Archives: March 2008

While the Books Crumble

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on March 31, Categories: copyright

Anyone who wonders why copyright law can't keep up with rapid changes in technology would do well to ponder something called "The Section 108 Study Group Report," released today. The...

Comcast Responds

Posted by: Peter Burrows on March 28, Categories: Net Neutrality

Before he called it quits for the week, Comcast CTO Tony Werner got on the phone with me for one more round of damage control. He’d read my previous post....

Comcast's P2P Conversion: I'll Believe It When I See Results

Posted by: Peter Burrows on March 28, Categories: Peer to Peer Technology

Is Comcast serious about making nice with the “peer to peer” technology crowd? That would seem to be the case given the deal announced yesterday with BitTorrent Inc., in which...

Yahoo, MySpace and Google Get Social

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 25, Categories: Google

Yahoo joins OpenSocial, makes new friends.

Google's Plans for the Space Between Your TV Channels

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 24, Categories: Google

Google appeals to the FCC to open up "white space"

Bonus Coverage: Q&A with Marc Benioff

Posted by: Peter Burrows on March 21, Categories: Tech Spending

OK, I realize that Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff isn't starved for publicity; he does just fine in his efforts to use the press to get his message across. But as...

Of Course Google Lost the Spectrum Auctions!

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 20, Categories: Google, wireless, wireless auction

I always thought it was crazy talk, all this speculation that Google was going to run a wireless network by buying up billions of dollars worth of spectrum. Why would...

Auction 73: And the Winners Are...

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on March 20, Categories: wireless

The Federal Communication Commission has released the results of the 700 MHz spectrum auctions and, as expected, AT&T and Verizon Wireless were the big buyers. As was observed during the...

On the Day Frank Quattrone Re-Hangs His Shingle, Stephanie Jensen is Sentenced to Prison

Posted by: Peter Burrows on March 20, Categories:

"The porpoise caught in the tuna net." That's how one shocked insider at Brocade Communications described former human resources vice president Stephanie Jensen, when news broke in mid-2006 that she'd...

Social is the New Black

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 19, Categories: Google

Social networking isn't just for social networks. The folks at Google believe social networking tools will soon extend beyond the likes of Facebook and MySpace to nearly every site on...

Are VCs done with Web 2.0 Startups--Or the Other Way Around?

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 19, Categories: Web 2.0

The latest numbers from Dow Jones VentureSource seem to confirm that venture funding of Web 2.0 startups is slowing down and perhaps has even peaked. VCs put a record $1.34...

Are You Getting Microhoo Fatigue Too?

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 18, Categories: Microsoft, Yahoo

You know Yahoo doesn't have much left on the table when it trots out a board presentation from December--well before Microsoft's unsolicited offer--saying it's going to do better than everyone...

The Recession Will Hit the Web

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 18, Categories: Internet

The Recession Will Hit the Web; eMarketer reduces its estimates

New Facebook Features On the Way: Privacy Controls, Chat

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 18, Categories: Facebook, Privacy

Tonight or early Wednesday morning, Facebook's 67 million active members will have new ways to control their privacy on the social network. They're welcome additions for many people on Facebook...

Profanity, the Supremes, and the State of Television

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on March 18, Categories: Curmudgeonly

It has been 35 years since comedian George Carlin started making his living with a routine called "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," and somehow we just can;t...

Sprint: The Now Network

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

Today, Sprint will launch a new ad campaign, which will feature a new tagline, "Welcome to the Now Network. Its goal: To drum up excitement for an upcoming service, Q-chat, which Sprint hopes will help differentiate its service from competitors'.

Watch Ads, While Charging Your Phone

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

A reader recently flagged an interesting company. GC Media puts charging stations at hotels and airports that can juice up 18 mobiles or iPods at a time. While their phone or music player is being charged, for 15 minutes or so, users watch ads on the charging station's 17-inch monitor. What a great way to serve up ads while providing a useful service.

A Clarion Call for Real Mathematics

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on March 14, Categories: Education

I have spent more years than I care to remember reading reports of government advisory committees, but I have never encountered anything like "The Final Report of the National Mathematics...

What Google/DoubleClick Looks Like

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 13, Categories:

What Google/DoubleClick looks like--a competition nightmare?

The Fight for the Future of Music

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 11, Categories: SXSW

The Future of Music

Geeks and LEGO-- no S, got it.

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 11, Categories:

SxSW LEGOS

European Commission OK's Google-DoubleClick Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 11, Categories: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, advertising

It was expected by now, but the European Commission has just approved Google's $3.1 billion bid for ad serving firm DoubleClick. Even though competitors such as Microsoft and privacy advocates...

Zuckerberg Interview: Take Two

Posted by: Spencer Ante on March 10, Categories:

Mark Zuckerberg Unplugged at SxSw

Meebo Just May Be This Year's Twitter

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 10, Categories: SXSW

Is Meebo this year's Twitter?

