TechFlash: Seattle's Technology News

Tablet computers like the iPad are starting to take a bite out of the worldwide market for personal computers, according to a new report released this week by Gartner. The research firm cut its outlook for PC sales for 2010 and 2011, pointing specifically to the growth of the iPad.

“These results reflect marked reductions in expected near-term unit growth based on expectations of weaker consumer demand, due in no small part to growing user interest in media tablets such as the iPad,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “Over the longer term, media tablets are expected to displace around 10 percent of PC units by 2014.”

DelBene

Suzan DelBene, a former Microsoft vice president who previously worked at drugstore.com and Nimble Technology, has been tapped as the new director of the State Department of Revenue. The appointment by Gov. Chris Gregoire comes nearly a month after the high-tech executive was defeated by Republican Rep. Dave Reichert in a hotly-contested race for Washington's 8th Congressional District.

“Suzan’s background with both large and small businesses will be an asset as the Department of Revenue works to simplify the tax code and reduce costs for businesses,” said Gregoire in a press release. “Suzan knows firsthand how the tax system impacts businesses and possesses the skills and vision to lead the agency through this transformation.”

Antitrust officials for the European Union have launched an investigation into Google to explore whether the company used its dominance in search to promote its own services to the detriment of rivals The investigation comes nine months after Microsoft-backed groups raised concerns about Google's tactics.

Microsoft may just have a holiday hit on its hands -- and it is called Kinect. The company announced today that the Xbox 360 accessory, which allows users to control game play through body motion and voice commands, has sold more than 2.5 million units since its launch 25 days ago.

That's a pretty good start, with the company reaffirming in today's press release that it is on track to hit the holiday goal of five million units sold. In fact, Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb notes that it took Apple twice as long (two months) to sell two million iPads.

Seattle startup AdReady is starting to look a lot like aQuantive -- at least in terms of personnel. Randy Wootton, a former aQuantive executive who spent the past six years at Microsoft, most recently as vice president of global search and online marketplace, has been named senior vice president of sales and marketing at the online advertising upstart.

He joins a list of former aQuantive employees -- including CEO Karl Siebrecht -- who believe that AdReady is on to something big in the display advertising market.

OK, folks, we're just two days away from the Flashies bash at the Experience Music Project. We've already recorded more than 10,000 votes across the 15 categories, but we're giving readers a final chance to vote before the winners are unveiled at Wednesday's big event. With some very tight races, now is the time to record your vote if you haven't already or encourage your friends to do so. We'll cut off voting today -- November 29th at 3 p.m.

We also have a few tickets left for The Flashies, as well as the pre-event News Summit (featuring VentureBeat's Matt Marshall, All Things Digital's Tricia Duryee, msnbc.com's Wilson Rothman and The Wall Street Journal's Nick Wingfield). Tickets for both available here. (Note: The News Summit will take place at the Rainier Room near Key Arena at 3:30 p.m., with the Flashies starting at 5:30 p.m. at EMP. Map below).

Here's a look back at all of the categories for The Flashies.

Previous Categories, Voting Open Until 3 p.m. Monday: Do-Gooder of the Year ... Story of the Year ... Newcomer of the Year ... Guest Column of the Year ... Big Deal of the Year ... No Longer Stealth Award ... Stunt of the Year ... Innovation of the Year... Buzzword of the Year... Newsmaker of the Year... Tech Debacle of the Year ... Tech Platform of 2010 ... Breakout Performance of 2010 ... Tech Move/Hire of the Year ... Startup Deal of the Year.

Steve Murch -- the "head chef" and founder of Seattle online recipe site BigOven.com -- continues to make strides in the mobile application development arena. And his latest project is one that could get some attention around these parts.

Microsoft has engaged in talks with media companies for a new subscription-based online TV service, one which could allow consumers to access individual channels such as HBO and Showtime, Reuters reports citing unidentified sources. Reuters reports that the options also include creating a "virtual cable operator" -- essentially allowing consumers to "cut the cord" on their existing cable company -- or utilizing the Xbox as an authentication system for existing cable subscribers to view programs with "enhanced interactivity."

We're concluding online voting today for The Flashies, our 2010 TechFlash Newsmaker Awards, with a great category: Story of the Year. In this category, we revisit some of the biggest stories on TechFlash, including the launch of Windows 7, the defeat of Initiative 1098 and the wave of Silicon Valley companies that established branch offices in Seattle.

