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You say Flashback, I say Unicorn of Rock! Go!

There's a fix coming for the iPhone 4's antenna problems: Apple will make the signal strength meter go higher, no matter what. Seriously? Yes. Also, Steve Jobs did not say, "It's just a phone," Microsoft doesn't care which way you insert your batteries, and there is no space dust on Hayabusa.

There's a fix coming for the iPhone 4's antenna problems: Apple will make the signal strength meter go higher, no matter what. Seriously? Yes. Also, Steve Jobs did not say, "It's just a phone," Microsoft doesn't care which way you insert your batteries, and there is no space dust on Hayabusa.

Thanks for watching Loaded today. We will be off Monday for the long Fourth of July weekend. Why we get off July 5 when the holiday is a day earlier, I am not quite sure. But I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth! Have a happy and safe Independence Day!

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

When will the U.S. government eventually decide to confront Google?

That's really the only question that needs to be debated in the wake of Google's announcement that it plans to acquire ITA Software, the leading provider of flight information from airlines to travel Web sites, for $700 million in cash. As it stands, the deal would marry the world's leading Internet search company with a crucial link in the online flight reservation process, making life for executives at online travel sites such as Orbitz, Kayak, and Expedia a whole lot more complicated.

As usual, this acquisition … Read more

Google's getting into the travel business: it announced plans Thursday to acquire ITA Software, a company that provides travel information to various Web sites, for $700 million.

The deal had been rumored in recent days but was met with skepticism by some who believed it would prompt a swift inquiry from government regulators leery of Google's control of such information, which is widely used by travel sites and other search engines, such as Microsoft's Bing. Google said it plans to use ITA's software in Web search to help users find flight information.

ITA, based in Cambridge, … Read more

The European Commission has proposed a revision of the Information Technology Agreement, a trade pact that for the past decade has helped keep down prices for IT-related goods across the world.

The ITA came into being in 1996 at a World Trade Organization meeting in Singapore. The pact involved the elimination of international trade tariffs on certain products, ranging from flat-panel displays to inkjet printers. The ITA currently has 43 signatories, representing 70 members and states or customs territories.

In August this year, the United States, Japan, and Taiwan complained to the WTO that Europe was placing tariffs on three … Read more