Your report for Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Lowry Computer to get up to $75 million in in military RFID work
Brighton-based Lowry Computer Products this week announced that it had been selected as a vendor of passive radio frequency identification electronic product code hardware, software and services under a contract with a unit of the United States Army. The deal with the Army Contracting Agency Information Technology, E-Commerce, and Commercial Contracting Center allows Lowry to provide the Defense Logistics Agency, U.S. Army, and any other government agency within the U.S. Department of Defense with the tools necessary to integrate pRFID infrastructures. Also covered in the deal are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, members of U.S. military coalitions and other approved foreign military sales. The contract has a potential value in excess of $75 million. More.

Media Genesis to promote healthy living at the office
Ordinarily, November is the month to develop bad habits -- whether by the typical excess of Thanksgiving or the annual slowdown of exercise that comes with colder weather. Not so at Media Genesis, a Troy Web development company. Media Genesis, has partnered with its client Wellco Corp., a provider of corporate wellness systems for organizations, to bring an on-site wellness program to Media Genesis employees this November. More.

New job matching Web site launches
Dearborn-based DriverSource Inc., a transportation industry staffing company, this week announced the release of MySplake.com, which it describes as the first Web site designed to match job seekers intelligently with positions that truly match their skill set, personality and experience. The MySplake.com system uses a unique job matching technology that sorts through various key areas of a potential candidate's profile and compares it to the required areas in the job posting. The system then weights the match based on accuracy and relevance using a proprietary system. Job matches are done in seconds and it only takes minutes to sign up. More.

Mid-Michigan Web firm gets new, larger headquarters
The Internet marketing firm Netvantage Marketing is moving to a new office in East Lansing. Netvantage's new home at 2940 Lake Lansing Road replaces its old headquarters in Okemos. It's 1,800 square feet in size vs. about 700 square feet for the old. More.

Two studies show Grinch mood among holiday shoppers
The holiday shopping season is shifting into gear -- but it's reverse gear. Growing economic concerns are causing consumers to significantly curtail 2008 holiday spending plans according to a new national survey from Farmington Hills-based Morpace. United States consumers interviewed Nov. 17-19 were asked how they expect their spending this holiday season will compare to last year's. Fifty-seven percent say they expect to spend less, while only 5 percent anticipate spending more. More. Also, a study from Livonia-based Valassis finds consumers are more deal-driven than ever. More.

GLITR seeks big corporate bucks for Adopt-A-Family

I've had a lot of great individual response to my appeals on behalf of Volunteers of America's Adopt-A-Family program, which provides toys, warm winter clothing and holiday dinners to the less fortunate.

But today I'd like to talk to the people in charge of the truly big bucks.

That's right, you C-level executives, owners of good-sized businesses, and folks in charge of company "cause marketing" budgets and interests. I'm talking to you.

It's hard to find a more worthwhile cause than this one, especially at this time of year. So get out that corporate checkbook -- well, OK, nobody has those any more, fire up the laptop and get on a secure connection with the bank -- and think about just how many zeroes you'd like to add to whatever you'd like the first number to be, payable to Volunteers of America.

As we all prepare to give thanks for our many blessings, I'm giving thanks in advance for what you'll do in the last two weeks of our campaign.

All the details you need are at this link: http://www.wwj.com/pages/1123709.php.

For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser at (248) 455-7319 or jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com.

Ford talks green with Obama; high-profile plug-in hybrid using GM engine
Bill Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Co., has kept a low profile during public discussions of federal aid to the auto industry. But the longtime environmentalist has been working quietly behind the scenes to convince President-elect Barack Obama that Ford Motor is moving forcefully to remake itself as a leaner, green company, according to a report in the New York Times cited by AutoBeat Daily. More. Also, California's Fisker Automotive Inc. says it has inked a deal to use General Motors Corp.’s 2.0-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine in the upcoming Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports car, AutoTech Daily reported. More. (Unsolicited Opinion Dept.: Feel free to wave this info in the face of the nitwits who continue to spout the lie that the Detroit Three aren't involved in anything innovative.)

State designates three more 'energy centers of excellence'
Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm and Michigan Economic Development Corp. CEO James C. Epolito today announced Michigan Strategic Fund approval of three alternative energy partnerships in Ann Arbor, East Lansing/Webberville, and Alpena to be designated the state’s newest Centers of Energy Excellence. The centers will work on advanced batteries, a two biofuels biorefineries. More.

