Morelocal tech jobs disappear
The nation's economy may be slowly rising up from the effects of the worst recession since the 1930's, but the Seattle-area tech scene continues to shed jobs as local companies keep trimming budgets and costs.
Microsoft announced this week an additional 800 layoffs, with a quarter of those coming from the Seattle area. Classmates.com, a candidate for the title of First Social Network, let some 70 people go this week as well.
And late in the week, Real Networks confirmed it was cutting 4 percent of its workforce - about 70 people. Spokesman Bill Hankes told me that half of those laid off will be from the online media company's U.S. operations, with most of those from Seattle. Hankes said the company has indeed been caught up in the recession, but is also trying to reposition itself to take advantage of growth areas like mobile phones and social media.
Real's Rhapsody music service released an iPhone app earlier this year, and is also investing in Facebook games. Its social network version of the popular card game Uno has done well for Real, Hankes said.
Redfin bulks up
Seattle-based online real estate broker Redfin.com is putting on some weight, but CEO Glenn Kelman assures home shoppers and sellers it's all muscle and no fat. .
Kelman wrote on the company's blog that the company has loaded up its website with more photos of properties and recent sales data for its home listings. It all adds up to a quadrupling of information on the site.
Kelman credits in part a recent settlement between the Justice Department and the National Association of Realtors that opened up the levels of data that online brokers could share with everyone.
Attack of the Droids
Verizon Wireless' two-pronged attack strategy on AT&T and its best-selling iPhone continues. Last week it was the introduction of the Blackberry Storm 2 smartphone. This week, it's Motorola's Droid, Verizon's first smartphone offering to feature Google's Android 2.0 operating system.
As you can imagine, Google features and services that you may have grown to know and rely on - Gmail, Maps, Google Voice, YouTube - are prominent on the Droid. But it's the style and functionality that may indeed give the iPhone a real fight; the black-polish phone looks sleek, has a slightly bigger screen than the Apple phone and gives users the option of a touchscreen keyboard or a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard. That last feature doesn't really add that much more to the weight or thickness; it feels good in your hands.
There's plenty of power inside the smartphone as well. A speedy processor and Verizon's 3G network, which has long been considered one of the carrier's strengths, combine to make for faster start-up, web surfing and app-launching.
Speaking of apps, the Android Marketplace has about 10,000, compared to Apple's 100,000-strong App Store. But one app that comes bundled with the phone that will get people talking - and get the phone talking to them - is the Google Maps Navigator feature, which provides free spoken turn-by-turn directions on regular or satellite map imagery. Put a separtely-sold car mount on your dashboard, and you've got a GPS device.
The Droid is now available and sells for $199 with a $100 rebate and purchase of a two-year service plan.
MSN's makeover
It's been ten years since Microsoft's web portal service MSN.com got a new look, but a preview is now available for users. The official launch is set for early 2010.
Gone is the familiar sky-blue color scheme, replaced by lots of white space, fewer pictures and news links. So what is being added? Social network integration - tabs for personal Facebook and Twitter accounts join Windows Live on the home page. And Bing, Microsoft's well-received search engine, now powers most searches for news and business listings.
MSN's content partners, including Fox Sports and MSNBC are more prominently featured, and local news is now front and center, pushed directly to the consumer without the need to customize the site.
"Torchlight" game review
Our resident gaming addict Tracy Gorgas reminds us that when it comes to gaming, it's not just about the consoles.
PC games are still going strong, and Tracy offers as evidence the new "Torchlight" game from Seattle-based Runic Games. It's a role-playing game with overtones of "Diablo," "World of Warcraft" and "Baldur's Gate," which means you get to engage in some hacking/slashing, spell-throwing and even use a pet to do that voodoo that you do so well.
Tracy says the game controls are intuitive, the sound is good, the graphics a welcome departure from the usual action RPG.
The game is a time-suck, says Tracy, so set an alarm because you'll find yourself wandering the world of "Torchlight" until well after your torches have long flickered out. Check out Tracy's reviews on his blog ResidentGamingAddict.blogspot.com.
