Journalists and investors waiting for the Microsoft earnings call to begin this week sat listening to a suggestive piece of music: The theme from the Lone Ranger (more properly known as The William Tell Overture). Was Microsoft about to come to the rescue? Surprisingly, yes. Microsoft beat analysts' revenue and profit expectations in the period that ended in September, a rare bit of good financial news over these past few months. And while it is still having trouble seeing the future -- like most companies these days -- its forecast for this quarter is assumes that the recession will be …

One could be excused for getting pessimistic about Netflix's future right now. The company recently announced it did not meet its subscriber numbers for the third quarter, and then lowered its subscriber estimates for the fourth quarter. But Netflix has a few tricks up its sleeve. The company this week notified customers that it will charge an extra $1 per month for the ability to watch Blu-ray videos -- an option they must opt-out of if they don't want to participate. Analysts say that because most subscribers probably won't opt out, the move could generate an extra $25 million in …

And you were worried the U.S. Congress was just throwing your money around! Rest assured, weary taxpayers. Your elected representatives in Washington, fresh off a $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street firms, is set to invest what little money of yours is left into something that will truly strengthen the union: iPhones for everyone! Well, not everyone, just everyone in Congress. The congressional cell phone of choice since 2001 is the Blackberry, and switching to a new device will mean a costly reconfiguring of the House and Senate e-mail system -- never mind the cost of the phones themselves. …

Despite assurances of "unlimited" access, most broadband providers in the U.K. impose strict limits on how much bandwidth is provided any given customer each month. And a new study shows that a large percentage of those users are regularly using all or nearly all the access they have -- though they don't know it. The penalty for going over one's allotted bandwidth is being cut off from Internet access all together, which could have serious implications for many who rely on access for daily activities-and the marketers who are paying to reach them. The survey found that 56% of …

As corporations around the world scale back their annual gatherings and conventions in the interest of saving cash, The Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, is going in the opposite direction. Yesterday the organizers announced they would be throwing the doors open to a much wider swath of participants after narrowing the invite list in recent years. The Entertainment Software Association, the industry group that organizes E3 (which is traditionally the gaming industry's most important annual event), said the new approach is a recognition of how al-encompassing the gaming industry has become in recent years. "It's going to be …

The computer calling to let you know that Barack Obama has an extreme leftist agenda doesn't care that you're on the Federal "Do Not Call" Registry. It doesn't have to. When that registry was created, politicians intentionally left themselves a loophole that allows such calls -- now in use by both candidates -- to go on unabated, despite little evidence that they work. So why do they remain popular with candidates? Observers say it's mostly about money. Robocalls are an easy way to reach millions of people in their homes with a direct message, no matter how unwelcome they …

Google is so confident that its new overlay ads on YouTube videos are effective that the company, in partnership with Mediavest, is turning to a brain wave research firm, NeuroFocus, to prove it. The research will explore how users respond to InVideo ads and how well those ads complement traditional banner placements. Why go to such lengths to prove that InVideo ads are effective? Google believes that the way the ads function, by popping up at the bottom of a video while the viewer watches, is so different, that it warrants special examination. "Standard metrics don't tell the whole …

An item in yesterday's Around the Net in Online Media"Yahoo Expected To Make Deep Cuts In Ad Sales" should have said that Wired reported late Monday that analysts predict the company will be forced to cut to about 12,000 employees to stay afloat thanks to the decline in premium display ad sales.