Late Adopters Send Message to Tech Industry

Walt Mossberg looks back on two decades of reviews

(NEWSER) - Remember when revolutionary dial-up modems arrived on the computer scene or when America Online debuted? Walt Mossberg does, and the Wall Street Journal tech reviewer looks back on 20 years' of columns. Some of the milestones he picks out:

• His first line in 1991: "Personal computers are just too hard to use, and it's not your fault."
• First "pocket" phone: In 1992, he called Motorola's MicroTac Lite the first pocket-size mobile. It was an inch thick, weighed under half-a-pound—and cost about $2,000.

Internet firm could split dial-up, advertising arms

(NEWSER) - As AOL shifts to focus on content, the Internet firm is considering breaking off its dial-up Internet service arm and then merging with Yahoo, insiders tell Reuters . Yahoo hasn’t been contacted about the plan, which echoes a move Time Warner considered in 2008 and 2009 before spinning off AOL. That plan could have seen AOL sell its dial-up service to EarthLink and merge its display advertising arm with Yahoo. More»

From AOL to Motorola to Circuit City, these companies couldn't keep up

(NEWSER) - It’s been an amazing decade for technology, but not everyone came out ahead. CrunchGear considers the big losers of the '00s, starting with the biggest: Brick and mortar retailers. Once consumers learned to trust online merchants, lots of stores—we’re looking at you Circuit City and CompUSA—went the way of the dodo, driven out by the lower prices and long-tail advantages of the Internet. So they’re the biggest losers. Runners-up: More»

Innovative new products, services will keep nation vigorous, Friedman writes

(NEWSER) - If America hopes to keep its economy strong, our next leaders need to prioritize support for innovation, writes Thomas L. Friedman in the New York Times. “The ability to create the new products and services that people want” is key to “growth, prosperity, environmental sustainability and national security,” a tech researcher tells Friedman. But the American drive to invent is “not being supported and nurtured as needed in today’s super competitive world,” Friedman notes. More»

The parent of the struggling Internet giant says AOL needs a partner

(NEWSER) - AOL’s efforts at launching an Internet ad-sales business—dubbed Platform A—continue to stumble, the New York Times reports. Parent Time Warner Monday fired another exec and yesterday said it’s willing to combine AOL with another company to jump-start the moribund division it’s already spent $1 billion on. Ex-AOLers say the one-time Internet giant is self-destructing. More»