Leapfrog announces new reader “Tag Junior”

Building off of the popular LeapFrog Tag system, the new “Tag Junior” is intended more for the toddler audience. Based more off of board books, the Tag Junior will use a larger reader, and all the child will have to do is touch the hand held device to the page, and the device will read or talk or whatever is appropriate for that touch point. Parents can also download additional content and customize the book for their child, allowing the book to know the child by name.

<!– @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>LEAPFROG UNVEILS NEW TAG™ LEARNING TOY FOR THE YOUNGER SET

EMERYVILLE, CA—January 26, 2009—Following on the heels of the successful Tag Reading System, LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: LF), today announced that a new toddler-sized “book explorer,” the Tag Junior book pal, will be available this summer. The Tag Junior system, designed for little hands, helps youngsters who are just discovering books to build a lasting interest in and love for reading. Classic books, favorite characters and original titles make up the nine-book Tag Junior library, also available this summer.
“LeapFrog revolutionized the learn-to-read categorywith our original LeapPad® Learning System, and wedid it again with last year with the wildly popular Tag
Reading System,” said Nancy MacIntyre, executive vice president of product, innovation and marketing at LeapFrog. “The new Tag Junior handheld gives
younger children, who want the thrill of independence and achievement, a learning toy that is just right for the stage they are in and really brings stories to life.”

Just Their Size

The Tag Junior pal is an appealing character-based handheld device that toddlers can use to interact with specially printed board books. By simply touching the base of the book pal anywhere on any page of a Tag Junior board book, children can hear each page read aloud, hear fun sound effects embedded in the pictures and listen to music. Children get to set the pace as they discover what reading is all about, get engaged in the wonder of books and gain early reading confidence.

New Library Offers Preschool Themes

The Tag Junior system comes with a LeapFrog-original board book called If I Were, which explores animal sounds. Each of the other eight sturdy board books in the Tag Junior library focuses on a different preschool theme, including sounds, colors, letters of the alphabet, numbers and social play. Curious George, Dora the Explorer and Winnie the Pooh are just a few of the childhood favorites featured in the Tag Junior library.

A History of Success

Since the introduction of the Tag Reading System at the exclusive DEMO 08 conference, the Tag reader and books have won more than 35 awards from editors and industry experts worldwide. In the first six months of domestic availability, LeapFrog’s library of Tag books has sold more than 1.2 million copies, including several children’s titles that have sold more than 100,000 copies each.

Same Trusted Tag Technology

Like the Tag Reading System, the Tag Junior pal “reads” with a small, sophisticated infrared camera that recognizes letters, words and symbols printed on the page. Using the PC- and Mac®- compatible LeapFrog® Connect Application, parents can easily download audio for each book in the Tag Junior library, then manage content the way they manage MP3 or digital photo files. The Tag Junior handheld holds the audio for up to five books at a time, and parents can easily change what books are on the device, as well as choose to have the Tag Junior pal “greet” their child by name.
As with most LeapFrog products, the Tag Junior system is part of the LeapFrog Learning Path, a free online resource that gives parents insights into their child’s favorite books and activities, details about what skills their child is exploring during play and ideas for other LeapFrog learning toys that match their child’s interests.

Availability

The Tag Junior book pal, for children ages 2 to 4 years, will be available this summer 2009 at www.leapfrog.com and all major retailers. The Tag Junior system has an MSRP of $34.99, and Tag Junior board books are $10.99 each.

Library

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? (sounds)
Curious George: Color Fun (colors)
ABC Animal Orchestra (alphabet)
How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends? (social play)
Disney Pooh Loves To … (actions)
Dora the Explorer: 1-2-3 Dora! (counting)
The Backyardigans: Opposites (opposites)
David Smells! (senses)

About LeapFrog
LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. is a leading designer, developer and marketer of innovative, technology-based educational products that make learning fun. With more than 120 million educational platforms, books and games in homes worldwide, and multisensory technology in more than 100,000 US classrooms, the LeapFrog learning brand is trusted by parents, valued by teachers and loved by children. Many of LeapFrog’s newest learning products connect to the Internet, for rich, offline/online experiences that parents and children can personalize.

A BlackBerry That’s Easy on Your Thumbs [The Mossberg Solution]

People who use smart phones with physical keyboards are well aware that they don’t look as cool as someone who touches glass to type and flicks a finger to scroll through emails, Web pages and photos. But for many, physical keyboards are easier to use than touch screens, and this fact, alone, cures even the worst case of touch-screen envy.

In two weeks, Research in Motion Inc. (RIMM) and T-Mobile will make available the latest version of the BlackBerry: the Curve 8900. This device works as a basic BlackBerry and doesn’t have a sleek touch screen or completely overhauled operating system, nor is it meant to compete with the likes of Apple’s iPhone. But it has a physical keyboard and still manages to look stylish — and that’s no small feat.

