Russian Search Engine: Where Google Isn't Goliath

"Want to know the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the best place in town for borscht, or the weather in Novosibirsk? In most of the world you might Google the answer. But a Russian would more likely "Yandex" it. Few outside of Russia have heard of the Yandex search engine, but that may soon change. Yandex has 44 percent of the Russian market -- 10 points ahead of Google -- and is now the No. 2 search outfit in Europe, according to researcher comScore. Yandex is expected to list its shares on Nasdaq this fall, fetching as much as $2 billion. "

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The iPhone's Next Frontier: Porn????

"Jeremy Caplan writes that Apple may be golden because of the iPhone, but the soon-to-be-updated device is also increasingly the source of forbidden fruit. Steve Jobs' company is keeping a civil, if embarrassed, silence on one of the potentially most lucrative and controversial uses of its handheld jewel: porn.

Leading porn purveyors see the iPhone as a dream come true. Its relatively ample screen size, speedy Web access and ease of use are just part of it. The device's miniaturized version of Apple's Safari software simplifies mobile access and streamlines the process of tailoring dirty sites for optimal viewing on the go. "It's by far the porn-friendliest phone," says Devan Cypher, representative for San Francisco–based Sin City Entertainment.

Opposition to iPhone porn, however, may grow as well. The genre's availability could spark new demand for mobile-phone porn blockers, as parents realize that children could access adult content on Apple's device. "Our iPhone 2.0 software will give customers the opportunity to turn on parental controls," says Apple spokeswoman Bowcock. Some parents may not be tech-savvy enough to figure that out, though, and some kids may be clever enough to find a work-around. "If a minor with one of these phones pokes around, he could easily access adult sites without his parents' knowledge," says Holden, who authored "Adult Content in the Palm of Your Hand," Juniper's latest research report."

Read the full Time story The iPhone's Next Frontier: Porn

100 Miles Per Gallon? Hypermilers Do It All The Time

Hypermilers practice such unorthodox techniques as coasting for blocks with their car's engine turned off, driving far below speed limits on the freeway, pumping up tire pressure far beyond car and tire makers' recommendations and carefully manipulating the gas pedal to avoid fuel-burning excess.Most drivers would take a victory lap if they managed to squeeze that kind of mileage out of increasingly precious gasoline. Even on this, a bad day, Hudgin coaxed 28 mpg more out of his 2000 Honda Insight hybrid than its federal highway mpg rating.

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Attack Of The iPhone Killers

"It's like a scene from a bad horror movie. Samsung and Research in Motion are among the companies trundling down the steps into the basement. And down there, waiting for them, is Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and his chainsaw collection. Dudes, don't go down there. 

Apple's easy-to-use, media-friendly gizmo has cut deeply into the smart phone market. Six months after putting out the iPhone last year, Apple had seized 26.7% of the U.S. market in the final quarter of 2007. The assault was put on pause--with Apple dipping to just 19.2% of the market during the first quarter--as Apple reloaded with a faster iPhone. After it goes on sale July 11, however, it's going to be a long, hard year for Apple's rivals."

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Apple news for the week

The Moscow News is reporting that Apple Hesitating to Sell Its New iPhone in Russia. "At an annual software conference in San Francisco, Steve Jobs, the founder and head of Apple Inc., presented a new model of the popular iPhone communicator for 3G networks. Russia and China may have felt left out, however - Apple does not yet plan to sell the latest version of its phone in these countries. But they should not worry - anyone in either country will be able to buy the fashionable device, no matter what Jobs says. As more phones are dumped on the American market than it can absorb, some of the extra ones will find their way to distributors who unlock them (a simple enough procedure) and send them on to Russia. For Apple, this is a win-win situation: they corner new markets without investing a cent in services networks."

Speedy up Mac OS X for free with Secrets

Chris | Live Tech Support | Video Help | Add to iTunes

iPhone is HOT and it seems just about everyone is talking about Apples little phone that could change the way people use their phones check out some of the articles from this week: Why the new iPhone will squash BlackBerry, Selling big business on the iPhone, How the iPhone puts a bomb under mobile networks, Why the iPhone 3G is a gold mine for Apple, even at $199, Why iPhone Wannabes Don't Cut It.

There have been a number of reports this week about security flaws in XP (no big surprise), FireFox, and one possible new one for OS X. I always give the standard warning don't use P2P software and download programs as you will get more then you bargained for with this new little AppleScript.

Ashley Highfield, BBC executive, Reviews Ubuntu

Ashley Highfield, Director of BBC Future Media and Technology has given Ubuntu a road-test on his BBC blog and provides a pretty positive review, testing a number of different use-cases of the system including wireless networks, picture editing, iPlayer, updates, webcam support and more.

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New Sony HD Camcorder doesn't require you to say 'cheese'

The Sony HDR-CX12 HD shoots 1080i video in the AVCHD format, using a CMOS sensor that’s especially effective in low light. Just start recording video and the 10 megapixel camera built in to the Sony HDR-CX12 HD Camcorder will snap off a sequence of frames as soon as your subject begins to smile while still recording video. Among the dozens of resulting frames, there’s bound to be one that looks near-perfect. Release date 07/23/2008 $900.

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