February 2008

Wired Technology

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February 29, 2008
Want to Win Google's Love? Pony Up the CashWired: Tech Biz

Posted: February 29th, 2008, 10:15pm by Epicenter

The only way Ed Reese has been able to get Google to acknowledge his business is by paying monthly fees to local listing networks such as Superpages.com and Yellowbook.com. His experience begs the question: Does local search work, or do you need to pay to play?
Worth the Wait: Chumby Lands at a Desk Near YouWired: Gadgets

Posted: February 29th, 2008, 8:30pm by Gadget Lab

The wireless internet widget device Chumby touches down after years in development hell and it's totally worth the wait.
Microsoft, After Some Wrangling, Cuts Price of VistaWired: Tech Biz

Posted: February 29th, 2008, 5:50pm by Associated Press

The software maker will cut between 20 and 48 percent off the price of some versions of its operating system, but not without some internal turmoil.
How to 'Google Bomb' an Enemy

Posted: February 29th, 2008, 2:45am

Got a bone to pick with an internet adversary? Peeved at a scofflaw organization or a shady political figure? Get revenge in proper geek fashion by crafting a Google bomb.
Will New Blu-ray Drives Suck Your Laptop Battery Dry?

Posted: February 29th, 2008, 2:30am

One reason Blu-ray drives haven't shown up in many notebook PCs may be that early versions of the drives are power hogs, eating up so much battery life that you might only get halfway through a movie before needing to plug in.
February 28, 2008
Robin Williams' Impromptu Riff Fills Dead Air at TED ConferenceWired: Tech Biz

Posted: February 28th, 2008, 10:00pm by Epicenter

At the TED conference in Monterey, an unexpected technical glitch almost led to an embarrassing spot of silence -- until comedian Robin Williams stood up from the audience and entertained the crowd with an impromptu riff on the day's topics.
Paint LED Art With Philips' Giant Light Canvas

Posted: February 28th, 2008, 10:00pm

Philips unveils a paint-by-LED art canvas and the G-Lab has its own home-brewed version.
Ubuntu Brainstorm Takes the Pulse of the Linux CommunityWired: Software

Posted: February 28th, 2008, 9:30pm by Compiler

A new community website named Ubuntu Brainstorm aggregates user feedback about the popular Linux distribution. Visitors can comment on and rank the various suggestions and feature requests using a Digg-style voting system.
Google Sites, a New App for Building Your Own One-Click WikiWired: Software

Posted: February 28th, 2008, 9:00pm by Compiler

A new web application for creating websites joins Google's stable of browser-based tools. Google Sites is a free application that anyone can use to build a community-editable wiki.
Yahoo Investors Suing Embattled Company Over Microsoft Bid

Posted: February 28th, 2008, 6:00pm

Saying that Yahoo breached its duty by spurning Redmond's $44 billion takeover offer, seven shareholders are suing to make the deal go through.
Now Google Wants to be Your (Website) Creator, Too

Posted: February 28th, 2008, 5:40pm

New tools designed to allow almost anyone to create a website will be made available for free by the company, which says "We are literally adding an edit button to the web."
How to Get Ahead on LinkedInWired: Software

Posted: February 28th, 2008, 7:15am by How-To Wiki

More than just a biz-minded social network for grown-ups, LinkedIn is one of the best places on the web to meet your future employer. Learn to rule the digital job market with our simple guide.
The Brash Boys at 37signals Will Tell You: Keep it Simple, Stupid

Posted: February 28th, 2008, 4:00am

The developers at 37signals created the software tools that defined Web 2.0. But add features or horsepower? Not a chance, no matter how much you beg.
February 27, 2008
Analyst Firm Says Apple is Splurging on R&D and Air Travel

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 11:20pm

Apple is spending more and more money on research and development and sending Steve Jobs around the world to make iPhone deals, according to a Morgan Stanley analysis of the company's recent spending habits.
Facebook Readies iPhone-Inspired Redesign

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 9:30pm

Social networking site Facebook is preparing an update which simplifies the user interface of its website. The changes are an obvious nod to the site's mobile-optimized version, which is already popular with iPhone users.
Analyst: Google's Click-Through Decline Is 'By Design'

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 9:30pm

Markets were spooked by a report Monday that showed click-through rates on Google advertisements dropped 7 percent from December to January. Buth that decline may have been due to deliberate changes Google made in its ad system, aimed at improving the quality of customer leads that its ads produce.
Powerset Co-Founder to Launch Crowdsourced Green VC Fund

