Apple slaps back at NBC in iTunes spat | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Looks like Apple has mastered monopolistic modus operandi -- that won't be particularly helpful as credible iTunes competitors gain momentum...

Apple said in a press release that the dispute over price came after the iPod maker "declined to pay more than double the wholesale price for each NBC TV episode."

This, according to Apple, would have boosted the per-episode price of NBC shows on iTunes from $1.99 to $4.99. The move by Apple is an attempt to preempt a possible NBC pullout when their contract ends in December.

"Since NBC would withdraw their shows in the middle of the television season, Apple has decided to not offer NBC TV shows for the upcoming television season beginning in September," Apple said in its statement.

Apple slaps back at NBC in iTunes spat | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

RIM shares rise amid Microsoft takeover talk - Boston.com

Plausible, imho 

Research in Motion Ltd <RIM.TO> <RIMM.O> moved higher on Thursday on renewed market speculation that Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> could be interested in buying the BlackBerry maker.

"Microsoft has been mentioned as a possible buyer," said Frederic Ruffy, an analyst at options education firm Optionetics in California.

"According to speculation, the software giant might be interested in RIM in response to Google's <GOOG.O> recent announcement that it is interested in making its own mobile phone operating system, which would compete with Windows Mobile," he added.

RIM shares rise amid Microsoft takeover talk - Boston.com

Collaboration and Content Strategies Blog: Parlano Acquisition Bolsters Microsoft's UC & Social Networking Efforts

 Mike Gotta's take on the Microsoft/Parlano deal; see the full post for details

The announced acquisition of Parlano is a strategic move by Microsoft. The addition of persistent group chat to the Office Communications Server (OCS) platform is a clearly reinforces Microsoft's Unified Communications strategy (which is somewhat obvious) but it also sets the groundwork for integration with Office SharePoint Server in ways that augment what Microsoft is doing in the area of social networking.

Collaboration and Content Strategies Blog: Parlano Acquisition Bolsters Microsoft's UC & Social Networking Efforts

Microsoft | Reports clash on Microsoft's antitrust settlement | Seattle Times Newspaper

I suspect all parties will want to resolve this before January, 2009... 

"In the market at the heart of the case — Intel-compatible PC operating systems — Microsoft's share has remained persistently high at supra-monopoly levels," said the report, filed Thursday.

Windows ran 93 percent of PCs in 1991 and 92 percent in 2006 (after declining from 96 percent in 2005), according to IDC figures cited by the California group.

The Department of Justice has a dramatically different view of the outcome of five years of judicial oversight.

"[C]ompetition and consumers have benefited from the final judgments entered because of the Department's antitrust enforcement efforts against Microsoft," the DOJ said in a news release issued Thursday in conjunction with a report it filed on behalf of itself and another group of states.

Microsoft | Reports clash on Microsoft's antitrust settlement | Seattle Times Newspaper

At I.B.M., a Vacation Anytime, or Maybe None - New York Times

Another IBM innovation 

Instead, for the past few years, employees at all levels have made informal arrangements with their direct supervisors, guided mainly by their ability to get their work done on time. Many people post their vacation plans on electronic calendars that colleagues can view online, and they leave word about how they can be reached in a pinch.

“It’s like when you went to college and you didn’t have high school teachers nagging you anymore,” said Mark L. Hanny, I.B.M.’s vice president of independent software vendor alliances. “Employees like that we put more accountability on them.”

At I.B.M., a Vacation Anytime, or Maybe None - New York Times

Microsoft Settles a Dispute Over a Feature in Its Browser - New York Times

Read the full article for more context 

Microsoft said Thursday that it had settled an eight-year patent dispute that resulted in a $521 million jury verdict against it. Terms of the accord were not disclosed.

The dispute centered on a feature within Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser that allows embedded links. The patent is owned by the University of California and licensed to Eolas Technologies, a closely held company formed by a university researcher, Michael Doyle.

What's likely to happen next: Mozilla.org, Apple (re Safari), and Opera are probably going to get some phone calls from lawyers...

Microsoft Settles a Dispute Over a Feature in Its Browser - New York Times

The Facebook economy - Aug. 23, 2007

Timely Business 2.0 article 

It's an increasingly common tale as the Facebook economy picks up steam. In just 10 weeks, hundreds of developers launched more than 2,500 new applications, triggering 139 million downloads. While a possible Facebook IPO or acquisition could change things overnight, for the moment it's a free-for-all.

