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In August, NPD Group released its Top 5 ranking of U.S. music retailers for the first half of 2008.  Apple was number one and Amazon rising.  In the related press coverage, Walmart, though a significant seller at number two, seemed almost a future footnote.  The prevailing view was to write them off.  Now, with Best Buy trying to secure its digital footing via Napster, Walmart is making moves to regain ground (or at least maintain it) too.

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Throughout 2007, Microsoft and Google seemed locked in a race to digitize  and index the books of the world.  For months the companies seesawed back and forth with news of agreements granting exclusive access to world renowned library collections.

Google tied up the University of Lausanne in France and the University of Mysore in India.  Microsoft captured the British Library in the U.K. and the University of Toronto in Canada.  Google wooed Stanford and Harvard.  Microsoft snared Cornell and the University of California.

Back and forth it went in what seemed to be a small but important front in the companies’ ongoing competition for audience eyeballs and next generation search technology.  Then last spring, in May, abruptly, it stopped.

With little warning, and to limited fanfare, Microsoft pulled the plug.  Organizing all the world’s information wasn’t their mission.  Microsoft was interested in next generation search and a sustainable business model.  Creating a library instead of crawling existing ones apparently was no longer worth it, so they ceded the fight.  Copyright lawyers chasing Google’s Book Search project were less generous, until today.

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On February 8th, Activision (now Activision Blizzard) trademarked the name “DJ Hero” with the US Patent and Trademark office.  The name was reserved for “game software” and “interactive video game programs; computer game discs; downloadable software for use in connection with computer games; video game controllers; interactive video game comprised of a CD or DVD sold as a unit with a video game controller.”

In the months since, rumors about the possible game have run rampant but there’s been no official confirmation a title was even in development.  Now there is.

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Ubisoft CEO  Yves Guillemot said in July that he thought “the future of [the gaming] industry depends on [studios] ability to create brands that captivate audiences and to extend those brands to other forms of entertainment.”  He’s not alone in that view.  With common visual techniques, shared audience demographics and similar story telling narratives the convergence of gaming and movie making is an increasingly common theme.  That’s especially apparent at Electronic Arts.

In July, to hasten development of Hollywood relationships, EA signed a deal with talent agency United Artists.  At the end of September, EA signed a game development deal with the 300’s director,  Zack Snyder.  Now, EA is moving ahead with a film deal built around their mercenary themed title, Army of Two.

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Whale watching isn’t just a pastime in coastal towns.  In financial circles, the biggest of the big, the heaviest of the heavy hitters, aka the “whales,” often draw a crowd too.  Investors flock to see where the Buffet’s, the Soros’ and the Icahn’s of the world are deploying their capital.  It’s a chance to learn, or maybe even ride the coattails of an expert’s insight to a nice return.

For Carl Icahn watchers, the latest company to watch is Lions Gate.  As of June 30th, 2008, filings show Icahn had 3.65%  of the “mini-major” production company, or 4,289,508 shares.  This month he doubled down.

SEC filings reveal Icahn acquired more than four million additional shares in October.    The individual buys, as listed in the filings, are detailed in the table at the end of this article.

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Google is being cautious.  Apple is being prudent .  Now, another bellwether earnings announcement and more of the same. Thursday, Microsoft reported decent earnings but cut forward guidance amidst prevalent fears about the economy and uncertainty in how to predict its impact in the coming months.

Net income for the first quarter in Microsoft’s fiscal year came in at $4.373b, or 48 cents a share (diluted), up 2% from $4.289b (45cents/share) for the same period last year.  Revenue was up 9 percent to $15.06b.

The results were in line with Microsoft’s July guidance which forecast EPS of 47 to 48 cents a share and slightly ahead of analysts whose consensus estimate (Thomson Reuters) was 47 cents a share on revenues of $14.8b.

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The pink slips are starting to pile up.  Beyond the 1,500 job cuts announced Tuesday by Yahoo, start ups with limited revenue have begun cutting back to stretch their existing capital reserves too.

Search start up Mahalo, which has raised more than $20m from firms including Sequoia Capital and News Corp, has laid off near ten percent of its staff.

Fellow Sequoia start up, music social network iMeem, which has raised more than $50m, Click to Read More