Archive for April, 2012
NEW YORK/SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp is jumping into the fast-growing e-books market by investing $605 million over five years in Barnes Noble Inc’s Nook e-reader and college business, as it looks to unlock Amazon.com and Apple Inc’s grip on the exploding tablet computer market.
The move comes just six months before the world’s largest software maker is due to launch its new touch-enabled Windows 8 operating system, and the inclusion of a Nook app on Windows tablets should allow them to compete with Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle Fire.
It also gives Microsoft a direct interest in electronic publishing just as the market for downloadable college textbooks starts to take off and the publishing industry undergoes a radical shift toward electronic distribution.
“It’s a good strategic deal,” said Sid Parakh, an analyst at fund firm McAdams Wright Ragen. “It gets Microsoft in the game for e-readers, and gives them access to a market that has been growing nicely and they’ve basically sat out of. It also makes Windows 8 a more compelling platform from an e-readers perspective.”
In turn, Barnes Noble gets a much-needed capital injection and a way to enter the digital books market outside the United States. The new unit will be run and majority owned by Barnes Noble and will maintain a relationship with the U.S. bookstore chain’s nearly 700 stores.
Shares of Barnes Noble soared as much as 90 percent in early trading, before sliding back and ending with a 52 percent gain at $20.75. Microsoft shares, which recently hit a four-year high, edged up 0.1 percent to close at $32.015.
Microsoft‘s initial investment of $300 million, which will give it a 17.6 percent stake in the newly created Barnes Noble subsidiary, values the new unit at $1.7 billion. Over the next five years, Microsoft has committed to invest another $305 million.
The deal – initially worth only 0.5 percent of Microsoft‘s cash hoard – is financially small, but strategically important for both companies.
Microsoft‘s Windows software still runs on more than 90 percent of the world’s personal computers, but the company has been left behind in the mobile revolution as millions of people do more computing on smartphones and tablets running Apple or Google’s Android software. Microsoft has also struggled to make its mark on internet-based commerce, which is dominated by Amazon, or rival Apple and Google’s online app stores.
“The deal brings Microsoft technology and engineers into the Nook business – that talent will be tapped to make the Nook even better,” said Albert Greco, a book industry expert at the business school of Fordham University in New York. “It gives Microsoft a tablet already, and Barnes Noble global reach for the Nook platform, through Windows 8.”
Barnes Noble Chief Executive William Lynch told Reuters that the investment would go primarily to fund the international rollout of the Nook’s digital bookstores and new reading software for the Windows platform.
MICROSOFT BACKS ANDROID
Under the deal announced early on Monday, Microsoft will get a 17.6 percent stake in a new Barnes Noble unit combining the bookseller’s college bookstore and Nook businesses. Those areas made up just over $1 billion in sales last quarter, about 40 percent of Barnes Noble’s total.
Microsoft, which will get an unspecified share of the new unit’s sales, will pay $25 million a year for the first five years to help with development costs and acquiring content, and will make an upfront payment of $60 million a year for the first three years after the launch of Windows 8, essentially guaranteeing minimum sales of that amount to Barnes Noble.
That means Microsoft‘s total outlay will be at least $605 million.
As part of the deal, Microsoft has dropped a patent lawsuit against Barnes Noble over the Nook, which runs on Google’s Android system, and will get royalties on those patents. There is a possibility that future Nook models will be based on the Windows operating system, but executives would not comment on that in a call with analysts.
Barnes Noble gets a much-needed capital injection and a way to enter the digital books market outside the United States. The new unit will be run by Barnes Noble and will maintain a relationship with the U.S. bookstore chain’s nearly 700 stores.
Barnes Noble’s Nook has found a strong following, allowing it to garner some 27 percent of the U.S. e-books market in the 2-1/2 years since the device was launched, compared with Amazon’s 60 percent and Apple’s 10 percent. But battling Amazon’s market-leading Kindle has proved expensive.
“It gives them a much larger partner with deeper pockets, it gives them increased reach,” said Morningstar analyst Peter Wahlstrom. “In the last two years they’ve had their backs against the wall.”
Last year, Barnes Noble suspended its dividend to direct more cash into developing Nook, which resulted in a well-reviewed glow in the dark Nook introduced last month.
In January, however, it lowered its sales and profit forecasts as it faces pressure from Amazon’s aggressive pricing strategy which has prompted it repeatedly to lower the prices on its own devices.
NOOK TO GO GLOBAL
Barnes Noble has poured tens of millions of dollars into developing the Nook. The first version hit the market in 2009, two years after the Kindle.
The company’s e-readers, tablets and electronic book sales have helped it offset a broader decline in book sales. Same-store sales of books at its brick-and-mortar stores have edged up again largely thanks to the bankruptcy last year of Borders Group.
But the Nook has been available only in the United States and the company said last year it wanted to take its digital business to new markets. Lynch told Reuters that deals to sell Nook through retailers abroad were “coming soon.”
Barnes Noble said in January that it might spin off its digital business, which includes the Nook, arguing that investors were not giving the company enough credit for that growth.
The company did not say on Monday if it would take the new venture public.
Barnes Noble put itself up for sale in 2010 but attracted only one firm offer – a bid for $17 per share, or $1 billion, last May, from Liberty Media, which was drawn by the Nook’s growth.
Liberty ultimately decided to invest $204 million rather than buy the company outright. It now has preferred shares it can convert into a 16.6 percent stake in Barnes Noble at a strike price of $17.
(Reporting by Phil Wahba, Martinne Geller and Sinead Carew in New York and Bill Rigby in Seattle; Additional reporting by Mihir Dalal in Bangalore and Alistair Barr in San Francisco.; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, Maureen Bavdek, Dave Zimmerman and Matthew Lewis)
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Take a look at the ads that Microsoft has been running for Internet Explorer 9, for example. Last month, the company unveiled spots that featured a pulsing beat for the browser with the lowest cool factor, along with gushing reviews about the IE’s simplicity and beauty.
The company even makes fun of itself, with a spot that features a young man going through therapy to get away from his “addiction” of telling everyone to uninstall Internet Explorer, and a whole Web site called “The Browser You Loved to Hate.”
The main navigation tabs on the site read: “Curious?”, “It’s good now”, and “No, really”.
And, after a year of falling numbers, Internet Explorer is gaining market share again, up slightly to 53.83 percent from 52.84 percent, according to Net Applications, a gain the company took from tiny losses from Firefox, Chrome and Safari.
The numbers are hardly earth-shattering, but notable because it’s the first time the browser has gained market share in a year.
The makeover extends beyond IE. Microsoft has remade its Bing ads this year to highlight the story of snowboarder Kevin Pearce, as part of a pivot to case Bing as a search engine of action. Originally, Bing was supposed to be a decision engine (remember “Los links”?) but now it’s about getting to do things more quickly.
In an interview with The New York Times this past January, Bing’s director of advertising said that the ads are targeted at the “Generation Y” consumers aged 18 to 34.
Bing has also seen an uptick in market share in recent months. According to the analytics firm ComScore, Bing was holding steady at 15.3 percent of the market this past month, up from 13.9 percent in March 2011.
Related stories:
Facebook, Microsoft strike a patent deal
Why is Microsoft investing in the Nook?
Apple’s Tim Cook takes a dig at Microsoft
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Microsoft teamed up Monday with US bookselling giant Barnes Noble in a venture aimed at grabbing a bigger share of the rapidly growing market for electronic books.
The world’s biggest software group will make a $300 million investment in a new Barnes Noble subsidiary focusing on the bookseller’s digital reading capabilities, including its Nook tablet, and its college businesses.
The move ends a long patent dispute between the two firms and brings them together to battle Amazon‘s popular Kindle tablet and ebook reader, as well as the surging Apple iPad.
The Nook, which is the BN competitor in the segment, will get an application for Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system.
This “will extend the reach of Barnes Noble’s digital bookstore by providing one of the world’s largest digital catalogues of e-books, magazines and newspapers to hundreds of millions of Windows customers in the US and internationally,” a joint statement said.
The investment will give Microsoft a 17.6 percent stake in the as-yet unnamed unit that “will accelerate the transition to e-reading, which is revolutionizing the way people consume, create, share and enjoy digital content,” the statement said.
The alliance appeared to offer benefits for both firms: Microsoft gets an entry into the tablet computer segment dominated by Apple and devices powered by Google’s Android operating system, while BN gets a much needed cash injection.
“This is big news for both Microsoft and Barnes Noble,” said independent analyst Jeff Kagan.
“It not only gives the Nook a shot in the arm, but gives Microsoft new ground to expand their brand and market new services.”
Neil McDonald of the consultancy Gartner said that the primary motivation for Microsoft was to get the Nook to use the Windows operating system.
“This is really Microsoft playing catchup” in the market for e-readers, he said, “but I don’t believe it fundamentally changes the ebook market.”
It was not clear if Windows 8 would power Nook tablets in the future.
BN chief executive William Lynch said in a conference call that much of the investment from both companies will be going to fuel the growth of the Nook bookstore internationally. Currently, Barnes Noble has no presence in the international digital book market.
Barnes Noble, which has been struggling with red ink from its brick-and-mortar stores, saw its shares skyrocket in opening trade as much as 85 percent, and closed with a gain of 52 percent at $20.76. Microsoft shares added a marginal 0.03 percent to $32.01.
Analysts noted that the investment values the Nook unit at $1.7 billion, more than value of Barnes Noble itself before the deal.
In January, Barnes Noble — whose market value has plummeted in recent years — had announced plans to spin off its digital business to maximize value for its shareholders.
“The shift to digital is putting the world’s libraries and newsstands in the palm of every person’s hand, and is the beginning of a journey that will impact how people read, interact with, and enjoy new forms of content,” said Microsoft president Andy Lees.
It was not decided whether the separation of the new unit will involve a new stand-alone company, according to the statement.
In February, Barnes Noble unveiled a new version of its Nook tablet, with the same $199 price tag as Amazon’s Kindle Fire.
The Nook has been a surprisingly strong competitor to Amazon’s Kindle and is expected to account for about 25 percent of the US e-book market, gaining most of its share from Amazon.
The announcement comes weeks after the US Justice Department sued Apple and five publishing firms alleging a conspiracy to raise prices and limit competition for e-books. The suit is expected to open up competition in the market.
More than $2 billion will be spent this year on e-books, according to Forrester analyst James McQuivey, and the figure is projected to top $10 billion dollars annually by 2016.
Last year, Microsoft sued BN and others, claiming the Android-based e-reader violated Microsoft patents. Barnes Noble responded by alleging Microsoft was illegally trying to kill the Android system by asserting patent infringement.
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IRVINE, Calif., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
News Highlights:
- World’s highest density SoC and FE1600 fabric enable highly scalable 10/40/100G solutions
- Only merchant silicon to process a single stream of 200Gbps supporting two 100Gbps full-duplex ports
- Combines fabric/network interfaces, packet processor and traffic manager on a single chip
- Unparalleled integration reduces board space, power and system cost
Broadcom Corporation (BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today introduced the BCM88650 series, the world’s highest density 100 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switching solution, enabling the design of switching platforms with densities up to 4,000 100GbE ports. With the industry’s highest level of integration, the BCM88650 system on chip (SoC) combines the features and functionality of a complete line card into a single chip. Together with Broadcom’s leading FE1600 (BCM88750) fabric, the BCM88650 SoC enables a new generation of high density networking solutions exceeding 100 terabits per second (Tbps). See the technology in action at INTEROP 2012 or visit http://go.broadcom.com/interop12 to learn more.