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 8:00pm

A serial Silicon Valley entrepreneur considers founding a new green venture-capital fund that will draw its cash, and its wisdom, from crowds of small investors.
HP iPaq Travel Companion 310 Is a Globetrotter's BFF

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 8:00pm

The HP iPaq Travel Companion 310 navigation device crams a boatload of extras, like 3-D maps and lovely touchscreen navigation.
Google Stock Slides as Online Advertising Loses Steam

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 5:55pm

Fewer people are clicking on internet ads, the main source of Google's profits, and the online leader's stock falls to an 11-month low.
EU Drops the Hammer Again, Fining Microsoft $1.3 Billion

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 5:30pm

The software maker is hit with the single biggest fine ever imposed against a company in Europe, for charging what regulators called "unreasonable prices" to rivals wanting to make their products compatible with Windows.
Adobe's Kevin Lynch on AIR's Open-Source Road to the Desktop

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 3:30am

Kevin Lynch, Adobe's new chief technology officer, tells Wired.com about the role open-source played in the development of his company's new AIR technology. He also discusses the state of Flash on Linux and mobile devices.
How to Speed Up Windows Vista

Posted: February 27th, 2008, 12:00am

Windows Vista is heavy on the dazzle, but when measured in performance, those interface enhancements come at a steep price. Here's how to remove the stuff you don't need and make Vista run faster on your own PC.
February 26, 2008
On the Ropes, Vonage Struggles for a Comeback

Posted: February 26th, 2008, 11:30pm

The pioneering voice-over-internet company is battered by lawsuits, customer defections and poor stock-market performance. Many have written it off, but Vonage is hoping for a second act.
Yahoo Open Search Gives Users Richer Results

Posted: February 26th, 2008, 9:20pm

Yahoo launched new features for website owners on Tuesday, making it easier for them to include photos, links and additional data from their sites into Yahoo's default search result listings.
Yahoo Puts the 'Buzz' in Social News, Launches Digg Competitor

Posted: February 26th, 2008, 9:15pm

The company's new Buzz news aggregation portal debuted Tuesday. The site lets Yahoo users vote on interesting stories, and the winners earn a place on the Yahoo homepage.
IBM's Latest Mainframe Saves Energy, 50 Percent Faster

Posted: February 26th, 2008, 6:50pm

The new computer is aimed at government and corporate customers and designed to dramatically lower energy costs while not sacrificing data storage capabilities.
TED Conference to Tackle Origins of Evil, Theories of Everything

Posted: February 26th, 2008, 4:00am

The 24th annual TED conference will gather 1,100 luminaries in the fields of technology, entertainment and design to discuss "big questions," including a unified theory of everything and an explanation of where evil comes from.
Help Define the New 'Free' Economy

Posted: February 26th, 2008, 4:00am

The web's "media business model" requires a whole new approach to building your brand. Offer your own strategies for making money within the culture of Free on Wired.com's How-To Wiki.
Nvidia Opens Door to Mac Developers

Posted: February 26th, 2008, 1:00am

Mac developers, like their PC counterparts, now have the chance to tap the parallel processing power of GPUs thanks to a new CUDA toolkit and SDK from Nvidia.
Summer Test: Monster Golf Drivers

Posted: February 26th, 2008, 12:30am

Wired's video team presents footage from the Cougar Ace, a cargo ship full of Mazdas that listed in the ocean off Alaska.
February 25, 2008
7 Jobs That Nokia's Morph Phone Will Be Good For

Posted: February 25th, 2008, 9:15pm

Talk about an all-in-one: Check out the seven unexpected things Nokia's Morph concept phone can do.
$400 Cloudbook Laptop Aims to Take On the Eee PC

Posted: February 25th, 2008, 8:45pm

Wal-Mart's budget-priced ultraportable notebook tries to compete with the Eee PC.
Microsoft Quietly Launches Internet Explorer 8 as Private Beta

Posted: February 25th, 2008, 8:30pm

Software giant Microsoft has made version 8 of its Internet Explorer web browser available to some developers as an invitation-only beta. Microsoft is expected to publicly demonstrate the new browser in a few weeks with a public beta release to follow later.
Adobe Releases AIR 1.0, Brings Desktop and Web Closer Together

Posted: February 25th, 2008, 8:15pm

The Adobe Integrated Runtime, the company's platform for rich internet applications that run on the desktop, was officially released on Monday following a year of beta development. Adobe also released new open-source tools for working with AIR and its near-ubiquitous Flash web presentation platform.
The Camera May Not Lie, but the Software Does

Posted: February 25th, 2008, 6:00pm

If a photograph seems to good to be true, maybe it is. Photoshopping has made photo manipulation so easy that photojournalism is suffering a credibility crisis.
No Game: Electronic Arts Pushing Takeover of Take-Two

