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CES is a hardware show, but there's a good mix of Webware here as well. So many new gadgets are network-enabled, after all. The trade show officially opens Thursday, but many companies made announcements on Media Day, Wednesday. These are some of the Webware highlights:

In Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote, he pushed the convergence of the "three screens," the PC, TV, and phone. Their medium for interaction, of course, in the Net. He also announced the non-beta versions of the three products under the Web-based Windows Live brand: Live Messenger, Photo Gallery, and Live Mail. … Read more

Web sites that promise to pay for your old gadgets look bright around the holidays, when every extra dollar can count toward new gifts or even utility bills. But are the services worthwhile? How much can you earn?

We examined nine services that pay for your unwanted digital wares. These are among the newest options to help keep electronics waste out of landfills, while uncluttering your closets.

We looked up what each service said it would pay for working iPods, PDAs, laptops, gaming consoles, and more, with cables but lacking their original boxes. For dead devices, some offer a pittance, or will connect you with willing recyclers and charity recipients. Our chart (at right) shows what each site claims it pays for specific equipment. Keep reading for highlights of the trade-in services.

We can't yet vouch for the start-to-finish experience of mailing in products to these companies. Those that find your equipment in worse shape than you estimated will downgrade the trade-in value.

If you only need to offload an old phone, look out for our upcoming comparison of sites that specialize in refurbishing and recycling handsets, including Cell for Cash, Simply Sellular, and ReCellular. … Read more

We've been running a spreadsheet of layoffs at tech companies since October. It's depressing, but it's newsworthy. To offset the pain a bit, we also have a second spreadsheet tracking who is hiring. I'm happy to report that there are more companies on the record as having open jobs than there are that are executing layoffs. The raw number of jobs lost is higher than gained, unfortunately, but if you are laid off, check out that other spreadsheet for a potential new gig in your industry.

The spreadsheets: Layoffs | Openings. (Latest updates: December 9, 2008)

There … Read more

Sometime on October 14, a wide array of furniture and electronics were stolen from a commercial storage facility outside Phoenix. The building was used by the Arizona Early Intervention Program, which helps families of disabled children.

Two weeks ago, the state informed the parents of the nearly 40,000 children in the program that their personal information was potentially at risk for ID fraud. According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), a backup computer hard drive stolen from the facility was password protected. What happened next is where the controversy arises.

The DES and others in the media … Read more

The Web 2.0 Summit wrapped up Friday with conversations about the Internet, politics, renewable energy, and space. Below are videos of on-stage talks, courtesy of TechWeb.

In a panel discussion in which The Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington is joined by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Democratic campaign organizer Joe Trippi, Huffington argues that "were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not be president," in part because the blogosphere has "an obsessive-compulsive disorder." Trippi agrees that "the (Internet) medium demands authenticity."

In response to Huffington's remark that "politicians … Read more

At a Web 2.0 Summit panel about politics, author John Heilemann discussed the just-ended campaign and upcoming presidency of Barack Obama with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, and political strategist Joe Trippi.

The upshot: We are in a new era of politics. It started in 2003 but really took hold in the recent campaign. As Trippi said, when it comes to both campaigns and governing, "It's the network, stupid."

He was responding to the theme of the panel, as stated by Heilemann, that the Internet was a fundamental new force in … Read more

At the Web 2.0 Summit, a session of product demos showcases several apps and products with a broader perspective than in previous years. These demos were selected because they dealt with global issues, such as the financial situation, global warming, health care, and even "intractable religious wars." A panel of judges discussed each of these products. Here is the Webware take:

Carbon Networks Corporation. This is a service that helps companies understand their carbon footprint, and then monetize it. Say what? It looks like a private carbon offset market for businesses. It also provides tools to help … Read more

The Web 2.0 Summit isn't just for geeks and software industry insiders--not with a speaker list that includes the likes of Al Gore and Lance Armstrong.

Day 1 of the San Francisco event featured on-stage talks with Armstrong, the multiyear Tour de France champion and force-of-nature bicyclist, along with Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and top-shelf venture capitalist John Doerr. Below are videos of their on-stage talks, courtesy of TechWeb.

Yang showed up at an inauspicious moment for his company: longtime rival and sometime partner Google announced on Wednesday that it was giving up on a proposed search-advertising deal … Read more

We'll have team coverage of the Web 2.0 Summit, which starts in San Francisco this morning. Look for analysis posts following the major talks and product launches, and tune in to our Twitter feed of happenings at the conference. Also, there will be live running commentary during a few key sessions. Check back here, on Webware.com, for live coverage: