More US surfers watching TV online

More and more U.S. surfers are using their broadband Internet connections to watch TV online, new data has revealed.

According to figures from an online study of 2,801 people conducted by Deloitte and Touche in October, 28 percent of people now use the Internet to watch TV. This compares to just 23 percent when the same survey was conducted in February and March.

A more marked rise was noted in the number of respondents using mobile broadband-enabled cellphones for entertainment, which was up 12 percent. Meanwhile, the growing potency of Internet advertising was also confirmed by the study, with 65 percent saying that online ads had the most impact on their purchasing decisions.

This placed it second behind TV advertising, which was cited as most effective by 85 percent of those surveyed, but ahead of print campaigns which were named as most influential by 63 percent.

Driven by Music, MTV.com, VH1.com and CMT.com Deliver 1.2 Billion Video Streams in 2007

Women Ruled, Country Crossed Over and VMA Artists Rocked in MTV Networks Music Group's Top 30 Most-Streamed Music Videos of 2007

Driven by music, MTV.com, VH1.com and CMT.com video streams topped more than 1.2 billion in 2007, 30 percent more than 2006 -- an all-time record for the collective brands within MTV Networks' Music Group, which now attracts nearly 30 million unique visitors every month. Music videos accounted for nearly half of the streams, as viewers sought out their favorite artists and discovered new ones from a cross-section of genres, including pop and hip hop, country and rock. Music videos also drove MTV Mobile, VH1 Mobile and CMT Mobile into triple-digit growth in 2007. In fact, music videos accounted for every single one of the top 10 most-streamed videos on the three services.

"Music was at the core of everything we did in 2007," said Van Toffler, President of MTV Networks' Music Group. "And, once again, MTV, VH1 and CMT produced the year's most memorable events in music."

LinkShare Teams with ShopNBC and Tumri to Introduce Flex Links, Tracking for Video and Rich Media

LinkShare, a leading pay-per-action marketing network, announced the debut of Flex Links and its first customer testing the technology, ShopNBC, a multimedia retailer and one of the nation's leading home shopping channels.

Flex Links is a new kind of embedded link technology that allows advertisers and publishers to add a new level of tracking to the Web's most popular advertising content.

"ShopNBC, with its national reach and interactive multimedia platform, was instrumental in validating Flex Links," said Steve Denton, President of LinkShare. "By distributing their brand message and product merchandising with video, widgets and other content embedded with Flex Links, ShopNBC will be able to reach consumers in entirely new ways."

"ShopNBC is excited to partner with LinkShare in pioneering the use ofFlex Links to enable us to syndicate our product merchandising through new and unique interactive means with our Affiliate partners," said Geoff Smith, Vice President of ShopNBC.com. "Flex Links will enable us to syndicate our breadth of live and archived video sales presentations in a simple and easy to implement means, providing our Affiliates with an outstanding new sales tool."

With Flex Links, LinkShare's pay-per-action tracking can be embedded in an advertiser's content and automatically converted to a tracking link by publishers who post that content. Flex Links allows advertisers and publishers to work together to boost commissions, repurpose content, and enrich the Web's newest platforms, from video to widgets.

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Mobile Phone Remains a Casual Gaming Platform

Consumers Choose Casual Games for Mobile Phones, More Advanced Games for
Portable Gaming Devices

Consumers still perceive mobile phones as casual gaming devices, despite recent company efforts to introduce more advanced games and features to the platform, according to Parks Associates' The New Frontier: Portable and Mobile Gaming. This report analyzes trends in the mobile and portable gaming industries; profiles major publishers, developers, technology providers, and carriers; provides consumer data regarding portable and mobile gaming; and forecasts market growth.

"In the mobile gaming industry, consumer awareness lags behind technological advancements," said Yuanzhe (Michael) Cai, Director, Broadband and Gaming, Parks Associates. "New 3D and multiplayer mobile games look great in demos, but casual games are where the money is and will be for the next few years."

According to the report, fewer than 10% of on-the-go Internet gamers want to play core or console-centric games on a mobile phone, compared with 55% who want to play puzzle and card games on mobile phones and more than 30% who want word and arcade games.

For more information on gaming and other digital products and services visit Broadband National.

Viacom and Microsoft Announce Long-Term Digital Content and Advertising Partnership

Companies sign landmark multi-year deal to collaborate on content distribution, advertising, event promotions and gaming Microsoft's Atlas to become exclusive ad serving platform for Viacom U.S. web sites

Viacom Inc.and Microsoft Corporation today announced a broad-based, strategic alliance under which major divisions of both companies will collaborate on advertising, content distribution, event promotions and games over the next several years.

The comprehensive agreement spans across the two companies and includes a number of significant components. Among them:



-- Microsoft will license, on a non-exclusive basis, long and short-form
television and theatrical content from across Viacom's cable network
and motion picture businesses, including MTV, Comedy Central, BET and
Paramount Pictures for use on Microsoft properties such as MSN and Xbox
360.

-- Microsoft's Atlas division will become the ad server for Viacom's U.S.
websites and Microsoft will have the exclusive right to sell remnant
display advertising inventory on Viacom's U.S. websites.

