Archives: January 2008

Further Reflections on the MacBook Air

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 31, Categories: Apple Computer

I often have to review products after using them for a much shorter time than I would like and the was definitely true for my column on the MacBook Air....

Google Earnings: Yet Another Internet Miss

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

Google didn't miss Wall Street's fourth-quarter earnings estimates by much, but it's Google and every little shortfall matters. The miss was enough to send its stock falling about 7% in...

Digging Into Slowing Social Networking Numbers

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 31, Categories: social networks

Social networking sites, at least in the U.S., are seeing a slowdown in both new members and time spent on the sites, according to numbers my colleague Spencer Ante got...

Wireless Block C: Sold?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 31, Categories: wireless

This morning, an entity bid $4.71 billion for an open-access chunk of wireless spectrum being auctioned off. That means that the spectrum will be sold. In fact, barring additional bids later on today, chances are, the bidder -- most likely, Verizon Wireless or Google -- will end up being the winner of the spectrum block.

Auction 73 Update: A Crucial Day for Google

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

Ever since the auction of wireless spectrum began on Jan. 24, bidding for a nationwide "C" block of spectrum, expected to lead to the creation of a new wireless network open to all devices and applications, has been slow. If buyers remain inactive tomorrow, chances of this block finding no takers will jump dramatically.

Another Internet Miss: Amazon's Outlook Disappoints (But Not for Long)

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 30, Categories: Amazon.com

Looks like Amazon.com managed to overcome a tough holiday season to turn in a better-than-expected quarter. Fourth-quarter profits more than doubled, about as expected, to $207 million, or 48 cents...

Yahoo and the Price of Silence

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

Wow, the analysts' knives are out for Yahoo! this morning, and it's not just because it announced a disappointing outlook for the coming year. They also feel duped by a...

iPhone Resellers Battle Fraud

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 29, Categories: Apple Computer

A New York-based reseller of unlocked iPhones says lots of buyers are trying to give him stolen credit cards and false information to get the gadget on the cheap -- or for free. In fact, he says, fraud rates for iPhone purchases are at least 20 times higher than they are for any other handset he sells.

Yahoo Earnings: Not Much to Yodel About

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 29, Categories: Yahoo

It's never a good thing when one of the quotes of the CEO in an earnings report mentions "headwinds." That Yahoo, which just reported fourth-quarter earnings, faces a lot of...

FCC's Auction: Not Going According to Plan?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 28, Categories: wireless

Results of four days of bidding are in, and it appears that participants in Federal Communications Commission's Auction 73 aren't overeager to snap up several pieces of wireless spectrum with so-called "open" requirements. That could spell trouble for open networks initiatives everywhere.

Nokia Deals Google A Trolltech-Sized Blow

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 28, Categories: wireless

Nokia's purchase of Trolltech could spell trouble for Google's Android, the new open-source mobile operating system that's been expected to take the market by storm. Now that it's received Nokia's backing, Trolltech may more effectively compete with Android for developers.

Cisco's New Data Center Plan Looks Promising. What Will IBM Think?

Posted by: Peter Burrows on January 28, Categories:

Cisco Systems revealed a major offensive today in its ongoing assault on the data center market. And more than ever, it proposes a vision in which data centers are defined...

The MacBook Air: A Bad Wi-Fi Guess?

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 27, Categories: Apple Computer

I don't usually indulge in pure speculation, but I am going to break my own rule to wonder about what seems to me the strangest decision apple made in designing...

eBay, Embrace Your Inner Retailer

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 24, Categories: Amazon.com, e-commerce, eBay

That's the advice of Stifel, Nicolaus analyst Scott Devitt, and I think he's on to something. In his latest note on eBay, on which he has a buy, he says...

Michael Bloomberg's Quiet Canvassing of Silicon Valley

Posted by: Peter Burrows on January 23, Categories:

[The Gap CEO Bob] Fisher, in particular, was bullish, and at one point during the meal made “a passionate plea” for Bloomberg to throw his hat into the ring.

