More on SAPPHIRE 09

Microsoft Builds $3.75 Billion War Chest
The software maker's first-ever public debt offering could mean acquisitions are on tap. (Information Week)
Triggers more SAP takeover rumors.
Microsoft Done With Cuts, Dismisses SAP Speculation (Bloomberg)

IBM-SAP combo not in the cards - exec
Big Blue's software strategy chief says IBM will stick to its knitting. (Fortune)

SAP keynote: Leo Apotheker's appeal for clarity (ZDNet Blogs)

SAP BusinessObjects Explorer Announced (Intelligent Enterprise)

HP, SAP Collaborate to Speed Business Transactions (eWeek)

SAPPHIRE09: a view from the cloud (ZDNet Blogs)

Daily Links 5/11/09: Metro sells off US newspaper business

Windstream To Buy D&E Communications For $159 Million, Boost Pa. Presence (Dow Jones Newswire via CNN Money)

Metro sells off US newspaper business (Associated Press via Google News)

Kenexa Announces Financial Results for First Quarter 2009 (Business Wire via MarketWatch)
Revenue down 20%; Takes $33.3 Million impairment charge.

USA Technologies Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2009 Results (Business Wire)

Interactive Intelligence calls on clients, nets call-center sales (Indianapolis Star)

Unisys reorganizes to focus on services (Washington Technology)

The $7.2 Billion Question
Lawmakers Puzzle Over Who Is 'Unserved' As They Dole Out Broadband Stimulus Funds (Multichannel News)

Comcast DOC 3.0 Hits Harrisburg
And several other portions of central PA (Broadband Reports)

Vuzit Offers New Enterprise Document Control Software at Redesigned Vuzit.com Website (PR Web)

MEDecision Finalizes Acquisition of HxTechnologies, Inc. (Business WIre)

Data Integration Helps Shipbuilder Trim Costs
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard wanted an integrated system to lower HR and payroll costs. (CIO.com)

German group buys Technitrol's MEMS microphones operation
(EE Times)



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SAPPHIRE 2009

SAPPHIRE 2009, the SAP user conference and trade show, opens today in Orlando. I'll do my best to keep you up to date with the top highlights.


SAP up as report churns M&A speculation (Reuters)

SAP Co-CEO: Oracle-Sun Deal Won't Affect Industry Much (Dow Jones Newswires via CNN Money

SAP Co-CEO Apothekar Says Economy Stabilizing (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)

SAP buys software maker Clear Standards (Reuters)

SAP Boots Business ByDesign SaaS Apps to 2010? (IT
Jungle)

Rimini Street launches third-party SAP support for SAP ERP, BW releases (SearchSAP.com)

SAP Expands Business-intelligence Strategy (PC World)

CubeTree launches enterprise social networking suite; Can it stand out? (ZDNet Blogs)



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Philly Tech Events

Beyond philanthropy, Lenfests show personal commitment (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Video: SAP's McDermott On Mobility, SaaS, & Business Intelligence (Information Week Blogs)

People News 5/10/09

Comcast CFO discusses high-profile job, Peabody roots (Salem News)

Cadient Interactive Expands Creative Leadership with New Associate Director (PR Newswire)

The Judge Group Announces Strategic Addition to Management Team (Press Release)

Boenning & Scattergood Adds Managing Director in Investment Banking to Enhance Growth Initiatives (Business Wire)

Emtec Names Gregory P. Chandler Chief Financial Officer and President of Emtec Global Services (Business WIre)

QSGI Announces Appointment of Eric Nelson as Chief Financial Officer (PR Newswire)

CardioNet Appoints Rebecca W. Rimel of the Pew Charitable Trusts to Its Board of Directors (Business Wire)

Rodale Names Ethne Clarke Editor-in-Chief, Organic Gardening (Business Wire)

eZanga Expands Operations, Opens Connecticut Office
Frank Holland joins company as account manager (Business Wire)

HHS Announces Members of Committees That Will Advise on Implementation of Health IT
Policy and Standards Committees Will Meet Next Week (Business Wire)

iPhone Not Working? There's an App for That. (Slate)

How a company in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., competes with Bangalore (IDG via New York Times)

Don't Believe Everything You Read in Medical Journals

Elsevier Health Sciences, the huge Philadelphia-based publisher of medical journals, is dealing with a little embarrassment right now, at the least.
Apparently, its Austrialian unit published content favorable to Merck, including its controversial Vioxx drug, without revealing that journals publishing those articles were in fact paid for by Merck. The practice, which Elsevier says stopped in 2005, came to light in a court case in Australia involving Vioxx. See AP article here and Elsevier's apology here. The story was first reported by The Australian newspaper; The Scientist reported last week on the full magnitude of the problem.

Daily Links 5/8/09: First Round Capital's "Office Hours" planned for Philly

Liberty Media Reports First Quarter Financial Results (PR Newswire via MSN Money)
QVC revenue down 10%.

E-commerce stocks rebound rapidly, up 36% for 2009 (Internet Retailer)

TicketLeap Goes Anywhere With Online DIY Box Office Solution (TechCrunch)

Calling all Philadelphia Entrepreneurs (Redeye VC)
First Round Capital's "Office Hours" coming to Philly on May 18.

Boomi Wins 2009 CODiE Award for Best On-Demand Platform (Marketwire)

Newtown’s Lockheed Martin secures $1 billion satellite deal (Bucks Local News)

Universal Display Corporation Announces First Quarter 2009 Financial Results (Business Wire)
Behold The Future! OLED Gadgets Arrive (Motley Fool)

Motorola Preps Phone-Enabled TV Remote
Vendor Targets Q4 For Rechargeable Voice Remote For IPTV Set-Tops (Multichannel News)

An interview with Ralph Roberts, Part 2 (Comcast Voices)

MedQuist Reports First Quarter 2009 Results (PR Newswire via MSN Money)

Philly newspapers get 60-day stay from lawsuits (Associated Press via The Legal Intelligencer)



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Earnings Highlights 5/7/09

• Entercom revenues decline 21%: President & CEO says “The best thing that can be said about the first quarter of 2009 is that it is now behind us". (Press Release)

• Checkpoint Systems revenues decline 24.2%; reports small loss. (Press Release)

• Heartland Payments Systems shows growth in transaction volume and revenue (23.4%), though same store sales decline; reports small loss after charge of $12.6 million related to "processing system intrusion". (Press Release)

• Safeguard Scientifics reports 41% revenue growth and small reduction in net loss; Life Sciences segment performs better than IT segment. (Press Release)

• Internet Capital Group reports core company revenue growth of 12% year-over-year; net loss declines 38% excluding hedge charges. (Press Release)

• SunGard revenues up 2.5%; EBITDA down 1%. Press Release