Bye, bye, Bill

[Newsweek] Not that I expected a weepy departure. Gates is unsentimental about stuff like this. For him a speech is all about the logistics of which Microsoft goodies to include, and the standard hope that the demos won't crash. This year's version was clearly in keeping with his tradition, a heaping helping of high-tech comfort food.

Wikia Search goes live

[Business Week] The new site takes a hybrid approach to search, combining technologies and features from a range of successful Web sites —search-related and non-search, including social-networking phenomenon Facebook. And when you look beyond the home page, Wikia Search's design is just as eclectic. Its open-source design process has produced a site built on proven Web-design standards—and not just those established by Google.

YHOO to make social services central

[Reuters] He said services would be more social, making it easier for users to update friends automatically on their Web activities. "With Yahoo, we plan on being the most essential starting page for your life," Yang told the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

INTC unveils 45nm notebook chips

[InfoWeek] Intel is scheduled to start production of Menlow, which will include a new low-power 45-nm processor packages codenamed Silverthorne, this quarter, Anand Chandrasekher, senior VP and general manager of Intel's ultramobility group, told InformationWeek. In addition, Intel is building processors and chipsets for set-top boxes and digital video recorders. The platform, scheduled to ship this year, will use Menlow technology, but will be marketed under other names.

PSP: your Skype-enabled handheld videophone

[Forbes] Sony said Monday it has allied with Skype to enable users of its latest slim PSP-2000 to make low-cost telephone calls and free calls around the world via the Net.

Jobs wins over Hollywood

[BusinessWeek] BusinessWeek has learned that Apple is close to nailing down agreements with most of the big studios, though not all may be ready to announce by the time Jobs takes the stage on Jan. 15 at the annual Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco.

Intel split a wake-up call for OLPC

[Newsfactor] Rather than see Intel as the bad guy here, OLPC should view the break-up as a "wake-up call." OLPC's mission is to change education, Vota said, "so the expectation that it has to be one platform over another is monopolistic. OLPC has to compete in the marketplace against other offerings."

Obama turns Facebook fans into delegates

[ZDNet] Barack Obama’s victory in Iowa was marked by heavy participation by young and first-time caucusers. The San Francisco Chronicle takes note that this may mark the first time that politicians talk about bringing in young voters actually materialized on the ground.

Sears spyware draws lawsuit

[InfoWeek] plaintiff Christine Desantis alleges that the company's exposure of customer data represents a breach of contract and a violation of the Consumer Fraud Act. The $5 million sought is to cover payments to affected consumers and attorneys, and the cost of injunctive relief; no individual is seeking more than $75,000, according to the legal filing. The crux of the case is that Sears "failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that [consumers'] private information was secure," according to the complaint.