Posted: February 25th, 2008, 5:45pm

EA is taking a $2 billion bid straight to the New York gamemaker's stockholders after being twice rebuffed by the board of directors.
Get "Free" for Free

Posted: February 25th, 2008, 7:00am

It's free -- really. No subscription, no purchase. Just fill out the form and be one of the 10,000 who can get this issue for $0.00.
Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business

Posted: February 25th, 2008, 7:00am

King Gillette's 1895 disposable blades made good freebies to help sell other products. Companies use his business model today to create demand for their goods: Give away the cell phone, sell the monthly plan; make the videogame console cheap and sell expensive games. Now, the underlying technologies that power the web are making "freeconomics" a full-fledged economy.
February 24, 2008
Microsoft Calls It Quits With HD DVD

Posted: February 24th, 2008, 10:45pm

Microsoft announces it will stop making HD DVD players for its Xbox 360 videogame system after Toshiba ceded the high-definition video format battle to Sony's Blu-ray.
Judge Greenlights Suit Against Microsoft Over Vista OS

Posted: February 24th, 2008, 12:30am

A federal judge approves a class action lawsuit against Microsoft over the way it advertised computers loaded with Windows XP as capable of running the Vista operating system.
February 23, 2008
Gates: Speech Software Will Overtake Keyboards

Posted: February 23rd, 2008, 10:00pm

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates says people will increasingly interact with computers using speech or touch screens rather than keyboards, and in five years, more Internet searches will be done through speech than through typing on a keyboard.
How-To Share MP3s With Your Facebook Friends Using DoubleTwistWired: Software

Posted: February 23rd, 2008, 7:00am by How-To Wiki

Want to get started sharing your DRM-free MP3s with your friends? Follow our guide in the Wired.com How-To Wiki and you'll be sharing music with your Facebook buddies in minutes.
Can Apple Patent the Pinch? Experts Say It's PossibleWired: Gadgets

Posted: February 23rd, 2008, 4:00am by Bryan Gardiner

Apple has filed many patent applications relating to multitouch interfaces like that found on the iPhone -- including patents on the "pinch" gesture used to zoom in and out. As other manufacturers bring multitouch devices to market, Apple's patent applications could prove a major stumbling block.
Microsoft Says It Wouldn't Move All of YahooWired: Tech Biz

Posted: February 23rd, 2008, 2:00am by Associated Press

Microsoft says if it buys Yahoo, it would maintain a presence in Silicon Valley, but falls short of guaranteeing all current Yahoo employees their jobs in Mountain View -- or anywhere, for that matter.
February 22, 2008
Nurture Your Newborn Leopard -- Optimize Mac OS X With Free SoftwareWired: Software

Posted: February 22nd, 2008, 8:45pm by How-To Wiki

Apple's native operating system provides a wealth of helpful applications right out of the box. But by downloading some free software and making a few tweaks to the system, you can make it do so much more. Wired's How-To Wiki shows you everything you need to trick out your Mac.
Review: M-Audio's MixLab Tutors Aspiring Digital DJsWired: Gadgets

Posted: February 22nd, 2008, 8:30pm by Gadget Lab

M-Audio's MixLab is a perfect start for wannabe DJs: It lets you drag and drop tracks into two virtual on-screen decks. From there, you can take the tunes and run with them.
Google's Brin Calls Microsoft Bid a Threat to InnovationWired: Tech Biz

Posted: February 22nd, 2008, 6:55pm by Associated Press

A Microsoft-Yahoo merger would threaten innovation on the internet, says Google cofounder Sergei Brin, who describes the maneuver as "unnerving."
Appeal Trial Begins for Disgraced Japanese Net MogulWired: Tech Biz

Posted: February 22nd, 2008, 5:15pm

Takafumi Horie, the flamboyant former CEO of Livedoor sentenced to 2-1/2 years for defrauding shareholders, will try to avoid actual prison time. Not surprisingly, his attorney says Horie is innocent.
Computers Are Smart, but They Don't Understand ApostrophesWired: Software

Posted: February 22nd, 2008, 5:05pm by Associated Press

It's a common piece of punctuation that continues bedeviling computers well into the information age. The reason? Sloppy programming, mostly.
EU Skeptical of Microsoft's Promise to Share TechnologyWired: Tech Biz

Posted: February 22nd, 2008, 4:55pm by Associated Press

Regulators say the software maker still hasn't addressed past monopolistic practices, and continues bundling Internet Explorer with its Windows OS.