The Active Network
 

Amazon.com

  *  
The Active Network
* Search Mail Us News News Archive Contact Community *
*

News Headlines For Friday 31st March 2000
Internet News
  • Old monitors now tough to dump in Massachusetts
    Time: 17:50 EDT/22:50 GMT News Source: InfoWorld Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Massachusetts residents will no longer be able to discard their old computers and TV monitors as they please when a first-in-the-nation electronic disposal ban goes into effect here Saturday.

    The ban, issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will promote the recycling and/or donation of televisions and TV monitors.

    The crux of the problem with discarding such items, according to the DEP, lies in the CRTs (cathode ray tubes) used in both devices and which contain, on average, five to eight pounds of lead. While the lead can be safely removed through a recycling process, it can be very hazardous if released by crushing or incinerating the CRTs.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Cyber Patrol case raises reverse engineering issues
    Time: 17:47 EDT/22:47 GMT News Source: Computer World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    A federal ruling on the use of Internet blocking software is raising questions about the power of U.S. courts to force the removal of information from Web sites. The case, which involves Cyber Patrol, could also have implications for the reverse engineering of commercial software and attempts by companies to halt the practice, which they say damages the marketability of their products.

    Abner Germanow, research director for the Internet security program at International Data Corp. in Framingham, Mass., predicted that the Internet community will find itself increasingly confronted by untested court rulings governing reverse engineering and the freedom to post contested programs on the Web.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • AT&T takes stake in Net2Phone
    Time: 17:45 EDT/22:45 GMT News Source: PC Week Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    In the latest salvo in the AT&T Corp.-America Online Inc. war, Ma Bell and its partners said Friday they will acquire a 39 percent voting stake in Net2Phone, which provides Internet telephony and Web communications services.

    An AT&T-led consortium, which includes Liberty Media and British Telecom (NYSE: BTY), will purchase 4 million newly issued Class A shares from Net2Phone at a price of $75 a share.

    The consortium will also purchase 14.9 million Class A Net2Phone shares from IDT Corp. (Nasdaq: IDTC), currently Net2Phone's controlling shareholder, for $75 per share. IDT also inked agreements with AT&T and the Concert international venture.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Thursday 30th March 2000
Internet News
  • Day trader arrested after posting bogus Lucent release
    Time: 18:45 EDT/23:45 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    A securities day trader who allegedly posted a bogus press release on the Internet last week that led to a drop in the price of Lucent Technologies' shares was arrested today and charged with securities fraud, the U.S. attorney's office said.

    Fred Moldofsky, 43, was to be presented in federal court in Houston on the charges, which were filed in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors said.

    The complaint said that Moldofsky posted the fraudulent press release, which stated that Lucent Technologies expected an earnings shortfall, on a Yahoo message board.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • FTC Probes Yahoo
    Time: 18:42 EDT/23:42GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The Federal Trade Commission is conducting an inquiry into some of Yahoo's consumer information practices to see if they comply with consumer protection laws, the company said Thursday.

    Shares of Yahoo, one of the most highly trafficked sites on the Internet, closed down 7-3/4 to 169 in heavy Nasdaq trading.

    The FTC has requested information from the Internet portal about its practices, the Santa Clara, California-based company said in an annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • StarOffice upgrade due in Q2
    Time: 18:36 EDT/23:36 GMT News Source: PC Week Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Sun Microsystems Inc. plans to release an upgrade to its StarOffice productivity suite in the second quarter.

    Next week, Sun will post on its Web site a preview version of StarOffice 5.2, which will be available for public download until late April, according to Tony Hampel, director of marketing for Sun's Webtop and application software.

    StarOffice 5.2 will be larger (with more code), faster, more scalable and robust, and more interoperable with other office suites than the current StarOffice 5.1 version, Hampel said.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Wednesday 29th March 2000
Internet News
  • Stephen King E-Book Pirated
    Time: 17:19 EDT/22:19 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The Stephen King novella "Riding the Bullet" may have been even more popular online than was previously thought.

    The story, exclusively released in an electronic version two weeks ago, set records as users rushed online to download copies. But at least a few users bypassed the $2.50 fee charge by most sites, instead downloading pirated copies that quickly made their way online.

    Len Kawell, president of Glassbook Inc., one of the e-book publishers distributing the story, confirmed that hackers had attacked the encryption technology used to protect the story from copyright violations.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Novell weighs in on instant messaging
    Time: 17:15 EDT/22:15 GMT News Source: PC Week Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Instant messaging is quickly becoming a business-critical application and not just a distraction for employees. As a result, some big-name vendors are getting into a market that was once thought of as somewhat of a backwater, introducing features such as visual and audio IM and shared whiteboarding.

    Novell Inc. this week announced at its BrainShare conference the availability of its long-awaited instantme real-time client, which was created in partnership with America Online Inc. Thanks to this relationship, instantme interoperates with AOL's AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) client, which claims a user base of about 50 million.

    The first indication that instantme isn't aimed at consumers is that it uses Novell's Novell Directory Services eDirectory to store users' business contact information. In response to enterprises' ever-growing concerns about online security, Novell plans to release a secure version of instantme in the second quarter. It will include encryption and digital certificates.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • EMusic to Offer Online Music to Three AOL Services
    Time: 17:11 EDT/22:11 GMT News Source: Internetnews Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Music Web site EMusic.com Inc., said Wednesday it would introduce co-branded Web sites with three of America Online Inc.'s Web site brands -- online communications service ICQ, and online music services Winamp and Spinner.com.

    EMusic's catalog of over 90,000 music tracks which can be pulled down off the Web in MP3 formats will now be available to users of the three AOL services, Emusic said.

    "These new sites will make it even easier for ICQ, Winamp and Spinner users everywhere to discover and listen to new music," said Gene Hoffman, president and chief executive of EMusic.com.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Tuesday 28th March 2000
Internet News
  • Leading voice recognition firms merge
    Time: 17:19 EDT/22:19 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    In a major shakeup in the speech recognition market, Lernaut & Hauspie today agreed to acquire its largest competitor, Dragon Systems, in a stock transaction, which may give a much-needed boost to the emerging sector.

    Lernaut & Hauspie announced today it has agreed to purchase Dragon Systems for 5.4 million shares of Lernaut & Hauspie stock, valued at about $593 million. The merger is intended to jump start voice technology among so-called Internet appliances, as well as cell phones and PDAs, presumed to be the successor to the desktop PC as the most popular way to access the Internet.

    The acquisition makes sense because both companies excel in different areas, analysts say. L&H software, for instance, is easier to use than Dragon's but is not as accurate, according to Steve McClure, a research vice president at International Data Corp.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Be servers struggle as free OS posted
    Time: 17:15 EDT/22:15 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Be said today a new version of its operating system for desktop computers is now available for free, but the company is having trouble actually making it available.

    In January, Be said it would make its BeOS 5 software available for free to users who registered with the company. Since then, about 100,000 users have registered to get the software, which is now available on the company's Web site. But users reported difficulty accessing the site throughout the morning.

