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.

Cool Looking Wooden Car. For Real!

For more pictures and information click here.

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.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
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

ATT Accuses Vonage of Violating VoIP Patents

America’s leading telephone operator, ATT Inc., filed an intellectual property lawsuit against the troubled VoIP provider, Vonage Holdings Corp yesterday, seeking damages for alleged patent infringement.

AT&T’s lawsuit, filed at a U.S. District Court in Wisconsin, alleges that Vonage willfully violated an ATT patent concerning telephone systems that allow customers to make VoIP calls using standard telephone equipment.

AT&T claims that it tried to reach a licensing agreement with Vonage, but was unsuccessful, forcing it to file suit against its smaller competitor.

This latest legal woe comes just days after Vonage settled a similar dispute with wireless carrier, Sprint Nextel, for $80 million. Vonage is also fighting a losing battle against New York-based telephone giant, Verizon Communications, to which it lost another massive patent infringement suit earlier this year.

Phishing email warning issued

Computer users, including those with broadband services, should know not to respond to phishing emails, it has been suggested.

It is also advisable not to open mysterious emails before deleting them, according to UK credit reporting group Equifax. Neil Munroe, external affairs director for the company, said that opening emails - such as those which claim to be from a bank or financial services company - could open people up to a "further bombardment of phishing type activity". Warning of current trends, which could be of interest to those with high speed internet, he added: "It's an interesting fact that something like three percent of people do respond to these emails and I'm sure small businesses are involved in that as well.

"Three percent, when you're sending out a large number like these phishing organizations do, is quite a nice return." In related security news, ClickZ.com recently indicated that 37 percent of online banking customers use their password at other less-secure websites.

Online copyright regulations announced

Several of the world's foremost media companies have collaborated to develop a set of regulations for the use of copyrighted material online.

Wide-ranging filtering technology will be in use across the board by the end of the year, the alliance concluded. Among the companies making up the alliance are NBC, Viacom, Disney, Microsoft, Fox and MySpace. However, the internet search giant Google declined to participate.

Jeff Zucker, president and chief executive of NBC Universal, commented: "[This] announcement marks a significant step in transforming the internet from a Wild West to a popular medium that respects the rule of law. "By recognizingthe mutual benefits of a technology-based framework to control piracy, technology and content companies have laid the foundation for the lawful growth of video on the internet." The guidelines are an attempt by the media sector to stop copyrighted content being shown on video clip sites like the popular YouTube site.

Phishing 'dangerous to all sizes of business'

Phishing scams do not only target large businesses but are a danger for small to medium-sized enterprises as well, according to Equifax.

The credit reporting agency said that the cyber criminals behind phishing scams will target, individuals, big businesses and small businesses in the same way. External affairs director for Equifax Neil Munro said: "There's no doubt that corporates whether they be small businesses or large businesses are suffering from attempted stealing of identity the same way that individuals are. "Phishing can apply top those corporates the same way that it can apply to individuals."

Those running a small business may have more time constraints and therefore might not have as much time to practice safe internet practices, Mr Munro added. Also, figures from ClickZ.com show that many internet users are still not using the proper precautions when online. A full 44 per cent of those who bank online use the same password for all their online activities, ClickZ.com found.

Mobile search service unveiled by Microsoft

The software giant Microsoft has created a new mobile search service that allows users to use their voice when searching.

Dubbed Live Search Mobile, the service lets one access phone listings and maps, among other services. Users must download the search function to their Windows-based cell phone. Spurring the creation of the service is Microsoft's determination to capture a piece of the burgeoning mobile ad market.

Satya Nadella, corporate vice president of the search & advertising platform group at Microsoft, said: "Microsoft is building on several years of innovation in imagery and 3-D visualization, adding some of the most significant innovations to driving directions technology in the last several years." Now the company's 185 million customers can access "a wider variety of clients, platforms and devices", added Ms Nadella.

The maps and directions function of the service is the area that has been the most improved, according to the company.

Chinese internet censorship revealed

The extent of China's censorship of the internet has been revealed by Reporters Without Borders.

In a damning report, the organization has exposed how thousands of Chinese cyber-police spend hours monitoring the online activities of Chinese citizens. Journalists in the country are especially targeted and often receive text messages from censors telling them to abstain from writing about a certain subject. And sometimes they are told to only use certain sources, the report stated.

The Reporters Without Borders description reads: "The bureau members announce the subjects to be covered in the coming week, the articles to be written under their supervision, and the articles to be eliminated." In particular, the government censored a story last year about the working conditions in an iPod factory owned by the Taiwanese company Foxconn. Allegations that women working in the factory are forced to pull 15-hour days were covered up.

Internet census taken

Researchers based in the US have taken a wide-ranging census of the internet's 2.8 billion addresses.

"Pings" were sent to each address by researchers at the Southern California Information Sciences Institute (ISI). The effort, which took 62 days, was the first of its kind to be carried out in the last two decades. John Heidemann, an ISI project leader, said: "An internet census is just that: every single assigned address in the entire internet was sent a probe."

