On Friday, Nick Denton's Gawker Media announced widespread layoffs across its stable of blogs such as Consumerist and Deadspin, not to mention its namesake, Gawker. Denton blamed the economic slowdown and its impact on Internet advertising, and many took it as a sign of things to come across the blogosphere. But signs suggest things the outlook might not be so gloomy elsewhere. Giga Omni Media on Monday said it had raised $4.5 million for its tech-related blog network, which includes GigaOm, NewTeeVee and Web Worker Daily. Meanwhile, the Huffington Post had a record number of unique visitors in September and …

Microsoft's Internet browsers take a lot of heat from Web developers. Internet Explorer--pick your version; it doesn't matter--already serves as shorthand for buggy, obsolete application, and the newest edition, still in beta, doesn't look to be much better. But its desktop versions are still light years ahead of Microsoft's attempts at a mobile browser. Internet Explorer Mobile is a throwback to early versions of the desktop browser, though with its own set of bugs and antiquated ideas of what a Web page should look like, writes Peter Bright. Overall, Microsoft makes mobile browsing an unpleasant experience, with pages that won't …

In order to combat rampant DVD piracy in South Korea, Warner Bros. Entertainment will start releasing movies online before it releases them on DVD, reversing the long-established Hollywood distribution model and opening the door to a major increase in movie downloads. By allowing consumers to access movies online, WB hopes there will be less demand for pirated DVDs. South Korea is serving as a model for the new system, because it has both high rates of DVD piracy and broadband penetration. If the system works there, it could eventually be rolled out to other countries. The new model …

In its continuing bid to lure searchers from Google and Yahoo, IAC has revamped Ask.com to deliver search results differently--and maybe more conveniently--than the market leaders. Ask.com, formerly Ask Jeeves, is currently ranked fourth among search engines in terms of traffic. Users will notice immediate points of difference from Google. Instead of having to perform separate searches to find images or news results on a search topic, Ask.com users receive all variety of results on the first page. IAC executives said they had also reworked the system to deliver more relevant results--a problem that some say has long hampered …

Are you tired of watching TV shows online with virtually no ads? Well good news! Due to the lack of inventory of shows users want to view on the Web, not to mention the cost of streaming such shows live, networks and distributors are considering breaking the "no more than one commercial per break" rule for TV programs shown online. The move has actually been under way for months, with ABC conducting tests earlier this year to see how viewers would react to more advertising inserted in streaming TV shows. Said ABC Digital EVP Albert Cheng: "We have to …

Print journalism has lost yet another devotee to the Web, and this time it's a biggie. Tine Brown, celebrated former editor of The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Talk, today launches the beta version of her first digital magazine, The Daily Beast. The trial version of the site is being funded by IAC. The site is perhaps most comparable to the Huffington Post, not only for having a sometimes controversial female editor of European descent, but for its format: a collection of blog items on popular culture and politics penned by celebrities mixed with links to news and features around …