Review: Leopard roars ... Senate passes 7-year Net tax ban ... The Web's trippiest optical illusions

In this issue:
- Review: Leopard is an upgrade that roars
- Senate passes seven-year Internet tax moratorium
- BEA: We'll let Oracle deadline expire
- Acer eclipses Lenovo, takes aim at Dell
- Technology's 10 most mortifying moments
- Oracle calls BEA's price 'impossibly high'
- Apple's Leopard pounces on Tokyo
- Nissan adds a robot helper to its concept car (video)
- Gadget giveaway ends soon. Enter now!


IN THE NEWS

Senate passes seven-year Internet tax moratorium
The U.S. Senate has passed legislation that would extend a moratorium on Internet access taxes for seven years, giving supporters hope that an extension will be signed into law before the current moratorium expires Nov. 1

BEA: We'll let Oracle deadline expire
BEA Systems on Friday reiterated that it would not accept Oracle Corp.'s $17 per share acquisition bid, and also said it would allow a deadline Oracle had set for Sunday 5 p.m. PDT to expire.

Acer eclipses Lenovo, takes aim at Dell
Acer has passed Lenovo Group as the world's third largest PC vendor with its purchase of Gateway, and now it's gunning for U.S. giant Dell.

Enterprises tune into travel-tracking Web app
The Web 2.0-social networking phenomenon's seemingly irresistible force field has ensnared yet another niche: travel.

Apple's Leopard pounces on Tokyo
Martyn Williams, IDG News Service, Tokyo Bureau
The update to Apple's Mac OS X operating system, called Leopard, went on sale at the Apple Store in Tokyo on Friday evening, part of a global launch that will unfold around the world over the next 24 hours.

Oracle calls BEA's price 'impossibly high'
Oracle has rejected BEA Systems' proposed purchase price of US$21 per share, calling it "impossibly high" for Oracle or any other company to pay.

Sky's CRM plans were too vague to blame us, says EDS
Lawyers representing EDS said in court this week that a £48 million ($90 million) customer relationship management project for BSkyB was too poorly defined for the IT provider to have committed fraud when pitching for the contract.


REVIEW

Leopard is an upgrade that roars
Jason Snell, Macworld.com

As with every OS X update since version 10.1, there's no single feature in Leopard that will force Mac users to upgrade immediately. Instead, it's the sheer deluge of new features that's likely to persuade most active Mac users to upgrade, especially since this is the longest gap between OS X upgrades -- two and a half years -- since the product was introduced. Sure, some items on Apple's list of 300 features might seem inconsequential, but if even a handful of them hit you where you live, that will be more than enough motivation for you to upgrade.


FUTURE TECH

Nissan adds a robot helper to its concept car
With data showing that happy drivers are less accident-prone, Nissan has mounted a robot passenger in the dashboard of its Pivo2 concept car whose job is to keep the driver happy, give spot-on directions, and even check your e-mail.

Watch the video


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
BEA, Oracle haggle over acqusition price ... NEC pushes supercomputer speed limits ... Nissan testing robot for cars

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GADGET GIVEAWAY

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ITWHIRLED

She's a 10

- Technology's 10 most mortifying moments
- The trippiest optical illusions on the Web
- 10 videos to change how you view the world
- Top ten rules for a top ten list

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

Techies who sit all day: What's your solution to back pain?

- Massage
- Chiropractors
- Yoga
- Ibuprofin
- Sitting up straight like my mother taught me, darn it

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WHAT YOU SAID

What's your favorite smell?

Cookies - 25.0%
Coffee - 22.7%
Flowers - 18.2%
Bacon - 18.2%
Cologne/perfume - 5.7%
Money - 10.2%

Answer another poll

Acer eclipses Lenovo ... BEA, Oracle haggle over price ... Why I Gmail ... Tech's 10 most mortifying moments

In this issue:

Acer eclipses Lenovo, takes aim at Dell

Technology's 10 most mortifying moments

Why I Gmail

Oracle calls BEA's price 'impossibly high'

Apple's Leopard pounces on Tokyo

Nissan adds a robot helper to its concept car (video)

Microsoft beats Street, reports strongest Q1 in years

Gadget giveaway ends soon. Enter now!


IN THE NEWS

Acer eclipses Lenovo, takes aim at Dell
Acer passed Lenovo as the world's third largest PC vendor with its purchase of Gateway, and now it's gunning for Dell.

