Support Our Site
Get Better Gear!
- Kensington Windshield/Vent Car Mount with Sound Amplified Cradle for iPhone from Kensington, $39.99
- SigFx Energy iPhone Case Contains Smart Battery from SigFx Energy, US$69.95
- NAVIGON AG - True GPS Software for the iPhone from NAVIGON Inc., 89.99
- Tweetie 2 from atebits, $2.99
- Snood: Flawed Casual Play from Electronic Arts, US$3.99
Premier Sponsors
Top 5 Free Apps
iTunes New Music Releases
Top 5 Paid Apps
Discover New Music
- Congo Norvell
Very few albums manage to capture snapshots of a quality of life in the manner that Congo Norvell's sophomore record, "Abnormals Anonymous," does.
Comparisons to the Velvet Underground are
- Poe
Poe rocked my world with "Angry Johnny" (I want to kill you/I want to blow you/Away) and "Trigger Happy Jack" (Trigger Happy Jack/ You're gonna blow/But I'm gonna get off/Before you go), as powe
- Harvey Danger
The sophomore effort from Harvey Danger, I was really looking forward to this followup to "Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?" Unfortunately, "King James Version" failed to deliver any of the bri
- Prefuse 73
- It's an album about a breakup, done with beats instead of mopey lyrics. But the beats are raw, and the emotions are there, even if there aren't many words on top of it. While possibly not Scott Herren
- Brother Love
- Killer grooves, catchy riffs, edgy vocals with oh-so-just-right layered harmonies, and a drive that will move even YOU out of your chair, Brother Love's initial release is what rock and roll should be
Reader Specials
Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!
News
iPhone Display Maker Balda Under Scrutiny
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 at 3:00 PM - by Jeff Gamet
The Germany-based Balda, believed by many analysts to be the primary iPhone touch screen supplier, is under scrutiny for its financial practices. Financial analysts are questioning the secrecy surrounding a US$50 million deal that gave unnamed investors "convertible profit participation rights," according to BusinessWeek.
The October 31 deal included an eight percent interest rate that analysts are calling too expensive, and was sorely lacking on information about why the transaction happened and who it involved.
BHF-Bank analyst Tobias Loskamp said that Balda displayed a "needless lack of transparency."
Balda’s revenues have been coming in lower than expected, and the company has been operating with a net loss. For the third quarter of 2007, that loss totaled $30 million. The company is also burdened with money losing divisions that it has not been able to sell off.
Not everyone, however, thinks that Balda deserves the negative press. Wyser-Pratte & Co. owner Guy Wyser-Pratte, who owns a seven percent interest in the company, thinks that Balda’s touch screen technology is ahead of other companies, and that some of its financial issues can be blamed on short selling by rival hedge funds. "You have people wishing bad on the company, trying everything they can to spread bad stories," he said.
If Balda is the primary iPhone touch screen provider -- a fact that Apple will not confirm -- that will likely prove to be a strong positive for the company. It may be supplying displays for the iPod touch as well, which could also help shore up the company’s bottom line.
Despite the company’s potential grown thanks to iPhone component sales, it may have a difficult time winning over analysts until it changes its disclosure practices.
Recent Headlines
- Apple TV 3.0.1 Update Fixes Missing Content Bug
- Taiwan Leak Shows Verizon UTMS/CDMA iPhone for Q3 2010
- iPhone Moves Into RadioShack
- Dictionary, Dictionary, Dictionary, And More
- The Latest App Store Games: Gravity Sling, RocketBird, Ground Effect, Checkers!
- iPhone Game Developer Sued for Collecting User’s Cell Numbers
- Apple May Be Bringing RFID to the iPhone
Post Your Comments