While people around the world tended to have positive opinions of U.S. leadership, residents of some countries had a negative impression of the United States. In five nations, more than two-thirds of those surveyed disapproved of the current administration, according to the latest U.S.-Global Leadership Project, a partnership between Meridian International Center and Gallup.
Last year represented a major improvement for U.S. leadership, Ambassador Stuart Holliday, president and CEO of Meridian International Center, told 24/7 Wall St. There were several reasons for this, including a wind-down of America's role in armed conflicts abroad. As a result, "The view that we are the major shapers of the world and our image as being the world's policeman are fading," Holliday said. An ongoing return to normalcy in the global economy, in which the United States plays an outsized role, has also helped, he added.
Top Cheapest Stocks To Watch For 2015: Guardian 8 Holdings (GRDH)
Guardian 8 Holdings (G8), formerly Global Risk Management & Investigative Solutions, is a development-stage company. G8 focuses on the commercialization and sale of its Personal Security Guardian device. The Personal Security Guardian device is a personal security device that incorporates countermeasures to help defend against personal attacks, including alarms to frighten and video the attacker and/or alert others, latest technology utilizing light emitting diode (LED) lights to momentarily visually impair a would be attacker at night, as well as global positioning system (GPS), audio/visual communications and Bluetooth technology advising security or law enforcement of the incident. On November 30, 2010, the Company merged with Guardian 8 Corporation.
Prior to the reverse merger with Guardian 8 Corporation, the Company focused on the provision of investigative, technical information technology (IT), background, document verification and data banks of security information. As of December 31, 2010, the Company completed the initial design and tooling for the first product under development. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had not generated any revenue.
The Company competes with Taser International, Armor Holdings, Inc., TigerLight, PepperBall Technologies and FN Herstal.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap stocks Banjo & Matilda, Inc (OTCMKTS: BANJ), Amazonica Corp (OTCBB: AMZZ) and Guardian 8 Holdings (OTCMKTS: GRDH) have been getting some extra attention in various investment newsletters or email alerts. Of course, there is nothing wrong with properly disclosed promotion or investor relations type of activities but they can cause problems for unwary investors and traders alike. So how hot are these three small cap stocks? Here is a closer look and a reality check:
Hot International Companies To Own In Right Now: QUALCOMM Incorporated(QCOM)
QUALCOMM Incorporated engages in the development, design, manufacture, and marketing of digital wireless telecommunications products and services. The company operates in four segments: Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT), Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL), Qualcomm Wireless and Internet (QWI), and Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives (QSI). The QCT segment develops and supplies code division multiple access (CDMA)-based integrated circuits and system software for wireless voice and data communications, multimedia functions and global positioning system products. The QTL segment grants licenses to use portions of its intellectual property portfolio comprising patent rights useful in the manufacture and sale of wireless products, such as products implementing cdmaOne, CDMA2000, WCDMA, CDMA TDD, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and/or OFDMA standards and their derivatives The QWI segment consists of Qualcomm Internet Services that provides content enablement services for the wireless industry and pu sh-to-talk and other products and services for wireless network operators; Qualcomm Government Technologies, which offers development, hardware, and analytical services to the United States government agencies involving wireless communications technologies; Qualcomm Enterprise Services that provides satellite and terrestrial-based two-way data messaging, position reporting, wireless application services, and managed data services to transportation and logistics companies and other enterprise companies; and Firethorn, which builds and manages software applications that enable mobile commerce services. The QSI segment makes strategic investments to support the worldwide adoption of CDMA- and OFDMA-based technologies and services. QUALCOMM Incorporated primarily operates in China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in San Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Douglas A. McIntyre]
There are several reasons. The first is simple inventiveness. Whether this is the by-product of the vast university system, federal government R&D or something in the DNA of American academics and entrepreneurs is hard to say. Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) was the product of university-based work. So were the inventions of more ancient technology like the PC chips that drove the rise of Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) and the subsequent rise of Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), a company that has become Intel’s greatest nemesis.
