Unsealed documents add to Yahoo-Microsoft drama
Newly uncovered documents in Yahoo shareholders' battle with the company allege that CEO Jerry Yang worked actively to undermine a deal with Microsoft, perhaps in some cases unethically -- and possibly illegally.
Yahoo expressed disappointment that Delaware State Court Judge William B. Chandler, III decided yesterday to unseal the documents, which originally had appeared in redacted form a month earlier, though it maintained the suit was without merit.
Microsoft reports security problem with Apple's Safari
Microsoft, of all companies, has issued a security advisory warning users about a possible security exploit involving Apple's Safari for Windows browser.
In Microsoft Security Advisory 953818, posted last week, Microsoft does not pinpoint exactly how it learned of the security vulnerability. But users are told, "Microsoft is investigating new public reports of blended threat that allows remote execution on all supported versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista when Apple's Safari for Windows has been installed."
Next Silverlight 2.0 beta to appear this week
Developers going home from TechEd 2008 in Orlando (just as the admin folks arrive for the following week's demos) could find a delightful surprise in their annual tote bags: the newest plug-in for Visual Studio.
A very brief notice appearing on the blog of Microsoft .NET developer evangelist G. Andrew Duthie early this morning confirmed news coming from Tech·Ed 2008 for Developers in Orlando: The company's corporate vice president S. Somasegar told attendees that he expects the next beta of Silverlight 2.0, the company's portable graphics platform, before the end of this week.
Acer launches new netbook, promises WiMAX
Call them sub-notebooks, netbooks, UMPCs, or what one clever Engadget poster deemed them: "Liliputers," the biggest hardware launches at Computex in Taipei this week fall into the umbrella category of "smallest."
The specifications for Acer's Aspire One are now official as of today: With a profile of 9.8" x 6.7" x 1.14", a weight of under 2 pounds, and an LED display with 1024 x 600 resolution, the Aspire One is about on par with its fellow netbooks in size.
Analysts: Hundreds of billions in wireless productivity gains
Last Friday, an Ovum Research report added an additional $260 billion to its 2005 forecast of $600 billion in productivity gains that wireless technology is expected to add to the American economy over the next ten years.
In an interview with BetaNews Monday, Ovum analyst Roger Entner attributed some of the disparity between the two numbers to "faster adoption and more applications than originally expected," and the rest to a slight difference in the time frames studied in the two reports.
Yahoo's latest Messenger beta goes its own way
It's clearly not a button-down, businesslike IM client: Having experimented with a special Vista version that apparently didn't go over well, Yahoo now is adding personalized polish to its latest free personal messenger, still in beta.
Download Yahoo Messenger for Windows beta build 9.0.0.1389 from FileForum now
Microsoft releases its latest Dynamics for ERP
Microsoft today released Dynamics AX 2009, a major update that adds Role Centers, increased business intelligence, and myriad other new features to what many consider to be the best of Microsoft's four products in the ERP space.
AX 2009, also known to some as Axapta 5.0, represents the latest edition of enterprise resource planning software originally acquired by Microsoft through its Axapta acquisition.
IDC: Despite the iPhone, RIM's smartphone share still rises
While many have said Apple's iPhone would immediately spell trouble for RIM's BlackBerry, it's not happening yet according to the latest research.
First quarter sales data compiled by research firm IDC indicate that sales of the BlackBerry increased during the first three months of 2008, while sales of the iPhone decreased.
Minnesota private community says no to Google Street View
In the latest example of "opt-out" in action, an entire Minnesota town demanded that Google take down Street View imagery of its municipality, and the search giant duly complied.
The City Council for the 4,500-resident town of North Oaks, Minnesota sent a letter to Google in January giving the company the option to either remove the imagery or be cited for trespassing. Rather than risk a legal battle, North Oaks no longer has Street View capability.
Adobe launches its latest test of Buzzword online WP
The viability of AIR as an application platform is only becoming more clear with today's revamp of Buzzword, Adobe's online word processor, now part of Acrobat.com. BetaNews spent some more time with Buzzword this morning and afternoon.
Buzzword does not feel like an online app. Typically, when one thinks of running applications in his Web browser, a decade of experience has already taught him to expect to type his data into postage stamp-sized controls, click on Submit, and wait a few hours. Buzzword flies in the face of that expectation by delivering a snappy, well-presented, original front end that doesn't take a month to learn.
Adobe Web Services test run: ConnectNow and Create PDF
Part of Adobe's beta of Acrobat.com, ConnectNow is a Web Conferencing tool, and Create PDF gives you a way to build PDF files from anyplace, whether or not you have access to Acrobat software.
Adobe's ConnectNow is a tool which allows an administrator to create a virtual meeting room where users log on and communicate with each other using a single URL.
FTC approves Icahn's Yahoo stock purchase
The Federal Trade Commission has given activist investor Carl Icahn approval to purchase a large chunk of Yahoo stock, it said on Friday.
The FTC is required under current rules to give its approval to large purchases of stock, and for Carl Icahn, that approval came Friday (PDF available here). Icahn currently owns a little over four percent of Yahoo, valued at around $1 billion USD.
HP to make Microsoft Live Search its system default
5:00 pm EDT June 2, 2008 - BetaNews has learned further details concerning the extent of the partnership between HP and Microsoft. In addition to the Live Search agreement, the computer maker would also install Silverlight, meaning that Microsoft's answer to Flash could potentially now reach millions of new computer buyers.
The plug-in is necessary to run the newest version of the Live Search toolbar, so there would really be no way for the application to not be installed.
Facebook's privacy policies investigated in Canada
The federal privacy commissioner in Canada is now investigating allegations that Facebook may be illegally collecting personal information such as telephone numbers, birthdays, and instant messaging addresses without authorization.
Entered by law students at the University of Ottawa, the complaint charges that Facebook is committing a total of 22 infractions of Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
Gigya launches beta of Socialize, more social sharing
Joining the ranks of heavyweights Google, Facebook, and MySpace, social widget startup Gigya has opened the beta of its social sharing platform Gigya Socialize.
Promptly following the $9.5 million investment the company received in March, Gigya Socialize falls in line with Google Friend Connect, Facebook Connect, and MySpace Data Availability.
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