How To Structure a Yahoo-Google Search Deal: It’s All About The Tail and the Torso
Erick Schonfeld
10 comments »
Even as Carl Icahn rallies angry shareholders to try to force Yahoo back to the bargaining table with Microsoft, one of the “strategic alternatives” Yahoo may still be trying to work out in the background is a search advertising deal with Google. There is a 60 to 70 percent gap between what Google collects for search ads and what Yahoo collects, so simply handing over a portion of its search advertising inventory to Google would boost its cash flow and profits considerably—perhaps adding as much as $1 billion or more in cash flow.
But how could such a deal pass muster with antitrust authorities, who are already investigating the test run Google and Yahoo did last month with only 3 percent of Yahoo’s search ads?
It would all depend on how a deal is structured.
One line of thinking is that Yahoo and Google could get away with a deal that only hands over 10 to 20 percent of Yahoo’s search advertising inventory. This would need to be on a non-exclusive basis, meaning that if somebody else could come in and beat Google’s revenue-per-search-query Yahoo would be free to hand them the ad inventory instead. The assumption was that this would be the 10 to 20 percent of keywords that bring in the highest revenues for Yahoo. (We discussed this point in our interview with Citi analyst Mark Mahaney last month, for instance).
But there is another way Yahoo could get a lot more bang for its buck in a deal with Google. Instead of handing over the most valuable search terms, it would be better off handing over the ones with the biggest delta in profitability (the difference between what Google makes on those terms and what Yahoo makes). Yahoo does not have any trouble getting decent ad rates for the most desirable search terms. Call those the head keywords that bring in the most revenues. What it has trouble making money on are the keywords in the long tail and torso of its advertising inventory. And that’s exactly where Google excels at squeezing out relevant matches and clickthroughs.
If Yahoo can identify which basket of search terms represents the biggest profitability gap compared to what Google makes, it can maximize what part of its ad inventory to outsource to Google. These terms will likely turn out to be the ones that are currently the least valuable ones to Yahoo. Picking the 10 to 20 percent of keywords where the delta is the greatest between what Yahoo and Google are able to charge would effectively multiply the impact of the deal. After all, there is no point in handing over high-revenue search terms that Yahoo is already matching Google on in terms of profitability.
If the numbers work out and antitrust can be avoided, such a deal would certainly be a way to appease (or at least answer) Yahoo’s increasingly irate shareholders. But if Yahoo is serious about striking a deal with Google, it should do so before the proxy battle with Icahn comes to a head.
Don’t Screw Your Partners Over A Marketing Promotion
Michael Arrington
35 comments »
Celebrities are starting to take notice of Seesmic
, a “Twitter for video” service that lets people have asynchronous video conversations on the fly (see my disclosure, I am an investor).
First was Deepak Chopra, who made a whole series of videos for this site. And yesterday things got even more exciting, when Steven Spielberg, Harisson Ford, George Lucas, Shia Laboeuf, Karen Allen and Cate Blanchett came on the site and had discussions with other users. Here’s one of the exchanges, between Jemima Kiss and Steven Spielberg. Here’s a Harisson Ford video. etc.
So that’s all really great, and I’m happy as an investor. But Seesmic made some terrible judgment calls yesterday around this promotion that has resulted in us removing it from our sites (we installed Seesmic video comments on all TechCrunch Network blogs last month).
First, we didn’t know about the promotion until reading about it this morning along with every one else. All we knew is that our sites all simultaneously went down three times yesterday. After the first time we identified the likely problem as Seesmic and contacted the company. They assured us there was no way the plugin could take the site down. When it happened a second time we disabled the Seesmic plugin and the sites went back up. We identified the problem - the plugin was loading an external Javascript file, and when Seesmic’s servers were down, we just sat and waited for it for up to two minutes before timing out.
Seesmic said they’d patch the problem in the next version (which will pull the Javascript call into the footer instead of the header, so TechCrunch can mostly load even if they are down), and said they shouldn’t be going down again in the meantime. We re-enabled the plugin.
Then we went down a third time late last night, and we disabled the plugin for good (until the new version is available).
This morning we heard from Seesmic that the reason for the downtime yesterday was due to multiple server reboots around the Spielberg promotion.
What They Should Have Done
A simple email to us telling us that they would need to be rebooting their servers periodically over the day would have let us prepare for this and disable the plugin as it was happening. That way, Seesmic video comments would have disappeared from the site for periods of time, but TechCrunch would not have gone down. Of course, as Seesmic grows, having properly architected plugins and server redundancy will also help ensure that this problem doesn’t occur again.
I understand that young startups need a little wiggle room to get things right, and I don’t mind testing that raw software on TechCrunch. Even if that means we go down occasionally during their growing pains.
But never withhold information from your partners and tell them that you have no idea what is causing downtime when you know exactly what the problem is. As exciting as getting Steven Spielberg on your site to talk to your users is, it is not worth being dishonest to partners.
I understand that Seesmic may have been hesitant to tell us about the promotion because they wanted to keep it quiet. But all they had to do was tell us before the downtime that it was going to occur, and we would have been happy. And Seesmic would still be an active plugin on TechCrunch.
