Tech Roundup: Microsoft Scales, Midway Flails, Canon Pales, More
Microsoft gets help to scale SQL Server, scales Zune — Microsoft is hiring David DeWitt, a leading researcher and expert in databases, to help scale SQL Server. A particular expertise of his is query optimization on parallel systems. And in an attempt to boost its Zune online music service, consumers who opt for the all-you-can-listen-to $14.99 monthly access fee get to keep ten songs each month. [Source: Computerworld, AP]
Midway engine runs out of stem — Midway has been in a tailspin since Sumner Redstone became took control of the company four years ago. One big reason, according to former employees, is that the company decided to license Unreal Engine and then modify it to add a lot of technology beyond their capabilities. [Source: Variety's The Cut Scene Blog]
Yahoo tries to get sticky — Yahoo is bringing Glue Pages to the U.S. from India, where they have become popular. They are structured search results that pull content from a variety of sources. [Source: Search Engine Land]
Israel’s tech sector takes a beating — Israel’s technology industry is the country’s largest exporter. But now the companies are exporting workers to the unemployment lines as many are cutting staff in reaction to the world economic crisis. [Source: BusinessWeek]
Canon rebate firm goes bankrupt — Continental Promotions Group , which processes rebates for Canon, filed for Chapter 11. Now Canon is warning customers that rebate checks, printed on or before November 14, for printer and video products might bounce. [Source: TWICE]
Erik Sherman is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, the New York Times Magazine, Technology Review, the Financial Times, Chief Executive, and other publications. Follow him on Twitter.
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