Business

Do a quick search for Google here at Infopackets, and you'll be amazed at all of the different ventures the company is involved in. And, even though the buzz is currently centered on Windows Vista, Google has managed to keep itself strongly in the ... news. The latest: it appears that the search engine giant is looking to branch out into a new frontier -- video game and television advertising. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is looking to purchase Adscape Media, Inc. -- a company that puts advertising into video games. It could be a response to Microsoft's purchase of Massive Inc ... (view more)

Windows Vista has been released to the public for only a few weeks, and as expected, a number of credible sources are reporting that there are numerous issues with the new operating system. Vista and iPod The San Jose Mercury News as well as ... numerous other sources state that Apple is recommending to users that they wait to upgrade to Vista. The reason: the digital music software has some compatibility issues. Among the known issues, songs purchased from the iTunes music store may not play, contacts and calendar entries won't sync to customers' iPods, and customers could corrupt their iPod ... (view more)

An influx of online videos is expected to infiltrate the Internet following Google's recent announcement that the YouTube video library will now be a major part of their search index. Whatever the topic, Google search results will attempt to yield ... the most appropriate match from their YouTube database. If the user wishes to watch the video, they just simply click the "video" tab feature that will accompany the web result. The videos will not appear as web results themselves. (Source: mediainfocenter.org ) Representatives from Google Inc. commented on the recent changes to their search engine ... (view more)

While many stores braced themselves for the anticipated long lines that were to inevitably accompany the release of Windows Vista, retailers were shocked and somewhat disappointed to find that only a select few arrived early to purchase the latest ... Microsoft products. In fact, the lineups weren't even comparable to the swarms of consumers that rushed to retail stores looking to purchase the newly released PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii video game consoles. (Source: usatoday.com ) It is estimated that the average number of consumers that actually arrived early for Vista was roughly a dozen ... (view more)

When Newsweek's Steven Levy sat down with Bill Gates to discuss the Vista debut, it wasn't long before Apple's television ads were brought up. The ads depict a cool, young "Mac" guy and a not-so-cool "PC" middle-ager, played by author John Hodgman. ... A recent ad showed Hodgman having to undergo surgery to update to Vista. Gates' reaction? Well, he wasn't too impressed. (Source: dailytech.com ) "I don't think the over 90 percent of the [population] who use Windows PCs think of themselves as dullards, or the kind of klutzes that somebody is trying to say they are," Gates says. (Source: msnbc.com ... (view more)

Technology writer Joe Hutsko did what many devoted Mac fans would deem unthinkable: he switched from Mac to Windows at the launch of Vista, and gave the new operating system a shot at earning his loyalties. (Source: osnews.com ) His final decision? ... Well... you're just going to have to read on. ;-) One thing that Hutsko doesn't hesitate to note is Vista's sleek first impression. The start up screen, desktop, icons, and menus all reflect a new sharpness. Even the new font, Segoe UI, impressed Hutsko. The new Aero features are also a nice surprise to the former Mac user. The Flip 3D feature, ... (view more)

In July of 2005, the U.S. Congress passed the Energy Policy Act in an attempt to establish a comprehensive long-range energy policy. President Bush later signed it into law in August of 2005. The new law changes both the start and end dates of ... daylight savings time (DST). DST now starts 3 weeks earlier and ends 1 week later. The time will now change at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and will end at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. The change in DST applies to the U.S. (with the exception of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa) and Canada ... (view more)

You've heard of pay-as-you-go cell phone plans and pay-per-view movies. It's proven a lucrative market for telecommunications companies and cable television services. And now Microsoft is introducing something very similar with its distribution of ... Office 2003. That's right -- it's the old version -- not the new Word and Excel tools included in the fresh new versions of Vista now sitting on retailer shelves. According to sources (and Microsoft themselves), there is a demand for this kind of program. It may work best in corporate environments where the necessary software is only needed once or ... (view more)

Vista's been out and it's all the buzz. Some critics are claiming it just doesn't pack enough must-have applications to make it worth the costly upgrade, while others find the vastly improved Aero graphics and security to be a necessity for any home ... or office. Regardless, most people would probably take Vista if it were just a bit cheaper. How's $8 sound? That's the price set by Iranian hackers, who have reportedly cracked Microsoft's new operating system. Word of the crack comes from Iranian watchdog Taliya News, who believe the illegal act was performed so people of that country could ... (view more)

It's rumored that server and software maker Sun Microsystems Inc. is in the process of finalizing a partnership with popular computer chip manufacturer Intel Corp. The conditions of the deal will have Sun using chips produced solely by Intel, while ... Intel will agree to endorse Sun's Solaris operating systems. The individual that released the details of the partnership to the media has requested anonymity because of the refusal for comment by both Sun and Intel CEO's. However, the two companies have scheduled an upcoming joint conference in San Francisco that many believe will signal the public ... (view more)