The Curve 8900 costs $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year T-Mobile contract. In the BlackBerry family, this model falls into the Goldilocks category of not too big, not too small — just right. RIM’s $300 BlackBerry Bold came out in November, but its large size and high price were turn-offs for some. The BlackBerry Pearl and Pearl Flip are tiny and portable, but use condensed keyboards with multiple letters on each key, which can hinder fast typing.

After using the new Curve for a week, I found it offers a satisfying combination of high-end features, ideal size and good looks. Best of all, its physical keyboard is a dream for thumbs. Unfortunately, its $200 price comes with very little memory — only 256 megabytes built in and a memory card that adds another 256 megabytes. To expand this memory, users must buy microSD cards.

The new Curve is lighter, thinner and not as wide compared with its predecessor. Its surface, including the keyboard, is glossy black with a striking silver frame. The device’s top edge slopes off in a smooth diagonal that cleverly disguises the Lock and Mute/Standby buttons beneath that top-edge piece of black plastic. Number keys are labeled in red so they stand out on the black keyboard and are easy to see when making phone calls. Right and left convenience keys on each side of the BlackBerry can be assigned to open your favorite functions.

The $200 Curve 8900

Unlike older BlackBerrys that all use the same USB cables and chargers, the Curve 8900 has a micro USB port, which is slightly smaller than those on older cables and won’t work with them.

Photo Opportunity

The Curve 8900 shares two features with the touch screen BlackBerry Storm: Both use the same 3.2-megapixel camera with auto focus, image stabilization, 2x digital zoom and flash; and both have the same 480×360 pixel bright screen resolution. I used the camera on my Curve 8900 to capture some photos of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., a few days after the inaugural parade, and friends couldn’t believe I took them using a BlackBerry. This camera can also capture video clips.

I really enjoyed using the Curve 8900’s newly designed keyboard. Its keys are flatter than those of the old Curve, which felt like typing on plastic bubbles when I switched back. The flatter design of the new Curve’s keys made them feel less resistant, and allowed my fingers to more quickly move from one key to the next. The larger Send, Menu, Escape and End keys that surround the trackball also are flatter and are on the same plane as the screen, giving the surface a smoother look.

This BlackBerry uses T-Mobile’s Quad-band EDGE, not a 3G connection like the BlackBerry Bold or Apple iPhone. For an extra $10 a month in addition to a monthly plan, users may opt for T-Mobile’s Unlimited HotSpot Calling.

Wi-Fi Detector

This feature works so that the Curve automatically detects when it’s near a pre-set Wi-Fi network and uses that network for voice calling or data instead of T-Mobile’s connection. Phone calls that are started in Wi-Fi networks will seamlessly be handed over to the T-Mobile network and the minutes won’t be docked from your data plan; calls started in the cellular network will switch over to Wi-Fi but will continue to dock minutes from your voice plan.

I made a handful of phone calls on the Curve, and the connection sounded clear on both ends. According to RIM, the battery life of the Curve 8900 beats that of the old Curve 8300 in talk time — 5.5 hours compared with four hours — but is a little weaker than the old Curve’s standby battery life, lasting just 15 days between charges, compared with 17 days. I didn’t run an exact battery test, but I noticed that I didn’t have to change my charging schedule from what I regularly do with the old Curve 8300.

I downloaded a few apps, including Facebook, Google Maps and TwitterBerry, and these worked as they do on my older Curve, though a bit faster. Compared with the iPhone’s selection, BlackBerry apps look rather primitive. RIM plans to open an app store in March that will sell apps that will work with this new Curve and other BlackBerrys. Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) have already established app stores that users can access from their devices.

Too Little Memory

This is where the 8300’s relatively minuscule memory becomes a problem. It’s easy to use up the 512 megabytes of total memory by downloading apps like these and taking large-sized photos or video clips with the built-in camera. Comparatively, the $199 iPhone comes with 8 gigabytes of built-in memory. But memory cards are fairly inexpensive today; a quick search on BestBuy.com (BBY) found 2-gigabyte microSD cards for $15.

A 512-megahertz processor gives this new Curve some zip, and I had no trouble quickly surfing the Web, opening Web links embedded in emails or attached photos and Word documents. Videos, including a John Mayer music video and various YouTube clips, played without any jerky skips. Sound was emitted from a small but mighty speaker on the back of the Curve.

Some people simply won’t abandon their physical keyboards for touch screen, no matter what. For them, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 blends the comfortable size, attractive keyboard and stylish design necessary to make a winning device.