-- Microsoft will buy advertising on Viacom broadcast and online networks
over a five-year period and the companies will work together on
promotions and sponsorships for MTV Networks and BET Networks award
shows;

-- Viacom will work with Microsoft on opportunities to become a preferred
publishing partner across Microsoft's casual gaming platforms.

Detailed financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal has a projected base value of approximately $500 million in financial considerations and business services between the two companies over the initial five-year length of the agreement. The deal includes a combination of revenue sharing provisions, guarantees and content licensing agreements. The agreements contemplate the potential for expansion of the transactions.

For information on digital products and services visit Broadband National.

Ticketmaster and NFL Partner for New Fan Ticket Exchange Service

Ticketmaster Named Official Ticket Exchange Provider of the NFL

Ticketmaster and the National Football League (NFL) today announced the creation of an NFL Ticket Exchange service that will provide fans looking to buy or sell NFL tickets a safe, convenient and league-endorsed resale platform. Through the groundbreaking multi-year agreement, Ticketmaster will operate the official league-wide exchange that will be accessible from both the Ticketmaster website, Ticketmaster.com, and the NFL website, NFL.com.

As the official NFL online ticket exchange provider, Ticketmaster will offer fans a secure and reliable way to buy and resell tickets. The service, which is targeted to launch for the 2008 season, will serve fans unable to attend a game and wanting to sell their tickets as well as fans looking to buy or upgrade their seats.

MommyEmpire.com a One-Stop Resource for Entrepreneurial Moms - or Anyone Who Wants to Run an Online Business From Home

Thanks to the advent of the Internet the phrase "mommy track" is taking on a whole new meaning. Mothers who left traditional 9-to-5 jobs in the corporate world are now launching their own businesses -- many of them online businesses -- in record numbers. The recently launched www.MommyEmpire.com website is designed as a comprehensive resource for these women, often referred to as mompreneurs or WAHMs (work-at-home-moms).

Lisa Paredes is the perfect role model for these enterprising women. She is the brains behind MommyEmpire.com. And she is a single, full-time, work- at-home mother with two children, ages 11 and 3. "There are numerous stay-at-home moms out there who are eager to start their own online business," said Paredes. "They just don't know where to begin."

That's where MommyEmpire.com comes in. Its new members' area (with free registration) offers video tutorials, downloadable lists and guides, business website templates and web tools. Video tutorial topics range from setting up an online pay-per-click ad campaign to building a website. Business web templates range from virtual assistant to wedding planner.

Retail Holiday E-Commerce Spending Hits $4.6 Billion During Week Ending December 9, Nears $19 Billion for the Season.

Heaviest Online Spending Occurs Between 10-11 AM and 1-2 PM

FirstCall/ -- comScore, Inc. a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an update of holiday season e-commerce spending for the first 39 days (November 1 - December 9) of the November - December 2007 holiday season. Nearly $19 billion has been spent online during the season-to-date, marking an 18-percent gain versus the corresponding days last year. Thursday, December 6 recorded $803 million in online sales, up 28 percent versus year ago, making it the heaviest online spending day in history.

Cats And Dogs Living Together?

Next Day Pets, L.L.C., home to of one of the nation's leading pet websites, www.nextdaypets.com, has recently launched PuppyMatch. This online service connects dog lovers who are searching for that perfect four-legged addition to their family with top breeders from across the country based on their specific lifestyle.
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PuppyMatch is a free service being offered at puppymatch.nextdaypets.com. The process begins by collecting relevant information from the buyer such as breed and gender preference, location, lifestyle information, as well as opinions to pet insurance and
microchipping. Lifestyle data is carefully considered in order to place puppies in homes where they can live happily and permanently, therefore reducing overall dogs in shelters and rescues.

Within four short days, the buyer is contacted by five breeders, allowing the consumer to choose their puppy from numerous options. Consumers can rest assured that all breeders are required to verify their identity, therefore reducing fraud and online puppy scams.

National laboratory hacked

The personal information of thousands of visitors to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory may have been stolen during a hacking attack earlier this week, it has been announced.

In what was described by the laboratory as a "sophisticated cyber attack" the details of at least 12,000 visitors to the lab were compromised. A database which contains the names and social security numbers of every visitor to the lab between 1990 and 2004 was breached in the attack.

Currently housed at Oak Ridge is the second-fastest supercomputer in the world, known as Jaguar. Lab spokesman Bill Stair said: "There was no classified data of any kind compromised. "There are people who think that because they accessed this database that they had access to the lab's supercomputer. That is not the case. There was no access at all."

The national laboratory is visited by about 3,000 researchers every year. For information on digital products and services visit Broadband National.

AT&T Survey Finds One-Fourth of Small Business Owners Unconcerned About Data Security

Ten Percent Leave Computer Data Unsecured; One in Six Takes No Precautions Against Wireless Security Threats

Small Businesses in San Diego and Chicago Most Protective of Data; Those in Oklahoma and the Bay Area Are Least Protective

AT&T has announced that although the majority of small businesses secure its
computer systems, one-fourth (24 percent) are unconcerned about computer and online data security, and one in 10 (10 percent) has taken no action to secure their data, according to a survey conducted by AT&T Inc.