Some of you may wonder why I’m calling out a company that I’ve invested in so harshly. The reason: I’m calling them out because they deserve it, and the fact that I invested in them means I need to be careful before giving them any kind of break.
| Website: | seesmic.com |
| Location: | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Founded: | June 1, 2007 |
| Funding: | $6M |
Well known European entrepreneur and LeWeb conference organiser, Loic Le Meur, is the founder of seesmic, a video service mimicking and aggregating your favorite web products. seesmic hits the video scene trying to take advantage of past successes by… Learn More
Facebook’s Glass Jaw
Steve Gillmor
53 comments »
Facebook finally has a real problem to deal with - an exceptionally rational and well-thought-out strategy by Google that puts the leading social media cloud in the path of a wave of angry users. The only thing Facebook has going for it is that said users don’t yet know they’re angry.
With its denial of service attack on Google’s Friend Connect, Facebook is serving notice that it feels threatened. By what? Users leveraging their Friend data to form communities outside of the Facebook moat? Forget for a moment that we tell Facebook who our friends are, and those gestures are created and owned by us. If Facebook insists on freezing our data as a condition of using their service, the company is essentially recommending we go elsewhere.
Google is smart enough to realize it doesn’t need to win here to help Facebook lose. Friend Connect does more to incentivize OpenId usage than to sell Google services; OpenId proliferation amortizes the complexity of that solution across multiple cooperating Web sites, particularly those that can make money on harvesting social synergies in conjunction with Adsense. It’s a Pay-Me-Now or Pay-Me-Later offer to Facebook: Play along and leverage your social equity or raise your hand and let your customers know how clueless you are.
Facebook insists it is preserving user privacy by neutering their API for its only stated purpose: “[E]nabling users to share their information with the third party websites and applications they choose.” Instead, in a Casablanca-like statement that gambling is going on (Your winnings, sir) one Charlie Cheever notes Friend Connect “redistributes user information from Facebook to other developers without users’ knowledge, which doesn’t respect the privacy standards our users have come to expect and is a violation of our Terms of Service.”
I love many parts of this, but none more than the part about privacy standards our users have come to expect. The API enables users to share their data with site and apps they choose but somehow Friend Connect does its dirty work without users’ knowledge. If the API enables user control, then what part of its use is without the users’ knowledge? Is there an Alzheimers standard that somehow slipped in here?
May 16, 2008
Blabnote: The Voice-Only Social Network. Say What?
Jason Kincaid
28 comments »
It seems a given that mobile social networking is going to be “the next big thing”, but squinting at tiny text is still a pain on today’s phones. To deal with this issue, Blabnote, a British startup that is currently in private beta, has created what may be the world’s first “vocal social network.”
To login to the network, you simply call Blabnote from your phone, which uses caller ID to match you to your profile. From there, you can vocally enter any number of commands. For example, if I wanted to create a group for TechCrunch fans, I might say, “Create Group called ‘Team TechCrunch’”. Members can be added by saying, “add Mike and Mark”, and you can send messages to group members in a similar fashion.
Blabnote has no shortage of obstacles to overcome, to put it mildly. For one, the entire system is going to rely on voice recognition, which isn’t exactly a perfected technology. Imagine creating a very personal voice message and sending it to an ex-girlfriend on accident - the setup is ripe for disaster. And should you get sick of talking (and listening), you’re out of luck: there is no web management interface, though Blabnote says it will provide an API for third parties.
Blabnote could be a useful organization and notification tool for established groups, like soccer teams or clubs. But if it aspires to become a large social network, this company is going to be teetering perilously close to the DeadPool.
Battle Over Data Ownership on Gillmor Gang
Michael Arrington
36 comments »
Epic Gillmor Gang today. Everyone went in with guns blazing over the data portability/ownership debate that has spilled out over the Facebook/Google scuffle. DataPortability founder Chris Saad was also on the call, but failed to take a leadership position in the debate (he did, however, weigh in with a blog post on the subject before the call). Their influence may be waning.
As the podcast ended the blog posts started rolling in.
Marc Canter, who I accuse of compromising his position as a thought leader in the data portability debate simply because Facebook is suddenly telling him everything he wants to hear, says that his position hasn’t changed (nevertheless, it has). Robert Scoble simply apologized for being on the wrong side of the issue, yet again. And Dan Farber, a Gillmor Gang regular who missed the call, picked up on the analogy to the founding fathers writing the Bill of Rights and wrote about it here.
All in all, the group seems to be in alignment after the talk. Data ownership is an important issue that cannot be left in the big co.’s hands. Because if it is, they’ll serve their interests first, and that will lead to more walled gardens.
Storyblender Brings a Goofy Side to Casual Animation
Jason Kincaid
5 comments »
Storyblender, which recently launched in private beta, is a new casual animation platform that will appeal to users who want customized movies in a hurry. The site was a presenter at TechCrunch 40. If you’d like to try it out, you can grab one of 500 invites here.