Edited By Walter S. Mossberg

• Email us at mossbergsolution@wsj.com. Find this and other columns and videos online free at the All Things Digital Web site: http://walt.allthingsd.com

Digg Poaches New Head Of Sales From Yahoo

After not being acquired by Google last year and announcing some cutbacks last week, Digg is rolling up its sleeves and getting to work. The company has hired Tom Shin as its new head of sales from Yahoo, where he was one of the top sales people and head of the Northwest sales region. His job is to build a sales team at Digg go after advertising dollars more directly., something CEO Jay Adelson recently underscored as a big goal of the company in 2009.

Shin will also be in charge of overall advertising strategy and managing the relationship with Microsoft, which serves the bulk of the ads on Digg. At Yahoo, Shin was also a director of product marketing for Yahoo Mail. According to his bio, Yahoo Mail grew from $20 million in revenues to $300 million during his seven-year tenure.

Digg needs all the help it can get. Last year, the company lost an estimated $5 million on revenues of $8.5 million. There are also rumors that Digg is working on an automated, self-serve advertising product that consumers will be able to vote up or down.

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Tin Terminator Bear, not creepy at all

This cuddly destroyer of mankind from Be@rBrick features light-up eyes and probably won’t help your kid sleep at night. I’ve always had a fondness for tin-toy-looking things, but I want them to be kitschy-looking, not terrifying.

It actually reminds me of the Terminus bear (right), a gestational period of the Terminex race from Marvel Comics. I believe Iron Man, Captain America, and Machine man dropped one of these Scary Bears into a vat of molten metal.

Dangerous foe, the Terminex.

[via Walyou and LikeCool]

Toward Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Technology

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PhlatLight LEDs Promise to Boost New Line of Small Projectors

Luminus Devices' new LED chipset is promising to improve the brightness and overall quality of new small projectors, starting with Acer's upcoming K10 hand-sized gadget.

The just-announced PhlatLight LED PT39 chipset (with RGB LEDs) will combine with Texas Instrument's DLP technology to push out improved images to microdisplays ranging from 0.4" to 0.55." The LEDs will light up to 100 ANSI Lumens in the light-output range (where predictably, the brighter the projector, the higher the ANSI rating will be.)

Brightness levels for projectors are important because they're in the mix that determines the quality of an image, but maybe even more important, they help users determine the room environment that's better suited for a projection.

For example, a projector with a low level of brightness looks better with a quality projector screen that reflects light. With higher levels of brightness, a projection could be set upon any surface (like walls or friends' faces), which reflect light poorly. A projector with greater ANSI levels will also be able to be used in rooms with slightly higher levels of light output. Currently, most of the picos need absolute darkness (or something close to it) to project accurate images.

The Acer K10 projector is one of a number of upcoming small projectors that are not quite Pico-sized. Instead, they are about the size of an outstretched hand, like slimmer version of Nintendo's old Gamecube system. They're not quite portable, but can easily fit in a bag. You can bet manufacturers will face them off against the Picos, who generally have lower ANSI brightness levels and a lower pixel count.

With small projectors coming just a bit higher in price than the Picos, Optoma, 3M, and the rest of the Pico pushers need to keep up the innovation, or lose out the burgeoning market to rigs with better video quality.

The K10 will come out at the end of this week, with a native resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, a contrast ratio of 1000:1, weigh 1.2 lbs., and cost about $450.

Photo: AboutProjectors.com, 3M

See also:

• CES 2009: Bug Labs Shows New Pico Projector and 3G Modules
• Microvision's 'Plug-and-Play' Pico Projector Prototype Is Easy to Use, Won't Come Out Until Next Year's CES

Google I/O 2009 Registration Now Open

This morning Google opened up registration for its annual Google I/O conference, a two-day event focused on developer topics that will feature Android, App Engine, Chrome, GWT, and AJAX APIs. According to Tom Stocky, Director of Product Management at Google, the event has a broad appeal for both small startups and large, established companies. He says that this year’s event will emphasize demonstrations from companies that have successfully implemented some of Google’s technology.

Last year’s event saw one of the first demonstrations of Google’s Android mobile phone OS, as well as the public launch of App Engine. Google also handed out T-shirts cleverly meant to spell out “Google IO” in binary, except they actually said Google KO.

Tickets for the conference are $300 before May 1st, when they’ll rise to $400 (students get in for $50). As an added bonus for early birds, anyone who buys a ticket before May 1st will get a hard copy of the Google Chrome comic book, which was used to introduce the browser last September.

We’re giving away two free tickets to the conference today, and will have more as we get closer to the event. For the first two, tell us in the comments why you need to head to Google I/O and we’ll pick out the best two answers (be sure to use your real Email address, and a sense of humor is encouraged).

For more on the conference, check out Google’s blog post.

