A Crazy Idea


The tech world has, for now, calmed down. Hewlett Packard is settling its spy case, we don't hear nearly as much about stock option scandals, CES is over, and presumably, Apple and Cisco are figuring out what Steve Jobs can call his cool new iPod phone.

So .. let's speculate a bit. Yahoo's recent earnings show that while back on its feet, the company has stumbled of late. Unlike Google, Yahoo doesn't seem to have a crystal clear direction. Search engine? Entertainment company? Content provider? What will Yahoo do to show us a clear vision?

Here's an idea .. admittedly, one whose time has probably passed.

Remember when Yahoo CEO Terry Semel was getting all kinds of heat about what to do next? It was about the same time that Semel's friend Tom Cruise was parting ways with Paramount Studios. This was a perfect opportunity. Cruise, along with partner Paula Wagner, ended up taking the lead at United Artists, once a very powerful Hollywood studio.

But what if Cruise & Wagner took over a newly minted content division at Yahoo? Full control of movies, TV shows, webcasts, whatever, given to a pair known to bring in billions of dollars. Instant web credibility, not to mention a huge platform to promote the next movie for Tom Cruise. Money and celebrity for Yahoo, money and a growing audience for Cruise.

Why not?

Gadgets Galore ...


This has been one of the most gadget-crazy weeks in my entire career.
Tech of the future, the phone of the future, and cars of the future, all within a 5-day period. It's amazing how much technology you can pack into one single week, if you really try.

It started at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. CES this year seemed to be about two things: Convergence, taking all of your content on one device (PC, MP3, phone, etc) and transferring it, preferably wirelessly, to another device, probably the TV.

All sorts of companies are getting into the act on this one .. TV makers like HP, Sony, and others providing the final platform - in HP's case, all the data can be stored on a new "personal" server before it hits your big screen. Lots of companies are also helping that process .. Dell, Sling Media, Microsoft, OQO, AMD, all showing off their wares, aiming to let you take what you want where you want to go. It's not the newest idea, but it's finally happening without wires, and without nosebleed prices. This is a good trend if you like to watch & listen to content (movies, photos, music, etc) while comfortable on your couch, rather than squinting into a small screen.

The second theme of CES? .. that it wasn't MacWorld. This is pretty unfortunate, because CES is still a really cool show, but it just doesn't have the hype or cachet of an Apple event .. especially when the Apple event is the release of the iPhone. It got to the point that the main topic of conversation on the CES show floor -in Las Vegas, mind you- was Apple's rollout .. in San Francisco.

Apple's iPhone looks and feels incredible. It made me briefly forget why I fell out of love with smart phones: too much stuff to keep track of efficiently. Apple's new device so seamlessly combines the iPod, phone, and (although we really didn't get a chance to try this part out) internet, it seems to be a hit in the making. We'll see if it runs into any FCC problems in the next few months .. or if it even gets to keep its name.

As for the auto show .. nothing as shocking as the tech stuff, but the themes are similar .. you're driving, so of course you want all the portable music, games, and GPS the market has to offer. That's cool, but the most impressive thing I saw was an apparent willingness to help the environment. You probably didn't see "Who Killed the Electric Car" and "An Inconvenient Truth" back-to-back like I did, but it's enough to get you thinking about your car's place on the planet. Pretty great to see that some car companies are at least starting to come around to better emission controls.

Did I miss anything?
Please let me know.