Oracle calls BEA's price 'impossibly high'
Oracle has rejected BEA Systems' proposed purchase price of $21 per share, calling it 'impossibly high' for Oracle or any other company to pay.

Apple's Leopard pounces on Tokyo
The update to Apple's Mac OS X operating system, called Leopard, went on sale at the Apple Store in Tokyo on Friday evening, part of a global launch that will unfold around the world over the next 24 hours.

Microsoft beats Street, reports strongest Q1 in years
Strong sales of new and old products alike led Microsoft to its fastest first-quarter growth in seven years, with the company reporting growth in all five business segments and both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) that beat analyst expectations.

Wall Street Beat: EMC, Apple, Microsoft shine
Microsoft, EMC and Apple cheered IT investors this week even as macroeconomic concerns linger.

CTIA: Search startups vie for position in mobile market
Startups in the mobile search market explained why operators might not want to partner with Google or Yahoo.

AMD tuning out distractions to bring ATI on board
Worldwide lawsuits against Intel and four straight quarterly losses have distracted AMD during its integration of ATI Technologies, but the merger remains on track, according to industry analysts.


FUTURE TECH

Nissan adds a robot helper to its concept car
With data showing that happy drivers are less accident-prone, Nissan has mounted a robot passenger in the dashboard of its Pivo2 concept car whose job is to keep the driver happy, give spot-on directions, and even check your e-mail.

Watch the video


OPINION

Why I Gmail
By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

I recently closed an email account that I had been using since I moved to the Delmarva peninsula nearly seven years ago. I have switched to Gmail. Had the account I closed not been a local provider for most of the years that I was a customer and had I not put a good deal of value of electronic stability (I'd been sandra@ that provider for many years), I would never have hung on so long. Gmail is everything I need and then some.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
BEA, Oracle haggle over acqusition price ... NEC pushes supercomputer speed limits ... Nissan testing robot for cars

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

Our gadget giveaway ends soon. Don't wait. Enter now!

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ITWHIRLED

She's a 10

- Technology's 10 most mortifying moments
- The trippiest optical illusions on the Web
- 10 videos to change how you view the world
- Top ten rules for a top ten list

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

What's your favorite smell?

- Cookies
- Coffee
- Flowers
- Bacon
- Cologne/perfume
- Money

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BEA counters Oracle: wants $21 a share ... Facebook chooses Microsoft over Google ... Inside Leopard: Spotlight

In this issue:
- BEA counters Oracle: $21 a share sounds better
- Inside Leopard: Spotlight (product review)
- Facebook chooses Microsoft over Google
- OLPC experiments with cow-powered laptops ... seriously
- Study: Tech jobs NOT among the most depressing
- Gadget giveaway ends soon. Enter now!


IN THE NEWS

BEA counters Oracle: $21 a share sounds better
BEA Systems Inc.'s board of directors has named an acquisition price to competitor and suitor Oracle Corp.: $21 a share, $4 more than Oracle's initial offer.

Facebook chooses Microsoft over Google
Facebook will sell a $240 million minority stake to Microsoft, which as part of the deal will also expand the advertising services it provides to the social networking phenom.

OLPC experiments with cow-powered laptops ... seriously
The One Laptop Per Child Project (OLPC) is toying with a novel source of power for its low-cost XO laptops: cows.

Symantec earnings show lackluster enterprise growth
Symantec's latest quarterly earnings show that the company's consumer business is growing faster than its enterprise group.

Opera improves bookmark synching in browser beta
Opera Software ASA has released a beta of its upcoming desktop browser, code-named Kestrel, which can synchronize bookmarks between a PC and a mobile device.

EMC profit propelled by VMware's growth, IPO
Storage maker EMC Corp.'s profit increased dramatically compared to last year's third quarter, lifted again by continued growth of its VMware Inc. subsidiary and EMC's recent sale of a slice of the company.

Poll: Internet video should be regulated
More than half of U.S. residents want the government to regulate Internet video in some way, according to a poll released Wednesday.


PRODUCT REVIEW

Inside Leopard: Spotlight
Mac users upgrading to Leopard will find a different Spotlight waiting for them. OS X 10.5 refines the search technology in several significant - and welcome - ways. This revamped Spotlight can conduct phrase searches that actually produce useful results; it also supports a new feature in Leopard called Quick Look.


