Broadband National Ranked No. 57 On The Inc 500 List

Broadband National Inc. was recently ranked No. 57 on the 2007 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.

Vero Beach, FL, -- Inc. magazine today announced its 26th annual Inc. 500 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. Broadband National Inc., the nation’s leading online marketing company that promotes digital products and services such as broadband, voice, and video, ranks No. 57 on the list, with a four-year growth rate of over 2,201 percent.

“This achievement puts Broadband National in very special company,” states Broadband National’s President and CEO Vinny Olmstead. “The Inc. 500 has recognized companies like Microsoft, Timberland, Domino’s Pizza and many other entrepreneurial companies long before they became household names. Ranking number 57 amongst these other great companies is a real testament to the management and employees of Broadband National.”

Starting with 2003 revenues of $468,00 and 2006 revenues of over 11 million Broadband National realized an earnings growth of over 2,201 percent, the company expects http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifcurrent year revenues to double that of 2006. Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing goes on to state, “We’re proud to be one of the most innovative, dynamic, fast-growth companies in the nation, the ones coming up with solutions to some of our most pressing issues, creating systems that let us conduct business faster and easier. The Inc. 500 list is Inc. magazine’s tribute to American business ingenuity and ambition.”

About Broadband National Inc.

Broadband National is the leading comparative shopping website for digital related products and services. Residential and business customers can use Broadband National's IBIS (Integrated Broadband Information System) technology to compare services from more than 50 local, regional and national service providers. Formed in 2003, Broadband National is a private company conceived as a solution to a fragmented and confusing broadband marketplace. Millions have used their Web site to compare services, and purchase broadband, satellite, VoIP, and similar telecom services.
For Broadband National press inquiries please contact Mark Ballard at 772-539-0618 or visit www.broadbandnational.com

Verizon Business Rolls Out VoIP Enhancements

Verizon's Integrated Communications Package upgrades its VoIP offering with access to e-mail, calendar synchronization, and fully managed voice communication

Verizon Communications' Business unit will launch a VoIP service for customers of its Hosted IP Centrex package that will give users access to new features like text messaging and calendar synchronization.

Verizon Business' Integrated Communications Package is targeted at businesses and government agencies whose employees want more collaboration and mobility functionality with their VoIP phones, Verizon said. The package is designed to reduce the time and effort needed to connect employees, the company said.

The package allows users to access voice e-mail, control incoming and outgoing calls, manage their online presence, send text messages, and synchronize contacts and calendars, Verizon said.

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Skype Blackout Fixed, Caused by Massive PC Restart

Skype Blackout Fixed, Caused by Massive PC Restart
By Clint Boulton
August 20, 2007

Microsoft Windows patches and millions of PC restarts cracked Skype

The blackout that left millions of Skype users without the ability to make Internet phone calls from their PCs for two days was, ironically, triggered by the service's users. Skype offers a P2P (peer-to-peer) VOIP (voice over IP) software service, which allows users to make phone calls, instant messages and videos over their computers with a broadband Internet connection. The service is free for users of the Skype network and is extremely popular, boasting more than 220 million users.

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Hard To Tell If PC Is A Zombie

It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell whether one's PC has been broken into and turned into a zombie, according to an internet security company.

Comodo cited a recent article that appeared in ComputerWorld which said that " ... a virus takes over your PC [and] it receives instructions over the internet to mass mail spam". Currently the company has said that it is focussing on methods to prevent PCs from being broken into in the first place and that it is to integrate these methods into its existing firewall product.

Melih Abdulhayoglu, chief executive and chief security architect of Comodo, said: "Our goal is to change the face of security. "Instead of trying to determine whether a file is 'bad' once it is on your computer, it is far more logical to prevent the breach in the first place." The company's new product that features this preventative methodology is dubbed Firewall Pro V3.0 and contains a list of more than 600,000 applications that the company has deemed to be safe.

To be available in a few weeks, Firewall Pro V3.0 will be free to download and has capabilties that are more often seen in security applications directed at businesses. Comodo has over 200,000 business customers and its products are used by more than three million private users.

