Business

Intel Corp. was recently successful in acquiring one of the most highly sought after mobile chip orders in the industry, the WiMax. Intel's new acquisition has sparked interest from Nokia, the world's top cell phone maker. Using complex ... semiconductor technology, WiMax chips will become very prevalent in all future Internet-focused Nokia devices. Nokia is expected to release the first batch of WiMax-enabled Internet tablets in the first half of 2008. Mobile WiMax, the standard in high-speed wireless technology, should support Internet access at speeds as high as five times faster than typical ... (view more)

While the debate over whether or not Windows Vista is driving sales for large PC vendors rages on, Vista reportedly appears to be helping push sales of ' white box ' PCs with Windows XP for smaller system builders. Some system builders have seen ... sales increase this year as consumers and small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) come to them for 'white-box' PCs with Windows XP installed instead of buying brand name PCs preloaded with Windows Vista. Small system builders say the demand for Windows XP has risen steadily this year as the hype after Vista's January launch wore off and complaints ... (view more)

A new mobile service scheduled to be unveiled in the coming weeks is making headlines worldwide because of its unique concept whereby customers receive free calls and text messages in by accepting advertisement banners on their mobile phones. While ... the service, Blyk, is being heralded as a revolutionary idea, the concept is actually a modernized version of an already established service. Virgin Mobile in the United States started a similar compromise last year, offering a designated amount of free calls in exchange for advertisement. But the introduction of Blyk is being regarded as an ... (view more)

Who might be the new face of Facebook? Microsoft. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft plans to invest as much as $500 million in the social networking company. If the deal goes through, Facebook would value at $10 billion and Microsoft ... would own 5% of Facebook. (Source: pcworld.com ) But why Facebook? First of all, the company boasts some impressive stats; though it has only been running for a little over three years, Facebook has close to 50 million active users. As well, its client base is increasing rapidly. Another Facebook quality that Microsoft may find attractive is the ... (view more)

Although most people have been singing Microsoft's praises for the release of much-beloved Halo 3, computer junkies are still hankering for some good 'ol PC love. Not to be overshadowed by the final trilogy in the Halo universe, Microsoft has ... announced a few juicy details on operating system news, the juiciest being beta testing for Vista Service Pack 1. The Redmond-based company recently announced it had released the beta version of the very first Service Pack for Windows Vista to some 12,000 testers. That's a week or two late, considering in August it stated plans to begin testing within a ... (view more)

In what appears to be an attempt to end sluggish sales, in June Microsoft reportedly began quietly letting PC makers offer a "downgrade" option to consumers who buy Windows Vista Business or Ultimate machines that want to switch to Windows XP. Who's ... taken up the new initiative? Fujitsu started to include a Windows XP disc in the box with its laptops and tablets. "That's going to help out small and medium-size businesses," Fujitsu marketing manager Brandon Farris told CNET News.com. Lenovo is offering Windows XP Recovery CDs as a way to downgrade on "qualified systems" for an additional fee ... (view more)

Just about everyone is out to get Microsoft. That's the problem with being a virtual hegemonic state; like the U.S., everyone wants a piece of the pie and it often means taking it by force. So, just what are the primary threats to Microsoft? When it ... comes to its the company's Office "turf", the competitors are now lining up, and neither the products nor their makers are slouches by any means. In the following week, three tech titans announced plans to bring down the god of business software, Microsoft and its Office. Yahoo, Google, and even IBM have plans to develop competing software with ... (view more)

Google is showing no signs of slowing down: the web giant has just released a new service called Shared Stuff, which lets users share information like images, videos and bookmarks with their friends. The Inquirer's Martin Veitch calls it "a cross ... between a personal web page, Delicious and Digg," which he says will be surprisingly appealing. (Source: theinquirer.net ) In typical Google fashion, Shared Stuff was created to be extremely user friendly. A simple click of a button will share any webpage that you have visited. You can also enter a description and tags for each shared web page. ... (view more)

The most "hip and trendy" music download site is combining with the one retail environment that may just as well define "hip and trendy". Yeah, that's right, Apple's megapopular iTunes music service has teamed up with overpriced java distributor ... Starbucks, promising free songs to customers waiting for a caffeine fix. According to reports, Starbucks intends to dole out some 50 million free tunes in its domestic coffee shops to promote iTunes' upgrade to wireless service, set to debut in select markets soon. What's the deal? For the month between October 2 and November 7, Starbucks ... (view more)

Has someone found Google's kryptonite? Dozens of small start-up companies were on hand at a recent high-tech convention with each looking to impress a crowd of influential representatives interested in securing the services of one lucky company. ... Also milling about were consumers looking to grab a sneak peak at the latest technological craze. Of all the entrepreneurs in attendance, one particular company made the most impact in the form of a verbal announcement that sounded more like a promise than an aspiration. The company pledged that they now held the secret to defeating Google at their ... (view more)