PODCAST

Today's IT News Audio Update
Facebook chooses Microsoft over Google ... OLPC turns to cow power ... Samsung, Epson show OLED TV prototypes

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

Our gadget giveaway ends soon. Don't wait. Enter now!

What's the giveway? A Swiss Army knife that includes a USB flash
drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen -- in other words, the ultimate geek gadget.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Think your job's depressing? Try changing diapers
IT workers may like to kvetch about their work, but engineers and other techies actually fell into the category that had the lowest rate of depression among full-time workers, according to a recent study. The highest rates were among personal care workers -- like those who take care of infants, the disabled, and the elderly. In general, those who had a job -- any job -- had lower rates of depression than the unemployed. ...read more


POLL

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- Cookies
- Coffee
- Flowers
- Bacon
- Cologne/perfume
- Money

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Google, Microsoft woo Facebook ... Adware maker DirectRevenue shuts down ... Facebook teams up with RIM

In this issue:
- CTIA: Facebook teams up with RIM
- Adware maker DirectRevenue suddenly shuts down
- DOD, VA still working on sharing e-health records
- Oracle buys operations planning vendor Interlace
- Google and Microsoft slobbering over Facebook
- Microsoft withdraws remaining European appeals
- YouTube gets anti-piracy religion
- Texting driver broadsides train
- Gadget giveaway ends soon. Enter now!


IN THE NEWS

CTIA: Facebook teams up with RIM
College parties met business e-mail on Wednesday as Facebook Inc. said it is adding its social-networking platform to Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices.

Hounded by spyware charges, Direct Revenue shuts down
Notorious adware maker DirectRevenue LLC has closed shop, giving no reason for the move.

DOD, VA still working on sharing e-health records
The U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs still aren't able to share complete electronic health records of military members and veterans despite working on a project for nine years, employees of the two agencies told a congressional committee Wednesday.

Oracle buys operations planning vendor Interlace
Oracle Corp. continues to snap up smaller software companies even while it battles to acquire middleware vendor BEA Systems Inc. On Wednesday Oracle said it had agreed to buy Interlace Systems Inc., which makes operations planning software, for an undisclosed price.

Intel settles patent case with Transmeta
Intel on Wednesday agreed to settle a dispute with Transmeta for $250 million, ending patent litigation between both companies.

Adobe makes Flex Builder free for students, faculty
Adobe is hoping to woo new developers by making Flex Builder 2 available free for educational institutions.

Report: Google and Microsoft slobbering over Facebook
Google and Microsoft are intensely courting Facebook, as the social-networking upstart tries to decide which of the two will be allowed to buy a minority stake in the company.

Oracle ships Windows version of 11g database
http://www.itworld.com/AppDev/119/071024oracle11g/index.html
Oracle has released the Windows version of its flagship 11g database, a few months after the company shipped the Linux version. Along with assorted performance improvements, the Windows release features beefed-up integration with Microsoft's platform on both the administrative and developer levels.

MS ANTITRUST: Microsoft withdraws remaining European appeals
Microsoft Corp. has dropped two outstanding appeals of European antitrust rulings, following the deal struck with the European Commission at the beginning of this week, the company said in a statement Wednesday.


OPINION

YouTube gets anti-piracy religion
By Dan Blacharski, ITworld

I've wondered aloud and within this space on numerous occasions, just what Google had in mind - and if they were in fact in their right mind - when they bought YouTube. At the time of the acquisition, YouTube was a vehicle for marginally useful home-made videos of poor quality, with no apparent revenue model. But it seems that the Googlers may have been crazy like a fox in the acquisition, and it may yet transform YouTube into something worthwhile, and maybe even profitable.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Oracle says BEA rejects buyout bid ... But BEA later says it wants higher price ... My SQL lays out database roadmap


GADGET GIVEAWAY

Our gadget giveaway ends soon. Don't wait. Enter now!

What's the giveway? A Swiss Army knife that includes a USB flash
drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen -- in other words, the ultimate geek gadget.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Texting driver broadsides train
Robert Gillespie was driving through Eugene, Oregon at 2 a.m. and trying to pull a trifecta: operating his car, sending a text message, and processing all the alcohol he had put into his system. Sadly, something had to give, and he ended up running into the side of a moving train. Nobody was hurt, but hopefully a lesson regarding text messaging (and booze) was learned.

