BBRY: It’s Time for BlackBerry to Stop Selling Phones

BBRY has partnered with GOOG to provide security software

Earlier this week, Canadian smartphone maker Blackberry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) announced a new partnership with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL, NASDAQ:GOOG) to provide security software for future Android devices that utilize the app management system Android for Work.

The partnership is similar to one BlackBerry inked last November with Samsung Elec Ltd (OTCMKTS:SSNLF), wherein BES12 — BBRY’s latest enterprise mobility management, or EMM, solution — is being made available to enterprise customers using Samsung Galaxy devices embedded with KNOX, Samsung’s own business-oriented security workspace.

If you’re not an IT geek, or if you don’t have a job handling top secret corporate documents, you may not have heard of Android for Work, KNOX, or BES12. To put it very simply, they’re platforms that establish protected environments allowing employees to access sensitive data via smartphones and tablets.

These platforms utilize a variety of methods to ensure security, and considering this week’s announcement of BBRY’s partnership with GOOG, some Android devices will be getting a hefty security upgrade.

3D Systems Corporation Earnings Preview (DDD)

Expect shrinking growth and poor guidance for 2015

3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) is slated to release its fourth-quarter earnings before the market opens on Thursday Feb. 26.

DDD stock is expected to post earnings of 25 cents per share in the past quarter, but as 3D printing stocks have repeatedly proved, anything is possible — good or bad.

Still, even bigger questions are on the minds of analysts and investors: What will the future hold for 3D Systems? Can DDD stock reverse its downward spiral? Is it worth buying (or holding) shares of DDD stock, or should this one be avoided?

As the Cloud Gets Crowded, Expect CRM Stock to Suffer

CRM stock should meet expectations, but future growth will likely shrink

Salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM) is expected to report earnings for the fourth quarter of its 2015 fiscal year after the bell on Thursday. While most analysts appear confident Salesforce earnings will be in line with expectations, opinions are a mixed bag for the long-term potential of CRM stock.

Of the 50 analysts providing opinions to MarketWatch.com, 38 list CRM stock as a buy and three call it a sell.

What do the three analysts with bearish expectations see that the rest do not?

Is Google’s Project Ara the Future of Smartphones?

GOOGL releasing its first modular smartphone later this year

Recent buzz on the street regarding Project Ara and the Spiral 1, the newest smartphone evolution from Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL, NASDAQ:GOOG), is that handsets will become available this year, with the first round of retail offerings set for Puerto Rico.

A firm release date hasn’t been announced, but GOOGL apparently chose Puerto Rico as the launchpad for the first iteration of its modular smartphone because 75% of the country’s Internet access is via mobile devices.

Fans of the design are on the edges of their seats, ready to jump at the chance to own the first completely customizable smartphones ever built.

Critics are also pacing with anticipation, even if they are just waiting for that perfect “I told you so” moment.

Apple Virtual Reality Patent Approved After 6 Years

Watch out, Occulus --- iPhones could be the next VR headset

The virtual reality space is getting a lot more crowded, lately.

The latest buzz involves approval of a six-year-old Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) patent application for a “Head Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic Device with Display.” The hype around Google Glass seems to have died out, but VR is still very much in the tech community’s consciousness.

So, is AAPL finally ready to enter the virtual reality race?

Apple Pay Unlikely to Be Allowed Into China

China is imposing increasingly difficult rules on foreign businesses

Three weeks ago, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) reported earnings for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2015, and those results were astonishing.

AAPL made history by reporting the largest quarterly profit of any company ever, at $18.04 billion.

Much of the company’s record-breaking success came from impressive iPhone sales, which totaled 74.5 million for the quarter, a figure that benefited from the launch of the iPhone 6 in China.

However, to maintain the growth investors have come to expect, the success of Apple in China is paramount. With much of the company’s focus on expanding Apple Pay across the globe, approval from Chinese government regulators must be a top priority.

5 Biggest Failures From Big Tech Stocks

Not every idea from one of the big tech stocks is a good one

Source: Disney Enterprises, Inc.

The evolution of technology in the twenty-first century has been staggering, to say the least; one innovation leads to dozens more, and the process snowballs. Today, our civilization is at the height of its technological advancement, and that evolution will continue to progress at an exponential rate.

Companies large and small, as well as educational institutions and the military, have contributed to the leaps and bounds by which tech has advanced.

But, not every invention has been a smashing success. There have been plenty of failures over the years that range from eyebrow-raising to jaw-dropping.

Don’t Expect Sweet Music From Pandora Earnings

There's still uncertainty surrounding P stock's long-term potential

Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) is scheduled to report its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday, Feb. 5 for the quarter ended Dec. 2014. Some analysts expect Pandora earnings to beat estimates, as well as exceed its own guidance issued during the Q3 earnings report.

P stock has traded between $15.26 and $40.44 in the past year, but the slope has been decidedly downward. Shares were down almost 27% for the fourth quarter of 2014, and roughly 35% for the year.

Pandora shares currently trade slightly above $17, but of the 23 analysts providing recommendations to MarketWatch.com, the average target price is $30.00 — about 75% above the current price.

While that target suggests a nice upside for P stock, Considering Pandora’s potentially precarious position regarding possible royalty rate increases, a 75% share price jump seems unlikely. Thursday’s earnings should be our first indication of just how attainable (or unattainable) that price target is.

LNKD: Expect Solid Growth from LinkedIn Stock

Wall Street has plenty of confidence in LNKD stock

LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) is scheduled to release fourth-quarter earnings after the market closes Thursday. Expectations are high and LNKD will more than likely report figures that beat guidance issued at the end of the company’s third-quarter earnings report.

LinkedIn stock was up more than 10% for the quarter, but has remained relatively flat since then.

LinkedIn stock has a market cap of $27.9 billion, and a TTM rolling EPS of -$0.12, which has remained unchanged since Q2. With more than 325 million members globally, LNKD represents the Internet’s largest professional resource site.