Internet

Last week, Microsoft proudly announced it was the new papa of the web's hippest and most powerful young site, Facebook. Now, even as they battle it out in other spheres, it appears both the Redmond-based company and Waterloo firm Research in Motion ... will be major contributors in shaping Facebook's future. Elsewhere in the tech world, Microsoft and Research in Motion, or RIM, are at each other's throats. Microsoft is currently unveiling its own server-based tool for managing Windows Mobile devices, dubbed "System Center Mobile Device Manager". It should provide direct competition for RIM's ... (view more)

As if social networking site Facebook wasn't already enough of a titan on the web, it's about to become even more powerful. Why? Because the Redmond gods have just injected it with $240 million bucks. That's right, Microsoft recently purchased a ... minority stake in Facebook, which accepted the bid over another from search engine giant Google. The deal with Microsoft will lead to an expansion of social networking services (as if Facebook didn't already have enough), and, sigh, more advertising. For those of you who have yet to dabble in Facebook -- and that number continues to dwindle every day ... (view more)

When Google purchased popular online video site YouTube for over a billion dollars a year ago, many industry analysts raised eyebrows in disbelief. The Big G is still struggling to make a profit with that investment, and recent copyright lawsuits ... demanding billions more dollars are not helping. That's why Google and YouTube have now officially unveiled a "content identification system," which will give copyright owners control over how their material appears on the video-based site. The new service's official name is YouTube Video Identification, and Google hopes it will calm angry legal seas ... (view more)

Two new start-up companies are looking to entice the average consumer to make all of their telephone calls over the Internet and bypass the high-priced local phone and cable television companies. Using the service will may result in free calls, and ... will be compatible with almost all standard-issued phone handsets. But, in a world where most good things come with a catch, the "free calls" are not initially free. The one-time hardware cost and subsequent low annual membership fees have many believing that nationwide calling from a regular home phone is getting really close to eventually ... (view more)

We've all seen them: spam messages purporting to help us guys in the act of "getting it up". Although it's a legitimate problem and many men do turn to medication helping with erectile dysfunction, this segment of the male population typically, and ... wisely, consult their doctors for help. But, what about those email messages that promise such medication so cheap? Do those actually work? According to one curious and frisky Canadian research group, some of these spammers will in fact fill your order. The University of Toronto-based Centre for Global eHealth Innovation perused 4,000 spam messages ... (view more)

Money makes the world go 'round. That's hardly surprising to anyone, although for a long time it seemed Internet hackers were more interested in simple, wanton destruction than the almighty dollar. According to security guru Symantec, that's all ... changed. At one time, many viruses were created just to cause trouble. These were largely referred to as "nuisance" attacks, not much different than "teepeeing" mean old Mr. Anderson's house down the street. It seems that web hackers have discovered being loud and destructive doesn't exactly pay well, and have instead turned to more subtle ... (view more)

"You'll never get anywhere by watching TV all day." That has been a popular refrain uttered by mothers for generations upon generations. Today's mothers may even be saying the same thing about the Internet's version of television, YouTube. Only, ... this time, they're wrong. You can get somewhere by watching YouTube. Well, if you attend Pitzer College, that is. Pitzer has added a new course to its curriculum. The subject: YouTube. (Source: yahoo.com ) "The class is a lot of fun but it is also meant to be serious," stated the course's instructor, Professor Alexandra Juhasz. "It's a serious class ... (view more)

In the battle to become Masters of the Web Universe, there are good guys and bad guys. Those who might be considered He-Man-heroes are web sites like CastleCops.com, which offer help to online users who have been hit by irritating malware. On the ... other end, there's Skeletor's black hat baddies, who are right now doing everything in their power to take CastleCops and others right off the web. (Source: theinquirer.net ) The strategy of malware goons is to execute what's called a "distributed denial of service," where black hat malcontents attempt to shut down a site by hitting it with a massive ... (view more)

Ah, the cost of being second fiddle to Google. For the third time since December, Yahoo will be realigning its operations. This time, the restructuring comes from new Yahoo president Susan Decker via a memo issued to employees. In the memo, Decker ... outlined a shift in focus from ads to content. Specifically, she explained that the company's top sales executive will be leaving the organization and that a new global sales organization is being developed. "Building on the success that we have had in aligning our sales and distribution organizations around customers, rather than around advertising ... (view more)

For those of us who use Yahoo Mail instead of the stiff competition from Google and Microsoft, we've been waiting on the company's new version for some time. It's now ready, and there are plenty of new features to win over Gmail and Hotmail users. ... Before the Yahoo Mail beta was initiated, the original service was nothing less than an eyesore. To date, it's still used on my parents' old computer, which languishes behind in the ever-changing tech environment. However, I've personally been using Yahoo's beta since it started, and will be amongst the first who can use its many new features. So, ... (view more)