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.
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POLL

What's your favorite smell?

- Cookies
- Coffee
- Flowers
- Bacon
- Cologne/perfume
- Money

Vote now!

Microsoft extends Dynamics support ... Google to use Nielsen TV audience data ... YouTube gets anti-piracy religion

Microsoft extends Dynamics support, promises roadmaps
Microsoft announced on Wednesday a major support upgrade, clearer road maps for its Dynamics range of business applications and new financing.

Ahead of merger, earnings fall at Business Objects
Business Objects SA reported a 19 percent rise in revenue for the third quarter, driven by services, but earnings were dragged down by a shortfall in license revenue, recent acquisitions and legal costs.

1Gb DRAM is now industry standard; most new PCs can use Vista
The 1G bit DRAM is now the industry standard, a sign most PCs coming off production lines can now use Microsoft's Vista OS.

First BlackBerry comes to China, with Alcatel-Lucent's help
RIM is showing off the first BlackBerry handset to be available in China, the BlackBerry 8700, at the PT/Expo Comm China 2007 exhibition this week in Beijing. But getting the device into the world's largest mobile-phone market wasn't easy.

BEA to Oracle: We're not opposed to a reasonable offer
BEA Systems Inc. has told Oracle Corp. the two companies can still make a deal -- just not the one on the table.

Rejected by BEA, Oracle sets bid deadline
Oracle Corp. Tuesday morning said that BEA Systems Inc. has officially rejected its offer to acquire the company. BEA had previously said the offer was too low.

MySQL to get injection of Google code
MySQL laid out its software road map through 2009, including code contributed by Google and security improvements due in MySQL 7.0.

Google to use Nielsen TV audience data
Google Inc., the new kid on the block in TV advertising, has signed up with The Nielsen Co., the venerable TV audience measurement company, in a deal that will increase the data available to participants in the Google TV Ads program.

Court turns tables on alleged ID thief, leaks his personal info
A man charged in connection with an ID theft has had his social security number exposed via the court's Electronic Case Files system.


OPINION

YouTube gets anti-piracy religion
By Dan Blacharski, ITworld

I've wondered aloud and within this space on numerous occasions, just what Google had in mind - and if they were in fact in their right mind - when they bought YouTube. At the time of the acquisition, YouTube was a vehicle for marginally useful home-made videos of poor quality, with no apparent revenue model. But it seems that the Googlers may have been crazy like a fox in the acquisition, and it may yet transform YouTube into something worthwhile, and maybe even profitable. ...continue reading 'YouTube gets anti-piracy religion'


PODCAST

Today's IT News Audio Update
Oracle says BEA rejects buyout bid ... But BEA later says it wants higher price ... My SQL lays out database roadmap

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

Our gadget giveaway ends soon. Don't wait. Enter now!

What's the giveway? A Swiss Army knife that includes a USB flash
drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen -- in other words, the ultimate geek gadget.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Texting driver broadsides train
Robert Gillespie was driving through Eugene, Oregon at 2 a.m. and trying to pull a trifecta: operating his car, sending a text message, and processing all the alcohol he had put into his system. Sadly, something had to give, and he ended up running into the side of a moving train. Nobody was hurt, but hopefully a lesson regarding text messaging (and booze) was learned. ...read more

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

What's your favorite smell?

- Cookies
- Coffee
- Flowers
- Bacon
- Cologne/perfume
- Money

Vote now!

BEA to Oracle: We're not opposed to a reasonable offer

In this issue:

- BEA to Oracle: We're not opposed to a reasonable offer
- Cisco to buy WiMax startup Navini Networks for $330M
- MySQL to get injection of Google code
- Microsoft says next version of NAV not quite baked
- ID thieves have a 50-50 chance of going to prison
- Wireless tech makes jury duty slightly less onerous
- Macs, iPhone boost Apple's earnings
- MySpace to add games from Oberon
- Gadget giveaway ends soon. Enter now!


IN THE NEWS

BEA to Oracle: We're not opposed to a reasonable offer
BEA Systems Inc. has told Oracle Corp. the two companies can still make a deal -- just not the one on the table.

