Googlers who want to revalue their underwater stock options will have to wait until Tuesday for the voluntary employee option exchange program to launch, Google said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday that did not explain why. The program--which allows allow employees to exchange all or some of their existing stock options for the same number of new options--was scheduled to launch Thursday and end on March 3. Employees were notified of the change in an e-mail sent Wednesday by Laszlo Bock, vice president of People Operations at Google, and which was included in the filing. "We will send you an e-mail no later than next Tuesday to confirm the new program time line," the e-mail said. "We will be sharing a comprehensive FAQ with you on the date of launch. We understand this delay will raise questions. For regulatory reasons, it is simply not possible to answer all of your questions before the launch, but please know we remain committed to offering this program." Google announced the one-for-one stock option exchange program last week when it posted its fourth quarter results, which included a decline in earnings from a year ago that were impacted by stock option expenses. The program is intended to create more incentives for employees to remain at the company. Given that Google stock rose to greater than $700 a share in late 2007 and now trades around $340 a share, many employees would otherwise find themselves holding worthless options. Google said last week that the new options were expected to have an exercise price equal to the closing per-share price on March 2 and that stock options with exercise prices above that would be eligible for exchange. The company also said it expected to take a stock-based compensation charge of $460 million in the first quarter as a result of the program.
[Via: cnet.com ]
[Tag: ]
Google delays stock option exchange program
Who needs instant on? Moblin boots in about 15 seconds
I've read about moblin before, but when it resurfaced in my newsreader this morning I decided it was time to take a look at the project a bit more closely. The moblin OS is built on Linux and optimized for Intel-based notebooks, netbooks, and MIDs. It is currently in alpha testing, but already looks very promising.
Most of the other Linux distributions I've tested on my MSI Wind were "customized" for netbooks, but they ultimately ended up feeling like a standard desktop distribution with an interface tweaked for small displays.
One thing immediately sets moblin apart from the others.
After installing it to the hard drive and rebooting my system, it took a mere 16 seconds to get from the Grub menu to the XFCE desktop. Holy boot times, Batman! That's impressive.
I'm aware that users have gotten times like this before with distros like Arch, but Moblin will be easier to deal with for most netbook users.
The pre-installed applications are kept to a minimum - Firefox is included and you'll be able to enjoy your music and videos with Movie Player. There are also lightweight GTD apps for managing contacts, tasks, and a calendar. You can, of course, add whatever other packages you like through yum or add/remove software.
If you want to take moblin for a test drive you can download an iso file, or a virtual machine for VMware or KVM. Keep in mind this is an alpha release. Moblin's finished form may look nothing like this, but it's an intriguing project even at this stage of the game.
[Via: Download Squad ]
[Tag: linux, mid, moblin, netbook ]
Digg hires new sales chief from Yahoo
Social media site Digg.com announced Tuesday that it has hired one of Yahoo's top salesmen to be its new head of sales. Tom Shin, who had been at the Web search pioneer for seven years, will be responsible for developing Digg's advertising sales strategy and managing strategic relationships, including Microsoft, the company said. At Yahoo, Shin oversaw product marketing for My Yahoo and Messenger, and was credited with helping Yahoo Mail's annual revenue grow from $20 million to more than $300 million. Digg CEO Jay Adelson announced Thursday that the company would be hiring a new direct sales force and head of sales to drive the company to profitability this year. He also said the partnership Digg has with Microsoft to sell standard advertising units will continue. But Digg will be rolling out higher-profile advertising programs, and features on the site to support them, that his internal sales force will be pitching. The company, which raised new capital and doubled in size in 2008, also announced layoffs last week, but Adelson said Digg's engineering and core development group wouldn't be affected by the layoffs. The cuts will come in areas "not core to our function. We'll be shifting some of that cost to a sales force," he said. Shin is expected to join Digg in mid-February.
