Radio Shack

Microsoft plans to open two retail stores in markets where rival Apple has already established a retail presence. The first Microsoft stores will be in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mission Viejo, Calif.

Microsoft's placement of stores is strategic as the company moves to locate some of its stores close to Apple retail stores. It has reportedly hired former Apple real-estate guru George Blankenship to handle the job as a consultant.

Expectations for Palm's newest smartphone proved too high to meet. In the days after the Pre went on sale on June 6, shoppers complained of shortages. Investors fretted that sales may suffer unless Palm does a better job of supplying handsets amid a fierce rivalry with Apple, which on June 8 cut the price of its iPhone.

Jen Resnick, a 44-year-old acupuncturist from Brooklyn, N.Y., embodies those concerns. By the time she stopped at a Sprint Nextel store in Manhattan on June 8, the Pre had been sold out for two days. "It makes me [want to] consider the iPhone instead," Resnick says.

Part 1 of "My Life as a Crime Fighter: The Case of the Predator Psychiatrist" can be found HERE.
[Note: Some names and details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals, especially the victims.]
Wearing a Wire

Sprint Nextel expects strong Palm Pre sales when it debuts on June 6, so much that CEO Dan Hesse has warned investors that there may be shortages.

"We don't intend to advertise it heavily early on because we think we are going to have shortages for a while," Hesse said. "We won't be able to keep up with demand for the device in the early period of time."

The eagerly awaited Palm Pre smartphone will be available on Saturday, June 6, in the U.S. for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year service contract with Sprint Nextel.

Besides Sprint stores, the Palm Pre will be sold online and at Best Buy, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart. Buyers will have a choice of Sprint's Simply Everything unlimited plan for $99.99 a month, an $89.99 plan with 900 minutes, or $69.99 for 450 minutes. Palm will also offer a wireless Touchstone charger kit for $69.99.

Clearwire says it remains on track to launch its Clear-branded WiMAX 4G service in Atlanta next month, with Las Vegas slated for a late summer launch and Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas/Fort Worth scheduled for rollouts later in the year.

Recycling used electronics is pretty important – arguably more important than recycling paper and plastic. E-waste is loaded with toxic heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. Such chemicals are bad for the environment, but worse for the impoverished citizens of developing countries who all too often need to earn their living by crudely mining valuable metals out of our discarded computers, TVs and cell phones.