Nokia is not a company worth getting excited about, but with a new Linux handset, netbook, and solutions focus, that may be changing. Or maybe not.

You'd think a company with 40 percent of the handset market would be more interesting, but Nokia has been known mostly as a bottom-fisher, despite repeated attempts to claim the high-end.

Is the "malware protection" in Apple's new Snow Leopard really lame or what? But, it's on a par with other features of the OS "upgrade."

Snow Leopard's anti-malware only looks worse when compared to Windows Security Essentials, which is expected to be free when it comes out of a now-closed beta. WSE is not a be-all, end-all, but Snow Leopard offers "protection" only in the most vague way.

If Microsoft is to be tagged "racist," its critics need to do a lot better. I understand the sensitivity involved, and some bozo should have thought twice before editing a white man's head to replace a black man's head in an advertising photo, but that doesn't make MS racist.

(See related story: 10 More Tech Company Photoshop Disasters)

Adding anti-malware to Snow Leopard is a Catch-22 for Apple: In solving a problem, Apple must first admit a problem actually exists. Which is hard when one of your major selling points is that you're secure and your major competitor--Microsoft Windows--is not.

Security vendor Intego made the apparent discovery of anti-malware features in Snow Leopard, evidence of which is being shown on its Web site. Apple has neither confirmed or denied the report.

Liskula Cohen, it was nice knowing you, but it's time to move on. Rosemary, file your suit, or don't. It's over between us, too.

The coverage of the New York Skanks story has been depressing. It's continued way too long and if Rosemary Port is really going to sue Google, she should just get on with it and leave the rest of us alone.

E-books are doubtless the future of reading, and Sony's newest device, the "Reader Daily Edition" makes good by supporting on open e-book format. But, ouch, the sticker shock!

Yes, I know what books cost. I have a house full of books and stagger to think how much I have spent on them, how much room they require for housing, and how hard is it for me to part with even a single one of them.

There is little reason for most users to upgrade to Apple's next-generation Snow Leopard operating system this Friday, but at least the price is reasonable. Or is it?

People with multiple Macs can upgrade up to five of them with using the $49 Snow Leopard "family pack." That's what I have ordered and it is hard to complain about upgrading the OS for $10-a-machine. (Single licenses cost $29).

Word that Steve Jobs is now hard at work on an Apple tablet, which he reportedly deep-sixed twice in the past, may be good news for the tablet and bad news for its delivery date.

Or maybe this is just a bit of Apple propaganda, passed to us by the Wall Street Journal, courtesy of the usual "people familiar with the situation." At this very moment, according to the Journal, Jobs is hard at work micromanaging the marketing of the new tablet.

As Steve Jobs' reputation continues to sink, we receive word that the Apple boss tried to make a deal with Palm not to poach each other's employees. Palm rebuffed the suggestion as "likely illegal."

It doesn't surprise me that former Palm CEO Ed Colligan would turn Jobs down, even though communication between the two included an implied legal threat by Apple against Palm, Bloomberg reported.

People who use Internet anonymity to cover their filthy tracks should take notice. Liskula Cohen's case shows they can be unmasked, and fairly easily, too. With the culprit known, a jury may end up deciding who's really the "skankiest' in New York City.

Users should understand that while most anonymous Internet comments can be reliably hidden behind--and there are valid reasons for anonymity--if you cross a line, there's a good likelihood you'll be outed and may even end up in court.

Amid some harsh criticism there is actually a case to be made in favor of MySpace's acquisition of iLike, the "social music discovery service." No, iLike won't make MySpace high culture, but the purchase could benefit even small players in the music industry.

It's no secret that music is hurting. And not just the ears of people who, like me, are above "a certain age." Still, cruising over to iLike was quite a discovery. This is a nice service. While I may not like many of the artists and the tunes, I like iLike quite a bit.

Next time some loser decides to commit an online hatchet job, the image of Liskula Cohen may appear to them and maybe they'll think better before clicking the "post" button.

The Vogue model's lawsuit win, in which she sought the identity of an anonymous blogger who called her a "skank" and "ho" on a blog dedicated to such misogyny, ought to be a warning to those, especially, who make their money by tearing down others and the troubled souls to whom they cater.

When assessing Apple's customer satisfaction it's important to consider the "Halo Effect" that makes the company's customers believe Apple is much better, regardless the actual difference.

For that reason--Apple's zealous cult following--it is wise to never assume Apple is ever quite as good as you hear. The 84 percent "satisfaction" rating received on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, released yesterday, is doubtless a good score (though down a point from a year ago).

Microsoft's claim that taking Word off the market for a few months will cause "irreparable harm" is probably stretching things. It will, however, greatly inconvenience customers.

Both parties in this patent case need to find a dollar solution to what is, in the end, a dollar problem. And do so right away.

