September 19, 2005, 4:05 PM PDT
Google's top-secret confab
Posted by: Molly Wood

Google has apparently invited about 400 people to an exclusive "customer innovation conference," which will include speakers from Yahoo and Microsoft. And although some journalists and bloggers are invited, they will be forbidden from writing about the event. So, am I in trouble now?

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September 19, 2005, 3:43 PM PDT
Trump ring tones: superclassy
Posted by: Molly Wood

Donald Trump is coming to a cell phone near you. The Donald has signed up for voice, video, and wallpaper ring tones that are available through T-Mobile now, Sprint Nextel on Thursday, and Cingular starting September 26. If you saw him on the Emmys on Monday, you're with me in hoping that the Hair will not sing again.

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September 19, 2005, 1:34 PM PDT
Blogs and such for small business
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

As I sink my teeth further into what others are saying about small business, I'm coming across a number of resources. I figured I'd share a list so that you can decide for yourself what's best. I'll keep weighing in on what I think over time.

Smallbiztechnology: This blog is one of the few outside CNET that focuses on technology for small business.

News.com: This CNET-affiliated site has a lot of tech news that's relevant to small business.

Small Business Trends has this "Power Review" of blogs about small business, but it's being discontinued as of Sunday, September 25. The list is uneven but worth clicking around. (Though it's being "retired," the author tells me she'll keep the pages live for as long as they get traffic.)

Entrepreneur.com's small-business blog. They have a small-business tech area, too. There is a content-sharing relationship between them and CNET. They also have this SmallBizSearch, which seems decent at finding products and services.

AllBusiness Business Blogs: A blog of blogs, mostly about marketing and advertising.

There are more, but that's a enough for you to click around for now, I think. Especially if you're a busy small-business owner.

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September 19, 2005, 12:18 PM PDT
Shortcut to "I agree" for downloads
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

When installing software from the Web, maybe you lazily skim the legal gobbledygook in the vendor's license agreement, then click "I agree" to speed up the download process. But little do you know what rights you may have signed away within that End User License Agreement (EULA).

Some EULAs legally prevent you from criticizing the product's maker, patronizing its competition, or blocking hidden spyware on your PC. For impatient downloaders who don't want to blink and miss a nasty surprise, a new piece of freeware reads EULAs for you and points out "potentially interesting words and phrases." JavaCool's EULAlyzer promises to flag software agreements that might install unwanted pop-ups or spyware on your system. But as Techdirt points out, software makers' lawyers could adapt by burying the lead inside more legalese.

The EULAlyzer highlighted the mention of a "third party" in the download agreement for the Microsoft Acrylic graphics app beta (so I can't sue Redmond over anything related to Acrylic on an external program or Web site). Apple's agreement for iTunes 5.0 turned up even more items in the EULA scanner, such as notice that your listening habits may be tracked anonymously.

But as far as "interesting words and phrases" go, the EULAlyzer missed these bons mots reminding us not to use iTunes "in the operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation or communication systems, air traffic systems, life support machines or other equipment in which the failure of the Apple software could lead to death, personal injury, or severe physical or environmental damage."

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September 19, 2005, 10:25 AM PDT
Just another example...
Posted by: Lori Grunin

...of how technology--in this case, a camcorder and the Web--has helped to further blur the line between creativity and, well, insanity. And I can say that because I actually know this guy. His site, Cinemasolo: The Home of One Man Moviemaking, is the musical answer to the question "what do unemployed singers do with their spare time in the 21st century?" But don't take my word for it, check out his videos "Unfulfillment" in Swedish and Area Two Slash Two for yourself.

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September 19, 2005, 8:07 AM PDT
Roku's Wi-Fi Radio
Posted by: John P. Falcone

If you've ever wanted a way to access online radio as easily as you flip between AM and FM stations, Roku Labs has a product for you. The company today announced the R1000 SoundBridge Radio, a tabletop unit with built-in speakers (and a subwoofer) that includes a built-in Wi-Fi receiver for streaming online radio stations directly from the Internet--without the need for a PC. Of course, the R1000 can also act as a standard digital audio receiver, pulling pretty much any audio file--MP3, WMA, unprotected AAC, WAV, AIFF--from a PC or Mac on your home network. In fact, there's little functional difference between the R1000 and Roku's previous SoundBridge models. That's a good thing because the SoundBridge line outdistances most competition in home-based digital audio products.

Roku stopped by to give us a hands-on demo of the R1000 last week, and I was impressed with what I saw. Unlike earlier SoundBridge models that need to be hooked up to an external stereo, the R1000's tabletop form factor makes it perfect for the bedroom, home office, or kitchen. And the brilliant text display lets you see what you're listening to and even navigate iTunes playlists on a PC with the included remote. And the R1000 works as a standard AM/FM radio, so you always have easy access to local news and weather. Furthermore, the preset buttons can be set to anything: local radio, a playlist, or an online radio station.

Where does the R1000 fall short? I was surprised to see that it lacked a line input, so if you can't stream the content, you can't listen to it. That's not a huge drawback considering Roku's impressive compatibility list--it streams Rhapsody and copy-protected PlaysForSure downloads from your PC, for instance. But despite tight integration with the iTunes software, the R1000 can't stream songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store; a little line-in jack would've allowed the easy workaround of a direct connection to an iPod. Also, unlike the many of the tabletop radios it'll be competing against, the R1000 doesn't have a CD player. Of course, none of those radios have built-in Wi-Fi, and the SoundBridge's target audience is made up of those who've largely moved from CDs to hard disks brimming with digital files.

The Roku R1000 SoundBridge Radio is scheduled to be available in November for $400. CNET will have a full in-depth review at that time.

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September 19, 2005, 12:00 AM PDT
Yes, there's a reason for the colorful language
Posted by: Molly Wood

Did we forget to mention that September 19 is Talk Like a Pirate Day? Well, it is. So, get your "ayes" and "avasts" and "arrrrrs" on, because you have only a few hours left to let out your inner pirate.

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