Heard on the Street

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Microsoft's Dropped Call

Martin Peers, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on December 30, 2009 at 10:34 am PT

Reasons to feel bearish about Microsoft aren’t hard to find. But it’s the software giant’s diminishing profile in the mobile world that is the talk of Silicon Valley right now. The explosion of mobile applications on devices like Apple’s iPhone and Motorola’s Droid presages far-reaching changes in consumer behavior.

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Amazon Shows Time Value of Money

Martin Peers, Columnist, Heard on the Street, The Wall Street Journal in News on October 29, 2009 at 12:46 pm PT

Just how long can Amazon put off paying its bills? It’s no secret that Amazon’s financial success is partly based on its ability to take in money for selling merchandise before it has to pay suppliers for those goods. But lately Amazon has gone one better: steadily lengthening the time it takes to pay suppliers. That has been a factor behind the retailer’s soaring cash flow.

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AT&T Gets a Fuzzy Signal on Apple's iPhone

Martin Peers, Columnist, Heard on the Street, The Wall Street Journal in News on August 31, 2009 at 12:56 pm PT

Did AT&T get a sour apple when it snagged the iPhone? Maybe. AT&T’s exclusive right to offer Apple’s smart phone over the past two years has attracted new customers, and at least initially enhanced the phone company’s image. But it is difficult to know whether those benefits are worth what have been some considerable costs, both short and long term.