After a few days break (sometimes I feel a need to spend a few days offline), I'm back with the Daily News Links:
- Fox Interactive Media, largely thanks to its social-networking site MySpace, has edged Yahoo out of its long-held perch at the top position for Internet page views, according to the new comScore report. "The bulk of their growth is from MySpace." Read more here (from Red Herring).
- A professional hacker claims to have found a way to steal the information contained on new Australian passports. Read more here (from The Age).
- Google is unveiling a slew of new features to its Google Finance site, intending to help it improve a service that has lagged behind those offered by Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL. Additions include a streamlined user interface and a feature allowing investors to easily track sector performance. Read more here (from The Street.com).
- Kazaa and Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom is developing a secretive Internet television venture called The Venice Project, which analysts say could threaten the viability of network TV. The video-sharing service stands to knock network affiliates out of their middleman positions. Read more here (from USA Today).
- The founder of Wikipedia announced that he planned to give more online power to the people by providing free software and hosting services for collaborative websites. Jimmy Wales said a free service dubbed OpenServing.com "would go live shortly" to give anyone the ability to build websites devoted to shared interests. OpenServing computers would host the websites. Read more here (from the Sydney Morning Herald).
- Text messages sent to and from mobile phones will more than double over the next five years to 2.3 trillion messages sent by 2010, a survey said. Read more here (from Australian IT).
- A new internet search engine, ChaCha, has hit the web, promising results more relevant than even Google. While Google relies on highly complex algorithms to give responses to queries, ChaCha, in addition to a traditional computer-based search, provides the option of having a human guide assist with any query. Read more here (from The Age).
- is set to deepen its relationship with PBL Media by taking a stake of up to 30 per cent in the new online property website MyHome, to be launched by James Packer's PBL Media early in the new year. Read more here (from Australian IT).
- The Netherlands ended transmission of "free to air" analog television Monday, becoming the first nation to switch completely to digital signals. Read more here (from the Sydney Morning Herald).
- A former NSW detective and close associate of broadcaster Alan Jones is suing the author and publisher of Jonestown, claiming the controversial biography falsely portrays him as a drunk, incompetent and corrupt police officer. Read more here (from The Australian).
More blogging later today ...
