Top Items:
Antony Bruno / vnuemedia.com:
ZUNE GETS IN THE RING — Microsoft officials for the first time have confirmed that the Redmond, Wash.-based company is readying a portable music player and integrated service, shedding new light on a topic that has fueled rampant speculation in news reports and blog postings for weeks.
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Ryan Block / Engadget:
Microsoft confirms Zune project — Well, it's not much, but we've got a quote and an official confirmation of the Zune project at Microsoft. The Zune brand is being billed as a "music and entertainment" project aimed at "connecting with others to discover new music and entertainment …
Michael Gartenberg:
Zune is Real and Here's What it Means - First Take Analysis — Well, it's 12pm PDT and my embargo is lifted so I can finally stop talking about this in terms of something Microsoft "might" do and now start talking about what it means. If you have the current issue of Billboard, there's an article in there as well.
Reuters:
UPDATE 1-Microsoft confirms plan to take on Apple's iPod —Text+(Adds analyst comment, background) — SEATTLE, July 21 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it plans to release a new music and entertainment player and accompanying software under the …
Ryan Block / Engadget:
Microsoft portable to be a totally "Integrated Experience" — From the looks of it our own Stephen Speicher was on to something in his latest edition of The Clicker. We've received word from a trusted insider (no, not Mr. Speicher) that the shape everyone's been expecting the Zune …
Discussion:
digg
Ryan Block / Engadget:
Zune: what we know, think we know, and don't yet know — Ok, so we got off the horn with Microsoft just a few minutes ago and realized that making heads or tails of all this Zune stuff is probably driving some of you crazy . (We know others are probably just getting driven crazy by all the posts we've been writing about it.
Discussion:
Joystiq
Paul Thurrott / SuperSite for Windows:
Windows Genuine Advantage: An Overview and Screenshot Gallery — I've found Microsoft's recent forays into customer relations with Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) to be somewhat amusing. I mean, after all, Microsoft is a huge company just brimming with really smart people. How could they do something so silly?
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Matt Mondok / M-Dollar:
Microsoft responds to Windows Genuine Advantage false positive accusations — Since its release, the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) has come under nothing but intense scrutiny, mainly because of questionable actions and misidentification of software pirates.
Jenstar / JenSense:
Site Diagnostics tab returns to Google AdSense control panel — It's back! The "Site Diagnostics" tab, which appears to be an extension of Google Sitemaps, has returned to the AdSense control panel after it showed up several weeks ago for a couple of days.
Discussion:
John Battelle's Searchblog
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Official Google Blog:
Findings on invalid clicks — Those of you who follow news about online advertising closely are seeing plenty about the issue of "click fraud" lately. Since there's been a development in a case Google is involved in, you might like to hear about it. — As part of the settlement …
Ed Oswald / BetaNews:
October Debut for Microsoft 'iPod Killer' — EXCLUSIVE Microsoft's so-called "iPod killer" could be unveiled as early as late next month, with the company preparing to build momentum towards an October launch, sources close to the situation have told BetaNews.
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Matt Marshall / SiliconBeat:
The Gizmo free-call surprise, too good to be true? — Wow, the open standards Internet telephone company the Gizmo Project is offering free calls to 60 countries now. — This is serious stuff. Skype was doing something similar, but it was bought up by eBay and never had to prove it could make money.
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bLaugh:
Skype vs. Gizmo vs. Vonage — I think Skype is an amazing product. I'm recommending that all my friends and family members start using *pwing* kskll f kaslkk fllaklk. LFilial liflk kdlalk lal lfllfal alla lallkl lala aaa kdllak slkal alkalk a lka kal lakklkla lkalkll allall kkllal llalkkal …
Pamela Parker / ClickZ:
MSN Revenues Decline Slightly; Investments Continue — Revenues at Microsoft's MSN declined 3 percent year-over-year, coming in at $580 million, as compared to $598 million during the same period last year. The company revealed results and plans for MSN when it announced earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter of 2006 yesterday.
Discussion:
Google Watch
Kevin Newcomb / ClickZ:
Study: Display Ad Exposure Boosts Search Conversion — A new study from Atlas Institute proves what many marketers have intuitively known: Running display ads can help improve the results of a concurrent search campaign. — The study, which looked at 11 direct response advertisers …
USA Today:
Sony BMG releases first song that works with all music players — LOS ANGELES — Record label Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which got into trouble last year when it sold copy-protected CDs that inadvertently threatened PCs with a computer virus, has become the first major record label to sell an unprotected digital song.
Discussion:
Guardian Unlimited
Roland Piquepaille / Emerging Technology Trends:
Howard Rheingold about our mobile world — Howard Rheingold is the well-known author of Smart Mobs and many other books describing the evolution of our societies. His last book predicted the transformation of our society into a mobile one. Four years later, and with thousands of posts published …
Discussion:
Mike Rowehl
Kate Kaye / ClickZ Internet Marketing Solutions …:
Ad Targeting on TV — What a Concept! — A new deal between TV ad targeting tech company Visible World and Cablevision will enable advertisers, reportedly including Chase Card Services, to test TV spot targeting on the household level. According to a TV Week story (via PaidContent) …
Evan Blass / Engadget:
Sony packs pedometers into upcoming Network Walkmen — Watch out Apple and Nike, because Sony's got a new set of Network Walkmen waiting in the wings that pack a pedometer right into the players themselves, eliminating the need for a separate kit and expensive pair of sneakers.
Discussion:
MobileWhack.com
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