Links and Reading for February 26th

Feb 26, 2011

Some of the more interesting and important items for February 26th :

Google: Grow or die John Dvorak’s Second Opinion – MarketWatch – Google Inc. does two things well. Search for things and sell ads by the boatloads. 
 
Everything else is ancillary and at best a loss leader. This includes Google Voice, Gmail, Google maps and navigation, YouTube and probably the entire online “cloud” services as well as the Android OS along with Chrome.
Groupon Revenue Hit $760 Million Last Year – WSJ.com – Daily deals website Groupon Inc. saw its revenue surge to $760 million last year from $33 million the previous year, with more than a third of its 2010 sales coming from outside the U.S., according to an internal memo.
Hollywood’s top 10 box-office hits – MarketWatch – Hollywood’s all-time biggest U.S. hits, adjusted for inflation, and the films that won best picture that year. Based on data from BoxOfficeMojo.com and Internet Movie Database. Also see the 10 best movies that lost the top Oscar
Verizon IPhone Drops Calls, Not Endorsed by Consumer Reports – Bloomberg – The Apple Inc. iPhone 4 carried by Verizon Wireless suffers from a glitch — similar to one that plagues AT&T Inc.’s version of the device — that may result in dropped calls in certain areas, Consumer Reports said.
Boeing’s Tanker Bid Was Aided by Air Force’s Shifting Rules – NYTimes.com – When a European company offered a larger tanker than Boeing for a lower price in 2008, the Air Force grabbed what seemed like a bargain. Representative Jay Inslee, left, and Senators Maria Cantwell, center, and Patty Murray, right, celebrating in Everett, Wash. 
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Dan Bates/The Herald, via Associated Press 
 
A Boeing worker celebrating Thursday. 
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G.M. Andrews/Mobile Press-Register, via Associated Press 
 
David Oliver, chief operating officer of EADS North America, spoke to reporters in Alabama on Thursday. 
 
But aviation analysts say Boeing won a rematch this week because the government’s preference had shifted to a plane with fewer bells and whistles but one that could be much cheaper to operate in the next few decades
U.S. Growth Revised Lower in Fourth Quarter – NYTimes.com – Growth in the fourth quarter of 2010 was slower than initially reported, at an annual pace of 2.8 percent rather than the previous estimate of 3.2 percent, according to data released on Friday by the Commerce Department. Economists had been predicting an upward revision, to about 3.3 percent.
Nintendo 3DS Goes on Sale in Japan, Game Fans Line Up in Tokyo – Bloomberg – Nintendo Co., the world’s biggest maker of video-game players, began selling its 3DS handheld model to crowds in Tokyo as the company tries to revive profit amid growing competition with Apple Inc. and Sony Corp.
Berkshire Profit Rises 43% to $4.38 Billion on Railroad – Bloomberg – Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said fourth- quarter profit rose 43 percent on derivative gains and earnings from the railroad that billionaire Chairman Warren Buffett bought last year. 
 
Net income advanced to $4.38 billion, or $2,656 a share, from $3.06 billion, or $1,969, a year earlier, Omaha, Nebraska- based Berkshire said today in a regulatory filing.
500 Internal Server Error – 500 Internal Server Error
U.S. Economy Grew 2.8% in Fourth Quarter, Revised From 3.2% – Bloomberg – The U.S. economy grew at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, slower than previously calculated and less than forecast as state and local governments made deeper cuts in spending.