If you're planning on waiting in line for an iPhone, be sure to do your homework and bring all the necessary items with you. Or, watch Wednesday's edition of the Daily Debrief where I talk to CNET News' Tom Krazit about the lines and the purchase process. Apple has finally disclosed that stores will start selling the phones at 8 a.m. The company has also said it will let customers into the stores in groups of 30. This part of the system sounds similar to last year, but this year's big unknown is what the activation process will be like. Simple and easy in 10 minutes? Or mired in paperwork and chaos to the tune of 30 minutes?
Some critics have already gotten their hands on the phone and have written largely positive reviews. But, for those of you abstaining from the Apple Kool-Aid, one of our CNET News colleagues, Marguerite Reardon, takes a look at seven other smartphones that rival the iPhone.
Tuesday brought a mixed bag of Microsoft news. On the Daily Debrief, I sit down with CNET News senior writer Ina Fried to discuss the good, the bad, and the downright embarrassing.
Let's start with the good. The company announced the pricing of the new, pay-as-you-go business apps for the Web. The whole suite of business tools, which includes a variety of office communication tools, will run you $15 a month. Individually, the apps will go for $3 a pop. Ina suspects these tools will be very handy for professionals on the go or for companies who choose not to employ IT support.
The bad and embarrassing news is all wrapped into one. On Tuesday, the company launched the Vista Compatibility Center. Yes, you read that right. We're still talking about Vista, the operating system that Microsoft released 18 months ago. The need for the Center speaks volumes about consumers' slow adoption of the OS. Ina makes the point that if this were Apple, the company would have already moved on to a new cat. Oh, and to add insult to injury, the online Center was down and unavailable for most of the morning.
Ever since Microsoft first stated its intention to purchase Yahoo in February, and Yahoo said no, it's been a roller coaster as the deal goes through its on-again, off-again phases. On Monday's edition of the Daily Debrief, I sat down with reporter Dawn Kawamoto to get the scoop on the latest news that Microsoft might again be interested in acquiring the company, or perhaps just the search portion.
In a one-two punch type of delivery system, investor Carl Icahn and Microsoft appear to have teamed up to oust Yahoo's board. Kawamoto explains why this technique may be the most effective of all and why it could have broad appeal to shareholders. While Icahn has unveiled this portion of his plan, he has yet to name the members of the dissident slate. I hope everyone is still hanging on tight as our coaster has yet another hill to climb with the end of the ride nowhere in sight.
A day before the United States celebrates its independence, we continue to question our individual freedoms online. In Thursday's Daily Debrief, CNET News.com Editor in Chief Dan Farber and I discuss a federal judge's recent ruling in the ongoing Google-Viacom lawsuit that orders Google to turn over YouTube user activity. This will include videos watched, IP addresses, and usernames as part of an ongoing copyright infringement case.
Understandably, this news is disconcerting for YouTube users. Sources tell CNET News.com, however, that if Viacom uses this information for anything other than investigating piracy issues, it will be held in contempt of court. Regardless, Farber makes the point that this ruling could now set a precedent for other online privacy and security battles. Representatives from the Electronic Frontier Foundation agree, arguing that this court order will slowly erode the online rights we have come to enjoy and appreciate. Sounds like fireworks of a different kind this Fourth of July.
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a civil investigation into the proposed Yahoo-Google ad partnership. In Wednesday's edition of the Daily Debrief, I sit down with News.com's Dawn Kawamoto to talk about the nature of this investigation and what we can expect over the coming months.
Kawamoto explains that Yahoo, in particular, has been more than accommodating to ensure a smooth investigation, or a clean bill of health, if you will. The company has a lot to gain financially if everything goes as planned (to the tune of $800 million in its first year). Its competitors, however (ahem, Microsoft), are insisting on careful scrutiny of documents, conversations, and outside relationships to ensure this partnership does not raise any antitrust concerns.
Like two teenagers trying to figure out if they like each other, Yahoo and Microsoft are back at it again, trying to determine if a relationship can work. In Wednesday's edition of the Daily Debrief, I spoke with CNET News.com's Ina Fried about this latest round of talks and who is more desperate for the partnership.
Despite the recent pairing between Yahoo and Google, signs indicate that Microsoft is after the Sunnyvale-based Yahoo for its search capabilities. That doesn't come as a huge surprise since that was the essence of the last round of talks before the deal was completely yanked off the table. And if we're likening this courtship to teenage love, I suppose that makes Carl Icahn the too-cool-for-school senior who's waiting to see how and when he can benefit most when the dust finally settles.
Over the years, CNET News.com senior writer Ina Fried has had around a dozen one-on-one interviews with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. She just returned from Redmond, Wash., with her latest (I won't say last, because you never know!) interview, and I sit down with her in Tuesday's edition of the Daily Debrief and talk about his imminent departure from the company.
As everyone has suspected, and as Ina reiterates, Gates will, despite his retirement, continue to play a part-time role at Microsoft, lending his expertise and vision where he sees fit. One particular pet project is the continued development of the company's search technologies. Friday is Gates' last day with Microsoft, and while I imagine the departure will be imperceptible to the general public, it will no doubt be fascinating to see how Gates' baby takes its first few steps without him.
With less than an hour to go in Mozilla's 24-hour attempt to set a record for the most downloads, I check in with CNET News.com's Stephen Shankland, about the launch of Firefox 3. Despite Mozilla's temporary site outage, it appears to have been a success, both with the numbers (7 million plus) and content.
As a Firefox user myself, I initially switched over for the tabbed browsing and some of the third party add-ons. Little did I know that I was building my "nerd cred" by choosing it over Internet Explorer or other browsers. As Shankland explains, being a fan of Firefox is almost like being an Apple fanboy: there's a certain cachet and a "stick-it-to-the-man" (that'd be Microsoft) attitude among its users. Who knew that the browser you chose could up your stock?
I'm a Firefox user, how about you? If you're part of the roughly 20 percent market share using Mozilla's free, open-source Web-browsing software, you're probably looking forward to Tuesday, June 17th's release of version 3. In fact, the company is hoping that 1 million of you are excited in hopes of setting a record for the most downloads in a 24-hour period.
In Friday's edition of the Daily Debrief, I chat with CNET Webware.com's Rafe Needleman about what to expect with this version. He's been using the release candidate for a few weeks and says we can look forward to faster browsing, the "awesome bar," and more security features.
In Thursday's edition of the Daily Debrief, I chat with CNET News.com Editor in Chief Dan Farber about the state of Yahoo. Company news seems to emerge on a daily basis, but what does it all really mean? Farber, who has his finger on the pulse of the company, explains that at least personnel-wise, the search giant has been in a state of turmoil for the last year and a half.
Also, ever since February, when Microsoft came to Yahoo with intent to acquire, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company has been on the defensive. Farber argues that we haven't really seen or heard of plans for it to move forward. Are they simply holding out for more money? Or does it have legitimate reasons for wanting to maintain its independence?