As the popularity of social networking, streaming video and high bandwidth business services continue to climb, demand for higher-speed networks is growing at an astounding pace. As a result, scalable and affordable 100GbE platforms are a key requirement for next generation switching infrastructures. Large data centers with thousands of servers require 100 Gbps network connectivity in the core to the edge, while large service provider networks require high density core switching platforms with 100 Gbps interfaces to support the increasing access capacities such as 10G PON. The BCM88650 series is the only merchant silicon solution that can process a single stream of 200Gbps traffic at Layer 2-Layer 4 with integrated advanced packet classification and deep-buffer traffic management features to support data center, carrier Ethernet and packet transport requirements.
Analysts expect 100GbE technology to significantly outpace the growth of 40GbE in its first years of introduction. In many ways, 40G has acted as a trailblazer for 100G, reducing risk at the component level and familiarizing service providers and test equipment vendors with coherent networking(1).
Unparalleled Integration Reduces Board Space, Power and System Cost
The unparalleled integration of the BCM88650 allows OEMs to reduce board space and power while lowering system costs. The unified infrastructure enables system vendors to build a single, scalable product line sharing the same switching infrastructure to address a variety of densities and applications.
A carrier access switching solution with a total capacity of a few hundred Gbps can be designed with a single BCM88650 device. A chassis with a total capacity of 25Tbps can be designed for the core of the data center or the carrier core network. Moreover, multiple chassis of different capacities can be interconnected to create a scalable core platform and deliver up to 4,000 wire-speed ports of 100GbE or their 40GbE/10GbE equivalent.
Market Drivers:
- Global IP traffic expected to grow 20-fold by 2016(1)
- 1 million minutes of video content will cross the network every second by 2015(1)
- The number of devices connected to IP networks will be 2x the global population by 2015(1)
- Massive traffic growth challenges current network architecture(3)
- 10/40/100 GbE revenues are expected to reach approximately $50B by 2015(2)
Key Facts:
- Integrates advanced packet classification, deep-buffer traffic manager, and cell based fabric interface
- Integrated 1/10/40/100GbE network interfaces eliminates the need for additional components
- Programmable packet classification engine with built-in support for data center, metro Ethernet
and transport applications
- Large on-chip classification databases can be extended using a companion Broadcom/NetLogic processor
- Deep buffers with distributed scheduling scheme allowing state of the art hierarchical QOS, transmission scheduling and flow control schemes
- Fully compatible with Broadcom’s industry-leading XLP® multi-core processors and NL8865x knowledge-based processors for best-in-class control plane and expanded L2-4 header processing performance
- Fully supported by Broadcom’s common Application Programming Interface (API)
Availability:
The BCM88650 series consists of multiple variations, each tailored for a specific market segment or application including data center, enterprise, carrier access, metro Ethernet, and transport applications. All devices are now sampling with production volume slated for the second half of 2012.
For ongoing news, visit Broadcom’s Newsroom, read the B-Connected Blog, or visit Facebook or Twitter. And to stay connected, subscribe to Broadcom’s RSS Feed.
Quotes:
Jag Bolaria, Senior Analyst, Linley Group
“100GbE and greater density line cards help provide the network bandwidth demanded by video traffic and mobile applications. Large data centers with thousands of servers require 100 Gbps connectivity throughout the network while service provider networks require edge/core switching platforms with dense 100 Gbps interfaces. Broadcom’s newest 100GbE SoC series will further strengthen the company’s position as a leading supplier, delivering the broadest range of silicon solutions for next-generation high-performance networks.”
Eyal Dagan, Broadcom Senior Director General Manager, Network Switch (Dune)
“At Broadcom, we understand that next-generation data centers and service provider networks demand ultra high-port density and a large quantity of high bandwidth ports to manage the exponential growth in traffic happening today. With the industry’s highest level of integration and bandwidth, the BCM88650 series delivers the terabit connectivity required to usher in the next generation of high bandwidth solutions from the core to the edge of the network.”
Resources:
Feature Product Page
(1) Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2011-2016
(2) Infonetics 1G/10G/40G/100G Networking Biannual Worldwide Regional Market Size Forecasts
(3) Linley Group Guide to Ethernet Switch and PHY Chips December, 2011
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation (BRCM), a FORTUNE 500® company, is a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom® products seamlessly deliver voice, video, data and multimedia connectivity in the home, office and mobile environments. With the industry’s broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and embedded software solutions, Broadcom is changing the world by Connecting everything®. For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.
Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, the Connecting everything logo are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU. Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
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The bellowing never stops. It pummels you over the head like a hard rain, and it’s forever accompanied by outdated references (“Mel Kiper, to quote Stan Laurel, ‘Here’s another mess you have gotten me into, Ollie.’ “) and long-winded intros that last nearly as long as a Presidential campaign. Mostly, there is Chris Berman simply talking and talking and talking.
It’s a shame, really, that Berman remains the ringmaster for ESPN during the first two days of the NFL Draft, because the network has terrific draft assets and a first-rate production. It also has the better philosophy regarding the number of people on its main set at Radio City Music Hall. ESPN’s decision to streamline its coverage with fewer voices (the main set on Thursday was Berman, and analysts Jon Gruden and Mel Kiper) is the best fit for viewers. In an accelerated draft, it allows time to discuss and debate picks, as well as give viewers a few moments to breathe amid the cacophony. During the event Kiper was prepared and smart, even if you disagreed with his analysis. The same could be said for ESPN analysts Trent Dilfer, Todd McShay, Bill Polian, the Saturday host Trey Wingo and the information people led by Adam Schefter. Even Jon Gruden had plenty of good moments amid his never-ending praise. The problem, as we have said ad infinitum, is the host. Berman continues to choke the broadcast.
The NFL Network had the opposite issue. Its staffing is solid, but they bludgeon you with too many voices. On the opening night of the draft, the main set was host Rich Eisen, and analysts Mike Mayock, Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin and Steve Mariucci. That’s too many voices on a speedy night with so much visual stimuli coming at you. The network’s Friday night crew featured a scaled-down main set of Eisen, Mayock, and analysts Brian Billick and Charles Davis. That was the best grouping of any network, a quartet where each staffer added something to the conversation.