The apps have names like FoodFight, Zombies, (fluff)Friends, and Fortune Cookie, and they let users indulge in everything from scrawling graffiti and sending virtual cocktails to buying music, brokering loans, and joining charitable causes - usually without leaving their Facebook homepages. Some apps have attracted hundreds of thousands of users, and a select few have pulled in millions.

The Facebook economy - Aug. 23, 2007

NBC to end iTunes sales of its shows | CNET News.com

 A different mode of negotiation and/or a leading indicator?

NBC Universal, unable to come to an agreement with Apple on pricing, has decided not to renew its contract to sell digital downloads of television shows on iTunes.

The media conglomerate--which is the No. 1 supplier of digital video to Apple's online store, accounting for about 40 percent of downloads--notified Apple of its decision late Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked for anonymity because negotiations between the companies are confidential.

NBC to end iTunes sales of its shows | CNET News.com

Future Implications: Why the Gphone will fail | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Interesting reality check 

As I've mentioned before, the only way for Google to make any headway in the cell phone business is through the help of the 700MHz spectrum. With this tactic in mind, Google could create its own phone that works like Skype on the spectrum and in the process, kill off the entire cell phone industry. But for Google to throw a device into the cell phone business on domestic and international carriers would not only be a mistake, it could be an indication that Google is getting in over its head.

Future Implications: Why the Gphone will fail | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Microsoft XML Team's WebLog : Announcing CTP1 of the XML Schema Designer

 Microsoft goes further with XML Schema design

XML Tools team has released the first CTP of the XML Schema Designer - a graphical tool for working with XML Schemas. The XML Schema Designer is integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and the XML Editor to enable you to work with XML Schema definition language (XSD) schemas.

From a quick skim, I don't think this will slow market leader Altova's momentum

Microsoft XML Team's WebLog : Announcing CTP1 of the XML Schema Designer

Microsoft to Acquire Parlano: Microsoft strengthens unified communications portfolio with leading enterprise group chat provider.

Continuing communication/collaboration consolidation 

Today Microsoft Corp. announced it has agreed to acquire Chicago-based Parlano, maker of MindAlign, a leading application for enterprise group chat. Microsoft expects to add Parlano’s group chat functionality as a new feature of Microsoft^® Office Communications Server and Microsoft Office Communicator, Microsoft’s server and client software for presence, instant messaging, conferencing and VoIP.

“Parlano has been successful in meeting the rigorous communications needs of companies in financial services and other vertical markets,” said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft. “Parlano’s expertise and technology, added to Microsoft’s unified communications offering, will deliver customers the most complete presence, instant messaging and group chat solution on the market.”

Microsoft to Acquire Parlano: Microsoft strengthens unified communications portfolio with leading enterprise group chat provider.

Microsoft and Its Rivals Take 'Office' Politics Global - WSJ.com

The Open XML/ODF debate expands...  but I assume ISO support for Open XML is inevitable at this point.

Jean Paoli, one of Microsoft's top standards experts, says the company wants Open XML adopted as a standard to encourage rivals to use its format, not squelch interoperability. He points out that other vendors, including Apple Inc., are adopting it. He says IBM is stirring up opposition to Open XML's gaining approval from the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, to protect its Lotus Notes office suite, which uses the rival format Open Document.

"It is very bizarre to see IBM try to block everyone from using" Open XML, Mr. Paoli says. Open Document is already an ISO standard, but Microsoft says there's room enough for more than one document standard.

Microsoft and Its Rivals Take 'Office' Politics Global - WSJ.com

Monster CEO: Millions of users' data may be stolen - The Boston Globe

This is going to be one for the record books... 

While investigating the recent theft, the company learned that its website had previously been hacked.

"We're assuming it is a large number. It could easily be in the millions," Iannuzzi said in an interview with Reuters.

To be safe, he said, all Monster.com users should assume that their contact information has been taken.

Monster CEO: Millions of users' data may be stolen - The Boston Globe

Official Google Docs & Spreadsheets Blog: How Docs & Spreadsheets grew at Google

The inside story 

Here are some statistics: 87% of Google employees worldwide used Docs & Spreadsheets in the past week and 96% have used it in the past month. Googlers have created and shared more than 370,000 documents and spreadsheets and they create more than 3,000 new ones each day. In fact, I wrote this blog post and shared it with colleagues using Docs & Spreadsheets just a few moments ago. If it works for us, it might just work for you too.

