Google's Second-Quarter Profit Quadruples, Washingtonpost.com, 21 July 2005

“Although Google's earnings and revenue continue to rise at a rapid clip, some of the gains weren't quite as large as in recent quarters _ something that often happens as companies get bigger and the comparisons become tougher. For instance, in the first quarter, Google's earnings surged to a more than sixfold improvement. Google's biggest advantage remains the enduring popularity of its search engine, which continues to have a significant lead over its closest rival, Yahoo. That factor is crucial, because every search request submitted to Google or one of its business partners provides the company with another chance to present the ad links that generate revenue each time they are clicked upon.”

Full Story at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/21/AR2005072101563_2.html?nav=rss_technology



Update: Google's Q2 revenue shoots through the roof, InfoWorld, 21 July 2005

“Google had revenue of $1.38 billion, up 98 percent compared with 2004's second quarter. Excluding $494 million that Google paid to its ad network partners, a portion of revenue often called traffic acquisition costs, revenue was $886 million. Google remains "intently focused" on business opportunities outside the U.S. The company also continues to address the problem of click fraud, and it has been able to keep it under control. Another area Google is focusing on is video search and indexing, through its Google Video search engine and its playback mechanism.”

Full Story at http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/07/21/HNgoogleprofit_1.html



Microsoft profit up,shares off on outlook, Reuters, 21 July 2005

“Microsoft Corp.'s fourth-quarter profit rose nearly 40 percent on a tax gain and strong demand for personal computers using its software, but a weaker-than-expected revenue outlook fanned fears growth is slowing, and shares fell 2 percent. Microsoft would get a boost from the release of the company's next-generation Xbox 360 gaming console this year, new database software and contract renewals for the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn.”

Full Story at http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2005-07-22T004323Z_01_N21442805_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESS-TECH-MICROSOFT-EARNS-DC.XML



Microsoft's 4Q Profits Up 37 Percent, Yahoo.com, 22 July 2005

“Microsoft Corp. reported a 37 percent jump in fourth-quarter profits Thursday, citing strong sales across an array of products, from servers to the company's growing Xbox video game business. Liddell cited a bigger-than-expected uptick in demand for personal computers, and double-digit growth in sales of servers and tools, as well as Xbox consoles, video games and online game service subscriptions.”

Full Story at http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050722/ap_on_hi_te/earns_microsoft



China Internet users grow 18 pct to hit 103 million, Yahoo.com, 22 July 05

“The number of Web users in China, the world's second largest Internet market, grew by 9 million people in the first half of this year to hit 103 million. State media previously predicted 120 Chinese million would be surfing the Web by the end of the year as computers find their way into more homes and domestic telecoms networks grow. The burgeoning online gaming market proved especially lucrative, with Internet gamers spending 4 billion yuan on virtual equipment for their online alter-egos in the first six months”

Full Story at http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050722/wr_nm/china_internet_dc



FTC Targets X-Rated Spam, eWeek.com, 21 July 2005

“The Federal Trade Commission has charged seven companies with violating federal laws that require labels on e-mail containing sexually explicit content. Suits filed in U.S. District Court Wednesday seek civil penalties against TJ Web Productions, Cyberheat Inc. and Impulse Media. The other four companies involved in the enforcement action settled with the commission, for a total of $1.15 million.”

Full Story at http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1839536,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594



Microsoft: CSI for the FTC, Internetnews.com, 20 July 2005

“The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought charges against seven companies whose affiliates broke federal anti-spam laws, with help from Microsoft investigators. In addition to lacking the required subject line, the FTC charged that the e-mails contained neither opt-out mechanisms nor a street address; both are required for all commercial e-mails. FTC investigators pored through the hundreds of thousands of e-mails submitted by consumers to identify targets, Kraden said. Then, the agency enlisted Microsoft, which did a similar analysis on its own spam archive, gleaned from over 130,000 "trap accounts."

Full Story at http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3521821



UK regulator wants powers to stop the spammers, The register, 20 July 2005

“The Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO), enforcer of the UK's main anti-spam laws, has received around 600 spam complaints in the past 12 months. But it has taken no legal action, in part because its powers are inadequate and impractical. All of these cases were under the Data Protection Act and concerned either failures to notify the ICO of data processing (a basic requirement that affects most organisations), or unlawful obtaining of personal data without the consent of the data controller (cases that tended to involve dishonesty, not ignorance or carelessness). Most sentences were fines – ranging from £70 to £1,600. Three sentences were conditional discharges – two of 12 months, one of 18 months.”