"Internet census data is useful for several reasons. As the internet use becomes widespread, we are running out of internet addresses." By 2010 all internet addresses may already be taken up, Mr Heidemann added.

The Internet Engineering Task Force has seen the problem coming and has developed a protocol, dubbed IPv6, to solve it, however "deployment has been slow", Mr Heidemann continued. An internet census highlights the need to speed up the process, he said.

Clinton Calls For National Broadband System

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton called today for a national broadband system, calling the Internet necessary for economic growth.

"The nation that invented the Internet is now ranked about 25th in access to it," the New York senator said in a speech in Merrimack, New Hampshire. "In the 19th Century, we invested in railroads. In the 20th Century, we built the interstate highway system. In the 21st Century information economy we need to invest in our information infrastructure," she said.

Her program, dubbed "Connect America," would provide industry incentives to get Internet access to under served areas and to low-income Americans, as well as change the Federal Communication Commission's rules to more accurately measure Web access.

"I see this problem in New York. A lot of the utilities don't want to connect up our isolated, rural areas. And they also don't want particularly to go into our under served, poor, urban areas because there's so much money that can be made in Manhattan and our suburban areas," Clinton said.

Clinton also said she would seek to make permanent the research and experimentation tax credits that more than 15,000 companies have used since they began in 1981.

"We cannot rebuild a strong and prosperous middle class if we don't have a new source of new jobs," Clinton said. "Our country is a country of innovators. We're not acting like it right now, but we have all the potential to get into gear quickly."

Wal-Mart to sell satellite broadband

Retail giant Wal-Mart has announced that it is to start selling satellite broadband to consumers.

Customers will be able to subscribe to , the largest provider of satellite broadband in the US. Subscriptions to HughesNet will be available in 2,800 Wal-Mart stores across America. The HughesNet service is available in many of the more rural, remote locations in the US where traditional broadband is not yet available.

Mike Cook, senior vice president, North America Division at Hughes, said: "Wal-Mart is perhaps the only retail store in the country that reaches as many people as HughesNet.
"This relationship is a powerful way to make broadband a reality for the millions of Americans and small business owners who cannot get high-speed internet access from cable or DSL providers."

HughesNet currently has over 350,000 subscribers and has shipped systems to consumers in more than 100 countries. Wal-Mart is currently the largest private employer in the world.

Asia domain launched

The .asia domain name has been officially made available today and is expected to be in high demand, it has been reported.

Both governments and large companies are expected to scramble to devise their own .asia names. And in February 2008 the domain name will be opened to the general public. During this period, if there is more than one application for the same domain name an auction will be held.

Lesley Cowley, chief executive of .uk registry Nominet, told the BBC: "There is going to be an ever-increasing number of suffixes. "Companies need to decide whether they are going to protect their registered marks in each and every one." Currently the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is looking into devising domain names in non-Latin characters.

Based in Marina Del Rey, California, ICANN is the body in charge of regulating domain names and IP addresses.

iPod Lights Man's Pants On Fire

Danny Williams's taste in music is so wretched, his own iPod tried to kill him. Very recently, the Douglasville, Georgia native looked down to find his pants pocket engulfed in flames. The culprit: his year-old iPod Nano.

Williams walked away from the incident uninjured thanks to a piece of glossy paper in his pocket, which he believes spared him from being badly burned. But, as if having your iPod try to immolate you isn't frightening enough, consider where this episode took place: Williams works at a kiosk at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. As Williams said himself:

"If TSA had come by and seen me smoking, they could have honestly thought I was a terrorist."

This fire is just the latest in a series of recent lithium-ion battery flame-ups. After smoke and flames were reported by consumers last August, Sony has since been forced to recall more than seven million laptop batteries it made for its own computers as well as for Dell, Apple, Gateway, Toshiba and several others. This summer, a Chinese man was killed when his cell phone battery exploded in his chest pocket, sending a broken rib tearing into his heart.

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Vonage and Sprint Settle Patent Dispute

Vonage today announced that it has settled its pending patent dispute with Sprint Communications LP and entered into a licensing arrangement under Sprint's Voice over Packet ("VOP") patent portfolio. The parties have entered into an agreement to resolve this patent dispute as well as entered into a business relationship. In addition, Sprint has agreed to license Vonage its VOP portfolio.

The agreement is valued at $80 million, including $35 million for past use of license, $40 million for a fully paid future license, and $5 million in prepayment for services. On September 25, 2007, a Kansas jury handed down a verdict finding that Vonage had infringed six Sprint patents.

"We are pleased to resolve our dispute with Sprint and enter into a productive future relationship," said Sharon O'Leary, General Counsel for Vonage. "We believe this deal is good news for Vonage, our customers and our shareholders. It allows us to put this litigation behind us and continue to focus on our core business by removing the uncertainty of legal reviews and long term court action."

Move with the Changing Times by Switching To VoIP

VoIP has become a rage world over due to the numerous advantages it has over the traditional public switch telephony network. With the rising popularity the demand for VoIP service has increased tremendously in the past few years and continues to rise at a high rate.

VoIP termination can help the industry and residentials alike in following ways-

1. Cheaper rates - Now it is possible to make local calls at a cheaper rate. No need to pay around $30 just for dial tone anymore!
2. Cheaper long distance and ISD calls - VoIP offers long distance and international calls at a much reduced rate. There are some resellers who offer free unlimited calling to USA and maybe other destinations like Canada.
3. Ease of operations - It is very convenient to use VoIP termination service. One can make VoIP calls through their laptops, IP phone http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifor even their old fixed line phone.
4. Mobility - You can take your VoIP phone with you on a holiday or a business trip without having to worry about missing important calls while you are away.
5. Reduced operating cost - VoIP Telephony service needs lesser equipments to route the call thereby reducing the cost of operations. It uses minimum equipments as opposed to other modes of communication.
6. Flexibility - VoIP termination business plan assists mobile workers or contact center employees to work from their home or while on the move at much cheaper rates and in some cases free of cost too.

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Record labels triumph in music-sharing case

A Minnesota woman has been ordered to pay $222,000 in damages after courts ruled in the favor of the recording industry in a copyright infringement case.

Jammie Thomas, 30, shared 24 songs that she downloaded using the online service Kazaa. Though the single mother of two claimed she had not used her Kazaa account to share music, the court was showed overwhelming evidence that she had offered 1,700 songs to other users. The case is being seen as a landmark victory for the record industry in their ongoing fight against people sharing songs online.

A statement from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said: "We welcome the jury's decision. "The law here is clear, as are the consequences for breaking it." This case marks the first time a lawsuit by the RIAA has gone to trial, as in the past defendants have chosen to settle out of court. Brian Toder, Ms Thomas' attorney, told the Associated Press: "She was in tears. She's devastated.

"This is a girl that lives from paycheck to paycheck and now all of a sudden she could get a quarter of her paycheck garnished for the rest of her life."

Time Warner Cable Launches Road Runner Music Service from MusicNet

Time Warner Cable today launched two new enhanced music products, Time Warner Cable's Road Runner Music, a subscription and download store, and Time Warner Cable's Road Runner Music Portable, a service that gives Time Warner Cable Road Runner customers
access to music while on the go.

Through its partnership with Synacor, MusicNet -- the music unit of the leading digital entertainment services provider MediaNet Digital -- is providing the underlying technology platform and content for Time Warner Cable's Road Runner subscription and portable music services. Synacor and MusicNet also enable digital music services for more than a dozen Internet broadband providers nationwide.

"I have spent the better part of my career in the cable business, and to see the advances made in providing consumers with such broad access to music is very satisfying," commented Alan McGlade, president and CEO of MediaNet Digital. "Time Warner Cable's Road Runner music service offers an ideal solution for its customers who are yearning for a single hub for their entertainment offerings. MusicNet's platform allows for integrated PC-based and portable options to offer a seamless digital entertainment experience. Together with Synacor we have created a great product."http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

www.medianetdigital.com
www.synacor.com

Synacor, a provider of Internet tools, portals and content for cable, Internet and telecommunications service providers, is providing the billing and authentication unification, coordination of branding elements, training and marketing support and quality assurance for the services.

"We are pleased to partner with MusicNet to provide this superior digital music product," said Ron Frankel, Synacor president and CEO. "We have the ability to unify a variety of services into a single delivery platform that enables our clients to provide a variety of music, videos and music services to their customers."

Target website lawsuit made class action

A lawsuit being filed against Target for not ensuring that its website is usable by the blind has been made into a class-action by a federal judge in San Francisco.

This means that all the blind people in America who have tried to use the Target website can automatically become plaintiffs in the case. The lawsuit is alleging that by not using the technology available to help make websites more user-friendly for the blind, Target is violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Dr Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, told the Associated Press: "This is a tremendous step forward for blind people throughout the country who for too long have been denied equal access to the internet economy. "All e-commerce businesses should take note of this decision and immediately take steps to open their doors to the blind." Target has outlets in every state in America excepting Vermont, Hawaii Alaska.

MediaScrape Integrates Google Maps, More Broadcasters and Completes YouTube Deal

CBC News; ATN-Bangladesh; SCTV-Indonesia; Realitatea-Romania and other leading broadcast news partners join MediaScrape-Google Maps platform

MediaScrape, the Internet TV News Network announces revenue-sharing deals with YouTube;
SCTV-Indonesia; ATN-Bangladesh; Realitatea-Romania; CBC (Canada); TV Brussels; Yerkir Media (Armenia); Asia News International (India) and Rustavi (Georgia).

MediaScrape also releases today its Google Maps integration that enables its users to find breaking news videos through Google Maps. "Our revenue-sharing deals with YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/mediascrape and new broadcasters will build on our current platform of over 36,000 breaking news videos," says Tyler Cavell, Publisher of MediaScrape.

"We will be adding Facebook applications and live translation in multiple languages in the coming weeks to grow our syndication audience-base even further," says Cavell. MediaScrape currently broadcasts over 100 breaking news videos, 24/7, from its editorial and translation bureaus in over 11 countries.