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Mobile Web surfers in the U.S. spend more time on classified-ad site Craigslist than on any other Web site, and they spent nearly twice as much time browsing as their British counterparts in March.

Those are among the findings from a study by mobile research company M:Metrics in which client software installed on participants' smartphones gleaned information about user activity. It found U.S. owners of smartphones– not even counting iPhones or BlackBerry devices– spent nearly 4 hours, 38 minutes using their browsers in March. U.K. subscribers spent just under 2 hours, 25 minutes, on average. The survey tracked 3,500 users of Symbian, Palm and Microsoft Windows Mobile smartphones in the U.S. and U.K.

The devotion to mobile browsing in the U.S. has a lot to do with the wider use of so-called “unlimited” data plans in the country, M:Metrics said. In the U.S., 10.9 percent of smartphone users have data plans that don't charge them per bit or per minute for browsing, the researchers said. In the U.K., only 2.3 percent have such plans. Mobile operators in Europe have been slower to adopt all-you-can-eat pricing, said M:Metrics analyst Mark Donovan.

U.S. users spent about 1 hour, 39 minutes per month on Craigslist, M:Metrics said. The site has two big factors in its favor as a mobile destination, Donovan said. It's text-based, so it's easier to load with a weak signal, and it emphasizes local information. Donovan believes mobile users are visiting local listings for events such as yard sales along with the site's popular personal ads.

E-commerce giant eBay was the second most popular destination, with smartphone users spending about 1 hour, 26 minutes per month there, closely followed by social networking sitesMyspace and Facebook. The Walt Disney Co.'s Go.com entertainment portal was fifth, with 1 hour, 7 minutes.

Although average time spent per month was higher for Craigslist, individual visits to eBay lasted longer. On the days they visited eBay, users spent an average of 29 minutes there, versus 22 minutes on Craigslist, M:Metrics said.

Facebook led in browser time in the U.K., with an average of nearly 1 hour, 45 minutes per month, followed by the portal of Three, a popular 3G (third generation telephony) operator. Media company British Sky Broadcasting's site was third, followed by Microsoft's Live.com search site and the BBC.

The study covered all Internet visits through dedicated browsers and mobile operator portals, but not through the dedicated mobile client applications that Facebook and others have introduced, Donovan said. M:Metrics hasn't yet brought iPhone or BlackBerry users into the monthly survey. Although the iPhone is the single device used most often for mobile browsing (most mobile OSes are represented by many different devices), Donovan believes the use patterns would look similar if the iPhone and BlackBerry devices were included.

Consumer advocates have long argued that the steep early termination fees (ETF) that the U.S. wireless operators typically charge for an early cellular contract exit have made it difficult for consumers to change service providers. But that's about to change.

The major carriers are all moving to less onerous service agreements that reduce the financial burden on unhappy subscribers bent on making a switch. Beginning later this month, AT&T will move to an early termination policy under which the fee will be progressively lowered each and every month over the entire contract period. Moreover, Sprint and T-Mobile say they will move to prorated plans of their own by mid-year. (Verizon Wireless began prorating its ETF in late 2006.)

Raising customer satisfaction is certainly one reason behind the change of heart. However, the carriers appear to be far more concerned about incurring future financial damage from new regulations at the state level as well as several pending class action lawsuits.

Pushing the FCC

According to the Associated Press, Verizon Wireless has begun pushing the FCC to adopt a rule under which the states would be prevented from regulating their ETF policies. In exchange, the carriers would be required to prorate their termination fees as well as give new customers a 30-day grace period to cancel service contracts without penalty.

Its not much of a tradeoff given that at least some wireless customers already receive just such a deal. For example, Sprint currently waives its $200 per line ETF for cancellations that occur within the first 30 days of a contract.

The carriers also would like the FCC to step in to the fray because its increased scrutiny of the matter would help fend off new legislation at the federal level. At least some members of the U.S. Congress have long been eyeing the carriers' restrictive policies with a baleful eye.

“Early termination fees are a family budget-buster,” noted Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). “Families should be able to terminate service without outrageous fees. It's a simple matter of fairness,” she said.

Exclusivity Under Fire

The nation's wireless carriers also have been feeling intense pressure on the legal front. Cell-phone service contracts typically include a mandatory arbitration requirement for resolving disputes, including those pertaining to the charge of an early cancellation fee. However, a California appeals court has reject T-Mobile's claim that the Federal Arbitration Act preempts any rule that “class action waivers are unconscionable under California law.”

