| Category: Broadband
Between the Lines Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives Cable vs. FTTP competition may mean 42 cents off your bill Posted in: General Wired & Wireless Telecommunications Broadband Comcast reported its fourth quarter earnings and the results were just fine although the outlook was a little light. But the big number that's worth watching is $42.44. That sum, which was disclosed in Comcast's fourth quarter earnings (Techmeme), is the company's monthly average revenue per subscriber–a metric that would indicate pricing pressure from the likes of Verizon and AT&T, which are offering their own TV and Internet services. As many of you know, I bailed on Comcast for Verizon's FiOS service a few months ago. The thought of a price war between cable incumbents and telecom companies just warms my heart, but the competition is mostly a mirage.
Photo finish as Kodak unloads stake in film
Eastman Kodak Co has transferred its entire stake in Lucky Film Co Ltd, China's largest maker of photographic film, to end the two companies' four-year partnership.
Guangzhou Chengxin Venture and Investment Co took over the 20-percent stake, or 68.4 million shares, for US$37 million and then transferred a five-percent stake in Lucky to an investment company named Hongyu for 67 million yuan (US$9.3 million), Lucky said in a statement to Shanghai Stock Exchange yesterday.
Lucky's parent held a 43.16-percent stake after the transfer, the statement said.
The company's share price plunged 4.98 percent to 14.68 yuan yesterday while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.43 percent to 4,320.77.
Kodak invested US$100 million in Lucky in October 2003 believing that big potential existed in the film market in China.
Review: 'Vantage Point' doesn't add up
Vantage Point: Drama. Starring Dennis Quaid, William Hurt and Forest Whitaker. Directed by Pete Travis. (PG-13. 90 minutes. At Bay Area theaters. For complete movie listings and show times, and to buy tickets for select theaters, go to sfgate.com/movies.) "Vantage Point" has a fractured and frustrating narrative. It presents a colossal terrorist attack in Spain, in which two bombs go off and the president of the United States is shot. We see this happen once, and then the clock is wound back and we see the same events happening again and again, each time from the perspective of another character. There should be a reason for filmmakers to tell a story in this way, and for a while the temptation is to look for one. For example, if all the recollections contradicted each other, then the movie could be a commentary on the faultiness of memory, particularly in recollecting moments of crisis.
How a Pro Thinks About Investing in New Markets
A good example is Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan's largest bank, which has a price-to-earnings ratio in the high single digits. Management is reasonably good and improving; it's just that investors have become despondent with the domestic economy and the prospect for rising interest rates. But we see that as a cyclical setback, not a permanent one, so we're buying in now at a low valuation. You're also buying in at a time when Japan's currency is hitting new highs against the dollar. Does that play into your strategy, too? Every one of the target prices for the stocks we follow closely is dependent on currency changes. So big currency swings can change our holdings. Take Yamaha Motors, which we think is a great company; they make motorcycles, ATVs, and outboard motors. As the yen recently strengthened, we saw investors selling the stock on the expectation that it would impact overseas sales, which gave us an opportunity to add to our position.
Keynote bloopers and practical jokes
Five weeks and a day from the time I'm typing this sentence, Steve Jobs will take the stage at the Moscone West expo hall to kickoff the 2008 Macworld Conference & Expo with his annual keynote. I think it's a pretty safe argument that Jobs' Expo keynote is the most anticipated event of the calendar year among Mac enthusiasts. And for good reason—in just one 90-minute-give-or-take speech, you get exciting revelations, carefully crafted showmanship, and (more often than not) a boatload of new product releases. You also get the occasional glitch or blunder. And now, thanks to an enterprising iMovie user and Web 2.0 technologies, you can relive those unscripted keynote moments that Apple would just as soon have you forget. The 4:40-second “Apple Keynote Bloopers" video— posted on YouTube and embedded below—is credited to Macintologist, and it's pretty much a collection of everything that can go wrong doing exactly that.
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