    A Be representative confirmed that the site has been slowed by users who downloaded some 50,000 copies of the software today. Downloading these large files has slowed down the rest of Be's site, as well as mirrored sites in other countries, the representative said.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • FBI cracks down on increasing cybercrimes
    Time: 17:11 EDT/22:11 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The number of cybercrimes being investigated by the FBI has doubled in the past year, and last month's attacks on leading Web sites are the tip of the iceberg, FBI director Louis Freeh said today.

    Addressing a Senate subcommittee of cybercrime, Freeh suggested changes to the law that would help track down cybercriminals and make it easier to keep pace with the fastest-growing area of crime in the United States.

    In 1998, Freeh said the FBI opened 547 "computer intrusion" cases, and this more than doubled to 1,154 last year. In 1998, the FBI closed 399 of those cases and 912 last year. "In short, even though we have markedly improved our capabilities to fight cyberintrusions, the problem is growing even faster," he told the committee.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Monday 27th March 2000
Internet News
  • Handspring to hit retail shelves
    Time: 18:17 EDT/23:17 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Handspring VisorHandspring will begin selling its handheld computers in retail stores, the company said today, a significant milestone for the start-up.

    Handspring , which was launched a year and a half ago by Palm co-founders Donna Dubinsky and Jeff Hawkins, has sold its devices through its own Web site since last September. The start-up struggled with e-commerce software glitches and customer service complaints, with many customers reporting shipping delays and botched orders.

    Handspring has largely straightened out its online sales situation, company executives say, and has now turned to the more traditional retail sales channel. Handspring's Visor, along with Springboard add-on cartridges, will be sold at CompUSA, Best Buy and Staples next week. Handspring had been expected to enter the retail channel earlier this year, sources have said.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Yahoo to unveil online photo album service
    Time: 18:15 EDT/23:15 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Yahoo is quietly previewing a new Web site that will allow people to store and view digital photos on its popular service.

    Shutterfly.com, a digital photo start-up backed by Internet entrepreneur Jim Clark, plans to announce a deal with Yahoo tomorrow, according to a Shutterfly representative.

    "Welcome to Yahoo's new Photos service!" the site reads. "The easiest way to put your photos online and share them with friends and family. 15 FREE MB of space."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • RealNetworks offers PC games for download
    Time: 18:12 EDT/23:12 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    RealNetworks, which makes software for playing music and video from the Internet, has begun selling personal-computer games that can be downloaded from its Real.com Web site.

    RealNetworks said it will share revenue from sales of the games with eight companies that developed the titles, including Gamescape Studios, MasterWorks Software and NonStop Entertainment. RealNetworks has agreements with two of the game studios to be the exclusive seller of certain titles.

    The company said it wants to provide users of Real.com with an easy way to purchase and download PC games. Sales of PC games total more than $1.8 billion a year, though most consumers still buy CD-ROM game titles in stores, the company said.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Hacked video technology provides look at MP3-like films
    Time: 18:08 EDT/23:08 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    A new video technology is floating through the computer underground that holds the promise of doing for movies what MP3 has done for digital music.

    Dubbed "DivX"--no relation to the defunct digital video disk (DVD ) player--the technology allows video to be highly compressed while retaining a high-quality picture. Feature-length Hollywood movies could be downloaded in just a few hours with a broadband connection and stored on a single CD.

    That could be bad news for the film industry, which has so far avoided widespread Internet piracy primarily because movie files are too large to be traded conveniently online. Although DivX won't tear down those barriers completely, it shows that technology advances could bring Hollywood much sooner than it had hoped into the heated battles over digital distribution that are wracking the music industry.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Friday 24th March 2000
Internet News
  • Will EMachines Survive?
    Time: 18:12 EDT/23:12 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Resisting the cheap PC's fall from grace, EMachines goes public.

    Low-cost PC makers have been under fire as of late, but one company among them is doing its best to stay alive. Low-price desktop PC vendor EMachines went public on Friday, trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol EEEE.

    The market for "free" and cheap PCs was hot, but as consumer confidence waned many companies either bailed out or were acquired. EMachines itself announced in February that it was halting its offer of free Internet access, which was used to lure consumers.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Visa program will target online fraud
    Time: 18:06 EDT/23:06 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Online retailers will soon receive a list of formal recommendations from Visa aimed at helping merchants crack down on fraud.

    Visa's "best-practices" guide, which will be released within the next several weeks, will be similar to those the credit card giant has created for catalog companies that accept credit cards by mail or telephone without signatures. But the newest guide will target e-commerce companies for the first time, with tips on how to minimize hacker attacks on databases and spot potentially fraudulent orders before products are shipped.

    "Internet merchants haven't always come out of the old catalog business, and sometimes they have little experience in business," said Dave Richey, vice president for card operations at Visa. "They're often new and often focused on IPOs and other stuff. Communication between merchant and cardholder is key in avoiding misunderstandings."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Rambus seeks ban on Dreamcast imports
    Time: 17:56 EDT/22:56 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Sega DreamcastRambus, a licenser of technology that lets microchips work faster, asked U.S. trade authorities to order a halt to imports of Sega Enterprises' video game console, which it says infringes on its patents.

    Mountain View, Calif.-based Rambus alleged in its request to the U.S. International Trade Commission that microprocessors used in Sega's Dreamcast and made by Hitachi violate its patents. The complaint also seeks an injunction against further distribution of some memory and microprocessor products made by Hitachi that Rambus says breach its patents.

    ''We'll discuss (the matter) with Hitachi,'' said Munehiro Umemura, a Sega spokesman.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • IBM set to release new special-purpose servers
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Big Blue was later than rivals Dell, Compaq and Hewlett-Packard in deciding to start selling these special-purpose servers. But what IBM lacked in timeliness it's making up in breadth, with a collection of models soon to be released within the company's Netfinity line of Intel-based servers.

    The company will release a number of servers set up for specific jobs--serving up Web pages, speeding up Internet data transfer, storing information and establishing "firewalls" to protect networks against intruders. "We have a complete family that covers a broader range of the appliance market than any single vendor," said Jim Gargan, director of Netfinity marketing.

    Hardware makers are scrambling to improve their server appliance offerings, even though analysts expect the new server category to cannibalize sales of general-purpose servers. In a report issued this week, International Data Corp. predicted the server appliance market would reach $11 billion in 2004, up from $1 billion last year.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Doubleclick in settlement discussions
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    DoubleClick, under attack for its method of tracking the online movements of Internet users, is in settlement discussions with several states that are investigating if the company violates consumers' privacy, Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm said.

    Michigan, New York, Connecticut and Vermont are holding the discussions with New York-based DoubleClick, the Internet advertising company, about a possible settlement, Granholm said today.