Last year's California court decision is allowing a class action suit to proceed that claims T-Mobile's $200 ETF constitutes an unfair business practice. Similar suits also are currently pending in California and other states that potentially could cost the major wireless billions of dollars.

The FCC is also expected to examine handset deals such as the one that gave AT&T an exclusive lock on iPhone sales last year. The Rural Cellular Association recently asked the FCC to initiate a rulemaking to investigate the anticompetitive effects of such exclusivity arrangements and their impact on rural residents.

“For many consumers, the end result of these exclusive arrangements is being channeled to purchase wireless service from a carrier that has monopolistic control over the desired handset and having to pay a premium price for the handset because the market is void of any competition for the particular handset,” the RCA said. “Absent these exclusivity arrangements, these popular handsets would likely be sold by multiple carriers, with fewer conditions, and at lower prices to consumers,” the association's lawyers added.

SEATTLE - Yahoo Inc. is postponing its shareholder meeting for a second time, now that billionaire investor Carl Icahn has nominated alternate candidates to Yahoo’s existing board of directors.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo put off the meeting once to buy time to consider an unsolicited buyout offer from Microsoft Corp.

Yahoo disclosed on Thursday that its July 3 meeting would be delayed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing and said it expects to set a date that is closer to the end of July.

In a second filing, Yahoo said Edward Kozel, a board member, is resigning. Kozel had planned to step down in February, but stayed on after Microsoft made its offer in January.

Carrying-case manufacturer Skooba–the same company that brought the world the slightly mocking Skreener bag–announced Thursday that it's working with the Transportation Security Administration on new laptop bags that can pass through airport security without having the computer inside removed.

“If all goes well, this will be very welcome news for many tech-travelers.,” the company stated in a release issued today. “We have some beautiful prototypes, patents and trademarks pending, and expect to have our security-friendly line out in time for the back to school/fall/holiday season.”

The new designs are a response to a announcement issued by the TSA back in March soliciting manufacturers for “checkpoint-friendly” designs. The organization received 50-odd designs including entries by high profile companies such as Skooba and Targus.

Originally published on Gearlog.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Trekkies can boldly go online to get a personalized message from Captain Kirk himself via a Web site that puts a new twist on the global $4 billion memorabilia market often beset by fraud.

Actor William Shatner, beloved by legions as Captain James T. Kirk in the cult “Star Trek” series and a member of the “Boston Legal” cast, joins celebrity wrestlers, rockers, sports stars and an astronaut on www.liveautographs.com, which claims to lower the velvet rope between fans and their heroes.

For Rob Dwek, LiveAutographs chief executive, it's all good.

“Having spent 17 years in the entertainment business, I was aware of just how much distance there is between the fan base and celebrities. We're creating a win-win situation for both,” said Dwek, a former television executive.

He noted that, in addition to providing convenience to autograph seekers and luminaries, the site offers better fraud safeguards than other online memorabilia sites.

About $400 million is spent yearly on signed memorabilia via the Web, but much of the merchandise turns out to be counterfeit, Dwek said, citing an investigation conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service. The three-year probe found that more than 50 percent, and perhaps as much as 90 percent, of items comprising the overall $1 billion U.S. memorabilia market in 2000 were fake.

“When you're dealing with an autograph, it's hard to tell if it's real or not. At the end of the day, you're putting your trust in the company. We're removing the middle person so the fan can see the star sign the item,” Dwek said.

Customers of LiveAutographs see stars sign their items and can ask them questions. In addition to signing the memorabilia on camera, the celebrity answers in a personalized video, which LiveAutographs sends via download, or a DVD that's mailed with the merchandise.

Dwek said LiveAutographs authenticates items in three ways: by letting customers witness the signing via video, providing matching bar codes on the DVD and merchandise and issuing a PIN on each purchase creating a chain of title for each item.

At Ironclad Authentics LLC, a memorabilia firm owned by former Baltimore Orioles baseball starCal Ripken Jr., product manager Ryan Foley said vendors are always trying new ways to prove authenticity, which sometimes creates customer confusion.

“Some companies have tried gimmicks like putting a camera on a pen to show proof that a baseball was signed, but it's not exactly proof that the baseball you purchased was the one that was signed,” Foley said.

