Top Items:
Varun Dubey / cooltechzone.com:
Microsoft Buys Out Opera — (Insider Report) - Here comes a surprise. In a recent conversation with one of our insiders at Microsoft, the source revealed that Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, has acquired Opera Software, makers of the Opera browser.
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Matt Loney / ZDNet:
Opera denies Microsoft takeover rumours … As the phones ring off the hook at Opera, the browser vendor insists rumours that Microsoft is buying it out are unfounded — Opera on Friday denied the latest takeover rumour spreading round the Internet, saying that it has not had any approaches from Microsoft or anyone else.
Discussion:
Things That, mathewingram.com/work, Mark Evans, Neowin.net, Microsoft Watch, digg and OpsanBlog
Michael Gartenberg:
Microsoft buys Opera - Here's Why (it would have made sense) — Update - The Opera folks are saying this isn't correct and there's no deal. I should have been more skeptical, it's something we would likely have been briefed on if it were true. — Thought it was going to be a quiet day, but it doesn't seem that way at all.
Discussion:
Microsoft Monitor
MSNBC:
Microsoft, NBC restructure cable channel deal — Both sides remain committed to Internet news site MSNBC.com — NBC Universal will assume majority control of the 24-hour cable channel MSNBC under a restructuring of its 10-year-old joint venture agreement with software giant Microsoft, the two companies announced Friday.
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New York Times:
NBC Takes Control of MSNBC, Reducing Microsoft Role — NBC Universal announced today that it has reached a deal to acquire majority control of MSNBC, the 24-hour cable television news network, from Microsoft. — The transaction could be the first step in ending a nine-year partnership between …
Jason McCabe Calacanis / The Jason Calacanis Weblog:
My Predictions for 2006 — 1. Someone will do the Wikipedia version of Weblogs, Inc. and and it will fail because it never reaches critical mass. — 2. 30 of the 50 blog networks will fizzle out and/or die. Only one or two (other than Gawker) will break 20M pages a month.
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Steve Rubel / Micro Persuasion:
2006 Trends Part I: Comment Search — There's a ton of bloggers making 2006 predictions in the blogosphere this week. Two notable ones were opined by Jason Calacanis and John Battelle. I am not here to predict, more to observe. So over the next 10 days (by now you know I like that number) …
Marissa Mayer / Official Google Blog:
About the AOL announcement — The recent announcement of the AOL partnership has been the source of a lot of rumors and misconceptions. We'd like to clear some of those up. — Biased results? No way. Providing great search is the core of what we do.
Raf Casert / Associated Press:
EU threatens Microsoft with penalties — DEC. 22 9:26 A.M. ET The European Union has threatened to fine Microsoft up to 2 million euros ($2.37 million) a day, saying Thursday the software company is not fully complying with the EU's 2004 antitrust ruling. — Microsoft immediately retorted …
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PR Newswire:
What Do President Bush, Lindsay Lohan and Star Wars Have in Common? They Topped Ask Jeeves Search Categories in 2005 — Current Events and Celebrities Dominate User Searches Overall — OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ — Ask Jeeves, Inc. today released the list of 2005's …
CNET News.com:
Verizon plans to offer mobile music downloads — Verizon Wireless is expected to introduce a music download service next month that will let subscribers purchase music wirelessly over their mobile phones and transfer songs between their phones and Windows PCs, CNET News.com has learned.
Pete Wright / The secret life of an MS Author:
A festive poem — Today was the last day at work before the Holidays for me, so I'm in a bit of a festive mood. So, with a Vista beta downloaded I thought a tablet poem was in order... 'Twas the year before Vista, and all of the slates, — Were quietly whirring, not noticing the date.
David Berlind / Between the Lines:
Mashup Camp: the unconference about the uncomputer — Under the questionable rubric of "Web 2.0" (see my treatise on the uncomputer), there have been a lot of events that, if you ask me, run incredibly counter to this new culture of open API provision and mashup development.
A Whole Lotta Nothing:
you learn something new everyday — Let's say you take a trip out to your mailbox a few hundred yards away, and you know there are big packages in the box, and it's a downpour. So you grab an umbrella (knowing that true Oregonians never use umbrellas, but you make an exception for the sake of dry christmas presents).
steampowered.com:
VALVE UNVEILS 64-BIT SOURCE™ GAMING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AMD — Available Now: 64-Bit Half-Life® 2 and Lost Coast™ — Bellevue, WA. - December 22, 2005 - Valve, a leading entertainment and technology studio, unveiled a 64-bit version of its Source game engine technology today.
Discussion:
Paul Thurrott's Internet Nexus
