Any CEO -- particularly in the digital space -- will tell you they've got some really exciting stuff in the works. But, AOL head Tim Armstrong says he really does. "We have been working on something for the last three months that I think is a fairly substantial shift in our technology," he told attendees at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco on Thursday. "When that's ready to announce, maybe we'll come back and talk to you about it," in said in lieu of a real announcement. The Social blog speculates that the announcement …

What percentage of page views would you guess Facebook is responsible for? How 'bout a quarter. Yep, the top social net now accounts for 25% of all U.S. online page-views, according to Perry Drake of database marketing firm Drake Direct. Perry's analysis was apparently prompted by a study showing that the figure in the UK is just 1 in 7. He pulled some Compete charts and concluded that the number stateside is 1 in 4. Google, meanwhile, accounts for a mere 1 in 12 page views, or 8%, according to his findings. What's more Facebook is reported to …

Here's a shocker. The Federal Republic of Nigeria has reportedly had enough of Internet scammers, and law enforcement there have already shut down close to a thousand Web sites, and made 18 arrests as part of a new initiative to dispel the nation's reputation as a haven for cyber criminals. The program, called "Project Eagle Claw," has only just begun, but Nigerian officials expect it to be fully operational in 2010. Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission described the initiative as "a renewed bid to clap down" on Internet fraudsters. So far, the agency claims to have shut …

So, what does the notoriously excitable Steve Ballmer think about all the criticism that has been heaped on Microsoft's latest mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5? "At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what the critics say, it matters what the customers say," the head of the software giant tells Gizmodo. Ballmer at least concedes that Windows Mobile 6.5 is receiving negative reviews, but Gizmodo can't get his to actually admit that the platform needs work. "Reviews aside," he says, he's happy with what Windows Phones (running 6.5) can do now. How do Microsoft's mobile …

Likely in response to consumers' information overload, Facebook will now let users view their news feeds in two ways. They can either see a live stream with updates ordered by time, or the most interesting content as determined by comments and "likes." "While seeing real-time activities is extremely valuable, we also want to be sure you don't miss other interesting content," Raylene Yung, a Facebook engineer, wrote in a company blog post on Friday. Stories in the "News Feed" section are featured based on how much activity they've attracted from others, and on a user's prior behavior. Are …

Microsoft on Friday said its quarterly sales fell sharply year-over-year, which resulted in earnings of 40 cents a share for the quarter -- a decline of 17%. Still, everyone's thrilled because the software giant was able to beat Wall Street's expectations of 32 cents a share thanks to severe cost cutting, including some 5,000 projected layoffs. "Not wonderful, but it's better than analysts were expecting," writes Engadget. "Well, well, well," remarked Kara Swisher on her BoomTown blog, "That financial imp at Microsoft -- CFO Chris Liddell -- pulled a fast one on …

A picture is worth a thousand words, so a thousand pictures is worth, like, a lot. San Francisco-based ad tech firm Dapper has therefore produced a 30-second video with the help of quick-talking narrator to help professionals better understand the concept of real time bidding. We suggest going to the videotape, but real-time bidding is designed to let only the single impressions that fit their campaign goals when buying from ad networks or exchanges, and at a set price they're willing to pay.

What's it like getting canned by AOL? Tons of people know. But Greg Coleman, former president of its Platform-A ad division, tells the grizzly tale from his new perch at The Huffington Post, which he joined last month as president and chief revenue officer. Under the title, "Sharpening the Saw," Coleman explains, "My tenure only lasted 10 weeks. The CEO who had hired me was fired five weeks after I started, and the new boss wanted to bring in his own team. I had a significant contract that AOL fully agreed to honor, and I was out the door and, …

On the heals of Microsoft announcing its Twitter and Facebook tie-ups, Google's VP of Search Marrisa Mayer is saying that Google already had an agreement with the micro-blogging service, and is about to launch a related product called "Social Search." From the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco on Thursday, Mayer said the new feature will debut in a few weeks, and let users see results for queries from people in their social network with the help of their Google Profile. Basically, if users fill it out with the other social networks they're members of, Google will scan who they …

In the wake of news that Google's getting into the music biz and MySpace's stated music strategy, Facebook is announcing that it will start selling music as gifts through its Gift Shop. Notably, it's partnering with Lala to provide the songs -- the same company with which Google is partnering in its own venture. "You now will be able to purchase songs as gifts for your friends ... The 'Music and MP3s' section of the Gift Shop, powered by LaLa.com, offers over 8 million songs for any music lover from artists such as Beyonce, the Rolling Stones, Frank …