Business

Although it seems like Google has been receiving buckets of praise while rival Yahoo has been struggling in their game of catch up, the tables may be turning. Yahoo recently beat out Google for bragging rights in customer satisfaction, receiving a ... rating of 79 by the University of Michigan's American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Although Google scored a respectable 78 on the 100-point scale, the two companies' changes in scores from the previous quarter is more telling than the raw scores themselves. Last time, Google received a score of 82, meaning that the company's tally decreased 4 ... (view more)

Apple has just released iWork 2008. New additions, such as a spreadsheet called "Numbers", are impressive but the real excitement is over iWork's ability to handle the Open XML file format. This particular format is native to Microsoft's Office 2007 ... application suite. Until now, no application has been more important for the long-term survival of Mac than Microsoft Office. However, Apple's new iWork may change this fact. Why is Microsoft no longer the only drug that can keep Mac healthy? Quick answer: the Redmond-based company contracted its own illness; Microsoft faced problems in ... (view more)

Google has unveiled a new feature for its popular Google News: comments. The new addition, now in beta, is sparking talks of the ethical implications of journalism and how Google is "stepping it up a notch" on that front. As Google software ... engineers Dan Meredith and Andy Golding explained on the official Google blog, adding comments may equate to adding integrity. "As always, Google News will direct readers to the professionally-written articles and news sources our algorithms have determined are relevant for a topic...But we're hoping that by adding this feature, we can help ... (view more)

Okay, so Apple isn't always on the cutting edge. Sometimes they go back to the fundamentals for financial inspiration, even if basic economics suggest otherwise. That appears to be the case with CEO Steve Jobs' recent unveiling of Apple's redesigned ... iMac, the desktop computer and device many credit for the company's comeback. Released long before the iPod or iPhone, many tech consumers will remember the late '90s iMac's simple design graced by bright colors uncharacteristic of the market or even industry. Today's new iMac boasts a much slimmer design than those rollie-pollie old iMacs of the ... (view more)

Want a dirt-cheap version of Windows Vista? Move to China. Microsoft has posted an extremely low price for the new operating system in that country, with hopes of drastically improving sales. The Chinese will see a price reduction North Americans, ... for now, can only dream of. Vista Home Basic there will plummet from over 1,500 renminibi to just 499 renminibi ($66 USD). Home Premium will similarly drop, from 1,800 renminibi to 800 renminibi. That means Home Basic and Premium will drop 67% and 50%, respectively. For the record, China's Vista price is now less than a third of that charged to ... (view more)

Not feeling secure in your Microsoft software? Well, the company appears ready to make at least nine steps towards giving you some comfort while using Windows, Office, and development program Virtual Basic. Security updates are nothing new for ... Microsoft, which typically releases similar patches on a monthly basis. However, this update is a bit special given its size and the number of applications it seeks to improve. Patches are a mix of critical and not-so critical. Windows XP and Vista will receive security improvements addressing both minor and major holes (not outlined by Microsoft), ... (view more)

Microsoft Windows XP will be used to handle vital functions of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and has already been installed on most of the PCs delivered by Lenovo for the event. Microsoft's poster boy Windows Vista will only be used on PCs set up in ... Internet lounges for athletes to use, contrary to a Microsoft sponsored report earlier this year. (Source: InfoWorld.com ) Yang Yuanqing, chairman of Lenovo, said the Olympic games require mature, stable technologies during a briefing in Beijing. Due to the size and importance of the Olympics, it's not the place to try new technologies, especially ... (view more)

It seems we'll all be celebrating the one year anniversary of Windows Vista by the time Microsoft releases the Mac version of Office. It seems the Redmond-based company has decided to push back Mac Office 2008's release, now appropriately set for ... mid-January next year. It's already the second major delay for the software. Unfortunately, it seems as though the Mac edition of Office was nowhere near ready. According to development group General Manager Craig Eisler, "It was clear from our June and July quality checkpoints that no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't release our product in time ... (view more)

Sony electronics is recalling close to 400,000 Cyber-Shot cameras worldwide due to a dangerous defect. The specific models in question are the Cyber-Shot DSC-T5, with serial numbers between 3500001 and 3574100. The recalled cameras have a metal ... plating on the bottom of their units that may warp. If warping occurs, a sharp edge will be created that can cut or scratch a user's hand. An oversight during the manufacturing of the cameras is responsible for the problem. It turns out that the plating was not equipped with enough adhesive strength to prevent it from lifting. While this is an error on ... (view more)

Samsung, the world's top maker of memory chips, has recently taken a backseat to its competitors. The company was bumped from its first place spot after being forced to shut down six of its chip production lines due to a power outage at a Seoul ... plant. Are your favourite electronic devices at risk? Likely, since the plant in question produces dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, NAND flash chips, and non-memory chips. Many of the gadgets and appliances that we use on a regular basis, such as personal computers, digital cameras, and music players, rely on these chips. (Source: today. ... (view more)