Attract, Retain and Delight More Customers
Close more deals in less time, track your sales activities and access customer data from your mobile device. Grow your business with Zoho CRM.
Sign up now for a free 15-day trial.

Google's Mad Men to Sell DirecTV Ads August 12, 2010 Google's expansion into advertising outside the virtual world received a boost Wednesday when it landed a new client: DirecTV. The deal with the satellite TV provider will add another 18.7 million households to Google TV Ads' reach, bringing the total number of households reached by the service to 30 million.

Why AT&T and Comcast Are Changing Their Brands August 12, 2010 After giving a speech, I was asked a question that got me thinking. Many of you may be wondering about this too. AT&T and Comcast have two of the strongest brand names in the business -- so why in the world are they both suddenly changing them? What are we, as customers and investors, not aware of?

Google, Verizon and Avoiding the Communist Concept of Net Neutrality August 09, 2010 Last week, there was uproar about a rumored secret negotiation between Google and Verizon that, if successful, would result in Google customers getting better bandwidth. At the core of this controversy are three things: a lack of adequate action by the sitting administration; a lack of consistent definition of the concept of "Net neutrality," and the communistic nature of the definition that appears to underlie this outrage.

Telecoms Fret Over Bust-Up of FCC's Net Neutrality Huddle August 06, 2010 The Federal Communications Commission has reportedly ended a series of talks with major players in the Internet industry on the question of Net neutrality. This followed allegations that Google and Verizon are privately wheeling a deal that would let the latter give preferential treatment to Web traffic from Google on its network for a fee. Google denied the reports.

Google, Verizon Deny Net Neutrality Backroom Deal August 05, 2010 Conflicting reports are circulating about whether Google and Verizon -- once bitter enemies on the subject of Net neutrality -- have come to an agreement on how network operators should manage Web traffic. Any such arrangement would be anathema to Net neutrality advocates. However, Google and Verizon have issued strong denials.

Dish Aims Slingbox at iThings, BBs and Androids August 05, 2010 Satellite television provider Dish Network plans to release a load of apps this fall that will allow its subscribers to watch its program offerings on Apple's iFamily of mobile devices -- the iPhone, iPad and iPod -- as well as Research In Motion Blackberries and smartphones running Google's Android operating system.

Apple: Happy Now? July 17, 2010 What do you call the iPhone 4 antenna ... thing? A disaster? A non-issue? Is it a tiny problem blown way out of proportion, or an embarrassing blunder from a company that's supposed to be known for genius engineering? Ever since users discovered that they could kill an uncased iPhone 4's signal simply by holding it a certain way, the company has faced its worst PR disaster in quite a long time.

Opposition Pipes Up as Comcast/NBC Deal Goes Back to the Exam Table July 08, 2010 Comcast's pending acquisition of General Electric's NBC Universal was put under the microscope again Thursday as the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and The Internet of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a field hearing to investigate the proposed deal.

The Real Killer App Inside Chatter June 29, 2010 They say we have big brains because we have all needed to work better together over the past 150,000 years. The more people work together, the more tools they need to make collaboration a productive art, rather than a befuddled mess. Rather than wait for human evolution to keep up the pace, Salesforce.com recently delivered its Chatter cloud-based collaboration service.

Google Voice: Who's Joining the Chorus? June 23, 2010 Just over a year after its beta launch, Google has opened its Google Voice service to all comers. During the invitation-only period, more than one million users signed up, according to the company. One important question, though, is how many more people actually want to use the all-in-one-number service.

FCC Forges Ahead With '3rd Way' to Broadband Regulation June 18, 2010 The Federal Communications Commission has voted to forward what it calls a "third way" toward broadband regulation. Following a big legal loss in April, when a federal circuit court ruled that the FCC had no authority to regulate Internet traffic, the agency has been scrambling to find ways to stay relevant on the issue. It has remained adamant that it would find a way to play the role it set for itself.

The New Business Sustainability Paradigm June 18, 2010 Enterprise 2.0 came to Boston this week, and that made me happy because it is one of a very small number of events that I don't fly to. Being a native, it's nice to take the train into the city and to be able to sleep at home. Despite this convenience, I was only able to attend on Tuesday, and I concentrated on the vendor show floor at the expense of missing some very good keynotes and sessions.

AT&T's New Ultra-Slim Data Diet June 05, 2010 AT&T Wireless is going through some rather confusing changes lately, and it's making the word "unlimited" sound more and more old-timey every day. It might actually work out to your benefit if you're an AT&T customer with a data plan who uses the phone to surf some pages, look at some emails and maybe stream a little music now and then.

FCC to Test if You're Getting the Broadband Speed You Pay For June 03, 2010 Four out of five consumers don't know the speed of their broadband connections. Do they care? Apparently not -- but the FCC does, and it's starting two projects to clarify how fast U.S. broadband speeds are. In a survey released Tuesday on consumer broadband experience, the FCC found that 80 percent of consumer broadband users in the United States don't know the speed of their broadband connection

FCC's Broadband Switcheroo Draws Yays and Nays May 10, 2010 FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced his third attempt at gaining acceptance for Internet neutrality last week, sparking yet another furor over the issue. This time, he's proposing a narrower approach toward reclassifying broadband access services as telecommunications services, in the hope that this might win over the industry.

FCC Finds New Way to Bring Broadband Under Its Umbrella May 06, 2010 FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has laid out a proposal that establishes the agency's authority to regulate Internet broadband providers much as it does telecom service companies. The FCC has always claimed to have this authority -- but it was not put to the test until Comcast challenged an order by the FCC to change its network management practices.

Skype Skates to New Low With Latest Calling Plans May 05, 2010 Skype on Wednesday announced that it is launching subscription plans to more than 170 countries with substantial savings over the company's standard rates for calling mobile phones and landlines. Starting Thursday, Skype's range of calling subscriptions will start from as little as $1.09 per month and offer effective rates as low as $.01 per minute to almost any destination around the globe.

Cisco Closes $3.3B Tandberg Deal as Videoconferencing Gains Steam April 19, 2010 Cisco will have completed its acquisition of Norwegian video company Tandberg once the compulsory acquisition for the company's remaining shares is closed. Cisco is acquiring the firm for $3.3 billion -- after its initial offer of $3 billion was rejected by shareholders. The compulsory acquisition will be effective at close of trading Monday.

House Passes Bill Outlawing Caller-ID Spoofing April 16, 2010 The Truth in Caller ID Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. The bill aims to prevent misrepresentation of the called-from number on voice calls through any channel. Called "caller ID spoofing," the practice involves using various types of software to insert a name and number perceived by a call recipient to be legitimate into the called-from field.

FCC Chair: Broadband Plan Won't Be Derailed April 15, 2010 The FCC believes it has the authority to implement its National Broadband Plan -- a wide-ranging initiative that calls for nationwide Internet services, greater availability of wireless connectivity, and improved rural access to such services -- despite a recent court ruling that clouds the issue.