Steve Ballmer ( Microsoft CEO ) says he knows how much he is willing to pay, though he didn’t disclose the amount. The current offer is worth about $42.4 billion, or $29.48 per share. The Microsoft Board Of Directors is debating on whether or not to raise the bid to as much as $33.oo per share.






Analyst said growth in Googles clickthrough rate has nearly ground to a halt.
Google stock at the time of this writing was down $14.11 or 3.1 percent to $444.08 in afternoon trading. The clickthrough rate grew 3 percent in February compared to last year. January saw no increase compared to January of last year.

Several months earlier the rate was growing at 25 to 40% compared a year earlier.
Google said in January the drop in clickthrough rates was a result of its efforts to boost the usefulness of each click to its advertisers sales performance.

For instance the company decreased the space around a word that would result in a click, so more clicks would be intentional.

Analyst disagree on how long it will take Googles per click revenue to adjust to any increased value per click it has created.

Rob Sanderson, an analyst with American Technology Research, said per click revenue will rise immediately if advertisers see more value in each click, because they will pay more for them in auction. “It’s not clicks that advertisers are really buying, its what these clicks get them, which is sales conversions.”

If you’re not familiar with the eBay Classified ads, here’s a brief summary. You can list an item for around $10.00 a month, flat fee. There is no PayPal button at the bottom, because the purchase cannot be completed on eBay. You have to have a link back to your website to complete the sale. Of course this means no eBay Final Value fee, it also means no feedback ratings. The Classified Ad is just that an advertisement. All sales are conducted after the buyer leaves the eBay site thus no sales information is captured by eBay.

This should make for an interesting couple of weeks.

Many Powersellers have built a large, profitable business selling digital products, some for several years.
What Now? Will they switch over to the classified ad format? What about the huge number of sellers that don’t have a website to send a buyer to? Will there be a rush to get a domain? Will they just close up shop?
Has eBay put the last nail in the coffin?….

Stay tuned for more, same dot channel, same dot time.

During a keynote speech at the International Consumer Electronics Show Otellini said “We’re now in the midst of the largest opportunity to redefine consumer electronics and entertainment since the introduction of the television,” . “Increasingly, computing and communications are coming together, bringing a new level of capabilities and intelligence to the Internet experience. The personal Internet of tomorrow will serve you – delivering the information you want, when you want it, how you want, wherever you are.”

“When computing became personal, the industry changed – innovation, collaboration and standards drove growth beyond what anyone could imagine,” Otellini said, drawing parallels between the early days of personal computing and the future of Internet computing. “I believe that the Internet is following the same path.”

Otellini highlighted a future where an American visiting Beijing could use a pocket-sized mobile Internet device to audibly and visually translate building signs, restaurant menus and conversations in real-time. The applications also showcased how the traveller could also prevent getting lost with step-by-step visual cues of landmarks to watch for appearing on the device’s screen.

Otellini was also joined onstage by Steve Harwell, lead singer of the band Smash Mouth*, to demonstrate how the Internet will enable more natural social interactions and better shared experiences. They showcased a social networking Web site where musicians can play together to test new songs or hold virtual concerts, even when musicians are in different locations. They also showed what a future 3-D virtual world might look like using photo-realistic avatars controlled in real time by each person’s physical movements versus using computer mice and keyboards.

Otellini described four obstacles that need to be overcome to make these applications possible on mainstream computing devices in the next 3 to 5 years. Microprocessors have to be even more powerful and consume less power to be the brains of smaller, multi-functional devices. Wireless broadband infrastructure needs to be more broadly deployed to make high-speed Internet available everywhere. The Internet must be more intelligent and proactive so finding information is no longer a hit or miss proposition. Lastly, more natural user interfaces need to be developed so people can use their voices and gestures to engage with the Internet.

“The opportunity lies in creating these next generation products, services and business models – but first we all need to overcome the obstacles I just listed,” Otellini said, calling on the smartest minds across the CE, computing and communications industries to contribute to this transition.

Source : Intel