Will eBay Escape the Recession This Time?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 23, Categories: eBay

After rising 7% on news of CEO Meg Whitman's plans to retire in March, eBay's stock gave back the gains in after-hours trading on a mixed fourth-quarter earnings report. The...

Market Crash's Impact On Auction 73

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

Recent stock market drop could carry huge implications for the wireless spectrum auction due to start Jan. 24. Because bidders Google, AT&T and Verizon have lost significant chunks of their market values, they may be less likely to bid as much as was expected previously.

Report: eBay's Meg Whitman to Retire

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 22, Categories: eBay

Longtime eBay CEO Meg Whitman is readying her retirement before long, according to the Wall Street Journal. Given that she's just about to come up on the 10 years she...

Working Around Home Server Bugs

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 21, Categories: Microsoft

Unless you are an early adopter of Hewlett-Pakard's Media Smart Windows Home Server, you needn't bother reading this. As pointed out in an earlier post, there is a bug in...

Reports: Yahoo to Lay Off Up to 20% of Staff

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 20, Categories: Yahoo

Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang is reviewing whether to lay off up to 20% of the embattled company's 14,000-person [corrected] staff, according to tips reported by Henry Blodget at Silicon Alley...

Sprint's Store Closures: A Mistake?

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

Today, Sprint Nextel's stock fell like a rock on an announcement of deep fourth-quarter subscriber losses. But what I think investors should worry even more about is Sprint's decision to close 125 stores, or 8% of its outlets. Once the stores are closed, Sprint may have an even harder time retaining and gaining subscribers.

Wall Street Fear Vs. Silicon Valley Greed

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 17, Categories: Silicon Valley

From his elliptical trainer, Fred Wilson has an interesting thought (among many others) that I've been wondering about too: Wall street is in fear mode while silicon valley is still...

Yahoo Backs OpenID. And, So?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 17, Categories: OpenID, Yahoo, identity

So every techie around the globe is just tickled to death that Yahoo has backed OpenID. But how many people actually know what it is, let alone why they should...

Telescopic Lens.... For A Phone

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 17, Categories: wireless

Here's the latest nifty idea: telescopic lenses for cell phones. This gadget can turn your camera phone into a powerful photography tool -- and help camera phone manufacturers eat further into stand-alone camera sales.

Writers' Strike Opens Web TV Opportunities

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 17, Categories: Digg

With the television writers still striking, Kevin Rose and Co. are banking audiences will watch what’s playing on Digg. Other Web video companies are hoping for a boost, also.

Facebook and Intel: A Tale of Two Frenzies

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 15, Categories: Facebook

These companies couldn't be more different: Intel, the big chipmaker whose stock in trade is billions of silicon chips, and Facebook, the online social network whose business is--well, not very...

Liveblogging Macworld... and Wanting More

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 15, Categories: Apple Computer

... no, not me, stuck in my office, but my colleague Cliff Edwards is liveblogging the Steve over at Byte of the Apple. So are a whole bunch of other...

Toshiba Strikes Back in HD DVD/Blu-ray Battle

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 14, Categories: Gadgets

Looks like Toshiba isn't going to give up the high-definition format war without a fight. The only major CE manufacturer supporting HD DVD announced today that it will slash the...

Scary threats Get Scarier

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 14, Categories: security

It used to be that if you avoided sketchy Web sites and were very careful about clicking on links in e-mail messages, your odds of acquiring a nasty worm or...

Will Online Advertising Finally Take a Hit Now?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 11, Categories: Google, Microsoft, Web 2.0, Yahoo, advertising

So far, online advertising doesn't seem to have been hit in the economic troubles growing out of the credit crunch, and forecasters are looking for 25%-plus growth this year. But...

Net Neutrality and Price Discrimination

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 10, Categories: Net Neutrality

In the latest of a series of looks at the economics of the Internet, mathematician Andrew Odlyzko, director of the Digital Technology Center at the University of Minnesota, takes a...

