SONY IS GOING TO LAUNCH 3D TVS, NOKIA UNVEILS A NEW LINE OF
PHONES, AND YOU CAN'T SELL YOUR PARENTS ON CRAIGSLIST. ITS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND. I'M NATALI DEL CONTE. IT'S TIME TO GET
LOADED.
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IF YOU DIDN'T NOTICE, I'M SURE YOU HEARD ABOUT IT. GMAIL WAS
DOWN YESTERDAY FOR ALMOST TWO HOURS. USERS WERE UNABLE TO
LOG INTO THEIR GMAIL ACCOUNTS FROM THE WEB; HOWEVER, POP AND
IMAP WERE STILL AVAILABLE DURING THE OUTAGE. GOOGLE SAYS THE
PROBLEM WAS CAUSED WHEN THEY TOOK SOME OF THEIR SERVERS
OFFLINE FOR MAINTENANCE. MEANWHILE, CHANGES MADE TO ROUTER
SOFTWARE BACKFIRED AND CAUSED A CASSCADE OF FAILURES
THROUGHOUT THEIR SYSTEMS. I ALWAYS FIND IT SO AMUSING THAT THE
BLOGOSPHERE AND TWITTERSPHERE ABSOLUTELY FREAKS OUT WHEN
THIS HAPPENS. ITS BACK UP AND RUNNING NOW THOUGH SO WE CAN ALL
TAKE A COLLECTIVE SIGH OF RELIEF.
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EBAY CONFIRMED THAT IT DID IN FACT SELL OFF SKYPE, OR AT LEAST
MOST OF SKYPE. A GROUP OF VENTURE CAPITALISTS HAVE PURCHASED
65 PERCENT OF THE COMPANY FROM EBAY, AND EBAY WILL RETAIN 35
PERCENT. EBAY BOUGHT SKYPE IN 2005 FOR 3.1 BILLION DOLLARS AND
NOW SOLD OFF THE CONTROLLING SHARE FOR 1.9 BILLION DOLLARS. I'M
NO MATHEMETITIAN, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT WAS NOT A GOOD
INVESTMENT FOR EBAY. THE COMPANY'S PRESIDENT JOSH SILVERMAN
WROTE THAT HE WAS EXCITED TO BE AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY
AGAIN.
[*]
THE KREMLIN NOW HAS ITS OWN YOUTUBE CHANNEL. IT LAUNCHED ON
TUESDAY ALONG WITH BACK TO SCHOOL DAY. THE KREMLIN PLANS TO
KEEP THE CHANNEL UP TO DATE WITH DIRECT ADDRESSES FROM
PRESIDENT DMITRI MEDVEDEV AS WELL AS SNIPPETS FROM HIS
SPEECHES. OF COURSE THIS IS ALL IN RUSSIAN.
[*]
THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE HAS BANNED PLAYERS, COACHES,
LEAGUE OFFICIALS, AND EVEN THE MEDIA FROM TWEETING DURING
GAMES. IN FACT THEY CANNOT ENGAGE IN ANY SOCIAL NETWORKING
STARTING 90 MINUTES BEFORE THE GAME AND ENDING WHEN ALL POST-
GAME INTERVIEWS ARE COMPLETED. ADDITIONALLY, ANYONE
REPRESENTING A PLAYER OR COACH CANNOT TWEET EITHER. OF COURSE,
THE NFL DOESN'T WANT INSIDE INFORMATION COMPETING WITH ITS BIG
MONEY MEDIA BROADCASTS BUT THIS IS JUST OVERKILL. AND STUPID. I
WOULD SAY MORE BUT I DON'T REALLY WANT TO TAKE ON THE NFL.
THOSE GUYS ARE PRETTY BIG.
