Ed Sutherland

When we think of VoIP call centers, we might think of monolithic enterprises backed by large IT departments. But in reality, small and medium-sized businesses comprise more than half the IP telephony market. With that in mind, competitors Avaya and Spanlink Communications are reaching out to branch offices and remote workers with new products and […]

UPDATED: The proposed merger of AT&T and BellSouth means the death of the Internet and the unmasking of fictional competition between telecom companies, charged two Washington, DC-based consumer groups. The Consumer Federation of America and the Consumer Union urged regulators to reject the $67 billion proposal. The combination would give AT&T 70 million phone subscribers, […]

Online music pricing is again the subject of a federal investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed to internetnews.com that the department’s antitrust unit is looking into the four largest record labels and possible “uncompetitive practices” of music download pricing. While DoJ spokesperson Gina Talamno would not confirm which companies are being investigated, Reuters […]

Internet giant Google met financial analysts Thursday, providing insight and assuring the group of a “very deep pipeline of monetized new products,” according to its chief financial officer. What’s in store for the future? Storing everyone’s information all the time, CEO Eric Schmidt told the gathering. One purpose for the second annual Google Analyst day […]

Microsoft this week has updated how Internet Explorer 6.0 handles ActiveX controls, bringing it into alignment with IE 7.0 and the Eolas patent-infringement suit. The update, which affects Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, removes the ability for ActiveX controls to be run automatically. Instead, users of XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1 must […]

What possibly could bring together the Democratic National Committee and the pro-gun lobby? A common cause: money. More specifically, a plan that could cost them to send e-mail. More than 50 groups across the political spectrum are voicing concern about plans by major ISPs to charge for “certified e-mail.” The groups say the plan could […]

UPDATED: The Department of Justice (DoJ) has rejected Google’s assertion that a government subpoena for search data threatens the privacy of Internet users. “The government has not asked Google to produce any information that would personally identify its users,” according to the DoJ’s response filed Friday in a San Jose court. Earlier this month, Google […]

In an unusual step, Microsoft has posted (PDF file) its official response to objections from European regulators that the software giant is dragging its feet in a long-running antitrust dispute. Microsoft said in its response that the future “appears bleak” for transparency and fairness in dealing with the European agency. The software giant filed the […]

Online real estate advertiser Homestore is undergoing a corporate makeover. The Westlake Village, Calif., company plans to change its name to Move Inc. with a new focus on consumers. The company also plans a new real estate search engine. The Move.com search engine will replace current sites Homestore.com, HomeBuilder.com and RENTNET. The new search engine, […]

Microsoft is facing new antitrust questions from high-tech watchdogs in Brussels. But they aren’t from the European Union. The European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS), which includes Microsoft rivals IBM, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Nokia and RealNetworks, filed a complaint with the EU accusing the software company of using Office and other application bundles to an […]

Google has agreed with researchers that a controversial feature in its newly released Desktop 3 Beta app may create security concerns for businesses. According to a Gartner research report, storing data on Google’s servers “will represent an unacceptable security risk to many enterprises.” The Search Across Computers feature of the beta version of Google Desktop […]

Just days after Microsoft fixed a hole discovered in its Windows Media Player, security firms report exploits are now targeting the vulnerability. Researchers with the French Security Incident Response Team (FrSIRT) published two exploits targeting a bug in versions of the Microsoft Media Player. The flaw could enable attackers to seize control of computers running […]