I favor the NFL Network these days for one reason above all: Mayock. His reservoir of depth during the three-day period is unmatched. He has also become a better broadcaster, in that he allows those around him to make salient points. The Colts’ selection of Stanford tight end Coby Fleener in the second round was a perfect example of how Mayock set up his colleagues. (You’ll see it by jumping to the 1:15 mark here.) After Mayock provided the big-picture reason why he felt the pick was smart, Billick and Davis followed with detailed specifics of how Fleener would help the development of Andrew Luck. It was smart television for the NFL fan.
Both productions have talented staffers behind the cameras, so it comes down to a case of which talent you prefer. The NFL Network had the superior product on the first two days, and when Wingo fronted Dilfer, Kiper and McShay, I thought the coverage was even. Both ESPN and the NFL Network have made the decision to turn the final day into more of an overview look than pick-by-pick analysis. Executives at both networks believe that is the best strategy to keep an audience for the three days. I tend agree with them.
In an ode to Peter King’s iconic MMQB column, below is an analysis from my weekend with the networks.
Ten Things I Think I Think About the Draft Coverage
1. I think I’ll address the notion of tipping picks here. I thought both networks did a good job for the most part of living up to the gentleman’s agreement first reported by SI.com that they would not foreshadow or tip picks by showing draftees on the phone prior to their selection.
But the bigger issue over the weekend was a series of complaints that NFL reporters — Schefter and NFL Network reporter Jason La Canfora drew much of the criticism because of their forums and follower counts — were reporting picks on Twitter ahead of the television coverage. Both networks said prior to the draft that the agreement did not extend to its on-air information people, and I believe that is the right move. Reporters, report. That is what they do, regardless of medium.
I emailed Schefter over the weekend because I wanted him to define his philosophy about reporting information on Twitter prior to the picks being announced.
“I approach the draft just like any other NFL news story,” Schefter said. “When I learn information, it’s my job to report it. I didn’t report every pick, intentionally, and I was more interested in the trades, actually. Those were the ones I was really trying to zero in on. And I saw many of the complaints on Twitter, and that’s unfortunate.
“But I go back to last year. I remember one of my competitors [NFL Network's Michael Lombardi] getting the story of the Patriots drafting [quarterback] Ryan Mallett and being commended for the work he did, reporting it in advance. Your colleague Peter King cited him in his Monday Morning Quarterback column for the job he did getting the pick. There was no criticism of him for detracting from the draft experience. So when the Patriots traded up for the player that some draft experts considered the top defensive player in the draft, was I supposed to wait until it was on TV until I reported that information? Had I done that, I would have been open to criticism for getting beat on a significant trade and pick. So I reported it, which bothered some Twitter followers. But the solution is very simple. If someone felt it detracted from their experience, they could have unfollowed me or not paid attention to Twitter. ESPN does a tremendous job presenting and broadcasting the draft, and I work to do my job as effectively as the people around me.”
Schefter said he was never asked by any league official not to report picks on Twitter prior to them being revealed on the podium, and it should be noted most of his reported picks on Twitter came in the first round. “In the second round, I was on the lookout for the notable picks and notable trades,” Schefter said. “When the Rams were going to draft the publicized [North Alabama] cornerback Janoris Jenkins, I reported that in advance because I had the information. When the Packers traded up to draft Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, I reported that in advance. But after Thursday night, those were the only two picks I reported in advance. If I had gotten the Broncos selecting [Arizona State quarterback] Brock Osweiler in advance I might have reported that, too, but unfortunately — or fortunately to some of the people who didn’t like what they called the pick tipping — I didn’t get that information in time.”
Here is what Seth Markman, ESPN’s senior coordinating producer for the NFL and the executive who oversaw the draft coverage for the network, said about Schefter reporting picks on Twitter: “No one says you have to sit with your Twitter feed going as you watch the draft. If you want to enjoy the draft in its unspoiled form as we have tried to do it, you can unfollow Adam or not follow some of the other reporters. You have clear options. I just gave him these instructions: If you want to tweet the picks, tweet them. From an ESPN standpoint, I do not have a problem with you tweeting the picks. But from a personal thing, I’m not sure you want to tweet every pick because you are starting to feel some of the backlash from your followers. That was my philosophy with him but I never directed him to not do it … He is a reporter and I have no issue with him reporting. But I do think this is an issue that we are going to have to discuss with all in the future: How much do you want to alientate your own TV audience?”
2. I think it’s interesting that NFL Network executive producer Eric Weinberger told La Canfora to back off tweeting picks during the draft. “Mike Lombardi and Jason could have tweeted every pick Thursday night but they didn’t,” Weinberger told SI.com in an interview Sunday. “We sort of unleashed Jason on Friday and he was doing it, he was picking off picks on Twitter. And the reason we were able to do it is the picks were coming in so fast that there were backups of three picks at some times. So there was more time to get the information out there.
“But after following him on Twitter and me watching the show, we told Jason to pull back. And I don’t think at this juncture it’s as simple as saying, ‘Don’t follow him on Twitter.’ It’s what people do. It’s hard to say turn your tablet off. Everyone is watching TV with a tablet. We have to find ways to continue to grow these sporting events and this is becoming an obvious one: The viewer wants it to be a TV show and the way they like it now is they want to see it on the podium.”
3. I think the television ratings for the draft were huge for both ESPN and the NFL Network. A combined average of 8.1 million viewers watched the opening round on both networks, an increase of 16 percent from the previous year and the second most-watched first round ever. ESPN averaged 6.66 million for its Thursday coverage, up 11 percent from the previous year and its second most-viewed first round behind 2010. The NFL Network drew 1.4 million viewers for the opening round, up 40 percent from the previous year. How’s this for growth: The NFL Network finished with a three-day average of 757,000 viewers, up 34 percent over both 2010 and 2011.
