Reporters Notebook

May 2, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

A sad story out of Canada, apparently a family dialed 911 over their VoIP line when their toddler was in distress. They were told by the company’s dispatch service that an ambulance was on the way. Unfortunately, the family had moved from their original location and had not updated their profile, so the dispatch sent the ambulance to the family’s old address. The toddler subsequently died.

May 1, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

USA Today quotes some experts to that effect: 

“You could buy a lot of crayons for $60," says Susan Linn, director of the children's advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and author of The Case For Make-Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World. "This is the marketing world's push to drive children to digital screens and away from creative play."

Instead of playing with digital cameras, kids 3 to 5 should be playing with sticks, stones and mud, says Joan Almon, chairman of The Alliance for Childhood, a children's advocacy group. "The camera ...Read More

April 24, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

 The Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) economist Shawn DuBravac notes that about 20 percent of consumers plan to spend some portion of their forthcoming tax rebate checks on consumer electronics. He then asks, “What are you planning to do with your rebate check?” 

That’s easy: I have two kids and I file jointly. That means a nice little chunk of your money is coming my way (it’s also my money too; well, actually it’s China’s money, as this rebate is being financed by debt … but I digress). Unfortunately for the industry and for t...Read More

April 23, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Cloud computing is all the rage these days. Microsoft is working on a program to connect your personal data across a multitude of platforms. The so-called “Live Mesh” program “uses the Internet as a data hub, synchronizes files across computers, phones and other devices so a digital picture frame at home could show a picture minutes after it was taken by a cellphone,” Reuters reported.

April 21, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Rich Tehrani (via DSLreports) hears rumors that Google will purchase Skype from eBay. Aside from that, Tehrani offers some interesting ways that Skype could improve its business. Skype is viewed as something of a liability for eBay among financial analysts and so, Tehrani asserts, getting their profit-generating house in order is a top concern if the VoIP player is to remain a going concern. 

I don’t have much to add to any analysis of a Google/Sky...Read More