Microsoft:
Microsoft Launches Beta of New All-in-One Service for Consumers  —  Q&A: Group Product Manager Bryson Gordon discusses “Albany” — a new service to help consumers be more protected, productive and connected and to stay current with essential software and security updates.

Martin LaMonica / CNET News.com:
After complaints, Apple tweaks Software Update for Safari  —  Following a storm of criticism, Apple has changed its Software Update software to mark a distinction between new programs, such as its Safari on Windows browser, and updates to existing ones.  —  Last month, Apple started …

Fred / A VC:
The Difference Between Wordpress and Facebook  —  Is about $14.8bn according to the publicly available information about the most recent financings of the two companies ($15bn for Facebook and $200mm for Automattic).  —  But consider this comscore chart of unique visitors over the past year.

Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft:
Microsoft readies ‘Albany’ subscription trial for consumers  —  Microsoft is set to start testing privately a consumer Software + Service bundle code-named “Albany,” an all-in-one bundle of Office Home and Student, Windows Live OneCare, Office Live Workspace and various Windows Live services.

Jena McGregor / Business Week:
The World’s Most Innovative Companies  —  Smart ideas for tough times: The 50 companies that make up our annual ranking nurture cultures that value creative people in good times and bad  —  Suddenly, innovation has a bull’s-eye on its back.  As the recession debate shifts from “what if” …

Yahoo! Search Marketing Blog:
Minimum Bids No Longer Fixed at $.10  —  How to manage your new Sponsored Search minimum bids  —  Starting today, minimum bids for some Sponsored Search keywords will no longer be fixed at $.10.  Throughout the next week, you may start noticing new minimum bids on some of your keywords.

Alexander van Elsas / Alexander van Elsas’s Weblog …:
The noise in Web 2.0 is mainly a Tech Elite’s problem  —  Erick Schonfeld has a funny article today on TechCrunch in which he predicts/hopes that web 3.0 is about removing the noise.  We all recognize the problem he describes.  He is in so many different […]

louisgray.com:
Most Bloggers Don’t Deserve Any Ad Revenue  —  It’s routinely shocking to me that so many bloggers think they should try and make a profit from their Web site.  —  Urged on by the success of mega blog networks like TechCrunch and spurred forward by stories from ProBlogger …

Ryan Naraine / Ryan Naraine’s Security Watch:
After Criticism, Apple Software Updater Gets UI Makeover  —  Apple has made a small but significant tweak to its Automatic Software Update utility to make a clear distinction between security patches and new products being pushed out to Windows users.  —  The UI redesign, which adds …

Miguel Helft / New York Times:
Google Defies the Economy and Shows Profit Surge  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The American economy may be weakening, but Google said once again that the slowdown has not affected its business.  —  Easing concerns that its growth would stall, the Internet search giant on Thursday reported better …