4. I think I liked that Markman said he’s willing to re-evaluate how much Polian is used on the draft next year. Viewers should see more of him. He was no-nonsense terrific when the hosts called on him, and Markman said that when Polian didn’t know a player, he simply told the truck not to call on him. (Imagine an analyst volunteering not to talk.) “Bill really is the smartest person in the room,” Schefter said. “He picked up on what teams were doing before they were doing it, and was dead on. Right after the Colts drafted Coby Fleener, Bill told me that Indianapolis was going back to the basics on offense, a two-tight end, two-wide receiver set where they could pound the ball and throw short as well. And sure enough, Indianapolis’ next pick also was a tight end (Dwayne Allen of Clemson). A small group of us went to dinner Saturday night and Trent Dilfer said he was blown away by some of the things that Polian said to the point where his jaw was hanging.”
5. I think one of the best moments of the draft for the NFL Network came in the third round, when the Jaguars selected Cal punter Bryan Anger with the No. 70 pick. Sure, Eisen schticked up a bit, and I can understand some being bothered by that, but the host had already built a reservoir of goodwill for the 69 previous picks before by doing what a good host should: Being smart and short with his first comment and letting the analysts do the rest. What was great about this clip was that after the joking, Davis actually gave you something interesting on Anger.
6. I think, during a discussion on Memphis nose tackle Dontari Poe prior to the Chiefs selecting him at No. 11 overall, this exchange happened on ESPN:
Berman: “Maybe they are reading Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories. I don’t know. There are some good ones, you know.
Gruden: He’s got a lot of Poe-tential
Berman: See, now if I had said that, I’d be ripped for about three years. You can go with it. You are a rising star.
Gruden: I learn quick from you, Chris.
Why was the exchange particularly amusing? Because last week Berman told USA Today that he doesn’t pay attention to criticism. Show me a person in sports television who doesn’t read stuff about them and I’ll show you a Kardashian who can act.
7. I think I really liked the chemistry this year between Gruden and Kiper, especially during the first round. After Buffalo’s selection of South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Gruden spoke about Gilmore’s fantastic measurable at the scouting combine, his versatility at different positions, and how fast he was coming off the edge on a blitz. Kiper followed with a big picture look at Gilmore’s career and why he moved up to the early portion of the first round. It was good stuff between two guys who showed nice chemistry.
8. I think the NFL Network set based in Los Angeles, consisting of host Paul Burmeister, Charlie Casserly and Tom Waddle, gave you more smart analysis than the Bristol-based ESPN set of Suzy Kolber, Tedy Bruschi, Herman Edwards and Ron Jaworski. And that’s tough for me because I love Jaworski.
9. I think I liked the 20 minutes I listened to SiriusXM NFL Radio on late Saturday, especially the work by host Jason Horowitz, and analysts Jim Miller and Gil Brandt. The group provided hardcore knowledge of how lesser-known prospects had done in the Senior Bowl. They really went deep. The fourth member of the crew, Pat Kirwan, is clearly knowledgeable as a former scout, but his penchant for non-stop talking and self-love is suffocating. But this was very smart radio, and recommended for anyone on the road during the draft.
10. Here are some additional thoughts:
a. I asked both Markman and Weinberger what they thought their network’s best moments were. Weinberger said he thought it came when the Redskins drafted Kirk Cousins in Round 4 and they broke that Washington had cut John Beck. The group then had an interesting discussion about why the Redskins would draft another quarterback after RG3.
Markman said he enjoyed when ESPN told the story of Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson on Friday night. “People knew him and had watched him play and we were fortunate to have a camera in his home,” Markman said. “We spent a lot of time debating him (Gruden liked him a lot; Kiper mentioned his shortcomings). We noticed in the truck that Russell was cheering when Gruden was talking and waving his hand when Mel was talking. We cut into that discussion with his reactions. He then wound up getting picked shortly after that by Seattle and we hooked him up quickly and Chris interviewed him. That was my favorite moment of the weekend.” You can watch it here.
b. There were scores of people on Twitter who thought Berman received picks ahead of time, including Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who tweeted “Chris Berman is making vague guesses when he knows damn well who the pick is.” I asked Markman to address the charge. “Not one time have we ever told him who the pick was — I promise you,” Markman said. “Never. It is preposterous. We would never do that, and second of all, he would never want it. Boomer, and I’m sure Rich Eisen does this, too, talks to teams and executives. He doesn’t just see himself as being there to set up guys and we don’t want him to do that. He has over 30 years of contacts in the NFL. He has notebooks full of notes that he shows me and says where this team is going to head. He is as well-prepared as anyone.
“I did see what Pro Football Talk tweeted and I just thought they never called me to ask me if we do that. I’ll invite you or anyone else into our truck to show you we would never operate that way and I’m sure the NFL Network does not operate that way. The only reason we get the pick a minute or so in advance from the NFL is so we can prepare our video packages and graphics. I just felt I should put that on the record.”
c. I’m going to file away what Mayock said about the Dolphins’ selection of Texas AM quarterback Ryan Tannehill. You can watch it here.
d. ESPN staffers, like the rest of us, had never heard of Ohio State defensive back Nate Ebner, a former rugby player who played three snaps of defense for the Buckeyes and was selected by New England in the sixth round. Markman said he was one of the few guys who was not in Kiper’s in-house book. But give Schefter a save on the pick. He made a call to a Patriots source and was able to get info on Ebner a couple of minutes after the selection.
e. Mayock making fun of men getting manicures on Saturday (“It’s called being a chick, Rich”) was a dumb comment. He should know better than to bring gender nonsense into any on-air conversation. Said Weinberger when asked about that comment: “He’s all football, all the time.”
