Archives: August 2007

Twitter in the Funnies

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 31

I know about Twitter, and even use it. But I'm squarely in the Silicon Valley echo chamber. Do you think most of the readers of the comic strip Sally...

All the More Reason to Just Buy the Damn Discs

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 31

So everybody's in a tizzy over NBC Universal's decision not to renew its contract with Apple to make digital downloads of TV shows available on iTunes. Personally, I couldn't care...

Who's Afraid of Google Cover Stories?

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 31

Hmm, haven't I seen that headline and story in the Economist before? (Actually, Wired can claim the headline first, as far as I can tell, though not on a...

Microsoft Home Server--Not So Fast

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on August 31

UPDATE--This product is now shipping. Watch for a review of the HP MediaSmart Home Server in an upcoming issue of BusinessWeek, or on the TechMaven page. ------------------ Folks waiting for...

Another Reorg at Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 29

Valleywag and AllThingsD's Kara Swisher have the scoop and the New York Times the full story on what looks to be another management reorganization at Yahoo! President Sue Decker's whole...

LinkedIn, MySpace's Friends Issues

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 28

Users of LinkedIn and MySpace have encountered major problems with these sites recently. If these glitches aren't fixed soon, users will leave.

George Reyes to Retire as Google CFO

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 28

... But since he's only 53 years old, I bet we haven't seen the last of him. The chief financial officer of Google will leave by year-end, replacement to be...

All Is Well Again in Startup Land...

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 28

... now that Mike Arrington is no longer burned out. This from Mike's Facebook feed today:...

Facebook Moves to Curb Bad Applets

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 28

It's no secret by now that the frenzy by software and Web service developers to promote their applications on Facebook got a little out of hand. As Mike Arrington at...

Jaxtr vs. Skype vs. Jajah

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 28

Three former Skype investors just funded yet another Web-calling outfit, Jaxtr. Is Jaxtr on to something?

Will the Mortgage Mess Hit Online Advertising?

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 27

Rafat Ali at paidContent.org mentioned the possibility a couple weeks ago, but a Financial Times article raises the issue anew: Will the subprime mortgage meltdown singe online advertising? Given that...

Gateway--A Trip Down Memory Lane

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on August 27

The impending sale of Gateway to Acer and the potential disappearance of the Gateway brand brings back memories of the early days of the PC business. Back in the mid-80s,...

AT&T vs. iPhone unlockers

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on August 26

It appears that A&T is making threatening noises in direction of folks who have been developing software that will let an iPhone be used without AT&T activation. AT&T ought to...

Webcasters and SoundExchange Shake Hands

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 23

Webcasters and SoundExchange finally shook hands over a royalty deal. Looking at the terms, it looks like Webcasters got much of what they'd asked for.

AMD versus Intel Redux

Posted by: Cliff Edwards on August 22

It's no secret that Intel has been trying to put a world of hurt on rival Advanced Micro Devices. Is AMD marketing and sales czar the latest casualty? News that...

YouTube Launches Video Ads

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 21

People have been wondering how the popular video sharing site YouTube would make money, even as it has grown to 130 million unique users a months viewing upwards of 3...

VoIP: Amidst Wreckage, Profits Emerge

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 21

Several VoIP companies have become profitable in recent months. This is a proof that Web-calling can be a viable stand-alone business.

Sprint's Comcast Pitch

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 20

Pivot, the wireless service from cable companies and Sprint, seems to work pretty well. What has your experience been?

So Which Dudes at Dell are We Talking About?

Posted by: Peter Burrows on August 17

Dell finally completed its internal investigation yesterday, two years after the SEC first advised the company it had concerns over the PC maker's books. The news was not good. Turns...

Skype Outage: A Sign of Deeper Trouble?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 16

Skype is experiencing an outage. Could that be a sign of deeper trouble?

Sprint's Xohm: The Mother of All Dragons?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 15

Sprint is rumored to be planning to unveil its WiMax services brand called Xohm tomorrow. What in the world is Xohm?

Internet Portals Aren't Dead Yet

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 14

The surprise news that Yahoo! managed to beat Google in the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction index makes me and others like Andy Beal wonder if news of the...

Strangers as Friends on Facebook

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 14

What is it about Facebook that people will "friend" complete strangers, even providing their phone numbers? I'm not yet sure, but it's clear that the service has somehow managed to...

Edgeio's New Model for Paid Content

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 10

Edgeio, a site that aggregates classified listings across the Internet, today is introducing a new way for content creators to sell their digital wares--and for publishers to distribute it and...

Scoble Takes Over Facebook

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 09

Blogger Dare Obasanjo complains that Robert Scoble has taken over his news feed at Facebook, with half his update listings belonging to the uberblogger and and veep at online video...

Of Barry Bonds and Greg Reyes

Posted by: Peter Burrows on August 09

I called Network Appliance CEO Dan Warmenhoven the other night to talk about the significance of Greg Reyes' conviction in the first options backdating trial earlier that day. Dan was...

Web-calling Wars: T-Mobile, Vonage, ooma Get Ready for Combat

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 09

Competition in Web-calling services is heating up again: T-Mobile appears to be readying its own brand of VoIP calling. That's bad news for Vonage, which reported its second-quarter earnings today.

Google and Walled Gardens

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 09

There's a big kerfuffle on TechMeme, appropriately enough, about Google's new plan to allow some comments on news stories in Google News. In particular, at least at first, it's allowing...

Family Plans... For Wireless Devices

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 08

Lots of us currently buy family wireless plans. But if Sprint Nextel has its way, we'll soon be buying wireless plans for devices.

Spock's People Search Launches Public Beta

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 08

After a huge buildup thanks to a long private-beta period, Spock is finally taking its people search engine public this morning, at least in beta mode. Although I've seen a...

Former Brocade CEO Greg Reyes Guilty in Stock Options Case

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 07

A jury just found former Brocade CEO Greg Reyes guilty on all 10 counts in the government's first stock options backdating case against an executive. It's a surprisingly clear victory...

An Important Next Salvo in Dell's Consumer Counter-Attack

Posted by: Peter Burrows on August 06

Dell put out this minimialist press release about its acquisition of Silicon Valley-based ZING Systems Inc. today. But while the price was not large enough to require that it be...

ooma: First Thoughts

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 06

I've been testing ooma, a piece of equipment offering free long-distance for life, for the past week. Here are my initial thoughts.

More Silicon Valley Mythology

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 05

I don't blame Gary Rivlin at the New York Times for writing an article that's true as far as it goes, showing how people who would look wealthy anywhere else...

Bubble? Maybe, Maybe Not. Froth? Oh Yeah

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 02

John Dvorak, who loves to get a ruckus going, contends we're now in a bubble. I'm not convinced by his particular arguments, but I've seen signs of a bubble for...

Google Mobile is Hiring

Posted by: Olga Kharif on August 01

Google is hiring for some 81 mobile-and wireless-related positions. What is the search giant up to?