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KDE 4.2 Is Released

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Gmail Goes Offline With Google Gears

Until today, one of the biggest drawbacks of Gmail is that you could not go through your emails when you were offline. Today, that changes. Gmail is finally going offline. Google is rolling out a Google Gears version of Gmail that will be available to users starting today in Gmail Labs. (If you don’t see it, keep checking, the rollout to all users should be complete by the end of the week).

After installing the Google Gears plug-in to your browser, Gmail detects when you are offline. It caches your e-mail so that you can read it, respond to it, search it, star it, or label it. When you are connected to the Internet again, it sends all the messages. You can even open attachments. This is exactly the way Gmail already works on mobile phones such as the Android and those that support Gears. In fact, according to Gmail product manager Todd Jackson, who briefed me earlier today:

The underlying sync engine is exactly the same for Android and offline Gmail.

Some features, however, won’t work. Anything that requires an Internet connection, such as spellcheck, won’t work offline. And while you can open attachments, you won’t be able to add attachments at launch (that feature will be added soon, however).

Google Gears is a key part of the company’s Web app strategy. An Gears version of Google Docs was introduced in March, 2008. And an offline version of Google Calendar will soon be offered to enterprise customers. Jackson explains:

Our long term vision is that the browser is the ideal platform for deploying all types of applications. We think the most powerful applications should run inside the browser. Historically it has been constrained by the connection.

Throw off those chains, Gmail users.

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Every Man Is an Island (of Bacteria)

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Liveblogging the Yahoo Fourth-Quarter Earnings Call: Yes, We Can [BoomTown]

Oh, a nice tiny surprise from Yahoo, as it reported its fourth-quarter results, which came in at 17 cents a share in adjusted earnings, compared to the 12 to 13 cents Wall Street was expecting.

“Despite the challenging economic environment, Yahoo! delivered adjusted operating cash flow above the midpoint of guidance for the fourth quarter,” said new Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz in the company’s official release. “The company also made important investments while aggressively managing costs, leaving us better positioned to weather the economic downturn and emerge stronger when advertiser spending improves. We have work to do, but I am excited by Yahoo!’s opportunities, and encouraged by the tremendous innovation and momentum I’ve seen since joining the company as CEO.”

But let’s experience Bartz Live and Unplugged at the fourth-quarter earnings conference call, including a Q&A in which–the company’s intro speaker noted at the top of the call–former Yahoo (YHOO) CEO and Co-Founder Jerry Yang might make an unexpected cameo appearance.

(He didn’t.)

2:08 p.m. PST:

It’s Carol’s show obviously, coming on first and foremost, with a little joke, after hearing all the typical caveats that must be uttered by Yahoo’s investor relations folks before the call begins.

“I should have understood all those risks before I took this job,” she chuckled.

Now that’s the understatement of the year!

Noting she has been on the job only eight days, meeting and greeting the folks of Yahoo, Bartz said she was impressed by the energy and “can-do” spirit of the company, noting that the product pipeline was fantastic.

Of course, products have never been the problem at Yahoo, as many have noted (including BoomTown many, many times). Execution has been the devil in the details!

Bartz obviously got this, but was not going to insult former management this time, as she did in her debut public conference with the press and analysts.

Right after she was hired in mid-January, Bartz noted that Yahoo and its assets, “frankly, could use a little management.”

But it is probably not a good idea to say that again with thus-far silent Jerry Yang sitting right next to her.

2:09 p.m. PST

A tiny bit of kissing up to Bartz by CFO Blake Jorgensen, who started to go over the numbers in great detail, putting the best face on a weakish performance overall, especially compared to previous years.

At the end, he said that Yahoo had performed well in 2008, considering the poor economy, and added guidance going forward was not great either, especially compared to a year ago.

Also, he warned Wall Street not to expect too much guidance for 2009, as Microsoft had also said last week in its own depressing earnings call.

2:20 p.m PST:

Back to can-do Carol Bartz, who began by pointing to all the various assets that Yahoo has–including its Build Your Own Search Service (BOSS) product and Yahoo News–all of which are strong products for advertisers, she said.

But Bartz also finally made the point that execution needs to improve, which she said was “addressable.”

Before the Q&A started, she answered some questions about the company she asked herself, before they could be asked by others. Apparently, now that Bartz is an “insider,” she knows better than anyone else!

Did she come to Yahoo to sell it? “No.”

Will she sell search? Bartz does not know yet, but noted “search is a very valuable part of [Yahoo's] business.”

She added that Yahoo search market share was three times the size of the third player, which Bartz curiously did not name, but which is–of course!–Microsoft–which wants very much to buy Yahoo’s search business.

Uh-oh, Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer might not get his way so quickly!

2:26 p.m. PST:

The first question was about selling the company.

“I did not come to Yahoo to sell the company,” said Bartz again. “It’s too early to say more than that.”

