Business

The major players in the Internet search market continue to add new tweaks to their presentation: Google is putting more emphasis on local results, while Yahoo has launched a refined image search feature. Previously, Google would supply search ... results based on the location of the IP address. For example: searching for a "museum in Cameron, North Carolina," using a mobile phone would produce results towards the phone's current location. Local Links Without Log-in From now on, people searching from a computer will get their usual results, but for appropriate search terms they'll also ... (view more)

Apple is set to offer a host of interesting features on the new iPhone 3.0 OS. Among the most anticipated features is the addition of stereo Bluetooth-audio streaming ( A2DP ), which will allow current second-generation iPhone and iPod Touch owners ... to experience the cutting edge of mobile technology. Of course, Apple is expected to roll out additional features that will only be available to those who purchase the latest iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Among these exclusive "hardware features" are high-speed 802.11n WiFi (wireless network) capabilities and FM radio transmission. Transmitter ... (view more)

At this point, Windows 7 represents Microsoft's best hope for regaining the confidence of business and home users disgruntled with its much-maligned Windows Vista operating system. Just in case Win7 doesn't satisfy, however, the company is making it ... downgradable all the way to Windows XP. Downgrading a Windows system is hardly new, but prior to Vista the demand for such retroactive steps was actually quite rare. As Vista's popularity began to wane only a few months after its launch in early 2007, computer makers and retailers began marketing certain systems that had XP instead of the newer, ... (view more)

T-Mobile is planning to use Google's open source operating system " Android " on devices that blur the line between cellphone and home PC. In addition, Samsung says they will also produce Android phones, but need to work out the kinks, first. Both ... announcements come shortly after HP revealed that it is investigating the idea of using Android to power some of its low-cost netbook computers in place of Windows. Home Phone to get Data Features According to the New York Times, T-Mobile is working on two home devices using Android, an open source rival to systems such as Windows Mobile ... (view more)

Microsoft recently announced that April 14, 2009 will mark the beginning of its "phase out" process for the Office 2003 productivity suite and the Windows XP operating system; two cornerstone programs that will be forced into semiretirement so that ... more resources can be used towards newer products. The lifespan of a Microsoft product is dependent on the amount of time and involvement the company allocates when implementing security updates, patches, and similar. Microsoft Product Life Cycle: Mainstream Support Office 2003 was released in November 2003 as a successor to Office XP. At the time ... (view more)

Rumors suggest that Hewlett-Packard (HP) is considering to use the Google Android operating system in their netbook computers . If the rumors are true, the Linux's 10 percent market share could grow faster than ever before. If the Linux-based ... operating system (OS) is considered the underdog in this battle, it should be noted that Linux is simply trying to reclaim the same figures that Microsoft once usurped. Some early netbook models offered a pre-installed Linux-based OS, but when Microsoft slashed the price of its Windows XP Home OS, Linux fell by the wayside. (Source: mashget.com ) Now the ... (view more)

A Texas senator is trying to make it illegal for any government agency to buy Windows Vista without prior approval. Juan Hinojosa says simply "Don't buy it because it's not worth it." If the law passes, all state agencies in Texas would need written ... approval from the Legislative Budget Board before buying Vista itself or any machine with the system pre-installed. The only exception would be for places of higher education. Anti-Vista Amendment Rides State Budget The proposal is not a separate law. Instead it's a rider to the budget: one of 800 amendments added during the legislative process. ... (view more)

Microsoft's highly anticipated Windows Mobile application store has yet to launch, but the company has effectively stirred the tech market into a frenzy with the recent unveiling of several notable supporting developers at the CTIA Wireless trade ... show in Las Vegas yesterday. (Source: pcmag.com ) The list includes a number of recognizable names for anyone with a computer or a game console. Among the most notable developers currently working on apps are news and weather networks: Accuweather.com Associated Press CNBC Video game developers and retailers: Electronic Arts (EA) Mobile Gameloft ... (view more)

Google will invest a whopping $100 million in start-up companies over the next 12 months, and says a recession is an ideal time to invest in firms that could someday make it big. The money comes from a scheme titled Google Ventures, which aims to ... combine the firm's technical knowledge and financial resources with the creative ideas of new companies. The firm says it will focus on industries including "consumer Internet, software, clean-tech, bio-tech, health care" and others. (Source: theregister.co.uk and nytimes.com ) Google says there's no reason not to invest during an economic slowdown ... (view more)

Opinions vary on whether or not it's a good idea to leave your PC running 24 hours a day. However, a recent report from the Alliance to Save Energy says that the cost of refusing to power down 108 million PCs is costing businesses an estimated $2.8 ... billion a year. Approximately 20 million tons of carbon dioxide -- roughly the equivalent of 4 million cars -- are emitted by those idling, unused PCs. (Source: usatoday.com ) The Alliance to Save Energy report analyzed workplace PC power consumption in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. Wastefulness Affects Bottom Line and The ... (view more)