The site is straightforward, which is a good thing because there doesn’t seem to be a tutorial yet. New users are presented with the video wizard that offers a number of pre-created movies that can be easily modified. Each movie is broken up along the bottom of the screen into brief scenes in a manner that will be familiar to anyone that has used a video editor like iMovie.
The site has hundreds of pre-rendered characters, backgrounds, music, and effects, which can be added to a scene by simply dragging and dropping. Nearly all of these have a distinctly comical look to them - the site doesn’t seem to offer “serious” movie making at this point. Instead, many of the backdrops and characters are better suited for video greeting cards (samples include “Party Time!“). Users can lend their own voices to clips, and they can import media from YouTube and Flickr. Members can share their movies with friends, who can modify them further if they wish.
Storyblender is competing with other animation sites like Fuzzwich, aniBoom, and JibJab.
Here’s one of the sample videos provided by the site:
Breaking: Condé Nast/Wired Acquires Ars Technica
Michael Arrington
85 comments »
Condé Nast has acquired popular technology blog Ars Technica (ranked #5 all time on the BloggerBoard), we’ve confirmed. The site will become part of Wired Digital (which in turn is under CondéNet, run by Sarah Chubb). Wired Digital assets include Wired.com and Reddit (acquired in 2006). The acquisition price will not be disclosed, but our sources say it is in the $25 million range, which is what Condé Nast paid for Wired.com in 2006.
Effectively, Ars Technica is now part of Wired. Look for an official announcement next week.
This marks a new beginning for Ars Technica, which was originally founded in 1998 by Ken “Caesar” Fisher (based in Boston) and Jon “Hannibal” Stokes (based in Chicago). They, along with their 8 or so employees, will remain with the company as it is integrated into Wired Digital.
Comscore says Ars Technica has just 1.5 million monthly unique visitors and 4 million page views, but our understanding is that the actual number of unique visitors to the site is around 4.5 million. The audience demographic is very similar to Wired, although our sources say the overlap is relatively small.
This is also another lost customer for Federated Media Publishing, which sells advertising for Ars Technica (Digg left Federated Media last year to accept a very lucrative Microsoft deal that will pay out over $100 million over three years). CondéNet will now take over advertising sales.
Become a Virtual NewsCopter Passenger on AirFox Live
Jason Kincaid
5 comments »
Chicago’s Fox affiliate WFLD has launched AirFox Live, a mashup whose spec list reads like a technophile’s pipe dream. The site combines a helicopter, GPS, live video, and Google Maps to produce a realtime data stream of the network’s newscopter that serves as uniquely informative eye-candy.
Live video taken from the helicopter’s cameras are displayed alongside an embedded Google Map that shows its current location. It might not sound particularly riveting, but I had a hard time pulling myself away from the tiny red copter as it hopped around Chicago.
Unfortunately, the site is only active when the helicopter is in the air (technically you can watch it sit at Schaumburg Airport, but have fun with that). The only guaranteed time to see it in action is from around 5:30-8:30 AM CST during the network’s morning show, which probably isn’t going to be too exciting.
But AirFox will also be active whenever the helicopter is involved in breaking news, which is where its real potential lies. The site will add a new element of information (and excitement) to events like police chases and fires. Of course, the new technology will probably only appeal to residents of Chicago, but if the program is a success we can expect other affiliates to follow suit.
You can watch a clip of AirFox in action here.
Live Universe Picking Up Jangl’s Pieces
Mark Hendrickson
17 comments »
Just over a week ago the founders of and five engineers from VoIP services provider Jangl left for Jajah after the company failed to find a proper suitor. Following their departure, it was unclear what would happen to Jangl’s assets and remaining staff. Now we hear from multiple sources close to the deal that Live Universe has agreed to acquire both.
This appears to conclude the Jangl saga that started late last fall. Around that time, Jangl’s board began telling the founders to pursue an acquisition strategy in lieu of raising more money. The board’s decision came even when the company had closed deals (some profitable) with several partners, including Plentyoffish and Tagged.
We hear there was a disconnect between the VCs, who had a more enterprise background, and Jangl’s executives, who were set on developing a consumer-facing brand. The founders, and Michael Cerda in particular, are said to have worked diligently to carry out the board’s marching orders. But despite many companies showing interest in Jangl, it struggled to find the right company for its exit.
An acquisition deal (apparently with WhitePages.com) came close but unraveled after the terms changed and became far less acceptable. With no apparent options left, much of the company’s staff was notified that they would probably have to find new work, and it was finally announced that Jangl’s founders were indeed jumping ship.
Just what Live Universe plans to do with everything they left behind has yet to be seen. I’m sure Jangl’s partners will be interested in hearing the fate of their agreements, if they haven’t already.
ICTV Changes Name To ActiveVideo Networks, Broadens Vision
May 17, 2008 — 03:25 PM PDT — by Sean P. Aune — — Add a Comment
ICTV, a leader in bringing web content to televisions, has decided to adopt their ActiveVideo brand as their primary title. ActiveVideo Networks will be the name the company as a whole goes by from the present day onward.
