Microsoft taking over Yahoo

Microsoft has offered to buy the search engine company Yahoo for $44.6bn (£22.4bn) in cash and shares. The offer, contained in a letter to Yahoo’s board, is 62% above Yahoo’s closing share price on Thursday.

Yahoo cut its revenue forecasts earlier this week and said it would have to spend an additional $300m this year trying to revive the company.

It has been struggling in recent years to compete with Google, which has also been a competitor to Microsoft.

In a conference call, Microsoft’s Kevin Johnson said that the combination of the two companies would create an entity that could better compete with Google.

“Today the market [for online search and advertising] is increasingly dominated by one player,” he said.

FIA WRC 2008 Calendar

Here’s the official schedule for 2008. Mexico is back for another year and Turkey is getting an event in ‘08.

2008 FIA World Rally Championship Calendar

24 – 27 January – 76th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
8 – 10 February – Uddeholm Swedish Rally
28 Feb – 2 – March Rally Mexico
27 – 30 March – Rally Argentina
24 – 27 April – Jordan Rally WRC
16 – 18 May – Rallye d’Italia-Sardegna
29 May – 1 June – BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally
13 – 15 June – Rally of Turkey
31 July – 3 August – Neste Oil Rally Finland
15 – 17 August – ADAC Rallye Deutschland
28 – 31 August – Rally New Zealand
2 – 5 October – Rallye de España
10 – 12 October – Rallye de France – Tour de Corse
24 – 26 October – Rally Japan
28 – 30 November – Wales Rally GB

MacBook Air anyone?

The Macbook Air is very new, so let’s pick apart its flaws! Just kidding. This post is meant to point out certain aspects of the little machine that may not be immediately obvious.

1. No user-replaceable battery. Not the end of the world, for sure, but a nuisance, especially as your battery’s life drops to four hours, then three, then … (but that’s a few years away, right?). Shades of the user-inaccessible iPhone battery commotion here.

2. Recessed USB slot will hinder certain peripherals. Prepare for a cottage industry of adapters to appear (much like those for the iPhone’s headphone jack). Plus, there’s only one — expect small, streamlined & white USB hubs to appear soon.

3. No Firewire port. Forget uploading digital video from a camera, or using those spiffy Firewire external hard drives.
Now, we’re not ripping the MacBook Air apart here, just pointing out a few details you’ll want to keep in mind if you plan to use it as your primary machine.

I think the problem with the Air is that people don’t really understand what it’s for. The Air is really for people who already have one or more Mac AND travel a lot AND who have relatively simple requirements (surfing and documents as opposed to editing). The problem is it’s so damn sexy it appeals to people who would really be better off with something else.

The danger is if a new user buys a MacBook Air on sex appeal and is disappointed with the performance or other limitations it could sour them to the Mac.