Hot International Companies To Own In Right Now: Nokia Oyj (NOK)
Nokia Corporation (Nokia) has three operating segments: Devices & Services; NAVTEQ, and Nokia Siemens Networks. Devices & Services is responsible for developing and managing the Company�� portfolio of mobile products, as well as designing and developing services, including applications and content. NAVTEQ is a provider of digital map information and related location-based content and services for mobile navigation devices, automotive navigation systems, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. Nokia Siemens Networks provides mobile and fixed network infrastructure, communications and networks service platforms, as well as professional services and business solutions, to operators and service providers. In April 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of Novarra, Inc. and MetaCarta Inc. In September 2010, Nokia acquired Motally, Inc. In December 2010, Renesas Electronics Corporation acquired Nokia�� Wireless Modem business. In August 2012, the Company sold a portfolio consisting of over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide to Vringo Inc.
Mobile Phones
Nokia produces a range of mobile phones based on the Series 30 and Series 40 operating systems. These products have voice capability, basic messaging and calendar features, and, increasingly, color displays, radios, basic cameras and Bluetooth functionality. Series 30-based mobile phones do not provide Internet connectivity, access to Ovi or offer opportunities for application development by third parties. During 2010, its portfolio of Series 30-based mobile phones included the Nokia 1616, equipped with a long-lasting anti-dust keypad, frequency modulation (FM) radio, a flashlight, and a display that makes viewing information on the small screen easier. Its Series 40 operating system powers the mobile phone models and supports more functionalities and applications, such as Internet connectivity and access to its services.
Series 40 is open to third-party developers! to build Java and Adobe Flash Lite applications and content, which they can make available through the Ovi Store. It combines a touchscreen and a traditional phone keypad, is equipped with a five megapixel camera, quad-band for voice calling and third generation (3G), high speed packet access (HSPA) and wireless fidelity (WiFi) connectivity for data in a bushed aluminum finish. Other additions to the Company�� portfolio included the Nokia C3 Touch & Type, a stainless steel device, which also combines the touch screen and traditional phone keypad, and the Nokia 2690, memory card slot, and which gives access to Ovi Mail and features an FM radio and video graphics array (VGA) camera. It is also incorporating some of the software features and related services popular in its smartphones into the Series 40-based mobile phones. These include the new Ovi Web browser, which is based on the browser technology. It also offers Ovi Mail, a free e-mail service designed for users in emerging markets with Internet-enabled devices.
Smartphones
Nokia�� smartphones are based on the Symbian operating system, which supports an array of functionalities and provides opportunities for the development of applications and content by third parties. During 2010, Nokia also offered a product built on the Linux-based Maemo operating system. The Company makes smartphones for a range of consumer groups, offering Internet access, entertainment, location-based and other services, applications and content. With smartphones, its product categories include music players, cameras, pocketable computers, gaming consoles and navigation devices.
During 2010, the Company introduced a family of smartphones based on a new generation of the Symbian operating system. These were the Nokia N8, a smartphone crafted from anodized aluminum and available in a range of colors, and which offers imaging, video and entertainment capabilities; the Nokia C7, a sleek, full-touch smartphone crafted from stainless stee! l and gla! ss that is designed to appeal to social networkers; the Nokia C6-01, a smaller, full-touch smartphone that features Nokia ClearBlack display technology for outdoor visibility; and the Nokia E7, a business smartphone equipped with a full keyboard and 4-inch touchscreen display also featuring Nokia ClearBlack technology.
During 2010, the Company introduced a number of models based on the Symbian operating system, including the Nokia C6-00, a messaging-optimized smartphone with a 3.2-inch high definition (HD) touchscreen display, a slide out four-row QWERTY keyboard and a five megapixel camera; and the Nokia E5, a messaging-optimized QWERTY smartphone that builds on the Nokia E71 and Nokia E72. The Company also manufactures and sells luxury mobile devices under the Vertu brand. Vertu has more than 600 points of sale globally, including more than 90 Vertu boutiques, in almost 70 countries worldwide.
