Oct. 19, 2006, 9:46 am (PST)

• Microsoft has a version of IE7 for download (link to MS download page). It features tabbed browsing and a phishing warning system. But it wouldn't be a Microsoft browser without controversy, so here it is: the browser's built-in search field was only going to connect to Microsoft's search engine. At the last minute Redmond relented and added the ability to change search engines. (BBC) A final release candidate of Firefox 2.0 is online today, as well. (link to Firefox download)
  
  

  And - oh! - there's already a security hole in No. 7. Danish security firm Secunia says a flaw inherited from IE6 could allow a phishing attack that exploits this flaw to allow a hacker to read information from a separate, secure site that the user is logged onto (like a banking site). It's hard enough to pull off that Secunia ranks it a low-priority threat. (PCWorld)
  
  

• Sony's battery recall will hit 9.6 million, the company said in a financial filing. The recall will hit Sony with more than $400 million in costs for Q3 and the company conceded that lawsuits are in the offing. Some have estimated the total cost to Sony at over $1bn. Sony cut its Q3 earnings estimate some 38% from 130bn yen to just 80bn yen. (AP).
  
  

• Revenue at the New York Times fell 2.4% in Q3, reflecting softness in the print advertising market. The Times' attempts to monetize the Web haven't yet offset the declining dead-tree business. "Our third-quarter results reflect the continued weakness in the print advertising marketplace," Chief Executive Janet Robinson said in a statement. It's not just the Times; the Times-owned Globe is creating a real drag on the company.
  
  

  Some analysts say it's time for the Times to cut loose the Globe and move out of mass-market pubs entirely (except for the flagship, of course.) "If I were the New York Times, what I would do is invest in niche publications," journalism prof Philip Meyer said. "The trend is against mass media and toward specialized media."