November 03, 2005, 4:37 PM PST
Nokia's N-series phones
Posted by: Kent German

Nokia has added three new cell phones to its multimedia N-series. Like the three original models, these oh-so-fancy handsets are equipped for 3G networks and come packed with powerful multimedia features. Also look for cool designs that put the standard Nokia candy bar handset to shame. The Nokia N71 is a flip phone, the Nokia N80 comes in a slider design, and the Nokia N92 has a cool dual-hinged form factor similar to that of the now-defunct Motorola MPx. Two outstanding features are a 3-megapixel camera on the Nokia N80 and a display on the N92 that supports a staggering 16 million colors. Check them out in our N-series line show.

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November 03, 2005, 3:56 PM PST
Ten really good tips for starting a new Web business
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

You already know all about Web 2.0, and that we're now in the new generation of digital businesses. You want to get in on the action--and make your millions working from your bedroom. How about 10 pointers that read like real pointers--not the same old warmed-over tips you see everywhere else--on how to do it, including such nonintuitive (and anti-MBA logic) ones such as:

Solve the smallest possible problem.

Don't waste any money on marketing.

Launch before it's ready and let everyone see the beta.

There are 10 of these at the link above, with good explanations. If any of this makes sense to you, it's worth a read. I promise.

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November 03, 2005, 1:30 PM PST
Belkin announces new FM transmitters for the iPod
Posted by: Jasmine France

Yesterday, Belkin released information about its new FM transmitters for the iPod and iPod Nano to "select media outlets." The accessories won't be available until January 2006, but they could prove to be the next-best way for new iPod owners to listen to their tunes in the car or at home, since they are said to offer "enhanced sound quality" over previous FM transmitters. The new products include the TuneFM (for iPod and iPod Nano; $49.99 each) and the TuneBase FM (for iPod and iPod Nano; $79.99 each) and are essentially the same. Both can tune into any frequency, both use the iPod's screen to display the tuning channel, and both offer four programmable presets. However, the TuneBase FM is made specifically for use in the car, with an adjustable steel neck that supports the iPod and connects directly to the cigarette lighter adapter (like the TuneBase FM for iPod Mini). The TuneFM can be used anywhere with a radio, though it includes a cord for powering and charging in the car also.

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November 03, 2005, 1:10 PM PST
Yahoo paints towns with dressed-up maps
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

Less than a month after Google rebranded its maps as Google Local, Yahoo is tweaking its online maps and linking them to local searches. As with Google Local, you can hold down the mouse and slide around the Yahoo Maps beta without waiting for the screen to refresh, and zoom in or out with a slider bar. Driving directions within the Yahoo Maps beta now guide you through multiple stops, which harried working parents and business travelers should appreciate. From a map, you can drag and drop addresses into search fields to find directions. This tool also saves favorite locations for future returns. Yahoo lets you switch back to its older maps, but so far we're finding the new version more elegant.

The strategy of integrating maps with local search hopes to reap advertising profits from businesses looking for attention. Look up apple in your city for instance, and you'll retrieve a list of companies branded with that word, such as an Apple computer store and a Golden Apple Restaurant. This type of search also maps out shops, such as Best Buy, that stock products with apple in their name.

If you're feeling adventurous, Yahoo provides an API to let you tailor the maps to your liking, as fans of Google Maps have done to chart subway routes, jobs, Wi-Fi hot spots, and much more. (On an odd note, blogger Matt Cutts found that you'll reach The Dude's Fish Store if you type in the address of Google's Mountain View, California, headquarters. A prank?)

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November 03, 2005, 12:28 PM PST
Microsoft's putting everything online
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

Well, not everything. But lots.

First there was the breathless announcement Tuesday that we've been talking about for weeks: that Gates & Co. is moving a lot of the Microsoft Office applications (such as word processing, spreadsheet, presentations, and so on) online in an Office Live suite targeted at small business. Some of the applications will even be free (well, ad-supported) at lower levels.

Then we see the company is not only making Internet phone calls available through the package, but that it's also purchased another Internet telephony company. And we see a rumor Microsoft may go online with some CRM and ERP--stuff that helps you manage customers and orders and keep revenue up and costs down.

Of course, Web-based CRM (that's customer relationship management) company Salesforce.com is thoroughly unimpressed: "Their shrink-wrapped analogues are dead? Endorsement of our model only helps us; their half-hearted impersonation of it only hurts them," says the CEO.

Me, I'm kind of excited at the thought of never having to buy small-business software again. I'll just walk around with my laptop, a microphone, and a headset. But I'm less excited about having to let companies whose software I use sift money from my bank accounts every month. (When will someone start on the on-demand model, rather than forcing a subscription?) I just hope competition does not get squashed and does keep the price down or that the ad-supported stuff is really worth the time it takes to use it.

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November 03, 2005, 12:04 PM PST
Google completes its Desktop with maps
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

We've been testing the Google Desktop 2 beta for two months and have found it both handy and buggy. Today, the personal portal and search tool breaks out of its beta shell and joins the ranks of Google's final, free products. We liked that the beta version of this app places the files and Web pages you frequent within easy reach on your desktop, but we wished that it would wise up and display more relevant content. We'll soon review the intelligence of this release.

A customized Maps panel is the most visually enticing feature, as it displays satellite views of your location and that of Web sites you visit. Want more capabilities? The control is in your hands; Google's open API allows creative programmers to add a host of features to the Desktop sidebar. Available plug-ins let you connect to iTunes, lock your computer, view credit card transactions, track your Google Adsense account, search remote PCs, learn a new word a day, and more. Aiming to make plug-ins easier to add, Google released a software development kit.

Also new to download is the Google Desktop for Enterprise, a security-minded version of the tool. A partnership with IBM allows users of Desktop for Enterprise to browse messages within Lotus Notes.

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November 03, 2005, 10:11 AM PST
MySpace to start its own music label
Posted by: Molly Wood

After building a solid community of socially networked music fans, MySpace.com is branching out to create its own music label. The first album will be a compilation of major-label acts and independent artists. So, congrats, MySpace, and here's to a root-kit-free CD!

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November 03, 2005, 10:05 AM PST
Sony's DRM to get less dangerous, though just as restrictive
Posted by: Molly Wood

Maybe you heard: Sony's copy-protected CDs install anticopying technology as a root kit that hides its activities. Yeah, freakout. Anyway, turns out that move could also open a backdoor to hackers, so Sony has at least agreed to patch the hole it created without your knowledge. Oh, wow, thanks.

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November 03, 2005, 10:03 AM PST
Packers to cell phones: cheese off!
Posted by: Molly Wood

The Green Bay Packers cut short a press conference and then canceled another one after, despite repeated requests to turn them off, reporters' and cameramen's cell phones kept ringing. Oh, c'mon, guys, don't you know? Reporters and cameramen are really important!

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