11 posts and columns on Classic

Hulu Plus Gets an Art House Upgrade With Criterion Collection

in Media on February 15, 2011 at 4:29 am PT

Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman and other directors you can’t see in Imax join the video service’s catalog.

Viral Video: Some Hong Kong Action

in News on January 31, 2011 at 1:14 am PT

BoomTown was out last week on a trip to Hong Kong with Walt Mossberg to scope out a possible D: All Things Digital event, focused on Asia, for this coming fall. Obviously, Asia, including China, India, Singapore, Japan and Korea, is a key market for tech moving forward for U.S. Web firms, as well as a force for global innovation. But first, some kung-fu action.

Liveblogging the Bing-Facebook Bromance: "Underdog" Search With a Little Help From Your Friends

in News on October 13, 2010 at 11:46 am PT

BoomTown motored on down to the Microsoft campus in Silicon Valley on a fabulously sunny day to liveblog the latest Bing event. The software giant is updating its search service, announcing deep integration–part of a deal announced last year–with Facebook. The theme, according to Microsoft SVP Yusuf Mehdi, quoting the Beatles, search with "a little help from your friends."

Viral Artwork: Meet the Flintstones, Google-Style Plus 50 Years

in News on September 30, 2010 at 5:33 am PT

Finally, a styllzed Google logo that BoomTown adores. Here it is for the classic television cartoon “The Flintstones” on its 50th anniversary, as rendered by the Silicon Valley search giant. Suddenly, I feel very old, but who doesn’t love that Wilma?

Decoding Google's Net Neutrality Proposal Blog: The Pixie Dust-Free Edition!

in News on August 13, 2010 at 5:51 am PT

The opening line of the classic J.M. Barrie book “Peter Pan” reads: “All children, except one, grow up.” Actually, that one too, and now the whole Internet is angry at Google and taking shots, because of its recent joint public policy proposal with Verizon over net neutrality. They are claiming the Silicon Valley search giant–in the most cynical of ways–sold out its long-standing commitment to the open Internet to make a corporately-favorable deal. Thus, Google took to the corporate blog yesterday to explain it all away in a post titled, “Facts About Our Network Neutrality Policy.” It practically begs for translation, so BoomTown shall not disappoint!

What eBay-Rich Meg Whitman Really Wants to Do Is Direct!

in News on July 12, 2010 at 2:53 pm PT

It’s worth checking out an article in the New York Times today that points to a very questionable, but–as it turned out–politically savvy angel investment made by former eBay CEO and now Republican candidate for California governor Meg Whitman. The piece alleges that Whitman’s $1 million investment in late 2008 in a Hollywood entertainment company called Tools Down! Productions was done to ease a prominent Republican strategist away from working for her rival for the GOP nod. This kind of thing has happened before, of course. But what’s interesting is to see Silicon Valley’s digitally enabled moneybags step up to the very stained political table and jump right into the game.

“Tron Guy” Is a Hit on the Web. Will It Sell Tickets for Disney?

in Media on March 9, 2010 at 12:02 pm PT

Web nerds of a certain age loved “Tron” in 1982, and there is YouTube footage to prove it. Now Disney uses the Web to promote its long awaited sequel.

"Hummer of Cellphones" a Bestseller at AT&T

in News on September 8, 2009 at 8:15 am PT

Apple’s iPhone continues to be AT&T’s marquee handset, though the data-guzzling “Hummer of cellphones,” as the New York Times has dubbed it, has inspired widespread customer dissatisfaction with the carrier’s network. Indeed, according to Piper Jaffray, the iPhone 3G and 3GS are AT&T’s top-selling phones.
jumbo-iphone1

“Hummer of Cellphones” a Bestseller at AT&T

in News on September 8, 2009 at 8:15 am PT

Apple’s iPhone continues to be AT&T’s marquee handset, though the data-guzzling “Hummer of cellphones,” as the New York Times has dubbed it, has inspired widespread customer dissatisfaction with the carrier’s network. Indeed, according to Piper Jaffray, the iPhone 3G and 3GS are AT&T’s top-selling phones.
jumbo-iphone1

Running the Treo’s OS on the Pre

in Mossberg’s Mailbox on June 10, 2009 at 4:14 pm PT

Walt answers readers’ questions on the Palm Pre operating system, whether the Pre can be used as a modem, and more.

Pre-Diculous, Redux

in News, April 2, 2009 at 12:00 am PT