Google Signs Deal With SolarCity

- Google Signs Deal With SolarCity



Jun 14, 2011

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) said on Tuesday that it has made a deal with SolarCity, and it is the biggest deal it has ever made. SolarCity will use the Google fund to help finance rooftop installations. Google Inc. is creating a $280-million fund to help finance the rooftop installations.

Lyndon Rive, chief executive of SolarCity said "Google's leading the way and other companies could follow suit...It's not just about a dramatic environmental impact, it's also a good return." SolarCity is known for its lease programs and power purchase agreements, which allow customers to avoid the thousands of dollars of upfront expenses.

SolarCity is Google's first dip into the solar market, but the company has put nearly $700 million into wind farms, solar power systems, and electric vehicle programs. The buses at Google's Mountain View, California headquarters are equipped with solar panels.

Google has a potential upside of 40.1% based on a current price of $508.15 and an average consensus analyst price target of $711.8.

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Google Edging Higher as Wall Street Digests News of Gmail Hacking

- Google Edging Higher as Wall Street Digests News of Gmail Hacking



Jun 2, 2011

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is modestly firmer in pre-market trading as investors continue to react to news of Gmail hacking.

Google swung to losses in the after-hours session following the company's announcement that "hundreds" of Gmail accounts had been hijacked through malware or "phishing" scams, getting users to share passwords.

The company said on its blog, "This campaign, which appears to originate from Jinan, China, affected what seem to be the personal Gmail accounts of hundreds of users including, among others, senior U.S. government officials, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries (predominantly South Korea), military personnel and journalists."

On Thursday, the Chinese government rejected suggestions that it was linked to the attack.

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PayPal Sues Google

PayPal Sues Google



May 27, 2011

PayPal has sued Google and two of its top executives - this according to a PCMag.com article. The two executives, Google's VP of Commerce Stephanie Tilenius and VP of Payments Osama Bedier are said to be both former PayPal employees. PayPal is suing for stealing trade secrets that helped the search company break into the multi-billion dollar mobile payments industry, according to the article. Hours after their announcement of "Google Wallet" - an initiative to make mobile payments commercial - PayPal filed a 28-page lawsuit in California accusing Google and the two employees for misappropriating information and actively poaching other PayPal employees. All of this according to PCMag.com.

The free "Google Wallet" Android app is designed to securely store multiple credit cards, or a Google prepaid card linked to your credit card. When opened on the smartphone, you can tap your phone against a supported payment reader and the item will instantly charged to your credit card.

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Google Officially Unveiled "Google Wallet"

- Google Officially Unveiled "Google Wallet"



May 26, 2011

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) officially unveiled "Google Wallet," which brings shoppers a step closer to paying for goods by waving their phones at the checkout counter.

The phone will debut with support from Citigroup (NYSE:C)-issued MasterCard (NYSE:MA) and Google's own prepaid card.

The company called it a "single-tap" solution.

Google's Vice President of payments, Osama Bedier, said it was up to the retailer to decide if the shopper has to sign on the screen.

Google has a potential upside of 37.1% based on a current price of $519.31 and an average consensus analyst price target of $711.8.

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Microsoft Is In Talks To Buy Skype Technologies

Microsoft Is In Talks To Buy Skype Technologies



May 10, 2011

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is in talks to buy Skype to gain the most popular international calling service and its 663 million customers, according to a Bloomberg report, which cited two people familiar with the matter.

The deal would value Skype at $8.5 billion and may be announced as early as today. It could help CEO Steve Ballmer bring in Web users and narrow Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) lead in Internet advertising.

Microsoft has a potential upside of 27.3% based on a current price of $25.83 and an average consensus analyst price target of $32.89.

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Sony Ericsson Announces Two New Experia Phones

Fortune Magazine releases the Fortune 500 list with Wal-Mart Taking the Top Spot



May 5, 2011

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson announced Thursday the launch of two additions to its Xperia smartphone product portfolio, the Xperia mini and the Xperia mini pro.

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture formed in 2001 between Sweden's LM Ericsson Telephone Company (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Japan's Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE).

The London-headquartered company said the new handsets are "building on the success of the original mini series" and will utilize Google Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) new Android operating system, Gingerbread 2.3.

A one-gigahertz Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Snapdragon processor powers both phones, which use SONY display technology. The Xperia mini pro has a keyboard that slides out while the company claims the Xperia mini is the world's smallest Android running smartphone that also has HD-video recording capabilities.

The phones will go on sale in the third quarter.

Shares of Ericsson are trading down 1.46% at $14.84.

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Google Shares Down 0.4%; Firm Agrees to Take Stake in German Solar Project

Google Shares Down 0.4%; Firm Agrees to Take Stake in German Solar Project




Shares of Google (GOOG) are down in mid-day trading as the company will pay $5.1 million to buy nearly half of a 18.7 megawatt solar project near Berlin, Bloomberg reports.

A German private-equity company agreed to sell the Internet search giant a 49% stake in the project.

Google shares are down 0.39%, or $2.25, to $575.91.

Google to invest in German solar power plant

Google to invest in German solar power plant



Google (GOOG) announced today that it has agreed to make its first clean energy project investment in Europe - a EUR3.5M investment in a solar photovoltaic power plant in Germany. The transaction still requires the formal approval of the German competition authorities and is subject to other customary closing conditions. The recently completed facility is located near Berlin.

The power plant has a peak capacity of 18.65MW, which puts it among the largest in Germany. Google agreed to jointly invest in this project with the German private equity company Capital Stage.