runner Up in the Institutional Investor analyst survey, ranked #3 in the Greenwich Associates poll, and ranked highly in previous Wall Street Journal and StarMine polls where he was recognized as the #1 Semiconductor stock picker by StarMine in 2009. Previously, he was a First Vice President and Senior Semiconductor Analyst at Prudential, and prior to that a Director and Lead Communications Semiconductor Analyst at Merrill Lynch. He received a MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a MS and BS in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University.

Mr. Reynolds brings to Jefferies more than ten years of industry experience and was most recently a Senior Vice President in Equity Research at JP Morgan, where he spent four years and led European Technology coverage and was a Runner Up in the Institutional Investor analyst survey. Previously, he spent four years at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, where he was a Director in Equity Research covering Technology companies. Prior to that, he spent three years at KPMG after serving as a Royal Marines Officer. He received a BSc from University College Swansea and is a Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Mr. Lea has 15 years of industry experience and joins Jefferies from UBS, where he was most recently a Portfolio Manager investing in the Asia Technology sector in that firm’s Fundamental Investment Group. Previously, he was Global Head of Memory Semiconductor Equity Research at UBS and led coverage of the Korean and Taiwan Semiconductor sectors. Prior to that, he covered UK Technology companies at UBS in London. Mr. Lea has been consistently highly ranked in the Institutional Investor, StarMine and Extel analyst surveys in both Asia and Europe. He received a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Imperial College, London and is a Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Jefferies Group, Inc. JEF -1.22% , a global securities and investment banking firm, has served companies and investors for nearly 50 years.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jefferies-expands-global-technology-internet-media-and-telecommunications-equity-research-2011-07-26?reflink=MW_news_stmp

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LOK-IT Secure Flash Drive Honored with ‘Best of FOSE Award’

July 26th, 2011
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Systematic Development Group (SDG) received a Best of FOSE Award at this year’s FOSE Convention in Washington, D.C.

The FOSE Convention is an annual event featuring the latest innovations in Information Technology geared toward government channels. Systematic Development Group’s innovative new LOK-IT Secure Flash Drive® was recognized in the Security Hardware category.

“We are very pleased to be recognized with a Best of FOSE award. We had the opportunity to introduce LOK-IT to many conference attendees and based upon their positive response it appears LOK-IT is extremely timely,” stated George Wolf, SDG President.

“Our LOK-IT drives are unique as they are the only FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certified USB flash drives utilizing hardware user authentication via an onboard 10 Key PIN Pad. This eliminates the reliance upon a keyboard and computer to unlock and use the drive.”

The need for security measures protecting stored data has never been greater but dependence upon software user authentication has made secure drives more complex, inflexible and platform dependent. The number and variety of operating systems used by computers, the proliferation of USB ports embedded in office equipment and the introduction of USB On-The-Go for tablet PCs and smart phones make LOK-IT platform independence uniquely suitable for these new devices and equipment.

“Our goal in developing LOK-IT was to build a ‘next generation’ of secure flash drives as easy to use as normal flash drives but includes key security components today’s government and corporate users demand. We feel we’ve achieved that goal with our PIN-Pad hardware authentication,” continued Wolf.

An interview with George Wolf on the FOSE exhibit floor can be seen here: FOSE/Wolf interview

SDG recently launched the LOK-IT Secure Flash Drive® and is quickly becoming a standard for both corporations and government agencies in their efforts to secure portable data.

LOK-IT security features include hardware authentication via onboard PIN-Pad utilizing DataLock®, licensed technology from ClevX, LLC (patents pending); 256-bit AES hardware encryption; and physical protection highlighted by waterproof/dustproof IP57 rated anodized aluminum form and internal epoxy coating. With no computer connection required during authentication, LOK-IT is immune to key-logging malware – a security hole with other encrypted flash drives.

Source:http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2011/07/26/lok-it-secure-flash-drive-honored-best-fose-award

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HTC EVO 3D brings depth to smartphones

July 26th, 2011
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Watching and interacting with content in 3D has been around for a few years.

Putting it on a smartphone, though, is something new all together. The HTC EVO 3D brings the 3D technology on an Android phone that does a really good job of displaying 3D images and videos.

Where the experience falls short is when you want to view the 3D pictures and videos away from the phone.

3D content

The HTC EVO 3D does more than let you watch 3D content. I was able to watch The Green Hornet on the phone entirely in 3D.

The phone does more than let you play 3D games. I played a pretty cool Spider Man game on the phone that did a good job of mixing solid gameplay and the 3D display.

Where this phone distinguishes itself is in how it lets you produce 3D content.

The 5 megapixel camera works great for standard 2D images and high-definition video. But you can shoot 3D images and video by moving a small switch on the phone from 2D to 3D.

The resulting images and videos are pretty good considering no glasses are needed to view them. You can clearly see depth in the images. I took a picture of a monster truck that made it appear as if the truck was a good bit in front of the backdrop.

The challenge is being able to share the images you create or even just view them on something other than the phone. The phone can easily share content with computers and televisions. You’ll need a 3D compatible display to look at the 3D content produced with the phone.

The other stuff

This phone obviously does more than 3D. It’s actually a pretty good Android smartphone. It runs on an updated version of the HTC Sense Android skin. That gives the phone several ways to personalize the experience and brings the Sense user interface several new tweaks that make finding and sharing content much easier.

One of my favorite features is the HTC Watch movie library. You can log in through your phone to get access to tons of films. I was able to view The Green Hornet through HTC Watch. The only real issue I have with the phone is that it’s not 4G compatible. Sprint offers some pretty good 4G connections in select markets. Valley owners of this phone will be left out of the 4G party once Phoenix gets access.

Let’s be honest.

The truth about a phone like the HTC EVO 3D is that it is a good smartphone that will do most everything the other similar devices on the market can do. It’s an Android phone, so it has some of the same benefits – such as an open platform and easy access to files – and deficiencies – such as a slow camera and bad battery life – other Android phones do.

What the EVO 3D does differently is life up to its name. Viewing 3D content on a mobile phone is a pretty cool thing. It would be far cooler if I personally had a way to view the photos and videos on my T.V. or computer monitor. That deficiency, though, is the result of my own personal hardware, not a problem with the phone.

Fans of the 3D technology should definitely consider this phone. Everyone else should know that it’s a good smartphone running on a solid network.

Source:http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2011/07/25/20110725htc-evo-3d-review.html

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