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Welcome to the Prompt newsletter.

This week, we examine reports that companies are failing to live up to their environmental responsibilities, the deletion of Facebook user accounts and a potential deal between Yahoo and News Corp. Also: GTA IV, Firefox 3 and Robert Redford.

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Technology News

Facebook learns to let go
By Lance Concannon

One of the more sinister aspects of the Facebook phenomenon is the fact that, like some sort of shadowy cult, once you join it’s practically impossible to leave. Permanently deleting your Facebook account is close to impossible - when you try to do so the site simply tells you that it will leave your account in a kind of ‘on hold’ status, ready to be re-activated in case you decide to return. We know you’ll be back, nobody ever really leaves Facebook, they always come back in the end…

In a tacit acknowledgement that people are starting to find the whole “we own your soul forever because you signed up for a free account once a couple of years ago when a friend sent you an invite and you didn’t really understand what you were getting into” attitude more than a little creepy, Facebook has now announced that it will allow users to permanently delete their accounts. At present it seems as though the only way to do this is to email Facebook support with an account closure request, but according CNET, it’s likely that a single step option for users to delete their own accounts will be implemented.

Yahoo to get into bed with Rupert Murdoch?
By Duncan Heaney

The corporate wheeling and dealing that has been going on as a result of Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo has been fascinating to observe. First Google became very vocal in its opposition of the deal, then Yahoo rejected the $40bn+ deal, claiming that Microsoft was undervaluing its brand, and that the firm was in the position to take advantage of a ‘huge market opportunity’. Microsoft said the rejection of its offer was ‘unfortunate’.

And now, according to the BBC, there has been a new twist in the saga. Apparently, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation is in talks with Yahoo about a potential deal. Under the proposed deal, Yahoo would give News Corp 20% of its shares, and be allowed to remain independent. It’s no secret that Yahoo would prefer not to become part of Microsoft, and this deal with News Corp could help them to fend off Microsoft's bid.

Murdoch’s company has a number of online interests, including a number of TV and newspaper websites, and the popular social networking site MySpace. It would be quite interesting to see what effect a deal with Yahoo could have on these.

And so the Cirque de Yahoo continues. Who knows what developments still wait in store?

US Media News

By Tarryn Morley

US

Marilyn Thompson is leaving the The New York Times to join The Washington Post as Washington accountability editor working on the national desk. Thompson previously worked for The Washington Post until she joined the Lexington Herald in 2004. She has worked for The New York Times since September 2007 as an investigative news reporter.

Dean Takahashi has been appointed technology columnist at VentureBeat. Takahashi is currently the technology columnist at the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News. He will also leave his blog, Dean Takahashi Blog, when he joins VentureBeat. He also served as a senior writer for Red Herring and as a staff writer covering computer and technology news for The Wall Street Journal. Takahashi begins his new role in late February.

Virtualization Review has launched a digital edition. Virtualization Review is a publication that aims to be an independent guide to the transformation of IT through virtualization. The website will include articles from the magazine, updated industry news, feature stories, blogs and new product reviews. Keith Ward, editor of Virtualization Review, is the web editor and has a blog titled Mental Ward on the site.

UK Media News

By Tarryn Morley

UK

Anna Mikhailova has joined The Sunday Times as a home news reporter. This is her first full-time job after graduating from Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Mikhailova has been writing freelance for The Sunday Times since 2004.

There have been several recent changes at The Daily Telegraph. Duncan Gardham has been promoted from a general reporter to security correspondent. He has previously worked for the Daily Mail. Richard Edwards has been promoted from news reporter to crime reporter. He has previously worked as a crime reporter for the Evening Standard.

Benny Har-Even has been appointed technology editor at IT PRO. Har-Even was previously deputy editor on Trusted Reviews. In his new role, he will be responsible for all product-specific coverage including reviews, how-tos and tutorials.

Tech Totals

By Zachariah N. Hofer-Shall

$1,500,000
The amount the RIAA could sue you for an illegally downloaded album, as proposed in its new bill to Congress.