[Via: cnet.com ]
[Tag: ]
Apple issues critical QuickTime security update
Apple issued a critical QuickTime security update, aimed at resolving vulnerabilities in its media player that could potentially allow a malicious attacker to take control of a users computer, according to an Apple advisory released this week. Users running QuickTime 7 for Windows, or OSX, are affected, as well as those who are using Mac OS X 10.4 or Mac OS X 10.5, according to Apple. Apple is advising users to update to QuickTime 7.6, with QuickTime 7.6 for Windows, or QuickTime 7.6 for Leopard, or QuickTime 7.6 for Tiger. The update seeks to address QuickTime security flaws which could potentially allow a malicious attacker to launch a buffer overflow and execute arbitrary code on a user's system. The attack could potentially occur via a maliciously crafted movie file, AVI movie file, QTVR movie fileor an RTSP URL, according to Apple. Security researcher Secunia, in its security advisory on Thursday, noted the vulnerabilities are considered "highly critical."
[Via: cnet.com ]
[Tag: ]
Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster
David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.
[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]
Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster
David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.
[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]
Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster
David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.
[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]
Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster
David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.
[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]
Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster
David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.
[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]
Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster
David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.
[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]
Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster
David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.
[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]
Sirtet puts a new twist on Tetris - Time-Waster
David Friedman has a habit of posting clever ideas and concepts to his blog, Ironic Sans. Every once in a while, someone will take one of them and build a working model. That's what happened with Sirtet, a new kind of Tetris that's played one square at a time. It's an interesting idea, and it turns out it's a pretty good game, too.
If you're familiar with Tetris, you should have no trouble catching onto Sirtet. The object is to position your blocks so that you have 4 (but no more than 4) squares of a single color touching one another. Instead of building lines, as in Tetris, you're building Tetris pieces! When you connect 4, those blocks disappear and you get points. If you connect 5 or more, though, they turn to stone and become stuck on the board. That definitely adds a new level of challenge to the game, If you're a Tetris junkie, and the original version has gotten stale for you, give Sirtet a whirl.
[Via: Ironic Sans ]
[Tag: game, Sirtet, Tetris, time-waster ]
Windows Mobile 6.5 coming mid-year?
Microsoft may begin offering Windows Mobile 6.5 to mobile device manufacturers by the middle of 2009, which means we could see cellphones running the operating system start showing up in the second half of the year.
DigiTimes reports that sources at Taiwanese companies that make handsets expect Microsoft to introduce the updated operating system at Mobile World Congress next month.
There's not a ton of information available about Windows Mobile 6.5. As we reported a few months ago, this will be a bit of an incremental upgrade to hold cellphone makers and customers over until Windows Mobile 7 is ready. But based on the leaked screenshots we've seen, Microsoft certainly has made some changes to the user interface. Will it be enough to keep Windows Mobile devices competitive with the iPhone and mobile devices running Palm's new WebOS, Google Android, or Symbian? We'll have to get back to you on that one.
[Via: Download Squad ]
[Tag: windows-mobile, windows-mobile-6.5 ]
Nortel files for bankruptcy
Nortel Networks, once a high-flying telecommunications equipment maker, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday. Nortel has been recent credit crunch may end up as the death knell for the company, making it difficult for Nortel to fund its operations. At the same time, customers have also pulled back drastically on spending for the company's voice-only equipment. For the past several months, Nortel's management team has been trying to cut spending. The company has also put some of its assets up for sale in an attempt to survive. But mounting debt payments and a steep drop in revenue appears to have caught up with the company. The most pressing issue for the Toronto, Ontario-based company is paying the interest on its $3.8 billion in bond debt. Nortel faced a $107 million bond interest payment this week, The Wall Street Journal reported. While bankruptcy protection doesn't always mean the end for a company, in today's economic climate, it could prove disastrous as the already-struggling company may find it even more difficult to convince customers to buy its gear. Carmakers used this argument recently when seeking a bailout from Congress. They said that customers would be unwilling to buy cars from companies that they feared would not be around to service them. Nortel has about $2.6 billion in cash, which some analysts have said could help it stay afloat until at least 2010. But as the company sinks deeper into trouble, many experts believe that Nortel will likely be broken apart during a Chapter 11 restructuring with individual businesses sold off one by one, wiping out shareholders. In December, the New York Stock Exchange warned it would delist Nortel's stock if it couldn't get its stock to trade above $1 minimum. Nortel is currently trading at 32 cents. Nortel's fall from grace was a result of a series of strategic missteps over the years that chipped away at the company's value. In 2000, Nortel was worth about $250 billion. The company now has a market value of about $275 million. Mike Zafirovski came on board as chief executive three years ago to help turn around the company. Initially, he had some success building profits from selling wireless gear to U.S. operators. Under his leadership Nortel invested in new technology, and the company was preparing for the next wave of wireless networks. But then the economy tanked, and phone companies started to pull back on spending, which resulted in a sharp revenue drop for Nortel. In September, Nortel announced more cost-cutting and said it would sell some of its business units. But the company was unable to find a buyer. Nortel isn't the only big telecommunications equipment maker to struggle. Alcatel Lucent, which has also struggled to get back on track after the telecommunications boom, has also struggled and announced it is restructuring its business. Nortel is also expected to seek bankruptcy protection against creditors in its home country of Canada.
