Facebook has milked the vanity URL deal for all its worth until this point so why not try to get a little more mileage out it, right? Over the past few months Facebook has been allowing individuals to choose their username but has put the rather strict caveat on the practice that it is a “one and done” proposition. In other words, when you make that fateful decision to make your vanity URL something that was something funny but not very practical you were stuck with it. Well, the mighty Facebook is showing its merciful side by allowing users to pick another username.

Yahoo may be willing to part with more than we originally imagined in its search for extra cash.  A new report indicates that Yahoo Games could change hands if a large enough offer gets made.

YouTube has launched a feature that lets video uploaders share information they collect with YouTube Insight. The shared info is able to be viewed by anyone watching the user’s videos.

Android may soon find its way into millions of homes, and we’re not talking about entry via the phones in people’s pockets.  Instead, someone representing a touch device company has stated that a number of Android-powered household products are coming to market this year. 

When it comes to Twitter just under half of advertisers (45%) say it is in its infancy and its use will grow rapidly over the next few years, while 21 percent believe it will not move into the mainstream and is something mostly young people and the media will use, according to new LinkedIn Research Network/Harris Poll.

Google signed a settlement agreement with authors and publishers last year over Google Books. Google says that if it is approved by the court, it will unlock access to millions of books for anyone in the United States.

Today, Google has addressed privacy concerns that users and potential users have voiced with regards to Google Books.

All of geekdom has descended upon the city of San Diego, California for Comic-Con 2009. The four-day event, which showcases everything from action figures to theatrical coming attractions, is the highlight of the year for many fanboys.

Are you attending Comic-Con today? Let us know.

Twitter is everywhere you look these days. You don’t have to use it, but you can’t hide from it. If you live under a rock, chances are somebody’s sitting on top of that rock tweeting. It took a little bit for Twitter to catch on, but I think it’s safe to say that it has officially taken the world by storm. Let’s look at just a few ways it has impacted different forms of media and communication.

1. Instant Messaging

Walt Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger says the company has plans to offer a variety of its content, including movies, TV shows and games online for a fee.

"The notion of going online at some point as a subscribe-to, robust entertainment experience is pretty attractive to us," Iger said. "We are developing such an experience."

Iger made the comments Wednesday at Fortune magazine’s Brainstorm: Tech conference.

Google announced that Conversion Optimizer is now available for more campaigns. Now any campaign with at least 15 conversions in the last 30 days will be able to use it. Conversions can be tracked through AdWords Conversion Tracking or as linked Google Analytics Goals.

According to a new report from AdMob, Google’s Android operating system had a very good June.  Windows Mobile had a less excellent month, however, as it apparently fell behind Android in terms of worldwide usage for the first time ever.

The most recent AdMob Mobile Metrics Report states, "Requests from the Android Operating System increased 25% month over month.  Android has 5% worldwide OS share and pulled slightly ahead of Windows Mobile for the first time."

Google is adding a good deal of the functionality from Google maps to Google Maps for Mobile. This includes the ability to access and interact with different layers like Traffic, My Maps, and Search layers at the same time.

More than half (56%) of Americans have accessed the Internet using wireless mobile devices such as smartphones and laptops, according to a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The most popular way people go online via wireless is with a laptop as 39 percent of Internet users have done this.

eBay announced its second quarter results yesterday, and claims to have had a strong second quarter, slightly higher than expectations. Here are some of the numbers:

- Second quarter revenue was $2.10 Billion (a $97.7 million decrease year-over-year)

- Net income on a GAAP basis was $327.3 million ($0.25 per diluted share)

- Non-GAAP net income was $478.6 million ($0.37 per diluted share)

- eBay generated $730.7 million of operating cash flow during Q2 and free cash flow during the quarter was $602.3 million

Our elected representatives might want to get used to running into Googlers around Washington.  A fresh lobbying report indicates that Google’s ramped up its efforts in this area by quite a bit.

Between April 1st and June 30th, Google spent $950,000 on lobbying activities.  That represents an increase of 8.0 percent compared to the $880,000 it spent last quarter, and an increase of a whopping 30.1 percent compared to the $730,000 it spent during the second quarter of 2008.

Our elected representatives might want to get used to running into Googlers around Washington.  A fresh lobbying report indicates that Google’s ramped up its efforts in this area by quite a bit.

Between April 1st and June 30th, Google spent $950,000 on lobbying activities.  That represents an increase of 8.0 percent compared to the $880,000 it spent last quarter, and an increase of a whopping 30.1 percent compared to the $730,000 it spent during the second quarter of 2008.

Our elected representatives might want to get used to running into Googlers around Washington.  A fresh lobbying report indicates that Google’s ramped up its efforts in this area by quite a bit.

Between April 1st and June 30th, Google spent $950,000 on lobbying activities.  That represents an increase of 8.0 percent compared to the $880,000 it spent last quarter, and an increase of a whopping 30.1 percent compared to the $730,000 it spent during the second quarter of 2008.

Our elected representatives might want to get used to running into Googlers around Washington.  A fresh lobbying report indicates that Google’s ramped up its efforts in this area by quite a bit.

Between April 1st and June 30th, Google spent $950,000 on lobbying activities.  That represents an increase of 8.0 percent compared to the $880,000 it spent last quarter, and an increase of a whopping 30.1 percent compared to the $730,000 it spent during the second quarter of 2008.

Microsoft has announced the release (to manufacturing) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the next versions of its desktop and server operating systems.

"With the completion of this development phase, industry partners are readying products in time for the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 worldwide general launches," the company said in a statement.

Amazon.com is partnering with the University of Michigan to reprint 400,000 titles that are no longer under copyright protection or are out of print.

Amazon’s BookSurge unit will print and bind the books in soft cover and they will be available on the site for $10 to $45 depending on the length.

We’ll leave it to you whether or not Facebook’s founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, deserves the label "visionary."  But in a recent interview, 25-year-old Zuckerberg revealed that he is indeed considering what’ll happen a long ways down the road.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Digg before, right? For the few of you that may have been in the dark for, oh I don’t know, the last three plus years, let me explain the service.

Hulu has made a few changes to how it presents its search results, as well as the site’s "most popular" and "recently added" pages. Most noticeably, Hulu has abandoned the two-column approach in favor of a more "prominent placement of the show Hulu thinks you are looking for.

South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit Craigslist filed against him and 16 South Carolina Circuit Solicitors.  And according to the defendants’ memorandum, civilization itself may well end if Craigslist wins.