$10-15
The amount a CD costs in most US stores.

Firefox 3 beta released. Testers and developers only, warns blog
By Duncan Heaney

Mozilla has announced that a beta version of Firefox 3 has been released onto the internet. The Mozilla Blog makes it very clear that this version of the popular open source web browser is for testing purposes, and strongly recommends that testers and developers only should download it.

Firefox 3 has a number of tweaks and improvements that should help it rise above its predecessor. According to Mozilla, the browser will have improved security features, including support for Extended Validation SSL certificates and malware protection. It also features better downloading, including anti-virus checks and a progress indicator in the status bar. The browser also offers greater personalisation than previous versions, through one click bookmarking, and better integration with Windows Vista, Linux and Mac OS X.

The new features sound interesting, and the release of this beta means that the browser is one step closer to release. According to The Register, the official full release of Firefox 3 is expected to happen later this year.

Don’t believe the green hype
By Dave Wilby

A new survey suggests that UK companies are failing to deliver on promises to implement green policies. Fewer than a third of respondents said their business was moving "strongly" or "very strongly" to adopt green policies, according to opinions gathered by Genesys Conferencing. The firm obviously has a vested interest in such revelations, largely because it develops collaboration and conferencing systems which it markets on green credentials, but the survey still makes interesting reading and adds some welcome balance to the unremittingly green IT press.

Jerona Noonan, sales director at Genesys told VNUnet: “Visitors to any company's website today are almost certain to find a stated commitment to the environment. Yet this survey shows most businesses have not put this into practice in the form of positive environmental initiatives." Tellingly, nearly half of respondents also believe it is the chief executive, not the workforce, driving green initiatives within their business, although Noonan was quick to point out that ‘green Czars’ are becoming increasingly common, now cropping up in up to 20% of UK businesses.

GSMA is good, says Robert Redford
By Dave Wilby

Phew! It’s lucky a Hollywood legend reminded us about this year’s GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, otherwise we would have missed a chance to point you towards the highlights!

On the phone front, prototype handsets featuring Google Android software stole the show; they looked like ugly BlackBerry clones and ran on puny Arm9 processors, but it was the thought that counted. For a sexier smartphone, we definitely prefer the Sony X1 or LG KS20, while for shiny without the smarts, why not pocket a Samsung Soul, the Lego-style Modu, or a tree-hugging Nokia Remade?

For an on-location roundup of the rest of the show’s announcements, including a return to form for Motorola, the latest on EU data-roaming, new chips from TI, Nvidia and Audience, plus all the latest applications releases, we think CNET has the best reporting this year.

Grand Theft Auto IV, multiplayer rumours squashed
By Lance Concannon

One of the year’s most highly anticipated games releases, Grand Theft Auto IV, has been the subject of much rumour, speculation, and console fan-boy hissy fits this week. It all started when the boss of Microsoft Entertainment reportedly said that the game’s eagerly awaited online multi-player element would be exclusive to the XBox 360 version. This naturally caused a stir. The GTA series are great single player games, but most fans agree that a well implemented multi-player mode would be something very special indeed. If it were true, this would be a major blow to Sony’s Playstation 3, since it would persuade a lot of buyers to choose the Microsoft console.

Popular games blog, Kotaku, thought this all sounded a bit fishy, and immediately contacted GTA publisher Rockstar Games to clear things up and as their story confirms, GTA IV will feature an online multi-player mode in both XBox 360 and Playstation 3 versions. We can’t wait.

Website of the week

With Sean McManus

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

We’re big fans of Phoenix Wright, the ace attorney who stars in a series of courtroom dramas on the Nintendo DS games console. But how will his successor Apollo Justice shape up? The game is released in the US next week, but fans all over the world have a chance to test the new legal eagle by playing the first adventure on the official website. DS games are typically promoted with screenshots and descriptions, so it’s good to see a company being a bit more inventive and using Flash to let the punters try before they buy. If other developers did the same, we’d certainly have no “Objection!”.

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