MSU prof wins prize for water-based air conditioning
A Michigan State University researcher and a colleague have won the Boston Innovation Prize for the design of a low-cost, energy-efficient method of cooling and dehumidifying residential and small commercial spaces. Norbert Muller, assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, and John Barrie, of the Appropriate Technology Collaborative in Ann Arbor, collaborated on the award-winning project. “The technology used for this air conditioner is radically different,” Muller said. “We are using the most natural refrigerant, water.” More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

TiVo reports profit in fiscal third quarter
TiVo Inc. recorded a profit in its fiscal third quarter due to $105 million it received from Dish Network Corp. for violating a patent, the maker of digital video recorders says. Alviso, Calif.-based TiVo said Tuesday that it earned $100.6 million, or 98 cents per share, in the quarter ending Oct. 31. This compares with a loss of $8.2 million, or 8 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue declined almost 15 percent to $64.5 million, due mostly to a drop in service revenues. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a loss of 6 cents per share on $50.7 million in revenue.

Cisco plans four-day holiday shutdown to cut costs
Cisco Systems Inc. will close most of its U.S. and Canadian offices for 4 days over the holidays as part of a plan to cut $1 billion in costs in the current fiscal year, the company said Tuesday. The shares fell 6 percent on fears that the move shows demand for Cisco's computer networking equipment remains sluggish, forcing the company's first mandatory shutdown in over a decade. The San Jose, Calif.-based company is forecasting that sales will fall 5 percent to 10 percent in the current quarter as the credit crisis strangles spending by corporations. Cisco wouldn't say how many employees will be affected by the closure or how much money it will save because of the decision. More.

Forecaster lops 10 percent off 2009 Web ad sales forecast
A marketing research firm is dimming its Internet advertising outlook for the next four years, the latest sign of the more austere times looming for the high-tech sector. In revisions made Tuesday, eMarketer estimates U.S. advertisers will spend $25.7 billion on the Internet next year -- about $2.7 billion, or 10 percent, less than a forecast from just three months ago. The more sobering projections extend through 2012 when eMarketer envisions $37 billion being spent on U.S. online ads. That figure represents a drop of $13 billion, or 26 percent, from the 2012 estimates that eMarketer drew up in August. Although it's not as optimistic now, eMarketer still expects the Internet ad market to grow by 9 percent next year. That would represent a slowdown from an 11 percent increase projected by eMarketer for this year. More.

Another record label sees big growth in digital sales
Warner Music Group, the label that represents such acts as REM and Green Day, is the second major recording company to report healthy growth in digital sales during the past quarter. On Tuesday, Warner reported that digital sales in the quarter ended Sept. 30 grew 27 percent to $167 million, up from $131 million during the same period last year. Warner also beat Wall Street expectations by reporting earnings of $6 million or 4 cents per share on revenue of $854 million. Analysts had expected to a loss of 2 cents per share on $837 million in revenue. More.

Stocks: H-P, Cisco pressure tech sector
Technology stocks turned in a mixed performance Tuesday as shares of Hewlett-Packard Co. and Cisco Systems took a hit. H-P fell 6 percent despite a relatively upbeat quarterly report. Cisco also fell 6 percent amid reports it's instituting a holiday shutdown. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) closed down 7.29 points or 0.5 percent to 1,464.73. The Dow industrials ($INDU) closed up 36.08 points or 0.4 percent to 8,479.47. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) fell 4.18 points or 2.2 percent to 187.02 and the Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) fell 4.77 points or 1.5 percent to 318.36. The Amex Pharmaceutical Index ($DRG) fell 0.47 points or 0.2 percent to 250.65, while the Amex Biotech Index (BTK) rose 2.9 points, or 0.5 percent, to 570.76. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) rose 5.58 points or 0.7 percent to 857.39. Telecommunication services, financials and materials fronted gains among the index's 10 industry groups. Consumer staples led declines among S&P's sectors. Before the opening bell, the Federal Reserve unveiled a plan to lend up to $200 billion to back the issuance of debt, including student, auto and credit-card loans as well as those backed by the Small Business Administration. That announcement overshadowed data that showed the U.S. economy contracting at an 0.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter, slightly faster than initially estimated. A separate report showed home prices in 20 major cities falling by 1.8 percent in September from the month before, and by a record 17.4 percent from the prior year. Crude-oil futures fell as concerns over a sharp slowdown in energy demand weighed on sentiment. Crude for January delivery fell $3.73 to close at $50.77 a barrel. Separately, falling gas prices bolstered consumer sentiment in November, according to the Conference Board's latest monthly survey, which showed confidence climbed from a record low in October.

All contents copyright 2008 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio & Eye logo trademarked and copyright 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited by Matt Roush, Technology Editor, WWJ Newsradio 950, Detroit. GLITR contains material from the Associated Press, Reuters and MarketWatch.com, used by permission. For coverage comments or news tips, e-mail Matt Roush at mnroush@cbs.com or call (248) 455-7380. For marketing and advertising queries, contact Georgeann Herbert at gherbert@cbs.com or (248) 455-7299. To subscribe, e-mail Nancy Ho at nancy.ho@cbsradio.com. For questions or concerns, please email Pete Kowalski, WWJ's Station Manager.

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