Jive Software’s successful debut on the Nasdaq on Tuesday reflects investor enthusiasm for social media companies, though it is unclear how eager businesses are to bring a Facebook-style network to the workplace. Read more
From around the web:
Online, all the time, anywhere
In this week’s Personal Technology column in the FT’s Business Life section, we look at the options for staying online on the road:
“There are three basic ways to get online using a laptop and a mobile phone network: using a laptop with an integrated cellular modem; hooking up or “tethering” a laptop to a smartphone; and using an external cellular modem or personal mobile hotspot device such as Novatel’s MiFi.” Read more
That Sidekick data must be in here somewhere…
Paris Hilton must be breathing a sigh of relief.
Losing control of all the personal stuff on her Sidekick once was bad enough, without the threat that Microsoft would then just swallow it all. So for all the users of the “hiptop” device, the news on Thursday that the software company believes it can recover “most, if not all” of the data that was thought to have been lost after a data centre failure will come as a big relief.
It leaves some uncomfortable questions for Microsoft, though. Read more
Mobile companies keeping pace with Apple
Where Apple leads, mobile companies will follow, it seems. Vodafone said on Wednesday that it would remove copyright protection on over 1m of the songs it sells through its mobile music store. The company has agreements with three of the “Big Four” music companies – Univeral Music Group, Sony, and EMI – but talks with Warner have been slower.
Its likely Warner will agree in due course, as recently all four of the music majors agreed a similar deal with Apple. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