    DoubleClick's plan to collect information on the Web-surfing habits of consumers, combine it with users' names, and sell that information to companies that direct sales pitches to selected audiences has drawn criticism from civil libertarians and prompted investigations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and several states.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Thursday 23rd March 2000
Internet News
  • Play MP3s on Cassette
    Time: 16:58 EDT/21:58 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    MP3 tunes are great when you're hooked to your PC or if you have a portable player. But don't you wish you could play your MP3 tunes on your car's cassette player, or that old-but-still-serviceable Walkman? A method is in development, and it won't involve laborious conversions from MP3 to .wav and dubbing to cassette tapes.

    SmartDisk this week demonstrated a prototype of FlashTrax, which at first glance resembles a conventional audio cassette. The difference is a slot in its side, where you can slide a flash memory card that holds standard MP3 files.

    FlashTrax should be available by this fall, SmartDisk representatives say. It is expected to come in two configurations: as an accessory to existing portable MP3 players, and in a complete package with software and hardware for recording onto flash memory cards, as well as onto the cassette.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • FTC Finds Internet Frauds
    Time: 16:56 EDT/21:56 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The Internet may not be full of frauds, but apparently, it has its share.

    The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has identified more than 1600 sites as potential suspects in a massive multinational effort to scour the Web for get-rich-quick schemes. The sites are suspected of trying to lure people into participating in bogus business propositions.

    The FTC's "GetRichQuick.Con" project involved 150 organizations in 28 countries, including affiliate offices of the Better Business Bureau and other consumer protection agencies worldwide, says Jodie Bernstein, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC. Bernstein described GetRichQuick.Con as the largest-ever international law enforcement project to fight fraud on the Internet.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Palestine Wins Internet Home
    Time: 16:54 EDT/21:54 GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The Palestinian Authority has won its own domain -- at least on the Internet.

    Palestinian leaders, who have been seeking statehood for decades, first requested a unique "country code top-level domain" in 1997. On Wednesday the Net's domain-name oversight body awarded them the country code .ps.

    The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers based its decision on a United Nations verdict to use "PS" as a code for a list of U.N.-recognized countries and territories. That list, called the ISO 3166-1, is the basis of existing country-code domains on the Internet.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • One Kingdom Disney Fears
    Time: 16:52 EDT/21:52 GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Donald Duck, worried he might be shut out of the new media age by his animated avian rival Daffy Duck, is squawking to Congress.

    Walt Disney Co. acknowledged Thursday it has told U.S. House and Senate members that it fears its programming would be denied fair access to America Online Web sites if the online company's merger with media company Time Warner Inc. were approved.

    Chris Castro, a Disney spokeswoman in Burbank, California, told Reuters the company was engaged in lobbying efforts in Washington "to evaluate if there is a basis for concern."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Yahoo opens wallet for online payment service
    Time: 16:50 EDT/21:50 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Arthas' technology will play a large role in the Web portal's person-to-person payment service, Yahoo PayDirect, which is expected to launch later this year.

    San Francisco-based Arthas lets individuals electronically send money to and receive money from anyone with an email address. People can also send personalized electronic bills that can be paid online using the payment service.

    The acquisition is Yahoo's latest play to add e-commerce to its traditional Internet searching and directory services. The company could integrate the payment service with its online auction or classified ad Web sites, according to a release.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Wednesday 22nd March 2000
Internet News
  • E-Tax Commission Fails To Reach Consensus
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: TechWeb Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce adjourned Tuesday without reaching a consensus recommendation to send to Congress.

    The final gavel on a 10-month process designed to create policy recommendations for Congress to consider when making laws on the Internet and interstate commerce will produce a document that meets an April 20 deadline, but it may not contain portions that are considered a commission "recommendation," which by law must be created by a two-thirds majority vote of the 19-member body.

    "Sometimes in a commission, you can't get a consensus, you can only get a majority and then you have to move on," said James Gilmore III, the governor of Virginia and the commission chairman.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • EBay sued by TV star
    Time: 04:07 EDT/09:07 GMT News Source: USA Today Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Ebay Inc., the nation's largest Internet auctioneer, was sued by Jerry Orbach, star of television's Law and Order, for selling a 42-year-old contract bearing the actor's signature and Social Security number.

    In a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court in New York, Orbach says that ebay , on behalf of an auction dealer in Maine, has posted on its Web site a photograph of two contracts he signed in 1958 and a third unidentified document. One of the documents has Orbach's Social Security number, he says.

    Orbach, star of Dirty Dancing and other films, contends the posting has exposed him to ''identity theft and credit card fraud'' and could eventually harm his creditworthiness and ''personal and professional life.'' He is asking a judge to order ebay to remove the contracts from its Web site.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • AOL Digital City goes for urban sprawl
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    America Online is expanding its Digital City unit to more than 200 regional Web sites from about 60 to increase advertising and e-commerce revenue.

    Digital City's Internet sites offer local information such as restaurant reviews and movie times. The unit also unveiled a service that sends local maps and other content to cellular phones, pagers and other wireless devices connected to the Web.

    AOL wants to tap the burgeoning market for local online information because more U.S. residents are using the Internet to help plan their leisure activities. About 54 percent of the $7.7 billion in projected spending for online advertising in 2002 will go to local sites, AOL said, citing research from Jupiter Communications.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Tuesday 21st March 2000
Internet News
  • Opera Updates Browser
    Time: 04:38 EDT/09:38 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Not happy with Internet Explorer or Navigator? Here’s an alternative. Opera Software released on Monday a beta version of its Internet browser software, Opera 4.0 Elektra for Windows.

    The Norwegian software vendor reports it is still ironing out a few last-minute bugs, but the prerelease version of the browser is available for download from its site.

    Versions for software platforms other than Microsoft's Windows, including Linux, also are under development, a company spokesperson says. The release date for the commercial version of Opera 4.0 is not yet set, he adds.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Shockwave.com Amplifies Site
    Time: 04:34 EDT/09:34 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Shockwave.com has introduced two new streaming music applications and launched a redesign of its Web site to lure visitors with its interactive entertainment.

    The front door of Shockwave.com now employs a living room theme, an attempt to make the site friendlier and easier to navigate. You can choose a look for the room, selecting among motifs as diverse as desert and space. The site dynamically changes its images to match the time of day.

    "We've gone with a physical metaphor for users who are not Net-savvy," says Rob Burgess, chief executive officer of Shockwave.com. "For advanced users, we've made all the content on the site available in just two clicks."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • McAfee Updates VirusScan
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    McAfee is releasing VirusScan 5.0 on Monday, adding automatic backup and new customization tools to its virus-fighting software utility.

    VirusScan from McAfee--a division of Network Associates--ships in a standard version priced at $29 and a deluxe version for $39. The deluxe edition includes PGP encryption functions and FirstAid, a program designed to solve computer conflicts.

    The updated VirusScan includes virus detection, cleaning, and quarantine, plus incremental updates, automatic backup, and a configuration assistant, which takes you through a question-and-answer session to determine the best settings for your needs.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Monday 20th March 2000
Internet News
  • Navy turns to e-recruiting
    Time: 17:48 EDT/22:48 GMT News Source: Computer World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Faced with a deluge of e-mails, faxes and phone calls from candidates who see positions posted on various Web job sites, the U.S. Navy Recruiting Command for months has been scrambling to manually sort, qualify and respond to the queries. But relief is at hand.

