It's not over - HP buys Palm

HP has announced an offer of $5.70 per share or $1.2 billion, for Palm Inc. Palm isn't going to say no, and there will be no review of competitive advantage because the two companies barely blip the radar in the handheld space, so it's pretty much a done deal.

I'm still trying to figure out what it all will mean, ultimately. For time being, however, it should be safe to say that Palm is not dead yet.

Social Media, Celebrity Endorsements and the Phantom Referral

I always wondered why a battery company thought I'd buy their batteries because Michael Jordan said they were good. I mean, he played great basketball for sure, but how in the world did that make him an authority on batteries?

And, honestly, with all Tiger's money, did I really believe he actually drove a Buick? And that, if he says so, I oughta go ahead and buy one myself?

The concept of the celebrity endorsement depends on a socio-psychological reaction to a perceived person of power or authority. Note that "power" and "authority" are not the same: in the cases above, there's no logical connection between the athletes and their knowledge or expertise in batteries or cars - it's not their authority that influences us, it's our perception of their power to which we're more willing to acquiesce.

It's only just begun

Rogers Communications stock is down. No kidding.

To date, analyists and stockholders have appreciated that RCI has been able to generate ROI. This is understood to be a result of a number of factors, among which is the position of being the sole nation-wide GSM carrier. This position has provided a competitive advantage that has served the stockholder well. And, it's about to evaporate. Will it take profits along with it?

Is this how it ends?

The Globe and Mail ran a story on Palm Inc. looking for a buyer and, some five days later, there are no comments on it.
 

Not one.

Nobody cares.