Chipping Away at Intel's Seemingly Good News

Perhaps looking for any uplifting news in dire times, some media outlets praised the chipmaker's $7 billion announcement without doing all of the math.

Intel scored something of a financial public-relations coup yesterday morning, issuing a press release boasting of its plans to spend $7 billion over the next two years on three U.S. manufacturing facilities that will make faster chips and "support approximately 7,000 high-wage, high-skill jobs."

Some news outlets were quick to jump on the announcement as a rare piece of good news in a dour economy. But, while any investment is surely good news as corporate cutbacks continue to weigh down the economy, many of the media reports published afterward may have unintentionally exaggerated the significance of Intel's plans.

BusinessWeek's article, "Intel Invests in U.S.," characterized the investment as "massive," praising the company's "aggressive capital investment spending" plans. The New York Times ran the news under the headline, "Despite Slump, Intel Plans Big Investment." Other publications incorrectly reported that the company was building new plants and even adding new jobs.

In fact, Intel will retool existing plants to make a new type of chip, and won't create any new jobs. Intel's total capital spending for 2009 actually will be flat or slightly below its 2008 expenditure of $5.2 billion. The company's investment in property, plant, and equipment has hovered around the $5 billion mark since 2005, when it spent $5.9 billion. In 2007, it spent $5 billion.

The Intel statement said the company was spending the $7 billion "to build advanced manufacturing facilities in the United States," but many media reports appeared to overlook another line in the same statement explaining that the investment "will be made at existing manufacturing sites in Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico." Intel spokesman Tom Beermann told CFO.com the retooling is a substantial change, and that "the outside walls will be the only thing that will stay the same."

Intel says the upgrades represent its "largest-ever investment" for a new manufacturing process. In the upgraded facilities, the company will begin making 32-nanometer chips later this year. These chips are smaller, faster, and use less energy, the company said.

The retooling will also give Intel, whose revenues fell 23 percent last quarter, a large depreciation expense over the next several years. That, in turn, could help the company lower its tax bill substantially when the economy, and Intel's own revenues, recover. It also was not clear from Intel's announcement how it planned to spread the $7 billion over the next two years, which may provide the company with additional flexibility in reducing earnings before interest and taxes.

Beermann explained that the move will preserve 7,000 jobs, not create them. While Intel could potentially hire new employees to work in the upgraded facilities down the road, the company has no plans to do so in the near future. The investment reflects "primarily job preservation," Beermann says. In fact, just two weeks ago, the company said 5,000 to 6,000 jobs would be eliminated or relocated after closing or stopping production at five plants, two of them in the U.S.

Much of yesterday's praise for Intel's investment was, in fact, aimed at the size of the investment being made specifically in the U.S. At a speech at the Economic Club in Washington D.C. Tuesday morning, Intel CEO Paul Otellini reminded the attendees that Intel builds 75 percent of its products in the United States, where it employs half of its 45,000 workers. "I am pleased to announce our intention to stamp the words 'Made in America" on even more Intel products in the months and years to come," Otellini said, according to prepared remarks provided to CFO.com.

His speech came on the heels of a press conference in which President Obama promoted a stimulus plan aimed at stemming further job loss. Otellini encouraged other companies to make similar investments as Intel's to spur the economy.

Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000

What: Microsoft Corp.’s new Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 is the first notebook mouse to serve as a four-in-one device. It can function as a Bluetooth® laser notebook mouse, slide presenter, laser pointer and media remote. It’s the only device notebook users will need, whether clicking through the slides of a presentation, highlighting a key point with the laser pointer, skipping to the next track of a CD or scrolling through documents on a laptop. In addition, Microsoft’s High Definition technology provides better precision, responsiveness and smooth tracking. This device is the all-in-one super tool for those on the go. Format: Microsoft® Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 comes with a Bluetooth transceiver, which connects directly to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port and operates on the Windows® platform. IntelliPoint mouse software (included) is necessary for full functionality. Product Description: The Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 is the ultimate device, functioning as a Bluetooth laser notebook mouse, slide presenter, laser and digital pointer, and media remote. It features Microsoft’s High Definition Laser Technology, which delivers more responsiveness, more precision and smoother tracking. The mouse also includes the popular Magnifier tool and Tilt Wheel, making navigating, viewing and editing spreadsheets, documents and images easier than ever before, and the new Instant Viewer feature that allow users to instantly view all open windows for added organization and productivity. Features And Benefits: ● New! Four-in-one device includes a full-functioning Bluetooth laser notebook mouse; an easy-to-use slide presenter to smoothly navigate through PowerPoint® presentations; laser and digital pointers to highlight key points on the screen; and a media remote to enjoy multimedia entertainment anywhere from the office to the living room. Sophisticated Notebook Mouse · New! Customizable performance slider in the software lets advanced users increase performance for intense PC tasks or lower it to extend battery life. · New! Instant Viewer tool displays all open windows at once so users can see each project they are working on and easily switch between applications for added productivity. · New! Faster than wired. Users will experience virtually no latency with Microsoft 2.4GHz mouse products. · New! On/Off switch helps users extend battery life to approximately three months on average. · New! Two-color battery life indicator warns users when it’s time to replace batteries. Red means the batteries are running low on power, and solid green glows and fades away when the mouse is turned on, indicating sufficient battery power. · New! Carrying case allows users to carry the transceiver and protect the mouse. · Sleek look and symmetrical shape provide style and comfort for right- and left-handed users. · Proprietary High Definition Laser Technology puts ultimate performance in the palm of users’ hands. Microsoft’s line of High Definition mice uses technology that is two generations ahead of standard optical and laser mice. These mice are equipped with the exclusive Microsoft Intelligent Tracking System for smoother tracking, a resolution of 1,000 dots per inch for more responsiveness and 6,000 frames per second for better precision. · Magnifier tool enlarges any section of the screen, enabling real-time magnified viewing and editing of images, documents, Web sites and more. Users can simply push the Magnifier button and move the cursor over any portion of the screen they want to enlarge. · Tilt Wheel delivers revolutionary four-way scrolling capabilities for smooth vertical and horizontal control and ease when navigating long Web pages or spreadsheets. · Five buttons, including the Tilt Wheel and Magnifier, can be easily customized to perform popular commands with a single touch. The left-side button is set by default for easy backward Internet navigation. Powerful Slide Presenter and Laser Pointer · New! Laser pointer enables presenters to emphasize a certain sentence or graph within a presentation. · New! Digital Ink lets users draw on the screen during presentations to highlight a key point. · New! Presenter control buttons allow users to easily navigate through PowerPoint slides for seamless presentations. Media Remote Control for Work or Play · New! Presentation buttons also allow users to control their multimedia entertainment; play, pause, change tracks and adjust volume for music; or watch a DVD on their PC. · Seamless compatibility is enabled with Windows Media® Player and other popular media players. A Better Bluetooth Experience · New! Microsoft’s 2.4GHz Bluetooth technology delivers the ultimate wireless experience with cutting-edge performance and enhanced security. It is also easy to set up and use. · New! First Connect Technology means the Bluetooth device and receiver are paired together in advance, so the mouse will work right out of the box. · Compatibility for versatility. Microsoft’s transceiver supports a variety of Bluetooth profiles, including personal area network (PAN), so users can connect the mouse to most Bluetooth devices. · Virtually no interference. Intelligent technology “hops” frequency when it encounters interference and is ideal for home or corporate environments with multiple computers. · True wireless freedom with up to 30 feet of range with Microsoft’s new Bluetooth products. System Requirements: For a Windows-Based PC: · Microsoft Windows Vista™ or Windows XP (Service Pack 2 required with Windows XP) · Pentium 233MHz or higher processor · 128 MB of RAM · 45 MB of available hard disk space (install 100 MB) · CD-ROM drive · An available USB port on the PC Other: · Two AAA alkaline batteries (included) Availability And Pricing: Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 will be widely available by October 2006 for an estimated retail price of $99.95 (U.S.).1 It is backed by a three-year limited hardware warranty from Microsoft in the U.S. and Canada. 1 Actual retail price may vary. Microsoft, Windows, PowerPoint, Windows Media and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Bluetooth is a trademark owned by the Bluetooth SIG Inc. and any use of such marks by Microsoft Corp. is under license. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. For more information, press only: Liz DeBord, Edelman, (206) 223-1606, liz.debord@edelman.com Kerry Gentes, Edelman, (206) 223-1606, kerry.gentes@edelman.com For online product information: Visit the Microsoft Hardware Web site at http://microsoft.com/hardware. For product images: Visit http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/gallery/hardware-mouse.mspx. For a look at Microsoft Hardware’s past two decades of innovation: Visit http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/innovation/history.mspx.