The name change is a result of the company wanting to better convey the move of the company to an even larger commitment to bring Web content to your televisions in the form of video, photos and social media. In a quote to Chris Albrecht of NewTeeVee, the chief strategy officer of ActiveVideo Networks, Ed Foreman said, “We renamed ourselves ActiveVideo Networks because the future of television isn’t just TV. It’s a lot more, it’s something the viewer participates in. A future in which includes [sic] recommendations and a broader range of video content.”
At this past Consumer Electronics Show (CES), there was a heavy emphasis from manufacturers on a move to televisions that would narrow the gap between the center of family room entertainment and the Internet. There will presumably be more and more news on this topic as time progresses, with more companies such as ActiveVideo Networks emerging in the near future.
Bebo Installs New Head Of Sales Specific To Irish Market
May 17, 2008 — 02:50 PM PDT — by Paul Glazowski — — 2 Comments
We’ve said it numerous times before, and we’ll say it again. Bebo is big in the UK. One of the largest social networks in the region. More specifically, it’s Ireland’s #1.
So it presumably comes as welcome news to Irish users that the company, recently sold to AOL to the tune of $850 million, has recently appointed a Mr Philip Macartney as its new head of sales to operate out of Dublin. According to Hit Search, Macartney is tasked with advertising sales for Bebo as well as the development of content and partnership opportunities for the Irish market.
Macartney’s biography shows him to be an advertising specialist in Ireland for a good five years before making his way to Bebo, working on cross-media advertising, from traditional broadcasts to the Web. He comes off a role as senior agency sales executive for the Dublin’s FM104. Prior to his stay with FM104 he was a founding member of Every1Online.
In March 2007, Mashable founder and CEO Pete Cashmore touched on the topic of Bebo’s stellar growth, which the company claimed had allowed it to surpass Google as the top site in Ireland. And while the social network’s strong rise has tapered off somewhat, as have its competitors, it continues to reside among the most influential properties in the area and likely remains the most regularly trafficked online venue in the country. This would explain Bebo’s intent to devote an executive resource familiar with the market to further cultivate its user base there.
(Image source: Macartney’s Bebo page)
Tengaged: Meet New Friends. Then Eliminate Them.
May 17, 2008 — 01:20 PM PDT — by Sean P. Aune — — 2 Comments
Tengaged, a new social site for meeting friends and playing to popular opinion, is bringing aspects of the well-known “Big Brother” game to the Internet.
The system seems pretty straightforward. You sign up for a game, and as soon as the one you’ve chosen gets a list of 10 people, the play begins. For the duration of the game - which runs for seven days - you get to know the other players using a combination of public and private messages, and with that information you rate them with negative and positive votes. The votes cast for and against are tallied via algorithm, which will choose three contestants for elimination, followed by the players voting their choices of the game. At the end of the seven days, the algorithm will again kick in to determine the winners.
The site, based in Barcelona, Spain, is said to be intended for a 16-26 demographic, and its founder Carlos Fernandez says similarly structured options will be created to attract others; presumably a younger crowd yet. Though it’s “Big Brother”-like novelty may wear off fairly quickly, beta users of Tengadged, may find that the site’s simplicity matched with its socially competitive nature works to their liking.
The Web Sheriff Puts The Pirate Bay On Notice
May 17, 2008 — 11:50 AM PDT — by Paul Glazowski — — 7 Comments
Not a week passes by without The Pirate Bay making some headline somewhere in the world. Whether its flouting copyright owners or battling law enforcement agencies, the site’s administrators are wont to spread a mixed bag of misery and cheer to big-business content producers and and consumers, respectively.
This week marked an announcement by none other than the Web Sheriff himself, in which he purports to have assembled a list of historied musical acts like the Village People, UB40, the proprietors of the estate of Bob Marley, and Michael Jackson to comprise a sort of loose-knit coalition to contend with The Pirate Bay in court. The Web Sheriff also wants to add ABBA to his client base, since they’re Swedish, and so is TPB, and would in his mind make for an intriguing clash. All told, John Giacobbi (the name behind the badge) intends to pursue The Pirate Bay for the sum of $100 million, according to Ernesto of TorrentFreak.
Nevermind the odd potpourri that Mr Giacobbi says is ready to brawl. Jackson? UB40? The Village People? They’ve lived most of their careers through tangible media sales. I would forgive them if they knew little or naught about BitTorrent, other than that it is partly the cause of some decline in royalties that they’ve been long privileged to. 
(Something tells me Marley would be kosher with sharing. And loving. And sharing some more.) What Giacobbi has essentially done is built himself a clan of aged musicians that really have little incentive to go down this rabbit hole. Bands or solo musicians or complete companies well versed in new-media, sure, they’re acceptance of Giacobbi’s pitch would mark this as a serious ambition. But the four abovementioned acts? Dare I say they seem to be getting drawn in a complicated, potentially tarnishing direction without knowing fully what may be in store.
The fact that Giacobbi apparently is looking to bring ABBA into the fold, rather than ABBA willingly seeking his services, connotes little or no meaningful regard for the plaintiff(s)-to-be. Instead, it would seem to be borderline exploitation of a well-known brand (or brands, plural) for the sake of a financial windfall for the primary counsel. Which is not the impression you want to give an audience, be it the consuming public or a judiciary, if your desire is to win your case - and win big - somewhere down the line.
