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November 2009, Issue #42
Windows Strikes Back
After years of struggling to convince people to upgrade to Windows Vista, Microsoft finally released Windows 7 on October 22nd. While some skeptics might call it a "Vista Service Pack" (a subtle stab at Microsoft for constantly patching software), early reviews state that Windows 7 is more efficient, more stable, and faster. This product was clearly designed to fix every bad element criticized about Vista. Will Windows 7 meet everyone's expectations? With so many versions (sorry, I couldn't resist) of the software, it's got a good chance.
Sales of Windows 7 is going strong. NPD Group, a sales and market research firm, suggested that sales of Windows 7 are 234% higher than Vista when it was released in January 2007. Moreover, NPD's figures suggest that computer sales were boosted by 49% compared to the same quarter last year. On October 23rd, Microsoft's shares gained $1.54, and closed at 28.02. This is a good sign for Microsoft as it tries to reenergize the PC industry during this depressed economic environment.
I have yet to experience Windows 7 for myself, but the marketing effort is definitely better than the campaign for Vista. Actually, I cannot recall ANY marketing for Vista. So dear Microsoft, please send us a free copy and I'll thoroughly review it on the Firstrade blog.
An Update on FirstradeNEXT
I'm now personally testing FirstradeNEXT's backend via our mobile trading platform. The plan is to have the mobility site ready first.
Want more information and frequent updates? Become a fan of FirstradeNEXT on Facebook.
On the Roadmap
While we are developing in our new site, we also have a separate team making sure the Chinese version arrives simultaneously. Also, improved news, charts, and content pages are also due before year's end.
Firstrade's Favorites
Check out the stocks held by the largest number of Firstrade accounts currently. This list does not take into consideration the number of shares or the share price.
- C - Citigroup Inc.
- GE - General Electric Co.
- BAC - Bank of America Corp.
- MSFT - Microsoft Corp.
- SIRI - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
- F - Ford Motor Company
- AAPL - Apple Inc.
- AIG - American International Group
- FNM - Fannie Mae
- CSCO - Cisco Systems Inc.
Current Promotions
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A Quick Look @ NetEase.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES)
In every issue we take a quick look at a stock that has been in the news. Feel free to make suggestions as to what stock you would like to see covered next by sending an email to editor@firstrade.com, or the editor will pull a random symbol out of a hat.
Continuing on the Chinese technology company trend, this month we take a look at NetEase.com, Inc, a Chinese Internet company that operates 163.com, a popular web portal. The company has grown rapidly since its founding in June 1997, and has invested in search engine technology and massively multiplayer online gaming. Fantasy Westward Journey, an MMORPG developed internally by NetEase, is one of the most popular online games in China. The Company generates revenues from fees it charge the users of its online games and from selling advertisements on the NetEase Websites. The Company's subsidiaries include NetEase Beijing, Youdao Information, Boguan, Guangzhou Interactive, and NetEase Hangzhou. In recent years, it has become an online gaming powerhouse through stategic alliances. Let's take a look at some key events:
Key Events:
- 1997: NetEase was founded in Guangzhou, China.
- 1997: NetEase introduced full Chinese text search engine.
- 1998: NetEase became the first Chinese Internet company to offer free Web-based e-mail service.
- 1999: NetEase hosted the first online auction in China.
- 2000: NetEase went public on NASDAQ.
- 2001: NetEase designed sms.163.com website to offer short message services to China's ever growing mobile phone segment.
- 2001: NetEase acquired the game technology assets of Guangzhou Tianxia.
- 2001: NetEase launched its self-developed massively multiplayer online role playing game "Westward Journey Online"
- 2005: NetEase launched 188 Fortune Mail service - www.188.com.
- 2005: Combined peak concurrent users of "Westward Journey Online II" and "Fantasy Westward Journey" exceed one million.
- 2008: NetEase and Blizzard introduced StarCraft II and Battle.net Platform into Mainland China.
- 2009: NetEase replaces The9 as the operator for The World of Warcraft, the most popular online game in the world.
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