Because we know just how much you like to know exactly whose crapware you'll be removing from your next store-bought desktop or laptop, this is a just a quick heads-up that HP customers worldwide can soon expect to be confronted with portals, toolbars, and default search settings courtesy of AOL (which also happens to own Engadget parent network Weblogs Inc.). Since it was almost exactly a year ago that HP made a similar deal with Yahoo, we can only assume that AOL has pushed its rival off of HP machines altogether, extending its current agreement to provide only the co-branded portal for domestically-sold rigs. Perhaps the best news here is that for those folks who haven't bought a PC in several years, the pre-loaded AOL software may provided a much-needed connection back to the days of dial-up in this scary new world of broadband, Vista, and MySpace.

Well folks, we told you just over three weeks ago about "advanced talks" between Verizon and YouTube, and it looks like as of today, the two lovebirds have just tied the knot officially. with their joint service will launch next month. However, there are a couple of points to take stock of: first, it's exclusively on Verizon, which means it's going to run on V CAST -- costing you an extra $15 a month, that is, assuming you have a V CAST-capable handset. (According to one analyst, Roger Entner, only about 10 percent of Verizon's 20 million users with such phones have signed up for the service so far.) Second, Verizon's exclusivity is only going to be for "a short time," and it's more than likely that T-Mobile, Sprint, Cingular and friends have already been knocking at YouTube's door. Third, as you probably know, YouTube is a two-way street (you know, that whole "user-generated" thing we've been hearing so much about) and as such, Reuters is reporting that you'll be able to post videos directly from your handset with the use of a "five-digit short code instead of an email address." Finally, the Mercury News points out that you won't have access to all of YouTube, just what Verizon decides that you'll want via its proprietary YouTube channel. So that means you can probably forget about catching episodes of "Ask A Ninja" on your bus ride home. Still, diluted YouTube is better than no YouTube; we can almost hear thousands of freshly-bought VX9900s flipping open to check out the content already.

Read - Reuters
Read - San Jose Mercury News

We love it when a plan comes together. You may remember how a few months back we reported that Cox Communications sent a questionnaire to its (non-cable) customers asking them if a TiVo-powered DVR service would convince them to make the switch from satellite; well apparently the response must have been a resounding "yes!", as the two companies have officially announced a partnership that will enable Cox subscribers to gain all of that TiVo goodness with little to no effort on their part. Beginning sometime in the first half of next year, Cox digital cable customers with DVR service will have the option of downloading TiVo software directly to their existing set-top boxes -- no aggravating service calls required. It seems like everything is going right for TiVo these days: they've got Comcast and Cox under their belts, the Series 3 box almost out the door, a shiny new Emmy to flaunt, and a courtroom victory against Echostar that (assuming it holds up) will make investors very happy. TiVo Deathwatch, be gone, and let the TiVo House Party commence!

In a move probably intended to placate investors after a disastrous second quarter -- recently-reported net losses of $282 million were even higher than expected -- Kodak has announced that it will shift the manufacturing of its digital cameras over to Singapore-based Flextronics International. Although Kodak will continue to "develop the high-level system design, product look and feel, and user experience" of the cameras, Flextronics will acquire most of the company's Digital Product Center in Japan, and will be responsible for the assembly, production, and testing of the entire lineup. As part of the deal -- which Kodak hopes will help bring products to market more quickly as well as control costs -- about 550 of its employees will be transplanted to Flextronics facilities in China. While Kodak is currently the number one seller of digital cameras in the US, it's been difficult for the company to make the transition from film, with 100,000 workers having lost their jobs since 1988. Assuming that the requisite conditions are met and regulators give the thumbs up, the two companies plan to seal the deal before the end of the current quarter.

[Via LetsGoDigital]

The invisible hand of capitalism has pushed yet another major electronics manufacturer from one of its traditional businesses, as declining profits and product commodification have convinced Pioneer Corp. to drop out of the DVD recorder game. Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun is reporting that its recording division's recent cash hemorrhaging has convinced the company which "pioneered" the commercial burner to cut its losses and form a strategic partnership with Panasonic-parent Matsushita, whose next-gen optical disc technology may help Pioneer succeed in the decidedly less-crowded Blu-ray recorder market. Pioneer will now begin to shift its focus to its more profitable in-vehicle electronics division, which is responsible for many of the popular navigation and in-dash entertainment products on the worldwide market.