Did YouTube Just Turn On HD For Real?
After teasing us for a year with the option to watch “higher quality” videos that weren't quite high-def, it appears that YouTube is making the switch to HD, at least for some videos that have been up...
Thieves Winning Online War, Maybe in Your PC
SAN FRANCISCO — Internet security is broken, and nobody seems to know quite how to fix it. — Despite the efforts of the computer security industry and a half-decade struggle by Microsoft to protect ...
Soon it will be time to start over, again
Here's how the tech industry cycle goes. — A new generation of young techies comes along, takes a look at the current stack, finds it too daunting (rightly so) and decides to start over from scratch...
AT&T hopes for single smart phone OS
AT&T hopes to standardize on a single operating system for AT&T-branded smart phones as part of a “dramatic consolidation” of its mobile platforms over the next few years, a company executive said Thu...
Apple Apps “Bubble” Talk Just That, As Downloads Soar
You may have seen the Apple advertisement in the New York Times this morning (back page of the Business section) extolling the virtues of the iPhone. Nothing new there. — If you made it through the...
Could VC be a Casualty of the Recesssion?
(I originally wrote this at the request of a company producing a report about entrepreneurship. Unfortunately after reading it they decided it was too controversial to include.) — VC funding will p...
Google opts out of grant for North Carolina data center
Google Inc. has opted not to take a $4.7 million state grant to build a data center in the town of Lenoir, N.C. - a sign the company may be slowing down its expansion in the state. — Google on Thurs...
Iphone as a Universe Controller: Part 1
Why have a universal remote control when you can have a universe controller? I was fortunate enough to get to beta test some of ioBridge's forthcoming hardware. Their hardware lets you connect just ...
Social Network Profile Costs Woman College Degree
Forget losing your job, apparently your MySpace or Facebook profile and photos can now cause you to lose your degree. In what may be one of the most frightening rulings regarding social networks and ...
Acer branded smartphones to hit the market in 1Q09, company clarifies
Yen Ting Chen, Taipei; Meiling Chen, DIGITIMES [Friday 5 December 2008] — Despite a bleak economic outlook, Acer remains optimistic about its growth opportunities for 2009. The company expects its ...
FBI: Criminals Auto-dialing With Hacked VoIP Systems
Criminals are taking advantage of a bug in the Asterisk Internet telephony system that lets them pump out thousands of scam phone calls in an hour, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation warned Frid...
Get your Gmail stickers
Not too long ago, one of the Gmail engineers broke out her vinyl cutter and made some Gmail m-velope stickers. Pretty soon, they were pasted to our desks, stuck on our laptops, and adorning the walls...
Yahoo CEO Countdown, 26 Days to Go: As Chernin Declines, Will a Dark Horse Emerge?
With Yahoo board Chairman Roy Bostock reportedly assuring investors and others that the company will have a CEO in place by the end of the year, it seems prudent for BoomTown to initiate an official Y...
Microsoft and Lenovo Connect Customers to Integrated Online Services
Lenovo to be first PC manufacturer to provide customers worldwide with a new seamless, customizable Web experience through Microsoft Live.com and Live Search. — REDMOND, Wash., and RESEARCH TRIANGLE...
Gasp, MIGHT Sony have sold more e-readers than Amazon has? And has Amazon bungled the ePub-creation question?
I should have picked up on this yesterday. A CNN story says “more than a quarter million” Kindles have been sold. Whose numbers are most helpful? CNN or Forrester Research, which estimates 400,000?
Amazon's Team of Rivals
Not so long ago, much of my life this time of year was spent following the toy wars. From 1999 to 2001, Amazon.com, eToys and Toys ‘R’ Us battled for dominance in the online toy market. (Ultimately,...
100Mbps FiOS Will Arrive Next Year - Largely aimed at winning the marketing wars...
One place for changing your site's settings
One of the many useful features of Webmaster Tools is the ability to adjust settings for your site, such as crawl rate or geographic target. We've been steadily adding settings over time and have now...
IAC sees cascade of M&A opportunities
NEW YORK (Reuters) - IAC/InteractiveCorp (IACI.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Chief Executive Barry Diller is sitting on a pile of cash but he isn't going to give in to investor demands that...
New Samsung webcam sensor does 720p and more
Seeing that PC users on desktop and laptop are embracing both HD video and built-in webcams, Samsung has decided to put the two together in the obvious form of a HD webcam. Until now, webcams have be...
Kotick changes the game at Activision Blizzard
Video game executive parlays ‘Guitar Hero’ blockbuster into lucrative merger — SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) — Oversized egos and celebrity hype may permeate the executive suites of the enterta...