Archives: January 2005

Misinterpreting doodles

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 31, Categories:

It turns out that those tortured doodles found at Davos didn't belong to British Prime Minister Tony Blair after all. In a contrite article published just a few hours ago,...

No wonder AT&T's about to fold 'em

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 30, Categories: Transitions

I've just started using Skype, the free Internet telephony software. All I can say to telecom execs is: Be afraid. Be very, very afraid. ......

Sun's Open-Source Solaris

Posted by: Steve Hamm on January 28, Categories:

Sun's move to open-source the version of its Solaris operating system that runs on Intel and AMD chips is a no-lose proposition, and it might even help Sun out...

What Amazon's A9 might have up its sleeve

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 27, Categories: Search

After reflecting a bit on the new online Yellow Pages from Amazon.com's A9.com search subsidiary, I'm beginning to think there's a lot more to this offering than meets the eye....

Should journalists link their work to their bios?

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 26, Categories:

Here's the big question, cyber readers: Is BusinessWeek a magazine with a Web site? Or is it a branded business news and analysis site with a paper edition? My feeling...

New Technologies Could Turn Mobiles Into Rivals to Laptops

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 25, Categories:

As cell phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) get smarter, the talk is that many users might opt to carry them on their business trips in lieu of laptops. Until...

Andy Hertzfeld's new book is a Mac head's delight

Posted by: Peter Burrows on January 24, Categories:

I've read a lot of books about Apple Computer during my years of covering the company. But while I haven't finished it yet, Andy Hertzfeld's new book, Revolution In the...

Search: Take it or leave it?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 24, Categories: Search

Search is often considered one of the very few online activities, ranking right up there with e-mail, that people can't live without. But surprisingly, a new report from the Pew...

Bill Gates' Photo Op

Posted by: Steve Hamm on January 21, Categories:

Bill Gates is a patient man. And it’s a good thing. He launched Corbis, an independent company focusing on digital imagery distribution, 16 years ago. Finally, this year, he expects...

A new excuse to go get a beer from the fridge

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 21, Categories: advertising

The good news is, those awful pop-up ads apparently are on their way out, according to a new report from the Internet ad agency Avenue A/Razorfish. The bad news: Now,...

What's up at eBay? (Expenses!)

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 20, Categories: e-commerce

If there's one thing investors love about eBay, it's how little the online marketplace has had to spend to get that runaway growth when compared with retailers online or off....

How do companies respond to blog attacks?

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 19, Categories:

Dinner last night in New York with folks from a big Internet ad agency. They told me about a problem. A report just came out on a blog that they...

Will Apple's new low-cost products be hits? Here are some early clues.

Posted by: Peter Burrows on January 18, Categories:

“Eyeballs” are no substitute for real revenues or profits, as countless dot-coms and their investors found out a few years back. But for those wondering whether Apple Computer’s new...

Bright Outlook for Broadband Services

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 18, Categories:

A new survey by Bolt, a youth-oriented content site with 4.5 million registered users, offers a glimpse into the bright future of the Internet. The site recently asked readers about...

Tipping Point for Apple?

Posted by: Peter Burrows on January 16, Categories:

I've read many reviews in recent days about Malcom Gladwell's new book, "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking." But after covering all the rosy news from Apple Computer last...

Ax Falls At PeopleSoft

Posted by: on January 14, Categories:

Well, it's official, the layoff count at PeopleSoft has begun as Oracle CEO Lawrence Ellison makes good on his promise to make his $10.3 billion acquisition pay off fast. Friday...

Mega snoopers at the market? Hide your credit card behind a banana.

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 14, Categories:

Privacy alert. The next big cameraphone scare is just around the corner. No, not cameraphones in locker rooms. That was last year’s story. This year’s suspense comes from the latest...

Thoughts on the Symantec/Veritas merger

Posted by: Steve Hamm on January 13, Categories:

What’s going to become of the Symantec-Veritas deal? It seems like a smart combo to me, but investors are bailing out of both company’s stock. I think the negative...

When will software companies grow up?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 13, Categories: software

Another day, another story that a newly installed software program doesn't work. Except this time, it's not just a glitch in some company's supply chain software but a critical new...

The Tech Job Paradox

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 12, Categories: Innovation

On the surface, this new reportfrom the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas looks pretty positive: High-tech job cuts fell 23% last year. But dig a little deeper, and the...

Bloggers and whistleblowers

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 12, Categories:

Interesting thread on Dan Gillmor's page about the " target="_new">legal battle between Apple and bloggers who spilled confidential product information. This is the beginning of a major battle to define...

New iPod Shuffle raises a question: How many music players do we need?

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 11, Categories:

Apple's new iPod Shuffle looks mouthwateringly good, and the price for the 512 mg model starts at $99. But it raises questions. If you complain that the 40 giga iPod...

Going, going, gone

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 11, Categories: e-commerce

Venture capitalist Bob Kagle, an eBay board member, once confided to me that most people--even some inside eBay--still don't understand what the online marketplace is all about. Its future isn't...

Solar Cell Technology Takes a Leap

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 11, Categories:

Your shirt, your car, even your MP3 player could, in a few years, be doubling as electricity generators. University of Toronto researchers have just published a paper in Nature Materials...

Can organizing software transform a slob?

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 11, Categories:

Who needs organizing software? I suspect that the people who buy it and put it to good use are already organized. They don’t need it. Elizabeth Lane Lawley posts a...

Has e-tail finally arrived?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 09, Categories: e-commerce

Longtime tech watcher Patty Seybold, chief executive of market researcher Patricia Seybold Group, just flagged a milestone that even boosters of online shopping missed. According to her Jan. 6 research...