D7 Conference | May 25-27, 2009 | Carlsbad, California

Roger and Pre: Those Were the Days, McNamee (He Thought Palm Would Always Be)

Kara Swisher in Mobile on August 19, 2011 at 7:30 pm PT

It’s been a bad week for those who were big fans of Palm and its webOS operating system. So, it’s clearly time for a little McNamee.

Is Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 the Bing of Smartphones?

Kara Swisher in News on October 12, 2010 at 9:00 am PT

When Microsoft introduced its refurbished search service called Bing two years ago–at the seventh D: All Things Digital conference, in fact–there were a lot of raised eyebrows about whether it could make any headway into a market in which it was a mere pip-squeak. And, while it has been a costly effort, few can dispute the fact that the innovative, interesting and cleverly marketed Bing is a perceptual and perhaps even actual hit for the software giant. Now, can Microsoft do the same with Windows Phone 7, which was launched yesterday?

Viral Video: Jeff Zucker Gets Zuckered

Kara Swisher in News on October 1, 2010 at 4:40 am PT

Yahoo is not the only HR excitement these days! Here is a very funny spoof of the firing of NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker last week by new owners Comcast, which was on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” late-night television show. BoomTown interviewed the media mogul at the seventh D: All Things Digital conference in 2009, which is also below. Guess which one I like better.

Viral Video (And Perfect Casting): Mark Cuban on "Entourage"

Kara Swisher in News on September 1, 2010 at 1:21 am PT

Of course, it makes perfect sense for Mark Cuban to appear in a very long and involved cameo as himself on the HBO original comedy series “Entourage.” Heck, the fun-loving Internet billionaire could easily slip into the pack of young Hollywood dudes on the show and seem part of the gang.

Que? That’s Spanish for “Where the Hell Is My E-Reader,” Right?

John Paczkowski in News on June 28, 2010 at 11:08 am PT

Consumers who pre-ordered Plastic Logic’s Que ProReader expecting delivery June 24 received something else instead: An order-cancellation notice.

Viral Video: Conflict-Free Technology vs. Blood Phones

Kara Swisher in News on June 28, 2010 at 1:31 am PT

The controversy around minerals from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo that are used in a variety of popular consumer tech devices seems to be getting another round of much needed attention. It should get much more than that, as you will see from the videos after the jump.

Exclusive: Mozilla CEO John Lilly to Step Down and Head to Greylock (Plus Departure Email!)

Kara Swisher in News on May 11, 2010 at 3:22 pm PT

John Lilly, the well-regarded CEO of Mozilla, is preparing to give up his post at the open-source software nonprofit foundation, which is also a for-profit start-up. Lilly is moving to Greylock Partners as a venture partner, sources added, although the affable entrepreneur could eventually end up doing a start-up. While Mozilla makes a number of products, it is best known for its Firefox browser, whose share has steadily increased since it debuted in late 2004.

As Silicon Valley Infighting Gets Ever Nastier, Let's Be Careful Out There

Kara Swisher in News on May 7, 2010 at 8:50 am PT

Last week, BoomTown was in Washington, D.C., my old stomping grounds for 15 years. I miss a lot of things about living there, but most definitely not the poisonous political partisanship that you get sucked into from the minute you arrive. But it’s almost a relief to be there rather than in Silicon Valley, given how increasingly hostile the atmosphere is getting as a range of companies wrestles over a range of issues, both key and trivial.

Palm CEO Jon "Ruby" Rubinstein Talks About the HP Deal–He's Staying, Will Always Love the Pre Mirror and Still Will Not Be Touching Any iPhones

Kara Swisher in News on April 28, 2010 at 4:03 pm PT

After an All Things Digital report last week on Hewlett-Packard being the most likely suitor for Palm, despite multiple reports of intense interest from HTC and Lenovo from China, in an interview with BoomTown this afternoon after the $1.2 billion acquisition was announced, CEO Jon Rubinstein jokingly asked how we knew about the deal. We didn’t! It was a complete guess, Ruby! Actually it was a very informed one by Digital Daily’s John Paczkowski, but his cogent analysis of the synergies between Palm and HP is pretty much what Rubinstein said drove the action.

Palm: Those Were the Videos, My Friend, I Thought Roger McNamee Would Never End (Up Selling)

Kara Swisher in News on April 12, 2010 at 5:27 am PT

With rumors flying hither and yon about the sale of Palm–likely to an Asian company, such as HTC or Lenovo–BoomTown is getting all misty for those days of hope that the little innovative smartphone pioneer might actually prevail against the giants. Not for the creepy lady in the advertising for the Pre, mind you, but everything else. Thus, here are three videos in which the dream was still alive at Palm.