f. This is how Markman evaluated Berman’s performance during the draft: “I thought he was on top of his game. I am being 100 percent honest with you. I thought Thursday night and I told him this after the show — that was as difficult a night of draft coverage as I have ever seen and I thought as the QB of our team like he was in the two-minute drill the entire night and handled it flawlessly…. He handled pick after pick coming in, knowing the players as well as he did, and talking about where they fit into their NFL teams, which we were harping on a lot this year to make it as NFL-centric as we could. Maybe I am naïve, but I just don’t see where the criticism is warranted here. I understand it is a completely subjective thing, but I think it’s taken on a little life of its own on the Internet and the blogosphere as people like to pile on.”
g. I felt bad for the staffers in the NFL Network truck when they did not have footage of Georgia State defensive lineman Christo Bilukidi, because it’s a group (same with ESPN) that takes pride in getting highlights and graphics for every pick. I profiled some of them last week. “[Senior producer] Charlie Yook memorizes all our tapes so as soon as the name was said, he said out loud, ‘Sh–, we don’t have the tape.’ But that was a funny moment for us in the truck.”
h. Stanford coach David Shaw made some friends at the NFL Network. Said Weinberger of his performance: “David really popped on screen. What a nice man, too. I don’t want to say he surprised us, but we had not been around him. We were thrilled with him.”
i. At 2:15 ET on Saturday, ESPN had Giants GM Jerry Reese at the exact same time the NFL Network had coach Tom Coughlin on to analyze the team’s picks. Give Giants PR maven Pat Hanlon a raise.
j. I really liked Lombardi joining the main NFL Network set for Round 7. He was very good, especially when offering draft grades (which are obviously ridiculous at this juncture) off the top of his head.
k. It’s silly for Melissa Stark to act like she’s a warm-up speaker at a political rally. When the Jets selected Stephen Hill in the second round, Stark inexplicably urged Hill to pump up the Jets crowd at Radio City. “You’ll fit in fine,” she gushed to Hill afterward. Act like you’ve been there before, Melissa.
l. I find Deion Sanders usually intolerable, but I appreciated some of his questions this year, including asking Browns running back Trent Richardson if he expected to go as high as he did (he did not) and throwing a change-up on RG3 (“Do you understand that you are thought to be the savior of the Washington Redskins?”) One day I dream of a network hosting the NFL Draft to assign the podium interviews to professional reporters who can ask smart, pointed questions the way someone like ESPN’s Kelly Naqi or TJ Quinn does.
m. Nice work: Schefter and Chris Mortensen telegraphed after two picks that the opening round would be filled with trades, even though Mortensen was off on his prediction (He predicted 7-10 trades; there were a record 19 involving first round selections).
n. Berman had a smart premise about the value of a drafting a running back in the rarefied air of today’s NFL after Richardson was selected. Of course, his pontificating during his question lasted so long, I no longer cared about the answer by the end of the question.
o. I told Weinberger that his group on the second day (Eisen, Billick, Davis and Mayock) is better than his first day. Here is how he responded: “The second day set is fabulous. They are invested, especially Charles and Mike, in the path to the draft as anyone in television. I know the other guys are working hard and watching a lot of tape, don’t get me wrong. But Charles and Mayock travel everywhere together during the process. They are so in sync, and then you throw Billick in, who is such a smart evaluator and such a smart communicator. It’s by design the deeper you get into this draft, we use different sets of talent to communicate in different ways. We’re almost speaking different languages each day.”
p. I think Markman would be smart to listen to draft fans such as Mohamad Beidoun. I asked people during all three days to send in their thoughts — hundreds did — and Beidoun wasn’t alone in this suggestion.
q. Less Michael Irvin is always a good thing.
r. I was struck by how over-the-top Edwards was during a discussion on Ravens draft pick Courtney Upshaw. Edwards is bright and clearly passionate about football, but the rah-rah stuff gets a little tiring for viewers when you only go one speed.
s. Weinberger said he wants to figure out a way to get Kurt Warner more airtime next year during the draft, especially on the quarterback position.
t. You know what’s fun to watch? Footage of team draft parties. And I liked that the NFL Network sent reporter Steve Wyche to the RG3 intro press conference at FedEx Field, because it’s always fun to watch fans going nuts behind a reporter.
u. I loved that both ESPN and the NFL Network had a highlight and graphics package on Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish, who was the final pick in the NFL Draft. (He was taken by the Colts with the No. 253 pick.) One of the goals for both production teams was to have a highlight package for Mr. Irrelevant and both nailed it. Said Weinberger: “It really is an amazing moment for the people in the truck when they pull that one off because it’s the end and they know that their hard word has paid off.”
v. Finally, I asked both lead executives to assess their coverage:
Markman: “I thought it went great overall. On Thursday and Friday the picks were coming in so fast, and with the amount of kids they had in the green room, by the time they got up, met with the Commissioner, did interviews, there were times the next picks were already happening. But I think if you watched it on TV and enjoyed it for what it was, as a TV event, I think our coverage really rocked.”
Weinberger: “I thought we did a lot of things very well. The draft changes after night two and you have to shift into a gear almost for a different audience. It’s a more intense diehard audience on Saturday. And I thought our team did that really well. I thought we did a great job on Thursday capturing the event and with our extra cameras — from the parties to the war rooms to the kids’ homes. I think the draft is expanding outside of Radio City and we did a nice job showing all of that.”
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Partnership to give JOLT startups access to extensive benefits and connections outside Canada
TORONTO, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – JOLT (www.joltco.ca), a new technology accelerator for high-growth web and mobile startups in Canada, announced today that it is now a member of the Global Accelerator Network (GAN), an alliance championed by TechStars and originally created as part of the White House‘s Startup America Initiative. The Global Accelerator Network includes many of the strongest and most successful independent startup accelerators from across the US and around the world. JOLT also announced that it is now taking applications for its summer 2012 cohort.
