A Fool Looks Back

AT&T (NYSE: T  ) is selling 100,000 smartphones a day. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG  ) revealed that folks are downloading a billion Android apps a month.

Even Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT  ) -- good old Mr. Softy -- went public with plans for the app store it plans to open next year as it makes its biggest push to date in smartphones and tablets.

We live in big times for small computers. Is it any wonder that desktop and laptop sales have been sluggish this year? Some dismiss the flattish ways of traditional PCs as a byproduct of the soft economy, but we're certainly not seeing any slowdown in smartphone and tablet adoption rates. When even Microsoft is thinking about small gadgetry -- possibly at the expense of its bread-and-butter businesses -- it's time to realize that the "good-enough computing" revolution is more than good enough these days.

Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.

• Ciena (Nasdaq: CIEN  ) may have posted mixed quarterly results, but the optical networking company claims to be taking market share from its meandering rivals.
• Nobody wants to lose their job over the holidays, but MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR  ) will be laying off roughly 20% of its workforce.
• Stop the presses! USA Today parent Gannett (NYSE: GCI  ) sees print advertising trends as "demonstrably better" than before. Newspapers may not be dead after all.
• IMAX (NYSE: IMAX  ) inked new deals for its super-sized projection systems in China and Indonesia.

Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz