Friday, April 11, 2008

New Adobe TV Programming Comes Online


Unique Creative Suite 3 Video Content Available Via Adobe Media Player and New Web Destination

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® TV, a free online video resource for expert instruction and inspiration about Adobe products, including the companys Creative Suite 3 family of world-class creative tools. With multiple channels, original series programming, and content from Adobe, leading training organizations and the world's leading subject matter experts, Adobe TV delivers a virtual library of entertaining and instructional videos. Designers, photographers, video professionals, and developers will find product deep-dives, innovative tips, techniques from luminaries, and behind-the-scenes tours of the hottest creative shops and Adobe product teams.

Designed to educate, inspire, and entertain the creative community, Adobe TV is immediately available online from the Adobe Web site at http://tv.adobe.com, or as a network with multiple shows in the new Adobe® Media Player 1.0 software, also announced today (see separate press release). Adobe Media Player offers a broad range of television programming and entertaining video content from major television broadcasters and leading content publishers, including CBS, MTV Networks, Universal Music Group, PBS, CondéNet, and Scripps Networks.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

GrindTV Action Sports Content Now Available on Yahoo!



Agreement Brings Action Sports Channel to the Internets #1 Sports Site

GrindTV, the leading online action sports destination, announced an agreement with Yahoo! Sports, the Internets leading sports destination, in which GrindTV.com will become a co-branded channel on Yahoo! Sports. The site features videos, photos, and editorial content across the most popular action sports categories, including Skateboarding, Surfing, Snowboarding and Motocross. The new channel will be featured as a primary sports category on Yahoo! Sports, and features will be editorially programmed on the Yahoo! Sports homepage at http://www.sports.yahoo.com. The partnership brings Yahoo! an immediate presence in the action sports category, and will bring 1 million additional users to Yahoo! Sports each month.

Our partnership with Yahoo! Sports will allow us to more effectively serve the growing action sports community, including enthusiasts, filmmakers, athletes and manufacturers, said Erik Hawkins, CEO of GrindTV.com. Working with the number one sports site on the web will help us to take action sports to the next level, and introduce this lifestyle, and these exceptional athletes, to a broader audience.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

LEEPFrog.tv Launches Comprehensive One-Stop Music Video Discovery Site


First-of-Its-Kind Web 2.0 Resource Delivers, Full-Length Video, Audio Sampling and Digital Purchase

LEEPFrog.tv has launched its unique online environment, featuring a carefully chosen selection of emerging music artists. The site contains full-length music videos, original content, user generated content and comprehensive music sampling, geared toward taste makers looking for what's next in music.

A powerful, intuitive interface enables visitors to view, listen, share and purchase, all from within the LEEPFrog.tv site. With the support of a wide range of labels, including Interscope Records, Bad Boy Entertainment, Blu Hammock Music, Epic Records, Epitaph Records, Hollywood Records, Thump Records and more, LEEPFrog.tv will have deep content from which to draw, but will narrowly focus on approximately 50 new releases at a time. Artists featured at LEEPFrog.tv's launch include Soulja Boy Tellem, Alexa Wilkinson, Sara Bareilles, Cary Brothers, The D.E.Y, The Kin, Krazy Bones and many others.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Cox Communications Launches Cox Rhapsody Music Service for High Speed Internet Customers


Premium service offers customers access to millions of songs

Cox Communications has launched the Cox Rhapsody music service to customers throughout Northern Virginia. Cox Rhapsody allows Cox High Speed Internet customers to access millions of songs for about the price of one CD per month.

"Our customers have expressed that music is a big part of their lives, and Cox Rhapsody allows us to make their favorite songs even more accessible," stated Mark Snow, vice president of marketing for Cox Northern Virginia. "Cox Rhapsody provides our customers unlimited access to their music anywhere -- at home, work or while traveling."

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

The World's Most Wired Airports


By Elizabeth Woyke

Beth Breidenbach calls it the "vulture hover."

It's a maneuver familiar to anyone looking to use a laptop in an airport—the circling, swooping dance to locate and secure access to wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) and power outlets.

Breidenbach, a Spokane, Wash.-based senior data architect for IBM Global Business Services, is on the road an average of 45 weeks a year. To cope, she's memorized plug locations in her favorite airports—she's found them by the main poles in the seating area in Denver International Airport; by the workstations at Chicago's O'Hare and New York's LaGuardia; still others near particular restaurants in Minneapolis, where she can grab a bite while charging her laptop and Palm handheld.