The second question was about reports–in this column too!–about talks with Microsoft and Time Warner (TWX) unit AOL recently.

Bartz said Yahoo does not comment on reports that “come from nowhere.”

Sorry to disagree, but they did come from somewhere and were very well-sourced–just like the absolutely on-target post this column did of Bartz’s pending CEOship at Yahoo, before it was officially announced. But let’s just try to ignore that slight and move on–unless, of course, Bartz keeps up with what has become regular blog-bashing, which means a testy war of words and copious leaked memos to come!

The third question was about the management. Bartz said she plans on getting the lines of communication clearer, which she said she was really good at.

Kissing up to herself was a nice touch.

2:33 p.m. PST:

Next came a question about international business–which is the least of Yahoo’s worries, no matter what its execs say about the great products.

The next question was about guidance. No guidance, folks!

Now, one on the display business, with questions about the pressure on prices and on premium online advertising, which is Yahoo’s top business.

Jorgensen said Yahoo is trying to help advertisers, but that there has been and will continue to be a slowdown in advertising, due to the recession.

More on outlook, cost-cutting, etc. Jorgensen: More caution. Hey, analysts, we’re in a recession and I am not so sure how many ways he can say that.

So far, no Jerry Yang, which was starting to seem odd, since that Yahoo minion said he might be chatting away too.

But, as I said, it seems to be Carol’s show, which has been highly entertaining so far in her tenure, although she’d probably scowl at me sternly for saying that and pull out that cheap trick of insulting the press again.

Next up was a question to about various foreign assets and investments. Bartz will look into it! Jorgensen got in a good joke about her priority not being foreign tax issues.

The following question was about product innovation aimed at a younger demographic.

Bartz was on top of that too, pointing out that she has kids in their 20s.

First, she noted children do grow up, and that they will start to use Yahoo products like its finance offerings, as they move into the workforce and have less time to post dopey pictures on Facebook and throw digital sheep.

Also, young people are finicky, she added. They jumped from MySpace to Facebook, after all!

“Who knows what’s going to come next?,” she said, sounding like a typically exasperated parent. In other words, Yahoo will grab them when they grow up and prefer to be more dull!

2:43 p.m. PST:

The next question was about the timing of changes to come, which prompted Bartz to make another joke about buying the New York Times tomorrow! She was kidding, because the analyst asking the question suggested the troubled Yahoo buy the troubled media company in a recent report.

But, seriously folks, Bartz reiterated: “Gimme some time.”

Next, someone asked about the advertising sales force at Yahoo, which is a good question. Bartz is headed to a sales force meeting in a few weeks, she said, wherein she plans to have a beer with them and find out (once they are drunk and presumably easy to get blabbing).

Still, no Jerry Yang! Sigh. I suddenly desperately miss him and his lower-case ways.

The next question was on shareholder value, which has not been very valuable of late. Bartz noted that everything is on the table related to Yahoo’s businesses, but underscored how valuable the property is as a whole.

“This is not a company that needs to be pulled apart and left for the chickens,” said Bartz.

Apparently, this folksy little saying is from her Wisconsin upbringing. Scary poultry metaphor alert!

Bartz is asked about top assets at Yahoo.

She once again noted that Yahoo’s great products will save the day, from customization to integration of assets. “If we have strong products, we will attract the audience that just beats everything,” said Bartz.

A question about search and display being together, which is a sneaky way to ask about Microsoft, since that’s the great debate within Yahoo over whether to do a deal to outsource it or not.

Bartz made a confusing house metaphor, with search being the house, but it is completely lost on me. Is search the house or a living room or what?

“Whether we keep it or sell it, it’s an important asset,” Bartz then said, which was a clever way of saying exactly nothing.

2:55 p.m. PST:

A question on Yahoo brand, which Bartz basically said is about being the place people come every day. But she admitted there was too much complexity to that brand, although products are strong!

Next, someone asked a question about relevancy of Yahoo. “Our users don’t need constant change,” noted Bartz, who has a decent point about the jumpy nature of Web 2.0’s change-for-change’s-sake mantra.

Still–let’s be honest–Yahoo’s missed a key trend or two in recent years.

Next up was a question about ad prices and another on cost cuts. Jorgensen said that it’ll be more about efficiencies and perhaps some more outsourcing.

Bartz thanked the group for not being “too pushy” in their questions, which was an odd end note, since pushy should be the main job of analysts.

In fact, after listening to the call, I hope that Wall Street keeps up the pushy factor, as investors deserve a lot more answers from Bartz and Yahoo going forward.

It is not, as Bartz insisted in the conference call, a case of inside and outside perceptions being different. Yahoo does have strong products, but it still has gotten itself into its current mess all by itself, much of which has little to do with the weak economy.

