Computer 'worm' virus slated to strike Friday

1. Computer 'worm' virus slated to strike Friday

Computer users were being urged to kill a malicious "old school" software worm poised to destroy their files. Referred to by a host of names including "Kama Sutra", "Grew", and "Blackworm", the "malware" virus has bored into countless computers worldwide and is reportedly programmed to come to life after the clocks signal the start of Friday.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Feb 2 2006


2. AOL lands high speed net deal with Charter

AOL, the online division of Time Warner Inc., on Thursday said it has landed a deal with cable operator Charter Communications Inc. to offer low-cost, high-speed Internet service.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Feb 2 2006


3. Wanadoo's VoIP service falls over

Wanadoo, which claims to be the UK's largest VoIP outfit with more than 80,000 users, has apologised to punters after its broadband telephony service went on the blink. Its Wireless & Talk VoIP product went titsup on Tuesday morning resulting in calls from landlines or mobiles being unable to connect to Wanadoo's internet telephony service.

For more on this:
- read full story from theregister.co.uk, Feb 2 2006


4. US Internet giants condemned for collaborating with Beijing

US politicians and rights groups have condemned technology giants Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and Yahoo for collaborating with China to censor the Internet. In a briefing by the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, the four US companies were accused Wednesday of putting profits before principles in their push into the Chinese market.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Feb 2 2006

5. Salesforce.com's hiccups

When CIOs think about utility computing in general or software-as-a-service (SaaS) in particular, two things make them very nervous. The first is data security. The second is service reliability. The fears about security and reliability may be rational or not - usually, they're a little of both - but they're real, and the onus is on suppliers to allay them. No trust, no business.

For more on this:
- read full story from roughtype.com, Feb 1 2006


6. Is Verizon a Network Hog?

Last November, Vinton G. Cerf wrote a letter of warning to Congress. The legendary computer scientist, now a vice-president at Google (GOOG ), argued that major telecom companies could take actions to jeopardize the future of the Internet.

For more on this:
- read full story from businessweek.com, Feb 2 2006


7. NimSoft Offers Monitoring of CallManager

To give IT managers using Cisco Systems' CallManager IP telephony system a way to ensure compliance with SLAs (service-level agreements), Nimsoft is rolling its stand-alone software probe that provides reporting and diagnostics out of the shop Feb. 3.

For more on this:
- read full story from eweek.com, Feb 2 2006


8. Microsoft Seeks to Bridge Web 2.0 and SOA

While Microsoft has not yet jumped full-fledged onto the Web 2.0 bandwagon, the company is clearly taking a good look and kicking the tires. John deVadoss, director, architecture strategy at Microsoft, said that although Microsoft has not effectively adopted Web 2.0 as a primary focus, "there is something fundamentally happening…and if Web 2.0 is one end, then SOA [service-oriented architecture] is the other."

For more on this:
- read full story from eweek.com, Feb 2 2006

Headsup: Down the E-Mail Drain

1. Headsup: Down the E-Mail Drain

How much time do employees waste handling e-mail? Two recent surveys attempt to quantify the "why" and "how much" of e-mail dillydallying.

For more on this:
- read full story form messagingpipeline.com, Feb 1 2006


2. Microsoft Outlines Blog Policy

Microsoft Corp., stung by criticism for taking down the blog of outspoken Chinese journalist Zhao Jing, unveiled on Tuesday its policy for accessing content on its blogging service MSN Spaces.

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Jan 31 2006


3. Bundled VoIP overtaking Skype?

Internet telephony products bundled with broadband services have become more popular than third-party products, according to a report published by Sandvine, a broadband network-monitoring company.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET News.com, Feb 1 2006


4. Bulldog to launch 20Mb broadband

Bulldog is to begin offering broadband at speeds of around 20Mbps from spring once it has completed trials of its ADSL2+ service. The broadband operator, which provides services direct to end users by installing its kit in BT exchanges (aka local loop unbundling or LLU), has been carrying out trials of the service since September.