Click here for the entire story.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Bridgevine Appoints Robert Hamilton as Chief Financial Officer


Move supports continued company growth after launch of new direct-to-consumer ecommerce platform

VERO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bridgevine, Inc., the trusted source for consumers to learn about, compare and shop for the services that shape their lives, today announced the appointment of Robert Hamilton as chief financial officer. As CFO, he will be responsible for all aspects of the companys financial management including financial reporting, corporate governance, investor relations and compliance-related programs.

We are pleased to welcome Rob to Bridgevine at such an exciting time in the companys growth, said Vinny Olmstead, president and CEO of Bridgevine. His extensive experience in financial management and business acumen in the industry gives him the background, flexibility and skills to prove invaluable as the company continues its ongoing growth in both our business and direct-to-consumer offerings.

Hamilton joins Bridgevine with 20 years of executive management experience in the Internet, retail wholesale and manufacturing industries. From November 1999 to January 2008, Hamilton served as CFO and treasurer at eDiets.com (NASDAQ: DIET), where he was a key participant in the successful expansion of the company into a leading online provider of diet services, information and products.

Prior to eDiets.com, Hamilton managed financial reporting for Equinox Systems, Inc., which was acquired by Avocent (NASDAQ: AVCT) in 2001. Before his work in the industry, Hamilton, a certified public accountant, was an audit manager with Arthur Andersen LLP in Boston and South Florida.

Bridgevine recently launched its consumer-facing site, Bridgevine.com, to address the often daunting task of shopping for services in a marketplace where constantly changing prices, promotions and package offerings can leave consumers unsure as to whether they are getting the best deal or even the service that best meets their need. Unlike other comparison shopping sites, the Bridgevine experience is differentiated by a unified shopping cart, real-time pricing, order status and scheduling to deliver the best customer experience in the industry. Bridgevines deep integration with leading service providers from across the country enables the company to deliver the most accurate information on services, pricing and special promotions, adding even more value to the bundled services shopping experience.

About Bridgevine

Founded in 2003, Bridgevine, Inc. is headquartered in Vero Beach, FL with an office in Atlanta, GA. The companys consumer-facing website, Bridgevine.com, is a trusted source for consumers to learn about, compare and shop for the services that shape their lives. From communications to entertainment to security, Bridgevine.com lets consumers choose individual services that are best for them or create personalized bundles from trusted providers resulting in saved time and money. Unlike other comparison shopping websites, Bridgevines powerful technology offers a unified shopping cart, real-time pricing, order status and scheduling to deliver the best customer experience in the industry. Bridgevines deep integration with leading service providers from across the country including Comcast, AT&T, D-Link, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, DIRECTV, RealNetworks, Panasonic, GameFly and more enables Bridgevine to deliver the most accurate information on services, pricing and special promotions, adding even more value to the bundled services shopping experience. The companys proprietary ecommerce platform is licensed by leading retailers, websites and Fortune 500 companies, making it possible for them to monetize online, call center and in-store traffic. Bridgevine was ranked 57 on the prestigious 2007 Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies. For more information, please visit www.bridgevine.com

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Bets.com, CheapSlots.com and Winnings.com Up for Grabs at Moniker.com Live Domain Name Auction at the Casino Affiliate Convention in Amsterdam


Moniker.com, an Oversee.net company and provider of Domain Asset Management(TM) services, today announced that it is bringing its live and online domain name auctions back to the Casino Affiliate Convention (CAC) Amsterdam. The exclusive live auction will take place onsite on Friday, April 4 at 5:30 p.m. in Amsterdam (11:30 a.m. US Eastern time; 8:30 a.m. US Pacific) at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel.

To view the complete auction inventory, visit
http://marketplacepro.moniker.com/auction/detail.html?auction_id=189

At previous casino-related domain auctions held at CAC events, more than 60 domains have been sold, with the sale of Scores.com in 2007 topping the charts at a price tag of $1.18 million. The transaction ranks as one of the year's top five domain sales, according to DNJournal.

Official auction dates, rules and procedures for all Moniker live and
online auctions are at www.moniker.com/liveauction.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Gregory S. Stanger Joins Bridgevine Board of Directors


Former Expedia, Microsoft executive to lend significant business and financial leadership experience to Bridgevine as newest board member

ATLANTA & VERO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bridgevine, Inc., the trusted source for consumers to learn about, compare and shop for the services that shape their lives, today announced the appointment of Gregory S. Stanger to the Bridgevine board of directors. An accomplished investor, venture capitalist, and financial and business leader, Stanger joins a highly accomplished and effective board of directors assembled to help solidify Bridgevines leadership in the online marketing and advertising space. The announcement comes on the heels of the companys public launch of its consumer-facing website, Bridgevine.com.