    The Recruiting Command's "e-recruiting group," in Millington, Tenn., this week is launching a resume collection, screening and processing system, said Senior Chief Petty Officer Patrick Casetra, who helped research an automated alternative to the Navy's Web-based recruiting efforts. The system is based on Resumix, from Resumix Inc. in Sunnyvale, Calif.

    "We spoke with (human resources) people at several major corporations before selecting Resumix," said Lt. Steve Zip, assistant public affairs officer for the Recruiting Command. "We wanted to find out what Fortune 500 companies were using."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Compaq unveils low-priced notebooks
    Time: 17:45 EDT/22:45 GMT News Source: Computer World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Compaq Computer Corp. introduced two notebook computers, priced at $1,099 and $1,499, targeted at small and midsize business users looking for a low price point. The higher-priced model sports an active matrix screen.

    Kevin Knox, a research director at Gartner Group Inc. in Stamford, Conn., said the pricing on the new Compaq Notebook 100 "absolutely puts (Compaq) ahead of the (competitive) pack . . . it gives them the lead in low-cost notebooks."

    While some small manufacturers do offer similarly priced models -- as do discounters with name-brand close-outs -- Knox said the Compaq name will carry a valuable cachet in the targeted markets, which include the fields of government and education. Knox said he expects Compaq to stick to the targeted small and midsize businesses with the new Compaq Notebook 100 models. "I don't think you will see Compaq selling these into major corporate accounts."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Intel Intros 866-, 850-MHz Pentium IIIs
    Time: 17:44 EDT/22:44 GMT News Source: TechWeb Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Intel on Monday announced PCs featuring Pentium III processors running at 866 and 850 MHz are avaliable from OEMs.

    "The Intel Pentium III processor at 866 and 850 MHz enables powerful personal computers for running rich software and media, both in the home and in business," said Pat Gelsinger, vice president and general manager of Intel's desktop products group.

    Last October, Intel introduced Pentium III processors featuring an integrated Level 2 cache that runs at the full speed of the processor core. This Advanced Transfer Cache lets the application's performance scale with increasing clock frequencies. Intel has made this technology a key component to the performance of the Pentium III. Most other processors on the market offer older technologies that keep the cache memory from operating at full frequencies, limiting the PC's full ability to deliver performance to the user, Gelsinger said.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Friday 17th March 2000
Internet News
  • Software Co. Sues Hackers
    Time: 04:12 EDT/09:12 GMT News Source: New York Times Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    A company that makes popular software to block children from Internet pornography is suing two computer experts for distributing a method for kids to deduce their parents' password and access those forbidden Web sites.

    Microsystems Software Inc. of Framingham, Mass., which sells the widely used ``Cyber Patrol'' software, filed an unusual federal lawsuit Wednesday asking a judge to order Eddy L. O. Jansson and Matthew Skala to stop distributing their ``cphack'' program immediately.

    The judge's clerk said no hearing had been set because of difficulties contacting lawyers for the defendants, who are outside the United States.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • No bonus for billionaire Bezos, again
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Amazon.com chief Jeff Bezos is a paper billionaire, but his annual salary would hardly be enough for a mortgage on a Silicon Valley town house.

    The chief executive and chairman of Seattle-based Amazon earned $81,840 last year, the same amount as 1998. And for the third consecutive year, he didn't receive a bonus or stock options, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Bezos, Time magazine's "Person of the Year" in 1999, owns 33.6 percent of Amazon's common stock, valued about $7.4 billion based on the current price of about $62 per share.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Lucasfilm takes flak from fan page builders
    Time: 04:04 EDT/09:04 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Is Lucasfilm being influenced by the dark side in the way it governs its "Star Wars" Web site?

    Some angry fans are protesting policies the film studio has outlined in its user agreement regarding a new feature on StarWars.com that allows people to build fan pages hosted on the site. The service, which launched earlier this month and is powered by home page builder Homstead.com, lets fans post images of "Star Wars" characters and creatures.

    The protesters are indignant over a provision in the contract's language that gives Lucasfilm sole control of the original designs people post on their fan sites. The studio's reins extend to "derivative works"--meaning that any content a person creates, from a picture of a Wookie to a plot line in a short story, becomes the property of Lucasfilm.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Color inkjet printer shipments hit new record
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Shipments of color inkjet printers grew 21 percent on a yearly basis and reached a record high in the fourth quarter of 1999, according to a new research report.

    Internation Data Corp. (IDC) said the color inkjet printer market grew 21 percent to 19.3 million units during the quarter. The continued fast growth of the color inkjet printer market--and consequently, the highly profitable business of selling ink cartridges--underscores the growing eagerness on the part of companies such as Xerox and Lexmark to make moves to try to unseat Hewlett-Packard as the market leader.

    Xerox, Sharp and Fuji Xerox said earlier this week they will spend approximately $2 billion over the next five years on research, manufacturing and marketing on products in an effort to grab a major share of the inkjet market. Starting this summer, Xerox claims it will bring to market new printing technologies developed and made by alliance members that will speed inkjet printing by up to 50 percent while reducing the overall cost of printing.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Thursday 16th March 2000
Internet News
  • Exploring the Computing Continuum
    Time: 18:49 EDT/23:49 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Someday, you won't carry a notebook computer or even a palm-size PC to stay connected. Instead you'll have multiple computers on your person: in your shoes, in your ink pen, even woven into your clothes.

    That future is arriving quickly. Of the more than 8 billion microcomputers produced this year, 95 percent will be embedded in everything from buildings to cars to clothing. But how do we network all those computers, and how do we use them to improve productivity and quality of life?

    David Tennenhouse, vice president and director of research at Intel, posed that question in his keynote for Intel's Computing Continuum conference here. More than 500 technology experts gathered to ponder a day where the notion of networking a desktop PC is quaint, and people have hundreds of networked computers doing their bidding.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Consumers snap up Stephen King e-book
    Time: 04:41 EDT/09:41 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Spines are tingling across the book industry over Stephen King's latest story, a not-quite novel experiment in digital publishing that is shaping up as a major test of the mass consumer appeal of e-books.

    Online readers are snapping up the novella, "Riding the Bullet," which was made available on the Web today. On Barnesandnoble.com alone, more than 200,000 customers requested free copies of the story in a 24-hour promotion, according to the company.

    "We averaged 2.5 requests per second," said spokeswoman Lisa Lanspery, who concluded that the market for e-books has never been more ripe. "One day there's going to be a time when every book in print will be available in digital format," she said.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Wednesday 15th March 2000
Internet News
  • Intel buys high-speed chip designer
    Time: 18:29 EDT/23:29 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Intel agreed to buy telecommunications chip company Giga A/S of Denmark for about $1.25 billion in cash to add more semiconductors for data and phone networks.

    Intel is buying the company from NKT Holding A/S, a Danish industrial and electronics company. Copenhagen-based Giga's chips are used for high-speed Internet transmissions. Giga will be combined with Intel's Level One Communications unit, which makes networking chips.

