| This week's gainers |
| 1. |
OQO: |
OQO is wading into the brutal waters of the PC marketplace, but this small wonder might slip by the sharks. Why? It's as small as a handheld but offers everything the big beige box does, including Windows XP support and full Web browsing. FYI: OQO ETA, Q4. |
|
|
| 2. |
Klez: |
After pummeling Asia last Tuesday and attacking the United States the following day, this mass-e-mailing worm also has the gall to disable popular antivirus apps. Even worse, it comes with 120 possible subject lines, though none that read: "Open this attachment if you're really gullible."
|
|
|
| 3. |
Photoshop 7.0: |
The new version is out of the gates, drawing hype as well as stellar graphics on both PCs and Macs. But at prices well above $500, this app might tempt graphics professionals to draw up some currency to cover the cost. |
|
|
| 4. |
Nomad Jukebox: |
The chase to best the Apple iPod continues with the release of Creative Labs' 20GB Nomad Jukebox 3. Next up: the 40GB model, due in May. |
|
|
| 5. |
Xbox: |
Just days after announcing that the Xbox would miss sales targets by half a million bucks, the game console's cocreator Seamus Blackley resigned from Microsoft. Blackley left to "pursue other opportunities." Like playing Tomb Raider. |
|
|
| 6. |
Dungeon
Siege: |
GameSpot and Microsoft teamed up and released Dungeon Siege as a free, downloadable demo. The creator, famed game designer Chris Taylor of Cavedog Entertainment, bridges the gap between role-playing shoot-'em-up and strategy game. Taylor's next game: Surviving Microsoft's Corporate Culture (see No. 5). |
|
|
| 7. |
Ogg
Vorbis: |
An open-source replacement for MP3, Ogg Vorbis boasts skinnier file sizes, better sound, and a nonexistent price tag. Not to mention a sillier name. |
|
|
| 8. |
WinHEC: |
The meter detected lots of buzz over Bluetooth, future toys, and music and video software at Microsoft's annual Windows hardware engineering conference (WinHEC). Or WinHELL, as I like to call it. |
|
|
| 9. |
Scientology: |
The search engine temporarily removed links to a Norwegian anti-Scientology site, after the Church of Scientology complained that the site points to copyrighted church material. Google later restored the link in question; legal wrangling with the church drags on. The kicker: since Google's search technology is based on popularity, the contrary site now comes up as the No. 2 result for the term Scientology. That's instant Karma for you. |
|
|
| 10. |
Yahoo: |
Wylie Gustafson, of the Wylie & the Wild West country band, is feeling a little better (and probably, a little richer) these days. After getting paid just $590 to yodel his down-home "yahoo-ooo" for the company's ads back in 1996, he sued Yahoo for a cool $5 million, claiming his yodel was meant only for the original advertisement. On Monday, the company announced an out-of-court settlement (amount undisclosed), and Gustafson volunteered that he's "very happy" with the result. |
How we calculate the Buzz Meter
Buzz Meter archive |