Official Google Docs & Spreadsheets Blog: How Docs & Spreadsheets grew at Google

iPhone unlocker trades phone for 'sweet' car - Yahoo! News

Sign of the times... 

After facing problems trying to auction the phone on eBay, George Hotz received a call from CertiCell, a company that refurbishes mobile phones. "Terry Daidone, the founder of CertiCell, contacted me this morning, and offered to make a trade for the iPhone," Hotz wrote on his blog. "I traded it for a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones."

Hotz shared the method he discovered for unlocking the phone on his blog, so the phone he traded doesn't hold any secrets. But he put the phone up for auction because he thought someone might want the phone, the second one that he unlocked, for its historical value. "If you are only bidding on this to get an unlocked iPhone, don't. There are much cheaper and easier ways to get one. This is a piece of cell phone history," he wrote on his blog.

iPhone unlocker trades phone for 'sweet' car - Yahoo! News

Apple now sells more than one in six laptops in U.S.

Impressive 

NPD, which collects its data primarily from retail sources and excludes most online and all direct sales, said Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops accounted for 17.6% of June's unit sales, an uptick of more than three percentage points from May's 14.3%.

Baker attributed the jump in market share to refreshes that both laptop lines recently received. The lower-priced MacBook was updated in mid-May with faster processors and more memory, while 15-in. models of the high-end MacBook Pro were outfitted with new backlit LED screens in early June.

Apple now sells more than one in six laptops in U.S.

"Junk sleep" damaging teenagers' health | Tech&Sci | Technology | Reuters.com

Hmm... 

Its poll of 1,000 youngsters aged 12 to 16 found that 30 percent managed just 4 to 7 hours sleep as opposed to the recommended 8 or 9 hours.

Almost a quarter said they fell asleep more than once a week while watching TV, listening to music or using other electronic gadgets.

"Junk sleep" damaging teenagers' health | Tech&Sci | Technology | Reuters.com

Why Facebook Is the Future - TIME

Somebody deserves a PR gold star -- Facebook coverage in Time and the cover story in Newsweek last week

Facebook is, in Silicon Vall--ese, a "social network": a website for keeping track of your friends and sending them messages and sharing photos and doing all those other things that a good little Web 2.0 company is supposed to help you do. It was started by Harvard students in 2004 as a tool for meeting-- or at least discreetly ogling--other Harvard students, and it still has a reputation as a hangout for teenagers and the teenaged-at-heart. Which is ironic because Facebook is really about making the Web grow up.

Why Facebook Is the Future - TIME

Taiwan’s Acer to Acquire Gateway - New York Times

The $1.90/share purchase price was a 57% premium over Gateway's Friday closing price 

The deal is a relatively quiet exit for Gateway, which once was synonymous in the United States with direct-to-consumer sales. Stung by the slowdown of computer consumption and falling prices and margins, the company’s share price has fallen far from the heights of November 1999, when it hit $82.50. It closed at $1.82 Monday.

Mr. Black said that Acer had not decided what it would do with Gateway’s existing brands and whether it might include them in the Acer brand.

Taiwan’s Acer to Acquire Gateway - New York Times

Massive Microsoft WGA meltdown fingers legit Vista and XP owners as pirates

Oops... 

Microsoft Corp. has blamed an unspecified server problem for a 19-hour stretch during which paying users of Windows XP and Vista were accused by the company's "Windows Genuine Advantage" validation system of running pirated software. Any Vista system fingered during the episode was stripped of some features, including the operating system's Aero graphical interface.

As of Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern, Microsoft said the problem had been fixed.

Massive Microsoft WGA meltdown fingers legit Vista and XP owners as pirates

Brian Jones: Open XML Formats : US to vote “yes” on Open XML

 An Open XML standardization update

Similar to what we just saw from Germany earlier this week, the US has voted to approve Open XML as an ISO standard. The result of the vote for "yes with comments" is posted here: http://ballot.itic.org/itic/tallyvote.taf?function=vote&committee=INCITS&ballot_id=2341&_UserReference=96EBDF227BF339D246CE4E20

As I pointed out yesterday, Ecma has already publicly committed to dealing with all comments that have been raised by national bodies, and I've seen some pretty good ones coming in so far. The review that Open XML has undergone during this process has been phenomenal, and we'll see a much better specification as a result of it. I haven't seen many comments come through yet that will be too difficult to deal with, so it should be a fun several months working towards the Ballot Resolution Meeting. The majority of the comments are seeking to have bugs in the spec fixed, or further clarification on specific details.

