5 posts and columns on consumer choice

What, HTC Worry?

in News on March 3, 2010 at 2:06 pm PT

Now that it has had some time to recover from the intellectual property lawsuit sucker punch Apple threw at it yesterday, HTC has issued a more carefully crafted positioning statement on the matter. More thoroughly lawyered than its predecessor, this statement touches on issues of consumer choice and the effect Apple’s attack might have on the company’s business.

In Search Of… Images Worth 1,000 Results

in The Digital Solution on January 12, 2010 at 4:47 pm PT

Google and Microsoft are offering visual searches where a picture is worth many Web results.

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.
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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

Senators Call BS on Carrier Exclusivity

in News on June 16, 2009 at 2:30 pm PT

Welcome news for folks who love the iPhone, but hate AT&T: The increasing prevalance of exclusivity agreements between wireless carriers and cellphone manufacturers, like the one between Apple and AT&T, is drawing some government scrutiny. Four U.S. senators are urging the Federal Communications Commission to review such deals with an eye toward determining whether they unfairly restrict consumer choice and hamper competition.
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