June has typically been the month when Apple has taken the lid off its latest, greatest iPhone, and if the rumors are true, this year will be no exception. But is June 22 really the big day? Also: If you’ve heard word of a supposed Verizon-enabled iPhone being tested in the U.S. recently, well … don’t get too excited just yet.
Echoing an economic reality that also hampers its Xbox video gaming business, Microsoft’s Bing search engine has cost the company over $5 billion over the past several years. And while many feel that the software giant can never recover that expense, Microsoft this week said it is "confident" that Bing will not only be successful, but also profitable.
"As soon as we close and implement the Yahoo deal, we have achieved a milestone, [and] for advertisers, we are a credible number two [in the marketplace]," said Microsoft senior vice president Yusuf Mehdi. "The goal is about share gain. If we grow share, we will grow our way into profitability, and we have confidence we can do that."
Yahoo say: Sony has delayed the launch of its PlayStation 3 racing game, Gran Turismo 5, the release date once again left to conjecture. It’s agonising for fans of the series, but you may be surprised to learn that this is the first time the game has been officially held back.
Yahoo! Games: Playback 92 Part 1
The Xbox ‘red ring of death’ error may have affected as many as half of the console’s users.
However, most PC users should not take the release of Windows 7 as a call to action, or feel that they have to run out and buy the software for use on a computer they’re planning on keeping. The upgrade will most likely not be worth the time or money, much less the effort of hosting a Windows 7 "launch party" as Microsoft suggests.
Jordan Mechner, creator of the legendary "Prince of Persia", and Eric Chahi, game designer of the ultra-classic "Another World", are interviewed together for the first time in history. The article was created by none other than Eric Viennot, the co-founder of the French studio Lexis Numérique and the creator of the cult hit "In Memoriam". Apart from a rare alignment of videogame stars, this interview also confirms that Chahi is developing a new and highly secret game project.
(French to English translation via Yahoo Babel Fish)
Eolas, the company that won a patent case against Microsoft in 2003, has filed another patent infringement lawsuit, apparently targeting as many high-tech companies it could find. Citing infringement on the very same patent as the one that resulted in a $585 judgment against Microsoft, Eolas is now suing 23 companies, including Apple, Google, Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Playboy, Yahoo, and YouTube for implementing browser plug-ins in one form or another, plus another patent that addresses the use of asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX).
Mike Smith @ Yahoo writes: "When Sony announced the Playstation 3 in 2006 at the wallet-busting prices of $499 and $599, even serious, dedicated gamers blanched. The new console was expensive enough to put many consumers off entirely, and despite a cut here and there, it’s remained firmly in the "overpriced" camp for many once-eager Sony fans.
But that was then.
Now, the PS3 has been put on a diet, earning a slim, trim new figure and a much healthier price tag of $299. The appropriately-named PS3 Slim launches on September 1, and if you’ve been waiting for the right time to take the Playstation plunge, this could be your big chance. So, is it worth it?
In a word, yes. In more words, read on."
Cnet: "Whenever Microsoft starts to look like a company that is ready to play fair with open source, along comes its CEO, Steve Ballmer, to ruin all the goodwill the rest of the company has created.
In talking up Microsoft’s deal with Yahoo, Ballmer couldn’t restrain himself from talking about Apple or Linux:
Linux. It’s all about Linux. We’ve been competing with Linux for a number of years. I want to describe our value proposition. We are a high-volume player. We do not, like Apple, believe in low volume, very high prices. Apple’s a great company, does a fine job, but their model says high margin, high quality, high price, that’s kinda how they come to market."
Business Week writes:
"Ever since Microsoft made its $45 billion bid for Yahoo in early 2008, it was clear the software giant was serious about taking on arch-rival Google in the lucrative Internet search business. And now, after more than a year of more limited talks after Yahoo denied that bid, it seems Microsoft has achieved its goal. If reports of an impending deal between the companies prove true, Microsoft will emerge as the clear No. 2 player in search."