SEATTLE (AP) — Dell Inc. doesn’t have to start over in its quest to become a significant purveyor of technology for businesses after losing a multibillion dollar bidding contest for an obscure data-storage maker. But it won’t be easy, either, for Dell to shake its “Dude, you’re getting a Dell” image and move into the more profitable business of selling powerful behind-the-scenes technology to other companies. Dell, which launched the bidding contest for 3Par Inc. on Aug. 16, conceded defeat Thursday and said it won’t match the latest offer from its archrival, Hewlett-Packard Co. HP raised the stakes to $33 per share, or about $2.07 billion – 83 percent above Dell’s first offer and more than three times what 3Par stock was trading at then. Dell’s latest offer had been a dollar per share less, or about $2 billion. Dell was hoping to buy 3Par so it could diversify its business more quickly. Dell’s made-to-order computer business helped make PCs inexpensive and ubiquitous, but other companies including HP found ways to build even cheaper machines using contract manufacturers. Although HP was able to expand beyond the business of selling computers, Dell has remained very much a computer company, with more than half its revenue coming from PCs last fiscal year. Rising component costs and the PC industry’s race to rock-bottom prices, accelerated by the rise of cheap netbooks from competitors such as Acer Inc., combined to sap much of the profit out of Dell’s core business. Through a string of acquisitions, Dell has raced to follow IBM Corp., HP and other high-tech companies into the more lucrative business of selling data-center hardware and consulting services. And while its servers do not generate as much revenue as its PC business, Dell is a leading maker of x86 servers, a low-end product for companies and data centers. Those servers are seeing a surge of demand as improvements in technology make them increasingly competitive with more expensive servers. In the second quarter, Dell was the second-largest maker of server computers by number shipped, according to Gartner Inc. But Dell’s ambitions have often been met with skepticism because of its lower-end focus, and because it started branching out later than its competitors. In the meantime, the market has grown more crowded; database software maker Oracle Corp. began selling servers after acquiring Sun Microsystems in January, and networking equipment king Cisco Systems Inc. started to build its own servers last year. Even Dell’s biggest acquisition to date, Perot Systems, didn’t carry the weight Dell might have hoped, Forrester Research analyst Andrew Reichman said. The large technology-consulting business, which Dell bought last fall for $3.9 billion, isn’t influential enough “to really move the needle as much as Dell would need to be on an equal footing with HP and IBM,” Reichman said. “People see them (Dell) as box-pushers,” he said in a recent interview. Dell defends its strategy of staying away from huge storage or server systems and says it sees more value in selling building block servers and storage appliances that customers can link together when they need to grow. “For those customers who have bought from us, who are our customers, even the largest ones are very satisfied with our ability to solve their data-center needs and really stick with us,” said Praveen Asthana, Dell’s vice president of strategy for its enterprise technology segment. But Dell, like its competitors, is eyeing cloud computing, a massive shift just under way in data-center technology, as the next area of rapid growth and sweeter profits. To take advantage of it, Dell needs to beef up its product line and set itself apart from the competition. Dell could have used 3Par, which makes the sort of massive, high-end systems that Dell had stayed away from. But that isn’t the only option, especially at such a high price, said Morningstar analyst Michael Holt. Dell can still consider other storage providers, companies that make data-center management software or makers of networking equipment, he said. Increasingly, companies aren’t buying their own computer servers for certain tasks anymore. Instead, they’re paying to have software they would have stored on those machines delivered to them over the Internet. Cloud computing is attractive to Dell and the others because the systems are designed to be shared by multiple customers, which spreads out the cost of operating pricey equipment. Servers and storage computers need to ramp up or scale down quickly based on demand to give all the customers the same high level of service. Storage machines from 3Par are made for that kind of system. Dell, HP and others are trying to decide how many pieces of the cloud puzzle they need to own, and how many they can offer through partnerships. All are trying to make their data-center solutions more flexible and less expensive, and make it easier for customers to get new programs running. Owning the entire range of products might make it faster to get a customer up and running, but it might mean some parts are not the best of breed, said Adrian O’Connell, an analyst for Gartner Inc. Every company will see the trade-offs differently. For Dell, O’Connell doesn’t believe 3Par would have been a critical piece. Dell’s bigger challenge, he said, is to come up with a unique vision for the entire data-center structure. Dell also needs to train its sales staff to sell that vision to high-level technology executives. Gaining their trust takes time, he said. “If you’re an IBM or an HP or a Sun/Oracle, you’ve got a heritage of many, many years of selling mission-critical systems into those very large customer environments,” O’Connell said. “Dell has to prove it’s got a right to be there.” ? 2010 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .
September 2, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. – Deputies are on the scene of a death investigation in Lehigh Acres. Deputies say three people are dead – one man, a woman, and a child. It appears to be a double homicide and suicide. WINK News has a crew on scene at East Lake Drive. The man who lives in the home has been arrested before for domestic violence. Details are still developing. Related Articles FIRST ON WINK: Bad water meters in the Cape charge customers too much September suit drive to help job seekers The Salvation Army and Men?s Wearhouse attack ?Mancession? with National Suit Drive ONLY ON WINK: Business owner speaks out after employee makes off with $100,000
September 2, 2010 | Posted in
Naples News |
Read More »
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The mean streets of the City of Brotherly Love are once again coming to television. “Wreck Chasers,” a reality show about the city’s notoriously aggressive tow truck drivers, is shooting and is slated to premiere in late October on TLC. Production crews are following several drivers with one unidentified Philadelphia towing company, often on nights and weekends when more crashes occur, as they try to beat the competition to wrecks. Filming started in May and is expected to continue until sometime in October, Jim Kowats, the show’s executive producer, said Thursday. “They’re very colorful, they’re larger than life, they’re very Philly,” he said of the show’s soon-to-be stars. The city was chosen because of the unusual and competitive nature of its towing businesses, he said. It’s the second series focusing on the daily difficulties for Philadelphia drivers. “Parking Wars,” in its third season on the A&E cable network, features Philadelphia Parking Authority employees as they write tickets, clamp yellow locking “boots” to traffic scofflaws’ car wheels, take plenty of flak from furious drivers and generally deal with the chaos that comes with trying to park in Philadelphia. “Wreck Chasers” comes amid renewed scrutiny over Philadelphia’s long-criticized tow truck drivers, who police and lawmakers say combatively compete for business as soon as an accident comes across their scanners. Rival companies getting to a crash simultaneously can resort to blows, or worse. A driver from J & Son’s Towing is accused of shooting a competitor from Mystical Complete Auto Service in the thigh on July 19 because he thought his rival was trying to swoop in on a job, police said. Two days later, 13 cars on the J & Son’s lot were torched and Mystical’s offices were riddled with six bullets. TLC had contacted city officials about shooting “Wreck Chasers” weeks earlier, said Sharon Pinkenson of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office. Kowats said the crew profiled in the show are “dedicated, likable” people who view their work removing wrecks and clearing accident scenes as providing a service that the city doesn’t. “They do take it seriously. They’re passionate about what they do,” he said. “They see what the ambulance drivers see, what the cops see, the injuries, the fatalities. There’s a lot of emotions involved.” Philadelphia’s attempts to tame its anarchic wreck chasers have failed to stop the free-for-all. Two years ago, the city began requiring police to rotate towing jobs among 96 tow companies. Wreck chasers skirt the system, however, by monitoring police radio and even beating officers to crashes. After the July shooting, police began using laptop computers in cruisers instead of police radio to report accidents. Now they believe some of the towing companies are instead monitoring Fire Department radio calls for rescue units being dispatched to crashes. Councilman Jim Kenney has called for a suspension of the rotation system while the city reviews the licensing status of the 96 companies, including the two involved in what he called a “Wild West shootout.” Numerous complaints or violations have been lodged against 19 companies on the list, Kenney has said, while others are not properly licensed or simply changed names after losing their licenses. Some wreck chasers also have been accused of signing up unwitting drivers to contracts that commit them to expensive repairs. ? 2010 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .
September 2, 2010 | Posted in
Entertainment |
Read More »
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Preliminary figures show Florida’s population went up slightly in 2009 after a one-year decline broke a steady string of growth dating to the end of World War II. The University of Florida reported Thursday that the state added an estimated 21,000 residents last year. That’s after losing more than 56,000 in 2008. Florida’s total estimated population now is 18,771,768. Stan Smith, director of the university’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said while population was up last year it was the smallest increase since the 1940s. Smith said it also didn’t make up for the previous year’s decline. He attributed the growth to a slight improvement in Florida’s economy although it’s still bad. Related Articles Florida Governor’s race shake-up North Fort Myers Fire Dept. taking a hit so they don’t have to increase residents taxes Woman sentenced to 18 years for beating 2 year old step son FWC officer injured in north Florida boat accident
September 2, 2010 | Posted in
Naples News |
Read More »
NEW YORK (AP) — Google Inc. will continue to provide the search results on AOL Inc.’s websites under a new, five-year deal the companies signed this week. The agreement largely reinforces an arrangement that has been in place since 2005. But the new contract, announced Thursday, also expands their cooperation onto AOL sites for cell phones and other gadgets. And it will put AOL video content on Google Inc.’s YouTube site for the first time. In its search agreement, AOL shares revenue with Google from the text ads that appear alongside search results. AOL shares rose 54 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $23.44 in pre-market trading Thursday, while Google rose $2.67 to $463. AOL, which is based in New York, is led by former Google executive Tim Armstrong, who is in the midst of a major overhaul at the Web company. AOL, which split from Time Warner Inc. last year, has been trying to grow its online ad business as its dial-up Internet service continues to lose customers to faster broadband connections. Although AOL declined to give specific financial details, Armstrong called the deal a “home run.” He framed it as an important step in the turnaround effort. “We have a very methodical play book for turning AOL around,” Armstrong said in an interview. “And today represented another big step.” Armstrong said AOL talked with five or six other search providers before deciding to stick with Google. But the deal was done well ahead of the December expiration of their previous agreement. ? 2010 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .
September 2, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Republican nominee for governor Rick Scott is set to name State Rep. Jennifer Carroll as his running mate. Scott’s campaign said he would announce his choice for lieutenant governor Thursday in Jacksonville. Events in Orlando and the Tampa area will follow. Carroll confirmed in an e-mail to The Associated Press early Thursday that she is Scott’s choice. The 51-year-old Carroll served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years and was elected to the Florida Legislature in 2003. She would become the state’s first black woman to be a candidate for lieutenant governor. Meanwhile, Lawton “Bud” Chiles is throwing his support to Democrat Alex Sink in the Florida governor’s race. Sink is joining Chiles for a news conference Thursday in Tallahassee to formally announce he is dropping his independent candidacy. Chiles also is endorsing Sink, now Florida’s chief financial officer, in her race against Republican newcomer Rick Scott, who made a fortune in the health care business. Chiles is the son of the late “Walkin’ Lawton” Chiles, a Democratic icon as Florida’s governor and a U.S. senator. The younger Chiles ran as an independent due to frustration with the influence of money on both parties. He says he’s dropping out, though, because he doesn’t believe he can raise enough money to win. Related Articles Florida Governor’s race shake-up Republican leaders mend fences in Fla. with Scott FWC officer injured in north Florida boat accident Crist for U.S. Senate campaign can keep spending Republican funds
September 2, 2010 | Posted in
Naples News |
Read More »
FORT MYERS, Fla.- A Fort Myers cancer treatment center fell victim to copper thieves. Hundreds of dollars of damage was done to the office, even causing them to temporarily shutdown. Hundreds of patients count on getting chemotherapy and other treatments at Florida Cancer Specialist. That battle was made even more difficult on Tuesday, after copper thieves left the office high and dry. Thieves ripped apart the cancer center’s power box, taking off with $950 worth of copper wires. The destruction left the office without a phone line or power to treat the 150 patients with scheduled appointments. “It was a madhouse. But because we have four other offices in Lee County, we were able to switch people with critical appointments to one of our other offices,” Dr. Michael Raymond of Florida Cancer Specialist said. Wednesday, Florida Cancer Specialist was back in business, and trying to catch up with patients caught in the middle of the mess. While repairs are complete and only traces of the theft remain, doctors send a message to the copper crooks. “Hope it was worthwhile. I mean, to them. Because they hurt a lot of people. They caused a lot of stress to a lot of people who are sick, fighting cancer, and don’t need that extra stress,” Raymond said Wednesday. Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crime. So far they’ve made no arrests. Related Articles Lee County runs out of millions in stimulus dollars to buy up foreclosed homes Rabies alert in Charlotte County neighborhood Charlotte County Lien Relief Program begins Charlotte County woman arrested for trying to rip-off undercover out of money for drugs
September 2, 2010 | Posted in
Naples News |
Read More »
FORT MYERS, Fla.- A Fort Myers cancer treatment center fell victim to copper thieves. Hundreds of dollars of damage was done to the office, even causing them to temporarily shutdown. Hundreds of patients count on getting chemotherapy and other treatments at Florida Cancer Specialist. That battle was made even more difficult on Tuesday, after copper thieves left the office high and dry. Thieves ripped apart the cancer center’s power box, taking off with $950 worth of copper wires. The destruction left the office without a phone line or power to treat the 150 patients with scheduled appointments. “It was a madhouse. But because we have four other offices in Lee County, we were able to switch people with critical appointments to one of our other offices,” Dr. Michael Raymond of Florida Cancer Specialist said. Wednesday, Florida Cancer Specialist was back in business, and trying to catch up with patients caught in the middle of the mess. While repairs are complete and only traces of the theft remain, doctors send a message to the copper crooks. “Hope it was worthwhile. I mean, to them. Because they hurt a lot of people. They caused a lot of stress to a lot of people who are sick, fighting cancer, and don’t need that extra stress,” Raymond said Wednesday. Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crime. So far they’ve made no arrests. Related Articles Lee County runs out of millions in stimulus dollars to buy up foreclosed homes Rabies alert in Charlotte County neighborhood Charlotte County Lien Relief Program begins Charlotte County woman arrested for trying to rip-off undercover out of money for drugs
September 2, 2010 | Posted in
Naples News |
Read More »
NEW YORK (AP) — Xerox Corp. has this message for you: For the last time, we’re not just about making copies. To hammer that home, the company is launching its biggest media blitz in decades, starting next week. While the Xerox name is still synonymous with copy machines, the company has been branching beyond that line of work for years. Selling toner and paper remains a huge portion of its revenue, but it also makes money helping other companies manage how documents get around on their computer networks, among other services. And with the $6.4 billion acquisition this year of a company called Affiliated Computer Services, it has tripled the size of its services business, essentially transforming the company more than half a century after putting out its first copy machine. Where less than a quarter of its revenue came from services before the deal, they now account for roughly half of the $22 billion annual total. Coming out of a recession that put a big dent in corporate technology spending, Xerox is counting on the deal to get revenue growing again. Xerox, which is headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., expects ACS to help it sell back-office services to its existing clients, which won’t require much advertising. But according to Xerox President Jim Firestone, the bigger opportunity is winning new customers, especially abroad, where ACS hasn’t had as much of a presence. Hence the new ads. “We know that Xerox has moved far from its historic roots,” says Firestone. “But the rest of the world doesn’t pay quite as close attention as we would like.” It isn’t the first time Xerox has tweaked its brand in an effort to shake the copier company label. It redesigned its logo in 2008 with the same goal in mind, dropping the uppercase lettering that was so familiar from its copiers and printers and adding a stylish white “X” stretched over a red sphere. Xerox won’t reveal exactly what it is spending on the new campaign, but said it will more than double the company’s ad budget compared with last year. It includes spending on TV commercials, print ads and the Web. And while business services may not sound like much fun, Xerox is trying to liven up its marketing with a touch of humor. In one TV spot, a worker at Ducati motorcycles steps into a wind tunnel and tells a fellow employee who is testing a bike that management wants him to translate some company literature into Portuguese. “Are you busy?” The gist, of course, is that businesses should let Xerox handle this kind of ancillary work, while they stick to what they know. A voiceover tells viewers, “Ducati knows it’s better for Xerox to manage