PC survey and mergers to watch

Annual survey of technology providers PC Magazine published results of its annual survey of readers to gather their opinions on technical support and their attitudes toward the technology companies that serve them. In this year’s survey, the magazine collected almost 20,000 responses from readers who rated manufacturers of desktops, laptops, cell phones, media players and quite a few other product categories. Among the findings: Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash., saw little more than a smidgen of improvement in terms of reader zest for Windows Vista. In last year’s survey, 68.3% of respondents felt that Vista “worked right out of the box on a new desktop computer.” A year’s time saw that score inch up only to 72.8%. Those advisers on the market for a notebook PC will find that readers ranked Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., highest overall for the second year, giving a rating of 9.2 out of 10. Lenovo Group Inc., based in Morrisville, N.C., came in second overall but was the most highly rated among Windows-only notebook PCs (8.1). The worst manufacturer overall — Irvine, Calif.-based Gateway Inc. — had a score of 7.6. To see results of the survey, head over to PC Magazine. Mergers to keep an eye on There’s some movement in the data consolidation and reconciliation space that advisers should keep an eye on. Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc. of Lake Success, N.Y., a provider of technology-based outsourcing solutions to the financial services industry, announced this week that it has successfully completed the acquisition of Investigo Corp. Investigo of Minneapolis provides financial services companies with data consolidation from multiple sources, including clearing houses, custodians and back-office systems. ByAllAccounts, a Woburn, Mass.-based provider of data to investment management and advisory firms, has announced a strategic alliance with the Open Finance Network, a financial services and technology holding company based in Charlotte, N.C. Financial terms in both cases weren’t disclosed, but advisers relying on their services should keep an eye out for service changes. Davis D. Janowski is the technology reporter for InvestmentNews. Read our weekly online columns: MONDAY: IN Practice by Maureen Wilke TUESDAY: Tax INsight WEDNESDAY: OpINion Online by Evan Cooper THURSDAY: IN Retirement FRIDAY: Tech Bits by Davis. D. Janowski