The new version of the BBC iPlayer is due to be released tomorrow, with features lots of us have been waiting for. The most important below:

• Full integration for TV as well as Radio
• A rewind and Fast-forward function for Radio, as per TV
• Easier Navigation, including Last Played option
• Combined categories for TV and Radio, allowing easier access to relevant content
• Larger TV viewing area
• A TV Schedule for viewer planning

So all-in-all a better experience for your online pleasure. But then we do actually pay a license fee for this stuff, so maybe we should demand it. Either way the iPlayer should be a bit more user friendly for the future after the updates.

After all the talks have turned to nothing, and shareholders prepare to oust the current board, there are tiny whisperings that maybe the Microsoft/Yahoo deal isn’t over - just yet.

Most of this is speculation, but there are already rumours about a renewed bid, far below what Microsoft originally offered. So is it just more gossip? Or (tin-hat time now I think) is it Microsoft using the public to revise interest in an otherwise dead pursuit? Maybe it’s true and Yahoo aren’t interested. Or maybe Jerry Yang has realised all the bad press for his failure to accept Microsoft’s offer has meant he’s had to go crawling back to accept a worse offer and retain his position in the company? All these questions, and only time will give us the answers.. Original source is this Reuters Article

Mozilla are reporting the downloads for Firefox 3 have surpassed their expectations and will go into the Guiness Book of World Records - with 8.3 million downloads. The officials for the famous records publication are looking into the claim and checking the results before the number is officially announced. Of course if only 1 copy of Firefox was downloaded, it would still have beaten the record - which doesn’t exist yet! But hey, it’s great publicity for the open source browser.

Firefox 3 is available for download from here right now. As you know if you’re a regular reader of the blog, I’ve been trialling the latest release builds and I can’t recommend them enough. Very stable and quick with improved security and features. If you think you’ll pick up the latest version, make sure you do it within the next 24 hours - Mozilla are trying to get into the Guiness book of World Records for the most downloaded piece of software in a day! Help spread the word!

Yeap - that’s right - in my opinion, Yahoo! has definitely done the wrong thing. They have struck a deal with Google, so that their search results display Google-ads. Why would Yahoo do this? Sure you can understand the temporary shareholder value increase, but in the long term can only spell death for the search engine.

So the company is worth more, at least in the eyes of the shareholders and Microsoft, but does that mean Microsoft are interested anymore? I don’t think so. Of course, we can only speculate on the intricacies of the contract struck between Google and Yahoo!, but I’m sure Google have worded the legalise to make sure their ad deal sticks, no matter who buys Yahoo! - you would be stupid not to. By penning this one deal, I think the following will happen:

• Google will remove Yahoo! slowly from the search arena and gain monopolistic proportions themselves - 82% according to ComScore
• Microsoft will instantly been turned off by a Yahoo! deal, partial or otherwise - Jerry Yang’s plan?
• The replacement of Yahoo!’s board with Icahn’s influence may actually carry some weight now
• An anti-trust lawsuit to follow if Yahoo dips out of search?
• Yahoo! to switch tactics and focus fully on community driven projects, with Google supplying the ads

So what next for Yahoo!? It looks as though they’re getting out of the search game to me, either by choice or by Google sucking them dry.. Anyone remember AOL as search? Didn’t think so..

Firefox 3 is nearing it’s completion, with the latest Release Candidate ready for release tomorrow (or at least, that’s the ETA). RC1 has been pretty stable (I’ve been using it on both of my computers now) but does suffer a little with a few websites and some authentication issues I have (which I make sure I send the reports to Mozilla about, like a good Beta tester). Thankfully most of those bugs have been addressed with the latest RC and we can all enjoy the speed increases and usability functions of the new Firefox very soon when it’s released for general consumption within the next month or so. To download the latest RC builds, visit here.

August 1st is the date when a new board will be proposed by Carl Icahn, shareholder and expert at releasing cats amongst pigeons. Mr Icahn has publicly stated he will sack Jerry Yang, one of the co-founders of Yahoo, if he’s successful with his bid, along with a lot of the other directors.

I personally don’t think Carl Icahn is going to be successful with his bid - he’s starting to come across as a bit of a mad man, with his intimations of “showing Microsoft Yahoo! are serious about a deal.” Serious? Don’t you mean desperate? I’m sure Steve Balmer is rubbing his hands with glee at the moment with the negative discourse and division in the Yahoo! camp - ready to pick up the pieces once the dust settles.

No sooner do I mention small laptops, and in particular the Eee PC’s from Asus, than Tech Radar report the Ebox, their soon-to-be-released desktop version.

Completely different to the Xbox (which is what I keep saying as I read it), the Ebox is thought to be Linux based, supporting the same apps as the Eee PC, and is to be unveiled next week. The home user will probably not be able to get their hands on the Ebox for a few months yet unfortunately, but when you can it should make an excellent second PC, as it comes with 160Gb HDD and 2 Gig of RAM.

Well, you can’t actually buy an open source laptop from VIA, but you can download the specs and get the chips from VIA. The laptop itself, featured in a techcrunch article, is another one of those “small form-factor & cheap” deals that everyone seems to be jumping up and down about. Laptops like the OLPC, the Eee PC & Intel’s Classmate. I’ve always thought that if you want a laptop for surfing, get yourself on Ebay and buy a cheap Compaq and install Linux on it. A quick surf reveals one with Windows 98 on for just £10. Of course it won’t win any beauty contests like the others here, and will probably deduct cool points instead of adding them, but it can’t be beaten for surfing.

I don’t know about anyone else here, but are you getting sick of this Microsoft-Yahoo stuff? I’m covering it because it would be silly of me not to, but does anyone really care that much anymore? Microsoft - If you want to buy them, front the cash. Yahoo - If you want to be bought, accept the offer. It’s not difficult is it? And as if to rub salt into the wounds, Microsoft is now considering a different option of a partial buyout of the company. Almost like a compromise between the board of directors and the shareholders - I don’t see how big a deal for Microsoft this would be. Surely it’s all or nothing??