Through strong partnerships with leading service providers and a powerful technology platform, Bridgevine is well positioned to fill the void in helping consumers educate themselves and select customized bundled services that meet their unique needs, said Stanger. Bridgevine stands out as a trusted source for simplifying the buying process for consumers, and I look forward to working with the company as it continues to grow.

Stanger is a private investor and has served as a venture partner at Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) a venture capital firm since June 2005, and was an executive in residence at TCV from December 2003 to June 2005. Previously, Stanger served as senior vice president, chief financial officer and director of Expedia, Inc. from February 2002 to September 2003, and as its chief financial officer from October 1999 to September 2003. Before joining Expedia, he served as senior director, corporate development of Microsoft Corporation and held other positions within Microsoft's finance and corporate development departments since 1991. Stanger serves on the board of directors of Netflix, Drugstore.com, Infovell, and of Global Market Insite.

Gregs significant leadership experience with successful consumer-focused Internet companies will be a valuable asset to Bridgevine, said Vinny Olmstead, president and CEO of Bridgevine. The Bridgevine leadership team looks forward to tapping Gregs knowledge and experience as we push forward in presenting the online marketing and advertising platform that revolutionizes the way advertisers market and consumers purchase.

About Bridgevine

Founded in 2003, Bridgevine, Inc. is headquartered in Vero Beach, FL with an office in Atlanta, GA. The companys consumer-facing website, Bridgevine.com, is a trusted source for consumers to learn about, compare and shop for the services that shape their lives. From communications to entertainment to security, Bridgevine.com lets consumers choose individual services that are best for them, or create personalized bundles from trusted providers resulting in saved time and money. Unlike other comparison shopping websites, Bridgevines powerful technology offers a unified shopping cart, real-time pricing, order status and scheduling to deliver the best customer experience in the industry. Bridgevines deep integration with leading service providers from across the country including Comcast, AT&T, D-Link, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, DIRECTV, RealNetworks, Panasonic, GameFly and more enables Bridgevine to deliver the most accurate information on services, pricing and special promotions, adding even more value to the bundled services shopping experience. The companys proprietary ecommerce platform is licensed by leading retailers, websites and Fortune 500 companies, making it possible for them to monetize online, call center and in-store traffic. Bridgevine was ranked 57 on the prestigious 2007 Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies. For more information, please visit www.bridgevine.com.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Time To Make The Donuts!


Dunkin' Donuts and Yahoo! Partner to Help Busy People Start Their Day With the News They Need

Companies Unveil New 'Yahoo! Sports Minute,' 'Good Morning Yahoo!' and 'Dunkin' Donuts Lovers Lounge'


Dunkin' Donuts, the world's largest coffee and baked goods chain, today announced a partnership with Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO), a leading global Internet company, which will allow millions of busy people to get the news they need to get them running throughout the day. Through this partnership, Yahoo! will create two new Dunkin' Donuts-branded video programs, as well as a Dunkin' Donuts community web site. The first program from this partnership is the "Yahoo! Sports Minute," a daily video summary of the biggest sports stories, and is now available to users. "Good Morning Yahoo!," a unique morning video news program, and the "Dunkin' Lounge" social community will launch later this spring. The agreement represents the first time Yahoo! has worked with an advertising partner to develop original content initiatives in multiple categories.

Friday, March 07, 2008

The Team Behind Wallstrip Introduces MOBLOGIC


New Daily Webshow Combines News and Politics with Plenty of Attitude Web Sensation Lindsay Campbell to Host

CBS Interactive today announced that the team that created and produced Wallstrip, an irreverent online program focused on finance, is launching a new daily webshow called MOBLOGIC. Starting tomorrow, the MOBLOGIC team will put the News-Of-The-Day and the latest from the campaign trail into perspective through the witty and insightful People-On-The-Street and People-In-The-Know style interviews that made Wallstrip popular. MOBLOGIC will be viewable daily on moblogic.tv and will be distributed across the CBS Audience Network.

MOBLOGIC officially launches tomorrow but click here for a sneak peak:
http://www.moblogic.tv/cbs.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Benefitfocus Healthcare Video Portal Merges Community with Credibility


icyou offers a free online healthcare video and information sharing community

Today Benefitfocus announced the release of the next phase on Beta site icyou which merges the healthcare video and virtual communities with credibility. This user-generated health video community provides the ability to post and search healthcare videos, as well as communicate with other users on important healthcare topics. Originally launched in September 2007, icyou already has hundreds of videos posted weekly and has rapidly become one of the most diverse libraries of online healthcare videos.