Similarly, one-third (32 percent) of small businesses are unconcerned about wireless data security, and one in six (17 percent) small businesses that use wireless technology has taken no precautions against wireless threats.

Nearly two-thirds (60 percent) of small businesses consider online security a concern, and four-fifths (82 percent) have installed software, such as spam filters or anti-virus protection, to help keep their business safe from online security threats. Of those companies that have not taken any specific precautions against computer or wireless threats, two-thirds (65 percent) don't think it's an issue with their business.

Malware 'grew by 100 percent' in 2007

The amount of malware detected on the internet doubled in 2007, according to the software security company F-Secure.

New malware variants are being created by cyber criminals "in bulk", according to F-Secure, which is based in Finland. Social engineering continued to be a favored way for cyber criminals to deliver malware, often conning email recipients into opening links that lead to web site hosting the malware.

Patrik Runald, security response manager at F-Secure, said: "We've never seen as many samples arrive at our lab."We would be unable to handle such huge loads if we would not have built a high degree of automation into our malware analysis systems over the past years." Online financial transactions are a favored target of cyber criminals, F-Secure warned, with the amount of phishing sites increasing exponentially.

So-called Man in the Browser attacks, where banking Trojans are fed directly into applications are also becoming more popular. For information on other digital products and services visit Broadband National.

Phishing threats 'spike'

The holiday season has seen the prevalence of phishing threats on the internet rise substantially, according to the internet security company Cyveillance.

Small to medium-sized businesses and credit unions have particularly been targeted by cyber criminals, Cyveillance stated. Such outfits may not always have the adequate security in place to detect and repel phishing scams in time.

Panos Anastassiadis, the chief executive of Cyveillance, said: "Cyber criminals continuously look for opportunities to distribute phishing attacks, focusing on situations when consumers are most susceptible. "As seen by the large spike in online attacks over Thanksgiving, online criminals are counting on the hectic holiday season to increase their odds of successfully defrauding consumers and organizations."

A full ninety percent of phishing attacks are targeted at banks and other financial institutions, a recent report from Cyveillance stated. Cyber criminals are starting to use phishing attacks combined with malware, the report also warned.

Facebook alters advertising platform

The popular social networking site Facebook has changed its new advertising platform only three weeks after its debut.

This was done in the wake of widespread protests from Facebook members that the site had invaded their privacy. Dubbed Beacon, the ad platform initially was targeted at all users of the site, unless they actively chose the "opt out" option. Now, after the protests, users will have to actively choose an "opt in" option if they wish to be targeted by the advertisements.

Moveon.org Civic Action spokesman Adam Green was quoted by the AFP as saying: "Sites like Facebook are revolutionizing how we communicate with each other and organize around issues together in a 21st century democracy. "Will corporate advertisers get to write the rules of the Internet or will these new social networks protect our basic rights, like privacy? We hope Facebook's decision sets an important precedent for internet users' rights."

For more information on digital products and services visit Broadband National.

YouTube Continues to Lead U.S. Online Video Market With 28 Percent Market Share, According to comScore Video Metrix

Nearly 2 in 5 U.S. Internet Users Watched a YouTube Video in September

comScore a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its comScore Video
Metrix report for September 2007, revealing that nearly 75 percent of U.S.
Internet users watched a video online (including both streaming video and
progressive downloads), averaging three hours of video per person during
the month. Google Sites, which includes YouTube.com, topped the September
rankings with both the most unique video viewers and most videos viewed.

Google Continues to Lead Online Video Market

September saw Americans view more than 9 billion videos online, with
Google Sites once again ranking as the top U.S. video property with 2.6
billion videos viewed (28.3 percent share of videos), 2.5 billion of which
occurred at YouTube.com (27.6 percent). Fox Interactive Media ranked second
with 387 million (4.2 percent), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 381 million
(4.1 percent) and Viacom Digital with 304 million (3.3 percent).

For information on other digital products and services visit Broadband National.

Internet spying 'largest threat in 2008'

Internet-based espionage is likely to pose the largest information security danger in 2008, the security software company McAfee has reported.

In a new report titled Virtual Criminology, the company said that the internet is increasingly being used by governments for spying and launching cyber attacks on rivals. The report also said that the new year would see an increase in attacks against e-banking functions.

Earlier this year, Estonia was targeted by a widespread cyber attack which shut down many essential functions for weeks. An unnamed Nato source told McAfee: "Traditional protective measures were not enough to protect against the attacks on Estonia's critical national infrastructure. "Botnets, unsurprisingly, were used but the complexity and coordination seen was new."

The attacks were organized and used "careful timing", the source said. And instead of being successfully shut down, the attacks stopped at a given juncture, the source added. For information on digital products and services visit Broadband National.

Everyone Is Going To Jail!!!!!

Judge removed over cell phone jailing

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - A sign in Niagara Falls' city court warns that cell phones and pagers must be turned off. Folks there believe it. On Tuesday, a judge was bounced from the bench for jailing 46 people after none would own up to a cell phone that began ringing during his court session.

Judge Robert Restaino "snapped" and "engaged in what can only be described as two hours of inexplicable madness" during the March 2005 session, Raoul Felder, chairman of the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, wrote in the decision to remove the judge.

Restaino, who became a full-time judge in 2002 after serving part-time since 1996, was hearing domestic violence cases when a phone rang.

"Everyone is going to jail," the judge said. "Every single person is gong to jail in this courtroom unless I get that instrument now. If anybody believes I'm kidding, ask some of the folks that have been here for a while. You are all going."

For information on digital products and services visit Broadband National.

Gizmoz Launches Be a Star

New Application Lets Anyone Star in Their Own Movie, TV or Video Clip, and
Share the Spotlight and Laughs with a Friend

Gizmoz, www.gizmoz.com, a social expression and user-generated media service, today launched Be a Star, an online application that lets consumers enjoy the fun and fame of starring in their own movie, TV or online video clip. Whether playing the romantic lead, jamming in a music video or performing daredevil stunts in an extreme sports clip, securing the starring role in a Gizmoz production is as easy as uploading a digital photo. To share the spotlight with a friendhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif, upload his or her image as well.

In a matter of seconds, the Gizmoz Be a Star application converts a digital face shot into a lifelike talking 3D head. The image is then superimposed on a video character with facial expressions, audio and movements all automatically synched together. The entire 30 to 60 second production can be posted to any blog or social networking profile, shared with friends or family by email, or uploaded to a video site or web site for the entire world to see.

For information on other digital products and services visit Broadband National.

Online sales hit $500m

Last Friday saw online sales in the US of $531 million, according to figures released by research outfit comScore.

This was a rise of 22 percent compared with last year's online shopping figures. Since November 1st, a total of $9.3 billion has been spent by consumes online, comScore found. The best-selling items were video game consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3.

Comscore chairman Gian Fulgoni said: "The Friday after Thanksgiving is known for heavy spending in retail stores, but it's clear that consumers are increasingly turning to the internet to make their holiday purchases. "Online spending on Black Friday has historically represented an early indicator of how the rest of the season will shake out." Fulgoni said that Black Friday's growth shows momentum and bodes well for the season. He said he expected Cyber Monday sales to top $700 million. http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif"While this would make it the heaviest online shopping day on record, we can expect to see even stronger days ahead as the 2007 shopping season progresses into December," he said.

For more information on other digital products and services visit Broadband National.

Verizon boosts broadband speed

Communication company Verizon has announced that it is now offering symmetrical FiOS internet services that provide broadband at speeds that "blow cable away".

The service will be available in all 16 states that currently offer FiOS and will offer users connection speeds of up to 15 megabits per second. Susan Retta, vice president, broadband solutions for Verizon, said: "Millions of households no longer have to settle for cable upload speeds that can't deliver the most interactive online experiences.

"With FiOS you can choose ultra-fast uploading that makes sending information as quick and easy as receiving it." Now the company offers the fastest broadband to the most consumers in America, Ms Retta went on to say. FiOS uses fiber optics to deliver the internet and so far is the only such service in the US. According to the company, fios is an ancient Irish word for knowledge.

US Airways expands AT&T wireless deal

Airline giant US Airways has signed a contract with AT&T for the communications company to provide wireless services to customers, corporate email and cargo tracking.

The deal is worth $6 million and is an expansion of a long-running contract between the companies which has seen AT&T provide US Airways with internet protocol data services. US Airways will now use hand-held barcode scanners which can connect wirelessly with AT&T's network and will allow the airline to provide tracking for its customers in real time. AT&T already provides similar services to many regional airlines around the US.

Joe Beery, US Airways' senior vice president and chief information officer, said: "In a move to optimize and improve our tracking of cargo shipments, we sought a reliable and consistent solution. "AT&T brings the benefit of wireless advantages to the solution and enhances our agility and high-quality standards to our customer service philosophy."

Town to vote on making cyber-bullying a crime

A town near St Louis is to vote on whether to make cyber-bullying a crime, following the suicide of a 13-year-old girl who was subjected to a campaign of online harassment.

Now Darden Prairie is to vote on an ordinance which would make online harassment a Class B misdemeanor, eliciting a $500 fine and 90 days in jail. Megan Meier was targeted by the parents of a friend she had fallen out with who pretended to be a local boy who was interested in her.

However, after gaining her trust, they made their fictional boy turn on her with hateful messages. She committed suicide on October 16th, 2006. Over a year later no criminal charges have been filed against those responsible, despite an extensive FBI investigation into the matter. The mayor of Dardenne Prairie, Pam Fogarty, said that she found it "astounding" that no charges have yet been brought in the case.

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Communication company teams with Mexican pop stars RDB

Verizon has allied itself with the Mexican pop phenomenon RBD to promote the band's recent record release.

Dubbed Empezar desde Cero, the album is one of the most highly-anticipated on the Mexican pop scene. Verizon is to host the band during its 2008 US tour at its stores for autograph signings and will also host performances.

Ed Ruth, director of digital music for Verizon Wireless: "Verizon Wireless' relationship with RBD began last year when the company hosted a private performance at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium. "This year we are building on that relationship to bring exclusive RBD music to Verizon Wireless customers."

At the moment the band's smash-hit new single Inalcanzable is available through Verizon's V CAST Music. Also, fans of the band can download ringtones of the band's songs from Verizon. RBD has so far sold 10.4 million albums around the globe.

