Google buy JotSpot and continue march to all-free Web applications

Google has just announced buying JotSpot, the leader in Wiki applications and online collaboration tools.

They have shut the JotSpot service down to new users until Google integrate them with their systems. JotSpot will likely stop charging for their services and make money by selling ads within free hosted Wiki applications.

If Google integrate JotSpot with Docs & Spreadsheets and Blogger.com, your average user could get ever closer to building their own, rich websites and website applications.

Smart move Google, and yet again, beware Microsoft!

Will Yahoo buy AOL?

The business rumor mill is spinning with the news that Yahoo may be trying to buy AOL. Could it be true?

It could well be, after all Yahoo shares have been as soggy as my kids nappies for most of this year so CEO Semel needs to do something.

And Time Warner need to increasingly focus on creating content and might be better off as a minority owner in a merged Yahoo/AOL business which would instantly become the worlds numero uno portal by a long way.

And hanging over Semel's head is the Microsoft guillotine. If Yahoo does not do something, Microsoft may end up eating them. Which is not a pretty picture.

The easiest option might be for Yahoo to try and remain independent, but it may be too late for that, the big Internet players have reached a point of maturity where consolidation should become the name of the game.

If so, Yahoo would be better off as a leader than follower. Better buccaneer than schmuck(aneer).

Verizon prove fixed telephony is stuffed and wireless as hot as an Indian curry!

Verizon today proved yet again that the fixed line business is as stuffed as Saddam Hussein's trial while the mobile sector is shining like his bald patch (or is it a wig).

They feel extremely clever about having delivered higher quarterly revenues than Cingular Wireless. Less clever is the fact Verizon Wireless is jointly owned with the UK's Vodafone and they would have to pay a fortune to buy them out!

Both residential and business telephony shrunk - so maybe they should think about buying into Internet telephony. How about going after Vonage? (Aren't they quiet of late).

Microsoft finally kicking ass again - or are they?

Microsoft proved they can still kick ass with the best of them as they announced an 11% increase in both revenues and earnings (that seems a little coincidental?) in the latest quarter.

The Xbox proved the star attraction (no, that's not a space game) thanks to the endless delay in Sony's Playstation 3 (how's its batteries looking?) and a slew of new products in the server division.

Meanwhile Microsoft promise that next year will be even hotter thanks to Vista and Office 07 which at least will be available in 07. We think, they promise, promise..!

Microsoft were a little less noisy about the fact that their Internet division went backwards. Revenues slipped and losses mounted. Mind you, they have so much (cash that is) - who cares?

Just Google!

Fon.com dishing out free Wi-Fi routers!

Fon, the Spanish Wi-Fi-for-everyone start-up has come up with a great wheeze for cashing in on free Wi-Fi routers. Buy a plane ticket to San Francisco and they'll give you one free starting lunch time today (and only today).

For the rest of us go down your local BestBuy and shell out $60 for a Linksys router.

And San Francisco is so nice this time of year.

Microsoft exec heading for Space!

According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer (now there's a mouthful),

"While training to become the next tourist in space, Charles Simonyi was delighted to see that the hundreds of pages of Russian documentation onboard the spacecraft were written using Microsoft Word.

After all, he led the Microsoft team that invented the popular software."

Lets hope the space craft isn't as buggy as Microsoft software! And a little faster...

Sony announces disastrous results

Sony's latest results were about as depressing as a ski slope in the spring today as net profits were down a gob smacking 94%.

The battery recalls and delays in the launch of PlayStation 3 are destroying Stringers attempt at turning the old battleship around.

They've got a long way to go now!

Oracle takes on Red Hat!

Oracle today announced they would make available their own version of the open-source operating system under the new “Unbreakable Linux” brand.

They also said they would offer bug fixes and full support for the software at a lower price than that charged by Red Hat, the biggest Linux company.

And they promise that their version will be identical to that of Red Hat.

Is that legal? It seems so. Such are the perils of open-source!

Jack "straight from the gut" Welch after the Boston Globe

Jack "straight from the gut" Welch is apparently considering a bid for the Boston Globe which is currently owned by the New York Times.

Given how the Internet is ravaging traditional media and newspapers in particular it is hard to understand how this would be a "Winning" move for the ex head of GE.

But the New York Times may be desperate enough!

Amazon spanks revenues while crunching profits - Oops!

Amazon today smacked out a whacking 25% increase in quarterly revenues, but a depressing (if your an investor) 37% drop in profits.

But they promise they'll be good boys and gals going forwards and spend less on technology and new products/services like their all new video/music-one-day service Amazon Unbox.

Their shares popped up 11% proving how little faith investors have in Amazon's R&D efforts!

Firefox V2 hotter than a cats ass on fire!

The Mozilla Foundation (no its not a league for dinosaurs!) today launched Version 2 of their browser, Firefox, and its hotter than a cats ass on fire as demonstrated in their logo! (OK so its a fox!)

Their launch comes on the back of Microsoft's latest version of Explorer (7) and it looks like Mozilla may have beaten them yet again on features, security and general WOW cooltito, kiss my cats ass, smoothy factor.

For me the look and feel is better, tabbed browsing is improved and finally spell check is 'in your face'.

Downloading was a bit messy but who's counting.

Google launches custom search!

According to CNET's News.com today:

"A new Google tool will let people use Google's search platform to create search engines focused on the content of their choice.

With the Google Custom Search Engine, announced by the company on Monday, Web site and blog publishers can provide custom results most relevant to their readers, incorporating a site's online community and its ability to provide contextual ads. The customized search engines can also be tailored to aesthetically match any Web site."

And if any of you can understand a single word of the above you get a TechBoard t-shirt.

The rest should go to Google Custom Search!

Sony Reader does for ebooks what the Palm Pilot did for PDA's - not a lot!

The Sony Reader is now available and its well, underwhelming!

Check out CNET News.com's video both reviewing and demonstrating the reader and you'll get why.

Its about as sexy as an old Palm Pilot and its, well, black and white!!

For more disappointment check out Sony Connect - the supposed iTunes for music, movies and ebooks! Killer? Not a chance.

I guess we'll have to wait for the Apple iBook to get into the game. Shame. Could it follow the iPhone as a major new product release for Apple in 2007. Oh please!

Sony announce they might lose market share in battery business - der yeah!

According to Reuters today:

Sony Corp said ... that a recall of up to 9.6 million of its personal computer batteries was overwhelming its production capacity and warned it could lose some business to its rivals.

Der yeah! Its about as likely as Jeff Skilling going to jail. 100 percento!

AT&T kicks big IPTV ass!

AT&T says they are kicking bag IPTV ass (who isn't) and are now planning to launch their hi-definition version of the apparently popular Internet TV service called U-verse (God knows why?).

It'll be available across 15 US metropolitan areas by year end and according to trial users in Texas "its as hot as mustard".

The fact that they are in such a remote part of Texas that cable hasn't reached them yet has absolutely nothing to do with the positive results.

AT&T have been quick to point out that they can finally whoop cable companies back in the xxx!