“Holograms with unique tracking numbers is the main way most memorabilia companies are practicing these days,” he said, adding that certificates of authenticity from third-party companies are also commonly used.

Having big names attached does not hurt. LiveAutograph's board of directors includes network and sports executives, such as producer Peter Guber, former Walt Disney Co president Rich Frank and Jonathan Kraft, president of the New England Patriots football team.

Dwek said he expects that LiveAutographs will sign between 50 and 70 celebrities in its first year of operation.

In addition to Shatner, wrestlers Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, tennis star Serena Williams, actress Carmen Electra, and Raven Symone of Disney's “That's So Raven,” rocker Dave Navarro, Slash of Guns 'N' Roses! and astronaut Buzz Aldrin have signed on.

Dwek said each celebrity commits to a minimum 90 minutes of their time to answer fans' questions, but can stay longer if necessary.

“Celebrities will appear about three or four times a year and we begin selling their items about six weeks prior to their appearances,” he said.

Frank Garo, a forensic handwriting expert said LiveAutographs offers a solid concept and its formidable backing gives the company legitimacy, but noted the site is clearly aimed at high-end buyers in the memorabilia market.

“If they market this thing properly, it should make some waves, but it's not for everybody. They may get high rollers who want a Hulk item to impress their friends, but in the long run, it's the meat and potatoes people that really carry the memorabilia market,” he said.

Garo said most autograph seekers are looking to spend far less than the price tags posted on LiveAutographs, where items start around $129 for a celebrity autograph and go as high as $2,500 for a replica of a Buzz Aldrin spacesuit.

Among other wares to be found on LiveAutographs.com are a Star Trek lithograph for $425, a Star Trek TOS Communicator prop for $749, Hogan-signed replicas of his Size 15 yellow wrestling boots or Austin-signed replicas of the Smoking Skulls Belt he designed himself.

Dwek said many celebrities are in talks, hoping to join the site and use it as a charity fund-raising

vehicle.

“We're trying to cause a major disruption in this business when it comes to fraud. I hope to raise the bar for those players who are legitimate, and to put those who commit fraud out of business,” Dwek said.

(Reporting by Sue Zeidler; editing by Gunna Dickson)

NEW YORK - The lack of high-speed Internet access in some areas of the U.S. has been hotly debated, even as that digital divide has narrowed. But a new, wider gap is being created by technology that will make today’s broadband feel as slow as a dial-up connection.

Much like broadband enabled downloads of music, video and work files that weren’t practical over dial-up, the next generation of Internet connections will allow for vivid, lifelike video conferencing and new kinds of interactive games.

But while access to cable and phone-line broadband has spread to cover perhaps 90 percent of the U.S. in the space of a decade, next-generation Internet access looks set to create a much smaller group of “haves” and a larger group of “have nots.”

The most promising route to superfast home broadband is to extend the fiber-optic lines that already form the Internet’s backbone all the way to homes. Existing fiber-to-the-home, or FTTH, connections are already 10 times faster than vanilla broadband provided over phone or cable lines. With relatively easy upgrades, the speeds could be a hundred times faster.

In the U.S., the buildout of FTTH is under way, but it’s highly concentrated in the 17-state service area of Verizon Communications Inc., which is the only major U.S. phone company that is replacing its copper lines with fiber. Its FiOS service accounts for more than 1.8 million of the 2.9 million U.S. homes that are connected to fiber according to RVA LLC, a research firm that specializes in the field.

FTTH is also offered by some small phone companies, cooperatives and municipalities, like Chattanooga, Tenn. The other major phone companies, like AT&T Inc. and Qwest Communications International Inc., are laying FTTH in “greenfield” developments, but aren’t pulling fiber to existing homes. Some cable companies are doing the same.

Graham Finnie, chief analyst for the telecom research firm Heavy Reading, believes 13 percent of U.S. households will be connected to fiber by 2012. Since Verizon is the major builder, the vast majority of those will be in Verizon territory on the East Coast, Texas and California.

“That does beg the question: What happens to everyone else? There’s going to be a huge community of people who are not getting FTTH in the next five years,” Finnie said.

“A quarter of the U.S. is going to get one of the best networks in the world,” said Dave Burstein, editor of the DSL Prime newsletter.