Vote below for the nominee you consider most worthy, and continue reading for a quick description of each.

To find out the winners, join us next week, on Dec. 1, for the big Flashies bash at the Experience Music Project, where we'll be handing out awards in more than a dozen categories and taking a fun look back on the year in tech.

With a mere 2,674 mobile apps as of Nov. 22, it's risky at this point to reach any sweeping conclusions about Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, the newbie of the app stores. But so far, at least, the perception that paid apps on Windows Phone are more expensive than those on other devices is proving incorrect.

That's one of the more interesting findings in a new report from app store analytics company Distimo. Overall, paid apps on Windows Phone 7 average $1.95 in the U.S., compared with more than $4 on the iPhone and more than $3 on Android, the report says.

Paid apps for Windows Phone 7 "are the cheapest of all stores," compared with the average price of paid apps for Palm, BlackBerry, Android, iPhone and Nokia devices, according to the Distimo report.

Sriram Krishnan happens to work on Microsoft's Windows Azure team, but that wasn't the capacity in which he developed an alternative web browser for the company's Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system.

The 27-year-old program manager built Browser Plus as a personal project over a few nights and weekends, and ultimately published the app to the Windows Phone Marketplace from his phone last week while he was hanging out in a bar in Oahu ... on his honeymoon.

How's that for a side project?

The 99-cent app uses the Internet Explorer rendering engine but comes with several additional features to feel more like a desktop browser, including on-screen tabbed browsing, back and forward arrows, and the option for Bing or Google searching. It also offers a mobile reader view, and a private/incognito browsing mode.

Seattle's technology community is always attracting new people, but this year saw an even bigger influx of companies, personalities and entrepreneurial groups than normal. And that's the subject of today's vote in The Flashies, our 2010 TechFlash Newsmaker Awards. The category: Newcomer of the Year.

Vote below for the nominee you consider most worthy of this special honor, and continue reading for links to more information about each.

To find out the winners, join us one week from today, on Dec. 1, for the big Flashies bash at the Experience Music Project, where we'll be handing out awards in more than a dozen categories and taking a fun look back on the year in tech.

See this page to vote on any categories you might have missed. We've got one more category to go, Story of the Year, so check back later this week for one final vote leading up to next week's Flashies event. A big thanks to sponsors BDO and Filter, and media sponsor VentureBeat for helping make the Flashies possible.

Will you be checking your work email tomorrow before digging into your Thanksgiving turkey? The answer is probably yes, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Xobni, a San Francisco company that makes an email management plugin for Microsoft Outlook.

Fifty-nine percent of employed American adults check work email on Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays, according to the study. Men are bigger culprits than women, with 67 percent of male respondents saying they check work email on holidays, compared with only 50 percent of female respondents.

We've got a lot to be thankful for in the Seattle tech community. And that includes people who like to give back. Today, in The Flashies, our 2010 TechFlash Newsmaker Awards, we recognize some of the individuals who go the extra mile to make Seattle a truly special place.

In this category, everyone is a winner. But don't let that stop you from voting for your favorite nominee in the poll below. Continue reading for links to each organization.

To find out the winners, join us Dec. 1 at the Experience Music Project for the big Flashies bash, where we'll be handing out awards in more than a dozen categories and taking a fun look back on the year in tech.

Voting will continue on TechFlash throughout this month, so check back each weekday. A big thanks to sponsors BDO and Filter, and media sponsor VentureBeat for helping make the Flashies possible.

In a previous category in The Flashies, our 2010 TechFlash Newsmaker Awards, we brought you the Startup Deal of the Year. Today's category dials things up a notch -- considering acquisitions, spinoffs, partnerships and other deals involving the Seattle region's larger and more-established technology companies.

Which one deserves this special Flashies recognition? Vote for your favorite nominee in our "Big Company Deal of the Year" poll below, and continue reading for links to more background on each deal.

To find out the winners, join us Dec. 1 at the Experience Music Project for the big Flashies bash, where we'll be handing out awards in more than a dozen categories and taking a fun look back on the year in tech.

Voting will continue on TechFlash throughout this month, so check back each weekday. A big thanks to sponsors BDO and Filter, and media sponsor VentureBeat for helping make the Flashies possible.