For more on this:
- read full story from theregister.co.uk, Feb 1 2006


5. Politicos attack tech firms over China

Politicians on Wednesday attacked Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Yahoo for declining to appear at a briefing about China's Internet censorship and called for a new law to outlaw compliance with such requirements.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET News.com, Feb 1 2006


6. Gates Speaks Out Against Net Censorship

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday that attempts by governments to censor Web site contents were doomed, because banned information can seep out despite official injunctions.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Feb 1 2006


7. Microsoft Warns of File-Trashing Worm

Microsoft has published a security advisory warning Windows users of a file-trashing worm that has been circulating via e-mail for several weeks. The worm, which is programmed to destroy a wide variety of files on the third day of every month, has been circulating since mid-January, and is estimated to have infected between 250,000 and 300,000 systems worldwide.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 31 2006


8. eBay's PayPal to collect fee on deposits

eBay Inc., the online auction house, will start collecting a fee to manage money deposited in its PayPal Money Market Fund, the company said.

For more on this:
- read full story from reuters.com, Jan 31 2006


9. Is Google Going Commercial with VOIP?

An Internet phone operator's latest financial filing has set off speculation that Google has begun selling a commercial version of its Internet phone service.
Given Google's rock star status in the technology world, the potential move is sure to enliven the market for VOIP (voice over IP), which is freely available software to make calls using an Internet connection.

For more on this:
- read full story from eweek.com, Jan 31 2006


10. 3 Phone Companies to Offer AOL's Broadband Services

In an effort to curtail the steady loss of dial-up customers, AOL announced yesterday that it would sell high-speed Internet services through AT&T, BellSouth and Qwest Communications.

For more on this:
- read full story from New York Times, Jan 28 2006

IBM Goal: IM Interop Across The Board

1. IBM Goal: IM Interop Across The Board

At Lotusphere, last week, IBM for the first time pledged client support to Linux and Macintosh for its Sametime realtime communications offering.
Sametime 7.5, due this summer, also will offer users the option of free interoperability between their enterprise instant messaging (IM) networks and the public America Online, Yahoo, Google Talk and iChat IM networks.

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Jan 27 2006


2. Google To Release Toolbar Upgrade Today

Google on Monday plans to release a beta of an update to the Google Toolbar for both consumers and enterprise users.
"The major direction we have taken with this version is empowering users to really personalize, configure, and customize the toolbar to the way they'd like it to be," says Sundar Pichai, Google’s project manager for client software.

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Jan 30 2006


3. IBM Takes The Wraps Off A Slew Of New Collaborative Tools

IBM last week revealed a slew of tools designed to let its E-mail and collaboration applications connect with popular instant-messaging products and allow users of its software to make Internet phone calls.

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Jan 30 2006


4. Small Businesses Get Four Times The Spam Of Larger Enterprises

Small companies were sent almost 50 spam emails per day per user in 2005, up from 36 in 2004. This represents four times the number that employees at large companies were sent daily on average last year (12 per user per day in 2005 versus three in 2004).

For more on this:
- read full story from messagingpipeline.com, Jan 30 2006


5. BSkyB subscriber numbers hit 8.1m

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB has said subscriber numbers rose 215,000 to 8.1 million in the quarter to 31 December, up from 7.6 million a year previously.

For more on this:
- read full story from BBC News, Feb 1 2006


6. Google calls upon VoIP

Google confirmed on Tuesday that it has contracted with a Florida-based company to provide Internet telephony services for its free click-to-call service, which lets people speak with advertisers on its search results without having to pick up the phone and dial.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET news.com, Jan 31 2006


7. Good Technology hit with wireless e-mail patent suit

Visto and Good Technology are two of several companies looking to capitalize on the legal problems of RIM, which could see its popular BlackBerry service shut down from its own patent spat with NTP.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET news.com, Jan 31 2006


8. Skype Plans Boost in Audioconferencing

Skype Technologies plans to turn intimate get-togethers into block parties through an audioconferencing service that will allow for conferences with as many as 500 callers.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 31 2006


9. Microsoft Amends Blog Shutdown Policies

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. says it is setting new policies on shutting down Web journals after its much-publicized squelching of a well-known Chinese blogger at the request of Chinese officials.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 31 2006


10. H&E Equipment, IncrediMail IPOs Show Gains

WASHINGTON - Construction-equipment seller H&E Equipment Services Inc. and email-software maker IncrediMail Ltd. rose in their trading debuts on the Nasdaq Stock Market Tuesday.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Jan 31 2006