How To Start Making Money With Adsense

Adsense is considered as one of the most powerful tool in a website publisher’s arsenal. It enables a person to monetize their sites easily. If used properly, it can generate a very large income for them. However if you are not using them rightly, you are actually leaving a lot of money on the table.

There are actually three steps to put into mind before you begin writing your ads and having an effective Adsense.

Keyword search. Find some popular subjects, keywords or phrase. Select the ones which you think has more people clicking through. This is actually a keyword selector and suggestion tool that some sites are offering to those who are just their Adsense business.

Writing articles. Start writing original content with keywords from the topics that you have achieved in your search. Take note that search engines are taking pride in the quality of their articles and what you will be writing should keep up with their demands.

Quality content site. Build a quality content site incorporated with Adsense ads that is targeting the subject and keywords of your articles and websites. This is where all that you’ve done initially will go to and this is also where they will prove their worth to you.

The proper positioning of your ads should be done with care. Try to position your ads where surfers are most likely to click on them. According to research, the one place that surfers look first when they visit a certain site is the top left. The reason behind this is not known. Maybe it is because some of the most useful search engine results are at the top of all other rankings. So visitors tend to look in that same place when browsing through other sites.

Some of those who are just starting at this business may think they are doing pretty well already and thinking that their clickthrough rates and CPM figures are quite healthy. However, there are more techniques and styles to generate more clicks to double your earnings. By knowing these techniques and working them to your advantage, you will realize that you will be getting three times more than other people who have been previously doing what they are doing.

Finally, Adsense has some excellent tracking statistics that allows webmasters and publishers to track their results across a number of site on a site by site, page by page, or any other basis you wanted.

You should be aware of his capability and make the most of it because it is one powerful tool that will help you find out which ads are performing best. This way, you can fine tune your Adsense ads and focus more on the ones being visited the most rather than those who are being ignored.

To really start making money with Adsense, you should have a definite focus on what you wanted to achieve and how you will go about achieving them. As with any other kind of business ventures, time is needed coupled with patience.

Do not just ignore your site and your Adsense once you have finished accomplishing them. Spare some time, even an hour, making adjustments to the Adsense ads on your sites to quickly trigger your Adsense income.

How to Make Money From a Blog

How to make money from a blog is one of the most common questions asked by Internet marketers who are also bloggers, or by bloggers who want to make their first foray into monetizing their blogs. There are several common ways to have your blog be a profit center for you instead of just a fun way to pass the time. You’re about to discover how to get paid for blogging.

You can make money from just about any blog, but if you start with the idea of pulling in a bit of cash from your posting efforts, your successful journey into entrepreneurship will be much easier. There are a couple of things you have to do in preparation for your little blog venture to make sure you’re not starting the next non profit.

