The Las Vegas locals are not looking forward to Comdex, according to Business Week. The music industry has bigger problems to worry about than piracy over the Net, Psion is a major threat to Microsoft (don't laugh, this was in The Indepedent) and the Internet is enabling shoppers to press the delete key on middlemen, says the FT. Quite a week. Did I miss something though? If you spotted an interesting report about computing or the Internet in print send it to me, Eugene Lacey, at ZDNet UK. Comdex full of 'computer robots in black suits' -- Business Week The Las Vegas locals are not looking forward to Comdex, according to a report in Business Week. Despite injecting $341 million into the local economy, which is a lot more than the $125 million that 'the same number of regular tourists would kick in', not everyone the gambling mecca is looking forward to the annual invasion of the geeks. Some retailers told BW, "They do business all day and then have pizza for dinner and go to girlie shows... Even when they buy Certs or gum they ask for a receipt." -- Business Week, November 9, 1998 Digital distribution of music both 'an opportunity and a threat' -- The Economist The music industry must come to terms with a problem more serious than the threat from various digital distribution channels, that it cannot control, writes The Economist. Music companies have to deal with 'the fragmentation of their audience' and the fact that trying to make the world listen to this or that recording artist will be tough because the world 'is likely to be listening to something else on its MPman'. -- The Economist, October 31, 1998 Nokia's latest results are 'glittering' and Ericsson's 'poor by comparison' -- Financial Times The FT's Lex Column is impressed with Nokia's latest results, but warns that next year could be tougher. As the mobile phone companies prepare for the lauch of the next generaton of smart phones that can "Transmit data, from stock prices to emails. Here both companies are treading on the big feet of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and the like. Ringside seats should be sold out." -- Financial Times, Lex Column, October 26, 1998 "Y2K is a wake up call to put more human beings back into the technology equation" -- Wall Street Journal Brian Van der Horst, the management consultant, said in an interview published in last week's Wall Street Journal, that, "Companies will find themselves forced to junk false faith in the infallibility of machines. Y2K is a wake up call for managers to put more human beings back into the technology equation." -- Wall Street Journal, October 27, 1998 Psion named as one of Microsoft's greatest competitive threats -- The Independent The Independent reported on Psion boss, Dr David Potter's address to the CBI in which he made light of the report that his firm was one of the names on an internal Microsoft memo from Bill Gates. The memo listed companies that represented the greatest 'competitive threat' to Microsoft. "That shows why he is such a good competitor. If you're not terrified or paranoid your business is in danger." -- The Independent, November 3, 1998 Pressing the delete key on 'middlemen'-- Financial Times The FT's Paul Taylor quotes from the new Kevin Kelly (excutive editor of Wired) book, New Rules for the New Economy in an article about e-commerce. Taylor's feature appears in the Digital Business series, and describes how the Internet is putting pressure on traditional 'middlemen'. Kelly gives the example of the US banks as being classic disintermediated businesses: "You could get easier loans at Sears, higher interest from a mutual fund, and better service at an ATM." -- Financial Times, October 27, 1998