[Via: cnet.com ]
[Tag: ]
Adobe downgraded; ex-Yahoo added to board
Shares of Adobe Systems fell 7 percent Tuesday after a market analyst downgraded the company's stock from "market perform" to "underperform." Share closed at $22.10, down $1.66, after FBR Research analyst David Hilal said in a research note that he cut his rating on Adobe's stock because the "shares have risen to a point where the risk-reward profile is unfavorable." Hilal also said Adobe depends too much on new unit sales and lacks recurring revenue from existing customers. In other news, Adobe announced that former Yahoo executive Dan Rosensweig had joined the company's board of directors. Rosensweig, who served as Yahoo's chief operating officer for nearly five years before departing in 2006, was previously president of CNET Networks, publisher of CNET News.. Adobe also announced that board members Colleen Pouliot and Delbert Yocam would retire, effective March 31. Pouliot has served on the board since 2001, and Yocam has served for 18 years, Adobe said.
[Via: cnet.com ]
[Tag: ]
Microsoft starts testing Office 14
Microsoft said Tuesday that it has begun early outside testing of some of the server products that will make up the next version of Office. The software maker did not offer details or say when a test version of the software, code-named Office 14, will be made more broadly available. "Today Microsoft provided a select group of customers early access to an Alpha version of Office server technologies," the software maker said in a statement. "However, Microsoft is not disclosing information about the timing for a Beta version at this time." Microsoft has also begun testing for the next version of Exchange, code-named E14. News of Office 14 testing was reported earlier Tuesday by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley.
[Via: cnet.com ]
[Tag: ]
Windows 7 Beta gets official this Friday
During his keynote address at CES tonight, Steve Ballmer made it official. The Windows 7 public beta will be made available for download on Friday, January 9th, 2009.If you've been leary of downloading the version that's been all over the torrent trackers since last week, get your download manager ready and keep your browser tuned to Microsoft's Windows 7 page for the genuine article. Technet, MSDN, and TechBeta members have already been given access.I've had my share of problems with the leaked version and am hoping that the official release is either a slightly newer build or at least free of the issues that I've had so far. Internet Eplorer 8 hasn't been working 100%, and Explorer itself has stopped responding repeatedly when I've tried to extract large zip archive or move multiple large files onto my flash drive.
[Via: Download Squad ]
[Tag: beta, CES, windows, windows-7 ]
bitRipper offers one-click DVD ripping
Want to convert your DVD into a video file that you can play on any computer, but don't feel like fussing with complicated DVD ripping software? It doesn't get much simpler than bitRipper. All you need to do is pop a DVD into your optical disc drive, fire up bitRipper, and click the Start ripping button. That's it.
Of course, you can click the settings tab to access more advanced features. For instance, you can change the audio or video codecs or adjust the bit rate, aspect ratio, or video resolution. At the very least, I'd recommend configuring the audio. The default settings use a ridiculously low bitrate that sounds just awful.
For some reason, when I tried ripping a video using the LAME audio codec, the audio and video were out of sync, but when I tried again using the Fraunhofer codec all was right with the world.
[Via: MakeUseOf ]
[Tag: bitripper, dvd, dvd-ripper ]