Cast And Producers Of Indiana Jones Take To The Web On Seesmic
May 17, 2008 — 10:40 AM PDT — by Sean P. Aune — — 2 Comments
Ahead of this weeks release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and with the Cannes Film Festival as a backdrop, the cast of the film, including its director and producer took questions from the public on Seesmic.
Seesmic has been in the news a lot this month with the addition of video commenting to their services. Now they’ve scored an Q&A session with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Shia Laboeuf, Cate Blanchett and Karen Allen all took questions from the public, including Jemima Kiss of The Guardian about the upcoming fourth movie in the Indiana Jones series.
While it is mostly standard-type questions being proffered by the public, it is an interesting new dynamic in movie promotion. Though their interviews maintain a sort of controlled environment, it does close the gap just a slight bit more for fans. Something tells me this won’t be the last such event we see from Seesmic, or other similar video companies.
You can see a selection of answers from each person at the following links:
http://seesmic.com/v/nnrIQ0qbXk
Sony Bridges Playstation With YouTube APIs For Gameplay Uploads
May 17, 2008 — 09:32 AM PDT — by Paul Glazowski — — 3 Comments
If you’re a videogame buff, and have the desire to share captures of the action via the Web, chances are you’ll like this story.
Now, as far as online video hosts are concerned, YouTube is king. No question about that. But in the realm of video game clips, some players may pay greater mind to more purist institutions. GameVee, 
formerly known as GeeVee, is one such outlet. Still, when people think Web video, people think YouTube. Virtual ubiquity can do that.
Which is presumably why Sony chose to introduce this week an integration between its Playstation 3 game console and the relatively new YouTube APIs which launched back in March. According to Nikhil Chandhok, a product manager for the video site, the partnership with Sony enables gamers with titles that are capable of interacting with netework updates to “direct upload…in-game video captures to YouTube.” An example provided by Chandhok of a game that will allow players to connect to YouTube direct from their consoles is “Mainichi Issho,” said to be popular in Japan.
Mind you, this isn’t the first we’ve heard of Sony working to incorporate Web video into the Playstation 3 framework. As we mentioned late last month, the company has been in talks with television and film studios to distribute content through its Internet-connected entertainment console to complement its early success (though so far limited) on the Blu-Ray front.
The Importance Of Being An Early Adopter
May 17, 2008 — 08:50 AM PDT — by Stan Schroeder — — 10 CommentsBack in the summer of 2006, a new and - to many - not that interesting service called Twttr was launched as a side project from Odeo. It was later renamed to Twitter, and it started gaining some serious traction somewhere in 2007.
At the time of Twitter’s humble beginnings, it didn’t seem very important to actively use the service. Most people I know sat on the sidelines and waited to see if this new thing is worth their time. Some, like Robert Scoble and Steve Rubel, were active on the service from the very beginning, following as many people as they could and updating their Twitter feed as often as possible (Scoble has over 11.000 updates at the moment).
And although many would see this as colossal waste of time, the fact is that these Twitter pioneers now exert a huge amount of influence through this new medium. Whenever Twitter is mentioned in mainstream media, Scoble gets a nod. Whenever he tweets, he gets loads and loads of replies, which turns almost every one of his tweets into an interesting conversation.
Of course, one can always argue that Robert was a very recognizable and popular Internet persona even before Twitter, but I believe that his persistence at using the service frequently and from the very beginning was paramount in his Twitter popularity. I believe anyone who has something to say can do it if they catch the bandwagon early enough.
However, if you’re late to the game and if you think you can still reach Scoble levels of popularity on Twitter, I’m afraid you’re wrong. I’ve been checking out Twitterholic, the unofficial top list of Twitter users, ranked by the number of their followers, and I noticed that - as in many other social networks - the big get bigger faster and faster. The small ones can never catch up.
Take a look at a graph I’ve created (using this handy application) using the stats of a couple of highly ranked users on Twitterholic, comparing them to those lower on the ladder. Nick Douglas, for example, has added around 1800 new followers in the past 60 days, while Leo Laporte has added over 20000 in that same period.
Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but usually early adopters tend to exert greater and greater influence on the network over time. Which means it’s like a little social pyramid scheme: if you’re late, you’re screwed.
There’s a good side to this, of course. It means that if you catch new social networks early and stick with them, over time you too will become more and more influential. It means that if you’re willing to spend some time trying out new stuff, in the end you’ll get rewarded. Even better is the fact that it carries over to other social networks; I’m sure that Scoble is somewhere at the top as far as FriendFeed followers go, too, simply because the two services are so interconnected.
What’s the lesson here? Next time you see a promising new network forming, don’t wait for others to start using it before you hop in. Be a pioneer, actively use the service, share it with everyone, and in time, your voice will be heard by many.
And of course, don’t forget to follow the Mashable team’s rants, thus propelling us into Twitter stardom.
