Top Items:
John Markoff / New York Times:
Venture for Sharing Wi-Fi Draws Big-Name Backers — SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 5 — A telecommunications executive said on Sunday that he had received $21.7 million for what he called "a global network of shared Wi-Fi connections" from backers, including Google, the Internet phone service provider Skype …
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Om Malik / Om Malik on Broadband:
Google, Skype Fund FON — [Updated with comments from Martin Varsavsky and Glenn Fleishman]. FON a wireless services company started by maverick entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky has just raised $21.7 million from Google, Skype, and Sequoia Capital. The cash infusion has been led by Index Ventures …
Martin Varsavsky:
A dream come true — As you know, FON is a global community of people who share WiFi connections. We call these people "Foneros", as a tribute to our heritage as a Spanish company. In order to become a Fonero, you go to FON, to download software that you install in your router …
Discussion:
linuxjournal.com, B2Day, Oliver Thylmann, Joi Ito's Web, Share Skype, Googling Google, Gizmodo, isen.blog and Randy Holloway Unfiltered 2.0
Peter Svensson / Associated Press:
Google, Skype in Startup to Link Hotspots — NEW YORK - Google Inc. and eBay Inc.'s Skype are investing in a startup that plans to help hotspot owners charge for Wi-Fi access, a plan that could face significant opposition from Internet service providers. — The Internet heavyweights …
Glenn Fleishman / Wi-Fi Networking News:
Google, Skype, Others Invest in Fon — I have noticeably ridiculed Fon since its hapless announcement and subsequent hype fest two months ago (Reuters, Associated Press, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune): Today, news broke that instead of a bottom-up, grassroots-driven effort …
Ethan / ...My heart's in Accra:
FON, and why sharing WiFi's a cool technology for Africa — My friend Martin Varsavsky just announced some amazing news: his new company, FON, has just accepted €18 million in investment from an all-star list of partners and investors: Skype, Google, Sequoia Capital and Index Ventures.
David Weinberger / Joho the Blog:
Google and Skype team on wifi — Martin Varsavsky has just blogged about what I think is an amazing feat: Google and Skype have both invested in a company he started three months ago that aims at enabling a global wifi network bottom up. — Disclosure: I'm on the US board of advisors.
Alec / Alec Saunders .LOG:
FON Raises $22 Million — We live in interesting times. FON has just raised $22 million from Index, Sequoia, Skype and Google. FON is trying to create a ubiquitous global shared WiFi network, by encouraging broadband subscribers to share their connections with others. — They have two models:
Discussion:
VoIP and ENUM
Wendy / Wendy's Blog:
FON SCORES ITS FIRST TOUCHDOWN — Martin Varsavsky has just blogged about FON's partnership with Google , Skype, Sequoia Capital, and Index Ventures as investors. FON is a startup, of which I'm on the board of advisors, that aims to put wireless internet everywhere by linking sharing and commercial installations.
Discussion:
Rodrigo A. Sepúlveda Schulz
Dsifry / Sifry's Alerts:
State of the Blogosphere, February 2006 Part 1: On Blogosphere Growth — It's been 4 months since last October's State of the Blogosphere report, so it's time to update the numbers! For historical perspective, you can see earlier State of the Blogosphere reports from July 2005, from March 2005, and from October 2004.
Mylene Mangalindan / Wall Street Journal:
PayPal Prepares For a Challenge From Google — When Jeff Jordan learned last May that Web-search leader Google Inc. was building its own Internet-payment service, he reacted swiftly. — Mr. Jordan, who is president of eBay Inc.'s PayPal online-payments unit, immediately asked employees …
Discussion:
Geek News Central …
USA Today:
AOL to charge fee as way to cut spam — SAN FRANCISCO — America Online will begin charging businesses to send commercial e-mail to its users in the first wide-scale use of authenticated e-mail to reduce spam. But some marketers affected by the plan, set to start in several weeks …
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Paul Montgomery / Tinfinger:
Scoops of vanilla perception — The latest Gillmor Gang podcast features Gabe Rivera from Memeorandum as its guest. I've listened to more than half a dozen of these Gang editions now, and several things are clear: — There are some very intelligent people on it with fascinating things to say …
Leander Kahney / Wired News:
Vaporware: Better Late Than Never — Ladies and gents, welcome to the 2005 Vaporware Awards — the prize that celebrates the tech products that were promised last year but never delivered. — We have a few surprises this year — wait 'til you find out the winner; you'll never guess what it is.
Don Dodge / Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing:
The new way to launch your product or company — In the old days you needed a big marketing staff, a huge budget, a PR agency, an elaborate press event at a big hotel (with food and drinks), and the attention of the trade press writers to launch your product.
RELATED ITEMS:
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:CoComment Screen Shots and Clarifications
Discussion:
Trial By Fire, Cameron's Brain, POP! PR Jots, Zoli's Blog, The Blog Herald and Kareem Mayan's Weblog
blogs.sun.com:
The Death of the Cold Call — I started my technology career at a startup, running sales. Now "running" is probably generous, given that I was the only sales guy (my partners were busy creating products). But every morning, I'd get up, roll out of bed to my desk (which was in my bedroom …
Discussion:
Smalltalk Tidbits …
Scott Karp / Publishing 2.0:
Focus on the User, Not the Technology — There are two prevailing views of the evolution of online information flow — one focuses on the arc of technology, the other on what the user wants and needs. The technology-centric view focuses on issues like RSS adoption rates and RSS vs. email.
Discussion:
Smalltalk Tidbits …, Trial By Fire, The Blackfriars Blog, web2.wsj2.com and Between Lawyers
