Hi, I'm Molly Wood, and welcome to the Buzz Report, the show about the tech news
that everyone's talking about.
This week, the mystery missile that wasn't, big
bonuses at Google, and accidental international incidents.
But first, it's the Gadget of the Week.
The Gadget of the Week is the Samsung Continuum -- it's the
latest Samsung Galaxy S phone, and it does a neat little trick.
It has
two displays -- one is a nice big 4.2 inch Super AMOLED display,
and the other is a little 1.8-inch ticker at the bottom, which can
show you a customized stream of real-time information like, news,
sports, weather, and Twitter and Facebook updates.
Plus, it can be
a mobile hotspot for up to five devices, there's a 5 megapixel
camera, and a 1 gigahertz processor.
On the other hand, it'll be pre-
loaded with Bing and Bing's maps, and Verizon crapware out the
wazoo when it hits stores November 18.
Buyer beware.
And now for the news.
Google is reportedly giving every single
employee a one thousand dollar bonus and a 10 percent raise.
This
follows earlier reports that Google was handing out huge cash
counter-offers to keep employees from leaving for Facebook.
So,
either Google is a really, really, really super awesome place to
work, or it's an increasingly terrible place to work and they're
trying to beg people to stay with cold, hard cash instead of actual
efforts to boost morale.
I'm not really sure, but I went ahead and
submitted a resume just in case.
Investigative journalism.
Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7 this week, with a ...
not
really like a bang, more like a quiet hum.
Early reports said first-
day sales were probably around 40 thousand units, although that
may have been the result of supply shortages in some places.
Either way, Microsoft is planning on playing a long game with
Windows Phone 7.
Hey, maybe part of their strategy is to let
Verizon ruin perfectly good phones with Bing and tons of other
crapware, and drive them into the arms of Windows Phone 7!
Devious.
Oh, all right, cheap shot at Bing.
Let's give Google a turn.
Apparently, an error in Google Maps caused Nicaraguan troops to
accidentally invade Costa Rica.
I could tell you what happened, but
in this case, I think I prefer a dramatic re-enactment.
Mitch: Bienvenidos a Costa Rica
Molly: Costa Rica?
What are you talking about?
This is
Nicaragua man.
Mitch: No that�s Nicaragua, this is Costa Rica.
Molly: No this is Nicaragua.
Mitch: Can�t you see I have Eco Tourists behind me, that is Costa
Rica.
Molly: Can�t you see my Google Map?
It says this is Nicaragua.
You need to get out of here.
Mitch: Look what the sign says.
Molly: You need to go.
Mitch: No you go.
Either way?
Oops.
Also a potential oops, this supposed missile
launch off the coast of California this week.
A CBS News
helicopter captured images that look a lot like a vertical contrail,
potentially from a missile launch.
Some experts say it could be
from a plane, a former NATO ambassador said it could be an
underwater ICBM shot off as a show of force to Asia while Obama
is in Indonesia ...
the Pentagon said it couldn't figure out what was
going on and the FAA didn't have any answers either, and the
Defense Department suggested maybe it was just an optical
illusion.
Really?
This is the competence level of the United States
government?
No one can tell you what that thing is in the sky, so
you start suggesting maybe it was never there at all?
Hey, no, I
have a better idea, you know what you should do?
Blame Google Maps.
Let's pacify the masses with a little Clogging the Tubes, shall we?
Internet memes collide with the kitteh that says om nom nom.
Check it out.
Missile?
What missile!
And that's the Buzz Report for this week, everyone.
I'm Molly
Wood, and thank you for watching.