ComScore: People Now Paying More Visits To Google Than Yahoo
May 17, 2008 — 08:47 AM PDT — by Sean P. Aune — — 4 Comments
While it may surprise some people it hadn’t yet happened (or perhaps that it actually did happen), Google has finally overtaken Yahoo as the most visited site on the Web.
Linda Rosencrance of Computerworld relayed some data out of comScore which shows that what some might have considered an inevitability has finally happened: Google is numero uno in website visits. With 141 million visits in April, they narrowly squeezed out Yahoo, which had 140.6 million visits.
Yes, Yahoo may have long been the busiest visitor center among Web giants, but it has had to relinquish its crown, if barely so. And perhaps temporarily so. All hinges on Google’s ability to make ever more attractive its properties that sit separate from its main search site, which clearly commands its particular market in spades. Google News, as well as Gmail and even YouTube will need to continue growth apace if the company is to maintain its newfound lead on Yahoo in visitorship for a significant stint of time, if interminably.
As expected, bringing up a relatively distant third was Microsoft with 121 million visits, which puts in focus the software makers desire to purchase Big Y. A combined visit number of 200+ million would be a bit difficult for Google to contend with, but with the deal seemingly dead - though hope of Microshoo redeux has been kickstarted with a bang by activist investor Carl Icahn - Microsoft will have to look within to find the numbers to climb up the charts to sit closer to the industry’s top rivals.
Yahoo Shareholders Claim Company Is Concealing Critical Documents
May 17, 2008 — 07:44 AM PDT — by Sean P. Aune — — 2 Comments
The shareholder lawsuit against Yahoo over the board of directors’ failure to accept the buyout from Microsoft is getting more complicated by the day.
According to Michael Liedtke of the Associated Press, a new motion has been filed by shareholders’ lawyer stating that Yahoo is attempting “to whitewash embarrassing documents” related to a Yahoo employee severance plan “adopted shortly after Microsoft made its initial bid (for the company)” as well as details of a conversation between Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The lawyer is requesting that the documents be released, and a hearing will take place this Tuesday to discuss the matter in the court of Chancellor William B. Chandler III in Delaware.
Apparently the fear is that the alleged information in these documents might aid Carl Ichan’s bid to replace the Yahoo board of directors. The sealed documents (a commonality in lawsuits such as this), may contain information on how Yahoo’s board attempted to make the company appear more valuable in order to drive up the price to Microsoft. If these documents do contain such information, it could assist the shareholders involved in the lawsuit in proving that the Yahoo board did not act in investors’ best interest, the cruz of Icahn’s argument in moving toward an election of 10 newly proposed board members - a list which includes Icahn himself.
The severance package is rumored to have been set up to pay every employee between four months and two years of pay. For every $1.4 billion paid to the employees in such a manner, it would have effectively raised the value of each share of Yahoo stock by $1, according to the plaintiffs in the suit.
Mozilla Debuts Firefox 3 Release Candidate
May 17, 2008 — 06:55 AM PDT — by Paul Glazowski — — 3 Comments
En route to an official launch next month, Mozilla put up for download its Firefox 3 Release Candidate yesterday evening. Mozilla is describing Firefox 3 RC1 as yet another milestone “focused on testing the core functionality provided by many new features and changes to the platform.” According to notes associated with Firefox 3 RC1, the browser, based on Gecko 1.9, has been under development for the sum of 33 months.
Scheduled for a full public debut in just a few weeks, Firefox 3 has been widely reviewed as a significantly faster and less taxing (systemically) iteration of Mozilla’s open source browser platform. Over the course of its beta development, the browser has been issued in five major progression stages. Firefox 3 Release Candidate, now available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux and with support for 45 languages, is said to include several amendments and enhancements, which Mozilla’s in-house developers explain as:
- Improvements to the user interface based on user feedback, including changes to the look and feel on Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X and Linux.
- Changes and fixes for new features such as the location bar autocomplete, bookmark backup and restore, full page zoom, and others, based on feedback from our community.
- Fixes and improvements to platform features to improve security, web compatibility and stability.
- Continued performance improvements: changes to our JavaScript engine as well as profile guided optimization continues to improve performance over previous releases as measured by the popular SunSpider test from Apple, and in the speed of web applications like Google Mail and Zoho Office.
In all, Firefox 3 purportedly will sport many advances over the previous major browser revision, Firefox 2. Among them will be easier password management, a simplified add-on installation process, as well as more robust and streamlined download manager, easier bookmarking for users accustomed to operating most all browser features with their cursors. and many other components. As for improvements to performance besides an altered JavaScript engine, Mozilla claims that changes to the browser’s memory management system and a refurbished data management (in case of interruptions or crashes), all work to better the user’s experience.
Naturally, when Firefox 3 has its official debut in June, users can expect to discover numerous bugs and oddities that have not been fixed. If the experiences of our own Stan Schroeder with respect to the beta releases of Firefox 3 are any indication (at least as far as add-ons are concerned), it will be several months minimum that Mozilla fans will spend adjusting themselves fully to the new platform. But if the mostly commendable critiques among beta testers from around the blogosphere are taken as a preliminary guide of what’s to come, suffice to say that the transition to Firefox 3 will likely prove less of a problem than was the debut of version 2.0.
