Ben Charny

Seth Fearey and his colleagues at a joint venture to build a huge wireless Internet network recently learned that Google wasn’t going to participate. Isn’t that bad news? An ambitious joint venture learns an extremely high-profile company with lots of cash and wireless dreams won’t be taking part? To the contrary, said Fearey, the vice […]

Microsoft says it has made a significant investment in DeepMetrix, a 15-year-old Web traffic analysis firm. The acquisition is likely in response to a similar one archrival Google made a few months back. Microsoft’s Internet division, MSN, plans to ultimately incorporate the DeepMetrix Web analytics tricks into future releases of Microsoft AdCenter, Internet search, Office […]

Microsoft appears to be letting anyone now sign up for adCenter, the long-awaited, self-serve Internet advertising feature that competes with Googles pioneering AdWords. To create an adCenter account, you must leave a credit card number. Microsoft then charges that credit card account a nonrefundable $5. From there, adCenter is very similar to Googles AdWords. Each […]

Microsoft now lets anyone sign up for AdCenter, the long-awaited, self-serve Internet advertising feature that competes with Google’s pioneering AdWords. To create an AdCenter account, you must leave a credit card number. Microsoft then charges that credit card account a nonrefundable $5. From there, AdCenter is very similar to Google’s AdWords. Each lets companies bid […]

There’s a chance that Google may miss the June launch date for a wireless network its building in Mountain View, Calif., or make the deadline, but with a network that doesn’t have the promised coverage. Google’s begun testing the network and, in so doing, has discovered it might need to add more Wi-Fi transmitters than […]

In March, Google researchers published the first intensive study of Skype user habits. In addition to its findings, what’s interesting about the study is how much Skype has connected with Google. In the business world, especially for Internet-based firms, the kind of customer info Google was allowed to view isn’t usually given up without a […]

Verizon Communications has eliminated a discount on Internet phone services it once offered to its broadband customers. The discounts end and price cuts announced May 3 suggest Verizon is trying to jump-start interest in the feature and starting to market it more aggressively, said Lynda Starr, a senior analyst at Frost & Sullivan. At Verizon, […]

Google can’t seem to get a break in China. First it’s criticized for cutting a deal with the Chinese government to censor some sites. Now there are 3,200 or so people signing a petition suggesting a new name for the Google portal. Apparently, Guge, the name Google’s given the search engine, isn’t cool enough. One […]

Google has scheduled its first-ever Code Jam competition in Europe, as it further courts software developers located on the Continent. Code Jam registration is now underway. The dueling actually starts May 23, when contestants must answer a litany of questions in a certain amount of time. Winners will take home about $38,000 in prize money. […]

High-profile employees at Microsoft and Yahoo say rival Google’s complaints to authorities about a supposed unfair Microsoft practice is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. These are relatively new voices to the debate, which has been raging over the last few days in the blogosphere and elsewhere. The rhetorical salvos result from […]