    Intel has been buying companies whose technology or products will help sell more personal computer chips or speed performance of PCs and the Internet. The company has snapped up 14 companies since January 1999, including the August purchase of Level One for $2.73 billion, its largest acquisition ever.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Drinks.com works around intrastate sales laws
    Time: 18:24 EDT/23:24 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    This week, online liquor seller Drinks.com launched a service in Illinois, the third state it's signed up in a strategy aimed at complying with myriad state and federal laws that have hampered Net booze sales.

    The company announced yesterday that it will use a network of brick-and-mortar retailers to fulfill online liquor orders in 30 states by 2001. By partnering with national retail chain Drinks America, Drinks.com said it can offer customers their choice of spirits from wholesale inventories throughout their state.

    In addition, the company said it will be able to ship the alcohol without crossing state lines in compliance with state and federal alcohol laws.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Fogdog email hounds customers' friends
    Time: 18:22 EDT/23:22 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Some critics say Fogdog Sports is playing out of bounds with a new marketing program that involves customers turning over their friends' email addresses to the company.

    Under the "Draft-A-Friend" program, customers give Fogdog the email addresses of up to 25 friends, and the company sends those people a $10 coupon for the site. In return, the original customers get 20 percent off their next purchases and the chance to win free merchandise if their friends use the coupons.

    If two friends use the coupon, the original customer gets a Fogdog cap; for five friends, a sweatshirt; 10 friends, a fleece jacket; and if more than 20 friends redeem their coupons, it means a $250 gift certificate for the original consumer.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Apple laptop users may experience data glitch
    Time: 05:23 EDT/10:23 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Some Apple Computer customers who recently bought iBook or PowerBook notebook computers may have trouble rousing their computers from sleep mode because of a nasty problem with data corruption.

    Some customers have been posting complaints to Internet sites of problems with iBook computers where their computers go into the notebook's version of a coma--they can't restart the system from the low-power mode notebooks go into when they aren't being used.

    Late last week, Apple posted information on its site acknowledging the problem with some iBooks as well as the recently revised PowerBook systems.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • First Internet insider trading case filed
    Time: 05:20 EDT/10:20 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The first federal cyberspace insider trading case was filed today, an $8.4 million scheme involving the largest number of people ever charged with profiting on illegal tips.

    The widespread scheme was born in on online chat room and carried out by at least 19 defendants from New York to Tennessee, officials said. It was the brainchild of a part-time computer graphics worker who pleaded guilty to stealing merger information from investment banks Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse First Boston where he was sent by a temporary employment agency.

    Manhattan U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White said the scheme was "insider trading millennium-style" because it was the first criminal Internet case charging illegal trading on non-public tips. She said it was also the largest criminal insider trading case ever brought, both in terms of the number of defendants and the number of deals. The investigation is continuing, she added.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Tuesday 14th March 2000
Internet News
  • Online Europe no longer chasing the United States
    Time: 17:59 EDT/22:59 GMT News Source: InfoWorld Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    After much waiting, the online industry in Europe is no longer just chasing the United States, but has finally found its own identity, according to AOL Europe's Chief Operating Officer Konrad Hilbers.

    A lack of flat-rate access is the final stumbling block holding back the European online industry from becoming even stronger, he said, speaking here at the ISP2000 conference on Tuesday.

    Europe has been living in the shadow of the United States when it comes to Internet innovation, sometimes referred to as a "copy-and-paste" relationship, but with companies such as Epinion.com and ciao.com, Europe has finally begun to branch off.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • AOL, Sears form strategic alliance
    Time: 17:58 EDT/22:58 GMT News Source: Computer World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Web giant America Online Inc. and retail chain Sears, Roebuck and Co. said today they will form a strategic alliance to cross-market their products.

    Under the agreement, Sears merchandise and services will be marketed to AOL members, and AOL interactive products and services will be marketed to Sears customers, the companies said. In addition, AOL will develop a "co-branded" version of its software with links to Sears. The new version will be promoted in Sears' 858 stores.

    Sears' 39 million card holders can pay their monthly AOL fees using the card, the companies said. AOL also plans to develop a co-branded AOL Instant Messenger which shoppers can use to communicate with Sears' customer service, as well as other people.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Monday 13th March 2000
Internet News
  • Justice Department launches cybercrime site
    Time: 18:45 EDT/23:45 GMT News Source: Nando Media Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The Justice Department has created a cybercrime Web site defining computer crime and describing how to report it, listing the department's latest thinking on privacy vs. policing on the Internet and even showing how the government searches and seizes computers.

    The Web site was developed by the criminal division's computer crime and intellectual property section even as the department and the FBI engaged in a difficult search for hackers who temporarily shut down more than a dozen popular e-commerce sites - and the FBI's own Web page - in February. The department also is gathering opinion from industry, privacy groups and others before proposing new legislation to police the Internet.

    Cybercrime provides information that can be useful from the classroom to the courtroom, ... (to) children, parents and teachers; lawyers, law enforcement and the media." Assistant Attorney General James K. Robinson said Monday.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Amazon gets personal with Web site update
    Time: 18:39 EDT/23:39 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The leading e-tailer has a "new for you" column on its site that recommends recently released books and videos based on a customer's previous purchases.

    Amazon and other e-tailers are increasingly tailoring their offerings to individual consumers, Gomez Advisors e-commerce analyst Jill Frankle said.

    "I don't think this is dissimilar from what we've seen on other sites, such as CDNow's 'My CDNow,'" Frankle said. "The idea is that if Amazon is in fact earth's largest bookstore, they are going to be earth's largest bookstore for me."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Judges dismisses antitrust charges against Intel
    Time: 18:36 EDT/23:36 GMT News Source: PC Week Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Intel Corp. did not violate federal antitrust laws by withholding product information from Intergraph Corp., the U.S. District Court in Birmingham, Alabama, ruled Monday in dismissing a lawsuit against the chip maker.

    Intergraph, which makes graphic chips and workstations, filed suit in November 1997 alleging that Intel unfairly retaliated against it by cutting off access to product information after the Huntsville, Alabama, company threatened to file a patent-infringement suit.

    Intergraph won an injunction in April 1998 that temporarily forced Intel to share processor information with the company. At that time, U.S. District Judge Edwin Nelson compared the market dominance of Intel to software giant Microsoft Corp. and contended that denying information access to Intergraph would put the company at an unfair advantage.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Net2Phone inks deal with RealNetworks
    Time: 04:42 EDT/09:42 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Net2Phone, which sells Internet telephone service, said it will bundle its software for making calls on the Web with online music and video-player software from RealNetworks.

    Terms weren't disclosed. Users who download RealNetworks' free RealPlayer software also will be able to get Net2Phone software for making phone calls online. RealNetworks users in the United States who register for Net2Phone will get a headset and 100 free minutes of domestic calling time.