Built around common health concerns, such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity, icyou features a blend of amateur and professional video and is quickly growing as patients, caregivers, doctors and experts upload and share their healthcare stories. In addition, high-quality videos are produced and compiled internally by the icyou editorial staff who, to ensure that content is both accurate and reliable, work with medical editors and contributing physicians to review videos posted to the site

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

BRIDGEVINE.COM PROVIDES CONSUMERS WITH THE CONVENIENCE AND COST SAVINGS OF BUNDLED SERVICES


BRIDGEVINE.COM PROVIDES CONSUMERS WITH THE CONVENIENCE AND
COST SAVINGS OF BUNDLED SERVICES

New site empowers consumers to make smart decisions about the services that best fit their lifestyles

ATLANTA, Georgia and VERO BEACH, Florida — February 27, 2008 — Bridgevine, Inc. today unveiled Bridgevine.com —
the trusted source for consumers looking to conveniently compare and shop for the services that shape their lives. From HDTV and VoIP to digital entertainment and home security, Bridgevine.com lets consumers choose individual services or create personalized bundles from the brand name providers they trust to save both time and money.

“Shopping for services can be a daunting task, with constantly changing prices, promotions and package offerings that leave consumers unsure as to whether they are getting the best deal, or even the service that best meets their needs,” said Vinny Olmstead, president and CEO of Bridgevine. “Bridgevine.com represents a new direction in how consumers can learn about, compare and shop for services.”

Bridgevine has partnered with such well-known service providers as Comcast, AT&T, D-Link, Time Warner, Verizon, DIRECTV, RealNetworks, Panasonic and GameFly to offer consumers the services they rely on from the brand names they trust. Unlike other “comparison” shopping websites, the Bridgevine experience is differentiated by a unified shopping cart, real-time pricing, order status updates and scheduling to deliver the best customer experience in the industry. Bridgevine’s deep integration with leading service providers from across the country enables the company to deliver the most accurate information on services, pricing and special promotions, adding even more value to the bundled services shopping experience.

Additionally, Bridgevine.com visitors can shop with the confidence that the deal they see is the deal they’ll get and Bridgevine customer support will be available through the entire process, from selection and ordering through shipping and installation. Bridgevine.com goes beyond simply repackaging and selling services to provide the information consumers need to choose the best services and supporting products. And because Bridgevine.com offers a wide variety of services, shoppers can quickly and easily select the services that fit their lifestyle from a single, user-friendly source.

Bridgevine.com benefits include:

• The total package — Bridgevine.com not only offers the best prices on services but also access to the products that help make those services part of day-to-day life. From HDTVs to gaming routers, Bridgevine.com offers the total package at a significant discount over buying the service and product separately.
• Unified shopping cart — Bridgevine.com shoppers can select individual services or create personalized bundles from multiple providers and still use a single shopping cart/checkout process. Unlike other sites, consumers can bundle exactly the services that fit their needs without being restricted to a single provider.
• Real-time information — Bridgevine.com has real-time access to its partners’ systems, ensuring shoppers view only the most up-to-date promotions, deals, pricing, etc. Competitors’ sites show static data, meaning confirmation of rates, promotions, etc. must be done manually, often after the order has been placed, which can mean consumers do not always receive the deal they signed up for.
• Unmatched customer service — Bridgevine.com’s live, highly qualified customer service professionals provide no-pressure product and service consulting, and the support continues through the entire process to provide a seamless experience all the way through delivery and installation.

About Bridgevine
Founded in 2003, Bridgevine, Inc. is headquartered in Vero Beach, FL with offices in Atlanta, GA. The company’s consumer-facing website, Bridgevine.com, is a trusted source for consumers to learn about, compare and shop for the services that shape their lives. From communications to entertainment to security, Bridgevine.com lets consumers choose individual services that are best for them, or create personalized bundles from trusted providers resulting in saved time and money. Unlike other “comparison” shopping websites, Bridgevine’s powerful technology offers a unified shopping cart, real-time pricing, order status and scheduling to deliver the best customer experience in the industry. Bridgevine’s deep integration with leading service providers from across the country — including Comcast, AT&T, D-Link, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, DIRECTV, RealNetworks, Panasonic, GameFly and more — enables Bridgevine to deliver the most accurate information on services, pricing and special promotions, adding even more value to the bundled services shopping experience. The company’s proprietary ecommerce platform is licensed by leading retailers, websites and Fortune 500 companies, making it possible for them to monetize online, call center and in-store traffic. Bridgevine was ranked 57 on the prestigious 2007 Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies. For more information, please visit www.bridgevine.com.

Monday, February 25, 2008

New Solution from Jungo Lets Broadband Operators Deploy a Nationwide Hotspot Service for Subscribers


Jungo Ltd., a leading provider of broadband service solutions, today announced the release of NationZone, a gateway middleware-based solution that can transform every home gateway into an operator hotspot while fully maintaining the security and bandwidth assurance for the home.