Full Story at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/20/uk_regulator_seeks_power_to_stop_spammers/

MS buys FrontBridge, buys into Finjan, The Register, 20 July 2005

“The FrontBridge acquisition will see Microsoft deliver a set of services to enforce compliance through archiving of e-mail and ensure system availability by blocking spam and viruses. Financial terms of the deal were not released. Separately, Microsoft has signed a non-exclusive worldwide agreement to license patents for computer security technologies with Finjan.”

Full Story at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/20/microsoft_frontbridge/



Microsoft to buy e-mail security firm FrontBridge

“The software giant will integrate FrontBridge's corporate messaging protection with its Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail product. The FrontBridge deal follows an announcement Microsoft made earlier in the day that it was investing in Finjan Software, a security company that has developed behavior-based software to block viruses and spyware. In buying privately held FrontBridge, Microsoft will inherit a spat between that company and MessageOne, an e-mail recovery start-up led by Adam Dell.”

Full Story at http://news.com.com/Microsoft+to+buy+email+security+firm+FrontBridge/2100-7350_3-5797141.html?part=rss&tag=5797141&subj=news



MessageLabs Strengthens Financial Services Portfolio With Key Customer Win, MessageLab, 19 July 2005

“MessageLabs announced that it has been selected by Australian financial services provider Credit Union Services Corporation Australia Limited (CUSCAL), to protect its 300 email users from viruses and spam. A central web-based management console allows CUSCAL to view data and statistics on the financial institution’s use of MessageLabs’ services. Administrators can configure email security controls to suit particular user requirements and can specify policies controlling outbound and inbound traffic, providing a balance between safety and useability. This gives CUSCAL greater control over the email content reaching its network and helps to ensure it meets acceptable email usage policies.”

Full Story at http://www.messagelabs.com/news/pressreleases/detail/default.asp?contentItemId=1428®ion=



Kaspersky to buy Spamest Project, InfoWorld, 20 July 2005
“Moscow-based security software company Kaspersky Lab on Wednesday announced plans to acquire a set of e-mail filtering software and services known as the Spamtest Project. Spamtest is already used in a number of Kaspersky's antispam products.
In addition to the Spamtest e-mail filtering software, Kaspersky is also purchasing the spamtest.ru online scanning service and an online magazine by the same name, the company said in a statement. Terms of the deal were not released, but Kaspersky said it expects to complete the acquisition in about two months.”

Full Story at http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/07/20/HNspamtest_1.html



Skype embraces video phones, CentNews, 20 July 2005

“Internet telephony operator Skype has tens of millions of users but envisions attracting billions with the help of video phones, says the man who co-founded the company. Analysts believe businesses will be the first adopters of video telephony, mainly as a way to cut down on travel costs associated with in-person meetings. Consumers are less likely to adopt such a service until the price of phones drops to affordable levels--below $100 each.”

Full Story at http://news.com.com/Skype+embraces+video+phones/2100-1034_3-5796942.html?part=rss&tag=5796942&subj=news



Simplicity Is Key in VOIP Migration, eWeek, 18 July 2005

“For many organizations, migrating to IP networking means adding numerous pieces of equipment. VOIP systems can include media servers, gateways, voice mail servers, switches, routers and firewalls, all of which can be housed in separate boxes. Recently, some of the large vendors have begun offering new managed services to help ensure that all the disparate equipment works together once deployed. Industry giants with a long-standing customer base around the world can leverage embedded legacy systems. What Provident needed was a VOIP system based on open standards. It found one at Zultys Technologies, in Sunnyvale, Calif.”

Full Story at http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1839144,00.asp



UK workers still circulating lewd and racist email, The register, 20 July 2005

“A third (34 per cent) of 2,000 UK office workers quizzed in a YouGov survey have been sent sexually explicit or racist material by colleagues. Meanwhile 140 of those quizzed (or seven per cent) admitted emailing company-confidential information outside their organisation. Security firm Clearswift, which sponsored the survey, said that the survey showed that making sure outgoing email complied with email security policies ought to be as high a priority as fending off inbound computer virus and worms.”

Full Story at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/20/email_abuse_survey/

StrongMail Updates E-Mail Platform, Online Media Daily, 18 July 2005

“In an attempt to cut down on bounce-backs and placement in spam filters, e-mail infrastructure provider StrongMail Systems today is expected to release a retooled version of its application server. The platform now will include a live updating feature, which provides automated compliance with the major Internet service providers' fluctuating bounce-back and spam-filtering standards, and a bounce management device for monitoring delivery rates more clearly.”

