Facebook to be worth $234 billion by 2015

Facebook will have market value of $234 billion by 2015, up from its current valuation of $85 billion, according to an analysis by brokerage firm Wedbush Securities that analyzes the valuations of private companies.

Wedbush Securities analyst Lou Kerner, who made this guess in a report last week on the what he called the 'Second Internet', says by 2015 Facebook will earn $11 billion on $22 billion and have a market value of $234 billion, Business Insider said Thursday.

"That makes the company's recent second market valuation of $85 billion look like a fine deal indeed,'' the business web site said.

In his earlier predictions in February 2010, Kerner had said that Facebook might be worth $100 billion by 2015.

But he now thinks Facebook's margins are better - around 50 percent - and that it will get a bigger share of the global ad market, according to the portal.

Mobile phone doubling up as laptop could dethrone iPad

A mobile phone doubling up as a laptop is being hailed as the gadget that could end iPad's supremacy in the market.

The Motorola Atrix phone can be turned into a proper laptop by attaching a screen and keyboard, both of which have to be bought separately.

It has so impressed gadget experts since it debuted at technology fairs earlier this year that it has been dubbed a 'laptop killer', the Daily Mail reports.

Technology magazine T3 has even snubbed the iPad 2 - Apple's latest version of its tablet device - to hand the Atrix the 'hottest gadget' accolade.

T3 editor Luke Peters said: "This wasn't about products that have been hyped, but about products that really disrupt the market. We see the iPad 2 as more of an evolution than a revolution."

"The Atrix can really reshape how we think about mobile phones. It's incredibly powerful and versatile, and for us it really showed that you can do something different with a mobile phone."

Japan earthquake: Smartphones, cameras to get costlier

Disaster-hit Japan churns out many of the world's smartphones , video cameras and other gadgets and while sales are not expected to suffer around the globe, industry analysts expect prices to rise.

"From semiconductors to displays, to automotive and consumer electronics, the effects of the Japan earthquake continue to reverberate throughout the world," said Dale Ford, senior vice president at research firm IHS iSuppli.

"Beyond the damage to Japan's own industrial base, the earthquake has impacted the production of basic electronic raw materials," Ford said. Japan produces between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of the world's electronics and "plays a particularly key role in some areas," said Jean-Philippe Dauvin of Paris-based consulting company Decision.

Dauvin said 30 per cent of the videogames, 40 per cent of the video cameras and still cameras and 15 per cent of the television sets sold around the world are manufactured in Japan. He said 40 to 50 of Japan's 140 semiconductor factories have been shut down as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and noted that DRAM and NAND memory are key components of both tablet computers and smartphones.

Within the next few weeks, there will be disruptions to the global supply chain and higher prices for computer chips, "leading inevitably to higher prices for the consumer," Dauvin said.

TCS bags multi-million dollar contract from Air Liquide

Country's largest software firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) today said it has received a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract to provide application support, maintenance and development services to US-based Air Liquide.

TCS will provide end-to-end application development and maintenance services to support 5,800 Air Liquide users 24x7, improving operational effectiveness and efficiency, TCS said in a statement.

The Indian firm will oversee day-to-day IT management through a managed services model, as well as offer immediate problem diagnosis and repair services for an added level of IT support, it added.

"Our partnership with Air Liquide USA LLC underscores TCS' growing leadership in the manufacturing space. With our in-depth industry business and process knowledge, TCS will help Air Liquide USA LLC drive continuous improvement and innovation," TCS North America President Surya Kant said.

Air Liquide, an international producer and distributor of cryogenic liquids and gases, is present in 80 countries with 42,300 employees.

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