Internet Explorer 9 got off to a good start in terms of impressing reviewers, and it's also doing rather well in terms of winning over users, according to new data from Microsoft. A Microsoft employee indicated this morning that IE9′s early adoption rate is putting IE8′s launch to shame. Ryan Gavin, Senior Director of Internet Explorer Business and Marketing, wrote on the Exploring IE blog today,

Some mobile phones don't do much more than make and receive phone calls and texts. Others almost function as pocket-sized computers. But engineers have now made interesting changes to Facebook's primary mobile site ) m.facebook.com ( that should allow it to better serve all users. People with modern smartphones shouldn't worry that this is a step backward; Facebook hasn't decided to simplify everything for the sake of a few devices that would be better off in museums.

We seem to have by and large gotten past the period in which investors lived in constant fear of crashes; people no longer use terms like "double dip" and "depression" on an everyday basis. There will never come a time when investors won't want quick access to financial info, though, and so Google's made some changes to its mobile search results that should meet with their approval. English-speaking folks with Android devices )running at least Android 2.

Citizens of Iraq and Tunisia who are lucky enough to have Internet connections may now find it easier to conduct Web searches. Today, Google announced the launch of the local search domains google.iq and google.tn for the two countries. This is in many ways an interesting development. For starters, it's almost impossible not to think about the political and military turmoil in both countries )and in Tunisia in particular( and what effects Google's move might have.

It's a good bet that Googlers who believed the corporation should leave China are now saying "I told you so" to those who argued it should stay. Today, there's word of yet another problem in the country, as three local companies owned by Google have been accused of violating tax laws. Indeed, according to a report that appeared in the Economic Times )a state-run newspaper(, the companies have in fact been found guilty of violating laws and penalized for it.

The phrase "wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy" apparently doesn't apply to Microsoft's antitrust-related examinations at the hands of the European Commission. Late yesterday, Microsoft announced that it's filing a complaint about Google with the organization. Microsoft's own experiences with the European Commission are well-documented. Since 1993, it's had several run-ins,

Irony alert: privacy advocates may have the gigantic misstep known as Google Buzz to thank if and when a "Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights" comes into existence. Senator John Kerry stated today that the new agreement between Google and the FTC underscores the need for that sort of document. Interestingly, Kerry didn't choose to criticize either organization. The FTC proved that "[b]aseline privacy protections in law remain common sense," the politician said,

Five days ago, employees of the Bronx Zoo in New York discovered that a venomous Egyptian cobra was missing from its habitat. The incident has caused more laughter than panic, though, thanks to a comical Twitter account that's getting all sorts of attention. " Bronx Zoo's Cobra " adopts the perspective of the escaped snake, and has the creature more or less taking a tour of the city.

Earlier this month, Gowalla made a splash at SXSW in Austin, seeing all sorts of check-ins and earning the conference's top award in the mobile category. Now )although there probably isn't a true cause and effect(, the company's going to press that advantage by opening an office in the UK. Gowalla CEO Josh Williams spilled the news onstage today at the GeeknRolla conference in London. Martin Bryant reported, "Williams discussed how,

Google's sites are famous for their clean, minimalist designs. Microsoft has managed to make Bing eye-catching through the use of amazing photos. Meanwhile, Yahoo . . . is just Yahoo. But that might soon change, as Yahoo's appointed an SVP of User Experience Design. That title should grant Tim Parsey the power to do more than switch a font or alter the color scheme of a single site.

When picking a Web browser, "green" individuals and laptop users with limited access to electrical outlets should perhaps give Internet Explorer 9 a try. New data shows that it can beat the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera when it comes to power consumption. So no one thinks we've overlooked the fact: yes, the data comes from a Microsoft research team. A post on the IEBlog detailed the testing process at great length, though,

"President of Time Warner Global Media Group" is an impressive title. "Senior Vice President of Time Warner" isn't bad, either. But the titles )and accompanying salary( apparently weren't enough to keep Mark D'Arcy at the organization, as Facebook's managed to lure the high-ranking exec away. Geoffrey A.

Retailers and serious shoppers alike may have reason to celebrate today. The third generation of Google Commerce Search )"our search solution for e-commerce websites"( is here, and it introduces several upgrades that should result in a better online shopping experience and perhaps greater sales. First up is search-as-you-type technology, which should be familiar to everyone thanks to Google Instant. Next,

There's bad news for Google in China this month as the country's largest Web portal has stopped using )and thereby promoting( Google's main product. Sina will now rely on search technology of its own rather than allow Google's search engine to serve its users. A quick nod to glass-half-full types: this development might work in Google's favor if lots of Sina users notice a decrease in search quality and draw attention to the issue, essentially giving Google free PR.

College students with programming skills should start thinking about whether taking a long break or slaving away at a retail store is really the best way to spend this summer. A certain search giant announced today that it's now accepting applications for the 2011 Google Summer of Code. If you're not familiar with the concept, a post on the Google Open Source Blog explained,

Again and again, Yahoo executives have stressed that the company isn't going anywhere; they've said its search pact with Microsoft, for example, isn't a sign that it's giving up. And now, one exec has made a much more forceful assertion, indicating that Yahoo intends to make lots of acquisitions this year. Steven Mitzenmacher holds the title "Senior Director, Corporate Development" at Yahoo.

A new employee at Google may need little introduction to other members of the team. Indeed, depending on how much they love Java, it's even possible he'll get asked to sign a few autographs. That's because Google has hired James Gosling, the creator of Java. Gosling left Sun Microsystems in 2010 after working there for about 16 years, and has presumably received all sorts of job offers since. He acknowledged in a blog post today,

GSI Commerce, a public company that deals in ecommerce and interactive marketing services, should soon be the property of eBay. eBay announced this morning that it intends to acquire GSI for a whopping $2.4 billion. GSI has built up an impressive business in some respects. Its clients include Adidas, Bath & Body Works, FAO Schwarz, Godiva, HP, Major League Baseball, Mattel, the NBA, the NFL, PBS, RadioShack, and Zales, among many other noteworthy organizations.

A man who's fielded questions about wars and the economy on an international stage might soon start to help a certain social network present itself in a more positive light. Word is that Facebook would like to hire former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. Andrew Ross Sorkin broke the story late last night, reporting, "Facebook is in talks to hire Robert Gibbs, President Obama's former White House press secretary,

Check-in company Foursquare may itself be on the move in a sense. Although nothing's certain just yet, its cofounder and CEO, Dennis Crowley, has gone on the record stating that he'd like to establish an office in the UK rather soon. Emma Barnett wrote earlier today after interviewing Crowley, "He said that they would like to open up a Foursquare office in the UK at 'some point during the next year.' However,