Brian Jones: Open XML Formats : US to vote “yes” on Open XML

Business & Technology | Fans stick by Skype despite outage | Seattle Times Newspaper

Apparently Skype's ~220 million users agree 

If anything, the reaction may be a sign that Internet telephony — or Voice over Internet Protocol — is coming of age, said Richard Levick, chief executive of Levick Strategic Communications, which provides crisis guidance for companies.

"The attention paid to these outages shows that these technologies have been accepted," he said. "As such, this outage will no more drive potential users away than a telephone outage in 1955 would have driven people back to using carrier pigeons."

Business & Technology | Fans stick by Skype despite outage | Seattle Times Newspaper

Play It Again, Nokia. For the 3rd Time. - New York Times

It'll be interesting to see if this software + service permutation works for Nokia 

This week, Nokia, based in Espoo, Finland, will revive N-Gage as a multiplayer gaming service that will work on its popular line of smartphones. The service will offer games from major publishers like Electronic Arts, as well as smaller developers like Digital Chocolate that focus on the mobile gaming market.

Owners of phones that run N-Gage software will be able to play games against friends, sample, buy and recommend new games from their phones, and compete in large tournaments.

Play It Again, Nokia. For the 3rd Time. - New York Times

'Virtual' worlds luring children - The Boston Globe

 Check the full article for a timely reality check

Children have always built their own fantasy worlds. These days, the Internet is making it easier -- perhaps too easy, some say.

Spurred by the popularity of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, a host of companies are developing social sites for children, with names like Club Penguin, Be-Bratz, Habbo Hotel, and Whyville.

'Virtual' worlds luring children - The Boston Globe

Behold, telepresence | Far away yet strangely personal | Economist.com

Starting now at around $299K per room -- see the article for details 

The result is something called “telepresence”, which HP and other technology firms are just beginning to sell. It is basically a spruced-up version of videoconferencing, but its creators insist that the technology is so improved as to be unrecognisable. Users still communicate via live audio and video feeds, but the speed and quality of transmission have increased, and the screens have grown and multiplied, in order to create the illusion that the two parties to a conversation are not continents apart but at opposite ends of the same table (as in the picture above). The aim, telepresence's boosters say, is to get participants in such meetings to forget, or at least stop caring, that they are not in the same room.

Behold, telepresence | Far away yet strangely personal | Economist.com

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . Swimming with the Fishes | PBS

Timely reality check 

But the next version of Flash video will support H.264, AAC audio, most HD frame sizes, and -- here's the most important part of all -- will work with your graphics card to make it all run faster and with less CPU load.

This is a huge kick in the head to both QuickTime and Windows Media, though of course QuickTime has an important role in video production in most editing systems and in parts of the H.264 codec, itself. Windows Media and its VC-1 codec also have an enduring role in the production of professional content. But when it comes to video client software that is high performance, cross-platform, and available already in 97 percent of all computers, well Adobe wins this round easily.

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . Swimming with the Fishes | PBS

Minding the Meeting, or Your Computer? - New York Times

Internet Explorer general manager Dean Hachamovitch on the new meeting + technology etiquette (see the full article for more details)

The more discreet way to check e-mail, I.M., and the Web at a meeting these days is the latest-generation cellphone. While they can’t connect to all the data on your PC (yet), smartphones — connected to the Internet, with mobile versions of the same Office software on your PC — make it easy for insatiable information seekers to sneak a peek at headlines or send off a quick e-mail without drawing attention. Just make sure to turn off that “Girl From Ipanema” ring tone.

Minding the Meeting, or Your Computer? - New York Times

AT&T’s Overstuffed iPhone Bills Annoy Customers - New York Times

 AT&T changed the policy; you now have to pay extra for the forest-felling option...

When Justine Ezarik, a video blogger in Pittsburgh, saw that a box from AT&T had been delivered to her doorstep a couple of weeks ago, she thought that perhaps she had been sent a complimentary accessory for her new iPhone. Instead, she found a 300-page, double-sided, excruciatingly well itemized bill.

[...]

The reason for the outsize bills is that AT&T itemizes not just every phone call, but every detail about every text message and Internet data transfer. Unless instructed otherwise, AT&T sent out detailed bills.

