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Advertisers look to grassroots marketing
Perhaps the best Sony "ad" last year was created by a customer. In a world
where blogs are as common as bumper stickers and YouTube
has made viral videos as hot as Napster downloads were in their
heyday, it's no wonder marketers are looking to John Q. Public for
ideas. CNET 4/4/6
Too much ado about Net neutrality?
As lawmakers debate, Verizon's CTO says all his company wants to
do is be able to manage its network. CNET 3/31/6 Broadband
Digital divide starts to close
African-Americans are steadily gaining access to and ease with the
Internet, signaling a remarkable closing of the "digital divide"
many experts had worried would be a crippling disadvantage in
achieving success. NYTimes.com 3/31/6
Comcast, Time Warner back Cablevision DVR plan
Comcast and Time Warner Cable on Thursday threw their support
behind fellow cable operator Cablevision's plan to offer a digital
video recording service that can replace DVR boxes. Reuters
3/31/6
Perspective: Time running out on the big carriers Some have described the Regional Bell Operating Companies as "glaciers" because they are slow to innovate, but once started, nearly impossible to stop. Five years ago these RBOC companies lived up to that appellation by grinding to dust the dozens of so-called Competitive Local Exchange Carriers that emerged after the 1996 Telecommunications Act to challenge their hegemony.
But now they face another entrepreneurial challenge from companies that want to lop off the RBOCs' most reliable source of profitability: traditional voice traffic. CNET 2/28/6
carriers
Google
beta offers domains beyond gmail.com Google has launched
a beta for hosted e-mail accounts that feature the user's domain
instead of gmail.com. The hosted-Gmail beta, which is going
head-to-head with a similar beta that Microsoft launched in
November, is offering 2GB of storage, e-mail search tools and a
control panel to manage user accounts, aliases and mailing
lists, as part of its test version. CNET 2/24/6 enhanced
services
Google
unveils Web page creator Google launched on Thursday a
service that lets people create their own Web pages hosted by
the Internet giant. Google Page Creator, which is in beta, has
sample layouts and lets people type in content, upload images
and publish their pages, without knowing HTML. People can create
multiple linked pages and are allowed 100MB of storage on the
service. CNET 2/24/6 marketing
EarthLink,
Google team in S.F. Wi-Fi bid EarthLink has teamed up
with Google on a bid to offer free wireless Internet access
throughout the city of San Francisco and premium service for a
fee, a Google spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The Google-EarthLink
bid was among six presented to the city by Tuesday, the bidding
deadline, according to a statement from the office of San
Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. A review panel is expected to make
recommendations by early April, the statement said. CNET 2/24/6 muni
wi-fi
Tech
CEOs want more wireless airspace Chief executive
officers of some leading tech companies plan to call on Thursday
for the U.S. government to allocate more wireless airspace for
new applications as they emerge. The Technology CEO Council said
on Wednesday it will issue a report urging Congress to order the
Bush administration to analyze which airwaves are not being used
best, and how they might be re-allocated. Reuters 2/24/6 wireless
Salesforce
profit rises on Salesforce.com has posted a higher
quarterly profit as subscribers for the company's Web-based
sales and customer service software surged 76 percent from a
year ago. But the company also issued a current-quarter forecast
that trailed average analyst estimates. Reuters 2/24/6 enhanced
services
Study:
Americans' home Net adoption slowing Americans' home
adoption of the Internet has stalled, and doesn't appear likely
to increase much in the next few years, according to a new
research report issued Thursday. About 64 percent of Americans
had some form of Internet access at home in 2005, said
Dallas-based Parks Associates. That's up from 62 percent in
2004, the research firm reported, while also predicting that
Internet adoption will grow only 3 percentage points by 2009.
CNET 2/24/6 broadband
Disney
on demand surfaces on Verizon Verizon has launched a
full suite of Walt Disney content on its broadband service and
Fios TV on-demand platform. ABC News, Disney Online, ESPN and
Movies.com are among the Disney-owned contributors to the
Verizon offerings, the companies said Thursday. The two
companies first announced a broad content deal in September.
CNET 2/24/6 content
Should
content providers pay for better Net infrastructure?
Internet content providers such as Google should pay for using
new super-fast Internet access, Deutsche Telekom said in a
report published Thursday. In an interview with German weekly
WirtschaftsWoche, Deutsche Telekom said the sector was debating
charging companies like retailer Amazon.com and auction site
eBay for offering their services over the Internet. Reuters
2/23/6 content
Will Yahoo ban bids on trademarks?
