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TechCrunch has a great piece up about online news. Here’s a taste:

So how powerful is Google when it comes to parceling out traffic to news sites? If you are talking about Google News, the answer is that it is not quite as powerful as you might think. In the U.S., Google News is overshadowed by both Yahoo News and even the sites controlled by the New York Times (which includes NYTimes.com, Boston.com, HeraldTribune.com, and several other newspaper sites). According to comScore, Google News attracted 16.2 million unique visitors in the U.S. in February, compared to 42.3 million for Yahoo News and 46.2 million for the sites operated by New York Times Digital.

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Several years ago, Apple’s retail stores transitioned away from “classic” registers (iMacs hooked to cash drawers) to hand-held, credit/debit-only systems called “EasyPay.” The system runs on Windows Mobile on Symbol-built devices. When it was first released it was buggy as hell, but over the last two years, it has become more stable as Apple has pushed the technology harder and harder, but the platform leaves a lot to be desired, especially in older and busier stores.

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iFixit has done it again. This time, they took apart the new Dell Adamo, and holy cow, I want to open one.

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Due to ongoing issues with my RSS feed, I’ve switched to using FeedBurner. Here’s the link: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/forkbombr/rss2

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At work, we came into possession of a dead 800Mhz eMac G4, so we did what all good technicians would do - we took it apart and then rebuilt it with only the structural components.

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Yesterday, Apple sent an email to all MobileMe customers:

On July 7, 2009, the .Mac HomePage web application will be discontinued. As of this date, you will no longer be able to create new pages or edit existing pages using HomePage. Any pages you’ve already published will remain live at their current web address for as long as you like. If you need to make changes to your existing pages, please do so before July 7.

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This morning, Apple launched their “1 Billion App Countdown” campaign:

As of today, nearly one billion apps have been downloaded around the globe. So we just want to say thanks — a billion. Download an app and you’ll automatically get the chance to win a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, an iPod touch, a Time Capsule, and a MacBook Pro. Just go to the iTunes Store, browse the App Store, and download your best app yet.

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CNET has posted a link to a video from a Houston TV station that is of their “consumer reporter” complaining that sweat can kill iPhones. Here’s the segment transcribed, via CNET:

“I never would’ve bought a phone if I knew it would ruin the first time I got it out at the gym,” Stacie Keneker said.

“They sell all these accessories that you are supposed to be able to use at the gym to make it convenient,” Lee Pittman complained.

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Gizmodo:

Yeah, I’ve used Windows machines for essentially my entire life, but switching turned out to be not that big a deal. Why? Because an OS isn’t that important.

What’s kept me from switching all these years isn’t because I loved Windows or hated Macs. No, it was more a combination of laziness and self-identification. That’s to say I didn’t want to switch because I didn’t want to deal with learning the ins and outs of a new OS, and also I identified myself as a “Windows guy” and didn’t want to become a “Mac guy.” Both reasons are essentially bullshit.

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Macworld:

… here’s the bottom line: Strictly on the basis of specs and features, your money will go further with a Windows laptop than with an Apple laptop, whether you have $1000 or $2000 to spend.

But does that mean MacBooks aren’t a good value? That’s where subjectivity comes into play. In my opinion, MacBooks, with the exception of the white $999 model, are indeed good values. I’ve owned both Macs and Windows PCs since the early 90s, and my Macs have tended to last longer and give me far fewer problems. And Macs are simply a joy to use, thanks to the Mac OS’s many ingenious features and Apple’s design savvy. I’ve rarely felt that way about a Windows computer.

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Apple’s rack-mounted, often-forgotten server offering - the Xserve - got updated today with some serious new hardware. Here’s Macworld on what is probably the most interesting option*:

For the first time, Apple has included a solid state drive in the Xserve. The 128GB SSD boot drive option is faster than regular hard disks and it doesn’t take up one of the three available drive bays. The drive bays support 7200 rpm SATA and 15,000 rpm SAS drives and can be configured with up to 3TB of internal storage.

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Edible Apple:

Apple is pretty adept at getting its products onto some of TV’s most popular shows, but no show can top Futurama when it comes to a sprinkling of both well-known and obscure Apple references. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given the fact that series co-founder David X. Cohen is a huge Apple fan whose favorite piece of technology is the Apple II - Cohen even named the character “Dr. Zoidberg” after a computer game he originally created for the Apple II in assembly language.

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