70 Fresh And Modern Blogger Templates
May 17, 2008 — 02:47 AM PDT — by Palin Ningthoujam — — 15 Comments
You can never have a too wide choice of templates for your blog, especially if you’re the experimenting type. Therefore, we started another round up of Blogger themes, this time focusing on fresh and modern designs, and came up with about 70 of them.
Please note that many of the template authors’ sites are not in English and you might want to run a Google Translate on them. Some of them might also require a free registration to download the templates.
ASUS prepping to sue Gigabyte over "disinformation"
Swashbot sashays his way into our hearts
Oscar Pistorius free to qualify for Olympics on prosthetics
Custom Illuminated Confusion Nikes light up the streets, your life
Alligator skin Xbox 360 case is a bit too realistic
HTC Advantage X7150 won't be sold in US
Gizmodo 
Prostate Microphone A River Runs Through It: Bladder Microphone Hears Your Prostate
Catheters suck, but they're a necessary evil for men who want to know if they have benign prostatic hyperplasia (quickie Giz diagnosis: you're cancer-free, but pee six times an hour). And in addition to excruciating tube-down-your-johnson pain, the catheter also carries with it the potential for infection. The process could be changing soon, however, thanks to researcher Tim Idzenga. Basically, the Dutchman will diagnose BPH by listening to your business with a microphone.More »
Alienware Confirmed: Alienware Assimilating Dell Gaming, XPS Becoming High-End Consumer Line
One of Dell's official blogs provides a bit of clarity as to the discombobulation of the XPS gaming line in favor of Alienware. Basically, the XPS and Alienware development teams are being fused together, and XPS is going to go in a more high-end consumer direction ("XPS isn't going away, though it may go in new directions as hinted by the XPS One and the slimline XPS m1330") while Alienware totally subsumes Dell's gaming side, becoming "a fantastic global brand that sets benchmarks for gaming." In other words... More »Which Couldn't You Live Without, HD or DVR?
Our memories have grown fuzzy. We can't remember exactly what watching TV was like 10 years ago, but we're pretty sure that it involved a 16mm projector, slide rule and a horse that walked in circles around the room (oddly enough, the horse wasn't actually connected to anything). Now we have a slew of new viewing technologies options, like steaming media, DVRs and high definition broadcast. And today, we're forcing you to make the Sophie's Choice of the entertainment center:
Apple Goes To War (This Time Not With Microsoft)
When Apple purchased chip manufacturer P.A. Semi, the Department of Defense was worried. Why? P.A. Semi manufactures chips for ten different military systems, and has $100 million in deals with the DoD over the next four years. And the DoD never expected Apple to keep supporting the sweet, deadly chips.
But they were wrong.
Startups Rifflet, Like Twitter For Music
I like to believe that all of us have rock star alter egos. For most of us, these inner rock beasts sleep latently, awaiting the proper heartbreak or drug cocktail to wake from slumber and cut a hit record. Rifflet.com is a place that shares my theory—a social networking site in which users can share 1-minute clips of music they've had bouncing around in their heads, just to get it out there. Others can then download these tracks, respond to them or even incorporate them into songs of their own.
We had a chance to shoot off an email to the site's creator, Jon Schwab, and ask him some questions about the site. Here's what he had to say:
More »
Toenail Fungus Noveon Zaps Toe Fungus With Light, But Annoying Lamisil Commercials Remain
Using a first-of-its-kind direct optical energy device called Noveon, one Waltham company is hoping to stamp out toenail fungus once and for all using nothing but light. The device "utilizes two discrete near-infrared wavelengths at low power" and produces no heat, according to a rep from the manufacturer, Nomir Medical Technologies. The approach could eliminate the need for expensive meds like Lamisil or Fulvicin, which work, but can cause upset stomach and liver damage. Clinical trials are set to begin soon, and the Noveon could be zapping foot fungus—and periodontal disease (think morning breath, but forever!)—very soon.More »
Gorgeous Shots Of Microwaved CDs
We haven't nuked a CD since the 90s either, but maybe that's only because we didn't have the right camera setup to capture the digital destruction in all of its glory. The Wacky Archives features a few remarkable shots of our ex-favorite pastime and we strongly recommend it as an opulently wasteful way to burn 3 minutes of your precious Saturday. To see the price a microwave pays for its art, hit the jump.