The rest of the country, he said, is going to be stuck with slow DSL or cable, though the latter is due for upgrades in the next few years that will boost top speeds fivefold.

Still, it’s not entirely clear that people on fiber connections are going to have a big advantage over slowpokes on regular broadband. Today, there is not much that can be done on a fast connection that can’t be done on a standard one. Fiber is already available to a third of South Korean homes, but that hasn’t revolutionized society there, at least not yet.

Increased used of video, particularly high-definition video, is seen as the future of the Internet, but most cable modems and high-end DSL are already capable of streaming HD video downloads. However, fiber connections support higher upload speeds, potentially making for better video conferencing from the home, which in turn creates opportunities for distance learning. Games also could get a jump in realism and online interactivity, Burstein said.

Not only are U.S. regions going to differ tremendously in how fast they get fiber, the differences between countries will also be huge. Apart from South Korea, Finnie cited Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Sweden as other front-runners. He estimates that almost half of all Swedish households would have fiber by 2012, for instance.

“This is not a market where there’s a smooth progression across countries and regions — it’s going to be extremely variable,” said Finnie.

Considered as a whole, the U.S. will be “middling” in the international comparison, trailing the pioneers but well ahead of other developed nations like Finnie’s home country, Britain, which he estimates will have 3 to 4 percent fiber-connected homes in 2012.

The fiber buildout is going to take more time and be more patchy than the introduction of broadband because it’s so much more expensive, Finnie said. Cable modem and DSL connections are retrofits to links originally laid down to provide video and phone service, respectively. Fiber-optic lines will be the first links that are built for data to reach U.S. homes.

The costs will remain high, because getting permits for the buildout and drawing the physical lines is “a hugely physical, human-type activity,” said Joe Savage, president of the FTTH Council North America. While the cost of the equipment keeps dropping rapidly, two-thirds of the cost of connecting a home are labor, he said.

___

On the Net:

http://www.ftthcouncil.org/

http://www.verizon.com/fios

San Francisco - Coverity, known in the code security and quality space, plans to announce its acquisition of build management vendor Codefast next week.

The acquisition is Coverity's first, the company said. Technology and engineering talent acquired from Codefast will help developers accelerate the software build process, Coverity said. As part of the acquisition, Codefast product will be enhanced to leverage Coverity's Software DNA Map analysis system to help ensure code integrity.

Codefast has focused on developing sophisticated execution engines for parallel and incremental builds. The company's flagship product, PerfectBuild, automates build processes, accelerates build execution, and simplifies build management, according to a Coverity representative. This allows users to devote more time to improving their software.

“Build processes today are frequently inconsistent, leading to unpredictable results or costly delays that drag down development teams,” said Seth Hallem, CEO of Coverity, in a statement released by the company. ???When combined with our existing static and dynamic analysis products, the addition of Codefast will enable Coverity products to span the coding, testing, building, and integration phases of software development, where many development organizations face considerable challenges.”

Coverity said its experience with more than 450 static and dynamic analysis customers was critical in the purchase decision. Large development teams seek new tools to accommodate build methodologies while improving overall build processes, Coverity said.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Coverity has focused on improving software quality in C/C++ and Java code.

WASHINGTON - Google billionaire co-founder Larry Page said Thursday the Internet search leader opposed a Microsoft-Yahoo deal because it would monopolize the online communications market, stifle innovation and curb competition.

But he discounted the idea that an advertising deal between Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. — one the two companies are now exploring — would present any potential antitrust problems.

In a rare visit to the nation’s capital, Page spoke at a forum sponsored by the New American Foundation think tank about expanding affordable access to high-speed Internet service and opening up cellular networks to more applications, services and devices.

The territory was friendly as Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt was recently elected chairman of think tank, which counts telecommunications and technology policy in its varied body of work. Schmidt, a board member since 1999, was not at the talk.

Page said a successful Microsoft-Yahoo deal would have closed “a lot of things that are really important … like instant messaging.”

Microsoft Corp. had sought to buy Yahoo for $47.5 billion as a way to counter Google Inc.’s dominance in the search and advertising market, but recently broke off talks.

“Now, if you put 90 percent of the communications all in one company … that’s really a big risk, especially one (Microsoft) that has a history of doing bad stuff,” he said.

