Filed under: Deals, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Microsoft (MSFT), Walt Disney (DIS), CBS Corp ‘B’ (CBS)

Microsoft (NSADAQ: MSFT) has cut deals [subscription required] with NBC, CBS (NYSE: CBS), Disney (NYSE: DIS) and a number of other media companies to use their video content on its Xbox Live and MSN services.

According to The Wall Street Journal, “under the agreements, Disney, MGM and Showtime will contribute programming to Xbox Live, an on the internet service with about 10 million subscribers that’s primarily used for playing videogames.”

Microsoft may be getting a great deal of content, but the question remains whether people would want to watch content through a video game platform, no matter what other features it has. At this point, the American living room is wired with satellite and cable VOD, DVRs, video game platforms and set-top boxes from companies like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). All of this clutter means that no one company is prone to be able to stand out as a core provider of entertainment services.

It is a good thing that the Xbox can be used for playing Halo 3. It is not likely, however, to become a core video viewing device. The consumer won’t be able to find it in the pile of other devices.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Deals, Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO)

Now that Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) has lost its pole position as the leader of internet search on the Computer, it is quickly moving its services to the handset market, hoping it is not too late. The announcement will be made at the Consumer Electronics Show.

According to The New York Times, “Yahoo is planning to announce that it has opened up some of its key mobile software and services to outside publishers and programmers in an effort to make Yahoo’s own mobile offerings more useful to more people.”

Unfortunately for the US portal company, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and several handset companies are already working on similar projects. Cellular services providers also look to phone software and content to help them increase income beyond phone sales and voice service.

The Yahoo! announcement is a perfect example of the stretch many companies make around the Consumer Electronics Show. Each firm feels it has to make some significant announcement unless it wants to appear to be irrelevant. Yahoo!’s news is just a “me too” for mobile software services.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Deals, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Microsoft (MSFT), Walt Disney (DIS), CBS Corp ‘B’ (CBS)

Microsoft (NSADAQ: MSFT) has cut deals [subscription required] with NBC, CBS (NYSE: CBS), Disney (NYSE: DIS) and a number of other media companies to use their video content on its Xbox Live and MSN services.

According to The Wall Street Journal, “under the agreements, Disney, MGM and Showtime will contribute programming to Xbox Live, an on the internet service with about 10 million subscribers that is primarily used for playing videogames.”

Microsoft might be getting a great deal of content, but the question remains whether people would want to watch content through a video game platform, no matter what other features it has. At this point, the American living room is wired with satellite and cable VOD, DVRs, video game platforms and set-top boxes from companies like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). All of this clutter means that no one company is likely to be able to stand out as a core provider of entertainment services.

It is a good thing that the Xbox can be used for playing Halo 3. It is not likely, however, to become a core video viewing device. The consumer won’t be able to find it in the pile of other devices.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Bad news, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Starbucks (SBUX), McDonald’s (MCD)

What will Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) do now? McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) plans to add 14,000 coffee bars [subscription required] to its U.S. stores. It thinks this will add $1 billion in sales each year. According to The Wall Street Journal, “locations will install coffee bars with ‘baristas’ serving cappuccinos, lattes, mochas and the Frappe, similar to Starbucks’ ice-blended Frappuccino.”

Investors will fairly ask whether Starbucks can do anything to stop the erosion of its customer base as coffee drinkers move to other outlets like Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s. Starbucks’s shares have lost almost half of their value over the past 52 weeks and now trade at just a little over $18.

The coffee chain has tried adding its own breakfast food, but most of its stores open at 6 AM while many McDonald’s locations are open 24 hours and have a much broader selection of food along with a more massive number of locations.

Starbucks at $15? It is starting to look that way.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Filed under: Forecasts, Industry, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM), Toyota Motor Corp. (TM)

The number of announcements about hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles is picking up speed. Over the last several days, General Motors‘ (NYSE: GM) Saturn has said it will come out with a Vue Green Line two-mode hybrid. According to The New York Times, “two-mode Vues will operate in electric-only mode at low speeds or with a mix of the 3.6 liter V-6 gas engine and electric assistance at higher speeds.”

Ford Motor (NYSE: F) will probably introduce a lighter version of its Explorer SUV. The model will also have a smaller engine. The new automobiles probably will be introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

That is not all Ford has up its sleeve. The Associated Press writes that Ford will release its new EcoBoost engine. It works with “direct injection so fuel is injected into each cylinder of the engine in small, precise amounts, which improves fuel economy and power. The turbocharger uses waste energy from the exhaust gas to drive the turbine.”

Undoubtedly all of this new technology works, although it is not clear how much it will add to the cost of any given automobile model.

The tech may also be coming a bit late, at least for Ford. With its sales off 12% in the U.S. last year, it is now in third place in its domestic market behind both GM and Toyota (NYSE: TM). A poor economy could push car sales to multidecade lows this year. The plans to keep Ford on the road to recovery may simply not cut costs fast enough to outpace falling sales.

Ford’s shares are back around $6. They’ve not been there for 20 years. Hybrids are not going to solve that.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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