Archives: January 2007

Barry Bonds, VC

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 31, Categories: venture capital

Last September, the DEMOFall conference was roiled by the appearance of Bono, or, as it turned out, an actor who looked an awful lot like the U2 front man. DEMO...

Dell: So Long, Kevin Rollins

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 31, Categories: Dell

Whoa, the CEO's out and Michael Dell's back in. The only surprise, given the company's troubles, is the timing, given that Dell himself had backed Rollins as recently as a...

Google's Fourth Quarter: Victim of Its Own Success?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 31, Categories: Google

The search giant blows away earnings, but investors knock the stock down 2% in after-hours trading. Maybe they're disappointed the revenues came in only a little above analysts' estimates? Here...

It's a Tag, Tag, Tag Tag World

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 31, Categories: Power of Us, Web 2.0, tags

An amazing new stat from the Pew Internet & American Life Project: 28% of Internet users say they've tagged or categorized content such as photos or blog posts. I've always...

A Prepaid iPhone in the Works?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 30, Categories: wireless

Could a prepaid iPhone plan be in the works? I believe such a plan would make perfect sense -- and it could help significantly expand prepaid-calling user base.

Make or Break for Web 2.0 Startups

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 29, Categories: Web, Web 2.0, companies, startups

My colleague Heather Green points out in a new story something I've always wondered when I hear how cheap it is to start a Web company today: If it's so...

KKR's Nice Safe Bet on Sun

Posted by: Peter Burrows on January 29, Categories: private equity

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, the original Barbarian at the Gate when it bought RJR Nabisco in the late 1980s, did a very different kind of deal the other day: it invested...

MySpace meets iTunes meets Google

Posted by: Steve Hamm on January 26, Categories: social networks

I had the pleasure this week of being the first reporter to write about a new Web site and search engine that could make online music even more fun than...

SAP's rocky road

Posted by: Steve Hamm on January 25, Categories: software as service

SAP's stock got hammered after it announced fourth quarter earnings yesterday--even though it had warned earlier that its software license revenue growth would come in well under analysts' forecasts. The...

The Steve Jobs Effect...on the Backdating Scandal

Posted by: Peter Burrows on January 24, Categories: Options Backdating

Now that Apple’s board has decided to stand by its man, other boards will feel they have more head room to stand by theirs, as well.

eBay Beats the Street, and Then Some

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

... and even though investors already bid the stock up 5% today before the fourth-quarter earnings report, they're buying after-hours, too. The stock's up 8%--make that 10%, er, make that...

Do You Fake It?

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 24, Categories: Social Software

I suppose it was only a matter of time before the same humiliations people suffer on the Internet would be extended to the cell phone. Sprint Nextel announced today it...

Will iPhone Mess Up Cell Phones Upgrade Cycle?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 23, Categories: wireless

With the advent of touch-screen cell phones, I think consumers might stop replacing their phones every 18 months. Here's why: Touch screens will allow users to drastically change their phones' look and feel with simple software upgrades. So, why splurge on a new phone?

Yahoo Disappoints Again... Oops, Strike That. Panama's on Track

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 23, Categories: Google, Search, Yahoo, advertising

After a year of trying to gain lost ground on the likes of Google and MySpace, Yahoo's still not out of the woods. Despite posting better-than-expected earnings of 19 cents...

Let's Put Social Security Numbers on the Web

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 23, Categories: identity

I'm not sure the idea is entirely original, but security specialist Marcus Ranum offers an excellent suggestion in the SANS Newsbites e-newsletter: On April 1, the government should publish the...

Sprint Loses Its Wireless Data Crown

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 23, Categories: wireless

If we were searching for yet another proof that not all is well at Sprint Nextel, here it is: Today, IDC announced that Sprint no longer makes the most money...

Vista Firewall Isn't Quite What It Seems

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 22, Categories: Microsoft

In a recent column on Window's Vista security, I wrote:"And the Windows Firewall is much enhanced. The XP version could block incoming attacks, but the Vista edition watches traffic both...

What Happens to a Story on Digg

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 19, Categories: Digg, Power of Us, Social Media, Web 2.0

The franticindustries blog has a detailed explanation of what happens to a story once it gets posted on Digg. What an interesting path it can take. I can still see...

Net neutrality--be careful what you wish for

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 19, Categories: Internet

The need for legislation insuring "network neutrality" has become an article of faith among many Internet fans, and they are finding a much more sympathetic ear in the new Democratic...

Have You Tried Joost?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 18, Categories: TV

Have you tried Joost? I'd love to hear what you thought of it.

Skype's Prices Are Creeping Up

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 18, Categories: VOIP

Skype just announced a slew of paid calling plans, becoming the latest VoIP company to hike up its rates. These rate increases spell trouble for the fledging Web-calling industry.

An iPhone Reality Check

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 12, Categories: Apple Computer

Apple's announcement of the iPhone on Jan. 9 created a reality distortion field much stronger and longer lasting than normal, even for a Steve Jobs keynote. But now that things...

What's a Better Name for Apple's iPhone?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 12, Categories: Apple Computer

Some commenters on my previous post on the iPhone took Cisco to task for taking Apple to court on the name Cisco believes it owns. Others thought iPhone sounds kinda...

Search Ads: Is the Little Guy Getting Left Behind?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 12, Categories: Google, Search, Yahoo, advertising

That's the conclusion of some small and medium-sized online retailers I talked to recently. Andy Beal, whom I quoted in a magazine story this week, takes the trend to its...

How to Lose Your Shirt in Second Life

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 11, Categories: Power of Us, Second Life, Web 2.0, virtual worlds

Magnus Rothlisberger, a resident of Second Life, describes in the Second Life Herald how he lost the equivalent of $1,153 on blackjack tables in the virtual world. It's hilarious...

Apple's iPhone Is Misnamed

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 10, Categories: Apple Computer, Gadgets, computers, wireless

And no, I don't mean because Cisco sued Apple over the name. Amid all the potshots at the iPhone for not having this or that feature of this or...

CES: Where's the buzz?

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 09, Categories:

This year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is jammed with attendees and traffic if gridlocked, both on the streets and in the aisles of the Las Vegas Convention Center...

Taking Wi-Fi -- And Wi-Fi Security -- to a New Level

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 08, Categories: wireless

This morning, Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry association, announced its Wi-Fi Protected Setup certification program. It's game-changing, I think. What it is: Today, when you buy a home Wi-Fi router, you...

Endless.com: Amazon Busts Out of Its Brand

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 03, Categories: Amazon.com

For the first time, Amazon.com has created a retail Web site that isn't branded Amazon. Endless.com, just out in beta, sells shoes and handbags, a hot area that Gap recently...

Wireline: Coming Up In The World?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 02, Categories: wireless

Cingular Wireless, that familiar wireless brand, is about to go away. With the merger between AT&T and BellSouth approved, the combined company plans to change Cingular's name to AT&T. Why...

Microsoft and Content Protection: Where's the Love?

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 02, Categories: digital media

University of Auckland (New Zealand) security researcher Peter Guttman created a bit of a stir over an otherwise quiet holiday week with his thoughtful and detailed analysis of the cost...