VoIP gear highlighted at CES

1. VoIP gear highlighted at CES

Phone calls over the Internet, made using VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) technology, was popular at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year, with a number of companies showing off handsets and other peripherals to make it easier for the average user to connect to low-cost or free voice calls.

For more on this:
- read full story from infoworld, Jan 11 2006


2. Linksys CIT200 Internet Telephony Kit

Review on this latest released internet telephony kit.

For more on this:
- read full review from pcmag.com, Jan 11 2006


3. VeriSign To Acquire CallVision

VeriSign a provider of SL certification, today said it is acquiring CallVision in a net cash deal worth $30 million. The Seattle-based CallVision offers Web-based billing and client-management software that consolidates billing data from multiple systems, products, languages and currencies and creates one view of multiple accounts.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Jan 11 2006


4. This mouse makes phone calls

It's an optical mouse. It's a phone. Wait, it's an optical mouse that doubles as a phone. The Sony VN-CX1, due out in February from Sony Japan, unfolds to become a fully functional VoIP phone that works with voice over Internet Protocol provider Skype.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET news, Jan 11 2006


5. TV Coming to In-Flight Internet Service

Airline passengers will soon be able to watch live television on their laptops through Connexion by Boeing's in-flight Internet service. Beginning Jan. 23, passengers who buy blocks of Internet access on the nine foreign airlines that currently offer Connexion's service will also be able to watch programs broadcast on BBC World, CNBC, Eurosportnews, and either EuroNews or MSNBC.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 11 2006


6. Schools under attack from hackers

Almost 30 schools were asked by police to close down their computer servers in the past four months after they were invaded by hackers and used for internet fraud, telecommunications insiders say.
Meanwhile, Chinese University data shows that vulnerable school computer systems are being hacked up to 15,000 times a day.

For more on this:
- read full story from scmp.com, Jan 12 2006


7. Sky unveils VoD service

Sky has unveiled details of a video-on-demand (VoD) service which gives punters access to sport and movies via a broadband connection. The media giant reckons "Sky by broadband" gives customers greater choice to watch stuff when and where they like.

For more on this:
- read full story from theregister.com, Jan 11 2006


8. Microsoft Fixes Nasty Outlook, Exchange E-Mail Bug

Microsoft's security problems didn't improve much Tuesday, when it followed last week's out-of-cycle fix of a major bug with two more "Critical" vulnerabilities, including one that allows attackers to hack into any Exchange server or Outlook owner's PC just by sending a malformed e-mail message.

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Jan 10 2006

EU approves Telefonica's O2 bid

1. EU approves Telefonica's O2 bid

The European Union (EU) has approved Telefonica's £17.7bn ($31.6bn) takeover of UK mobile phone company O2 after the Spanish firm agreed competition terms.

For more on this:
- read full story from BBC News, Jan 10 2006


2. HK puts IT services deals back on track

The government is pursuing an expanded and aggressive new outsourcing plan after it was forced to terminate two information technology services contracts last year.

For more on this:
- read full story from scmp.com, Jan 10 2006


3. Dodgy anti-spyware firms to cough up $2m

Two dodgy anti-spyware operators have agreed to cough up $2m to settle charges brought by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The US consumer watchdog alleged that Spyware Assassin and TrustSoft used email and pop-up ads to drive net users to their websites for a "free spyware scan".

For more on this:
- read full story from theregister.co.uk, Jan 10 2006


4. 'Annoying e-Mail' Law Stirs Blogosphere

A new law extending telephone harassment prohibitions and penalties to anonymous e-mails and Voice over IP (define) calls has raised nary a peep among civil liberty groups and the legal community.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Jan 10 2006


5. CRM and VoIP: The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

Internet telephony is merging with customer-relationship management (CRM) to give birth to a new generation of business tools. Specifically, the integration of CRM with Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is no longer conjecture.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 10 2006


6. AOL Acquires Video Search Startup Truveo

America Online Inc. is acquiring a video search startup that has built technology to more easily find the latest news, sports and other online video offerings.

For more on this:
- read full story from washingtonpost.com, Jan 10 2006


7. Oracle, Sun chiefs take the stage together

If there was one key message at a public summit meeting of sorts between the chief executives of Sun Microsystems and Oracle on Tuesday, it was that the companies have been and will continue to be partners.

For more on this:
- read full story from infoworld.com, Jan 10 2006


8. An Elixir for Outlook Users?

Lots of business people say they "live" in Outlook. Microsoft's Elixir is designed to make Siebel CRM seem homey to them. Microsoft's 17,000 employees using Siebel sales force automation make it one of the world's largest global deployments.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Jan 9 2006


9. Microsoft Plugs 'Critical' E-Mail Server Holes

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released two security bulletins to fix "critical" flaws in several widely deployed products, including one that presents a remote unauthenticated attack vector that could leave corporate e-mail servers open to a destructive network worm attack.