NAVTEQ
NAVTEQ Corporation (NAVTEQ) offers context and geographical services through Ovi Maps to a range of location-based services, such as pedestrian navigation, traffic and public transport information, local services and city guides, integration with social networks and contextual advertising. In January 2010, Nokia introduced a new version of Ovi Maps for its smartphones, which includes navigation to the user, and it is using NAVTEQ�� digital map information and related location-based content in this offering. This new version of Ovi Maps includes car and pedestrian navigation features, such as turn-by-turn voice guidance. During 2010, the Company�� NAVTEQ launched its new advanced mapping collection technology, NAVTEQ True. During 2010, its NAVTEQ launched Natural Guidance, a product to enable guidance in a human manner through the use of descriptive reference cues.
NAVTEQ�� map database enables the Company�� customers to offer navigation, route planning, location-based services and other geographic information-based products and services to con! sumer and! commercial users. NAVTEQ provides its database to mobile device and handset manufacturers, automobile manufacturers and dealers, navigation systems manufacturers, software developers, Internet portals, parcel and overnight delivery services companies and governmental and quasi- governmental entities, among others. The products and services incorporating NAVTEQ map data include Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Dynamic navigation, Route planning, Location-based services and Geographic information systems. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems are in-vehicle applications that require geographic data, such as curve, slope, speed limits and highly detailed geometry. Dynamic navigation is real-time, detailed turn-by-turn route guidance, which can be provided to end-users through vehicle navigation systems, as well as through Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled handheld navigation devices, and other mobile devices.
Route planning consists of driving directions, route optimization and map display through services provided by Internet portals and through computer software for personal and commercial use. Location-based services include location-specific information services, providing information about people and places that is tailored to the proximity of the specific user. The applications using NAVTEQ�� map database include points of interest locators, mobile directory assistance services, emergency response systems and vehicle-based telematics services. Geographic information systems render geographic representations of information and assets for management analysis and decision making. In addition, NAVTEQ has a traffic and logistics data collection network in which it processes traffic incident and event information, along with traffic flow data collected through its network of roadside sensors and from GPS data records from Nokia devices and other NAVTEQ customers, in order to provide detailed traffic information to radio and television stations, in-vehicle and mobile navigation systems! , Interne! t sites and mobile device users.
NAVTEQ�� map database is a representation of road transportation networks in Europe, North America, Australia, Asia and other regions around the world. This database offers geographic coverage, including data at various levels of detail for 84 countries on six continents, covering more than 19 million miles of roadway worldwide. The most detailed coverage includes road, route and related travel information, including attributes collected by road segment that are essential for routing and navigation, such as road classifications, details regarding ramps, road barriers, sign information, street names and addresses and traffic rules and regulations. In addition, the database includes over 50 million points of interest, such as airports, hotels, restaurants, retailers, civic offices and cultural sites.
Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks has three business units: network systems; global services; and business solutions. Nokia Siemens Networks is jointly owned by Nokia and Siemens. Nokia Siemens Networks is a provider of telecommunications infrastructure hardware, software and professional services globally. Nokia Siemens Networks��customers include network operators, such as Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telecom, France Telecom, Telefonica O2 and Vodafone, as well as service providers, such as Unitech and XO Communications. Nokia Siemens Networks has a products and services portfolio designed to address the needs of communication service providers. Nokia Siemens Networks provides its products and services to more than 600 communication service providers in over 150 countries and has systems serving in excess of 1.5 billion subscribers.
Network systems offers communication service providers both fixed and mobile network infrastructure, including Nokia Siemens Networks��Flexi Multiradio base stations, a software defined radio supporting global system for mobile (GSM), 3G and LTE radio technologies, packet product! s, optica! l transport systems and broadband access equipment. For wireless networks, Network Systems develops and manufactures GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA radio access networks for network operators. It also develops products, such as I-HSPA and new technologies, such as LTE to support the uptake of mobile data services. For fixed line networks, Network Systems focuses on transport networks. Network Systems provides the fundamental elements for high-speed transmission through optical and microwave networks, including packet-oriented technologies, such as Carrier Ethernet and traditional protocols, such as time-division multiplexing (TDM).
