Top Items:
Rafe Needleman / CNET News.com:
Microsoft Soapbox is no threat to YouTube, yet — Microsoft's YouTube competitor, Soapbox on MSN Video, is in private beta [news story]. We wheedled our way on to the invite list and gave it a spin. The beta program will expand shortly. — Soapbox is Microsoft's user-generated video site …
Discussion:
Techdirt, TechBlog, Download Squad, CyberNet Technology News, Good Morning Silicon Valley and Slashdot
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Microsoft:
MSN Launches Beta of Soapbox on MSN Video — MSN expands industry-leading MSN Video service by enabling people to actively participate in the MSN content experience. — MSN today announced the U.S. beta release of Soapbox on MSN® Video, a user-uploaded video service that makes it easy …
Elinor Mills / CNET News.com:
Microsoft to take on YouTube — Microsoft is set to launch on Tuesday a beta version of a new service that lets people upload videos of their cats dancing, babies laughing and teenagers playing air guitar. — Microsoft's new Soapbox on MSN Video site takes on the popular site YouTube …
New York Times:
Fuzzy Laws Come Into Play in the H.P. Pretexting Case — Despite the California attorney general's assertion that he has enough evidence to press charges against people inside and outside Hewlett-Packard, a criminal case may be hard to prosecute, legal specialists say.
Cory Doctorow / Boing Boing:
Moo Cards: Stunning kid-sized custom biz-cards with Flickr pix — Moo prints beautiful little calling-cards for kids and the young-at-heart. Each card can have a different back, and the undersized cards are just the right size for your name, email address and a URL or two.
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Kate Kaye / ClickZ:
A Google Trial Ties Ad Position to User Behavior — A Google AdWords experiment that optimizes ads based on individual user behavior could raise rates for advertisers. Search marketing mavens have chattered about the premium listings changes, and now Google has confirmed it is exploring alterations …
Frank Ahrens / Washington Post:
FCC Wireless Auction Could Open Up Airwaves — Cellphone customers should soon encounter fewer dead spots in their coverage areas and more easily use next-generation phones that play television-quality video and perform other high-tech tricks, thanks to a Federal Communications Commission spectrum auction that concluded yesterday.
Peter Kafka / Forbes:
Can YouTube Grow Up And Stay Cool? — The quick consensus on Monday's tie-up between Warner Music Group and YouTube: Finally, an old-media dinosaur gets it! By agreeing to license its artists' songs and videos to the video-sharing Web site, Warner embraces the digital revolution.
RELATED ITEMS:
Kasper Jade / AppleInsider:
Apple to update MacBook lines in time for holidays — Apple Computer plans to update both its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines of Intel notebook computers in time for the holiday shopping season, but may take some time before it does so, AppleInsider has learned.
Ben Fritz / Variety:
Yahoo tests 'Right' to MP3 downloads — Netco puts McCartney album online — Yahoo! is looking to end Apple's and Microsoft's dominance of the technology behind online music. — In a first for mainstream pop music, Yahoo! will sell Jesse McCartney's new album "Right Where You Want Me …
Christopher Elliott / New York Times:
Blogs About Business Travel Begin to Feel the Power — LIKE most other business travelers who publish blogs, Steve Broback discovered their power by accident. — He had reserved a room at the Muse Hotel near Times Square, with the understanding that the rate would include free Internet access.
Discussion:
Technology Evangelist, Web Strategy, Open (finds, minds …, Search Engine Guide Blog, inFlightHQ and Blogging Pro
Nathan Weinberg / InsideGoogle:
BALLSY GOOGLE KICKS BELGIAN NEWSPAPERS' ASSES — Sometimes Google just makes me jump up and pump my fist, yelling, "Yes! You show those motherf-ers!" This is definitely one of those times. Google responding to Belgian newspaper's complaints about being included in Google News and the Google cache …
Major Nelson / Xbox Live's Major Nelson:
Bringing it Home - TGS and X'06 Style — I just saw this and wanted to post it before I jump on the plane for Tokyo: — After the success of the 'Bringing it home' campaign at E3 earlier this year...it's back for TGS and X'06! Of course that means I'll be posting details each day as I find out what is headed for Marketplace.
Ed Oswald / BetaNews:
MS Pulled Zune Pricing at Last Minute — At least one analyst suspects that Microsoft decided to forego announcing pricing of its Zune music player at the last minute due to the surprise announcement last Tuesday that Apple would drop the price of its smallest hard-drive based iPod to $249.
Matthew L. Wald / New York Times:
In era of technology, face-to-face survives — Remember the good old days, when all you had to do to get on an airplane was empty the metal out of your pockets, take off your shoes and maybe submit to a pat-down? — Since Aug. 10, travelers in the United States have also faced checkpoint screeners …
Discussion:
Techdirt
Marshall Kirkpatrick / TechCrunch:
Grazr 1.0 blasts off into the future of RSS — Grazr, the mini OPML browser that puts mortal widgets to shame, just launched version 1.0. The Grazr team is led by founder Michael Kowalchik and Adam Green - who as CTO at Andover.net, the parent of Slashdot and many other sites, took the company to its IPO.
