First Bytes: Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple, more...

-- It's on. Yahoo turned down a sweetened offer from Microsoft and Carl Icahn over the weekend, setting up a showdown at the embattled internet's company's Aug. 1 annual shareholder's meeting. Microsoft wants Yahoo's search business in order to gain share against Google, and offered to guarantee Yahoo $2.3 billion in annual revenue from search advertising for five years. Yahoo declined, calling the offer undervalued, and said it would accept $33 per share for the whole company. Microsoft and Icahn didn't bite. Yet. [Portfolio.com, Reuters]

-- Apple iPhone developers are using crafty tactics to get their own software to the front of the line at the Apple App Store. Critics are comparing the action to that of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who apparently cut ahead of other iPhone 3G purchasers. So what's new -- has anyone read the phone book lately? Oh. [Gizmodo, News.com]

-- In at a welcome trend, uber-tech-blogger Jason Calacanis resigned from blogging, saying that he would prefer to communicate with a smaller group of friends through an email list. Hist first post email was promptly posted to blogs. [Center Networks]

-- Set your TiVos for the U.S. Senate MicroYahoogle hearing Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Is the Yahoo-Google search ad tie-up legal? Fireworks on C-Span, check your local listings. [U.S. Senate]

-Sam Gustin