7 posts and columns on confirmation

Should the Next Commerce Secretary Be a Tech Exec (or Would It Cause a Schmidtstorm?)

in News on March 8, 2011 at 6:30 am PT

Yesterday, the Obama administration dribbled out the news that it was going to nominate current Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as the next ambassador to China. The move leaves open a post that could get a true turbocharge if it were filled by an exec from the fast-growing and innovative digital arena. Here are BoomTown’s nominations.

Skype Talks About Just How Full That Half a Glass Is (Updated: Glass Now 90 Percent Full)

in Mobile on December 23, 2010 at 10:27 am PT

The Internet telephony service is still not back to normal after a massive outage, but a number of services have returned, it says. Skype estimates that some 10 million of its users are now online.

Skype Details Problems, Says May Take Hours to Fix

in Mobile on December 22, 2010 at 11:36 am PT

Amid a widespread outage on Wednesday, Skype said it had identified the issue, but cautioned it may take several more hours to resolve. The problem with the peer-to-peer network is that it can’t reach a number of its supernodes, which are key to the service’s proper functioning. Its solution, believe it or not, is the creation of “mega-supernodes.”

SkypeOut: Service Is Down for Millions

in Mobile on December 22, 2010 at 10:23 am PT

No, I can’t hear you now, say millions of Skype users as the Internet telephony service experiences a widespread outage on Wednesday.

Microsoft Strikes Bing Deal With Twitter, Facebook: The Official Announcement

in News on October 21, 2009 at 11:29 am PT

Here’s official confirmation of the search partnership Microsoft has struck with Twitter, first reported by BoomTown earlier this morning. It’s being distributed as Qi Lu, president of Microsoft’s Online Services Division, presents at the annual Web 2.0 Summit.
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Hell of a Way to Get Out of Your AT&T Contract, Varney…

in News on July 6, 2009 at 12:15 pm PT

Earlier this year, Christine Varney, the new antitrust chief at the Department of Justice, said she planned to return the DOJ to a policy that led to landmark antitrust suits like the one against Microsoft in the ’90s. And she delivered on that promise in short order. Since her confirmation in late April, the DOJ has seen a sort of Trustbuster renaissance. It has begun inquiring into potentially anticompetitive recruiting practices in Silicon Valley. It’s opened an investigation into the Google Books settlement. And now it’s scrutinizing cellphone exclusivity deals, like the lucrative one between Apple and AT&T.
iphone-att

Hell of a Way to Get Out of Your AT&T Contract, Varney…

in News on July 6, 2009 at 12:15 pm PT

Earlier this year, Christine Varney, the new antitrust chief at the Department of Justice, said she planned to return the DOJ to a policy that led to landmark antitrust suits like the one against Microsoft in the ’90s. And she delivered on that promise in short order. Since her confirmation in late April, the DOJ has seen a sort of Trustbuster renaissance. It has begun inquiring into potentially anticompetitive recruiting practices in Silicon Valley. It’s opened an investigation into the Google Books settlement. And now it’s scrutinizing cellphone exclusivity deals, like the lucrative one between Apple and AT&T.
iphone-att