Samsung Entertained Us Enough to Post Their Commercial
You got us, Samsung. We're suckers for optical illusions, and your "10 Optical Illusions in 2 Minutes" is—even with the Soul advertisement—extremely entertaining. So we're not going to feel used as we post a commercial without any clever commentary picking it apart. Though, to be honest, our brains are still hurting too much from the faces trick to write much of anything. It's just too bad that you clearly hate homosexuals. [via engadget]
2:30 PM on Sat May 17 2008
By Mark Wilson
1,425 views, 18 comments
Latest by jackfrost132: @DeadWriter: Yeah, I saw a video on it just last night actually while I was stumbling, they actually print several frames of an image on a card but they only put certain parts on, then they slap a clear sheet more »
Virtual Reality Concept FrogConcept Facemask Makes Any Dystopian Future a Happy Funtime Land
When the future goes to crap in the next 10 years or so, and anarchy rules as humanity falls into a deep, dark pit of despair, this alternate reality mask concept from Frog Design will be there to soften the blow. Invoking mental images of cowed sheep, Aldous Huxley's soma and even the Matrix, Frog Designs describes its FrogConcept mask as an escape for the doomed people of the future, complete with a "re-skinned" reality.More »
Firefox Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1 Now Available
Go kick the tires and light the fires of Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1, which is now available for download at the Mozilla Firefox site. The update delivers a few aesthetic changes, as well as what Mozilla is calling major security enhancements. Users should also expect increased performance and stability for applications like Google Mail. There's an exhaustive list of known bugs to squash too, but that's par for the course with any software. [Firefox 3 RC1]
News AirFox Live Helicopter Streams Traffic, Utter Chaos
The Chicago Fox affiliate WFLD has embraced a touch of Justin.tv with their new AirFox Live helicopter feed. Viewers can now visit the AirFox website and view Google Maps GPS tracking of the chopper, along with a real-time video feed sharing whatever it sees. More »
1:00 PM on Sat May 17 2008
By Mark Wilson
1,765 views, 8 comments
Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV Is Way Better Than Cable or Satellite
Microsoft's Mediaroom is the company's IPTV solution that brings TV into to your house (much like cable and satellite) over IP. You might be familiar with it in its commercially released service forms such as AT&T U-Verse here in the US or BT Fusion in the UK. The features out now—quick channel changing, multiple channel records simultaneously without a hardware tuner limit, multi-room viewing, multiple picture-in-picture—are pretty fantastic, but we had a visit with Microsoft earlier this week and learned that what's coming soon is even better. More » 
11:00 AM on Sat May 17 2008
By Jason Chen
9,390 views, 27 comments
Latest by LindsayJoy: @XanderCrews: Ok, I just re-read the article, and even though this it does not seem 100% clear that its a DVR, it does seem that way. I think I just got all distracted by numerous windows products you could stream more »
Airwolf Airwolf Helicopter Replica Doesn't Come With Jan-Michael Vincent
Do you still mourn the day the networks took Airwolf off the air for good? Does the thought of flying through the cool mountain skies of the California wilderness, your trusty Bluetick Coonhound Tet at you side, excite you to no end? Me neither (city slicker, present), but that doesn't mean this Airwolf helicopter replica is any less cool. Sure it doesn't have an interior, and the chain gun has been suspiciously removed, but it's got character, and probably still smells like the feathered coiffure of Jan-Michael Vincent. That's Stringfellow Hawke, to you civies. More pics and budget pricing for this hunk of nostalgia after the jump. More »
umps HTC Advantage 7510 Not US-Bound
Sorry HTC fans, the HTC Advantage 7510—HTC's updated 3G (HSDPA) UMPC—is not coming to the US because its Qualcomm chipset is not permitted for sale here. Interested parties can still import the device for those fun extra costs and inconveniences associated with international third-party dealers. Meanwhile, we'll celebrate that since the UMPC market is exploding at the moment, we'll finally have plenty of other decent options among US-native tiny PCs. [jkOnTheRun]Sync Desktop: A Workspace With Integrated PC and Fold-Away Monitor
Besides being absolutely beautiful, this Sync Desktop concept from designer Gareth Battensby features a fold-away widescreen monitor and keyboard, a built in USB hub, scanner, mouse, webcam, easy-to-access DVD unit, and plenty of storage space. And because it is all seamlessly integrated into the design, the Sync can be converted into a standard desk for other projects whenever necessary. The only problem is that I doubt that it could ever become a commercial product unless there was a way to upgrade the hardware. [Gareth Battensby via Born Rich] 
Gaming Eight Ways to Hurt Yourself Playing Video Games
When I was talking with the SteelSeries guys about their gear, one thing they were serious about was that gaming is a sport. I scoffed. But, we've shown you how to work out with nothing gaming gear and now PC Mag catalogs eight ways to hurt yourself gaming—like any other athletic activity. Besides sore limbs via Wiitis, there's Rock Band Hand from too much drumming/strumming, WASD wrist for hardcore PC gamers (and bloggers), Burning Bladder for WoWites, and um, something that vaguely resembles epilepsy for puzzle gamers. Not featured, however, is the most notorious of Wiinjuries: More »
Reader of the month Reader of the Month: Dr. Francisco Gómez Bravo
We don't usually give Reader of the Month awards, only stars to top commenters who actually post useful or funny stuff. But this reader doesn't comment in Gizmodo, even while he confessed he's addicted to it. He doesn't send us stories or suggestions to tips@gizmodo.com either. Or corrections. Nothing. In fact, I met him today for the first time, after my dog Jones bit me on the mouth this morning, cutting a very deep and nasty 1-inch-long injury in the shape of a seven—just below my inferior lip. His name is Dr. Francisco Gómez Bravo, and he's one of the top plastic surgeons here, in the Old Continent. More »
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