At a critical time for Google, The New York Times profiles its founder and recently reappointed CEO, Larry Page. What do we learn? That Page is equal parts impatient and time-starved; not afraid to hack fat; and on “an urgent mission to pull Google through a midlife crisis that threatens to knock it off its perch as the coolest company in Silicon Valley.” As Page himself recently told analysts: “Ever since taking over as C.E.O., I have focused much of my energy on increasing Google’s velocity and execution, and we’re beginning to see results.” As the NYT notes, however, critics …

The kids might be alright, but because of their unwillingness to pay for content, cable isn’t. So says Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen, who, according to GigaOm, is trying to figure out how to keep pay TV subscribers who are increasingly watching over-the-top video. “While there’s still some debate over how many users are ditching pay TV in lieu of cheaper online options, Ergen said on Monday’s earnings call,  there’s a bigger macro trend developing, with young people choosing to forgo pay TV subscriptions altogether,” GigaOm writes. “Young people who move to an apartment or get a house for the …

According to a new ChangeWave survey, 5% of 2,600 early adopter types say they are very likely to buy Amazon’s soon-to-debut Kindle Fire. Doesn’t strike you as an impressive figure? Then consider that only 4% of respondents to a similar survey said they were very likely to buy the original iPad in 2010. What’s more, 26% of those 5% said they would delay or put on hold the purchase of a new iPad, Fortune notes, citing the survey. That said, "Sustained Fire uptake and 'buzz’ will depend on consumer/reviewer reactions to Fire's user experience," RBC's Mike Abramsky wrote in a note …

Barnes & Noble reportedly asked U.S. regulators to investigate whether Microsoft seeks to monopolize the mobile-device market by demanding patent royalties on electronics running on Android. “Microsoft is embarking on a campaign of asserting trivial and outmoded patents against manufacturers of Android devices,” Barnes & Noble said in a recent letter to Gene Kimmelman, the Justice Department’s chief counsel for competition policy, Bloomberg reports. “Microsoft is attempting to raise its rivals’ costs in order to drive out competition and to deter innovation in mobile devices,” Kimmelman continued. Previously, Microsoft accused Barnes & Noble of infringing five patents and filed a …

Slate is officially calling Google+ “dead.” Sure, some of have argued -- including Slate’s Farhad Manjoo -- that the network’s key feature -- the ability to divide friends into groups, or “Circles” -- isn’t all that great. And, analysis has consistently reported Google+’s traffic to be declining from its early peak. There also seems to be a growing consensus that there just isn’t much to do on Google+. All that, however, doesn’t represent what Manjoo calls Google+’s “central failure.” Which is? As best we can tell, Manjoo is referring to a “launch-first, fix-it-later strategy,” combined with a resistance on Google’s …

What does Google’s Bradley Horowitz think about Mark Zuckerberg’s contention that the search giant is “building its own little Facebook”? Taking the comment in stride, Google’s product VP -- and a key figure behind Google+ -- says he’s “delighted to be underestimated.” During an interview with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang, Horowitz rejected comparisons between Google, Facebook and other social networks as being little more than fodder to give the media advertising and click throughs, reports The Next Web. “When asked about user numbers of the service, Horowitz declined to give an exact figure but he did reveal that the company estimates Google+ …

It’s not everyday that Microsoft has something positive to say about its mobile strategy. On Monday, however, the software giant said that Samsung’s vice president of consumer and enterprise services, Gavin Kim, has left the company to join Microsoft as general manager of the Windows Phone team. According to BGR -- which first reported the news -- “Kim will have a direct impact on the future success of the Windows Phone platform.” According to Kim: “I will be responsible to help set the future direction for the Windows Phone platform and to accelerate Microsoft’s trajectory to win the hearts and …

Despite the recent ruckus over patent value, few have considered its implications for Yahoo and a potential sale of the company. They should, however, analysts and investors tell Forbes. “There are very few companies in the search, ad, and social networking space with the size and quality of patent portfolio that Yahoo possesses,” says Erin-Michael Gill, Managing Director and Chief Intellectual Property Officer of MBD Capital Group. “What’s also interesting is that the portfolio has value apart from Yahoo’s business itself and could be sold in a separate transaction.” Presently, Yahoo has 1,100 US patents granted and 2,661 applications pending …

While challenges abound, Groupon will “stick around and eventually get to profitability,” predicts Forrester principal analyst Sucharita Mulpuru. How? “With far less interesting deals for shoppers and probably as a smaller company,” Mulpuru says of the newly public company. What could go wrong? Where do we start? Because the majority of consumers who redeem prepaid vouchers are already Groupon members, the brand is going to have trouble growing incrementally, Mulpuru warns. Also, email won’t drive growth moving forward, she insists. “While Groupon vaunts the size of its ‘subscriber base’ (i.e., email addresses), all evidence points to the medium becoming less …

Moving on to the Far East, Google is eying a “large and substantial” investment in South Korea’s Internet space this week, The Next Web notes, citing a report in The Korea Times. Coinciding with a visit from Chairman Eric Schmidt, Google reportedly plans to advance acquisition talks with Daum, Korea’s second most popular search engine -- which, as TNW mentions, raised anti-trust allegations against Google earlier this year. “Google has trailed the company -- and market leader Naver -- since it came to the country in 2004, and [rumor] of a deal shows no sign of abating after Google refused …