Global services business unit offers network operators a range of professional services, including network planning and optimization, the management of network operations and the care and maintenance of software and hardware, and a range of network implementation and turnkey solutions. As of December 31, 2010, 180 million global subscribers were managed througt Nokia Siemens Networks��global delivery hubs. Global services consists of three businesses, which include managed services, which offers network planning and optimization and the management of network operations, with the market share position in India, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa; care, which offers software and hardware maintenance, proactive and multi-vendor care and competence development services, dealing with one million global hardware service transactions, and network implementation, which offers project management and turnkey implementations and energy efficient sites, remotely activating a site every two minutes, 365 days per year.
Business solutions offers products to communication service providers for business and operations support systems and customer experience management, such as charging and billing software, service management software and subscriber database management, and products that enable enhancement and delivery of services across multiple networks and d! evices an! d convergent service control and network security, together with services related to consulting, product implementation, support and care, systems integration and managed services. Business solutions offer products for five areas, as well as services relating to consulting, product implementation, support and care, systems integration and managed services includes business support systems; operations support systems; customer experience management; service enablement and delivery, and converged service control.
The Company competes with Google, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Tele Atlas, CISCO, NEC and Motorola.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Goldman]
Other candidates to replace Ballmer include Satya Nadella, Microsoft's server and tools chief; Tony Bates, who ran Skype and joined Microsoft after it purchased Skype in 2011; and Stephen Elop, Nokia's (NOK) former CEO.
- [By Alex Planes]
Since the patent sale, InterDigital has been active primarily in the realm of second-tier smartphone makers. Last year, the company kept up its pursuit of Nokia (NYSE: NOK ) over 3G technology patent royalties, and earlier this year BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY ) extended its licensing deal for 4G patents. Neither of these events look significant in light of both smartphone makers' shrinking market shares, but InterDigital has managed to push forward nevertheless. With such a significant trove of mobile-focused patents, InterDigital has a stake in smartphone growth�no matter which company drives it, and it won't matter much what smartphone margins are as long as InterDigital gets its licensing fees.
- [By Daniel Sparks]
In the video below, Fool contributor Daniel Sparks discusses the importance of these ratings and he suggests one way investors can identify positive and negative moat trends. To illustrate, Daniel takes a look at Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) , Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFM ) , and Nokia (NYSE: NOK ) .
- [By Evan Niu, CFA]
After months of rumors, Nokia (NYSE: NOK ) has just confirmed its Lumia 928 does indeed exist. The slightly modified version of its Lumia 920 flagship is expected to launch on Verizon's (NYSE: VZ ) network, although neither company is spilling the beans regarding any official dates quite yet.
Hot International Companies To Own In Right Now: MTR Gaming Group Inc.(MNTG)
MTR Gaming Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in racing, gaming, and entertainment businesses in the United States. It owns and operates Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, which is a diverse gaming, entertainment, and convention complex in Chester, West Virginia that consists of approximately 2,132 slot machines, 14 poker tables, and 45 casino table games; 357 hotel rooms, including 256-room Grande Hotel at Mountaineer; a convention space; a live thoroughbred horse racing facility; the Woodview Golf Course; a theater and events center; a fitness center; and an on-site pari-mutuel wagering facility. The company also operates Presque Isle Downs & Casino property, which comprises 2,070 slot machines, 44 casino table games, and 9 poker tables; and provides live thoroughbred horse racing and on-site pari-mutuel wagering services in Erie, Pennsylvania. In addition, it operates Scioto Downs Casino & Racetrack, a live harness racing track in Columbus, Ohio; and Ra celinebet.com, a national account wagering service that offers online and telephone wagering on horse races. The company was formerly known as Secamur Corporation and changed its name to MTR Gaming Group, Inc. in 1996. MTR Gaming Group, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in Chester, West Virginia.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lauren Pollock]
MTR Gaming Group Inc.(MNTG) and privately held Eldorado Resorts LLC have amended their merger agreement to increase the amount of cash paid to MTR shareholders, preventing a possible bidding war for the gaming company. MTR shares surged 13% to $5.92 premarket, approaching the raised bid price $6.05 a share.
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