Microsoft Says Pay Up To Try Live Messenger Beta

1. Microsoft Says Pay Up To Try Live Messenger Beta

People who want a look at the beta of Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger should pony up, one of the instant messenger's developers said Wednesday.

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Dec 21 2005


2. Could Google-AOL Deal Benefit Microsoft?

Though losing the high-profile America Online deal to Google is a major blow to Microsoft, the software company could still benefit from the union because customers may see it as a case of Google playing favorites, analysts say.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Dec 21 2005


3. Creator of World Wide Web Starts Blog

World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee has started a blog just in time for the 15th anniversary of his invention.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Dec 21 2005


4. The Men Who Came To Dinner, and What They Said About Email

The three programmers spend their days developing what each hopes will be the world's best email program -- and trying to beat the pants off each other. They spent an evening last week at my dinner table, talking about it all.

For more on this:
- read full story from Wall Street Journal, Dec 21 2005


5. Symantec Antivirus Users At Risk

Just in time for the holidays, Symantec's antivirus programs have been found to have a "highly critical" vulnerability for which there is currently no patch. The Symantec AntiVirus RAR Archive Decompression Buffer Overflow vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain control of a system.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Dec 21 2005


6. IBM to Buy Micromuse for $865M in Cash

ARMONK, N.Y. -- International Business Machines Corp. said Wednesday it agreed to acquire Micromuse Inc., which makes software that manages video and voice traffic on computer networks, for about $865 million in cash.

For more on this:
- read full story from washingtonpost.com, Dec 21 2005


7. China's Lenovo hires former Dell, IBM exec as CEO

Lenovo Group Ltd. , the world's No. 3 personal computer maker, has snared a top executive from rival Dell Inc. to serve as chief executive in a latest challenge to the dominance of the top PC seller.

For more on this:
- read full story from washingtonpost.com, Dec 21 2005


8. AOL tests improved Web mail, new Firefox toolbar

America Online Inc. (AOL) began testing an AOL toolbar this week for the Firefox browser and a version of its Web-mail service that features an integrated calendar, according to an AOL spokeswoman.

For more on this:
- read full story from infoworld, Dec 21 2005


9. Vendors, users dispute FTC report on spam

Some antispam vendors and computer users haven't seen the same picture the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was viewing when it reported Tuesday that many people are receiving less unsolicited commercial e-mail in their inboxes now, compared to two years ago.

For more on this:
- read full story from infoworld, Dec 21 2005


10. MS: Want Windows Live Messenger? Pay.

The only thing hotter than the Xbox 360 this holiday season may be invites to join the Windows Live Messenger beta test. Thankfully, Microsoft has a recommendation for those who can't wait for access to the latest bits: pay for an invitation on eBay.

For more on this:
- read full story from eweek.com, Dec 21 2005

1. Microsoft Says Pay Up To Try Live Messenger Beta

People who want a look at the beta of Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger should pony up, one of the instant messenger's developers said Wednesday.

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Dec 21 2005


2. Could Google-AOL Deal Benefit Microsoft?

Though losing the high-profile America Online deal to Google is a major blow to Microsoft, the software company could still benefit from the union because customers may see it as a case of Google playing favorites, analysts say.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Dec 21 2005


3. Creator of World Wide Web Starts Blog

World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee has started a blog just in time for the 15th anniversary of his invention.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Dec 21 2005


4. The Men Who Came To Dinner, and What They Said About Email

The three programmers spend their days developing what each hopes will be the world's best email program -- and trying to beat the pants off each other. They spent an evening last week at my dinner table, talking about it all.

For more on this:
- read full story from Wall Street Journal, Dec 21 2005


5. Symantec Antivirus Users At Risk

Just in time for the holidays, Symantec's antivirus programs have been found to have a "highly critical" vulnerability for which there is currently no patch. The Symantec AntiVirus RAR Archive Decompression Buffer Overflow vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain control of a system.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Dec 21 2005


6. IBM to Buy Micromuse for $865M in Cash

ARMONK, N.Y. -- International Business Machines Corp. said Wednesday it agreed to acquire Micromuse Inc., which makes software that manages video and voice traffic on computer networks, for about $865 million in cash.

For more on this:
- read full story from washingtonpost.com, Dec 21 2005


7. China's Lenovo hires former Dell, IBM exec as CEO

Lenovo Group Ltd. , the world's No. 3 personal computer maker, has snared a top executive from rival Dell Inc. to serve as chief executive in a latest challenge to the dominance of the top PC seller.

For more on this:
- read full story from washingtonpost.com, Dec 21 2005


8. AOL tests improved Web mail, new Firefox toolbar

America Online Inc. (AOL) began testing an AOL toolbar this week for the Firefox browser and a version of its Web-mail service that features an integrated calendar, according to an AOL spokeswoman.

For more on this:
- read full story from infoworld, Dec 21 2005


9. Vendors, users dispute FTC report on spam

Some antispam vendors and computer users haven't seen the same picture the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was viewing when it reported Tuesday that many people are receiving less unsolicited commercial e-mail in their inboxes now, compared to two years ago.

For more on this:
- read full story from infoworld, Dec 21 2005


10. MS: Want Windows Live Messenger? Pay.

The only thing hotter than the Xbox 360 this holiday season may be invites to join the Windows Live Messenger beta test. Thankfully, Microsoft has a recommendation for those who can't wait for access to the latest bits: pay for an invitation on eBay.