For information on other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Security 'vital' to telecommunications

An IBM survey has found that the issue of security is to be of utmost importance for telecommunication companies in the future.

The survey, dubbed 2007 State of Security for Global Telecommunications Carriers, found that rather than being a hindrance to rolling out new technology, security could enhance it. Only 36 per cent of internet companies surveyed reported that security issues slowed the roll-out of IP services. Counse Broders, senior research director, telecom services with Current Analysis, said: "This survey shows what the market is already experiencing from recent mergers and acquisitions, including Verizon/Cybertrust and IBM/ISS: that security is a key ingredient for carriers as they move into next generation services and solutions.

"Clearly, those providers without a security solution in place risk losing their competitive edge." Less than half the companies that plan to IP-based networks in the near future have technology in place to address the security concerns that such networks bring.

For information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Internet game teaches children safety

The UN Internet governance forum that is going on in Rio de Janeiro saw a new game unveiled to teach children how to stay away from sex predators on the internet.

Dubbed Wild Web Woods, the game uses the vehicle of traditional fairytales to instruct children on avoiding dangers. The game, the creation of the Council of Europe, is to be released on the internet in English and then in 12 other European languages. According to the council, which is made up of 47 nations, the game is "key" in its efforts to foil sexual predators.

Cheryl Preston, a law professor at Brigham Young University in Utah, was quoted by the AFP as saying: "In many developing countries, the drive to train a new generation in technology skills as a foray into global commerce has produced an epidemic of pornography addiction that parents have no idea how to address."

The UN forum is also addressing the role of the US in regulating the Internet. For more information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Yahoo! settles with Chinese journalists

Internet giant Yahoo! has settled with attorneys working on the behalf of several jailed Chinese journalists.

It was alleged that Yahoo! gave the Chinese government information that led to the arrest and imprisonment of journalists Shi Tao, Yu Ling and Wang Xiaoning. Following the settlement the lawsuit was withdrawn from the federal court for the Northern District of California. The court filing said: "Plaintiffs and defendants hereby jointly stipulate to dismissal with prejudice of all claims made in this action, based on a private settlement understanding among the parties."

Recently during a congressional hearing the chief executive of Yahoo!, Jerry Yang, was severely criticized by the California Democrat Representative Tom Lantos over the matter. Yang was made to publicly apologise to the family of Shi Tao, who were present at the hearing. Shi Tao has been sentenced to a decade in prison after email information about the Chinese government's efforts to stifle recognition of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. For information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Windows bug fixed by Microsoft

In its latest monthly patch release, Microsoft has patched a Windows bug that was deemed "critical" and has possibly been being exploited by cyber criminals.

The MS07-061 patch fixes an important flaw in Windows' Uniform Resource Identifier, which is involved in Windows' process for passing information between applications. Ben Greenbaum, a senior research manager at Symantec, told the Associated Press that the security flaw is "concerning". By taking advantage of the security flaw, cyber criminals could take over a victim's computer and steal crucial information such as passwords and financial information. Once infected, the victim's computer could also be used to disseminate spam.

This month unusually saw only two patches released, the other of which was deemed "important", the second-highest level of security rating for a patch. The second patch is for those with computers running the Windows 2000 Server and the Windows Server 2003.

Zachary Quinto The NEW Spock

Here is the first photo taken of Zachary Quinto who will play Spock in JJ Abrams new Star Trek movie.

Verizon reaches landmark in New Jersey

Verizon has installed its fibre-optic broadband service FiOS in more than one million homes in New Jersey, the company has announced.

And in 2008, Verizon has forecast that it will install the service in an additional 400,000 homes in the state. The announcement came as Verizon opened its brand new fiber solutions customer service center in Freehold. By the end of next year Verizon expects approximately 400 people to be working at the center.

Verizon chairman and chief executive Ivan Seidenberg said: "New Jersey is now among the most-fibered states in the nation." The expanded FiOS service will give New Jersey an "economic boost", added Mr Seidenberg.

Verizon's FiOS service is the first fiber optics network to be rolled out on large scale in the US, the company claims. Fiber-optic communications were first developed in the 1970s and work by transmitting information using light traveling along optical fiber.

Internet-based TV series debuts

The popular social networking site MySpace has debuted its internet TV series, Quarterlife, which follows the activities of a group of 20-somethings.

Quarterlife is the brainchild of the creators of My So-Called Life, Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick. The creative duo has come up with 36 episodes of the series, each lasting eight minutes each, to be shown on MySpaceTV. In his review of the show, LA Times writer Robert Lloyd said: "In terms of production, acting and subtlety of intention, it's miles beyond any drama yet mounted on the internet." But despite this, he added that "there is something slightly off about their take on Generation Text-Me; it feels rooted in magazine clippings rather than actual experience."

Meanwhile, the Hollywood writer's strike continues apace. Various TV stars, including Eva Longoria and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, have backed the Writer's Guild in their demands for a greater proportion of internet and DVD profits.
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For information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Vodafone signs up to Nokia services

Mobile services giant Vodafone has signed up to Nokia's suite of mobile internet services, it has been announced.

