7:39 PM
Intel is buying McAfee for $7.68 billion, paying a 60% premium over McAfee's Wednesday closing stock price:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38768840/ns/business-us_business/?Gt1-43001
The columnist is *shocked* that Intel is paying a 60% premium for McAfee, especially since McAfee just failed AV-Test certification for Windows 7:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/anti-virus/intel-buying-also-ran-463
The aerospace and defense industry is planning to hire 15,500 professionals this year, but they are having trouble retaining their young employees. The *voluntary* attrition rate (employees who chose to leave their companies* has risen to 21%, and 41% of young professions in the industry are looking for new jobs:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.rss.html?pid=31451&goback=.gde_1731397_news_174545034
Motorola won a $50.6 million grant to build a public-safety LTE network in San Francisco in the 700 MHz band:
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/motorola-wins-stimulus-funds-public-safety-lte-network/2010-08-19
RIM's Blackpad tablet will run on software developed by QNX instead of using the new BlackBerry 6 operating system. QNX has customers in the automotive, industrial, medical, and communications industries...I am a little surprised that they won't be using their BlackBerry OS:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-19/rim-said-to-adopt-bmw-crusher-tank-software-for-planned-tablet-computer.html
Interesting survey found that 1/3 of owners of older versions of the iPhone are waiting to get a new iPhone until Verizon or someone other than AT&T supports the iPhone. They also found that nearly half of AT&T's iPhone users would consider switching to Verizon if Verizon got the iPhone. The survey seems to indicate that Android smartphone sales would decrease if Verizon got the iPhone--apparently, many smartphone users will not get the iPhone because it is on AT&T:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/finally-iphone-users-have-given-att-371
Verizon is testing an unlimited talk/text/data plan for $99 per month, matching Sprint's price that they have been heavily marketing. This $20 reduction is only available in LA and San Diego Verizon stores during this test and they will decide if they will expand the price cut to the rest of the country:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/verizon-targets-sprints-simply-everything-99-unlimited-tests/2010-08-18
It appears that the Droid Pro is really just a Droid 2 smartphone with both CDMA and GSM radios inside so that it can be used anywhere around the world. The article also mentions that LG will be discarding its proprietary featurephone platform and its next LG Env phones will run Android:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/19/exclusive-droid-pro-is-the-global-version-of-the-droid-2-lg-en/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38768840/ns/business-us_business/?Gt1-43001
The columnist is *shocked* that Intel is paying a 60% premium for McAfee, especially since McAfee just failed AV-Test certification for Windows 7:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/anti-virus/intel-buying-also-ran-463
The aerospace and defense industry is planning to hire 15,500 professionals this year, but they are having trouble retaining their young employees. The *voluntary* attrition rate (employees who chose to leave their companies* has risen to 21%, and 41% of young professions in the industry are looking for new jobs:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.rss.html?pid=31451&goback=.gde_1731397_news_174545034
Motorola won a $50.6 million grant to build a public-safety LTE network in San Francisco in the 700 MHz band:
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/motorola-wins-stimulus-funds-public-safety-lte-network/2010-08-19
RIM's Blackpad tablet will run on software developed by QNX instead of using the new BlackBerry 6 operating system. QNX has customers in the automotive, industrial, medical, and communications industries...I am a little surprised that they won't be using their BlackBerry OS:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-19/rim-said-to-adopt-bmw-crusher-tank-software-for-planned-tablet-computer.html
Interesting survey found that 1/3 of owners of older versions of the iPhone are waiting to get a new iPhone until Verizon or someone other than AT&T supports the iPhone. They also found that nearly half of AT&T's iPhone users would consider switching to Verizon if Verizon got the iPhone. The survey seems to indicate that Android smartphone sales would decrease if Verizon got the iPhone--apparently, many smartphone users will not get the iPhone because it is on AT&T:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/finally-iphone-users-have-given-att-371
Verizon is testing an unlimited talk/text/data plan for $99 per month, matching Sprint's price that they have been heavily marketing. This $20 reduction is only available in LA and San Diego Verizon stores during this test and they will decide if they will expand the price cut to the rest of the country:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/verizon-targets-sprints-simply-everything-99-unlimited-tests/2010-08-18
It appears that the Droid Pro is really just a Droid 2 smartphone with both CDMA and GSM radios inside so that it can be used anywhere around the world. The article also mentions that LG will be discarding its proprietary featurephone platform and its next LG Env phones will run Android:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/19/exclusive-droid-pro-is-the-global-version-of-the-droid-2-lg-en/