Archive: October 14, 2007 - October 20, 2007
'Tis the Season For Gift-Guide Pitches
If you think the commercialization of the holidays starts early in stores, take a look at my inbox. I am now getting at least one PR pitch a day from publicists who'd like me to feature one product or another in my holiday gift guide. And that's been the case...
By Rob Pegoraro | October 19, 2007; 1:05 PM ET | Comments (16)
Something New, Something Old From Palm and RIM
When I started researching today's column, I thought I'd hate the Palm Centro and like Research In Motion's BlackBerry 8820. It turns out that I appreciate the Centro more than I expected, while the 8820 bothers me more than I'd imagined. My frustration with Palm's lack of innovation has been...
By Rob Pegoraro | October 18, 2007; 8:00 AM ET | Comments (11)
News From Apple: iPhone to Open, iTunes Plus Expands, Leopard Next Week
Apple has had a busy couple of days. I'll start with the most significant item: The company's Hot News page today leads with a statement from Steve Jobs that it will allow outside programmers to write software for the iPhone and iPod touch: Let me just say it: We want...
By Rob Pegoraro | October 17, 2007; 1:50 PM ET | Comments (31)
Subtractions and Additions for iTunes Plus
That didn't take long: Less than a month after Amazon.com began selling MP3s without any "digital rights management" controls for considerably less than Apple's own iTunes Plus DRM-free downloads, Apple now seems to be cutting the prices of iTunes Plus downloads to match. Last night, searches for iTunes Plus songs...
By Rob Pegoraro | October 16, 2007; 10:14 AM ET | Comments (12)
Bluetooth Blues
Yesterday's Help File looked into the difficulties involved in replacing the little USB receivers that most cordless mice use require to connect to computers. It concluded with this suggestion: One way to avoid this entire issue is to buy a computer with Bluetooth wireless built-in. With one of those machines,...
By Rob Pegoraro | October 15, 2007; 8:58 AM ET | Comments (14)