That’s why I plan on being very pushy, asking about everything from what structural changes Bartz plans to make to how she envisions Yahoo’s business going forward to improving morale on a sustained basis to what she thinks she can do to make Yahoo the strongest it can be when the economy comes out of the recession.

And, not to get pushy or anything, but what happened to some words from the promised Jerry Yang?

Perhaps he fell victim to the vicious chickens of Wisconsin.

[Dear Yahoos: To get on board the Can-Do Carol Bartz Express, you can buy the "Yes We Can" t-shirt at Zazzle.com for just $23.40!]

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Value of a Dollar Skyrockets Worldwide

Yahoo CEO Bartz: “This Is Not A Company That Needs To Be Pulled Apart For The Chickens.”

Yahoo released its fourth quarter 2008 earnings today. Its non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.17 a share, above the $0.13 consensus. (Yahoo lost $0.22 a share on a GAAP basis due to restructuring and impairment charges). Total revenues came in at $1.8 billion, with net revenues (after what Yahoo pays to network partners) coming in at $1.375 billion.

Overall revenues were down one percent. In comparison, Google’s fourth quarter revenues were up 18 percent. Search revenues on Yahoo’s own sites were up 11 percent in the quarter to $436 million, while display advertising revenues was down 2 percent to $506 million. (See chart below). That is pretty much in line with industry trends. Affiliate, listings, and other marketing revenues were also down.

New CEO Carol Bartz finally addressed some questions on everyone’s mind. Addressing Wall Street analysts on the call, she said preemptively before taking questions:

Did I come to Yahoo to sell the company? No. . . . Am I planning on immediately selling the search business? I did not come here with preconceived notions. It is very easy from the outside to have preconceived notions of what Yahoo should do. Now as an insider and CEO it is my job and responsibility to do what is best for customers, shareholders, and employees.

Later on in the call she reiterated:

This is not a company that needs to be pulled apart for the chickens.

Asked about rumors that Yahoo has been meeting with Microsoft, she replied:

We don’t have comments on press reports that come from nowhere.

That would be a reference to Valleywag.

She is basically signaling to investors that they should let her do her job. Her general message on the call is that outsiders cannot really know what is the best course of action for Yahoo. Fair enough. She has only been on the job for eight days. But she also isn’t communicating where she wants to take the company. What’s the plan, Carol?

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Android App No Malware, Says Google

Despite some user complaints, MemoryUp, an application available through the Android Market to HTC G1 phone users, is no rogue software, says Google.

"We have investigated and determined that MemoryUp is not malware," a Google spokeswoman said in a statement to Wired.com. "In the versions we tested, MemoryUp cannot perform any of the malicious things it is reported to have done."

MemoryUp, a program from eMobiStudio, bills itself as a memory optimization tool for Android phones. The app released earlier this month has been slammed by some users for allegedly destroying the data on their phone by removing contacts and calendar items and corrupting the memory. eMobiStudios has denied it is a malicious software. Other users have also defended MemoryUp, suggesting that the original complaints may have stemmed from incorrect installations of the app.

The app disappeared from the Android Market Monday. Google declined to comment if it removed the application.

The furor around MemoryUp, however, highlights the fallout from Android's open marketplace policy.

Android allows developers to post apps directly to its online marketplace, leading to the possibility that destructive apps could be made available through it. That's in contrast to Apple's walled garden approach where every app has to be scrutinized and approved by the company.

Android Market's open policy does not take away the inbuilt safeguards in the operating system, says the Google spokeswoman. "Android is designed to minimize the impact of poorly programmed or malicious applications on the device," she says. "Each application runs within an application sandbox which limits its interaction with user data, system resources and other apps."

It also puts the controls in the hands of the users, she says. When installing an an application, users are informed what the program needs to access and they can decide whether they allow the application to be installed.

Then there's the Android community at watch collectively policing the marketplace, says the Google spokeswoman. If an application is harmful or inappropriate, users can flag it and give it a low rating.

"Once flagged by users, applications are reviewed and harmful or inappropriate applications are removed from the Market," she says. "Abusive developers can also be blocked from using the Android Market for repeated or egregious violations of our policies."

Photo: (Josh Russell/Flickr)

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iPhone software bumped up to version 2.2.1

There I was, attempting to load my iPhone with the latest Fergie/Lady GaGa/Cyndi Lauper mashup, when word came down the pipes that the mighty makers from Cupertino had passed down a morsel of mending, a reliquary of repair. In other words, new iPhone software update yo.

This latest revision is a minor one, only bumping the version number up a single digit - but that doesn’t mean jailbreakers and unlockers should dive in right away. We’re hearing reports that this new version does bring a baseband modification, which likely means the exploit used by the iPhone Dev Team for the 2.2 yellowsn0w update has been patched up.