As opposed to other hotspot services that require the rollout of new hardware, Jungo's NationZone enables Operators to turn on the wireless network through a simple remote upgrade of the CPE firmware, thereby leveraging their existing CPE infrastructure, and launching a new service that creates a true nationwide zone which provides value to subscribers from day one.

"Operators need to acquire new subscribers and expand revenues by offering new services, while minimizing infrastructure and operational costs involved with the rollout of the new service", said Eran Rom, Jungo's CEO. With Jungo's NationZone, Operators can introduce new services, create more revenues and increase customer loyalty by utilizing the excess bandwidth and processing the power of millions of CPEs already deployed in the field".

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Cleveland Clinic Collaborates with Google


Cleveland Clinic Pilots New Google Offering to Provide Patients Broader Access to Their Medical Records
Cleveland Clinic, a world-class academic medical institution and leader in health information technology, today announced a collaboration with Google, the world's leading Internet search company, to pilot features and services of a new health offering from Google. The Google offering, not yet publicly available, will assist providers like Cleveland Clinic to create a new kind of healthcare experience that puts the patient in charge of his or her own health information.

Today, more than 100,000 Cleveland Clinic patients benefit from Cleveland Clinic's electronic personal health record (PHR) system called eCleveland Clinic MyChart(R). The pilot, an invitation-only opportunity offered to a group of Cleveland Clinic PHR users, plans to enroll between 1,500 and 10,000 patients. It will test secure exchange of patient medical record data such as prescriptions, conditions and allergies between their Cleveland Clinic PHR to a secure Google profile in a live clinical delivery setting. The ultimate goal of this patient-centered and controlled model is to give patients the ability to interact with multiple physicians, healthcare service providers and pharmacies.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Most Analog Cellular to Fade Away Next Week


The biggest U.S. mobile operators, AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless, will close down their analog networks on Monday.



PC World
Friday, February 15, 2008; 12:19 AM

You may think of sunsets as something nice to look at, but if you have an older cell phone or a home alarm system, there's one coming up on Monday that may not be so pretty.

That day, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission will let mobile operators shut down their analog networks. It's called the "analog sunset" because those AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System) networks, which were first deployed in the 1980s and brought cellular service to millions of Americans, will finally disappear behind the digital networks that serve almost all mobile phones in use today.

The biggest U.S. mobile operators, AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless, will close down their analog networks that day. At the same time, AT&T will turn off its first digital network, which uses TDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) technology. (Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA don't have analog networks.) Calls to some small, rural mobile operators indicated that most of them plan to shut down AMPS, too.

Monday, February 18, 2008

With School Shootings on the Rise, Hundreds of Schools in 33 States Adopt 'First Alert' System to Protect Students


Could a text message alert have saved lives in DeKalb? Founder of First
Alert doesn't think so, but in Virginia Tech-type massacres most certainly.

As another student from Northern Illinois University died last week as a result of yet another shooting rampage, schools in 33 states (and counting) have adopted a new
emergency alert system called FAST to protect students and faculty from crazed gunmen, tornadoes and other disasters.

First Alert System Text (FAST), a text message system which alerts users about emergencies, has announced that all schools and municipalities will receive this emergency notification system for free. As a result, hundreds of schools including leading universities like the University of Alabama, University of Miami, and the University of Nebraska have adopted the system.

"Many of the students being killed or wounded in our schools could be alerted in sufficient time to save them from harm," said Robert Craddock, CEO of First Alert System Text. "Could an alert have saved lives in DeKalb? Probably not, but most certainly in a Virginia Tech-type of massacre."

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Can a Video Game Make Your Kids More Fit?


Exclusive American Council on Exercise Research Proves Dance Dance
Revolution Can Be a Tremendous Workout

Based on the growing popularity of video games that eliminate conventional hand controllers in favor of more full-body interaction, the American Council on Exercise put Dance Dance Revolution to the test.

The ACE commissioned research out of the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, focused on quantifying DDR's potential physical benefits. Looking at the caloric expenditure data of 24 volunteers, researchers determined that it is comparable to many other aerobic activities and could result in significant weight loss if used regularly.

Led by John Porcari, Ph.D., FACSM and Anna Norlin, M.S., male and female subjects, ages 12 - 25 years old were recruited for the study. Half the volunteers were under the age of 18 and enlisted from the local La Crosse Boys & Girls Club.

