Tom Barlow
Columbus, OH - http://

Wondering where to put your money in the race for entertainment eyeballs? Before you buy into the hoopla surrounding video via smart phone, check out the latest Nielsen Three Screen Report. Couch surfing remains a strong American favorite.

The amount of time we spend watching TV at home actually increased by 2 hours and 2 minutes per month in the second quarter of 2009 over a year ago, up to 141+ hours, or 4.7 hours per day. Time-shifting (Tivoing) those TV selections is growing in popularity very quickly, up almost 20% in the same one-year period.

Years ago, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) helped secure its niche in the personal computer world by targeting the classroom. Many people who learned on the Apple II are among its most loyal fans today.

Google is making huge inroads following the same path, as its Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Apps Education Edition has been adopted by more and more schools. It now claims that 5 million students are Googling in the classroom. If 5 million young people become accustomed to a gmail account, Google word processing, Google spreadsheets, the ability to create their own free websites, and to share video, this could lay the foundation for a lifetime of profits for the company.

In an act of brand seppuku, Newscorp's (NYSE:NWS) Fox Business Network has disemboweled any respect it might have built since its launch in 2007 as a serious business news source by signing mumble-jock radio host Don Imus to anchor its morning slot. Beginning October 5, the simulcast of the Imus radio show will air in HD on the television network in the 6 a.m. - 9 a.m drive time. It replaces Money for Breakfast with Alexis Glick and part of Fox Business Morning, whose hosts will appear on the Imus show with market updates.

Personally, I find watching a radio show on television as exciting as watching a classroom of students practice signing. Imus, the cowboy-hatted advertising ho (his show missed the second World Trade Center collision while on a commercial break), will reportedly include more business news in the morning format, sandwiched around his marginally audible witticisms. His show, long one of the most popular in the a.m. drive slot, was cast off of CBS radio and MSNBC two years ago who he referred to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos."

Many entrepreneurs have attempted to appropriate McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) brand recognition to benefit their own businesses; witness MacJoy, McMunchies, McAllen, McSleep, and McChina Wok Away to name but a few. But the burger chain will have none of that and has aggressively pursued the protection of its trademark and name.

McCurry of Malaysia, however, has finally succeeded in convincing a local court to allow it to continue to sell its food under the McCurry name, as long as its menu remains distinct from that of McDonald's. The ruling marks the end of an eight-year legal battle.

I'm Wal-Mart dyslexic, or so my editors probably believe. I have the devil's time remembering just how the company name is presented. To my relief, I discovered today that the problem is not with me, but with WalMart Wal-Mart Walmart Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT). The "Prince" of the retail world can't make up its mind what it wants to be called.

CNBC today pointed out a note at the end of the firm's new second quarter report rebuking the press for failing to transition references to the company after last year's logo redesign. The new WalMart Wal-Mart Walmart logo abandoned the star that had separated WAL and MART, and the capitalization of the letter M in text references. The company now wants us to refer to it as Walmart. I'm glad for the official guidance; I was prepared to refer to it as Walmart☼.

When it first appeared, fans flocked to the television to watch the world's best poker players and the world's biggest chumps vie for huge pots on the World Poker Tour (NASDAQ: WPTE). Unfortunately, one of the biggest losers walking away from the table now is the World Poker Tour itself, having turned a table stake at one time estimated at $500 million into chump change. Last week, the company announced that it had reached agreement to sell all its rights and operations for slightly over $9 million, plus a share of future profits, to Gamynia Enterprises, a privately held company.

According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), WPT was a victim of its own success. Given the eagerness of the gaming industry to popularize its products, there was no shortage of funds to sponsor poker broadcasts. And the low cost of producing such entertainment meant that any idiot could set up a camera and create a show (and many did). At one time, poker was on television more often than Billy Mays.

For me, part of the charm of a good coffee house is the languorous pace. Those in a blood-pounding hurry aren't willing to wait while a frothy delight is put together.

Apparently, the staff at Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) has been a little too laid back, so the company is conducting time studies and training them to make every motion count. The stated goal is to free them up to engage the customer more, but I don't doubt that operating with fewer employees is also a consideration.

Could fizzy milk be the new new Coke? Coca-Cola's (NYSE: KO) Venture and Emerging Brands unit is testing just that concept in New York with its new drink, Vio. According to Foodbev.com, the bottled concoction is made of skim milk, cream, fruit, sweetener, and fizz. It comes in four flavors: peach, mango, berry, and citrus colada.

Milk, fruit -- sounds like a drink made with nutrition in mind, right? Sadly, Vio contains as much sugar, 26 grams, as full-strength Coke, along with 1.5 grams of fat. Despite the sugar content, though, the milk content could be the loophole by which Coke could expand its toehold in U.S. schools, where it thrived for decades before public backlash led to a move to banish soft drinks.

I worry every time I see a company with a strong market niche attempt to reinvent itself in hopes of finding a new avenue of growth, knowing all too frequently it loses its way altogether. (Remember your motorcycle fiasco, Cannondale?) Will Starbucks' (NASDAQ: SBUX) new pilot cafe, which will offer beer, wine, and entertainment, bring it new success or divert its attention from its core business?

The test-of-concept cafe to open next week in Seattle is named the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. Obviously, in addition to alcoholic beverages the cafe will offer caffeine in its many forms. However, according to CNN Money, the Starbucks name will not appear on coffee and tea products.

The American consumer may not be buying much these days, but my guess is his desire for goods has not abated. This is clearly demonstrated by the healthy returns enjoyed by two companies in the rent-to-own business, Aaron's (NYSE: AAN) and Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCII). According to USA Today, both companies experienced great success as the economy folded. Tight credit brought in customers who could not qualify for conventional loans.

Both companies rent household appliances, entertainment electronics, computers and furniture. Customers agree to pay a monthly amount toward the eventual full price of the goods selected, and are able to take their selections home immediately.

The USA Today article reports that three-quarters of the customers of Rent-A-Center return their rented goods within 17 weeks, never coming close to ownership. In fact, only one in twenty end up buying what they have rented. The full retail price of merchandise purchased through these companies is considerably higher than it would be if bought from a conventional retailer, so buying through rent-to-buy is an expensive proposition.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), which already has most of the money in the world, seems intent on grabbing Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) pile by elbowing its way into the operating system business.

Last year Google introduced its own web browser, Chrome, and a platform for smart phones, Android. Now the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reports that by the end of next year it will roll out an operating system to compete with Windows.

I guess Kmart -- part of Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) -- has exhausted every other marketing idea it had for luring us back to the shopping aisles. How else to account for launching what must the earliest Christmas shopping campaign in history? The website for the chain now features a snowy village decked out in holiday cheer.

The banner reads "Take A Stroll Down Christmas Lane," and suggests that you can 'beat the Christmas rush" (ha!) by buying your stocking stuffers, gifts, and decorations now. Personally, I can't even predict who I'll still like well enough to give a gift to in six months. Stuff happens.

McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) struck gold when it entered the breakfast market decades ago. Today it's fighting for Starbucks' boutique coffee business. Where will it turn next to expand its business? How about electricity?

According to our sister blog, Engadget, a new North Carolina McDonald's will include electric vehicle (EV) recharging stations, part of the ChargePoint network. While you stuff your face, your car could be stuffing its battery.

In an over-the-top example of watching the pennies so the dollars add up, Marriott Intl. (NYSE: MAR) has found an extra $2 million a year in its bacon. Fortune Magazine reports that the chain has abandoned uniform six-inch strip of crispy goodness in favor of strips of varying lengths. The lower price of the irregular sizes should bolster the bottom line, it hopes without harming the perception of value of its customers.