For more on this:
- read full story from eweek.com, Jan 10 2006


10. Instant messaging attacks rose in 2005

Security attacks over instant-messaging networks became more prevalent in 2005, according to a new study.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET news.com, Jan 10 2006

Skype 2.0 Free of Beta Tag

1. Skype 2.0 Free of Beta Tag

The newest version of Skype is out of beta and now enabling users to put a new face on their VoIP calls. Skype 2.0 has been in public beta since December and is the first Skype release to include full-screen video calling.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Jan 9 2006


2. Yahoo Leads in Toolbar Searches

Though it continues to fall behind Google in other categories, Yahoo currently holds the lead for the most toolbar searches, but only by the thinnest of margins.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Jan 9 2006


3. Flickr photo booth

You're dressed to the nines and having the time of your life with friends at some hip bar. Chances are everyone in the group has a digital camera or camera phone to capture the moment. But who knows when the photos will get distributed to everyone or posted online.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET news.com, Jan 9 2006


4. Yahoo Mail search glitch

Yahoo is fixing a glitch in its e-mail service that prevented some people from using the search function. "We identified an isolated issue with our new e-mail search functionality which impacts less than 0.5 percent of mail users and will not result in any loss of data," Yahoo said in a statement. "We are on top of the issue and have already begun to deploy a fix."

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET news.com, Jan 9 2006


5. Google's Ads Fit to Print

Ads from Internet search leader Google Inc. now appear in the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, it was confirmed Monday, as the search giant continues to dip its toe into new advertising backwaters.

For more on this:
- read full story from eweek.com, Jan 9 2006


6. Sprint Nextel suffers service outage

Thousands of customers of Sprint Nextel wireless and its resellers, such as Virgin Mobile, were without service Monday after the network suffered two separate fiber cuts, a company spokesman said.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET news.com, Jan 9 2006


7. Court Lets Univ. of Texas Block Spam

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene in a dispute between the University of Texas and an online dating service upset that the school blocked thousands of unsolicited e-mails.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 9 2006


8. Google Introduces Software Starter Kit

Google Inc. is distributing a free software startup kit designed to make computing safer and easier — a generous gesture driven by the company's desire to steer technology offline as well as online.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 9 2006

Yahoo reaches out beyond browser

1. Yahoo reaches out beyond browser

Web giant Yahoo has taken the first steps towards moving beyond the browser. It has announced plans to allow people to use Yahoo e-mail, messaging and other services on mobile phones and via the TV.

For more on this:
- read full story from BBC News, Jan 6 2006


2. Microsoft downplays Google threat

Bill Gates has played down the threat posed to Microsoft by competition from internet search giant Google. Google's meteoric rise and rivalry with Microsoft has increasingly become a fixation of the press, Mr Gates said.

For more on this:
- read full story from BBC News, Jan 6 2006


3. Google and Yahoo Aim at Another Screen

Two ascending Internet giants, Google and Yahoo, are to make plain today that they intend to move aggressively beyond the Internet browser and onto the television screen.

For more on this:
- read full story from The New York Times, Jan 6 2006


4. Yahoo expanding Web on TV, phones with Go service

Yahoo Inc. the world's largest Internet media company, on Friday unveiled a new service that will make using its Web, media and personal services as easy to use on mobile phones and TVs as on computers.

For more on this:
- read full story from reuters.com, Jan 6 2006


5. Cell Phone Includes Internet Telephony Capability

A new cell phone about to debut could drastically reduce your cell phone bill by splitting calls between cell networks and less-expensive VoIP over WiFi. UTStarcom's new GF200 cell phone, previewed here at CES, combines GSM and VoIP over WiFi. GSM is one of two main types of cell networks used in the U.S., while VoIP is Voice over IP or Internet telephony.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 7 2006


6. Yahoo CEO sees easier Internet access in '06

Yahoo CEO Terry Semel is intent on expanding the reach of the $58 billion Internet juggernaut to handheld devices and TVs. Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show, Semel will deliver a speech in which he shares details about plans and partners to extend Yahoo's many services, including search, instant messaging, photo sharing and Internet phone services.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 6 2006


7. Microsoft faces backlash after blocking Chinese blogger

Microsoft is under the spotlight over its blocking of a prominent Chinese Internet blogger, in the latest case of a major Western technology firm helping Beijing curtail free speech. The MSN Spaces-hosted web log, or blog, belonging to Beijing-based media researcher Zhao Jing was closed down this week after he posted articles critical of a management purge at the Beijing News daily.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 6 2006


8. EBay, PayPal Rank High on Phish Lists

If you've been receiving suspicious and likely phished e-mails purporting to be from eBay or PayPal, you're not alone. According to year-end 2005 data from research firm Netcraft, eBay and PayPal were the top phishing targets representing 62 percent of attacks.

For more on this:
- read full story from internetnews.com, Jan 6 2006


9. IM Security Is One Tough Sell

Each day, hundreds of millions of people communicate via instant messaging, a tool that lets users swap brief, chatty dispatches in a fraction of the time it takes to exchange e-mail. In the U.S. alone, 12% of the population is hooked. And legions are doing it on the clock.

For more on this:
- read full story from businessweek online, Jan 5 2006