Bloggers are reporting that Yahoo will no longer allow advertisers to bid for trademarked terms they don't own.
CNET 2/23/6 marketing
Bills would boost unlicensed Wi-Fi Wireless Internet service providers would be allowed to operate freely on new chunks of unused TV spectrum, according to two new bills in the U.S. Senate. CNET 2/21/6
wi-fi
Google admits Desktop security risk Businesses have been warned by research company Gartner that the latest Google Desktop Beta has an "unacceptable security risk," and Google agrees. CNET 2/20/5
enhanced value
Chicago Gears Up for Wireless Broadband The nationwide rush to go wireless appears poised to extend to its biggest city yet. Chicago is launching an effort to offer wireless broadband, city officials said Friday, jumping on the Wi-Fi bandwagon as similar initiatives proceed in Philadelphia, San Francisco and smaller cities. AP 2/20/5
Wi-Fi broadband
Justice Department's assault on Google to backfire? The U.S. Department of Justice's attempt to compel Google to divulge millions of search records could backfire on police and prosecutors. If Google convinces California courts that a federal privacy law protects Internet users' search terms from a subpoena, it would become more difficult for law enforcement to seek such records in future criminal investigations, legal experts are saying. CNET 2/21/6
marketing
SNL cult hit yanked from video-sharing site A hip-hopping "Saturday Night Live" skit that sparked a Web craze has been removed from a popular free video-sharing site at the request of NBC, which cited copyright concerns. CNET 2/17/6
marketing
NBC partnerships build new Olympic platforms It's unlikely that even the most ardent Olympics fan can sit at home to watch all 418 hours of NBC's coverage from Turin, Italy. The network, therefore, pumped up its online presence and entered alliances with Google, ESPN.com, Apple Computer, TV Guide, MobiTV, Zingy and other companies to extend its reach far beyond the television set. Reuters 2/17/6
content
Plug-in Internet connection to test on Long Island
The Long Island Power Authority said it would test technology to deliver Internet connections through electrical outlets.
The New York Times 2/17/6 broadband
Senators can't agree on municipal broadband rules When cities create wireless networks, should the federal government restrict their efforts, promote them, or let individual states decide the ground rules? CNET 2/17/6
broadband
Wi-Fi sharing company wins Skype, Google backing A wireless communications start-up in Spain that is partly a grass-roots social movement seeking to encourage users to share Internet access with their neighbors is set to announce on Monday $21.7 million in funding from big name backers, such as Skype Technologies and Google. Reuters 2/17/6
broadband
Can DSL handle success? After getting piles of mail from Verizon Communications about its new $14.95 DSL service, Barbara Cerney finally decided to ditch dial-up. But when she called Verizon to sign on, she got an unpleasant surprise. CNET 2/17/6
broadband
Rock's living history, streamed online In 1970, 20-year-old student Bill Sagan had his first real brush with rock and roll history at an early Led Zeppelin concert at Chicago's fabled Aragon Ballroom. Now the entrepreneur owns one of rock's biggest treasure troves of recorded shows by Zeppelin and other history-making bands, and he's beginning to share it freely online. CNET 2/17/6
content
Rumors mount over Google's Internet plan Google is working on a project to create its own global IP network, a private alternative to the Internet controlled by the search giant, according to sources who are in commercial negotiation with the company. 2/3/5 Times of London
marketing
Despite mergers, tech and media to remain separate? Media and technology will remain separate industries, experts agreed this week, despite talk of convergence and high-profile acquisitions of technology companies by media giants. CNET 2/10/6
marketing - TA
Editor Note: An insightful article in that it showcases
the blurring of lines between "content creators" (the
media) and "content distributors" (technology
companies). The critical question here is who owns the consumer
the most, the media creator or the media distributor?
Vonage: An IPO filing like it's 1999
Critics say profit-challenged Vonage is going to have a tough time convincing Wall Street that it's a good investment.
CNET 2/10/5
Without 'Net neutrality,' will consumers pay twice? The debate over whether broadband providers should be allowed to prioritize the traffic they carry and to charge companies to ship data via their networks is about to get its second airing in Washington. CNET 2/10/6
Using cell phones to track employees Advances in mobile phone tracking technology are turning British firms into cybersleuths as they keep a virtual eye on their staff, vehicles and stock. Reuters 2/10/5 cellular
AT&T brings new low to DSL prices AT&T announced on Thursday that it has cut introductory prices on its high speed Internet service to the lowest level yet: $12.99 per month. CNET 2/10/6
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