Facebook Value

Companies such as Microsoft and Google are interested in investing in the social networking site Facebook. While this is still in the early stages, Microsoft is reportedly considering investing $300 to $500 million for a 5% stake of Facebook. Facebook is seeking a minimum value of $10 billion, and there has been enough interest to go as high as $13 billion from investors. Facebook's only annual revenue is from newly established advertising relationships. Facebook continues to grow and add features making it more desirable to investors. How long until a more popular social networking site takes over or at least provides competition? I think Facebook will remain popular for a while because everyone is on it. It's difficult to get people to leave for another site when they have already developed profiles, photo albums, and have many friends on the site they are already on.

Blu-Ray a Mistake

A recent blog stated that Blu-Ray should have never existed stating "if a product requires substantial support from the parent to keep it alive, including funding levels that probably can't be reasonably recouped, it has a very high likelihood of failing." Blu-Ray was tied in with the PS3, and it is believed that this relationship lead to the downfall of the PS3 because it wasn't affordable. Blu-ray became impractical due to the price and does not provide sufficient competitive advantages. Of all the new technologies coming out and the frenzy they create. I think it's interesting to find technologies like the Blu-ray that just aren't worth the extra money for the advancement in technology.

iPhone Hacker

A 17 year-old named George Hotz was able to unlock the iPhone so it can be used with other cellular networks besides AT&T. In doing this, he received a new car, 3 iPhones and a paid consulting job. It took him 500 hours, which was well worth the time. Most people spend much more time than that finding a job because they have to, and they don't receive gifts and fame along with it. I think it is quite possible that we will hear about Hotz sometime in the near future as a technology mogul.