For more on this:
- read full story from eweek.com, Dec 21 2005

Gmail Mobile

1. Gmail Mobile

Now you can access your Gmail account from your mobile phone or device. Just point your phone's web browser to http://m.gmail.com. Your Gmail account stays synched, whether you access it from the web or the mobile interface. It's easy to use and it's free (but yes, your wireless plan could still charge you).

For more on this:
- read full story from gmail.com


2. US 'winning war' on e-mail spam

The number of unsolicited e-mails received in the US appears to be falling thanks to new laws and better technology, a government report says. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said internet users still disliked spam - but most got less than two years ago.

For more on this:
- read full story from BBC News, Dec 20 2005


3. FTC: CAN-SPAM Is Working

The much maligned CAN-SPAM Act is having some effect on reducing unsolicited e-mail two years after its passage, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) insisted Tuesday.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Dec 20 2005


4. Santa IM Worm Making a List

A worm targeting the three major instant messaging (IM) networks is spreading its payload to buddy lists. The IM.GifCom.All worm shows up as an innocuous-seeming URL in a chat message screen, featuring a link to what appears to be a Santa Claus site, said IM security vendor IMlogic, which first discovered the worm Monday.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Dec 20 2005


5. Civil Air Patrol Coordinates Search And Rescue Flights With IM

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) uses instant messaging to coordinate search and rescue flights, Department of Homeland Security missions and disaster response. Initially, CAP’s network team was concerned that instant messaging would expose the organization’s communications infrastructure to a raft of viruses and worms and proposed shutting down all IM.

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Dec 20 2005


6. AOL and Google Formalize Partnership to Include Shared Selling of Ads

America Online formally announced a revived partnership with Google yesterday, a deal that affirmed AOL's value less than a year after a chorus of calls for its parent, Time Warner, to shedthe division as a lost cause.

For more on this:
- read full story from The New York Times, Dec 21 2005


7. Yahoo's hosting clients get blogging software

Yahoo Inc. will make available to subscribers of its Web hosting services the open-source WordPress blog publishing software, both organizations are announcing on Tuesday.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Dec 20 2005


8. Power Line Broadband Comes to Texas

Texans are poised to join a small but growing group of consumers and small business users worldwide who are accessing the Internet over electric power lines.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Dec 20 2005


9. BT's 'reputation damaged' by India outsourcing deal

BT's decision to export some 900 jobs to India has damaged the British company's reputation, according to the Communications Workers Union (CWU).

For more on this:
- read full story from theregister.co.uk, Dec 20 2005

Fresh backing for web phone firm

1. Fresh backing for web phone firm

Broadband phone company Vonage has said it has raised $250m (£142m) to help finance the expansion of its network.

For more on this:
- read full story from BBC News, Dec 19 2005


2. Google 'close to $1bn AOL deal'

Google is expected to announce later this week that it will pay $1bn (£565m) for a 5% stake in America Online. The planned deal, which follows intense negotiations between the two US internet giants, would value Time Warner's troubled AOL unit at $20bn.

For more on this:
- read full story from BBC News, Dec 19 2005



3. Carphone buys up OneTel for £132m

Europe's biggest mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse has splashed out more than £140m on a buying spree in an effort to "compete head on" with BT.

For more on this:
- read full story from BBC News, Dec 19 2005


4. Experts see shares slide as Baidu opens lock-up

Shares of Baidu.com have fallen as much as 9.7 percent since Tuesday, when the company said it would allow insider shareholders to start liquidating their holdings more than a year earlier than was planned at the time of its initial public offering on August 5.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET News.com, Dec 17 2005


5. Yahoo mail beta gets mostly rave reviews

Yahoo on Friday expanded its new mail beta to a broad group of both free and Mail Plus users, a spokeswoman confirmed.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET News, Dec 17 2005

6. 'Hope you're still alive': site e-mails the future

In the year 2009, on the 25th of April, a man named Greg is supposed to get an e-mail. The e-mail will remind Greg that he is his best friend and worst enemy, that he once dated a woman named Michelle, and that he planned to major in computer science.

For more on this:
- read full story from scmp.com, Dec 19 2005


7. Yahoo helps customers measure ad effectiveness

Yahoo on Friday launched a service that will let companies advertising on its sites see how well their online ads are faring--and compare those numbers with their radio, television and print advertising campaigns.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET News.com, Dec 16 2005


8. Icahn seeks to derail Google as partner of AOL

Dissident shareholder Carl Icahn on Monday labeled as "disastrous" a new deal set to be unveiled this week between Time Warner Inc.'s America Online unit and Web search leader Google Inc. , as the billionaire investor argued that AOL could do better.

For more on this:
- read full story from reuters, Dec 19 2005


9. Web Sites Let Users Send E-Mail to Future

In the year 2009, on the 25th of April, a man named Greg is supposed to get an e-mail. The e-mail will remind Greg that he is his best friend and worst enemy, that he once dated a woman named Michelle, and that he planned to major in computer science.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Dec 19 2005

10. Google Jabbers And Jingles

No, Jingle is not a Christmas promotion from Google, though it does involve a "gift" from Google.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Dec 19 2005