March 19, 2006

By Fred A. Bernstein

WHEN Thomas Keeling, a New York City firefighter, retired from the force in 2003, it took him less than a month to leave College Point, Queens, for this beach town about five hours south of Tucson.

Mr. Keeling, 43, paid less than $500,000 for a 3,800-square-foot house with spectacular views from nearly every window.

But the fishing season in San Carlos proved too short for Mr. Keeling. He hopes to move across the Sea of Cortez to Cabo San Lucas — "where you can fish all year," he says — and has listed his house for $695,000 — about 50 percent more than he paid two years ago.

March 19, 2006

By Deb Gruver

For Wes Brown, the decision to switch from traditional phone service to Internet-based telephone service was a no-brainer.

"I'm a computer nerd for a living, so I'm always ready to try new technology," said Brown, an information technology manager for a Wichita bank.

Brown signed up with Vonage, the leading Voice over Internet Protocol provider, in May 2004.

But he didn't do so just to satiate his appetite for a new toy. VoIP, as it's called, saves him $25 to $30 a month. It requires a broadband Internet connection such as high-speed cable or DSL.

March 15, 2006

By David Sims

I say, it's about time, old chap.

The market for VoIP in Britain is finally set to take off, according to a Vanson Bourne survey of 3,000 UK enterprise IT managers, commissioned by storage, voice and networking distributor, Zycko.

54 percent of respondents felt there were more advantages than barriers to the adoption of VoIP this year. 57 percent of financial services companies stated that voice and data convergence, rather than cost cutting, was the most important reason for companies to rethink their voice and data strategy in 2006.

Last May Reuters reported that VoIP firm Vonage would team up with office supplies firm Staples "to sell its cut-price Internet telephone service in the UK, as it moved to take on fixed-line giant BT Group."

March 15, 2006

By Gregory M. Lamb

The possibility of a future two-tiered Internet threatens today's notion of free travel on the information superhighway.

For now, the Internet is a superhighway open to all. Information is delivered quickly via phone lines and cable to homes and businesses worldwide. But for online businesses, the express-lane ride may be over. As the Internet matures, new bandwidth-gobbling online television channels and phone services may soon be charged to access the superhighway. That could turn the Internet of tomorrow into a toll road, with those who can't pay a premium shunted into the slow lane.

Grass-roots consumer groups and big corporations like Yahoo, Microsoft, and Google, whose businesses are based on a "free" Internet, say that ideas being floated to make producers of online content pay a premium for fast delivery could ruin the Web.

March 14, 2006

By Laurie Sullivan

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in U.S. homes is gaining traction. Service increased to 3.5 percent, or nearly 3.9 million households, in January 2006, up from 2.9 percent in June 2005, according to a study released Tuesday.

The report by consulting firm Telephia Inc. suggests that by January 2006, Vonage had secured the highest market share at 47.5 percent with service in nearly 1.9 million households, up from 40 percent in the year-ago period.

March 14, 2006

By Staff

VoIP services have reached 3.9 million or 3.5 percent of US households as of Janaury, according to research by Telephia.

That's up from 2.9 percent in June 2005. Vonage is market leader with a 47.5 percent share or 1.86 million subscribers, followed by Skype with 11.8 percent or 463,000. AT&T and Verizon each have around 5 percent of the market and Google is at 2.5 percent. Telephia data shows that 67 percent of VoIP households felt that the voice quality they experienced with the service was equal to traditional landline service, while 19 percent noted that the voice quality was better than fixed lines.

March 14, 2006

By Spencer Chin

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is slowly gaining traction within U.S. households, according to Telephia, a market research firm.

Telphia (San Francisco) said overall penetration for VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) increased to 3.5 percent or nearly 3.9 million households in Jan. 2006, up from 2.9 percent in June 2005.

Vonage led the VoIP market, which includes all pure-play VoIP companies and providers who actively promote their VoIP service as Internet telephony. Vonage secured a 47.5 percent market share or nearly 1.9 million households in Jan. 2006, up from 40 percent share in June 2005.

March 13, 2006

By Ryan Kim

Seven months ago, Ron Hirson cut his phone bill by more than half and is putting his savings into a diaper fund for his baby on the way.

The 32-year-old San Francisco Internet advertising executive didn't discover a hidden loophole or create an illegal long-distance scheme. He did what millions of others have done recently, turning to Internet telephoning to dramatically reduce his phone bills.

March 9, 2006

By Abigail Leichman

To the award-winners in your life who didn't make it to the 78th Oscar bash, you can give some of the same goodies showered on this year's guests.

The items in the presenters' Academy Awards swag bag, including 66 gifts and 13 trips, were worth about $110,000. Here are some you may be able to afford:

March 6, 2006

By Staff

I don't care for or watch the Oscars because the movies I enjoy never seem to be considered, and I can't stand seeing those who live in a fantasy world fall all over themselves.

There was something a bit geeky associated with the Oscars, though, as the Chicago Sun Times describes some of the gear in the Oscar swag bag. The guidelines require each item to be priced at more than US$500 and the overall value of the 2006 bag is estimated at over $100,000.