Top Items:
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 …
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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, Share Skype, Oliver Thylmann, B2Day, Joi Ito's Web, Gizmodo, Googling Google, isen.blog and Randy Holloway Unfiltered 2.0
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 …
Discussion:
Daily Wireless
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 …
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 …
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.
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.
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
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:
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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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.
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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 …
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 …
Tom Foremski / IMHO:
The 14-year old coders are back in business-proof of Internet 2.0 — Yes, it is official, the 14-year old programmers are back, that means concrete proof that we have a new dotcom boom emerging-but this time with an interesting twist. — The twist is this: The 14 year olds are not being employed …
