See this at: mercurynews.com| Added on 03/03/06

When Ruriko Yamaki sits down to teach an English lesson, she's usually alone in her Cupertino apartment. But with a few clicks of her mouse, she can come face to face with students half a world away. ``Konichi Wa!'' she said, smiling into her Web... See more

When Ruriko Yamaki sits down to teach an English lesson, she's usually alone in her Cupertino apartment. But with a few clicks of her mouse, she can come face to face with students half a world away. ``Konichi Wa!'' she said, smiling into her Web camera as she greeted a student recently. Yamaki uses the software program Skype, which offers free computer-to-computer calls, to have video chats with her students, a key form of communication for her language-training business, English Vitamin. New technologies like Skype are prompting the creation of mom-and-pop global businesses such as English Vitamin. As Internet phone and video calling starts going mainstream, it's enabling entrepreneurs like the 42-year-old Yamaki to expand their reach. ``It is very exciting to be able to use a technology like Skype to grow our business,'' said English Vitamin Chief Operating Officer Michael Hill, who is one of a handful of employees at the company. ``Being able to do voice and video chat over the... See less

Highlights: Skype software first became popular in Europe, and in November the company was bought by Web auctioneer eBay for $2.6 billion.

See this at: mercurynews.com| Added on 03/03/06

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates presented a new desktop security program Tuesday that he said would protect people from phishing scams and eventually make Internet passwords passé. Called InfoCards, the Web browser tool is a better way for consumers to... See more

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates presented a new desktop security program Tuesday that he said would protect people from phishing scams and eventually make Internet passwords passé. Called InfoCards, the Web browser tool is a better way for consumers to verify their identity on Web sites, Gates said. Gates' speech, which kicked off the RSA computer security conference in San Jose, underscored Microsoft's latest effort to beat back years of criticism over security problems with its Windows operating system, which runs on most of the world's personal computers. InfoCards will be part of Microsoft's updated browser software, Internet Explorer 7, which has been released in a preview version, as well as the company's upcoming operating system software, Vista, due out toward the end of the year. Using InfoCards, people could save personal information on virtual cards on their computers. Each card would contain varying levels of information, and the person could decide which card is best to use... See less

See this at: podcastdirectory.com| Added on 03/03/06

Part three of this week's executive chat. Listen in as iPass CEO Ken Denman continues the conversation with business reporter Jessie Seyfer about WiMax, G3, and whether companies like Apple and Yahoo will shift the landscape.

Part three of this week's executive chat. Listen in as iPass CEO Ken Denman continues the conversation with business reporter Jessie Seyfer about WiMax, G3, and whether companies like Apple and Yahoo will shift the landscape. See less

Highlights: $239.00

See this at: mercurynews.com| Added on 03/03/06

Six proposals, six very different ways to provide a city-wide wireless Internet network for San Francisco. City officials released the six proposals Wednesday from companies hoping to win San Francisco's citywide WiFi contract. Ideas included... See more

Six proposals, six very different ways to provide a city-wide wireless Internet network for San Francisco. City officials released the six proposals Wednesday from companies hoping to win San Francisco's citywide WiFi contract. Ideas included creating two levels of Internet access where one is free and one is paid, offering free access supported entirely by ads, creating a co-op network of specialized WiFi ``stores'' and operating a WiFi service from generous donors in a public television model. The proposal grabbing attention on Wall Street is Mountain View Web search giant Google's joint bid with EarthLink, in which Google handles the ads, and EarthLink handles pretty much everything else. Their bid proposes two levels of service in which Google provides a free, advertising-supported service, and EarthLink provides a higher-grade, no-ad service for a $20 monthly fee. The free service would run at about 300 kilobits per second, slower than most DSL lines, while the higher-end service... See less

Highlights: Their bid proposes two levels of service in which Google provides a free, advertising-supported service, and EarthLink provides a higher-grade, no-ad service for a $20 monthly fee.

See this at: mercurynews.com| Added on 03/03/06

State regulators approved a phone-service bill of rights Thursday after years of wrangling, but consumer advocates decried it as lacking useful, enforceable new protections. The new bill of rights, ushered in on a 3-2 vote by the California Public... See more

State regulators approved a phone-service bill of rights Thursday after years of wrangling, but consumer advocates decried it as lacking useful, enforceable new protections. The new bill of rights, ushered in on a 3-2 vote by the California Public Utilities Commission, does not mandate clearer phone bills or a 30-day trial period for service, two provisions consumer groups wanted. Instead the bill creates a new telecommunications fraud division and a campaign to educate consumers, especially non-English speakers, about their rights. The bill triumphed over a more stringent version that had the provisions consumer groups wanted. That version failed by one vote. The Commission's decision capped six years of often-fierce debate about consumer rights and competition in the fast-moving communications industry. Phone companies, which favored the less stringent version that passed Thursday, argued that competition forces them to provide good service and that more rules would only slow... See less

See this at: mercurynews.com| Added on 03/03/06

What does Tony Soprano have in common with Skype Technologies, the software program that allows you to make free phone calls over the Internet? The answer: Henry Gomez. Confused? Don't be. Six years ago, Gomez was working for HBO and trying to strike... See more

What does Tony Soprano have in common with Skype Technologies, the software program that allows you to make free phone calls over the Internet? The answer: Henry Gomez. Confused? Don't be. Six years ago, Gomez was working for HBO and trying to strike up a promotional deal with eBay for the cable channel's new mobster show. The San Jose Web auctioneer, clearly impressed by Gomez, offered him a job directing its public relations department, which at the time had a staff of three. Gomez took it. Flash forward to November 2005 when eBay purchased Luxembourg-based Skype for $2.6 billion. Who does it tap as general manager of the newly formed North American division? Gomez, who by this time was senior vice president of corporate communications and government relations at eBay, reporting to Chief Executive Meg Whitman. In Gomez's new job he'll be steering Skype's strategy in the United States, where the company's service has not caught on the way it has in Europe and Asia. Skype also faces... See less

Highlights: Flash forward to November 2005 when eBay purchased Luxembourg-based Skype for $2.6 billion.

See this at: images.google.com| Added on 03/03/06

Image may be scaled down and subject to copyright.

Image may be scaled down and subject to copyright. See less