Big Tech taking a short vacation

My wife and I are taking a delayed honeymoon to Europe – London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Siena and Venice are on the itinerary. I (and the blog) will be back in full force after July 11.

This means, of course, that I will miss the U.S. iPhone launch; be sure to save some hype for me until I get back. (Who knows, I might get to drop a quick report here MORE

OQO's pocketable Vista PC selling fast, investor says

Here's a bit of news for folks who are tired of the same old PC designs: OQO's model O2, billed as the world's smallest PC running Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Vista, is seeing encouraging sales, according to investor Mike Kwatinetz of Azure Capital. As many are selling in one quarter as the last model sold in a year, he told me. The company can't yet keep up with demand.

Adobe's quiet heading into the summer, but don't be fooled

It seems wrong somehow: Adobe Systems (ADBE) turns in revenues and profits that top both its own projections and analyst expectations, thanks to strong early sales of its new version of Creative Suite, which includes tools for creating all sorts of digital content. Adobe gives a cautious but still sunny forecast for the current quarter that falls basically within the range of what analysts expected. The stock responds with a MORE

Adobe Q2 earnings: live blogging

The Adobe Systems (ADBE) call is now beginning, and I'll be taking notes. (All quotes are paraphrased.) Refresh this page for the latest. Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen is speaking. Revenues were $745.6 million, more than expected. Creative Suite products drove results, as did Acrobat.

Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: Sony says the war has just begun

Sony (SNE) executives in the United States are well aware that the battle has barely begun between their Blu-ray disc format for high-definition content and rival HD DVD, they told me over lunch this week.

Beta convinces Microsoft that Halo 3 will light a fire under Xbox 360

The Wii might be in for some competition.

Shane Kim, Microsoft (MSFT) corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, is saying that the overwhelming response to the test version of the Halo 3 game suggests that it will drive Xbox 360 sales when it arrives in stores on September 25.

More storage, less profit: Seagate leads the pack in hard drives

Good news for laptop makers and consumers heading into the second half of this year: Competition in the hard drive market continues to keep prices low. Bad news for the hard drive makers (and their shareholders): That same competition continues to keep margins low as well.

iTunes account will be required for iPhone use

Apple (AAPL) today revealed a little bit more of its iPhone business strategy in an e-mail sent from its public relations department. The main revelation: "To set up your iPhone, you'll need an account with Apple's iTunes Store." In other words, Apple will pave the way for a separate billing relationship (probably via credit card) from every iPhone user, and will not have to rely on AT&T (T) to MORE

Apple WWDC: The Steve Jobs keynote, live blogging

Photo: Jon Fortt

I'm taking notes as the events unfold, and the Apple (AAPL) keynote has begun. [UPDATE: It's ended. Read through this for a full account.] Refresh this page during the keynote for updates.

The WWDC keynote opens with a joke: In a video, PC guy from the Mac vs. PC commercials is claiming to be Steve Jobs, announcing that he's quitting and shutting down Apple. Why? Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Vista MORE

Xbox 360 price cuts coming before Christmas?

Microsoft (MSFT) realizes that $199 is the "sweet spot" for console pricing, and that Nintendo did a "good job" pricing the Wii at $249, Bloomberg reports, quoting David Hufford, a director of Xbox product management. The Bloomberg piece also says:

Microsoft Corp. has won over 20-year-old gamers, who spend hours a day launching rockets and firing

plasma guns on the company's Xbox 360. Now it wants their moms.

To lure them, the MORE