    Net2Phone is trying to get more consumers to make online calls, which are cheaper than traditional, wire-based service. RealNetworks is adding features and services to fend off bids by Microsoft and Apple Computer to challenge its leading position in the market for Internet media players.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Credit-card security lapses threaten growth of e-commerce
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: Nando Media Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Stung by a string of credit-card thefts online, card companies are trying to teach merchants better security. Not doing so, they fear, could cause an erosion in consumer confidence, impeding e-commerce and the use of cards online.

    Threat of credit thefts has long existed in unscrupulous waiters copying card numbers, or store clerks mishandling carbons. Online, the difference is magnitude: A single Internet strike can net a thief thousands of numbers.

    Two weeks ago, for instance, SalesGate.com of Buffalo, N.Y., joined the growing list of e-commerce victims when it discovered hackers had stolen thousands of numbers from a site it thought to be safe.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Building the World's Biggest Encyclopedia
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The philosophy of the open-source movement is spreading within the industry. Now, a maker of a Web-based encyclopedia wants to apply its principles to share knowledge in general.

    Officially opened on Thursday, the Nupedia Web site seeks to become "the world's largest encyclopedia," according to Larry Sanger, editor-in-chief.

    Eventually, Nupedia will offer an online searchable database organized alphabetically and by topic, covering just about everything you could think of. It carries no original material yet, but its organizers expect the site will be completely up and running within the next three to six months. For now, visitors who search the site for information will be referred to other Web sites as resources.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • ICANN Votes For Democracy
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: TechWeb Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The organization that manages the Internet voted Friday for direct global elections of board members who will represent non-business interests online.

    The action brings a breath of democracy to a group long criticized for making decisions behind closed doors and favoring corporate interests.

    The board of the International Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers decided at-large members will be chosen directly by the Internet public instead of having an election council select the representatives. The worldwide group, to whom the Department of Commerce transferred domain name and numbering functions of the Internet, met in Cairo, Egypt.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Friday 10th March 2000
Internet News
  • Amazon Calls for Patent Fix
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Yes, software patents are easy to get. Yes, the system needs radical change. And yes, we're keeping our software patents.

    That is the gist, if not the tone, of an open letter published online Thursday by Jeff Bezos, CEO of Internet book retailer Amazon.com.

    "Despite the call from many thoughtful folks for us to give up our patents unilaterally, I don't believe it would be right for us to do so," Bezos wrote.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Hard Times for Disk Drives
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Disk drive manufacturers are on hard times. They can't seem to make money, no matter how much they sell.

    Financial results were dire in 1999. The four largest independent firms-- Maxtor, Quantum, Seagate, and Western Digital--lost a total of $260 million in the third quarter, improving to losses of $41 million in the fourth quarter.

    The disk drive industry is strongly tied to the ups and downs of the PC market, which has also suffered severe price erosions. While PC manufacturers remain healthy and optimistic, disk drive manufacturers haven't learned how to handle falling prices, says Noboru Kubokawa, chief analyst at Japan's Institute of Information Technology, here at the Diskcon 2000 conference.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Sony Hit by PlayStation2 Glitch Complaints
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: Yahoo! Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Shares in Sony Corp. lurched lower Friday after the high-tech giant said it was investigating complaints of glitches in its flagship PlayStation2 game console.

    A spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), Sony's game unit, said it was looking into customer complaints about technical problems with the new console's playing of digital video disks.

    Sony did not specify how many complaints had been made, but the news worried the stock market. The firm's shares fell 6.41 percent to end at 26,300, extending to seven straight days a losing streak that has brought a 22 percent price fall.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Thursday 9th March 2000
AOL - Hackers
  • Law Enforcers May Hunt Hackers With Federal Powers
    Time: 04:12 EDT/09:12 GMT News Source: TechWeb Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The Clinton administration is thinking about letting law enforcement get national court orders to trace electronic communications to help hunt down hackers and other cyber criminals, a senior Justice Department official told lawmakers Wednesday.

    "Obtaining court orders in multiple jurisdictions does not advance any reasonable privacy safeguard, yet it can be a substantial impediment to a fast-paced investigation," said Deputy U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. But it might be extremely helpful to provide a nationwide effect for trap and trace orders, he told the Senate Commerce committee looking at recent cyber attacks .

    Any changes to existing law will be sensitive to privacy, which is spelled out in the Fourth Amendment and federal statutes, he told senators.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Bug Bites Dell Notebooks
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Owners of Dell Latitude and Inspiron notebooks might find their computers have a hard time waking up after drifting into sleep mode.

    Dell says a limited number of notebooks purchased last year between February and November have a memory bug that has some owners experiencing system hang-ups and Windows "blue screen" errors.

    The bug can corrupt or destroy files, and the notebooks' memory modules must be replaced, says Rob Crawley, a Dell spokesperson.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Sony using WebTV to expand online sales
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Sony Electronics, taking another step in its calculated foray into the world of online sales, is now selling its version of the WebTV device online.

    Sony recently started promoting the WebTV set-top on its main site . The ad links viewers to Sony's online store , where for the first time consumers can buy the unit directly from Sony. Microsoft is currently attempting to bolster WebTV in the face of a looming TV threat from archrival AOL.

    In the United States, Sony already sells its personal computers on the Net, as well as some accessories for products such as video cameras, but it has been reluctant to expand its roster so as to avoid potential conflicts with its traditional retail partners.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • AOL, AT&T in partnership talks
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    America Online, which is buying media giant Time Warner for $141 billion, is discussing a partnership with AT&T, the largest long-distance phone company, said America Online chairman Steve Case.

    "We're having discussions with AT&T. There's a variety of things we could do together," said Case. He declined to comment on a time frame, and wouldn't say what type of alliances they are discussing. "It's reasonable to expect partnerships in the not- too-distant future and with a variety of partners."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Wednesday 8th March 2000
Priceline
  • Intel's new perk: PCs for employees
    Time: 04:12 EDT/09:12 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Chipmaker Intel said it is starting a program to offer personal computers, Internet access and services for free to all of its more than 70,000 full-time and part-time employees.

    Intel's move to give free PCs to its employees follows actions by Ford Motor, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines' AMR, all of which have announced plans in the past month to give employees free or subsidized PCs with Internet access at home.

    "We want our employees and their families to participate fully in the Internet revolution," Intel president Craig Barrett said in a statement. "We see these employer-based programs as a positive trend illustrating the importance of technology literacy to us all."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • PC sales growth may have peaked, group says
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The last year of the millennium may also be the last year for explosive PC sales.

    Market research firm International Data Corp. (IDC) today released its final tally of PC shipments for 1999--in many respects a record year--and also its forecast for the first quarter of 2000. While growth is expected to be good this year, the glory days of 40 percent or more quarterly growth are over, IDC says.

    "We noticed from the growth we're seeing from the first quarter that things are starting to get back to a normal cycle," said IDC analyst John Brown. "The growth rates are going to be pretty good, but nothing like the high growth we saw every quarter last year."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Adobe Takes On Macromedia With LiveMotion
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: TechWeb Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    With LiveMotion, Adobe Software is both blessing Macromedia's Flash technology and competing with Macromedia's Flash authoring tool.