“The Global Accelerator Network is excited to welcome JOLT as its newest member,” said Patrick Riley, Executive Director of the Global Accelerator Network. “The members in the Network include many of the top accelerators in the world. We believe JOLT is a great addition to this prestigious group as one of the best options for entrepreneurs seeking mentorship, funding, connections and resources. I look forward to seeing all the future successes of JOLT graduates.”
In exchange for a small amount of equity, selected JOLT companies receive $30,000 in initial financing, office space in the MaRS Commons, and access to a diverse mentor network of 80+ entrepreneurs, business experts, creative thinkers, designers, technologists, product builders and investors. In addition, through the GAN membership, JOLT offers startups access to nearly $100,000 in free perks from over 25 of the best vendors in the world, including Amazon, Rackspace, PayPal and more.
“We are extremely pleased to be joining forces with one of the leading accelerator programs in the world,” says Susan McGill, Executive Director of JOLT. “One of the biggest challenges for early-stage companies is customer traction. Through our partnership with Global Accelerator Network, JOLT startups gain access to an international network of world-class mentors and peers with solid connections and relationships on a global scale. While investment is the lifeblood of startups, mentors with the right connections offer a direct path to customers, partners and growth.”
JOLT is looking for exceptional entrepreneurs who are building high-growth web and mobile companies that promise to transform the way consumers and enterprises connect, work and play. Startups accepted into JOLT will progress through an intense, four-month program that will prepare them to secure customers and attract the next round of capital. Upon completion, these startups will be given the opportunity to pitch to some of the top angel and venture capital investors in the industry. JOLT graduates will also receive ongoing support from MaRS, one of the world’s largest urban innovation hubs dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs and building Canada’s next generation of high-growth companies.
Entrepreneurs interested in JOLT can apply online until May 30, 2012. Up to eight companies will be selected to participate in the summer 2012 cohort.
About MaRS
MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com) (Twitter: @MaRSDD) is a mission-driven innovation centre located in Toronto. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate and amplify innovation. MaRS supports entrepreneurs building Canada’s next generation of growth companies.
About JOLT
JOLT (www.joltco.ca) (Twitter: @joltco) is a Toronto-based startup accelerator dedicated to building high-growth Canadian web and mobile companies focused on startups in the IT, communications and entertainment industries. JOLT offers these selected companies working space in the MaRS Commons, seed financing and mentorship, as well as access to seasoned partners and some of the top angel and venture capital investors in the industry. By combining the expertise of its numerous partners in the creative arts, design and technology sectors with MaRS’ business-building experience, JOLT provides the selected companies with business validation, streamlined market entry and a greater opportunity for success.
About Global Accelerator Network
The Global Accelerator Network (www.globalacceleratornetwork.com) consists of almost 40 high quality independently owned and operated organizations from around the world that utilize a mentorship-based startup accelerator model. It provides networking opportunities, training, special perks, and ongoing support for members of the network. TechStars led the effort to form the Global Accelerator Network in 2010 as part of the White House’s Startup America Initiative. In the spirit of supporting more entrepreneurs around the world, the Network’s mission is to ensure that 5,000 successful and experienced entrepreneurs and investors will mentor and support 6,000 promising young entrepreneurs. The goal is to increase their success rate tenfold and create 25,000 new jobs by 2015 as well as a sustained engine for growing these figures over time.
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On the eve of a massive Occupy demonstration in Oakland, a new federal report obtained Monday by NBC Bay Area raises questions on whether the police department is able to handle such protests.
The report, issued by Independent Monitor Robert Warshaw, says “For the current reporting period, there has been outright stagnation the overall compliance picture.”
To read the entire report, click here.
The monitor looked at the Occupy-related activities from October 1 to Dec. 31.
The monitor’s office was satisfied in some instances with the police department’s performance. But in others, “We were thoroughly dismayed by what we observed,” the report stated.
”I cannot overstate our concern that although progress on NSA (negotiated settlement agreement) compliance has been slow, even those advancements may have been put in doubt in the face of these events,” says the report, referring to the international embarrassment when Oakland police in October launched tear gas and other projectiles into a crowd of Occupy protestors. One of those projectiles fractured the skull of Scott Olsen, an an Iraq war veteran protesting at the site.
Calls to the Oakland police department were not immediately returned. But last year, the police chief and mayor held a news conference vowing to do a better job at crowd management, and pledged every officer would be trained in these new techniques as soon as possible.
The report raised concerns about supervisory duties during the Occupy protests.
“The command structure for the event was not finalized until the day of the event,” according to the report of the police department’s handling of the Oct. 25 protest. “This allowed mininal time for pre-planning among the commands staff.”
“We learned that OPD provided only limited training on such topics to its own personnel and there was even less corrdinated traning among OPD and the neighborhing agencies that are part of mutual aid agreements,” the report stated.
The monitor’s report says it’s reviewing use-of-force incidents, including what happened to Scott Olsent, to determine if there were violations of OPD policy. The monitor says some of the videos the federal team has seen “are concerning as to the manner which non-deadly munitions were utilized”
While the investigation continues, the monitor wrote, “We hope the department will take heed of the lessons it has learned” for future deomonstrations.
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This is my last regularly scheduled column for The Christian Science Monitor. [See editor's note at the end of this column.]
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The column began 27 years ago, although my association – or perhaps it should more properly be called my love affair – with the Monitor goes back much further.
A lot has changed in the world, and a lot has changed with journalism, during that span of time. This is an occasion for retrospection.
OPINION: Are human rights really in decline? Look how far we’ve come.
I was hired by Erwin Canham, one of the most awe-inspiring editors of his day. After a spell in the Boston office, I was the Monitor’s Africa correspondent for six years, then Far Eastern correspondent for six years, and eventually I became editor of the paper for nine years.
I left to run some small newspapers of my own, then was recruited for media-related roles in the Reagan administration. When the last one, at the State Department, ended, The Washington Post was talking to me about writing a column for them. But Katherine Fanning, then the Monitor’s editor, flew down to Washington with Richard Nenneman, the managing editor, to persuade me to write a column for the Monitor. I needed little persuasion.