Customers' satisfaction with Apple computer is lower this year, compared to 2008, and is also off its all-time high. The American Consumer Satisfaction Index found Apple down 1.2 percent, while Compaq, HP, Gateway, Acer, and "all others" showed gains.

A new report on consumer satisfaction with search engines and Internet portals says we like them more they now than this time last year. Of the major engines, only last-place AOL improved its score. The big winner? "All others."

The American Consumer Satisfaction Index compares customer satisfaction among and across a number of companies and e-business and other sectors. It was released earlier today.

What is the #1 job for Sony Ericsson's new president? Making us care. Job #2 is winning corporate customers. Job #3 may be forgetting Sony exists.

Normally, I don't write about musical chairs at failing companies--such moves rarely seem to help. This could be different.

Nobody who really knows is talking about what RockMelt's browser will actually do, but I have an idea: It will be an applications platform more than merely a way to surf the web. And it may even become an operating system for Facebook users.

How do I know this? Well, there are the hints of a linkage to Facebook, but there is also the larger trend toward cloud-based applications, some of might benefit from additional browser features. There is also the announcement of Google Chrome OS, which blurs the line between browser and operating system. And don't forget the battle between Google Docs and Microsoft Office over Web-based productivity suites.

The new TomTom app that turns an iPhone into a turn-by-turn GPS navigation system spells the beginning of the end for standalone GPS. Not everywhere, but at least on dashboards, where a smartphone can now do everything a GPS can do and cost less than purchasing both.

Like most users, I have been unhappy with the GPS applications available for my iPhone. While overpriced at $99.95, the TomTom software is the first to truly bring standalone GPS performance to a smartphone platform. When the company releases its car kit, dashboard mounting and powering the iPhone will become easier.

The purchase of FriendFeed is but a sideshow in Facebook's drive to make itself a must-use social networking site, but it does show the lengths the company is willing to go to become king of all social media.

This feels early for consolidation in social media, though with profits still elusive, some companies, like FriendFeed, will accept financial shelter when it is offered. The founders, it has been much reported, are former Google stars whose talents may be more profitably used at Facebook.

There was a time when a new version of Outlook for Macintosh would have been big and welcome news. Now, it and the rest of Office for Mac 2010 are a big yawn. With Apple poised to finally make its own Mail, iCal, and Address Book fully compatible with Exchange servers, who needs Outlook?

For a decade, Mac users who needed access to Microsoft Exchange servers were given a truly second-class client, Entourage, to do it with. It has been part of MacOffice since 2000.

It is hard to congratulate a top-tier executive of a consumer electronics company for deigning to speak to customers, but Apple's Phil Schiller deserves it. As much as anyone in his position can.

And Phil isn't so much speaking to customers as guaranteed-friendly media and developer friends. Still, Phil's recent e-mailed explanations of his company's ongoing dumb moves represent a crack in Apple's fabled wall of silence.

Users should not worry about a court-ordered ban on sales of Microsoft Word hurting their business, or Microsoft's. With nearly two months to appeal and negotiate, Redmond can confidently predict success, one way, or the other.

Microsoft has several options, which will probably be undertaken simultaneously:

Speculation that Facebook is on its way to becoming a full-fledged search engine is, well, odd. Merely buying four former top Google engineers when acquiring FriendFeed does not a new search engine make. And it's a bad idea, besides.

What's more, Facebook has too much work to do on its core social networking platform to also build a next-generation search engine. Better to cut a deal with Bing, I think, if a general-purpose search engine is what Facebook wants.

Google is rolling out new "under-the-hood" search technology, codenamed "Caffeine," that could change how your company ranks in its search results. For those businesses that live-and-die based on Google-generated traffic, this is potentially a very big deal.

In a blog post announcing the project, Google suggested that Caffeine could change search results, which raises the prospect of companies' needing to change their search engine optimization (SEO) to protect their Google ranking.

Dell's dropping its 12-inch netbook raises the question of where netbooks stop and laptops begin. From a vendor profit perspective, the answer is simple: 10-inches, but for users the answer is different.

I am with TechCrunch's Michael Arrington on this one, at least in spirit. I believe Dell made a mistake and that netbooks need to be a bit larger than the standard 9 and 10-inch models.

URL-shorteners are a feature, not a product. So the death of tr.im is hardly surprising. If it's hard for Twitter and Facebook to make money, what hope do these utilities have?

In searching out profitable niches, entrepreneurs regularly stumble upon ideas that seem valuable--like tools for shortening long URLs so they work with Twitter, SMS, and don't get messed up in email--but can't turn a dime.

Decades of resentment against Apple's high-handedness and condescension seem to be coming to the surface, as media outlets pile on the company with a fury never seen before. Apple may have no choice but to change its ways.

iPhone customers are in revolt. Investors have reason for concern with governance. Hackers seem be to rising up. Regulators seem restive. Previously enamored media figures are jumping ship.