    Version 1.0 of LiveMotion, available now in beta, will let designers create animations in Flash, animated GIF, and JPEG formats, said Daniel Brown, an evangelist for Adobe, based in San Jose, Calif. "The flash format is very efficient, but the [Flash] application is hard to manage," he said.

    LiveMotion also borrows the look-and-feel, behaviors, and some tools from Adobe PhotoShop, Illustrator, and AfterEffects and supports native PhotoShop and Illustrator formats. Adobe announced last month that it would support the Flash format.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • VeriSign Acquires Network Solutions
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Small businesses may have a one-stop shop for getting up, running, and selling on the Web. VeriSign announced Tuesday it will acquire Network Solutions in a $21 billion deal.

    As a result, VeriSign, provider of authentication and validation services for electronic commerce transactions, will soon offer .com, .net, and .org name registration through Network Solutions.

    "We think we've got the Internet trust company with critical Internet infrastructure services from cradle to grave--from Web site identity all the way through to global trading initiatives," says Jim Rutt, Network Solutions' chief executive officer.

    Network Solutions used to control the main Net name registry, the chief database for all Internet addresses. But a number of other registrars have set up shop. Although these companies must use Network Solutions' registry to deposit them (to ensure an address cannot be registered twice), they are cutting into Network Solutions' registry revenue.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Tuesday 7th March 2000
Priceline
  • Priceline makes bid for B2B market
    Time: 04:12 EDT/09:12 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Priceline.com will expand its focus to the increasingly hot business-to-business sector in the second half of the year, its chief executive said today.

    Speaking to investors at PaineWebber's Internet conference in New York, Richard Braddock, also Priceline's chairman, said the company will offer "name-your-price" services and products to businesses, including telecommunications and freight services, as well as small-office equipment products.

    Priceline, which lets consumers name their price for airline tickets, car rentals, hotel rooms and other services and products, joins a growing list of online and offline companies jumping on the business-to-business (B2B) bandwagon.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Internet access over power lines nears reality
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Your average electrical socket could prove to be another competitor in the high-speed Net access sweepstakes.

    Following years of skepticism about the technology's future, German energy conglomerate Veba, working with U.S. home networking firm Enikia, says it is close to launching a service offering high-speed Internet access over power lines.

    Under the auspices of a new communications company dubbed Oneline AG, the service is scheduled to go into European market trials this summer, with a full commercial release by the end of the year. The company also hopes to launch a trial project in the United States this summer, says Enikia vice president David Healey, who until recently managed Veba's Oneline project.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Cracker Steals Credit-Card Data
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    A computer hacker has breached the security of SalesGate and other Web sites, stealing credit-card numbers and posting them on the Internet.

    "We have confirmed that there was entry to our server by a hacker," says Christopher Keller, founder of SalesGate, which is owned by Buffalo-based Internet Management Services. "Not all the accounts were affected. We know which ones were affected and we notified the customers and the issuing bank immediately after [we had] confirmation of the [security breach]."

    Keller, who declined to say exactly when the breach occurred, says the company is working with federal authorities. He says more details about the security breach would be released at a future date.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Net address expansion plan under fire
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: USA Today Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Bell Atlantic Corp., AT&T Corp. and other companies that do business over the Internet are fighting plans by an independent oversight body to expand the Web address system, citing potentially higher costs to protect their trademarks.

    The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, called ICANN, at a meeting this week in Cairo will start considering the addition of hundreds of domains -- the system used to route Internet traffic -- such as .law and .med to complement the popular .com, .org and .net directories. The move comes as groups call for better segmentation of the Web and the chance to register addresses using single common words.

    Some companies are trying to stop the expansion plan. They already have problems protecting multi-million dollar trademarks online and don't want a larger community to police. The dispute could become a key test of ICANN's ability to govern the Internet naming system as an independent body insulated from corporate pressure, analysts say.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Monday 6th March 2000
Internet News
  • 'South Park' Trojan Storms E-Mail
    Time: 13:50 EDT/18:50 GMT News Source: PC World Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The cult cartoon series South Park has taken television by storm. Now a Trojan horse bearing the same name is ready to take your e-mail by storm. The Trojan, which made its first appearance on the Internet last June, is on the loose once again, antivirus software vendors warned last week.

    The Trojan spreads by sending itself as an e-mail attachment to all the addresses listed in a user's Outlook Express program. It attempts to do that every 30 minutes, and has the potential to cause storms of e-mail that can clog up a company's network, the vendors say.

    The attachment contains an icon of the character Kyle from the animated series South Park, and will appear as though it has come from someone known to the recipient, vendors say.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • PlayStation 2 Makes a Splash
    Time: 13:47 EDT/18:47 GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Sony didn't quite get the 1 million that it was hoping for, but it'll take 980,000 with a smile.

    That's the number of PlayStation2's that Sony sold between Saturday -- when the new videogame console launched -- and Monday. To put it in perspective, that's more than 10 times the sales that Sony had when it launched the original PlayStation five years ago.

    The Internet played a significant role this time, too. Sony said that 380,000 units were sold online.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • U.S. Wants to Trace Net Users
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: Wired Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The ease of hiding one's identity on the Net is giving police migraines and justifies providing broad new powers to law enforcement, the White House says in a forthcoming report.

    The federal government should take steps to improve online traceability and promote international cooperation to identify Internet users, according to a draft of the report commissioned by President Clinton.

    Police should be able to determine the source of hacker attacks or "anonymous emails that contain bomb threats," states the 200 KB document prepared by a high-level working group chaired by Attorney General Janet Reno.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Friday 3rd March 2000
Instant Messenger - Double Click
  • Rivals take AOL Instant Messenger beef to Senate
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: PC Week Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Executives from eight prominent online companies have sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee asking the committee to review America Online Inc.'s refusal to allow users of other instant-messaging products to communicate with its AOL Instant Messenger subscribers.

    The letter, sent Wednesday, is the latest salvo in an ongoing war between AOL and a host of high-profile rivals over instant-messaging interoperability.

    In the letter, signed by executives from Microsoft Corp., AT&T Corp., Tribal Voice Inc. and others, AOL is accused of not holding up its end of an agreement made last year to work toward a standard for instant messaging that would allow all users, regardless of provider, to communicate with each other.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Maine Gov sees a PC for every student
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: USA Today Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Echoing the old political promise of a chicken in every pot, Gov. Angus King said Thursday he wants to put a computer on every child's lap.

    Starting in 2002, he wants to give every one of Maine's 17,000 seventh-graders a laptop computer that will be theirs to keep, regardless of whether they have one at home.

    What King calls the nation's most far-reaching school computer initiative generated a cool if not skeptical response in the state Legislature. Reaction in schools across the state was mixed.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • DoubleClick to delay data-gathering plan
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: PC Week Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    DoubleClick Inc., the Internet advertising firm whose methods for gathering personal data have come under scrutiny, says it will hold off on a plan to add people's names and addresses to its ad-tracking program until the government and industry agree on privacy standards.