Court oversight of Microsoft’s market power began in 2002 after an antitrust settlement was reached among Microsoft, the federal government and 17 states, barring the software maker from seeking deals with computer makers to exclude rival software. It was intended to also keep the company from using its operating system monopoly to hinder competition in other products. Microsoft also faces scrutiny in the European Union, where regulators have opened two antitrust probes.

Google and Yahoo are exploring a long-term alliance to show Google ads alongside Yahoo search results after a two-week trial last month showed Google’s technology could help boost Yahoo’s profits.

Antitrust obstacles can’t be ruled out, as the two companies control more than 80 percent of the U.S. search advertising market.

While he said Google has a large advertising share, “there are ways in which to structure a deal with Yahoo that will be reasonable … especially given the alternatives they have, which aren’t great either.”

Page also made the white-space case, talking up Google’s push to use fallow TV airwaves, or so-called white spaces, for affordable broadband service and other similar initiatives. He also said Google is participating in a government spectrum auction to open up cellular networks to more devices, applications and services.

Google strongly supports such initiatives, he said, because it would increase competition, spur better innovative products and provide more Internet access, generating greater revenue for the Mountain View, Calif.-based company.

Michael Calabrese, a vice president with the think tank, earlier said the Google co-founder met with lawmakers and Federal Communications Commission officials, but Page later declined to give disclose any names or any details of his Washington itinerary.

Other World Computing (OWC) on Thursday began shipping its new line of internal CD- and DVD-burning SuperDrives. The new drives are capable of 20X burn speeds for DVDs and 48X speeds for CDs.

OWC said the drives are compatible with all of the most popular software including Apple's iLife, Roxio's Toast, and NTI's Dragonburn. You can also order any of these applications with the drive.

SuperDrives for desktop Macs are priced from $31.99, and offer up to 20X DVD, 12X Dual-Layer DVD, and 48X CD burning speeds. Drives with DVD-RAM burn capability and LightScribe are also available.

Slot-loading SuperDrives with 8X DVD, 6X DVD Dual-Layer, 24X CDRW, and 5X DVD-RAM support are also available from $97.95 for Mac mini, iMac G5, G4 Cube, PowerBook G4, and iBook G4 computers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Google Inc co-founder Larry Page was in Washington on Thursday to promote the company's proposal for a new generation of wireless devices to operate on soon-to-be-vacant television airwaves.

Page was scheduled to meet with lawmakers in Congress and officials at the Federal Communications Commission hoping to convince them to allow the “white space” between television channels to be accessed by low-power wireless devices.

“I think it will make a huge difference to everybody,” Page said during a morning appearance at a Washington think tank.

Page highlighted the benefits of making more spectrum available, while downplaying opposition from broadcasters, and makers and users of wireless microphones, who fear the wireless devices would cause interference.

“I think the debate's really been politicized,” Page said.

Page said making more spectrum available would benefit computer users, giving them Internet connections with greater range and speed.

He said it would also benefit Google itself.

“If we have 10 percent better connectivity in the U.S., we get 10 percent more revenue in the U.S., and those are big numbers for us,” Page said.

Google is part of a coalition of technology companies that has been lobbying the FCC to allow unlicensed use of white-space spectrum.

The group also includes Microsoft Corp, Dell Inc, Intel Corp, Hewlett-Packard Co and the north American unit of Philips Electronics.

The idea is fiercely opposed

The white-space airwaves could become available in February 2009, when TV broadcasters switch from analog to more efficient digital signals.

Proponents of the mew class of Wi-Fi devices say the airwaves could eventually offer data transmission speeds of billions of bits per second — far faster than the millions of bits per second available on most current broadband networks. Consumers could watch movies on wireless devices and do other things that are currently difficult on slower networks.

The FCC has been testing equipment to see whether the white-space spectrum can be used without interfering with television broadcasts. Even though several prototypes have run into problems in testing, Page said problems with interference could be overcome.

“I am totally confident that if we have rules that say you can use the spectrum under conditions that you cause no interference, that those devices will get produced. And, in fact, hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested in making those devices non-interfering,” Page said.

Page's remarks were immediately disputed by the National Association of Broadcasters.

“Given the numerous device failures that have resulted during FCC testing, it seems a little disingenuous for Mr. Page to simply dismiss the interference concerns,” Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton said in a statement.

“Jeopardizing the future of digital television with an unproven technology would be unwise and unwarranted,” Wharton said.

(Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)