As a schoolboy in Britain, I witnessed the end of Nazi fascism in Europe; as a journalist, the waning of communism and the emerging conflict with Islamist extremism. A lot of misery is behind us, but wars and man’s inhumanity to man still abound. However, the most dramatic movement of our times is the march of freedom through Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and now the Arab world.
Since 1908, national and international affairs have been chronicled, interpreted, and appraised by this remarkable newspaper launched by a remarkable woman, Mary Baker Eddy.
Founder of the Christian Science Church, she wrote that the Monitor’s purpose was “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” That does not mean seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses. Where there is evil, the Monitor reports it. But the Monitor is intent on solutions and healing rather than despair.
OPINION: Don’t let Voice of America broadcasts go static
Technology has transformed my profession of journalism. The printed newspaper is in eclipse and electronic delivery of news is instant and pervasive. The circulation of the daily print Monitor, once reaching more than 200,000 subscribers, has dwindled, and it is now a weekly magazine. But in March, the Monitor, with its website, CSMonitor.com, reached an audience of 10.3 million via the Internet.
We are swamped today with an avalanche of electronic and social media that can be positive or negative. Virtually anybody can get on the Internet chronicling truth or peddling fiction. The rush to immediacy can cause embarrassing mistakes. A famous football coach is declared dead before he is. A congresswoman is shot and declared dead when she is not. A popular governor is reported about to be indicted when she is not.
In the Atlantic magazine, author Nicholas Carr bemoaned his new addiction to the Net amusingly: “What the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski.”
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Cheap monitors are easy to find. Go to most computer hardware outlets and you’ll see plenty of off-brand, “get the job done” monitors (and by “job,” I mean delivering images to your optics) awaiting your dollar.
However, just because you’re paying $150 or less for a monitor, doesn’t mean you’re necessarily getting a great deal. Paying $150 for a monitor with a paltry feature set, thoughtless design, or lackluster performance, could induce an annoying and probably unexpected sense of buyers’ remorse. Despite how little you paid.
Luckily, there are plenty of monitors that pay off with excellent performance, practical design, and plentiful features. You’ll have to pay more for them, but in the long term you’re getting more for your money.
Now, if you simply want a device that translates ones and zeros into images your eyes can decipher, then stick with the cheap monitors; however, if you’re looking for an actual monitor deal, keep reading.
Monitors in the list below top out at $500 in price. The reason being that most consumers have a difficult time paying more than $500 for a monitor while still considering it a “value.”
The HP x2301 is completely working that neon turquoise, trimming. Isn’t it?
(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)
It’s not just the fact that the HP x2301 is available for as low as $200. There are plenty of monitors available at that price. But, from build-quality to performance to connection options (HDMI, DVI, and VGA), the monitor gives much more than what $200 usually buys. If you’re going low-priced, go here. Read the full review of the HP x2301.
You can’t see it in a static image, but the W2363D-PF features a Knight Rider/Cylon-like light that sequences and pulsates.
(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)
LG W2363D-PF
For as low as $300, the LG W2363D drops in two HDMI ports, Nvidia 3D Vision support, a headphone jack, and good overall performance. Still one of the best 3D monitors (if not the best) I’ve ever reviewed. Read the full review of the LG W2363D.
All the connections. All of them.
(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)
BenQ EW2420
Let’s do a headcount: two HDMI ports, one DVI, one VGA, two USB downstream, one upstream, and a speaker port. With all of this, as well as good performance for $330, and it’s easy to see why the EW2420 earns its place on the list. Read the full review of the BenQ EW2420.
Grid overlays?! Do go on.
(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)
Asus PA246Q
The PA246Q barely squeaks in under the price criteria, but thanks to excellent performance, great ergo support, and a unique and plentiful OSD, the monitor is well worth its asking price. Features like the grid overlay and photo alignment tool are unique and even more importantly, useful. Read the full review of the Asus PA246Q.
This pic seems a bit different from the others. Can’t really put my finger on it though…
(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)
Dell UltraSharp U2412
Backed by the fantastic four of ergo options, the U2412 also has the performance, design sense, and price to be the most compelling values here. If you can look past the lack of HDMI, it’s clear that the U2412 combines features and affordability like no other. Read the full review of the Dell UltraSharp U2412.
Looking for specs and pricing? Compare these monitors head-to-head.
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Security Networks, LLC today announced that it has successfully expanded its existing credit facility by $100 million, bringing total borrowing capacity up to $250 million. Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group remains the lead agent in the loan syndicate, which expanded from four to eight banks with the new financing.
Richard Perry, President and CEO of Security Networks, said, “We are pleased to have increased our financing in such a seamless way. We have added four new, well-respected lenders to our credit facility, doubling the number of banks in our group. With the strength of our operating performance and affiliate-based business model, the additional borrowing capacity will enable us to continue expanding our geographic footprint and accelerating our growth initiatives.”
Founded in 2000 by Mr. Perry and headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, Security Networks is one of the largest and fastest growing providers of home security services in the United States. The company is a leading provider of high quality life safety systems and services, including the sale, installation, monitoring and maintenance of residential and commercial Security Alarms and related products. The company provides its monitoring services through its UL-listed Central Monitoring operations, which have been recognized as “Five Diamond Certified” by the Central Station Alarm Association. The company’s superior customer service has also been accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which rated the company “A+” for reliability and customer satisfaction. Security Networks works with its rapidly growing network of exclusive Affiliate partners, which provide sales and installation support on behalf of the company to its customers.
About Security Networks
Security Networks is a diversified, full service life safety solutions company providing security monitoring and related services to homeowners and businesses coast-to-coast.
Contact: Gary Franklyn, Vice President, Business Development, Security Networks, +1.561.253.1526 or gfranklyn@securitynetworks.net.
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