This week has been really exciting when it comes to the technology software sector. There have been several of developments that could impact the stocks of prominent tech companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL) and Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE).
Microsoft
Microsoft scored a major victory this week when it entered a patent cross-licensing agreement with Samsung, one of the largest Android device manufacturer. Under this agreement, Microsoft will get an estimated $10 for every Android device shipped by Samsung. It could stand to make over $1 billion a year from its patent licensing deals with Android device manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, Acer, Onkyo, Velocity Micro, ViewSonic and others.
Microsoft also launched the next version of its Windows Phone OS – Windows Phone 7.5 Mango – for all existing devices. Windows Phone 7.5 features many improvements over its predecessor and will compete with Apple’s new iOS 5, and Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which will be launched in the coming weeks.
On the enterprise front, Microsoft continues to upgrade its CRM and ERP offerings with additional features. This week, it added new social features like activity feeds and data sharing to its Dynamics CRM product, to improve collaboration among sales employees and customers.
Check out our complete analysis of Microsoft
Oracle
Oracle is other company which is set to benefit from an Android related patent lawsuit against Google. It had filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that Google had copied certain patented parts of Java in Android. It is clear that Google is guilty, but the amount of actual damages are a point of contention between the two parties. Oracle has revised its damages estimate, and is now demanding $1.16 billion from Google in damages and royalties.
Oracle also acquired GoAhead Software, which develops service availability software for the telecom industry. With the acquisition, Oracle will become the default option for network equipment providers.
It also launched new database appliances, targeted specifically at small and mid-sized businesses. Its new appliance is a tightly integrated solution which can run online transaction processing, analytics and data warehousing applications. It will be priced much lower than Oracle’s high end Exadata appliance.
Check out our complete analysis of Oracle
Adobe
Adobe reported a relatively flat quarter last week, but it is back with a few significant launches. It launched a new version of its consumer focused image editing software – Photoshop Elements 10. It also announced the launch of Flash Player 11, which comes with better graphics performance. It is simultaneously working on two new tools – Adobe Edge and Adobe Muse which aim to simplify HTML 5 based development.
Check out our complete analysis of Adobe
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