profit

Sales of its Android phones and internal cost-cutting helped Sony Ericsson returned to profitability in its fourth quarter. But overall sales were down, and results missed analysts' expectations.

For the quarter ended December 31, the Swedish mobile phone maker saw its net income hit 8 million euros ($10.8 million), a healthy swing from 2009's final quarter, which was hit by a loss of 167 million euros. Results were similar for all of 2010 as net earnings reached 90 million euros following a loss of 836 million euros in fiscal 2009.

Seeing 2010 as a turnaround year, the company … Read more

Tech, media, and telecom companies in emerging markets and those considered "digital innovators" are among the world's tops in providing value to their investors, according to a new study from the Boston Consulting Group.

Out today, the report "Swimming Against the Tide: How Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Companies Can Prosper in the New Economic Reality" found that seven of the top 10 telecom performers, five of the top 10 media performers, and four of the top 10 technology performers are in India, Taiwan, Mexico, China, and other emerging markets. But global companies tuned into the … Read more

One of the most talked-about uses for Twitter has been as a free marketing and outreach mouthpiece for nonprofits, particularly those with otherwise limited resources. But a new survey about the most "engaged" charity organizations and nonprofit foundations on Twitter--meaning how big a following a charity has as well as how much it interacts directly with followers and is talked about by other Twitter users--indicates that it's still big, powerful nonprofits that have the most muscle in social media.

The survey was conducted by Empire Avenue, a start-up that translates social-network activity and following into a "… Read more

The U.S. wind power industry had its slowest quarter since 2007 in the just-ended third quarter, as investors turned away from the sector after Congress did not pass a renewable power mandate, an industry group said.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said U.S. developers added 395 megawatts of electricity capacity at wind farms in the third quarter--the slowest quarter since 2007. Year-to-date installations of 1,634 MW, were down 72 percent versus the same period last year.

The U.S. Senate has not passed a national renewable energy mandate that would have required power utilities to … Read more

Sony generated a $375 million profit during its second quarter on strong sales gains for its PCs and its PlayStation 3 game console, the company announced today.

During the quarter that ended Sept. 30, Sony tallied $20.8 billion in revenue. About $4.4 billion of that revenue came from Sony's Networked Products and Services unit, which saw a 5 percent gain year over year. That division includes both PCs and the PlayStation 3.

The increase in PC unit sales "resulted from expanding market share in all regions," the company reported. And although Sony acknowledged that its … Read more

Nokia's earnings returned to the black in the third quarter thanks to smartphone sales, but it also announced 1,800 layoffs.

The Finnish mobile phone maker said today that it took home a profit of 529 million euros ($741 million) in the third quarter compared with a loss of 559 million euros in the year-ago quarter. Revenue rose almost 5 percent to 10.3 billion euros from 9.8 billion euros a year back earlier.

Surpassing analyst expectations, the third-quarter results were boosted by higher selling prices on Nokia smartphones. For the quarter, the company's Devices and Services … Read more

Currently Apple offers only the newest generation of the iPhone, in one form factor, as well as one version of last year's model. A new report from Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu suggests Apple may be looking to diversify its iPhone offerings.

Wu's supply chain checks have reportedly revealed that Apple is sourcing a variety of touch-screen options, both smaller and larger than Apple's current 3.5-inch offering, though the report does not mention what specific sizes those would be.

Some feel that Apple must diversify its iPhone lineup due to increased competition from Android-based phones, citing … Read more

India's stock market is growing into a global force, and investors and market watchers around the world follow it. Gyarsi Systems Network's Smartstock is the first software of its kind, a free investment-planning tool focused on opportunities in India. It can analyze investments, trends, and markets to help advise you in investing, growth, and new prospects in international business.

Smartstock requires the Microsoft .NET framework and an Internet connection for logging in to access Gyarsi's forums and to retrieve up-to-date financial information. It's got a fairly standard tabbed interface, with taskbar items for logging in, managing … Read more

As expected, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled today the creation of "Startup: Education" a charitable foundation to "improve educational opportunities for young people in America." Its first project, to be announced later today on The Oprah Winfrey Show, is a $100 million donation to support the public school system in the troubled city of Newark, N.J.

Zuckerberg will appear on the syndicated talk show with Newark mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey governor Chris Christie, where they will announce the joint Partnership for Education in Newark.

"Mayor Booker and Governor Christie refuse … Read more