Under the deal, Vodafone customers will be able to access the Finnish company's Ovi platform, including its music service, and Vodafone will have exclusive access to certain future models of Nokia phones. New Nokia phones feature 3G services, consisting of high-speed broadband networks which allow users to check email and surf the internet.

A press release from Vodafone stated: "Vodafone and Nokia will make it easier to access the Internet quickly at the click of a button. "Customers will get the full suite of communications, content, internet services and browsing, through seamlessly integrated Vodafone services on Nokia handsets." Currently Vodafone is the world's largest supplier of mobile phone services and Nokia is the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones.

Vodafone now has 232 million subscribers to its services worldwide.

Student hackers charged

After being charged with hacking into their university records and changing their grades, two students could face up to 20 years in prison.

John Escalera, 29, allegedly set up false accounts in the name of the registrar and academic records coordinator in Fresno State's database and changed his grades and that of his friend Gustavo Razo Jr, 28. Both students are now facing charges of wire fraud and identity theft. They have both entered guilty pleas.

The indictment against them read: "In or about the summer of 2003 officials at Fresno State ran a routine audit. "During this routine audit, university officials noticed discrepancies between the two systems in terms of grades. In January 2005, a greater audit was performed by Fresno State based on information received from the first audit." Escalera worked in the Fresno State Information Technology Help Center, a position which gave him access to the university's database.

For more information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

'Most' of US now online

The number of Internet users in the US has been growing rapidly over the last year, a recent Harris Poll has discovered.

There are now approximately 178 million Americans online, which is a ten percent increase on the number last year. A full 79 percent of adults in the US are online, or one in every five. And now 72 percent of adults have internet access at home, compared to 70 percent last year and 66 percent in 2005.

Harris Interactive stated in the poll: "As internet penetration continues to grow, the demographic profile of users continues to look more like that of the nation as a whole. "It is still true that more young than older people and more affluent than low-income people, are online, but nine per cent of those online are now age 65 or over, compared with 16 per cent of all adults who are 65 or over."

Approximately 39 percent of the Americans who are going online have never been to a university and 13 percent earn less than $25,000.

For more information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Writers strike over internet profits

Hollywood writers have begun a strike over what they see as unfairness concerning their share of internet and DVD profits.

Last-minute talks failed to establish an agreement between writers and studios and both the New York and Los Angeles chapters of the Writers Guild of America decided to strike. Studio bosses maintain that the writers' demands are disproportionate and would affect the development of new media. Patric Verrone, president of the western chapter of the guild, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: "The studios made it clear that they would rather shut down this town than reach a fair and reasonable deal."

This is the first time in two decades that Hollywood writers have taken strike action. Film and television production are both threatened by the strike. In 1988 writers went on strike for 22 weeks, which ended up costing the film and television industry approximately $500 million.

AT&T and Motorola unveil Moto Q

Communication giant AT&T and Motorola have released the Moto Q handset, which the companies claim is the first "globally capable" device.

The Moto Q offers download speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps and has a built-in GPS as well as a 2.0 megapixel camera. Users of the Moto Q can use the smart device to check email and browse the web in 135 different countries across the globe.

Juergen Stark, corporate vice president, Productivity, Motorola Mobile Devices, said: "Staying connected, informed and entertained is becoming a way of life for busy professionals and consumers. "With AT&T, the Moto Q global delivers unparalleled download speeds, on-board memory, messaging, processing power and voice quality, all packaged within a sleek design for the modern consumer."

Moto Q uses Windows Mobile 6 which allows users to view text and images on the internet as they would appear on their PC. Last year Motorola reported a revenue of $41.2 billion.

Google stock rises

Shares in the search engine giant Google rose past $700 yesterday, a rise of more than $100 in less than one month.

Much of the performance is based on investors' enthusiasm for Google's expansion into the mobile wireless market. This will make it possible for Google to deliver advertisements to people's mobile devices, which could prove extremely lucrative.

Scott Kessler, an analyst at Standard & Poor's, told the International Herald Tribune: "One of the reasons that Google has been such a success story is not only because it has taken market share from its competitors, but also to some extent it has created new opportunities and new markets." Now Google's stock is up among the rarefied atmosphere of the top five companies in the US, including Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway.

Google's founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page both now have an estimated fortune of $20 billion each.

Internet tax ban extended

Congress has unanimously voted to extend the ban on internet taxes by another seven years, it has been reported.

The senate passed the moratorium last week, which means that now all that remains is for president George W Bush to sign it. On Thursday of this week the current ban runs out. The new one would last until the year 2014. Many had been pushing to make the ban on internet taxation permanent. Among them was the Arizona senator John McCain, who said that a ban must be made permanent before state governments put in place their own internet taxes. And Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon, the head of the Senate Republican High Tech Task Force, commented: "People use the internet to access information and purchase goods and services.

"It is not appropriate to tax someone for walking into a library or a shopping mall. On that rationale, we should not be taxing the internet."

For more information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Spam levels rise

The levels of spam on the internet climbed substantially during the month of September, research from the security firm SoftScan has found.

Spam levels rose by a full 39 percent during the month and sometimes 98 percent of all the emails canned by the company were spam. The amount of viruses present during the month were relatively low, however there was a greater variety. Diego d'Ambra, chief technology officer of SoftScan, said: "Since June this year we have seen an increase of 95 percent in the amount of spam we stop each month.