[*]
NINTENDO IS NO LONGER GOING TO CHARGE FOR THE BROWSER ON THE
WII. NINTENDO'S BROWSER IS POWERED BY OPERA. IT USED TO COST 500
WII POINTS, OR $5. NOW IT IS FREE AGAIN, WHICH MAKES SENSE. ALL
BROWSERS SHOULD BE FREE. IF YOU SPENT 500 WII POINTS TO BUY THE
BROWSER, YOU WILL GET A 500 POINT CREDIT, STARTING AT THE END OF
OCTOBER.
[*]
WINDOWS MOBILE 6.5 IS SET TO LAUNCH ON OCTOBER 6TH. THIS IS THE
NEWEST VARIATION FOR WINDOWS PHONES AND IT WILL RUN ON A
COLLECTION OF PHONES ON AT&T, SPRINT, AND VERIZON. THEY WILL BE
MARKETED AS THE WINDOWS PHONE, KIND OF LIKE THE IPHONE OR THE
GOOGLE PHONE, SO THAT HOPEFULLY CONSUMERS DON'T GET
CONFUSED. WE'LL HAVE TO SEE ABOUT THAT.
[*]
NOKIA UNVEILED A NEW LINE OF SMARTPHONES INCLUDING THE X3, X6,
AND A NEW N97 MINI. THEY ARE ALL PRETTY PRICEY PHONES, AROUND
450 EUROS OR $640 BUT THAT IS STANDARD NOKIA FAIRE. THE PHONES
WILL ALSO HAVE FACEBOOK INTEGRATION IN THE OVI STORE WHERE
YOU CAN UPDATE YOUR LOCATION AND STATUS DIRECTLY FROM THE
DEVICE. THE FIRST OF THESE PHONES TO HIT THE MARKET WILL BE THE
N97 MINI IN OCTOBER.
[*]
THE NEW LINE OF SONY VIAOS WILL COME WITH GOOGLE'S CHROME
BROWSER PRE-INSTALLED. YOU MAY NOT CARE ABOUT THIS INITIALLY
BUT THINK ABOUT THE PRECIDENT FOR A SECOND: THE VIAO IS A
WINDOWS MACHINE AND USUALLY WINDOWS MACHINE COME WITH ONE
BROWSER PRE-INSTALLED: INTERNET EXPLORER. FOR A MANUFACTURER
TO GIVE CONSUMERS AN OPTION OUT OF THE GATE IS A BIG DEAL. IT IS
SOMETHING MOZILLA HAS WANTED FOR YEARS FOR ITS FIREFOX
BROWSER. IT IS A STEP IN THE DIRECTION OF REAL CHOICE IN OUR
COMPUTING LIFE. IT IS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE WITH SONG AND
DANCE. GO AHEAD AND DO THAT ON YOUR OWN.
[*]
IN OTHER SONY NEWS, THE COMPANY IS REPORTED TO BE LAUNCHING 3D
TV'S SOMETIME NEXT YEAR. THE COMPANY IS SHOWING THESE OFF AT
THE IFA CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW IN GERMANY THIS MONTH. A
FEW WEEKS AGO SONY SAID THAT THEY WOULD NOT PUSH OUT NEW
LINES OF OLED TVS. PERHAPS THEY CHOSE 3D INSTEAD? WE DON'T HAVE
TIMING FOR THIS YET.
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AND FINALLY, YOU CAN'T SELL YOUR PARENTS ON CRAIGSLIST. A MAN
NAMED MICHAEL AMATRUDO TRIED BUT HE CLAIMS IT WAS MOSTLY A
JOKE. IN HIS POST, HE WROTE: "I got lots of use out of these guys over the past 50
years, but it's time to move on. Will consider trade for newer model, hot blonde under age
40 or an Erector Set in good condition. MUST SEE! Please email or call Michael for
additional details and pics. $155.00 OBO." HE CLAIMS IT WAS ALL A JOKE. WHAT
A LOVING SON!
[*]
THOSE ARE ALL OF YOUR HEADLINES FOR TODAY AND I WILL OF COURSE
SEE YOU TOMORROW. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. I'M NATALI DEL
CONTE WITH CNET TV AND YOU'VE JUST BEEN LOADED.
