Coop's Corner

'Governor' Meg Whitman? Um, no

Charles Cooper — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:30:00 GMT

Rod Blagojevich got elected governor. So can Meg Whitman be that much of a long shot?

We may find out soon. eBay's former numero uno is said to be mulling her entry into California's gubernatorial race, according to The Wall Street Journal, which adds that Whitman will decide ...

VMware hires away Borland CEO

Charles Cooper — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:49:00 GMT

Tod Nielsen just can't hold a job.

Actually, peripatetic is the better description. VMware on Tuesday named Nielsen to be its chief operating officer, his sixth different company since the millennium.

Tod Nielsen

Nielsen had been Borland's chief executive since November 2005. Before that, the garrulous 43-year-old held

...

Now Apple's credibility really is in the balance

Charles Cooper — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:56:00 GMT

If you're an Apple shareholder or employee, the good news is that Steve Jobs' health is not in any immediate danger.

Or so we're supposed to surmise from the cryptic note issued by Jobs early Monday on the state of his health--and the even more cryptic note put ...

Steve Jobs discloses 'hormone imbalance'

Charles Cooper — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:54:00 GMT

The health of Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been a topic of concern for some months now. On Monday, with the company's Macworld show getting under way, Apple and Jobs issued statements on Jobs' health. We'll be following this breaking story throughout the day.

In October, Steve Jobs ...

A last stand for Sony's 'Sir Howard?'

Charles Cooper — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:14:00 GMT

Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer has to be one of the most charming executives in all of techdom. But as Arthur Miller taught us, a smile and a shoeshine go only so far.

Remember this quote?: "You can take iPod and beat us over the head with it, but it'...

Israeli news site down, blames cyber attack

Charles Cooper — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:41:00 GMT

First real war, now a cyber war? The Jerusalem-based Debkafile said it was temporarily put out of action Saturday evening by a cyber attack.

It's not clear whether this was a denial of service attack. Debka, which specializes in military and political analysis, sent out a note to subscribers ...

The holiday e-retail satisfaction rankings are in

Charles Cooper — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:01:00 GMT

With the nation on edge, you might assume that every Internet retailer worth their salt would have extended red carpet treatment to shoppers during the traditional end-of-year shopping rush.

Wrong assumption.

In fact, more than one-third of the 40 online merchants surveyed in a report on retail satisfaction finished with

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The smartphone buzz in '09? It's not a product

Charles Cooper — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:33:00 GMT

There's already a lengthy wish list as users ponder the invention of the "ideal" smartphone in 2009. All well and good. But I submit that next year's most important technology development won't have anything to do with a new feature or application.

Instead, it's going to ...

Music moguls' latest strategy: Zig then zag

Charles Cooper — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:40:00 GMT

In July 2001, Napster got shut down by the recording industry. Had the music moguls known how history would evolve over the next six and a half years, I wonder whether they would have tried a different tack.

I know, it's an endless bar debate. But watching the music ...

Elephants ready to party as eBay ban approaches

Charles Cooper — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:04:00 GMT

What with a deepening global recession it's been pretty much a lousy 2008 for most folks, but it's closing on a very good note--if you happen to be an elephant, that is.

Come January 1, eBay's worldwide ban on ivory products goes into effect, a move that ...