MicroTechXP

If you’re looking to step up to a 60GB Xbox 360 but have an irrational fear of Amazon, Circuit City just put it up for pre-order. The price is still $349.99 but ship date is August 6, two inexplicable days later than Amazon. The site lists an HDMI output with upscaling DVD player, which is nice to see. Other than that, all else looks to be the same — no Circuit City bonuses like cables, games, or other schwag. [Engadget]

Google said Friday it will pay $140 million for a Russian contextual advertising company as it seeks to expand its services to advertisers and Web-site publishers outside the U.S. The 6-year-old company, Zao Begun but known as Begun, has a search and contextual advertising business, with about 40,000 advertisers and a network of 143,000 Russian-language Web sites.
Last month Begun launched a contextual video advertising service, Begun. Videocontext, the first such service in Russia, according to Rambler Media, a Russian company that runs a search engine, instant messaging service, an online newspaper and a price-comparison site, among other Internet properties. The service is wrapped into Rambler Vision, a video-sharing Web site. Advertisers can place ads that match users’ search queries. Videos are tagged with metadata, and Begun’s system takes into account the viewer’s location along with demographic information. Advertisements appear below the main content, and users have the option of closing that window completely.
View: Full Story at InfoWorld

Search engine Ask.com, a unit of IAC/InterActiveCorp, has announced that it has closed an all-cash deal to acquire Lexico Publishing Group LLC, the owner of popular reference sites  Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. The company said the deal expands its monthly audience by around 15 million users to 145 million, an increase of 11%, making Ask.com the ninth-largest Web property globally. The move comes as IAC announced plans to spin off four of its largest businesses and focus on Web media and advertising in coming months. Terms of the merger were not disclosed.

View: Full Story at Reuters

A rare Mac OS X Trojan has been spotted on the internet. The AppleScript-THT Trojan horse exploits a vulnerability within the Apple Remote Desktop Agent to load itself with root privileges onto compromised Mac machines. The malware, which is capable of infecting Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 boxes, surrenders control of compromised systems to hackers.
Keystroke logging on compromised systems, taking pictures (using the built-in Apple iSight camera) or capturing screenshots are among the hacker exploits enabled by the malware, Mac security outfit SecureMac reports. The malware weaves its malicious spell while attempting to remain undetected by opening ports in the firewall and turning off system logging.
View: The full story @ The Reg

Here’s a way to get 35% off (up to $250) of an Ebay “Buy It Now” purchase through the use of PayPal and Micrsoft Live Cashback. Let Microsoft give us $250 off of an 80gb PS3 MGS4 Bundle.

1. Go to http://search.live.com
2. Search for one the following terms:
   • cheap ps2
   • cheap ps3
   • cheap ipod
   • cheap ds
   • cheap rebel
3. Look for the sponsored link that says “You may get 35% off with PayPal if eligible.” Click it. ( Image a.)
4. You will now be sent to Ebay. Make sure you see the green Microsoft cashback 35% off. (Image b.)
5. Search for any item you want, maybe a Limited Edition Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle.
6. Make sure you have the Buy It Now tab selected.
7. The offer is valid for 3 purchases and a cash back of up to $250, so to maximize the discount the final price should be around $715. $714.3 * 35% = $250 Cashback.
8. Pay with your PayPal account.
9. Go back to your Ebay account.
10. Go to My Messages, you will receive a message from Ebay, “You’ve earned Cashback.” (Image c.)
11. Click on the Get Cash back button or go to http://cashbackaccount.search.live.com/CashBack/welcome.aspx
12. Create a live.com account if you don’t already have one.
13. It will take a day or two before your Live Cashback account shows your pending cashback amount. (Image d.)
14. Go to Payment Preferences and link your PayPal account to your Live Cashback account.
15. In 60 days you will get your cashback into your PayPal account.

Now you can buy a PlayStation 3 or anything with up to $250 off thanks to Microsoft. [PS3Mods]
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Only a short time ago, Microsoft’s Xbox Live ruled the online gaming world. It was packed with innovative and easy to use features and it looked as if this would be the one area Microsoft  would have locked up. At around $50 a year, the price tag was somewhat hefty. For around $4 a month one would have access to online play (and the many features that accompany it) and Xbox Live Marketplace where everything from Themes and Gamer Pictures to demos and newly released movies were just a few button presses away.
On the other hand Sony’s online service for the PS3 debuted back in 2006 and was harshly criticized for its overall lack of features and low quality. But it was free.
When prospective buyers wished to compare the two online services, Xbox Live would usually come out on top for the above mentioned reasons. But the cost of the different networks has played a large role in the mind of the consumer. And for this reason the quality of the Playstation Network seemed right behind, if not equal to that of Xbox Live.  [SliceGaming]

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Want a new gadget this summer? Google Checkout will be working in part with more than 50 online retailers to offer you a discount this summer. This promotion will give you $10 off a purchase of $60 or more. Some well known participating retailers include TigerDirect and Buy.com.
There’s nothing wrong with snagging a great deal with an additional $10 off! This is a good move for Google, considering competition with a major competitor, PayPal. Google hopes to raise awareness of Google Checkout, and expand it further into the online community. [news.com]

Consistent with our efforts to promote further interoperability across the Web, Microsoft will be releasing Internet Explorer 8 to render content in its most standards-compliant way by default. Giving top priority to Web standards interoperability allows us to help web developers and designers drive toward the ideal of “write once, run anywhere”, freeing up more time to innovate rather than modify content for different browsers. This commitment also addresses several development and design pain points from previous Internet Explorer releases.
However, browsing with this default setting may cause content written for previous versions of Internet Explorer to display differently than intended. This creates a call to action for site owners to ensure their content will continue to display seamlessly in Internet Explorer 8. As such, we have provided a meta-tag usable on a per-page or per-site level to maintain backwards compatibility with Internet Explorer 7. Adding this tag instructs Internet Explorer 8 to render content like it did in Internet Explorer 7, without requiring any additional changes.
We are encouraging site administrators to get their sites ready now for broad adoption of Internet Explorer 8, as there will be a beta release in the third quarter of this year targeted for all consumers. To learn more and get started, please follow the step-by-step instructions located at KB952030. [MSDN Blogs]

Microsoft has announced a new Live Search advertising initiative called as Live Search CashBack. The essence of the new service is the new set of 18 search offerings that give users cashback on any purchases made from the advertisers. 
Several high profile e-commerce websites are participating in this program. You can Use Live Search to find cashback savings from the online stores you know and trust. [Neowin]
View: Live Search CashBack

Rumours from silicon valley this week point towards Microsoft purchasing Yahoo Search and then using $20 billion to get hold of Facebook.
Microsoft picking up the Yahoo search business. Word is that this deal will be done this week. While this is not surprising, it does bring to question the motives and plans of Microsoft.
Techmeme is buzzing about the latest Microsoft Yahoo talks that has Microsoft buying the Yahoo Search business only. Here is Microsoft’s and Yahoo official statements.
Why would such a complicated transaction (just Yahoo search with all the headaches and all) be in the cards for Microsoft? After the failed bid for $40 plus billion for all of Yahoo, Microsoft’s intentions are clear. Buy the search business from Yahoo and take that team and go spend at least 20 billion for Facebook. Integrating the search team at Yahoo with Facebook puts a formidable army to take on Google. [Furrier.org]