Earlier on Monday, Microsoft announced that it is ready with a final version of its Silverlight 2 media player, which is a rival to Adobe Systems' Flash. But despite the original hoopla, Silverlight has enjoyed uneven success. Now the company is promising a big push, which will result in hundreds of millions of PCs running Silverlight 2. CNET News' Ina Fried has the story.

Today's stories:

Microsoft ready for Silverlight's second act

Wave and tidal power looks for its footing

The Apple notebook guessing game

Angel investor Ron Conway is warning his start-ups to start saving up cash and reducing costs quickly. He's not the only one who says the current economic crisis is similar and perhaps worse than the dot-com bust of 2000-2001. CNET's Rafe Needleman, editor of Webware, stops by to talk about how or if Web 2.0 companies will be able to survive in the months ahead, and which kinds of companies are in the most danger.

Also in Thursday's podcast: IBM affirms a positive outlook for the year and predicts a good quarter ahead, and Digg founder … Read more

RealNetworks failed to convince a judge Tuesday to lift a restraining order prohibiting it from selling RealDVD. That means RealDVD is unlikely to reappear in the marketplace for at least another month. U.S. District Judge Marilyn Patel indicated she wouldn't be available for another hearing until after November 17.

Yahoo is planning to start a beta test of a major overhaul of its online calendar Wednesday. The new site has a more polished Web 2.0 interface--with drag-and-drop abilities, color-coded entries, Flickr image backdrops, and a slick "zoom" feature that expands a single day's schedule … Read more

Update October 8 at 9:47 a.m. PDT: Due to technical problems, only part of this podcast was available when it published. It's working now. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Public-transit riders around the world may have new concerns when boarding trains. A new joint report from European universities indicates that a certain kind of subway card used the world over is extremely susceptible to being hacked. CNET News senior writer Elinor Mills explains the process and what you can do to keep your personal information safe.

Too often feel that wave of regret the next morning after … Read more

In the aftermath of another vicious sell-off on Wall Street, CNET's Kara Tsuboi sits down with reporter Ina Fried to discuss what the tech sector is up against.

Republican party operatives in Missouri report the theft of a laptop containing privileged information. The laptop contained "information you'd expect the coordinator for a GOP national campaign to have," such as information on areas to target for support, said Tina Hervey, communications director for the Missouri Republican party.

Also in this podcast, Delta allows for in-cabin Web surfing. But some passengers have been browsing to sites where, um, … Read more

In addition to a legacy of adventure and entrepreneurship, Steve Fossett leaves behind a top secret project he'd been working on. He had bought a highly advanced underwater submersible he hoped would take him to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, lower than any point on Earth humans have gone. Reporter Daniel Terdiman joins today's podcast to talk about the project and where it goes from here.

Apple is strongly denying a rumor posted on CNN's iReport page that Steve Jobs suffered a heart attack this morning. iReport is a citizen journalism section of CNN, where people … Read more

Maybe it's something in the air but a myriad of security concerns surfaced, seemingly all at once, on Thursday. CNET News' Elinor Mills sits down with Kara Tsuboi to talk about one aspect... Apple and other music retailers won't have to pay higher royalty rates...On a day when the stock market again wilted, there's still optimism among some tech start-ups.

Today's stories:

To encrypt or not to encrypt

Ceatec companies feel the credit crunch

Analyst sees desperation in Microsoft SearchPerks

Obama releases iPhone recruiting, campaign tool

Nintendo says more Wiis available for holiday season … Read more

Microsoft has introduced SearchPerks, a sort of "frequent flier" program that lets people cash in for every search they do. What's it worth for consumers? And what does Microsoft hope to gain from it? CNET News reporter Ina Fried explains.

Plus, Electronics Arts has scrapped an upcoming title a year into development. And Netflix subscribers get more movie titles when using the "Watch Now" feature. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Apple drops NDA for iPhone developers

Report: Norway says 'nei' to iTunes DRM, again

EA kills 'Tiberium,' says misses quality standards… Read more

Tech start-ups are at high risk during this financial crisis since they can't get credit and venture capital money is drying up. Webware editor Rafe Needleman offers some words of encouragement and advice for staying afloat during these rough times.

Apple is rumored to soon be releasing its 2.2 software update for the iPhone. According to Apple sources, expect this one to include a refit of Safari to read better on the handheld and an update to the App Store. Searching for applications by category is rumored to get easier, and Apple will supposedly only let people who … Read more