    The company, which places advertising banners on Web sites and keeps track of who views them, is facing inquiries by the Federal Trade Commission as well as the attorneys general of New York and Michigan. It has also alarmed some privacy advocates, who are concerned that its activities give its clients too much access to personal information of unsuspecting Web users.

    "We commit today that until there is agreement between government and industry on privacy standards, we will not link personally identifiable information to anonymous user activity across Web sites," DoubleClick CEO Kevin O'Connor said in a statement issued by the company.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Thursday 2nd March 2000
Internet News
  • Compaq issues new Presario fix
    Time: 04:20 EDT/09:20 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Interface software update addresses a floppy disk drive problem -- but company denies it's related to earlier lawsuit filed against Compaq and others.

    The fix -- Softpaq No. 13456, released last week -- is an update for a controversial piece of interface software used in Presario PCs' floppy disk drive. It addresses a floppy drive problem that could, under certain conditions, cause data loss, according to testing done by Compaq.

    This bug may have some teeth. Floppy disk drive memory controller code is at the heart of a lawsuit filed last year against Compaq (NYSE: CPQ ), Hitachi LTD, Hewlett-Packard Co. and eMachines Inc.

    The suit alleges the four companies each knowingly designed and shipped computers with faulty floppy disk controller code.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • 3Com's Shares Surge in Anticipation of Offering
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: New York Times Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Shares in the 3Com Corporation surged to a record high today in anticipation of the initial public offering of its Palm Inc. unit.

    After the market closed, Palm sold 23 million shares, or a 4.1 percent stake, at $38 each, valuing the company at about $21 billion. The shares had been expected to sell at $30 to $32 a share, or double the originally projected range of $14 to $16.

    Because 3Com is offering only a fraction of Palm to the public -- it will still own 94 percent after the initial public offering -- the value of the unit is still reflected in 3Com shares.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Europe Plans to Collect Tax on Some Internet Transactions
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: New York Times Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Testing the ability to enforce national tax laws in cyberspace, the European Commission is planning to collect sales taxes on music and software delivered over the World Wide Web.

    Though not yet complete, the proposals would eliminate what European officials view as a big loophole that benefits American companies.

    Some of those American companies have already begun to complain that they would be saddled with onerous responsibilities that could stifle electronic commerce in Europe.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • EBay and Wells Fargo Set Up New Payment System
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: New York Times Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    West Coast bank Wells Fargo and Co. Wednesday announced a deal with Internet auctioneer eBay Inc. to enable people selling goods on the auction site to accept credit card payments.

    Previously, eBay's 10 million users paid with checks or money orders. Now, through the so-called Billpoint initiative, individuals can accept credit cards, saving time and eliminating the risk of money being lost in the mail.

    About $4 billion in annual sales cross eBay's auction site, where individual buyers and sellers come together to bid with each other for everything from automobiles to antiques, coins and computers.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


News Headlines For Wednesday 1st March 2000
Internet News
  • Yahoo! accused of blocking rivals
    Time: 17:45 EDT/22:45 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Dot-coms claim the Internet pie is big enough for all comers to get a piece. So why are some of the business-to-business and vertical-content sites playing unfairly by blocking access to their competitors' content and cutting exclusive deals?

    Participants in two different Silicon Alley 2000 forums here asked those questions Tuesday afternoon. Silicon Alley 2000 is the fourth annual Rising Tide Studio conference focusing on the New York City Internet community.

    Scott Kurnit, CEO, chairman and founder of About.com, raised the issue of what constitutes a level playing field during a "fireside chat." He told attendees of his panel that Yahoo! Inc. decided against including About.com sites in its search-engine results, even though About.com provides "thousands" of links to Yahoo! sites from its various properties.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Balancing Fraud Risk With Booming Online Business
    Time: 17:41 EDT/22:41 GMT News Source: TechWeb Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Expedia, Microsoft's Internet travel website, on Wednesday said it would take a third-quarter charge of up to $6 million to cover the cost of fraudulent credit card transactions.

    The company said it had discovered in mid-February a number of fraudulent transactions that were conducted on Expedia using stolen credit card numbers. The company said the transactions were conducted by professional thieves and with credit card numbers stolen in "traditional manners," and not from Expedia data. In a release, the company said that the fraudulent activity represents less than one half of 1 percent of the travel tickets sold.

    "We have discovered we are the target of larger-scale fraud," Richard Barton, chief executive officer for Bellevue, Wash.-based Expedia, said in a conference call. "This activity is a fact of life for all merchants."

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • DoubleClick: Collecting User Data Is No Crime
    Time: 04:53 EDT/09:53 GMT News Source: ZDNet Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    DoubleClick recently may have run afoul of privacy advocates, but the company isn't backing away from plans to continue to collect personal information on consumers for customized advertising.

    DoubleClick CEO Kevin O'Connor defended his Internet advertising company's privacy policies on Tuesday, during remarks he made in the opening keynote of the Silicon Alley 2000 conference in New York. DoubleClick is currently the target of a Federal Trade Commission privacy probe.

    When asked whether he would still purchase direct marketing-data firm Abacus Direct --which collects and aggregates data on consumers' online.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Judge clears way for online voting in Arizona
    Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT News Source: Nando Media Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    A federal judge's ruling Tuesday cleared the way for Arizona Democrats to use the Internet to cast ballots in their March 11 presidential primary.

    The judge denied a temporary injunction sought by a group trying to block the nation's first binding election for public office using the Internet. The plaintiffs said they would appeal.

    The Virginia-based Voting Integrity Project sued the Arizona Democratic Party to stop the online voting, claiming it would discriminate against minorities and the poor.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Dell goes shopping at Wal-Mart for new CIO
    Time: 04:05 EDT/09:05 GMT News Source: News.com Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    Dell Computer, the world's largest direct seller of personal computers, named former Wal-Mart executive Randy Mott as senior vice president and chief information officer.

    Mott, 43, was CIO at Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer. He replaces Jerome Gregoire, who resigned last year to raise horses on his ranch near Austin, Texas.

    Mott will be responsible for managing all internal computer systems and Internet capabilities for Dell, which does $40 million in sales a day on the Internet. He will report to Dell Vice Chairman Kevin Rollins and to the office of the chief executive.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]

     
  • Census forms can be filled out online
    Time: 04:00 EDT/09:00 GMT News Source: USA Today Posted By: Matthew Sabean

    The Census Bureau this year will give Americans the choice of answering their census questionnaires over the Internet, and hopes the new option will prompt more people to respond to the once-a-decade survey.

    With the click of a mouse, respondents will be able to log on to the Census Bureau's Web site and answer the government's questions - How old you are? What ethnicity are you? - without having to drop the form in the mailbox.

    But it's unclear whether allowing forms to be returned for the first time through cyberspace will get more people to respond.

    [Submit News]  [Return To Headlines]


Read more of the past months news in our News Archive for January and February News.

Do you have any Windows based news? Just Remember To Get In Touch!

 

  *  
  *   *