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Skype Hit By Bug

The popular Internet calling service Skype has been hit by a bug that has caused it to go offline in certain regions, it has been reported.

Many users in Europe and the Americas were unable to log on to the service on Thursday because of what Skype called a "software problem". Users in Germany, Finland, the US, Brazil and Colombia all reported problems with the service. Many could not log in for up to 14 hours. The company stated: "Our engineering team has determined that it's a software issue. "We expect this to be resolved within 12 to 24 hours."

Skype was founded by entrepreneurs Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis in 2003 and was sold to the internet auction giant eBay in 2005. Services offered by Skype include voice and video conferencing, transferring files and instant messaging. Zennstrom and Friis are also the team behind the new internet TV site, Joost and the file-sharer Kazaa. Click here for information on other digital products and services.

Verizon To Provide Broadband In Rural Areas

The communication giant Verizon has announced that it is to expand its broadband offerings into rural areas of West Virginia.

Currently, many of the more mountainous rural areas of the state do not have access to high-speed internet. Verizon will work with the nonprofit Connected Nation in order to devise a "comprehensive approach" to distributing broadband across the state. H Stan Cavendish, Verizon's West Virginia president, said: "Our performance demonstrates that Verizon is genuinely committed to broadband deployment in West Virginia's rural communities.

"Widely available broadband Internet access is critical for education, health care, public safety, business competitiveness and community development."The governor of West Virginia, Joe Manchin III, has promised that all West Virginians will have access to broadband by 2010. In order for those that live in West Virginia to be on the same level as the rest of the world it is "crucial" that the have broadband, the governor said.

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Spam Surge Originates In China

There has been a significant rise in the amount of spam emails from the .cn domain according to the security software company Symantec.

The .cn domain is China's top level domain. However, there has been a drop in the levels of spam originating from Hong Kong, traditionally one of the most popular places to disseminate junk emails from, Symantec noted. Hong Kong has recently instituted wide-ranging new anti-spam laws.

Charles Mok Lai-kwong, the chairman of the Hong Kong Internet Society, told Hong Kong's South China Morning Post that spam has gone down by at least one-third. He said: "We have observed from local internet providers that the volume of spam has been decreasing over the past year by about 30 percent." There has also been a significant drop in the amount of image spam being disseminated. In July ten percent of spam messages were image spam, in contrast to 50 percent earlier in 2007.

Microsoft Delves Into Advertising

Digital marketing company aQuantive has been bought by Microsoft for $6 billion, it has been announced.

The move signifies Microsoft's first foray in to the world of internet advertising, a sector that has recently been attracting the attentions of most of the major internet companies. Microsoft's acquisition of aQuantive is the company's largest to date.

The chief executive of aQuantive, Brian McAndrews, will run Microsoft's newly devised Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group. The new body will be responsible for all of Microsoft's ad operations. At a recent meeting for financial analysis PC World reports that Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said: "We are going to be an advertising company."

"We need to embrace that. We need to be world class at that." Earlier this year Microsoft's rival Google acquired the internet advertising giant DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. U.S. regulators are still investigating the acquisition amidst possible privacy and antitrust violations.

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Anti-Bush Lyrics Edited

AT&T has admitted that it edited the lyrics of a Pearl Jam song during a live webcast, taking out parts that criticized George W Bush.

Monitors of the band's set at Lollapalooza in Chicago cut the two lines referring to Bush. The show was being shown through AT&T's Blue Room entertainment website. Spokesman for AT&T Michael Coe said that the lyrics should not have been cut.

He said: "What was edited out of those songs should not have been edited out. "That was a mistake and we regret that." The lines which were cut were from a song being done to the tune of Pink Floyd's famous "Another Brick in the Wall". They consisted of "George Bush, leave this world alone" and "George Bush find yourself another home".

AT&T's Blue Room is a site that contains concerts, video game advice, interviews and other content and can only be accessed with a high-speed internet connection. Currently George W Bush is floundering badly in the polls due to the unpopular war in Iraq.

