6

Myhrvold on Microhoo and his new cookbook

CARLSBAD, Calif.--Over lunch, I had the chance to catch up with former Microsoftie Nathan Myhrvold, who's due to speak this afternoon.

We had a throughly interesting discussion on such topics as the global food shortage and his travels to photograph glaciers and penguins as well as his forthcoming high-tech cookbook (more in a minute on that). With the grudging indulgence of the others at the table, I ham-handedly shifted the table's conversation over to Microhoo.

Myrhrvold said that he can see both the potential and potential pitfalls of a deal.

"I think it would be a … Read more

Live from D6: Jerry Yang and Susan Decker of Yahoo

The following is live coverage from D6 of Yahoo's Jerry Yang and Susan Decker being interviewed Wednesday by Walt Mossberg:

Click here for full coverage of the D: All Things Digital conference.

Up close with Sony's ultrathin TVs

CARLSBAD, Calif.--A steady stream of folks rushed the stage Wednesday after Howard Stringer's speech, but they weren't looking to corner the Sony CEO. Rather, they wanted to see his superthin television.

Sony already has an 11-inch OLED model that sells for $2,500, but Stringer showed an even thinner model due out within the next 12 months. It's thinner than a credit card, just 0.3mm thick.

Among those who went onstage to see it was decor guru Martha Stewart, who gave it the all-important thumbs up. "I like it," Stewart told me, adding … Read more

IAC's Barry Diller: Google is irrelevant to us

Speaking at the D6 conference Barry Diller said Google is irrelevant to his Ask.com business and explained his quest to spin off five public companies from his collection of companies and 63 brands.

As chairman and chief executive officer of IAC, as well as chairman of Expedia, Diller oversees brands including Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster, Lending Tree, Ask.com, Match.com, CitySearch, and Evite.

On August 1, IAC will become five separate companies--HSN, Lending Tree, Ticketmaster, Interval, and a "new" IAC, which will be a series of businesses naturally related to each other, Diller said.

"We … Read more

Dell: We missed some pretty big things

CARLSBAD, Calif.--Michael Dell acknowledged Wednesday that his company has in the past missed some key industry trends, such as the importance of retail sales and consumer products.

But he promised that the PC maker will not be a technology laggard going forward.

"We've tripled our resources in design and user experience," the company's founder and CEO said in an interview with technology journalist Walt Mossberg at the D6 conference here.

Pinned down on where the company went wrong, Dell pointed to a couple of factors--in particular a lack of attention on the consumer market at … Read more

Sony CEO Stringer: You can't afford our best TV

CARLSBAD, Calif.--Sony CEO Howard Stringer says the culture of profitability has returned to his company. But, he says, it still has work to do.

In an interview with Stringer at the D6 technology and media conference, The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg started by pointing out the failures of Sony's digital music player and interactive TV ventures. Stringer said that Sony is now running about 5 percent profit margins. Those margins need to get bigger to sustain the company, or, he says, "If we have any more success, we'll be bankrupt."

Speaking about the … Read more

'Guitar Hero' rocks D6

CARLSBAD, Calif.--D6 is getting ready to rock.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is speaking at the conference here, with host Kara Swisher promising the keynote will wrap up with a star-studded demo of the next Guitar Hero.

Before that, though, Swisher and Kotick are discussing where gaming is now and where it is headed. Kotick noted that the current machines have broadened the notion of console gaming, each in its own way.

The PlayStation 3 has brought cinematic video quality to gaming, adding the opportunity to have emotional ties with the characters, he said. The Xbox 360 added deep online … Read more

Amazon's Jeff Bezos: A passion for Kindle and digital content delivery

CARLSBAD, Calif.--Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos kicked off the morning proceedings here at D6 after a night of polite carousing by industry luminaries. During the interview with D co-host Walt Mossberg, Bezos announced a streaming-video service and explained his foray into hardware with the Kindle e-book reader.

On the subject of video and music delivery, Bezos said, "We are working on a new version of video-on-demand, a for-pay streaming service we will release in the next couple of weeks. The streaming service will start instantly, and it's a la carte, for pay."

Regarding competing … Read more

Bezos: Amazon to launch paid streaming video service

In an interview with Walt Mossberg at D6, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, "We are working on a new version of video on demand, a for pay streaming service we will release in the next couple of weeks. The streaming service will start instantly and it's a la carte, for pay."

This will be in addition to Amazon's download-to-Tivo service.

Developing...

Click here for full coverage of the D: All Things Digital conference.