2.2.1’s patch notes only promise a less finicky Safari (and boy did it need it) and a bug fix for Camera Roll’s handling of images saved through the Mail application. Chances are other minor changes are lurking - first person to find’em gets a gold star and a box of animal crackers.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

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AT&T launches the LG CF360, even they don’t care

Practicing a controversial new “Lets not tell anybody” marketing method, AT&T has quietly slipped the LG CF360 onto store shelves. The demand was overwhelming - at one AT&T spot in Galesburg, Illinois, one whole person waited through the night for the doors to open. Upon questioning, the anxious would-be CF360 owner responded, “Crap, I thought it was a new iPhone.”

Though it launched without even the slightest bit of fanfare, the LG CF360 really isn’t too poorly spec’d for a $30 (with contract) flip phone. Its got a 1.3mp camera with video recording, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD support (up to 16 gigs), and AT&T Navigator-ready GPS - if that’s all you’re looking for, the LG CF360 is available now. Just be sure to go early so as to beat the lunch rush.

[Via Phonescoop]

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Oops! LG voluntarily recalling 45K LG 150 mobiles for lack of “certification”

Do you live or work in Canada? Do you enjoy LG cell phones? Are you a proud owner of the dead-simple LG 150? Then here’s lookin’ at you kid! Your trusty mobile device is the lucky winner of a 45,000 unit (voluntary - i.e. LG is doing you a “favor”) recall!

Apparently the LG 150 is “no longer certified as meeting the Radio Standards Specifications 102 (RSS 102), Radio Frequency Exposure Compliance of Radiocommunication Apparatus.”  But have no fear, according to Health Canada, “past and current use of the LG 150 should not pose immediate or long-term health concerns.” Phewww!

You have until March 31, 2009 to contact your respective mobile carrier (Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile, MTS Allstream, SaskTel, Aliant Mobility, KMTS, NorthernTel, Sogetel, Télébec or TBayTel) to get a replacement handset at no cost. Or you can visit www.lg.ca/lg150 or call 1-866-940-6580.

[via IntoMobile]

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Fring Integrates Last.fm Into Its Mobile VoIP Client

Mobile VoIP and IM service fring, one of the more popular mobile communication services around, is experimenting with porting a bunch of third-party apps to the fring client and will be announcing a number of those in the course of this year. Today, fring is launching a custom mobile-optimized Last.fm music radio add-on that brings a lot of the music recommendation service to the fring client but also integrates with the latter’s social and communication features.

Fring users (also referred to as fringsters) are now able to fire up streamed music radio channels, including their own Last.fm library, tag favourites, ban disliked tracks, view album artwork and basically take their Last.fm music account mobile. In addition to getting those features into the client, fringsters can also opt to view in real-time what their contacts are currently listening to, with the help of a friends list embedded into the Last.fm add-on.

Read the rest of this entry >>

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General Mobile to announce Dual-Sim touchscreen phone at MWC, supposedly running Android

After a surprising lack of Android at CES, it looks like everyone’s pulling out their best Android garb for Mobile World Congress next month. Latest on the list of companies purportedly planning an Android announcement is General Mobile who, we’ll admit, we’ve never actually heard of. That’s okay, though - if they actually manage to get the DSTL1 onto the shelves (and if it’s actually running Android - more on that later), this gorgeous little piece might be enough to get their name out there.

The Specs we know:

• Dual-SIM support
• 3″ inch WQVGA (240×400) Touchscreen
• 802.11b/g
• 900/1800/1900Mhz band support
• FM Radio
• Bluetooth 2.0+edr
• 5MP Auto Focus camera with LED flash

The only spec we’re still not quite sure about is whether or not it’s actually running Android. GSMArena and plenty of other sites claim it is, but we’re unable to find any mention of Google’s lovely little robot anywhere in the specs or available material. The closest bit we can find is that it’s running the Linux 2.6 Kernel; that’s the same kernel that Android uses, but it’s definitely not an absolute indication. If this thing really does have a little Droid in it, it’s probably in their best interest to make sure everyone knows it.

We’ll update you with pricing, availability (and, you know, whether it’s running Android or not) when the info comes our way.

Product Page

[via Phandroid]

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Amazon Set to Rekindle Its E-Book Reader

It's nip-and-tuck time as Amazon's popular e-book reader is set to get a face lift.

Amazon will host a media event in the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City on Feb. 9. The timing and the venue strongly suggest that Amazon will use the event to announce Kindle 2.0, which industry watchers say will likely be a slimmer and better-designed device, aimed at spurring adoption by more mainstream users.

"The holidays are still eight months away, consumer spending is down, and we are in the middle of a recession," says Josh Martin, senior analyst with the Yankee Group. "But if they offer customers a good deal in terms of cost savings, the time may be right."