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Fairgoers Get Phishing Lessons

Those who attended the Indiana State Fair on Thursday had the chance to learn about phishing from the Indiana University's (IU) School of Informatics and Information Technology Security and Policy Offices.

Lessons were given on how to differentiate between real websites and the fake ones used in the popular practice of phishing. Attendees were also taught how to protect vital information while operating online, like passwords and financial details.

Tom Davis, IU's chief information security officer, said: "Education is critical. "Because phishing scams aren't likely to stop anytime soon, awareness is the most effective tool we have to combat this problem." The informatics researchers from IU have developed a series of humorous cartoons illustrating how to stay safe on the internet. These were shown at the fair yesterday to mass acclaim.

For those who missed the fair, the cartoons can be found on the website SecurityCartoon.com. Meanwhile, the security software company Sophos has warned that spam levels have increased by as much as 30 percent in the last day or so, due to a spam campaign to boost the stocks in a wireless company.

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NBC To Show Olympics On Internet

The media giant NBC has announced that it is intending on streaming live coverage of the 2008 Olympics on its website nbcolympics.com.

This will mark the first time in history that the Olympic Games have been shown on the Internet. Since 1992, NBC has shown six out of the past nine Olympics. Mike McCarley, a spokesman for NBC Sports, said: "It's the evolution of the technology and consumer behavior. "There are people with the appetite to consume this."

Overall, the amount of coverage that NBC intends on showing in 2008 will be more than has ever been shown before. More than 3,600 hours of coverage will be shown, in contrast to the 1,210 hours that NBC provided for the Olympics in 2004. The 2008 Olympics will run from August 8th to the 24th. Beijing beat out the cities of Toronto, Paris, Istanbul and Osaka to win the right to hold the Olympics.

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American Airlines To Test In Flight Internet

American Airlines has announced that it is to carry out exhaustive tests on the feasibility of in-flight Internet access.

The service will be tested on the airline's Boeing 767-200 jets, which predominantly fly domestic transcontinental routes.

Airborne telecommunications company AirCell will supply the Internet service. A fee will be charged to users, however American Airlines has not determined yet how much it will be. Dan Garton, American Airlines' executive vice president of marketing, said: "We understand that broadband connectivity is important to our business customers."

Recently, Southwest Airlines has stated that it is also working on providing Internet in the cabins of its aircraft. Airlines have been attempting to make on-board Internet work for years, in order to capture the business traveler market, however it has been slow in coming. AirCell recently won the Federal Communication Cohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifmmission's air-to-ground spectrum, making it the leader in the race to provide in-flight Internet.

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Domino's Hits The Net

Pizza giant Domino's has announced that it is offering its customers the choice to order their pizzas online.

Now when internet users visit the company's homepage, www.dominos.com, they will encounter a fresh new website with online ordering as its dominant theme. Users of the service will be able to place an order in Spanish or English and will be able to place orders in advance, the company claims. Rob Weisberg, Domino's vice president of precision and print marketing, said: "While the majority of our customers still prefer to place their order over the phone, we predict that by 2010, 50 percent of all orders will be placed through digital channels." Domino's is molding its website and ordering process to serve its "young, hip customers who live on the internet", Mr Weisberg added.

So far, customers have given the online ordering choice "top billing for customer satisfaction", he continued. Domino's was founded in 1960 in Michigan. For information on other digital products and services visit www.dsldance.com

Safeguard Scientifics Leads $9.7 Million Financing Round for Broadband National Inc.

Leading Comparative Shopping Website for Broadband Related Services and Products Such as High Speed Internet, VoIP and Cable TV

WAYNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE:SFE), a holding company that builds value in growth-stage technology and life sciences companies, today announced that it led a $9.7 million financing round to obtain an $8 million stake in Broadband National Inc., an internet media company that operates a network of shopping websites focused on digital services and products such as high speed internet, digital phone, VoIP, digital TV and music. Existing investors Constellation Ventures II, a Bear Stearns Asset Management venture capital fund that focuses on media, communications and technology companies, and select angel round contributors, also participated in this round. The proceeds will help Broadband National expand into new vertical markets, continue development of its technology platform, pursue selective acquisitions and provide partial liquidity to a founder.

