Assorted musings

This weekend, I loaded fresh copies of Windows onto two PCs.

Like many people, I downloaded the Windows 7 Beta and installed it. But that wasn't the only PC task I had over the weekend.

I had an old PC I used for my early Vista testing that my partner was complaining had begun to gather dust. So, I offered the machine to a friend of mine that had only a very old PC. I gave her the option of XP or Vista and she quickly proclaimed, "Oh, XP, definitely."

And, of course, therein lies Microsoft's … Read more

There's a lot of ways to look at Microsoft's decision to abandon OneCare and come up with free antivirus software.

But I had to do a double take Tuesday night when I saw the Wall Street Journal headline on the decision: "Microsoft plans new spyware."

I saw the headline first on my phone, then went to the Journal's Web site, where the headline was featured on the main page. (See screenshot).

The article itself makes no reference to Microsoft creating spyware, and once one clicks on the story, bears the headline "Microsoft Plans to … Read more

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--The BlackBerry Storm got its chance to be a child star Wednesday as Research In Motion threw it a coming-out party at the legendary Avalon Hollywood club.

There was the full runway action, as paparazzi photographed celebrities going down the red carpet on their way into the club. As I arrived, a couple of cast members from the new 90210 show were making their way down the carpet. (Perhaps my favorite line of the evening was one of the show's cast members saying she hadn't actually seen the original show, but had "seen pictures" of the show's stars).

I hung out near the red carpet as long as I could, but was urged to move it along so John Mayer could get his turn in front of the cameras. (Mayer and Apple fans alike will note he has made more than his share of appearances onstage with Steve Jobs but now stumps for RIM).

Since I know, I'd get comments along the lines of "Pix or it didn't happen," I've included a number of shots I took with my own BlackBerry (a Curve, alas). The pictures that were taken with the Storm's 3.2 megapixel camera look a lot better than the ones I took with my Curve, but well, there you have it.

In the VIP section, while the celebrities largely drank and took in the Foo Fighters, there were a few geeks that also managed to score a coveted white wrist band (often friends of friends of friends of the VIPs). They could easily be spotted tapping away on one of the many demo Storm devices at the event. … Read more

While I normally leave the politics writing to others, this Wall Street Journal story caught my eye.

Sure, I was sucked in by the main story about how some polls show the presidential race as much closer than others. But what really captured my attention was the technology issue that was behind some of that variance.

Historically, pollsters have dialed random house phones to get their selection of voters. The problem is that more and more people, particularly young adults, don't have a landline.

The difference can be significant, as pointed out by a Pew research study last month. … Read more

Updated at 1:20 p.m. PDT with closing stock prices.

Tech stocks took another beating on Monday, although shares recovered somewhat in the final two hours of trading.

The Dow Jones Industrial average was down more than 700 points in mid-day trading, but recovered to close at 9,955.50 points, down 369.88 points, or 2.6 percent. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, dropped below 1,800 points, before closing at 1,862.96, down 84.43, or 4.3 percent. The CNET Tech Index closed Monday at 1,267.87 , down 63.1 points, or 4.7 percent.

Several … Read more

In the wake of Thursday night's vice presidential debate, we return to the important question only you the voters (or you, the underage reader, or you the foreign reader, or you the felon) can answer. Since we started with Barack Obama in the Crave presidential gadget poll before turning to John McCain, we'll give first jabs...er dibs, to Gov. Sarah Palin.

Got any ideas other than the options mentioned in our highly scientific poll? Let us know in our talkback section below. And if you have suggestions for next week's Joe Biden poll, be sure to … Read more

The Senate on Wednesday did what the House of Representatives failed to do on Monday--pass a bailout bill.

Nearly three-fourths of Senators passed the bill late Wednesday. The House is scheduled to take up the bill later this week, though it is expected to be a tougher fight there.

Meanwhile, the total cost of the bill went up significantly in that two-day period. That's because the bill passed by the Senate includes a variety of other measures, including billions in tax cuts, along with authorization for the Treasury department to take $700 billion off the books of … Read more

The National Hockey League figures its teams do a pretty good job of connecting with the ice junkies in their own backyards.

But the league reckons that many of the 20 million hockey fans in North America don't live near their favorite teams. The league is hoping that improvements to its subscription video service will appeal to the diaspora.

The league has been streaming video for a while now, said Perry Cooper, the NHL's senior vice president of direct and digital marketing. As it did last year, those that pay $159 a year ($169 after October 15) gain … Read more

As part of CNET News' election coverage, we thought we'd turn the Crave Friday Poll to a burning question on the minds of so many voters. If the two major presidential candidates were tech gadgets, which would they be?

Last week we asked you which gadget Democrat Barack Obama would be. The iPhone (aka the JesusPhone) handily beat out the other three options, taking 43.3 percent of the vote. Windows Vista was second at 27.5 percent, Facebook third with 19.3 percent, and Baby's First Walkman last with just 10 percent of the vote.

Today we … Read more