Rejected by BEA, Oracle sets bid deadline
Oracle Corp. Tuesday morning said that BEA Systems Inc. has officially rejected its offer to acquire the company. BEA had previously said the offer was too low.

Cisco to buy WiMax startup Navini Networks for $330M
Cisco Systems Inc. has agreed to buy Navini Networks Inc., a developer of WiMax broadband wireless access systems for $330 million, marking Cisco's first foray into the technology.

MySQL to get injection of Google code
MySQL laid out its software road map through 2009, including code contributed by Google and security improvements due in MySQL 7.0.

Microsoft says next version of NAV not quite baked
Microsoft Corp. has delayed the release of the next version of Dynamics NAV, one of its ERP applications for mid-size companies, company executives said Tuesday.

Judge takes Qualcomm's side in patent spat with Nokia
Qualcomm Inc. scored a minor victory in its continuing spat with Nokia when a judge last week recommended ending the investigation Nokia bought against it in August for infringing patents.

ID thieves have a 50-50 chance of going to prison
A new study of Secret Service case files found that convicted ID thieves received prison time in half of all cases.

MySpace to add games from Oberon
MySpace will partner with Oberon Media to put interactive games on its users' personal profile pages starting next year.


WINDOWS TIP

Fixing Group Policy Gobbledygook
By Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

A reader posed this question: "When I opened my Default Domain Policy in Group Policy Object Editor, some of the nodes under Administrative Templates were in different languages.... Do you know how to reverse this so that the outcome will be English only?" Here's one solution.


Get more Windows tips


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Microsoft's decision to comply with EC ruling to have profound effect ... Qualcomm wins small patent victory ... Macs, iPhone boost Apple's earnings

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GADGET GIVEAWAY

Our gadget giveaway ends soon. Don't wait. Enter now!

What's the giveway? A Swiss Army knife that includes a USB flash
drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen -- in other words, the ultimate geek gadget.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Jury duty to become slightly less onerous, thanks to wireless technology
One of the worst parts of jury duty is the time you spend sitting around in some musty courthouse waiting for your number to be called. But one Michigan court had the bright idea of handing out pagers -- like the ones restaurants use to let patrons know their table is ready -- to prospective jurors. Now people are a little less grumpy about their civic duty, and shops and restaurants near the courthouse are seeing more customers.


Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

What's your favorite smell?

- Cookies
- Coffee
- Flowers
- Bacon
- Cologne/perfume
- Money

Vote now!

Cisco to buy WiMax startup ... Tech support calls land thief in jail ... Macs, iPhone boost Apple's earnings

HIGHLIGHTS

- Cisco to buy WiMax startup Navini Networks for $330M
- Microsoft drops price to partners for hosted CRM
- AT&T revenue up on BellSouth acquisition
- Printer thief arrested after making tech support calls
- Wireless tech makes jury duty slightly less onerous
- Microsoft, Turbolinux to push single sign-on
- Macs, iPhone boost Apple's earnings
- Gadget giveaway ends soon. Enter now!


IN THE NEWS

Cisco to buy WiMax startup Navini Networks for $330M
Cisco Systems Inc. has agreed to buy Navini Networks Inc., a developer of WiMax broadband wireless access systems for $330 million, marking Cisco's first foray into the technology.

Microsoft drops price to partners for hosted CRM
Microsoft plans to reduce the price its partners will pay for its newest CRM software, code-named Titan.

AT&T revenue up on BellSouth acquisition
AT&T Inc. reported net income of $3.1 billion for the third quarter of 2007, up from $2.2 billion a year earlier, largely due to its acquisition of BellSouth.

Microsoft, Turbolinux to push single sign-on
Microsoft and Turbolinux, a Tokyo-based Linux distributor, will work on a single sign-on system for mixed Windows/Linux networks, they said Tuesday.

Printer thief arrested after making tech support calls
Here's a tip: if you steal a printer, don't call the manufacturer asking for driver software.

CTIA: Microsoft backs enterprise mobile services company
When Microsoft Corp. realized that enterprises needed help deploying and managing mobile phones, it turned to a partner it first found in the 1980s.

Apple Q4 profits boosted by iPhone and Mac sales
Apple Inc. on Monday reported strong earnings for its fourth quarter, boosted by record Macintosh computer sales and the shipment of 1.12 million iPhones.


