Archive for May, 2008
The browser becomes news
Mozilla is close to releasing a new version of its Firefox browser. It is interesting that the upcoming version 3.0 is considered worthy of an article on the first page of the New York Times business section. Actually, the article is about more than just Firefox. Its theme is really about how the browser is [...]
Has eBay been ruined by scams?
Although I am not currently a user of eBay (I did sell a few items there some years ago) I have always thought that it was a great concept. A general marketplace where a person’s unwanted stuff could find a home and provide a little extra cash was an excellent idea. Originally, there [...]
Find best gas prices
In the US the Memorial Day weekend is here. Usually, that means a lot of holiday driving. The recent run-up in gas prices may cut down on that but, if you must drive, there’s a Web site called GasBuddy.com to help you find the best price for a fill-up. Some details are at Webware.
Yahoo mail now ad-free
The free Web-based email from Yahoo is now free of ads. Unless you paid a fee, your emails used to contain a one-line blurb of some sort. The Washington Post comments:
With Yahoo Mail and Google’s Gmail now delivering messages free of tacked-on ads, Hotmail and AOL (which has even stapled taglines to the outgoing messages [...]
Mac takes over upscale home computer market?
Here’s an eye-opening statistic: in the first quarter of this year Macs accounted for 2/3 of the sales at brick-and-mortar stores of computers costing over $1000. Joe Wilcox writes:
The share data is for first-quarter brick-and-mortar stores, as tabulated by the NPD Group. Apple’s market share is but one measure of success. Sales growth is way [...]
Desperately seeking searchers
Having been unable to buy search market share from Yahoo, Microsoft is now going to try to buy market share directly. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Microsoft Corp. hopes to make gains on Google Inc. in the lucrative business of Internet search through a new service that pays consumers who buy items they find through the [...]
Microsoft PR campaign
It seems that Microsoft is about to spend $300 million to rebrand itself as a cool company. Mary Jo Foley reports on the campaign from the advertising agency that Microsoft has hired to shine up its public image:
The Crispin folks say they like a challenge. They have one on their hands with the Softies. From [...]
How to find commands in Microsoft Office 2007
Not everybody is a fan of the new ribbon interface in Office 2007. Many users have trouble finding the commands that they were used to employing in previous versions of Office. There’s been enough complaining that Microsoft has released a new search tool for finding the commands. Go to this Microsoft site to download the [...]
Get free shipping
Sometimes it seems that companies selling online try to make all their profit in the shipping and handling charges. These added fees can be a substantial fraction of the total cost of an online order. AppScout has an article giving ways to cut the costs of online shopping by getting free shipping. It features the [...]
How to try out Ubuntu Linux without installing it
Many PC users would be willing to try out an alternative operating system but are afraid they might mess up their regular system. There are several ways to run other operating systems without disturbing Windows or other primary operating system. One method is to use virtual machines but most home users would probably consider that [...]
Developers shunning Vista?
It seems that users are not the only ones unhappy with Windows Vista. PC World reports that the people who develop software are avoiding writing code for the Vista platform:
Windows developers are confirming the results of a survey released yesterday that found fewer than 1 in 12 programmers currently writing applications targeting Windows Vista.