CES Dispatch--Archos Does iTV

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 09, Categories: Gadgets

Amid reports that Apple next will be launch a new movie download service in conjunction with a revamped Apple TV, it's clear from announcements out of the annual Consumer Electronics...

CES Dispatch--Bang & Olufsen's $55K TV

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 09, Categories: TV

OK, if you have to ask the price, you should probably shouldn't be shopping in Bang & Olufsen's stores. And if you're really on a budget, the company's new BeoVision...

Frontline Closes Its Doors

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

Frontline just announced it's closing its doors -- and will not participate in an upcoming wireless spectrum auction. That's bad news for the wireless industry: It means that it could take much longer for wireless networks to open up, the way Frontline envisioned.

I Love Techmeme, But I'm Really Tired of It

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 08, Categories: blogging

I haven't been blogging quite as much the last few weeks, not that I ever would have been mistaken for Mike or Om. I've always tended to post in spurts,...

The Cell: Not Just for Games

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 07, Categories: Chips

The Cell processor, developed by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba for the PlayStation 3 was always intended for broader uses, and it made its debut at CES in a couple of...

CES Dispatch--Comcast (Sort Of) Gets Aggressive

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 07, Categories: TV

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts won't give his keynote speech at the annual Consumer Electronics Show until Jan. 8, but early indications point to a cable company that is getting more...

CES Dispatch--Dieting TVs

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 07, Categories: Gadgets

Here at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, I've been impressed by the number of television makers who are announcing new HDTVs that are so thin that they make Apple's iPhone...

CES Dispatch--Blu-ray's Victory?

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 07, Categories: Gadgets

A very gracious Sir Howard Stringer, CEO of consumer giant Sony Corp., today didn't want to dwell too much on Blu-ray's apparent victory over rival high-definition DVD format HD DVD....

It's $10 Billion or Bust for Xilinx' New CEO

Posted by: Peter Burrows on January 07, Categories: Chips

I just got off the phone with long-time Xilinx CEO Wim Roelandts, who as of today has handed CEO duties to former Cadence Design executive Moshe Gavrielov (Roelandts will remain...

CES Dispatch-Panasonic's Giant-Sized Memory Card

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 06, Categories: Gadgets

Panasonic is promising to unveil some exciting hardware and software innovations during the opening keynote Monday at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. But in its press conference on the Sunday...

CES Dispatch--The Demo Demons Strike Again

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 06, Categories: Gadgets

Seems like consumer electronics companies are finally catching on. A major theme of this year's annual Consumer Electronics Show is simplifying gadgets for the masses. Unfortunately, the companies trying to...

OLED TV or J-U-N-K?

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 06, Categories: TV

The HDTV wars rage on. It didn't take long for Sony Electronics' competitors to trash its new organic light-emitting diode television at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. Hours before Sony...

CES Dispatch--Toshiba's HD DVD Response

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on January 06, Categories: Gadgets

I'm in Las Vegas, doing the rounds of press conferences that kick off the annual Consumer Electronics Shows. Everyone lined up early for the most-anticipated one--Toshiba Corp.'s. If gadgets could...

OpenMoko To Enter Cell Phone Market

Posted by: Olga Kharif on January 04, Categories: wireless

OpenMoko promises to enter the consumer market for cell phones this year. Could it become a viable competitor? Possibly. The company has several things going for it: Its focus on niche markets, for one.

Learning To Love Windows Mobile

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on January 03, Categories: mobile computing

Faithful readers know that I have been a Palm, and specifically Treo, fan for a very long time. And while I think that Palm software still has by far the...

Scoble, Facebook and Plaxo: Whose Data Is It?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 03, Categories: Facebook, Privacy

Uberblogger Robert Scoble's Facebook account has been suspended for his use of a service from contact-management firm Plaxo that combed through his 5,000 (yes, 5,000) Facebook "friends" for emails and...

Twitter and Internet Business Models

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 02, Categories: Twitter

Allen Stern at CenterNetworks and others wonder if microblogging phenom Twitter is toast. What's the business model? they ask. I think Jason Calacanis is right when he says that it...