Bitstrips Booth

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 10, Categories: SXSW

An Animated Talk With Bitstrips' Founder

Fun Stuff to Check Out Tuesday: My Debut Book Reading and City WiFi

Posted by: Spencer Ante on March 10, Categories: SXSW

Besides covering the conference, I am in Austin to take part in two other events. On Tuesday March 11 from 12pm-12:30pm at the Day Room Stage I am giving the...

And the next Twitter is....

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 10, Categories: SXSW

And the Web award winners are

Hanging with the Valley Rat Pack

Posted by: Spencer Ante on March 10, Categories: SXSW

Hanging with Silicon Valley's Rat Pack

Wireless Auction to End Today?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on March 10, Categories: wireless

It looks like the Federal Communications Commission's 700 Mhz auction might end today or tomorrow. Bids have slowed down to a crawl, with total amount going up by a mere $66,000 in the latest round. Were the FCC stop the auction, we could find out the names of the winning bidders as early as the end of this month.

Wireless Spectrum for the Masses?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on March 10, Categories: wireless

Spectrum Bridge claims to be the world's first online, real-time marketplace where buyers and sellers can trade wireless airwaves, used for providing wireless services. If this idea takes off, it could be a game-changer for the wireless industry: It would allow individuals and smaller businesses to buy spectrum and launch their own wireless networks.

Facebook Speaks French

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 09, Categories: SXSW

Facebook en Francais

Mark Zuckerberg is A Nice Guy

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 09, Categories: SXSW

Mark Zuckerberg is A Nice Guy

SXSW: The Fun Is Back

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on March 09, Categories: SXSW

Once upon a time, tech industry gatherings were fun, but in recent years, trade shows and industry conferencesl have acquired the grim feel of a corporate death march. Fortunately, there's...

Apple's design process

Posted by: Helen Walters on March 08, Categories: SXSW

Interesting presentation at SXSW from Michael Lopp, senior engineering manager at Apple, who tried to assess how Apple can 'get' design when so many other companies try and fail. After...

Talking Information Overload with Google's CIO

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on March 08, Categories: SXSW

Talking with Google's CIO about Information Overload at SxSw

Will tomorrow's world still need designers?

Posted by: Helen Walters on March 08, Categories: SXSW

Hello from Austin. I'm here too... Just arrived, ready to take part in a panel discussion on Sunday afternoon at South by Southwest Interactive (post Mark Zuckerberg's keynote). The title...

It's Official: Stu Reed to Leave Motorola

Posted by: Olga Kharif on March 07, Categories: wireless

Another day, another Motorola executive is leaving the company. On March 7, the cell-phone maker announced that Stu Reed, who used to head its mobile devices business, will be leaving effective immediately. Is this another sign that the business isn't for sale?

Live From Austin (Almost)

Posted by: Spencer Ante on March 07, Categories: SXSW

Hi, this is Spencer Ante and Catherine Holahan. We want to let you know that we're heading down to Austin this weekend to cover the South by SouthWest Festival....

What Will a Digg Buyer Be Buying? Not the Users Who Run It

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 07, Categories: Digg

Amid the newest of many rumors that the social news site Digg.com will be sold--this one the strongest yet, says TechCrunch, though CEO Jay Adelson says they're inaccurate--I wonder what...

Verizon Wireless: Pushing Its Unlimited Plan Hard

Posted by: Olga Kharif on March 06, Categories: wireless

I just got a mailing from Verizon Wireless, urging me to buy the company's new plan, which offers unlimited calling for $100 a month. Clearly, contrary to what analysts expected, Verizon doesn't plan to "hide" this plan from users, the way T-Mobile USA does.

Should Wireless Carriers Sell Laptops?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on March 06, Categories: wireless

It looks like carriers everywhere from Russia to France are starting to sell laptops in their stores. Could the U.S. be next?

A Few Answers on Ask.com's New Strategy

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 05, Categories: Ask.com, Google, Search

Update below... Another Google competitor bites the dust: Ask.com basically has thrown in the towel on competing with the search giant, laying off 8% of its work force, or 40...

Moving Beyond Windows

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on March 05, Categories: Microsoft

I have taken Microsoft to task for being too concerned about compatibility at the expense of making long overdue fundamental changes in Windows. But the business concerns that lead Microsoft...

Yahoo Strings Microsoft Along

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 05, Categories: Microsoft, Yahoo

After many days of silence, Yahoo is finally making some moves in its dance with Microsoft over the software giant's unsolicited bid, including a possible deal with Time Warner to...

How encryption fails

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on March 05, Categories: security

In a comment on an earlier post of mine about how Princeton researchers cracked disk encryption on computers, John Hollingsworth asks how this sort of thing happens when encryption technology...