Top Items:
Ryan Block / Engadget:
Microsoft's new Zunes: officially in 80, 8, and 4GB sizes — We love a good non-mystery around here, and Microsoft's new Zunes are about as un-mysterious as they get. But we also love a good product refresh, and now that the cat's officially out of the bag we can really dig into the new Zunes …
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Jeff Leeds / New York Times:
Microsoft Updates Its iPod Competitor — Microsoft has revamped its slow-selling Zune digital music players and created a MySpace-style social-networking site in its drive to compete with Apple's market-leading iPod player. — In large part, the Microsoft moves announced Tuesday …
Discussion:
Tech Talk with Dean Takahashi, Business Week, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, PC World, Gadget Lab, Mobility Site, Scripting News and dailywireless.org
Todd Bishop / Todd Bishop's Microsoft Blog:
Highlights: Microsoft overhauls its Zune lineup — Microsoft released details of its new Zune devices Tuesday. They're due for release in November. Analysts say some of the new features are interesting, such as wireless synching with the PC. But Microsoft is playing catch-up to Apple's iPod …
Ryan Block / Engadget:
Microsoft beefs up Zune music and community experience — As we noted in our Zune launch post, with the new Zune announcements, Microsoft intends to do more than just launch hardware. The Zune crew has apparently done a complete overhaul of the Zune desktop software so it's no longer …
Microsoft:
Zune Drives Next Generation of Digital Music Experience With Community Web Site Built Around Music — Microsoft unveils Zune Social, new Zune devices, innovative Zune software and redesigned Zune Marketplace — all geared toward discovering and sharing new music.
Peter Kafka / Silicon Alley Insider:
Microsoft: Yep, New Zunes. And DRM-Free Music? — Our spy in Seattle (actually, 20 minutes or so outside of Bellevue) tells us that Microsoft did indeed show off new Zunes today - a $149, 4 gig version and a $199, 8 gig model, both of which use flash memory, and an $249, 80 gig version that uses a hard drive.
Discussion:
Zune-Online.com, Valleywag, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Daring Fireball, Mashable!, Geek News Central, Engadget and Gizmodo
Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider:
Google to $2,000 a Share? — A reader complained that we've been nothing but negative of late—recession, Microsoft, Yahoo, newspapers, music, dying TV ads, etc.—so we'll brighten your afternoon with some rip-roaring positivity. — Remember a couple years back when some analyst floated …
Discussion:
Valleywag
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Robert Scoble / Scobleizer:
Steve Ballmer still doesn't understand social networking — A few years ago I wrote to Microsoft's leadership and asked them why they weren't involved in the new Web 2.0 space. I got an answer back that was about 2,000 words long and included the words "business value" 13 times.
Discussion:
BoomTown, TechCrunch, Darren Herman, WebProNews, innonate, Bruce Clay, Inc. Blog, ParisLemon, GigaOM, Digital Media Wire, Squash, Bokardo, loose wire blog, Leveraging Ideas, Times of London, Epicenter, The Globe and Mail, Insider Chatter, Silicon Valley Blog, All about Microsoft, Brier Dudley's blog, Digital Daily, Smalltalk Tidbits … and mathewingram.com/work
Liz Gannes / NewTeeVee:
Justin.tv Wins Funding, Opens Platform — Justin.tv, a startup that will forever risk coming off as a prolonged publicity stunt rather than a business, is rolling out the platform it's been saying was the point all along. Starting out with founder Justin Kan broadcasting his life 24/7 …
Eric Bangeman / Ars Technica:
Sony BMG's chief anti-piracy lawyer: "Copying" music you own is "stealing" — Duluth, Minnesota — Testimony today in Capitol Records, et al v. Jammie Thomas quickly and inadvertently turned to the topic of fair use when Jennifer Pariser, the head of litigation for Sony BMG, was called to the stand to testify.
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Bradley Steinbacher / Slog:
Anatomy of a Blog Rumor — Yesterday, Jacob Metcalf of the website 8bitjoystick (and occasional Stranger contributor) posted that Bungie, creators of the insanely popular Halo series, is parting ways with its parent company Microsoft. Citing a friend of a friend who was in the know …
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Billy Berghammer / gameinformer.com:Bungie Actually Leaving Microsoft?
Discussion:
DailyTech, Digital Joystick, Joystiq, Kotaku, Valleywag, 8Bit Joystick.com and GamesIndustry.biz
Financial Times:
Yahoo ponders Kelkoo's future — By Maija Palmer in London, Chris Nuttall in San Francisco and Pan Yuk in Paris — Yahoo said on Tuesday it was considering "strategic options" for Kelkoo, including a possible sale of the online shopping comparison service that it acquired only three-and-a-half years ago.
Jemima Kiss / PDA:
Managing both local and global audiences — Caroline Little, chief executive and publisher of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, is explaining how the site deals differently with local and international audiences. — How can you talk about hyper local and global in the same breath?
Newsosaur / Reflections of a Newsosaur:
Brain drain — As if the mainstream media didn't have enough trouble navigating the uncharted realm of digital innovation, they are losing many of the young, technologically astute employees who could be their guides. — "What am I doing here?" a talented young designer and programmer working …
Discussion:
O'Reilly Radar
Michael Liedtke / Associated Press:
Google boosts corporate e-mail service — SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. is sprucing up its corporate e-mail service by adding new security tools and more than doubling the storage capacity of e-mailboxes, underscoring the online search leader's ambition to enlarge its role in the business software market.