AT&T’s Overstuffed iPhone Bills Annoy Customers - New York Times

Amazon leaks price, date of first Windows Home Server box

I'll be purchasing one of these on the first day they're available... 

Details and prices of the first home server running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Home Server software were posted briefly on several online stores yesterday. Systems are scheduled to ship Sept. 15 at prices starting at $599.

According to listings on such e-tailing sites as Amazon.com, PCMall.com and onSale.com, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s MediaSmart Home Server will be sold in two models at prices of $599 and $749. The pair are identical with the exception of the amount of included storage: the $599 server contains 500GB, while the $759 unit offers 1TB.

Amazon leaks price, date of first Windows Home Server box

Technology Review: Social-networking site Bebo to use Microsoft's instant-messaging technology

Timely reality check 

Social-networking site Bebo Inc. said Tuesday it will launch a Microsoft-powered instant-messaging program this fall.

The deal signals early, if niche, support for a Microsoft Corp. plan to build a business around letting other sites incorporate its Windows Live Web services.

[...]

So far, takers for Microsoft's Web services platform include Match.com, a dating site owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp, and MSNBC, a joint venture between Microsoft and General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, but the software maker said it is seeking out more social-networking customers.

Technology Review: Social-networking site Bebo to use Microsoft's instant-messaging technology

San Jose Mercury News - Biz Break: VMware shares soar as tech stocks gain

FWIW, VMWare mkt cap is now ~$25B, while (90% stake) parent company EMC mkt cap is now ~$40B. 

Shares in VMware, the once-obscure maker of "virtual machine" software that made a splashy debut on Wall Street last week, surged another 15.1 percent Tuesday, leading a general rise on the Nasdaq.

VMware, based in Palo Alto, is an EMC subsidiary that was spun out in its own initial public offering - the biggest Silicon Valley IPO since Google in 2004. Offered at $29 share, it soared 76 percent on its first day to close at $51. On Tuesday it closed at $65.99.

San Jose Mercury News - Biz Break: VMware shares soar as tech stocks gain

Microsoft Voice Quality More Than Measures Up: Intel, Texas Instruments and others license Microsoft intellectual property for voice; new Quality of Experience Monitoring Server for customers unveiled.

Interesting times... 

Today at the VoiceCon San Francisco 2007 Conference, Microsoft Corp. outlined how its software-based approach to voice communications is creating new benefits for partners and customers and gaining industry recognition in unified communications. Intel Corporation., Texas Instruments Inc., AudioCodes Ltd., Dialogic Corp., LG-Nortel Co. Ltd. and Polycom Inc. will license Microsoft’s voice codec software, RT Audio Codec, which has been shown to deliver superior sound quality, according to Psytechnics Ltd., a company specializing in voice and video quality monitoring.

Microsoft Voice Quality More Than Measures Up

MTV, RealNetworks to Mount Challenge Against iTunes - New York Times

Looks like Rhapsody is the non-iTunes leader by default these days. 

MTV Networks said yesterday that it would fold its floundering digital music service into a venture with RealNetworks, owner of the Rhapsody music subscription service, as part of a renewed challenge to Apple’s market-leading iTunes store.

MTV’s year-old Urge service, which gained little traction despite being packaged with Microsoft’s Windows Media Player software, will be combined with RealNetworks’ service in a partnership called Rhapsody America. The venture will be led by Urge’s manager, Michael Bloom.

Rhapsody also came pre-installed on the HP laptop I bought during the weekend, along with a lot of HP and other stuff that I uninstalled...

MTV, RealNetworks to Mount Challenge Against iTunes - New York Times

Already, Apple Sells Refurbished iPhones - New York Times

Hmmm... 

On Monday, the company began making refurbished iPhones available at its online store for $399 for the 4-gigabyte model, which sells for $499 at full retail, and $499 for the 8-gigabyte model, which retails for $599. Such an offer is a standard Apple practice; the site already offers discounts on most Apple products, which come with a one-year warranty.

Already, Apple Sells Refurbished iPhones - New York Times

Google Aims to Make YouTube Profitable With Ads - New York Times

Inevitable... 

The company said late Tuesday that after months of testing various video advertising models, it was ready to introduce a new type of video ad, which it said was unobtrusive and kept users in control of what they saw.

The ads, which appear 15 seconds after a user begins watching a video clip, take the form of an overlay on the bottom fifth of the screen, not unlike the tickers that display headlines during television news programs.