First is to do some research into the niche or theme that you’ll be blogging about. You want a theme that has solid profit potential. There’s no sense in prattling on and on about your crazy Aunt Mary or your family’s visit to you brother Bob’s house in Tuscaloosa. Although that may be of great interest to you, that’s about as far as it will go.

You’re trying to attract visitors that have some monetarily value to someone. You’ll determine just who your visitors have value to from a business perspective by how you choose to monetize your blog. You have a veritable plethora of choices here. The most common source of revenue for bloggers is probably contextual advertising, such as Google’s Adsense.

Contextual advertising is simply placing ads on your blog that are closely matched to the content of your post or page. The ad provider automatically looks at your post to determine what ads are the most relevant to the content of the particular post. When one of your visitors clicks on the ad, you’re paid a percentage of the revenue paid by the advertiser.

The advantages are that if you’re approved it’s very easy to place the ads, and if you have significant traffic in a profitable niche, it can add up to big dollars. Many bloggers make an extra $20 - $100 a day using this kind of advertising, and some make far, far more than that.

The other popular way to get some cash from your blog is through affiliate marketing. With affiliate marketing you are paid for referring one of your visitors to a merchant’s website. Once they get there you’ll be paid when your visitor performs the required action. The two most common types of actions are pay per sale and pay per lead actions.

With a pay per sale you’re paid for referring one of your visitors that buys something. For example, if you have a blog about fishing, you can review a new fly rod, and then if you really like it, communicate that fact to your readers. Provide a link to a vendor with an affiliate program who sells that particular fly rod. If one of your visitors reads your review then clicks on your link to the vendor, and purchases it from them, you’ll be paid a commission for your efforts.

Done correctly, this can be extremely lucrative. The advantages are that you have no customer service issues, as you’re not selling any products, you’re simply referring your visitors. The disadvantages are that you have no control, and are at the mercy of the vendors, who can, and do change the terms of their affiliate programs at will.

These are two of the most common ways to make money from your blog. There are countless more, including selling banner ads and using your blog as a sales tool for your own company or products. The point is that you don’t have to just blog for fun if you know how to make money from a blog.

Steve runs multiple blogs, some some getting 15,000 unique visitors a month and earning $1,000s. You could easily be there too! It does take work, but it’s easier than you think to make your blog profitable. Actually, there are few simple tricks and techniques that get you earning more money from your blog right away. He reveals some super powerful strategies you can implement in just minutes to wring much more profit from your blog. It doesn’t even require a traffic increase to work! Click Now and go to the How to Make Money With a Blog Secrets Guide.

Information on Blogging You Cannot Afford to Miss

Are you looking for information on blogging? Do you want to know all about posting blogs to the Internet, start blog websites, how to draw traffic to your blogs, and how to find the motivation to keep blogging even when you have a million other things to do? Well, here is some of the information on blogging that you may be searching for.

Blogging can be used for a variety of purposes. You may start blogging just as a way to connect and keep up with family and friends. Think about it for a minute. If you have three brothers and sisters and a few friends, you could be telling or otherwise sharing the same information six different times. And, in fact, those six people would all be doing the same.

A lot of us just don't have the time for that, and some of us have even given up staying in regular contact with family and friends for just that reason. However, if you got a blog site, you could tell a story or tell information one time, and everyone you know could know about it.

You also might start blogging as a way to earn a little extra income. There are now companies that hire professional bloggers to update content on their websites so that people will continue to frequent the sites and perhaps make purchases from it or enable the website owner to charge others for advertising space on his site based on the numbers of hits it receives.

You may want to start blogging as a way to promote a charitable organization or event. Blogging can be a very effective communication tool, so if you have a true love for animals and would love to get donations for the shelter in your city, maybe you should start blogging stories about all the rescues you have seen or the good things dogs and cats have done.

To find out the TRUTH about today's Leading Blogging Products and to learn the REAL Secrets to building a Profitable Blog...

Click Here -> Information on Blogging

Mavis Amouzou-Akue is an online author and internet marketer.