"We are fortunate that the reputation filter we introduced last year, which effectively hangs up the phone to servers sending spam, catches the vast majority of junk mail before it reaches our spam filters". Often network administrators have struggled to deal with the amount of spam present, he added. Recently a hacker broke into the website Art.com and stole confidential information, it has been reported.

For information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Hillary Clinton's Plan for Rural America

By: HillaryClinton.com

Hillary Clinton's Plan for Rural America

Today, Hillary Clinton highlighted her agenda to support rural America. Hillary understands the importance of rural communities to America's economy and way of life. She understands that rural America face challenges in economic development, agriculture, education and health. But she also knows that with the right policies in place, rural communities can thrive and can help America solve pressing national problems, like providing a safe and health food supply, producing renewable energy to move us toward energy independence, creating vibrant rural communities and jobs, and helping to tackle global warming.

Hillary has said many times that most of the problems faced by our nation can be solved in our rural communities. As a Senator, Hillary has worked hand-in-hand with farmers, small businesses, and local leaders to promote a better life in rural areas. She was proud to receive the 2007 Golden Triangle Award from the National Farmers Union as recognition of her work on behalf of family farmers and rural communities. Hillary has a vision for rural America rooted in experience, and she is ready to lead us there.

SUPPORTING FAMILY FARMS

In the Senate, Hillary has made a strong commitment to supporting family farms. She has consistently promoted legislation and initiatives that will help small farmers remain competitive in the face of a growing threat by corporate agriculture and vertical integration that/to dominate agricultural markets. She has also promoted efforts to help farmers get healthy, fresh food directly into the hands of consumers.

For more information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

EDS' Eight Cyber Security Tips

According to a CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Study, cyber crimes cost the United States economy an estimated $67 billion in damages(i), which is comparable to the U.S. federal government's estimated information technology (IT) spending
for fiscal year 2008(ii).

Corporations and governments have long known an effective IT security program requires dedicated resources - people, processes and technology. Investing wisely in cyber security is a fundamental cost of doing business in the relatively new wired world.

"The big business and government approach to cyber security contrasts sharply with many small business and home computer users who can unsuspectingly be the 'back doors' to a full-scale cyber attack," said Dave Morrow, EDS chief security and privacy officer. "This weakness at the grassroots level requires all users to be responsible citizens in the collective online world with equal time and energy spent to protect these computers. Everyone must practice safe computing habits and good personal computing hygiene."

In honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, EDS security and privacy experts have identified EDS' eight tips to help consumers secure their part of cyberspace:

1. Know the threat. The online world is a dangerous place. Just like any
city or town, there are "good" neighborhoods and "bad" ones.

2. Use the tools. Every home or small business user should install
commonly available security tools such as anti-virus software,
anti-spyware software and a personal firewall.

3. Be smart online. Like the physical world, cyberspace has its
"con-artist side" typified by bogus e-mails advertising
"get-rich-quick" schemes, "can't-miss" stocks and come-ons from the
opposite sex who "can't wait" to chat. All too often, these are teasers
drawing users to Web sites with viruses, bot programs or other cyber
risks.

4. Never respond to unsolicited requests for personal information. Be wary
of e-mails from organizations or individuals asking for your personal
information.

5. Beware of "phishing" e-mails. Phishing is one of the fastest-growing
forms of online fraud for identity thieves. Phishing e-mails appear
legitimate, often addressing you by name, which makes them even more
convincing.

6. Do not use personal information for passwords. Using information such
as Social Security numbers, birth dates, names, e-mail addresses or
telephone numbers as passwords can make you an easy target.

7. Review privacy and security policies for the companies you do business
with online. All reputable companies post a privacy and security policy
or statement on their Web site.

8. Monitor online activity regularly. If you conduct business online,
review your account statements regularly and consider using a separate
credit card for online purchases or payments to ensure all transactions
are in order. By reviewing online statements and transactions
frequently, you could detect a theft and limit its damage.

For information on other digital products and services visit www.dsldance.com

Art.com hacked

The website operator Art.com, which sells art and posters, has been broken into by a hacker, the company has announced.

Credit card numbers and names of clients that used the company's sites between July and September this year were stolen. The company runs the websites Art.com and Allposters.com. Michael Heinstein, chief executive officer of Art.com, said: "We value our customers tremendously and understand how important security is to them.

"This is why we have acted to notify affected customers and credit card companies as quickly as possible after vigorously investigating this event." Art.com then swiftly took more action to make sure its sites were secured against "future attacks of this type", added Mr Heinstein. So far none of the credit card numbers that were stolen have been used in illegal transactions or for identity theft, Art.com stated.

Recently the website Bobbear, which combats money laundering was attacked by cyber criminals, according to the security software company Sophos. For more information on digital products and services visit www.dsldance.com

Fewer parents approve of internet

A smaller amount of parents consider the internet a good influence in their children's lives than previously, new research has discovered.

Currently 59 percent of American parents with children aged 12 to 17 approve of the internet, contrasted to 2004 when 67 percent did, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found. And 30 percent of the parents surveyed thought that the internet did not have an influence at all on their children's lives.

Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist at Pew, said: "The internet for a lot of parents is now a mature technology. "They are not in a honeymoon period with the internet anymore. They are realizing the internet is something with good and bad things." It is the content being perused by children rather than the amount of time they spend online that has parents the most concerned, the research found.

Meanwhile, Miss America, Lauren Nelson, is touring the US lecturing to children about how to stay safe online. For more information on digital products and services visit www.dsldance.com

Global Crossing Expands VoIP Local Service to 16 Mexico Markets, Nearly 400 More U.S. Cities

Service Now Offered in 21 Countries Worldwide

Global Crossing a leading global IP solutions provider, today announced it
has once again broadened the scope and reach of its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services for customers around the world by extending its Global Crossing VoIP Local Service(TM) to 16 major metropolitan cities in Mexico and nearly 400 additional cities in the United States. The addition of Mexico brings to 21 the total number of countries worldwide where the service is offered. In the U.S., the company expanded availability of VoIP Local Service to nearly 400 additional cities, including Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Tucson, bringing that total to more than 1,400 nationwide.

Initially, Global Crossing will be serving 16 metropolitan markets in Mexico with VoIP Local Service, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puebla, Leon and Monterrey. Global Crossing VoIP Local Service also is available in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. A complementary offer, Global Crossing VoIP Outbound(TM), is available from 29 countries around the world and provides the consistency customers
require from global services.

For information on VoIP and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Cable to link US and China

A new fibre-optic telecommunications channel is to be laid across the Pacific Ocean to link China and the US, reports the China Daily.

Work has started on the cable, which is due to be finished in July 2008. Once installed, it will provide 60 times more capacity than the cables currently in place. Dubbed the Trans-Pacific Express, the cable will cover 18,000 kilometers, running from the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao to the west coast of America at Nedonna Beach, Oregon. The route of the cable is being laid so that if there is an earthquake, service will not be disrupted.

Among those invested in the cable are Verizon, China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, Korea Telecom and Chunghwa Telecom. The cable will cost $500 million. Approximately 62 million phone calls will be able to be simultaneously carried by the cable, which will be able to support internet expansion as well.

Google to use Nielsen results

Google is to sharpen its strategy with access to information from Nielsen, it has been reported.

Google will pay Nielsen for access to its data so that it can see which demographic watches certain TV shows. Nielsen, based in New York, measures age, marital status, gender and other factors and is the universally-accepted benchmark for gauging viewer figures. The overall goal of Google in buying the Nielsen information is to more specifically target its television advertisements.

Michael Steib, director for television ads at Google, told the NY Times: "We want to bring all the advantages that we see in online advertising - like more accountability, a better sense of the audience, better tools to optimize a campaign - and bring them to television to make TV advertising more effective." Nielsen ratings first started being used in the 1940s and since then have become the most important factor in gauging advertising rates and content. For more information on digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Cyber criminals 'take advantage of Halloween'

As Halloween draws nearer, cyber criminals have launched a campaign of spam emails related to the celebration, according to the software security company Sophos.

The most prevalent piece of spam is one that promises a gift card worth $250 in exchange for the personal details of the recipient. Among the information requested is email addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.

Senior technology consultant for Sophos, Graham Cluley, said: "It's not immediately obvious whether this spam is being sent to commit identity theft or whether it's market research gone mad. "If you visit the site and give it your personal information the chances are that you will be bombarded with unwanted junk email until hell freezes over."

It is not likely that those behind the spam emails will really send out the promised gift card, Mr Cluley added. Meanwhile, the infamous storm worm is still as prevalent as ever, almost a year since it was first noticed, reports the Toronto Star.

New console includes five games, wireless controller and storage to save games - all for $279.99

Just in time for holiday, Microsoft Corp. today released a new Xbox 360(R) console that
delivers games and content to everyone in the family for an incredible value of $279.99 (U.S. estimated retail price)*. Available in stores beginning today, Xbox 360 Arcade console is the first Xbox 360 console to include five family-friendly games, a wireless controller, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connection to enable
high-definition output if desired and 256 MB of memory useful for storing games and entertainment content. At $279.99, the Xbox 360 Arcade console will include five best-selling games: "PAC-MAN Championship Edition","Uno", "Luxor 2", "Boom Boom Rocket" and "Feeding Frenzy".

Companies 'not ready for disasters'

Many companies are not ready should the worst happen, the security software company Symantec has reported.

Though 91 percent of IT companies do carry out tests of their disaster-recovery abilities, more than half of those tests fail, a recent in-depth study found. Many IT professionals fear that a disaster could hurt their company's reputation, affect the loyalty of customers and result in company information being compromised, the research discovered.

Sean Derrington, director, storage management product marketing at Symantec, said: "IT executives are taking a fresh, hard look at their disaster recovery and business continuity strategies. "To protect against downtime, organizations must implement high availability and disaster recovery across their enterprise environments."

Companies also need to have procedures in place that allow for them to test their recovery abilities, Mr Derrington added. Meanwhile, Microsoft has found that phishing scams are successful approximately 0.4 percent of the time. For more information visit www.broadbandnational.com