Google Aims to Make YouTube Profitable With Ads - New York Times

Dell's Consumer Focus Hits Snags - WSJ.com

The challenges continue at Dell...

Dell Inc.'s first attempt to rebuild its consumer personal-computer business since founder Michael Dell returned to lead the company is having trouble sticking.

Persistent delays in laptop shipments caused by paint problems and supply constraints have put a crimp in the company's turnaround efforts. Since late July, it has delayed shipments of some colorful models of its latest notebook computers, the XPS M1330 and its new Inspiron PCs. This latest incident -- hitting right in the crucial back-to-school selling season -- marks a significant setback in its push to rebuild its brand and business.

I just purchased my first non-Dell PC in several years -- a back-to-school laptop, an HP with 15.4" display, dual-core AMD, 2 gig RAM, 160 GB hard disk, Windows Vista Home Premium, built-in webcam, etc. $749, after Circuit City rebate. Amazing...

Dell's Consumer Focus Hits Snags - WSJ.com

James Fallows (July 24, 2007) - Biting the bullet on Windows Vista: back to XP (Technology)

James Fallows downgrades to XP -- see the article for details (via Fake Steve) 

Microsoft can build very good software: after all Windows XP, now the standard by which Vista is found wanting, is a Microsoft mainstay, and so is the elegant new Office2007 and the particularly elegant OneNote. After the second or third "service pack," maybe Vista will shape up. But I was wrong to suggest that people use the early version. And before you get too mad at me -- hey, unlike people who start wars in which their own kids don't serve, I've paid the price for this misjudgment myself.

Personally, I still prefer Vista

James Fallows (July 24, 2007) - Biting the bullet on Windows Vista: back to XP (Technology)

Facebook for iPhone doubles as a massive phonebook | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone

A potential killer app for the iPhone? 

There's been a lot of buzz over the iPhone optimized version of Facebook in the past couple of days, and with good reason--it rocks. It does nearly everything the full version of Facebook can do, sans apps from the Facebook apps platform, which I assume are on their way later this year. Everything is rolled up into a tight little package using a simplistic set of two rows of tabs to cover core navigation, and a sliding interface that mimics the iPhone's signature UI. To get there, just point your iPhone (or browser) to http://iPhone.facebook.com.

Facebook for iPhone doubles as a massive phonebook | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone

Jive Software takes in $15 million to run with Web 2.0 collaboration | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Jive is making impressive customer and partner progress 

Fueled by a round of venture capital, Jive Software is pushing into the corporate technology market with lightweight Web collaboration software.

The company is expected to announce next week that Sequoia Capital has invested $15 million into Jive Software which has been self-funded and profitable until now.

Jive, perhaps best known for its online forum software, is focusing the company on Clearspace, a product first written about here and commercially introduced earlier this year.

Jive Software takes in $15 million to run with Web 2.0 collaboration | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Business Technology : Ballmer and Chambers Report Nothing New to Report

An interesting joint customer reassurance exercise 

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Cisco CEO John Chambers made a joint appearance today to announce that everything is exactly the way it has always been. The move is intended to reassure customers that even though they’re pushing rival communications technologies, the two companies’ products will still work with one another.

Business Technology : Ballmer and Chambers Report Nothing New to Report

Identity attack spreads; 1.6M records stolen from Monster.com

 Nasty -- read the article for details

According to Symantec Corp. security analyst Amado Hidalgo, a new Trojan horse called Infostealer.Monstres by Symantec has stolen more than 1.6 million records belonging to several hundred thousand people from Monster Worldwide Inc.'s job search service. That data is then used to target the Monster.com users with credible phishing mail that plants more malware on their machines.

Identity attack spreads; 1.6M records stolen from Monster.com

Skype Says Service Outage Was Caused by Massive Restarts - WSJ.com

The rest of the story... 

In an update to users on Skype's Heartbeat blog, employee Villu Arak said the disruption wasn't because of hackers or any other malicious activity. "The disruption was initiated by a massive restart of our users' computers across the globe within a very short timeframe as they re-booted after receiving a routine software update," he wrote in the message, which was posted early Monday.

"The abnormally high number of restarts affected Skype's network resources. This caused a flood of log-in requests, which, combined with the lack of peer-to-peer network resources, prompted a chain reaction that had a critical impact," he said in the posting.

Skype Says Service Outage Was Caused by Massive Restarts - WSJ.com