Based on the physiological responses to three levels of DDR, all subjects showed a marked increase in exercise intensity as they participated. Adult participants burned more calories, which can be attributed to differences in body weight since the adults averaged about 25 pounds heavier than teenage subjects. On average, teens burned 5.9 kcal/min on light mode, 6.7 kcal/min on standard mode and 8.1 kcal/min of difficult
mode.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Time Warner Will Be “Aggressive” In Putting Nets On Demand


Bewkes: Everything Should Be VOD
Says Media Giant Will Be “Aggressive” In Putting Nets On Demand


By Mike Farrell -- Multichannel News, 2/6/2008 2:15:00 PM

After stirring up the market with plans to possibly spin off its cable and AOL online units, Time Warner Inc. CEO Jeff Bewkes aimed his sights at the media giant’s cable networks, telling analysts that he wants to be aggressive in making video on demand programming available across all of its networks.

“We and others in the industry need to be a bit more revolutionary than evolutionary in this area,” Bewkes said on a conference call with analysts Wednesday to discuss fourth- quarter results. “For some time I’ve had the strong belief that all linear ad-supported networks should make their programming lineups available on demand and on television sets, not just on broadband. It’s a win-win for consumers and networks alike. We’re going to be aggressive in putting our own networks on demand so we can show the industry the benefits of this model. We think it will cement the long-term prospects of these businesses.”

Friday, February 08, 2008

Take a Picturoo ... It'll Last Longer


Most parents and grandparents have been there: Asked about their children or grandchildren, they reach for their wallets and proudly pull out the latest photo - only to find it is tattered and faded. But now there is an alternative to the wallet photo: Picturoo (www.picturoo.com). The new online photo service allows anyone http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifto make personalized, wallet-sized photo keepsakes that are as durable as credit cards.

Picturoos can be used as personalized gifts, trading cards for kids' sports teams, baby or birthday announcements, wedding favors and gift tags. In fact, the uses for Picturoos are limited only by customers' imaginations, thanks to the collectable photo cards' compact size and easy customization.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

New Cure for the Football Hangover: FLW Fantasy Fishing


Fantasy-Fishing Season Kickoff is Feb. 28; Play to Win $7.3 Million in Cash, Prizes

When the big championship football game is over, Americans start to suffer from the inevitable post-season football hangover -- no more football games on TV, no more fantasy football teams, no more online manhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifia. Now, sports fans can look to the next big
kickoff -- the start of FLW Fantasy Fishing season, offering anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with a guaranteed $7.3 million in cash and prizes.

"There's no better cure for the football hangover than creating your own fantasy fishing team and entering for the chance to win the $1 million in cash grand prize,plus hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of prizes including a Yamaha ATV, BRP personal watercraft and thousands of other fantastic prizes," says Irwin Jacobs, founder of FLW Outdoors, creators of FLW Fantasy Fishing.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Microsoft Proposes Acquisition of Yahoo! for $31 per Share


Transaction valued at approximately $44.6 billion in cash and stock; Provides 62 percent premium to current trading price for Yahoo! shareholders; Combined entity to create a more competitive company while providing superior value to shareholders and better choice and innovation for customers and partners

Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has made a proposal to the Yahoo! Inc. Board of Directors to acquire all the outstanding shares of Yahoo! common stock for per share consideration of $31 representing a total equity value of approximately $44.6 billion. Microsoft's proposal would allow the Yahoo! shareholders to elect to receive cash or a fixed number of shares of Microsoft common stock, with the total consideration payable to Yahoo! shareholders consisting of one-half cash and one-half Microsoft common stock. The offer represents a 62 percent premium above the closing price of Yahoo! common stock on Jan.31, 2008.

"We have great respect for Yahoo!, and together we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft. "We believe our combination will deliver superior value to our respective shareholders and better choice and innovation to our customers and industry partners."

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Tax Time or Prime Time for Identity Theft


By now, most of you have received your W-2's and other tax reporting forms used in preparing your taxes. The question is: where are those forms kept in your home? Are they lying on a table top or somewhere anyone can see them? Or, are they in a locked box or file cabinet?

Your W-2's, and other IRS reporting forms, include your Social Security Number and, in some cases, financial account information. These numbers can be a gold mine for identity thieves. They literally can kidnap your identity: obtain a job, open up new lines of credit, access existing financial accounts or stock portfolios, get welfare, avoid a criminal history and generally create havoc in your life.

For the identity thief, tax time is a prime time of opportunity. With that in mind, the Identity Theft Resource Center(R) wants to remind consumers and businesses to be careful when handling tax-related documents and information.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

PriceGrabber.com Encourages Voters to Use Its New Election Guide to Find the Right Candidate


PriceGrabber.com Candidate Match Survey available on the site's Election Guide.