Kindle is already a sleeper hit. It launched in November 2007, more than a decade after the first e-book readers, and more than a year after the launch of Sony's critically acclaimed Reader, from which the Kindle borrowed an extremely legible E-Ink display. Kindle was widely panned by critics for its fugly, plasticky white looks, but heavy promotion on Amazon.com, plus an endorsement by Oprah, helped give it legitimacy — and the e-books business, too. Although Amazon has never released sales figures for the reader, the company has said that it was frequently one of the best-selling consumer electronics devices in its extensive catalog.

The Kindle has been sold out on the Amazon website, through which it is retails exclusively, for weeks now. Amazon declined to comment on the upcoming event or its plans for the next-generation Kindle.

For months now, analysts and bloggers have been speculating about a redesigned Kindle. Kindle 2.0 could be slimmer, have a better screen and be higher on the style quotient, all at a lower price.

"They have a whole bunch of user interface things they need to fix in the Kindle," says James McQuivey, principal analyst with the Forrester Group. "Beyond that, people are looking for improvements in the screen, size and speed."

A new redesigned device could just be what Kindle needs to bulldoze its way into America's heartland. Kindle got a boost ahead of the holidays with daytime-television queen Oprah Winfrey calling it her "favorite new gadget" but it is still not a common sight on subways and buses.

Kindle 2.0, when it releases, will offer a clearer look into Amazon's strategy for the book market. The company could target the academic text and business books market and go for a larger screen device or just create a smaller, sleeker second-generation version of its current model, says McQuivey.

"You are looking at two distinct markets here," he says.

Meanwhile, competition for Kindle is heating up as newer entrants take a shot at the business. Plastic Logic, a new startup showed a prototype of its sleek, 8.5-inch e-book and newspaper reader at the DEMO conference last year. Plastic Logic gained laurels for its sleek and well-designed reader and has said it hopes to launch its e-reader later this year.

Ultimately what Kindle's success proves, say analysts, is that while beautifully designed gadgets or innovative new ideas may get the buzz, all consumers want is a device that does the job well.

"Looks matter when there are a number of alternatives out there," says McQuivey. "But even a poorly designed product that is functional will sell well as long as it is functional."

Photo: Kindle (txkimmers/Flickr)

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Why Cloud Computing Still Doesn’t Work and How Google Will Fix it

The promise of cloud computing is a good one — all your gadgets can be used to access all your information, all the time. Your iPhone can call up just the same files and music as your desktop machine at home. You can go on the road with a laptop and just pull down your data from the internet. And that same data, your precious data, is secure, backed up in the ether and resistant to both disaster and your own negligence alike.

The reality is far from this. There’s so much talk of “living in the cloud” that you could be forgiven for thinking it a workable solution. But there are a few big problems related to both your own hardware and the hardware of the network. Let’s take a look.

The main problem is ubiquity. By definition, your most important files are the ones you need with you at all times, or at least at any time. But what if the internet connection is down? How do you get the spreadsheet from Google docs, or refer to the map in that email when you are offline?

The standard scenario is that you have your connection chopped of when you’re on a plane, although I actually like the relaxing offline time of a plane ride. This is a problem, but in truth you are cut off whenever you are away from home or office.

What about 3G modems? Well, they work for small data, but the networks are still too slow for shifting big files like music, photos or movies and when you get outside the Big City and its 3G coverage, you may as well be on dial-up. And war-driving for Wi-Fi is no way for the professional to work.

So, say we solved the network problem. You have a netbook with a day-long battery life and a guaranteed, 24/7 connection that’s fast enough to stream HD video. We’ll dream a little here and pretend that it is also cheap and has no crazy bandwidth caps. Would this work?

Maybe, but I think most people still like to have their data with them, where they can “touch” it. The cloud is nice as a backup, but if it’s the only copy of your data, it’s a little worrying not to have your own local one.

Enter Google’s GDrive, which is being rumored for launch soon. The idea seems to be that you upload all of your data to Google’s servers and then use that instead of a hard-drive. This seems stupid.

More likely is that you mirror your computer’s drive at Google and then changes are seamlessly copied across your various devices and the web as you make them. This keeps every gadget up to date but also means you can grab files while in an internet cafe without your own machine.

Sounds dumb? There are already services that do this. I have my MacBook Pro and my hackintosh partially synced via DropBox, and I can also get those files on my iPod Touch via the internet. the problem is that I only get 2GB free, and if I pay, I can still only get 50GB. Remember how, before Gmail, you counted webmail storage space in the megabytes?

I have a feeling GDrive will do the same for web storage. All your info, everywhere, all the time. Think of it as IMAP for everything. It’ll happen, and when it does, our portable gadgets will become truly useful

How Google Will Fix Cloud Computing