There are ways of telling a rival that you don't respect them. You can shun them. You can rise above them. You can even steal their lover.

Toshiba, however, has decided on a slightly different strategy when it comes to Apple. In a move redolent of the New Zealand haka war dance, Toshiba has decided to stick out its tongue, widen its eyes, and tell Apple that the iPad is, as they say in certain English quarters, pants.

I am grateful to the sensitive eyes at AllThingsD who first spotted that Toshiba has created a Website for its new … Read more

Microsoft says it's ending a business agreement with a publisher that had violated the company's affiliate guidelines by changing the default search tool in users' browsers to Bing under the guise of offering a separate service.

A report posted by Advertising Age (registration required) raised eyebrows yesterday when it pointed to a site called Make-my-baby.com as being the third largest advertiser on social networks, citing ComScore's third-quarter search report as the source.

The tool (now down), which facilitated a simulation of decorating a virtual baby, would require users to install a browser plug-in in order to … Read more

I confess to having a soft spot for much of Microsoft's recent advertising. Mainly because it bothers to appeal to my soft spot.

The company decided to use the glamour of the Golden Globes ceremony to remind people of their innate love for the underdog. In this case, the struggling, table-waiting, eating-out-of-a-tin actor.

In new ads, we see what appears to be an audition. Actors express their love of their craft, their commitment to it. They end with a different Microsoft brand "precongratulating" the Golden Globes stars of tomorrow and offering the tagline "Be What's … Read more

When we see someone else's redemption, it gives us hope for our own.

Perhaps someone will finally see us the way we would like to be seen. Perhaps someone will finally recognize our true talents, rather than, say, the ones we get paid for.

So the story of Ted Williams, the so-called "golden voice," which was first posted on the Web site of the Columbus Dispatch, has moved people to emotive heights. Footage of Williams has been seen by a figure that might now be 15 million people on YouTube.

However, the original video didn't have … Read more

All hail the Web's Caesar. All hail the power of the rumor.

Facebook is closing down. The Roman Emperor of social networking is tired of it all. He is heading for pastures new. Oh, and you might never be able to get your photos (or your pokes) back.

Such was the story printed by the venerable Weekly World News in order to allay the boredom of standing in line at Albertson's.

The fateful day of Facebook's going away was said to be March 15, the Ides. The tides of sadness immediately crashed over the Web, as the … Read more

LAS VEGAS--It is Saturday. Though some have sped off to the airport nursing contracts and hangovers, many still pour into the Las Vegas Conference Center seeking edification.

As someone from slightly outside the technological world, I pondered over dinner last what were the three most stunning surprises that made me reassess my own view of life, not merely of technology.

1. OTHER THAN AMERICA, THERE ARE ONLY FOUR COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD. I made it my business to wander over to the International Zone. I expected to find clever people from all around the world showing off their flying laptops, … Read more

LAS VEGAS. I never thought anything would give me more pleasure than taking an orange-handled hammer and smashing an Acer laptop.

I was still glowing from managing this yesterday that I almost didn't hear a rather short lady asking if I wanted to shoot a free throw with my iPhone.

Because I was wearing my shiny black Costume National boots, she must have naturally assumed that I owned an iPhone, which I don't. However, I confess that I have seen Golden State Warriors fans wanting to toss several types of smartphones in the direction of Andris Biedrins, every … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Psychiatry and fortune-telling should merge even quicker than Google and Twitter. Or Yahoo and anyone.

With this obvious societal need in mind, I have navigated the halls of the Consumer Electronics Show here in order to obtain a picture of who you are about to become, based on your current psychology.

I am trying to give the benefit of dubiousness to the companies displaying their wares here. I am assuming that they don't just create these TVs, in-car audio systems, flowery iPad cases, and mind-altering flying toys without considering the people who will be enjoying them.

So here … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Words are bullets.

They get through to people in ways that pictures, or even deeds, don't. Pictures often fade. Words stay with you and delight or rankle till your last breath. You know, words like "I do." Or "I love you." Or "I'm seeing someone else."

So I wandered into the South Hall of the convention center during the Consumer Electronics Show today to see how the makers of tomorrow's world would be telling their stories.

What words would they use? Could they offer change I could believe in? Would … Read more