PriceGrabber.com, a part of Experian, announces its new Election Guide to help voters "comparison shop" for their 2008 presidential candidate. This new guide is available at
http://elections.pricegrabber.com/ and features a Candidate Match Survey that has been completed by more than 15,000 PriceGrabber.com users.

PriceGrabber.com's Election Guide launch comes in an unpredictable election year. The early primaries have demonstrated that every vote counts and that the race for the Democratic Party and Republican Party nominations is still undecided. The Election Guide is a valuable tool for voters to ensure they are making an informed decision when they vote.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

BroadbandTV and World Wide Entertainment Enter Into Strategic Partnership


BroadbandTV to acquire and monetize powerful line up of premium video content from World Wide Entertainment

Live from the 2008 National Association of Television Program Executives Show (NATPE), BroadbandTV Corp. (BroadbandTV) the web's leading video monetization agency and World
Wide Entertainment, Australia's leading supplier of content to broadcasters around the globe, today announced a strategic partnership that will enable BroadbandTV to deploy select premium World Wide Entertainment content to leading tier 1 IP-based networks across the World and monetize it principally on an ad supported basis.

BroadbandTV will also leverage its state-of-the-art technology to enhance the entertainment experience by helping viewers discover World Wide Entertainment's top programme lineup through annotating videos with popular and relevant keywords.

Through this new alliance, BroadbandTV will merchandize and distribute two top shows connecting with the online young demographic through the BroadbandTV Hub on channels such as YouTube and Vuze.com: "Stars", featuring celebrity profiles of all the big names in film, music, television and fashion world, and "Invent", a global gateway to the future now covering the trendiest technology.

Monday, January 28, 2008

What Were China's 600 Million Mobile Users 'Searching' For Last Year?


The top five search topic categories for 2007 were:
1. Dining/Entertainment
2. Stock/Financial
3. Ring tones/Pictures
4. Weather/Travel information
5. Leisure/Recreational Content

Compared with 2006, Dining/Entertainment is still the most popular search topic, but Stock/Financial searches have jumped from fourth place into second, with a traffic increase almost eight times greater. This is certainly not surprising given the mass interest in the financial markets after another year of over 100% growth.

The data showed some interesting trends, like that SMS and IM users had a greater tendency to do Local and Informational searches, whereas WAP and applet users tended to do more rich content searches. SMS and IM users were also more geographically diverse having a greater spread of users across a broader set of cities compared to WAP users, which were overrepresented in the Guangdong province. Since mInfo also operates the leading English language mobile search service in China (Guanxi(R)), it has some unique views on the behavior of English-speaking foreigners in China. Foreign
mobile search users were on average twice as active as Chinese users and tended to focus more on Local Search instead of other categories of services. They also tended to be on average older and had a larger proportion of professionals and executives than the Chinese user base.

Monday, January 21, 2008

AT&T: Wireless Boosts the Bundle


AT&T chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said that the anchor for the triple-play bundle of the future will be wireless telephony, not wireline service. The telecom giant will be more aggressive this year both within its region and possibly outside its territory with the three-product bundle that includes wireless phone service, he said last week.

"In-region, without a doubt, it will continue to get more aggressive," Stephenson said at the Citigroup Entertainment, Media & Telecommunications conference in Phoenix last Tuesday. "The triple-play option " wireless, broadband and video " that will be our strategic product set in the marketplace in-region. Out of the region, we'll see."
That could bode well for the telco, which owns the largest wireless-telephony service provider in the country, AT&T Wireless.

Click here for the complete story.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Muhammad Ali Enterprises Launches Online Store on 66th Birthday of The Greatest of All Time


Plans for authentic autographed items and online chats at www.ALI.com

Muhammad Ali's unique brand of courage, integrity, humor and determination continues to inspire millions of people around the world. To celebrate his 66th birthday tomorrow, on January 17, Muhammad Ali Enterprises LLC will launch the first-ever official Muhammad Ali online store at www.ALI.com, featuring authentic autographed items and licensed products.

In addition, MAE will also go online at http://www.ALI.com to offer photographs that have never been available to the public before, as well as the opportunity to chat with Ali's friends and entourage. The public will even be able to send a birthday greeting to The Greatest of All Time himself.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

NETGEAR Wins LAPTOP Magazine's Best of CES 2008 With Best Product in the Wi-Fi/Home Networking Category


Best of CES Award Recognizes NETGEAR HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit (WNHDEB111) as the Most Innovative and Exciting Wi-Fi Home Networking Product at CES, Bringing Total Number of CES Awards to Ten

NETGEAR, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded
networking solutions, today announced that the NETGEAR HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit (WNHDEB111) has been selected as the best Wi-Fi/home networking device at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) by LAPTOP Magazine and received their Best of CES Award. The award recognized the HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit as the most innovative and exciting Wi-Fi/home networking product at CES.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Google Embellishes iPhone Apps


by Cassimir Medford

Just ten days before its much-anticipated first bid in the United States 700 MHz spectrum auction, Google on Monday underscored its advocacy of open mobile networks by upgrading its iPhone applications interface little more than a month after its initial release.

