September 24, 2010
Is Seagate poised to go private?
The Register
Chris Mellor writes that according to several reports, Seagate may go private.
“Seagate has been in discussion with a pair of private equity firms about a move off the stock market and back into private ownership, according to reports. The alleged discussions have been reported by normally reliable Reuters, Bloomberg and others. The talks between Seagate, TPG Capital and Silver Lake Partners have not resulted in a decision yet but finance isn’t the show-stopper, although Seagate is capitalized at $5.39B”
Smartphones Begin to Replace Hotel Keycards
Read Write Web
Mike Melanson writes about a new use case scenario for smartphones.
“The smartphone is always taking on new roles – from credit cards to MP3 players and digital cameras to airline boarding passes. Now, your smartphone will begin opening new doors for you, quite literally. Two Holiday Inn hotels have begun using iPhone, Android and Blackberry smartphones as room keys, meaning guests don’t even need to stop at the front desk on their way in the door. With the new system, which will be in testing through December, hotel guests can reserve their accommodations online. A text message is sent to their phone on the day they reserved with a room number and a link to unlock the door. No more friendly banter with the front-desk clerk when you’re late for a meeting, just get in and go.”
4G and the Future of Mobile Streaming Video
Read Write Web
Adrianne Jeffries writes about the future of mobile streaming video.
“Mobile video is exploding. According to Cisco, mobile video will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 131 per cent between 2009 to 2014 as people access more YouTube, Netflix and high-bandwidth material on their mobile devices. Next generation networks will certainly encourage the popularity of video, but it will probably also change the way we watch. For short, expedient, low-definition videos, YouTube is king. But higher mobile Web speeds will encourage users to seek longer, high-definition videos from services like Netflix and Hulu.”