The New York Times takes look at "personalized retargeting" -- or the practice of delivering ads to consumers, which feature specific products they've recently viewed online. While the technique -- and the technology that facilitates it -- has been around for years, The Times suggests that its mass-marketization by Google and Microsoft has many consumers and industry watchdogs feeling uneasy. "It is a pretty clever marketing tool," a mother of two from Montreal tells The Times. "But it's a little creepy, especially if you don't know what's going on." Still, that hasn't stopped retailers from Zappos to …

Skype might not get a chance to complete its IPO if Cisco has anything to say about it. The tech giant, which has been on a extended acquisition spree, has made an offer to buy the VoIP service, reports TechCrunch, citing one of its "more reliable sources." No doubt, "This would be one very big acquisition," notes TechCrunch. "Skype insiders are hoping for an out of the gate valuation of $5 billion or so, we've heard. Presumably Cisco would have to bidding in that range to make it interesting." According to TechCrunch, Google was rumored to be …

Presently a distant third in the increasingly critical mobile market, Microsoft has committed over half a billion dollars to help launch its Windows Phone 7 platform this fall, reports TechCrunch. "Nearly four years after Apple launched the iPhone and two years after Google open-sourced the code for its Android operating system, Microsoft is finally set to re-enter the mobile market this holiday season in a serious way with Windows Phone 7," TechCrunch writes. ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley says TechCrunch is "combining guesswork with analyst estimates," and estimates herself that the numbers will actually …

Google has acquired niche news aggregator Angstro, and brought on its creator Rohit Khare to help develop the search giant's social networking product Google Me. "He is sitting near Slide's Max Levchin, who was also recently hired to help lead the effort to counter the exploding popularity of Facebook," reports The Los Angeles Times. To date, Khare has created a number of products that, according to the L.A. Times, "will be very useful to Google, including one that exports information from Facebook and other social networks." Angstro scours the web and blogosphere for news about your friends from sites …

CNet juxtaposes news of Blockbuster's reported bankruptcy plans against Netflix's rising star. Indeed, Netflix will likely top 20 million subscribers next year, and last year generated $115 million in net profit on $1.6 billion in revenue. "Since 2008, the once industry-dominant Blockbuster has lost more than a $1 billion and Netflix has thrived," CNet writes. "Where once Netflix, with its original business model of mailing little red DVD packages to customers, was a sort of a rogue element in the film distribution business, the public company has now won respect in Hollywood." Preparing for the future, Netflix just penned …

Curious about how specific search terms are trending on Google, but too lazy to track them yourself on Google Trends? Then you'll love The Google Beat - an anchored presentation that will offer regular updates on a few of the week's most popular search terms in the U.S. Produced internally by Google, "The valuable thing that Google Beat provides is some brief context as to why a particular search term is trending, which is something anyone who regularly checks analytics will appreciate," notes NewTeeVee. At the moment, for instance, "movies and advertising" is trending as the #3 …

As TechCrunch reports, Facebook is aggressively going after any company that dares to include the words "face" or "book" in their names. The top social net is now going after Teachbook in court for using a similar name, and already forced Placebook to change its name. "When it comes to trademarks, Facebook is proving to be a bully," writes TechCrunch. "If it has its way, the word 'Face' at the beginning of a name might also bring out its lawyers." Indeed, Facebook is now trying to register the word "Face" as a trademark. Yes, as if there was question, …

Crafts e-commerce site Etsy has nabbed former Google international exec Adam Freed as its new Chief Operating Officer. As BoomTown notes, the prize appointment comes on the heels of another $20 million in venture funding. Index Ventures is participated in the new round, which also included existing investor Accel Partners, Union Square Partners and Hubert Burda Media are also investors, as well as Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake. Since its debut back in 2005, Etsy has raised almost $52 million. The company now has a valuation of more than $300 million. "Freed brings more solid management with a global flavor …

Acknowledging that online video is officially big business, Cisco has agreed to buy online video content manager, ExtendMedia. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Boston-based ExtendMedia had previously raised about $33 million in venture capital. "Cisco has recently completed a number of large acquisitions in the video space, including last year's $3.41 billion purchase of Tandberg and the $590 million deal for Flip camera manufacturer Pure Digital before that," according to paidContent. "The space has seen some consolidation lately and with the growth of mobile video, the rate of acquisitions is likely to …

Spelling trouble for rival e-readers, David Pogue's review of the newest Kindle is in -- and it's glowing. "You might call it Amazon's iPad response," writes The New York Times' top tech reviewer. "The Kindle 3 is ingeniously designed to be everything the iPad will never be: small, light and inexpensive." According to Pogue, the Kindle is "almost ridiculously lightweight; at 8.5 ounces, it's a third the weight of the iPad. That's a big deal for a machine that you want to hold in your hands for hours." The real kicker, however, is the price tag of just $140. …