Archive for February, 2008

Microsoft emails: Vista not so capable after all….

When it says fibby fibby fibby on the label label label
(This originally appeared in Infoworld’s Notes From the Field blog.)
by Robert X. Cringely
At first, I thought the whole lawsuit over bogus “Vista capable” labeling didn’t have legs. Sure, those labels were, shall we say, ‘aspirational’? But anyone who’s ever looked at the minimum [...]

Judge to Baer: Stick this stipulation in your secret bank account

Since it seems to be All Baer v. WikiLinks, All the Time here at Tynan on Technology, here is the latest on the case, courtesy of CNet’s man on the spot, Declan McCullough:
SAN FRANCISCO–Wikileaks may get its domain name back sooner than later.
A federal judge here has spent 90 minutes or so hearing arguments [...]

Flying Pig Airways: Questions for Julius Baer

It’s like an itch you can’t help scratching — or at least I can’t. Yesterday’s press release by the Bank Julius Baer’s PR minions left me with more questions than answers. So last night I shot off a few queries to the crack PR team, just to see if they will respond.
I really don’t expect [...]

Bank Julius Baer emerges from hibernation, issues official statement

This just landed in my inbox. Bank Julius Baer would like to clear up some “misconceptions” regarding the WikiLeaks debacle. Here’s their statement, with commentary to follow. — D. T.
ZURICH / NEW YORK, February 28, 2008 — Julius Baer wishes to address certain misconceptions relating to a recent court decision to take the Wikileaks.org [...]

Review: ECirkit.com — a Dog in Wolf’s Clothing

This social network sees itself as a home for bikers, babes, and body art, but it’s strictly for dorks and dilettantes.
(An edited version of this entry originally appeared on PCworld.com)
by Dan Tynan
eCirkit bills itself as a social network for “artists, speed- and thrill-seekers, non-conformists, [and] extremophiles [sic] of every variety.” It’s extreme all right – [...]

Five Ways to Watch Your Back On the Net

(A version of this story originally appeared on PCworld.com.)
by Dan Tynan
It’s not what other people think of you that matters. It’s what they can find out about you on the Web that will affect your ability to get a job or promotion, rent an apartment, buy a house, get into the school of your [...]

Don’t look now, but somebody’s Googling your colon

(This entry first appeared on Infoworld’s Notes From the Field blog. What field, you might ask. Good question.)
by Robot X. Cringely
Ignorance is truth. If George Orwell were alive today and working as a marketing wonk, he’d probably have a job at Microsoft. Case in point: MS’s Aussie division is offering $15,000 in prizes to OEM [...]

It may be Google’s data, but it’s you they’re gonna arrest

(Originally posted on Infoworld.com’s Notes From the Field blog.)
by Robert X. (don’t call me Bob) Cringely

Sergey Brin has weighed in on the whole MicroHoo fandango, and not surprisingly he’s agin’ it. At Google’s Lunar X prize announcement last week, Brin told the Associated Press:
The Internet has evolved from open standards, having a diversity of companies. [...]

Auto Tech: Same Gear, New Services

For this year’s cars, personal navigation and search services will be in the driver’s seat.
(This entry originally appeared in my Gadget Freak column in the February 2008 issue of PC World. Washingtonpost.com also ran it — and this time they managed to include my byline.)
by Dan Tynan
You may drive a sporty new car with [...]

First Impressions: The Chumby

The Chumby is the latest in Internet appliances — and unlike most gizmos that use this term, this one really is like an appliance. This of it as a WiFi-powered clock radio that also does photos, video, news, and games, among other things.Plug it in, activate it online, and pick the “channels” (widgets) you [...]

You Don’t Know Tech – News Quiz for 22 Feb 08

(This quiz appears in a groovy interactive format on Infoworld’s web site.)
by Dan Tynan
Between putting the squeeze on Yahoo, recalling its Vista service pack, and vowing yet again to play nicely with others, Microsoft is all over this week’s quiz. Along the way we also touch on Amazon’s cloudy future, HD-DVD’s demise, and what [...]

Hey, I’m in Newsweek

Or is that on Newsweek.com? The in/on thing gets so confusing when you go electronic.
I did an interview with Brian Braiker of Newsweek.com yesterday regarding my piece on Wikileaks and the Bank Julius Baer. He apparently saw it thanks to the many slashdotters who raised my Cringely post high enough for the world to see [...]

Look Before You Leak

(Originally published on Infoworld’s Notes From the Field blog.)
by Robert X. Cringely
I bet you thought people banked in the Cayman Islands because they serve fruity cocktails with tiny parasols in them while you’re waiting for your checks to clear. Well, you’re only partly right. The other reason people keep accounts in the Caymans is to [...]

Review: Acoustic Research ARRU449 Universal Wi-Fi Remote

This pricey remote is innovative, but it’s not without flaws.
(This story originally appeared on PCworld.com)

by Dan Tynan
Forget world peace or love sweet love. What the world really needs now is a simple, easy-to-program universal remote. Acoustics Research’s ARRU449 Universal Wi-Fi Remote comes closer than most.
What’s different about this $399 handheld is Wi-Fi. The ARRU449 can [...]

Spy in the sky: What tech is the US trying to hide?

(This entry originally appeared in Infoworld’s Notes From the Field blog.)
by Robert X. Cringely

This whole “shoot the spy satellite out of the sky and win a kewpie doll” story is more interesting than it first appeared.
It turns out Uncle Sam isn’t particularly worried about the satellite landing in somebody’s pool and/or spewing plutonium all [...]

Borderline illegal: Your laptop is not your own

(Originally published by Robert X. Cringely on his Notes From the Field blog for Infoworld.
by Robert X. Cringely
Planning to travel out of the country? Maybe you want to think twice about bringing your laptop, your cell phone, or even that iPod. (And if you’re of Asian or Middle Eastern descent, that goes double.)
Last week, the [...]

Review: iRobot Roomba 560

VACUUM PACKED
The latest in digital devices is part room cleaner, part robotic buddy.
(This article originally appeared in the December 2007 issue of US Airways Magazine.)

by Dan Tynan
iRobot’s Roomba is more than a vacuum cleaner: It’s a cultural phenomenon. More than two million have been sold since it was introduced five years ago, making it [...]

You Don’t Know Tech: News Quiz

(Here’s my weekly news quiz. You can find a groovy scripted version that totes up your score at Infoworld. Here you’re on your own. Answers follow after the jump.)
You Don’t Know Tech: 15 February 2008
by Dan Tynan
Buying, selling, jumping, and dumping — it’s been a busy week in technology. And like the news, this quiz [...]

Yahoo, Rupert Murdoch, and the last days of Darl McBride

(Originally published by Robert X. Cringely on his Notes From the Field blog for Infoworld.)
by Robert X. Cringely

White knight, black heart. Here’s a bit of chilling news: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is apparently in talks with Yahoo on ways to save it from the clutches of Microsoft. That’s a bit like being rescued from a [...]

Your Online Reputation is Toast

Have you Googled yourself lately? You may not like what you find.
(A version of this story originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of US Airways Magazine.)
by Dan Tynan

They used to call it Ego Surfing. Type your own name into a search engine and see how many matches turned up. If you got more hits [...]