Full Story at http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=32148




News Corp. Buys Intermix for $580 Mil., iMedia Connectio, 19 July 2005

“News Corp. announced it will buy Intermix Media Inc., owner of MySpace.com social networking site, for $580 million. News Corp. also announced the creation of Fox Interactive Media, an online hub for its Fox news, sports and entertainment programming. With the acquisition of Intermix Media, News Corp. is more than tripling its reach among U.S. internet users. By adding MySpace to their portfolio, News Corp. has now positioned itself as a market leader in the social networking arena, as well as increasing its exposure to the teenage market.”

Full Story at http://www.imediaconnection.com/news/6352.asp



Commtouch Reports June Spam Trends: Small Countries are Big on Spam; Porn is on the Rise, Commtouch, 18 July 2005

“The Commtouch Spam Detection Center recorded about 28,260,000 new spam outbreaks during the month of June, or 942,000 new outbreaks per day. South Korea, China and the United States continue to distribute the lion’s share of global spam, but Commtouch analysis shows that smaller countries are gaining ground. In only three or four months, the three spam superpowers’ share of global spam dropped from a full 70% to about 50%. The other half of global spam originates from diverse locations, including Europe, South America and Taiwan.”

Full Story at http://www.commtouch.com//Site/News_Events/pr_content.asp?news_id=415&cat_id=1



Consumer Demand for Rich Multimedia Mobile Email Creates MMS Growth Opportunity for Mobile Operators; Critical Path and Adamind Answer Demand with the Integration of Adamind MediaSpire(TM) in Memova(TM) Mobile, Critical Path, 19 July 2005

“Memova Mobile works with MMS-enabled mobile phones many consumers are already using, requiring no additional software or hardware upgrades. With Memova Mobile, email messages sent to email services, such as Hotmail, Yahoo! or Gmail, are pushed to the user's mobile phone. As a result of integrating Adamind MediaSpire, users are able to receive and view multimedia content and respond by voice to emails received on the phone. Voice responses are recorded as AMR files and sent as WAV file email messages, eliminating the need to type responses on phone keypads. Critical Path's Memova Mobile solution provides consumers with a rich mobile email experience and helps operators to grow data revenues by leveraging consumer desires to share multimedia content via email.”

Full Story at http://www.criticalpath.net/en/76/news/?news=731750



Blue Frog Antispam Tech Targets Spamvertized Sites, Yahoo.com, 19 July 2005

“Blue Security's approach uses the carrot-and-stick method to reduce spam. Spammers are asked to adhere to a Do Not Intrude Registry of people who do not wish to receive unwanted e-mail. Users of Blue Frog receive a "honeypot" address that Blue Security advertises publicly. When spammers send unwanted e-mail to those addresses, Blue Frog responds with a warning to stop. If warnings are ignored, the Blue Frogs installed on Blue Community members' machines automatically post complaints on the Web sites advertised by the spammers. For each spam message received by the community, a single complaint is posted.”

Full Story at http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nf/20050719/tc_nf/37365



Trend Micro fights spam based on reputation, CnetNews, 19 July 2005

“The Trend Micro Network Reputation Services aim to stop spam using a list of IP addresses that are known to be sending spam or should not be sending e-mail at all. These include open e-mail relays and proxies, and IP addresses used for dial-up Internet users. Trend Micro offers two versions of the services, a basic real-time black-listing service and an enhanced version with dynamic protection against spam-sending zombie PCs.”

Full Story at http://news.com.com/Trend+Micro+fights+spam+based+on+reputation/2110-7355_3-5795185.html?part=rss&tag=5795185&subj=news



Yahoo revenue disappoints, shares drop, Yahoo.com, 20 July 05

“Yahoo Inc. posted a more than 40 percent rise in quarterly revenue on Tuesday but failed to meet Wall Street expectations, raising concerns about the pace of growth of online advertising and sending the company's shares down 10 percent. Second-quarter revenue, excluding fees the company pays to site owners that carry its search ads, was $875 million, up almost 45 percent but still short of the average Wall Street forecast of $881.8 million.”

Full Story at http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050719/wr_nm/tech_yahoo_earns_dc



Yahoo profit rises, but revenue falls short, CnetNews, 19 July 2005

“For the period ended June 30, the company posted a net income of $754.7 million, or 51 cents a share, excluding traffic acquisition costs. Minus $563 million from the sale of an investment that Yahoo executives declined to specify, the company reported 13 cents a share, in line with analyst estimates and 5 cents above last year. Yahoo plans to improve its search advertising technologies, offer new contextual-targeted opportunities, expand overseas and make acquisitions as needed.”

Full Story at http://news.com.com/Yahoo+profit+rises%2C+but+revenue+falls+short/2100-1030_3-5795280.html?part=rss&tag=5795280&subj=news