Apr. 16, 2008
AOL buys blog search engine Sphere
Valleywag
Nicholas Carlson reports on AOL’s latest purchase of startup company, Sphere.
“AOL has purchased Sphere, a San Francisco-based startup whose service places links to related stories and context-sensitive ads on article pages, for an undisclosed amount. The advertising part is likely the draw; Sphere’s clients include magazine publisher Time Inc. The new inventory should lengthen AOL’s already impressive reach.”
Penguin goes electronic
The Register
Bill Ray writes about Pearson’s, the publishing company that owns Penguin books decision to release e-book versions of its titles.
“The launch range of e-books will include Penguin’s back catalogue of 5,000 titles, which is already being digitised. The e-book versions will cost the same as their dead-tree equivalents. The idea of electronic books has been around for decades, but recent innovations in screen technology have removed one of the most significant barriers to adoption – the quality of the reading experience.”
Dell slims down its laptops for small business
Wired
John Morris takes a closer look at Dell’s Vostro laptops, which are designed for small businesses.
“The Vostro 1310 starts at $749 with a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo T5670, 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive and Intel GMAX3100 integrated graphics. The Vostro 1510 starts at $599 with a 1.86GHz Celeron 540, 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard drive and Intel GMAX3100 integrated graphics. Both are available in today in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and will be available in the Americas and Asia Pacific early May.”