By denying its history, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz is trying make her company's purple past suit her own purposes and cover for its failing to become what Google is today.

Yahoo may not be a search company now, but Bartz or no, the search for Internet content is how the company got its start. Yahoo just failed to capitalize on it.

It was 12 years ago today, at MacWorld Boston, that Microsoft announced it was saving Apple from almost certain doom. That was a different industry and certainly a different Apple, but without Bill Gates today's Apple probably wouldn't exist.

Wired.com has a wonderful recounting of the event posted today, but it gives too much credit to Steve Jobs, who at the time uttered a quote that sounded true but turned out to be absolutely false.

Don't know what pictures to take at your next party? Sony says it does and literally aims to help you. But, do we really need the help? Can we afford it?

More importantly: Will our parties survive the fun of watching Uncle Phil struggle to get the thing working and then forcing us to look at the results? Wouldn't it be easier for Phil just to take the stupid pictures himself?

It's always hard to argue with the U.S. Marines. Social networks do pose a security risk, but should business let the Marines lead the way? Does banning Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, et al, make sense outside the military?

Reading the Marine Corps' order, valid for one year and issued by its CIO, General G. J. Allen, I am stuck that they may have it backwards. Rather than banning at-work usage, maybe they'd be better off banning social networking from members' homes?

Better video compression is a good thing, but better content is better still. As Google today announced its purchase of On2 Technologies and its compression technology, on-demand services like Hulu and those from Netflix and Amazon are making Google's YouTube look more than merely slow.

YouTube is first generation Internet video, in concept if not (soon) in compression technology. As competitors become sharper, YouTube becomes duller. YouTube is a constant reminder that some people have no shame and even Google's search technology can't make the site tremendously more useful, especially for business users.

Users are turning against the iPhone. Call it the summer of our discontent, but these hot, sticky months are proving an excellent time to not buy a smartphone. Apple and AT&T have only themselves to blame.

Now, we must wait for the two companies to learn their lessons and, just maybe, for a new iPhone carrier to emerge. If you are thinking about upgrading to a 3GS and can stand to wait, you might find a more attractive option in a few months, especially if the iPhone's downhill slide continues.

Google says future versions of its Android operating system will have a more business focus, putting it in greater competition with RIM. This is from a Reuters report that simply confirms the obvious: BlackBerry seems ripe for picking.

According to the news service, "Andy Rubin, Google's top Android executive, said on Friday that as well as expanding consumer features like social networking and gaming, future Android versions would support businesses who give phones to employees working on the road."

Hasn't anyone told RadioShack how silly comb-overs look? You can change your look, even your name, but you are still just what you are--and people notice.

It's odd that at a moment when it sells more radios than probably anytime in its history, that RadioShack may be dropping "Radio" from its name.

It's time for Apple and AT&T to fully consider what is at stake and do the right thing. Give the FCC a win if that's what it takes, but let your customers have Google Voice if they want it--as they obviously do.

The era of total control that Apple and AT&T have enjoyed with the iPhone is over. AT&T has admitted it won't have exclusivity on the iPhone forever and Apple is under increasing federal scrutiny. It's only a matter of time before the Apple anti-trust inquiry begins.

The FCC's interest in the wireless business--evidenced by its pouncing into the Google Voice/Apple iPhone affair and handset exclusivity--is long overdue. It's the FCC's doing that the U.S. has a second-class wireless system and it's time to make changes.

This sudden spurt of FCC activity is the Democrats' fault. Long the lapdog of the industries it is supposed to regulate, the Obama FCC, under new chairman Julius Genachowski, is willing to go where prior administrations refused to tread.

What should a billboard about Google Apps say? That they go away when users lose their Internet connections? Or that the $50-a-year "Premier Edition" has never really caught on?

Update: Readers have noted that a Google product called "Gears" provides off-line Google Apps support, however, it is not promoted on the Google Apps site and doesn't work with my Safari 4.0.2 brower. I regret the error.

Microsoft should abandon Windows Mobile, abandon Zune, and buy Palm. I know this will be hard for Redmond--admitting defeat after all these fears flogging Windows Mobile--but it is the only path to success. With Microsoft's help, Palm can really become an Apple spoiler.

Microsoft should leave Palm pretty much alone; offering mostly improved developer tools, access to capital, and better compatibility with Microsoft Office. Jointly, the two could build an applications and entertainment store.

In a move that surprises absolutely no one, Google CEO Eric Schmidt has quit Apple's board of directors, marking the end to another synergy that wasn't. When Schmidt joined Apple's board in 2006, the companies seemed poised to work closely together, now they compete in both the operating system and wireless handset markets.

"Eric has been an excellent board member for Apple, investing his valuable time, talent, passion and wisdom to help make Apple successful," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement. "Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple's core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric's effectiveness as an Apple board member will be significantly diminished."