Business

Google vice president Laszlo Bock testified before Congress on Wednesday, urging the legislative body to allow for more foreign hiring. Bock, vice president of people operations at Google, said that the company may not exist if co-founder Sergey ... Brin and his parents had not been able to flee from the Soviet Union to the US decades ago. Bock's testimony was part of a hearing focused on business community perspectives of immigration law alterations. "Within Google, there are countless examples of immigrants and non-immigrant foreign workers playing a vital role in our company," Bock said. "It ... (view more)

A few months ago, I reported on Harvard University's decision to award Microsoft chairman Bill Gates with an honorary degree. Despite the fact that the average (and highly ambitious) college kid must maintain phenomenal grades and shell out ... thousands upon thousands of dollars to complete an Ivy league degree, billionaire Gates was awarded one recently, some 33 years after dropping out. Go figure. Luckily, Gates isn't taking the award too seriously. Speaking in front of graduates on June 8, he joked, "I've been waiting more than thirty years to say this: 'Dad, I always told you I'd come back ... (view more)

Although most gamers are aware that Sony has, for the time being at least, been stripped of its console crown, few realize just how bad times are for the Japanese company. Although speculation has run rampant for months that Sony might lay off some ... of its workforce in the wake of the PlayStation 3's early troubles, only recently is the company officially announcing plans to do just that stateside. It seems Sony's American workers will be worst hit, with plans for Japanese operations to remain mere "restructuring". When the PlayStation 3 launched in November, few could have predicted Sony ... (view more)

While it's heating up outside across North America, it seems there's nothing hotter than the battle being waged between Google and Microsoft. In recent weeks, months, and in some respects years, both companies have been forced to defend themselves ... for their impressive places within the search and software spheres. Now the two are at each other's throats, with Google alleging that Microsoft's Windows Vista is hurting competition and should be adjusted for antitrust purposes. (Source: washingtonpost.com ) So, what's got Google so hot under the collar? Google is upset over the way Vista runs ... (view more)

Apple's website refers to Safari as "the fastest, easiest-to-use web browser in the world." Steve Jobs added to those lofty claims by calling Safari "the most innovative browser in the world and the most powerful browser in the world" during his ... keynote speech for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. Unfortunately for curious Windows users, the browser has always been limited to Apple's own platforms. That is, until now. Apple has just released its Safari 3 Beta to the world and this time, Windows is included! (Sources: apple.com ) Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, ... (view more)

Talk about deja vu. A Finnish security researcher recently discovered that the same problems affecting Windows XP and recovery disks were inherited by Windows Vista. If you have a Vista install DVD, you can gain administrative level access to the ... hard drive without needing a password. Detailed documentation, including possible workarounds, can be found at Kimmo Rousku's web site . The potential hack was discovered on February 8, 2007 during a Windows Vista training session. It was immediately reported to Microsoft Finland who confirmed it two days later. Apparently, the Command Prompt tool in ... (view more)

Some tech critics believe Apple TV will be nothing less than a flop. How bad could it be? Recent reports suggest it might hurt the company behind the device more than they ever imagined. The components and materials to make Apple TV cost $237 ... apiece. Apple is selling the product for $299, leaving a gross profit of only $62, or about 20 percent. And that's before marketing costs. (Source: theinquirer.net ) The razor thin profit margin is especially uncharacteristic for Apple, which is used to gross margins above 50% for products outside its computer line. The iPod has proven to be a high ... (view more)

Music buffs unite! Microsoft has just launched Ignition, a new music initiative aimed at giving new recording artists exposure via various Microsoft channels. The Ignition program will utilize Zune, Xbox and MSN to offer exposure to new artists for ... over a month. Zune Marketplace and Zune.net will offer free downloads and features, Xbox LIVE Marketplace will feature video downloads, and MSN Video and MSN Music will provide promotional video and music streams. (Source: tech2.com ) As Microsoft's director of music marketing Christina Callo explains, "the Ignition program is designed to help ... (view more)

Some tech writers, including myself, have compared the upcoming Apple iPhone to the Sony PlayStation 3. Both boast a plethora of extras and an equally awe-inspiring cost, factors that could doom the iPhone's June release (and future). It certainly ... hasn't proven to be a successful tactic for Sony, whose PlayStation 3 is routinely outsold in mass numbers by the Microsoft Xbox 360 and especially the beloved Nintendo Wii, which also launched in November of last year. Recent sales statistics are even more depressing for PS3 owners, as the Japanese market continues to ignore Sony's big black ... (view more)

Over the past year, we have been hearing a lot about Vista from Microsoft. So what is the real truth? I cannot answer that question and I'm not going to try. I will, however, give you some figures that might blow some of Microsoft's 'fog' away. The ... World Wide Web Consortium (also known as W3C) is an organization that tries to establish and control the Web by setting standards for such things as the HTML language (used to create the web pages). They are, perhaps, the only source of information available that is based on gathered data about the usage of the web. Sometimes the numbers point out ... (view more)