The Mountain View, California-based search giant, a strong proponent of unfettered access to mobile networks for independent application developers, appears to be demonstrating the benefits of its quest by its unusually rapid iPhone upgrade cycle.

Apple's iPhone is one of the few devices on the U.S. market to be opened up to application developers. The U.S. mobile phone market has been dominated by carriers that tightly control what applications are installed on the phones.

Many application developers, led by Google, prefer an open access model akin to the Internet, where developers of legitimate commercial applications do not have to seek the specific blessing of the carriers to gain access to their subscribers.

"This rapid upgrade cycle certainly helps Google drive home its point that open networks improve the flexibility and functionality of mobile devices," said Joe Nordgaard, director of wireless consulting firm Spectral Advantage.

Click here for the entire story.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Wi-Fi Camera Card Gets a CES Prize


By BRIAN BERGSTEIN

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A memory card that wirelessly sends pictures from a digital camera to a computer — letting you skip the tedium of plugging the camera in to upload images — got bragging rights Wednesday at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Eye-Fi Inc.'s wireless card beat nine other contenders for the top spot in the traditional Last Gadget Standing session, a breezy and informal CES contest staged by Yahoo Inc.'s technology section. The winner is determined by the volume of audience applause.

The $100 Eye-Fi card, which has 2 gigabytes of memory, uses Wi-Fi to instantly zap pictures to computers and photo-sharing Web sites. The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., announced earlier at CES that it had a deal to get its technology into memory cards made by Lexar Media.

Eye-Fi's diverse set of rivals included a golf simulator, a Toshiba Corp. wireless projector and the Sansa TakeTV, a USB memory stick from SanDisk Corp. that is designed to transfer video from the Internet to the TV.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

8x8, Inc. Introduces Small Business Videoconferencing Solution for Packet8 Virtual Office Hosted iPBX Subscribers


2008 International Consumer Electronics Show -- 8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), provider of Packet8 (www.packet8.net) broadband Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), videophone and mobile VoIP communication services, today introduced the Packet8 Virtual Office Tango Video Terminal Adapter (VTA), a convenient and affordable desktop videoconferencing solution that enhances the functionality of the Packet8 Virtual Office hosted iPBX phone system, now in use by over 10,000 U.S. based small businesses.

Monday, January 07, 2008

NBC Universal and Microsoft Team Up On Unprecedented Web Offering for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games


NBC's Olympic on-line coverage will be delivered by the MSN Network- "NBCOlympics.com on MSN"-- and use Microsoft's Silverlight Technology to Stream Thousands of Hours of Exclusive Interactive Video from Beijing Games

NBC Universal, owner of the exclusive U.S. media rights to this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, China (August 8-24, 2008), announced today that it was teaming up with MSN
and Microsoft in an unprecedented strategic alliance to create "NBCOlympics.com on MSN", a next-generation online experience for Olympic fans across the United States. With thousands of hours of competition video in both live and on- demand formats, deep analysis and results delivered from NBC's award-winning broadcast and digital media teams, and Microsoft's Silverlight technology to deliver deeply immersive user experiences, NBCOlympics.com's coverage will be powered by MSN and Microsoft technology
to complement NBC's broadcast programming and put millions of fans in control of the Olympic sports, athletes and countries they want to watch.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Vonage and Nortel Agree to Settle Patent Dispute


Vonage and Nortel today announced that they have agreed in principle to end the litigation pending between them. The contemplated settlement involves a limited cross
license to three Nortel and three Vonage patents and will not call for any monetary payments by any party. Claims relating to past damages and the remaining patents will be dismissed without prejudice. The settlement is subject to final documentation.

"We are pleased to resolve this issue and enter into a productive relationship with Nortel," said Vonage Chief Legal Officer Sharon O'Leary.

For more information on VoIP and digital voice visit www.bridgevine.com

Monday, December 31, 2007

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.

Friday, December 28, 2007

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."

Thursday, December 20, 2007

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.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

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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.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

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.

Friday, December 14, 2007

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.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

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.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

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.

Friday, December 07, 2007

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.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

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.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

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.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

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.

Monday, December 03, 2007

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.