their global publications, so they can focus on building amazing bikes.” The idea is also to save Ducati and other companies a few dollars, an appeal Xerox hopes will resonate in a shaky economy. Before the ACS deal, Xerox had stalled. The recession meant less business going on at its customers, which in turn meant less printing and copying. Businesses also became more reluctant to replace aging office equipment, a trend that hurt revenue growth across the technology industry. Until the ACS deal closed, Xerox hadn’t reported revenue growth in more than a year and company executives warned repeatedly that they didn’t expect spending would bounce back quickly. The company has gone though several rounds of layoffs in the past two years. Now, Xerox is hoping the ACS deal will help it grow again, in part by offering other businesses ways to cut costs. “Clearly the economic environment is unsteady … and as a result everyone is very cautious,” said Firestone. “In this environment, where companies are trying to find the most cost-effective way to run their businesses, what we have to offer is part of the solution.” ? 2010 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .
September 1, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are seeking public input on what rules should apply to wireless Internet access and specialized services that aren’t part of the Internet but are delivered over wired broadband connections. The move by the Federal Communications Commission marks the next step in the agency’s long-running effort to adopt so-called “network neutrality” regulations to prevent broadband providers from discriminating against traffic flowing over their lines. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, as well as many big Internet companies, say these rules are needed to prevent phone and cable companies from abusing their control over high-speed Internet access to become online gatekeepers. But the commission faces fierce resistance from phone and cable companies, which insist they need flexibility to manage network traffic to prevent high-bandwidth applications from hogging capacity. Phone companies are particularly opposed to applying net neutrality rules to wireless services, which have more capacity constraints than wired systems. Phone and cable companies also fear that strict net neutrality rules would prevent them from charging a premium for specialized services that travel over dedicated networks, often called “managed services.” That category includes video services such as AT&T Inc.’s U-Verse and could expand to include online gaming, remote medical monitoring and even power grid controls. Broadband providers warn that rules that prohibit them from offering premium services could discourage them from continuing to invest in their lines. The FCC’s latest move comes several weeks after Verizon Communications Inc. and Google Inc. offered their own policy proposal to try to find a middle ground on net neutrality. Their plan would prohibit phone and cable companies from slowing down, blocking or charging to prioritize Internet traffic traveling over their regular broadband lines. But it would allow broadband providers to charge extra for services like U-Verse that are separate from the public Internet. The Verizon-Google plan also would exempt wireless services from net neutrality rules. The FCC’s decision to seek public comment on both issues is a disappointment to public interest groups that have been calling on the agency to move ahead quickly with strong net neutrality regulations. They say these rules are needed to prevent phone and cable companies from favoring their own services or those of business partners and from discriminating against Internet phone calls, online video and other Web services that compete with their core businesses. “While the FCC continues to play the game of kick the can down the road, consumers are left unprotected,” said Free Press Research Director Derek Turner. He added that “nothing in today’s notice contains anything new.” Free Press and other public interest groups have also been sharply critical of the proposal from Verizon and Google. They say it would create a two-tiered Internet with a fast lane for online companies that can pay more and a slow lane for everyone else. They also complain that it includes a giant loophole for the mobile Web at a time when more and more consumers are going online using handheld devices. Network neutrality rules have been a top priority for Genachowski since he joined the FCC last summer. The agency has been trying to craft some sort of compromise on the issue in recent months, but those efforts recently reached an impasse. In a statement, Genachowski said the FCC “will continue to be vigilant in guarding against threats to Internet freedom.” Even before it moves ahead with any network neutrality proposal, the agency must first establish its authority to regulate broadband in the aftermath of a federal appeals court ruling in April that cast doubt on its existing regulatory framework. ? 2010 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .
September 1, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
