Susan Kuchinskas

A teaser Web site for The Origami Project has created the biggest buzz for Microsoft since the launch of the Xbox and perhaps even Windows 95. Gadget lovers hope Redmond may come up with a consumer device that matches Apple’s coolness with Microsoft functionality. Microsoft hopes the coolness will rub off on its new operating […]

Ask Jeeves was one of the earliest Internet brands with its online-butler-at-your-service metaphor. But now the company says its technology advances merit a re-branding to better help users understand its features and benefits. On Monday, Ask Jeeves officially changed its name to Ask.com, giving itself a sleeker look to match the abbreviated moniker. The new […]

Most Americans get their view of history from Hollywood. This is another thing the Internet will change. And the change begins today, with the appearance on Google Video of historic movies, documentaries and other films from the National Archives. Google is working on a pilot program to digitize rare historic footage, and then post it […]

MSN wants to entertain you. A reggae concert and a Latino music site are the latest lures. On Saturday, MSN will host its first live concert Webcast, broadcasting the 13th Annual Bob Marley Festival “Jam Rock” from Miami. The festival, presented by the Bob Marley Movement, features two-time Grammy winner Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, Julian […]

Google is more inclined to be the repository of consumer data with each release it announces. The beta launch today of Google Page Creator adds personal pages to the hosted offerings from the search Goliath. Google already hosts blogs through its Blogger service; photos via Picasa; e-mail sent to Gmail accounts; video uploaded to Google […]

Tagsys introduced The-Package-Is-The-Tag, a system that incorporates an RFID “kernel” into the packaging itself. “We believe this is a breakthrough toward moving forward in the item-tagging space,” said Tagsys CEO Elie Simon. “We believe everything will be integrated into the package in the next five years.” The Tagsys system, designed specifically for item-level tagging, seeks […]

Microsoft released a community technical preview (CTP) of Windows Vista on Wednesday, hoping to show corporate customers how the new operating system will reduce costs and boost productivity. But one analyst said great new features won’t move businesses off their upgrade cycles — and most of them have just upgraded. The CTP released today to […]

Adult publisher Perfect 10 won a partial victory in its efforts to stop search engines’ display of its photos in image search results. Today, Judge A. Howard Matz of the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California said Perfect 10 is likely to succeed in proving that Google directly infringes its copyright by […]

Mitrix has lined up a new customer for its on-demand supply chain management application. Hampton will use Mitrix’s SCM Live 3.1 to establish a private trading community, where partners can receive updates and information in close to real time, the companies said on Tuesday. Mitrix rolled out SCM Live, its hosted supply chain management offering […]

While the major search engines boast about the size of their indexes, smaller players are differentiating their services by narrowing them down. Eurekster, for example, provides focused search services that link search algorithms to social networks and communities of interest. Eurekster SwickiBuilder gives small or individual site publishers the ability to create their own search […]

Accessibility advocates have accused Google and Yahoo of shutting out the blind. The door is still closed. Now, an Internet petition is asking Google to provide an accessible alternative to the visual verification scheme that currently locks the blind and visually impaired out of participation in all the company’s services. “Google’s implementation of word verification […]

Microsoft announced the recipients of approximately $1 million in academic research funding on Thursday. Redmond’s think tanks were looking for help in two areas: mapping and security. While issues of personal privacy, PC takeovers and network security have plagued Windows for years. Microsoft put the majority of its money toward funding proposals for Trustworthy Computing […]