Americans

The Turducken-Free All Things D Thanksgiving Reader (And Watcher)

Liz Gannes in Social on November 24, 2010 at 12:10 pm PT

Hold the Turducken! Even without that freakish Thanksgiving treat, the Web is full of fun diversions on every topic, including the thankful, enhanced-patted-down long weekend of consumption Americans have ahead of us.

Jon Stewart's Media Critique: The Rally to Restore Sanity Speech

Peter Kafka in Media on October 31, 2010 at 7:20 am PT

Jon Stewart’s problem with cable TV, brought to you by cable TV.

Voices

A Web Pioneer Profiles Users by Name

Emily Steel, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on October 25, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

In the weeks before the New Hampshire primary last month, Linda Twombly of Nashua says she was peppered with online ads for Republican Senate hopeful Jim Bender. It was no accident. An online tracking company called RapLeaf Inc. had correctly identified her as a conservative who is interested in Republican politics, has an interest in the Bible and contributes to political and environmental causes.

Irex’s E-Reader Poses No Threat to the Kindle

Walt Mossberg in Personal Technology on March 10, 2010 at 6:03 pm PT

Irex’s DR800SG has a large, sharp screen for comfortable reading, but overall the device is clumsier to use than Amazon’s Kindle.

Heads, We Call it “Brinternet”–Tails, “SergeyCom”

John Paczkowski in News on February 10, 2010 at 9:04 am PT

For the past few years, we’ve been hearing rumblings about Google leasing hundreds of thousands of square feet of carrier hotel space, buying up dark fiber, mulling the purchase of hundreds of millions of dollars in DWDM and Ethernet-based telecom equipment and helping to build out a trans-Pacific multi-terabit undersea cable. Now we know why. Google is developing its own 1Gbps fiber-to-the-home Internet service.

Google’s Nexus One Is Bold New Face in Super-Smartphones

Walt Mossberg in Personal Technology on January 5, 2010 at 11:02 am PT

Google’s new approach to super-smartphones is the first Android phone Walt would consider carrying as his everyday hand-held computer.

Comeback of the Decade: Reading

Peter Kafka in Media on December 30, 2009 at 7:08 am PT

Studies say you are watching more TV than ever, even as you slurp up increasing amounts of Web video. Which means you must be spending less time on something else. Like reading, perhaps? Nope. You’re doing more of that as well, according to a new study.

Walt’s Digg Dialogg with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski

Walt Mossberg in Mossblog on December 2, 2009 at 11:27 am PT

Walt recently sat down to interview FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, and asked him the top questions submitted via Digg.com. Check out the entire interview right here.

Spotify Promises a TV Service (in Sweden, of Course)

Peter Kafka in Media on October 8, 2009 at 5:15 am PT

Spotify, the streaming music service Americans love talking about but can’t actually use, has given us even more to chat about: The company now promises to roll out some sort of TV service…some day. Where? In Sweden, of course, which is where Spotify started, and which acts as a sort of test lab/best-case-scenario provider for the service.

Is There Anything We Won’t Watch? Web Video Booming, but TV Still Growing, Too.

Peter Kafka in Media on September 2, 2009 at 11:30 am PT

Sure, you’re watching lots of video on the Web. But that doesn’t mean you’re cutting back on your boob-tube time. At least not yet.