TIP

The problem with long-term retention of information
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

If you look carefully, you will probably find that your information must be preserved for the long-term (anything over 10-15 years but quite possibly 50 years or more). But the problem isn't about the physical life of the media on which the data must be stored. The real problem revolves around logical migration.


PODCAST

Today's IT News Audio Update

Microsoft's decision to comply with EC ruling to have profound effect ... Qualcomm wins small patent victory ... Macs, iPhone boost Apple's earnings ...Listen now!

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

Our gadget giveaway ends soon. Don't wait. Enter now!

What's the giveway? A Swiss Army knife that includes a USB flash
drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen -- in other words, the ultimate geek gadget.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Jury duty to become slightly less onerous, thanks to wireless technology
One of the worst parts of jury duty is the time you spend sitting around in some musty courthouse waiting for your number to be called. But one Michigan court had the bright idea of handing out pagers -- like the ones restaurants use to let patrons know their table is ready -- to prospective jurors. Now people are a little less grumpy about their civic duty, and shops and restaurants near the courthouse are seeing more customers. ...read more


Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


POLL

What's your favorite smell?

- Cookies
- Coffee
- Flowers
- Bacon
- Cologne/perfume
- Money

Vote now!

Firefox releases URI fix, adds Leopard support ... WiMax becomes a 3G standard

HIGHLIGHTS

- Microsoft won't appeal European antitrust ruling
- IBM, MediaTek to develop WiFi replacement technology
- DOJ opposes extending Microsoft sanctions
- Firefox tries again for URI fix, adds Leopard support
- WiMax becomes a 3G standard
- Reporter's notebook: Google guys do hate evil
- Seven Ways Top-Performing Companies Get Ahead of the Pack
- Japanese company unleashes smell-based ads
- Gadget giveaway ends soon. Enter now!


IN THE NEWS

Microsoft won't appeal European antitrust ruling
Microsoft has decided not to appeal last month's appeal ruling against it from the Court of First Instance (CFI) and has finally agreed to comply with the EC's 2004 antitrust ruling.

IBM, MediaTek to develop wireless broadband technology
IBM and Taiwanese chip designer MediaTek Inc. plan to team up to develop and market mmWave technoloogy to replace WiFi.

DOJ opposes extending Microsoft sanctions
The U.S. Department of Justice said it will not seek to extend the restrictions placed on Microsoft Corp.'s business practices following its antitrust settlement with the U.S. government in 2002.

Firefox tries again for URI fix, adds Leopard support
Mozilla has released a critical security update to Firefox, taking a third shot at patching bugs in the way the browser can be used to launch programs from Web links.

WiMax becomes a 3G standard
The WiMax 802.16 standard has been approved by telecoms standards body, the ITU, as a 3G standard, part of its IMT-2000 family of protocols.

Reporter's notebook: Google guys do hate evil
At the last day of the Web 2.0 Summit, attendees learned that having their genome mapped will set them back $300,000 and that Google Inc.'s founders really do stress out about evil.


LEADERSHIP

Seven Ways Top-Performing Companies Get Ahead of the Pack

All leaders want to be part of a top-performing company. All employees do, too. And partners and customers seek out businesses that are at the top of their game, as well. It's natural to want to spend our working hours engaged with dynamic organizations that flourish, not struggling ones that flounder. But have you ever wondered what makes a company a top performer? Rick Lepsinger has, and when his company did a research study on a related subject, he discovered some surprising answers.


PODCAST

Today's IT News Audio Update

WiMax becomes a 3G standard ... States want Microsoft antitrust measures extended ... Mozilla patches URI vulnerability ...listen now!

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

Our gadget giveaway ends soon. Don't wait. Enter now!

What's the giveway? A Swiss Army knife that includes a USB flash
drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen -- in other words, the ultimate geek gadget.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED

Japanese company unleashes smell-based ads

If the poster of a frosty glass of beer or the food in the window isn't enough to tempt you into the Kirin City beer hall near Tokyo station, NTT Communications Corp. is hoping a computer-controlled aroma of oranges or lemons will do the trick. The aromas are generated by a computer-controlled device that receives its instructions over the Internet, and results from the test could help kick-start a new form of advertising that assaults our sense of smell to push products.


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POLL

What's your favorite smell?

- Cookies
- Coffee
- Flowers
- Bacon
- Cologne/perfume
- Money

Vote now!