With offices located in Vero Beach, FL and Atlanta, GA, Broadband National was founded in 2003 to clarify a fragmented and confusing digital services marketplace by supplying a simplified shopping experience through unique content, education and comparison services to end users. Residential and small business customers can use Broadband National’s Integrated Broadband Information System (IBIS) technology platform to compare thousands of digital services offerings from more than 50 key advertisers. Broadband National’s advertising partners include an impressive list of market leaders including Comcast, AT&T, Charter, Real Networks, Vonage, Qwest, Time Warner, and Verizon.

“As our ninth technology partner company, Broadband National expands upon the number of companies that fall within the Internet-based business concentration of Safeguard’s strategic focus,” said Peter J. Boni, President and CEO of Safeguard. “Broadband National’s technology platform provides a single point of contact for consumers, exposing them to a wide range of digital service providers with a single interface. This reinforces Safeguard’s objective, to find the entrepreneurs, give them the growth capital, operational support services and strategic guidance required to build a great company. We welcome Broadband National to the Safeguard team.”

“Broadband National participates in the growing customer generation segment of the overall market for digital services in the United States, including broadband internet access, cable and satellite TV, IPTV, music, and VoIP, which has been projected to grow to $10 trillion by 2014,” said John A. Loftus, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the Technology Group at Safeguard. “Broadband National’s IBIS technology platform facilitates the rapid release of emerging digital services such as VoIP, digital music downloads and satellite radio. Over time, we anticipate additional services to migrate to the digital domain. Broadband National will be well positioned to take advantage of this broader market opportunity.”

“As part of this financing round, we were looking for a strategic partner that would support our strategy to augment our organization through vertical market expansion and growth via organic growth and selected acquisitions,” said Vinny Olmstead, President and CEO of Broadband National. “Safeguard’s ability to provide strategic guidance along with operational and management resources will enable us to achieve our goals and ultimately build value for our advertisers and customers.”

As part of this transaction, Kevin L. Kemmerer, Senior Vice President of the Technology Group at Safeguard, has joined Broadband National’s Board of Directors.

About Broadband International Inc.

Broadband National with offices in Vero Beach, FL and Atlanta, GA, is the leading comparative shopping website for digital services and products such as high speed internet, VoIP and digital TV. With the leading digital service providers integrated into one technology platform, Broadband National provides the only nationwide solution to both residential and small business customers. Broadband National’s proprietary IBIS technology platform; integrated operating processes; API engine; and leading personnel expertise enable customers to access objective digital comparisons, including service offers, product offers, and guaranteed lowest pricing. Backend integrations with leading advertising clients such as AT&T, Qwest, Time Warner, Comcast, Covad, and Verizon assures the end customers real time information to make choices for thousand of digital services. Broadband National also licenses its content and IBIS technology platform to retailers, third party call centers, service providers, VoIP suppliers, and third party websites. www.broadbandnational.com

About Safeguard

Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE:SFE) builds value in growth-stage technology and life sciences businesses. Safeguard provides growth capital as well as a range of strategic, operational and management resources to our partner companies. Safeguard participates in expansion financings, corporate spin-outs, management buyouts, recapitalizations, industry consolidations and early-stage financings. www.safeguard.com

VoIP Battle Predicted

A VoIP "war" is set to begin between providers Cisco and Microsoft, according to a new report.

Writing for CRN, Larry Hooper suggests that the two firms will soon go head to head in the VoIP market. The situation arises as Microsoft prepares to launch its unified communication strategy this fall.

Dubbed Office Communication Server 2007, the new package includes instant messaging, email, mobile and VoIP telephony, as well as videoconferencing. But Mr Hooper warns Microsoft that Cisco did not find things easy in the early days of VoIP. He states that it took Cisco a number of years to establish its channel program in the voice market.

"Time will tell if Microsoft will hit the same bumps in the road to VoIP, but the journey will be fascinating to watch," the writer suggests. Announcing the new product earlier this year, Microsoft business division president Jeff Raikes said that unified communications will be behind "the next major advancement" in the mobile work environment.

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