Even the few remaining optimists who believe the PC isn't dead have to admit the old boy is breathing heavy. Another Asian manufacturer, Asus, recently inked a deal with Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) to manufacture a Chromebook later this year.
Chromebooks haven't caught on as fast as Google would like. But then again, neither has Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT ) Windows 8 operating system, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following video. At least one PC manufacturer, Acer, said Chromebooks accounted for between 5% and 10% of Q4 sales and that, as a product category, Windows 8 machines were "not successful" as of January.
Industry trends aren't the only factor here. According to trade magazine Computerworld, �Asus saw a fivefold increase in Android tablet shipments in the first quarter. Only the clinically unconscious wouldn't make a move to build more devices for Google's zero-cost operating systems after seeing numbers like that.
Best Companies To Invest In 2014: Tawana Resources NL(TAW.AX)
Tawana Resources NL engages in the exploration and evaluation of diamondiferous kimberlites and alluvials primarily in South Africa, Australia, and Botswana. The company also explores for gold and base metals in Liberia. It has interests in Daniel project, Kareevlei Wes, St Augustines, Lexshell, and Perdevlei properties in South Africa; Flinders Island and Eyre Peninsula properties in Australia; and Orapa property in Botswana. The company has a strategic alliance with Gryphon Minerals Ltd. Tawana Resources NL was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.
Best Companies To Invest In 2014: Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (ASM.V)
Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada and Mexico. It primarily explores for gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead deposits. The company holds interest in the Avino Silver mine covering approximately 4,364 hectares located in Durango, Mexico. It also owns 100% interest in the Eagle property located in the Yukon, Canada; and the Aumax, Olympic-Kelvin, and Minto properties situated in British Columbia, Canada. Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.
Best Growth Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Tetra Tech Inc.(TTEK)
Tetra Tech Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides consulting, engineering, program management, construction management, and technical services for water, natural resources, environment, infrastructure, and energy sectors. The company operates in four segments: Engineering and Consulting Services (ECS), Technical Support Services (TSS), Engineering and Architecture Services (EAS), Remediation and Construction Management (RCM). The ECS segment offers front-end science, consulting engineering, and project management services in the areas of surface water management, groundwater, waste management, mining and geotechnical sciences, arctic engineering, industrial processes, and information technology. The TSS segment provides management consulting and strategic direction in the areas of environmental assessments/hazardous waste management, climate change, international development/stabilization, energy services, and technical government staffing services. The EAS segment offers engineering and architecture design services, including leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) and sustainability services, together with technical and program administration services for projects related to water infrastructure, buildings, and transportation and facilities. The RCM segment provides environmental remediation, infrastructure development, and alternative energy services. The company offers its services to the U.S. federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as to commercial and international clients. Tetra Tech, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Pasadena, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
The Department of Defense awarded a dozen separate contracts Thursday, worth more than $225 million in aggregate. Notable winners (among publicly traded companies) included:
Best Companies To Invest In 2014: Thermal Energy International In (TMG.V)
Thermal Energy International Inc., a technology company, provides various proprietary and proven energy efficiency, emission reduction, water efficiency, and bioenergy products and solutions to the industrial, commercial, and institutional markets worldwide. Its energy solutions portfolio includes FLU-ACE technology that enhances the fuel efficiency of boiler operations, and captures heat from paper machines and other dryers; Dry-Rex low temperature biomass dryers; GEM steam traps and condensate return systems; THERMAL-AUD program that allows energy managers to meet corporate energy cost and emission reduction mandates; and THERMALOZOMAX ozone generation technology, which has applications in water purification, waste water treatment, and treatment of air streams and hazardous air pollutants. In addition, the company offers business and project development, and business case analyses; and engineering, construction management, installation, and project financing services. Th e company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.
Best Companies To Invest In 2014: SciQuest Inc.(SQI)
SciQuest, Inc. provides an on-demand strategic procurement and supplier enablement solution worldwide. The company?s solution integrates its customers with their suppliers for automating the source-to-settle process. Its solution include various modules, such as sourcing director, spend director, requisition manager, order manager, settlement manager, supplier contract management and authoring, total supplier manager, supplier diversity manager, and materials management. The company delivers its solutions over the Internet using a software-as-a-service model. It serves higher education, life sciences, healthcare, state and local government entities, and commercial customers through direct sales force. SciQuest, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Holly LaFon]
A second company that makes enterprise software is SciQuest (SQI), which provides procurements and spending management software on a subscription basis. Unlike one of its chief competitors, which targets everyday supply purchases made by big companies, SciQuest provides automated purchasing to a different segment by focusing on universities, hospitals, local and state governments, etc.
Best Companies To Invest In 2014: Hoku Corporation(HOKU)
Hoku Corporation operates as a solar energy products and services company primarily in the United States. It focuses on manufacturing polysilicon, a primary material used in the manufacture of photovoltaic (PV) modules; and designing, engineering, and installing turnkey PV systems and related services in Hawaii using solar modules purchased from third-party suppliers. The company was formerly known as Hoku Scientific, Inc. and changed its name to Hoku Corporation in March 2010. Hoku Corporation was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Best Companies To Invest In 2014: American Select Portfolio Inc.(SLA)
American Select Portfolio Inc. is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by FAF Advisors, Inc. It is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It primarily invests in mortgage-related assets that directly or indirectly represent a participation in or are secured by and payable from mortgage loans. The fund has an overall credit quality of BBB. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Lehman Brothers Mutual Fund Government/Mortgage Index. The fund will not invest in inverse floaters, principal-only securities, interest-only securities, inverse interest-only securities, Z-bonds. American Select Portfolio Inc. was formed on September 21, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States.
Best Companies To Invest In 2014: Qiagen N.V.(QGEN)
QIAGEN N.V., through its subsidiaries, provides sample and assay technologies worldwide. It offers approximately 500 core consumable products, such as sample and assay kits, and automated instrumentation systems that empower customers to transform raw biological samples into molecular information. The company?s consumable products are used for plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) purification, and ribonucleic acid purification and stabilization; genomic and viral nucleic acid purification; nucleic acid transfection; polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification; reverse transcription; DNA cleanup after PCR and sequencing; and DNA cloning and protein purification. The company sells the digene HC2 HPV Test, a signal-amplified test for high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus. It also offers co-development services for companion diagnostics, technology licensing and patent sales services, and custom services, including whole genome amplification, DNA sequencing, and non- cGMP DNA production on a contract basis. The company?s instrumentation systems automate the use of sample and assay technologies into solutions for a range of laboratory needs enabling customers to perform nucleic acid sample preparation, assay setup, target detection, and other laboratory tasks. Its automated systems include QIAsymphony, a modular system; Rotor-Gene Q, a rotary real-time PCR cycler system; PyroMark, a high-resolution detection platform based upon the Pyrosequencing technology; QIAcube, a sample processing instrument; QIAxcel for nucleic acid separation in low- to high-throughput laboratories; and ESE-Quant Tube Scanners, an optical measurement device. The company serves customer classes, including molecular diagnostics laboratories; applied testing customers in fields, such as forensics, veterinary diagnostics, and food safety; pharmaceutical research and development groups, and academic researchers. QIAGEN N.V. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Venlo, the Netherlands.
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