Yahoo! Expands Online Music Library

Internet giant Yahoo! has substantially expanded its music library, the company has announced.

Now music fans will have access to a database of the lyrics to over 400,000 songs, the largest online lyrics library in the world. Songs from approximately 9,000 different artists, including the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Beyonce and Radiohead are featured in the library. While many other websites offer the lyrics to songs, most have not obtained the permission of those that own the copyright and so are technically breaking the law, Yahoo! stated.

Ian Rogers, general manager of Yahoo! Music, said of the service: "It fills a huge, gaping hole out there." Yahoo! is to share revenue generated by the ads that will be shown next to the lyric with those that own the copyrights to the songs. Meanwhile, online music site Napster has announced that it is to start offering a subscription service for access to its online library of songs. Napster has allied with electronics retail giant Circuit City to deploy the service, which will be called Circuit City + Napster.

"Music and video continue to drive the Internet," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National Inc. who operates the industries leading comparative website. "With companies like Apple, Yahoo, Napster and Rhapsody this trend will continue to grow along side video, VoIP and IPTV"

For more information on broadband and other digital related products and services visit www.broadbandnatinal.com

AT&T To Offer Free Napster To Go

Communication giant AT&T has offered its wireless and broadband Internet customers a year free access to the Napster To Go service.

From April 1st broadband subscribers that add wireless phone service, or vice versa, will be able to use the Napster service, which offers over three million songs. Currently AT&T's wireless unit, Cingular, is America's largest cell carrier, boasting in excess of 60 million subscribers.

Rick Welday, chief marketing officer of AT&T Consumer, said: "By tying Napster To Go to AT&T's robust communications network, we're turning up the volume nationwide on both consumer value and added convenience." By joining communication with entertainment, AT&T is showing that it is committed to delivering content at home and "on the go", added Mr. Welday.

AT&T has also announced that residents of Kansas City will now be able to its U-verse services. U-verse features AT&T's fiber-rich network with television and high-speed Internet services available on demand.

"Napster concludes their fiscal year 2007 with over 830,000 paid subscribers, which many believe makes them the largest on-demand music service in the industry," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National Inc. who operates the industries leading comparative website. "This would make Napster larger than Rhapsody, and larger than all of the other remaining competitors combined."http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

For more information on broadband and other digital related products and services visit www.broadbandnatinal.com

One Third Of Americans Do Not Want Internet

Less than one-third of American households have access to the Internet and do not want it, according to recent survey.

Most of these people do not see the Internet as being able to help their lives in any concrete way, the research from technology research firm Park Associates found. Some forty-four percent of households without the Internet said that they were not interested in anything it had to offer, while 22 per cent said they could not afford a computer or the service.

And 17 percent said that they did not have the Internet because they did not know how to use it and three percent said that the Internet did not reach their house. John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates, said: "The industry continues to chip away at the core of non-subscribers, but has a ways to go. "Entertainment applications will be the key. If anything will pull in the holdouts, it's going to be applications that make the Internet more akin to pay TV."

Meanwhile, new research from the Pew Hispanic Center in the U.S. has found that Hispanics are falling behind other cultural groups in the use of the Internet because their English skills are lacking. A full 56 percent of Hispanics in the US use the Internet, but this figure is well below that of other groups, the rhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifeport from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet Project found.

We've identified two groups of people that are resistant to the Internet," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National Inc. who operates the industries leading comparative website. "Hispanic's that don't speak or read English and the elderly that feel computers are too difficult and complicated to use. The industry needs to take greater steps to embrace theses market segments because the growth potential is enormous."

For more information on broadband and other digital related products and services visit www.broadbandnatinal.com

Verizon Business Named Top Service Provider

Verizon Business Named Top Service Provider

Verizon Business has been named the best service provider to big companies and the government by a consulting firm.

Frost & Sullivan awarded Verizon Business its Product Line Strategy Award for enterprise wide area networking (WAN) services. The company was recognized for its ability to introduce new WAN products in a strategic way to compliment the products already in place. Nancy Gofus, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Verizon Business, said: "Our product set underpins the next-generation services our customers require to do
business better around the world. http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

"As a global networking and IT leader, we will continue to invest in and lay the right foundation for large businesses and government agencies to communicate and operate reliably and seamlessly around the globe." In rewarding Verizon Business, Frost & Sullivan particularly highlighted the company's 2006 expansion of its Ethernet Virtual Private Line service from the US to six countries in Asia as a crucial improvement of its Enterprise WAN portfolio.

Meanwhile, a jury has ruled that the Internet phone giant Vonage must pay Verizon Wireless $58 million for infringing three patents. The patents were among the technologies that made it possible for Vonage to offer its much-touted low-cost telephone service over the Internet, Verizon contended.

For more information on Verizon Business Products and other broadband services visit www.broadbandnational.com

WildBlue Boosts Broadband With Satellite

For the first time ever, Denver-based satellite broadband company WildBlue has turned on its very own satellite, thereby substantially expanding its capabilities.

The company predominantly provides broadband service to homes and businesses in rural areas of the U.S. that previously used dial-up services. Dubbed WildBlue-1, the new satellite will allow the company to take on new subscribers in coastal states that previously it could not service.

David Leonard, WildBlue's CEO, said: "The launch of WildBlue-1 went extremely well, and we are now utilizing the additional capacity that this new satellite provides. "WildBlue is eager to offer WildBlue's high-speed Internet service to those rural consumers across the United States who have been waiting for an affordable alternative to dial-up."

The company has approximately 130,000 customers and offers broadband for a minimum of $49.95 per month. Currently, HughesNet is the predominant satellite broadband supplier in the US, with 325,000 subscribers, reports the Associated Press.

“Although not as fast as cable, satellite broadband services are far superior to dial-up connections,” states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National whose website broadbandnational.com is considered the industry leader for users shopping for broadband and related digital products and services. “Broadband opens the door to other exciting digital products and services.”

For more information on broadband and other related products and services, or to comparative shop for the best possible broadband deal visit www.broadbandnational.com

Slacker.com Makes Internet Radio Mobile

San Diego-based Slacker.com has debuted its own satellite-based radio service, which combines Internet radio, portable music and satellite distribution.

Currently the service is only in the testing stage, but when it is fully functioning could provide over 10,000 stations to users.

And by using the Slacker DJ function, the service also makes it possible for listeners to devise their own stations based on the kind of music they like.

Slacker co-founder and chief executive Dennis Mudd, said: "The only problem is that until now, personalized radio has been stuck on the PC.

"Slacker solves that problem."

Though Slacker is ad-based and therefore free of charge, the company is set to launch a premium service costing $7.50 per month, which will be ad-free and provide more flexibility to users.

In addition, the company is also to release the Slacker Personal Radio Player, which will be Wi-Fi enabled and able to play the user's personal playlists.

“Slacker has a taken a unique approach to the radio business,” states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National whose website broadbandnational.com is considered the industry leader for users shopping for broadband and related digital products and services. “It’s much like an MP3 player but instead of play lists of songs Slacker.com offers customized radio stations.”

For information on broadband and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

iTunes Most Recognizable

Apple's popular music downloading site iTunes was the most recognizable music brand among teenagers in the US in 2006, according to a new survey.

A full 66 percent of people aged 12 and over were aware of iTunes last year, according to the Tempo Digital Music Brandscape study from Ipso Insight. This number is up from the 57 per cent who knew about the site in 2005. Matt Kleinschmit, author of the Tempo study, said: "While iTunes' awareness gains in 2006 have been salient, many industry watchers had anticipated them."

Social networking site MySpace also had a good year in 2006, with recognition rising from 16 percent in 2005 to 54 percent last year. Napster was not so fortunate however, with its recognition declining from 79 percent in 2005 to 68 percent in 2006. The Tempo study surveyed 1,501 downloaders over the age of 12 from August 21st to 30th.

"Music continues to be a driving force behind the Internet," states Mark Weibel the EVP of Marketing for Broadband National who operates the leading comparative shopping website for broadband and other digital related products and services. "Due to the expansion of broadband Internet users can quickly download and start to enjoy music and videos."

For more information on broadband and downloadable music visit www.broadbandnational.com

U.S. Hispanics Avoiding Internet

Hispanics in the U.S. are falling behind other cultural groups on using the Internet because their English skills are lacking, according to a recent report.

A full 56 percent of Hispanics in the U.S. use the Internet, but this figure is well below that of other groups, the report from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet Project found. By contrast, 60 percent of black people in the US reported being on the Internet and 71 percent of white people said they regularly used it.

Susannah Fox, one of the co-authors of the report, said: "For many people living in the U.S., the Internet is the go-to source for information and for staying in touch with friends and family. "We find that significant portions of the population are cut off from online resources." The study also found that while 32 per cent of adults who only speak Spanish use the Internet, 76 percent of those who are bi-lingual use it regularly.

"This is precisely why we created our Spanish language website 'comprabroadband.com," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National whose website broadbandnational.com is considered the industry leader for users shopping for broadband and related digital products and services. "There's a void that we're filling," states Vinny Olmstead CEO of Broadband National. "Our providers haven't been moving fast enough to address the market pressures so we saw and opportunity for us."

For information on broadband and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com or www.comprabroadband.com

AT&T Announced $750 Million Global Investment

Communications provider AT&T is to invest more than $750 million this year in delivering global IP services and solutions to businesses across the world.

The extra money will help the company to extend its global IP network and capabilities, allowing it to provide more services to business customers in the US and elsewhere. It will also allow for the extended deployment of key access technologies, such as DSL, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and satellite, to help companies connect to AT&T's global IP network.

"In a global environment where IP network and convergence trends continue to transform companies and whole industries, we're well-positioned to meet our customers' needs," said Dick Anderson, AT&T group president for global business services. The company will focus its investment on key markets in fast growing economies in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America, as well as developed markets in Europe and Canada.

AT&T offers, among other things, IP-based business communications services, high-speed wireless Internet access and voice services.

For more information on AT&T broadband and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Internet Advertising Not Enough For News Sources

News organizations in the U.S. are facing a worsening financial struggle as they look for alternative sources of revenue.

A new study from the Project for Excellence in Journalism, dubbed State of the News Media 2007 has found that the Internet has not garnered new sources for revenue as they had hoped. Internet advertising especially has not lived up to the high hopes that news organizations, especially newspapers, have held for it.

"The hope that Internet advertising will someday match what print and television now bring in appears to be vanishing," the study stated. Charging web users to access news is one possibility that could garner the extra income needed, the study suggests.

In the last few years, newspaper stocks have been steadily declining as consumers turn to other outlets to get their news. Newspaper analyst John Morton told Reuters that newspapers must invest more heavily in new technology and devising ways for it to pay off.

"What we have discovered is that newspapers have moved quicker than broadcast TV stations in adapting to the online video advertising marketplace," states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, who operates the industries leading comparative shopping website. "Estimates are that the local online video advertising marketplace will reach $371 million this year or about 5% of total online ad spending. And that traditional media, especially newspapers are playing a significant role."

For more information on broadband Internet access as well as other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Treasure Coast fishing report: March 29

By ED KILLER
March 29, 2007

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY

Steve Parsons, at Wabasso Tackle, said the fishing at Sebastian Inlet has been erratic at best and is largely affected by the recent windy conditions. A few whiting are being reported from the beaches. Snook fishing is very inconsistent. Anglers who target a specific tide are finding that they need to cover more time and more tides to get a good catch. Fishing in the river has been on and off with trout being one of the most consistent catches. Offshore information is hard to come by.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY

Justin Coffin, at Billy Bones Bait and Tackle in Port St. Lucie, said the freshwater fishing around area ponds and canals has really dropped off. Most of the spawning period is over, he said. The North Fork of the St. Lucie River has seen a good showing of just-undersized snook in the mangroves and croaker and snapper at Rivergate Park. A good bite of large trout has been had at Bear Point in the Indian River Lagoon. Fish topwater plugs early on the sand bar for best action.

MARTIN COUNTY

<>Anglers are catching snook 10 to 20 pounds near area bridges and upstream in the South Fork of the St. Lucie River. Large jigs and live bait fished on the outgoing tide near the bridges has been the best bite. Trout fishing is fair in areas along the east shore of the Indian River Lagoon, such as Joe's Point in Jensen Beach and along the docks on Hutchinson Island. Offshore fishermen found a good dolphin bite with sailfish mixed in.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE

Capt. Mike Shellen, in Okeechobee, said bass fishing is strong on both wild shiners and Shaky Tail jigs. Fish are in 18 inches of water and low lake level conditions are making it difficult to get into well-known fishing spots. Anglers on their own should stay in areas with ample water depth such as the Kissimmee River, Indian Prairie Canal and parts of the Rim Canal. Mayan cichlids are taking red worms and topwater baits near J & S Canal.

Contact outdoors editor Ed Killer at edward.killer@scripps.com

U.S. Still Number One In Online Audience

The U.S. has more people online than any other nation on earth, according to a recent survey.

However, last year the population of Internet users increased the most in India, Russia and China, the survey by comScore Networks shows. There are now 747 million Internet users over 15 years of age around the globe, the wide-ranging survey found.

Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe, said: "The importance of the worldwide internet population continues to grow. "Internet users outside the U.S. now account for 80 percent of the world's online population, with rapidly developing countries experiencing double-digit growth rates year-over- year."

The Canadians spend the most time online, the survey found, averaging 39.6 hours per month online. Israel, South Korea, the U.S. and the UK follow Canada as the users that spend the most time online. These countries all have extremely high broadband penetration rates, which account for the longer time spent online, the survey found.

Meanwhile, Telephony Online has recently discovered that the U.S. is not among the top ten countries with the most Internet protocol television (IPTV) subscriptions. With 896,000 IPTV subscribers, France tops the list of countries with the most IPTV subscriptions, a new report from the marketing researcher Dittberner has found.

"We're seeing tremendous growth in all areas of digital products and services," states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, who operates the industries leading comparative shopping website. "As providers expand and upgrade their networks the user base continues to expand."

For more information on high-speed broadband access visit www.broadbandnational.com

Joost To Offer JumpTV Programs

New Internet television outfit Joost has announced that it has forged a deal to offer content from JumpTV over the Internet.

Under the agreement, Joost will be able to offer Spanish-language programming from Chile, Peru and Colombia, in addition to Arabic-language shows. JumpTV is the world's most prolific broadcaster of ethnic television over the Internet and its content library features programming in Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Turkish, Russian and Bengali.

Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, president and chief executive officer at JumpTV International, said: "We see Joost as a unique and important distribution/programming partner. Like us, the Joost team innately understands the power of viral, high-affinity long-tail content - for example, JumpTV's ethnic TV programming. Because of the high success rate of its founders Joost could completely transform online television, added Mr. Tuzman. Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, the duo behind the highly successful Internet phone company Skype, founded Joost.

"The target audience would be expatriates and ethnic audiences interested in watching TV from their homelands," states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, who operates the industries leading comparative shopping website. "The news that online TV platform Joost will be adding more programs to its growing inventory of TV shows with international YV program distributor JumpTV has surely had the media buzzing with speculation of its growing threat to YouTube."

For more information on broadband Internet access as well as other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Nanking, The Movie

My wife and I were invited by our friends Ted and Lynn Leonsis to a private screening of their new movie/documentary entitled Nanking. Ted served as the inspiration and the Executive Producer.

It's a powerful, emotional and relevant reminder of the heartbreaking toll war takes on the innocent, Nanking tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, in the early days of World War II. As part of a campaign to conquer all of China, the Japanese subjected Nanking – which was then China’s capital – to months of aerial bombardment, and when the city fell, the Japanese army unleashed murder and rape on a horrifying scale. In the midst of the rampage, a small group of Westerners banded together to establish a Safety Zone where over 200,000 Chinese found refuge. Unarmed, these missionaries, university professors, doctors and businessmen – including a Nazi named John Rabe – bored witness to the events, while risking their own lives to protect civilians from slaughter.

Often refered to as the forgotten Holocaust this film will certainly move you and promte many question of how thses atrosites could have happened. It is a must seen film.

For more information visit http://nankingthefilm.com/.

Dolphin Denny Dies

I had the opportunity to know and party with Denny Sym also known as Dolphin Denny. The unofficial mascot of the Miami Dolphins. He was a fun guy to hang out with after the games. We would often meet up at a little bar In Dekray Beach after each home game and share beers with the other hundred or so fans that also showed up to party.

Click here for the full story.

"Cheers Dolphin Denny, RIP"

NHL Planning To Broadcast Live Games Over Broadband

The National Hockey League (NHL) could soon be streaming live games over broadband, it has announced.

According to Keith Ritter, president of NHL Interactive Cyber Enterprises, the league's satellite and cable package could be available to high-speed Internet users before the end of the season. He said that the NHL wants to ensure the broadband package is secure in order to protect broadcast partners Versus, NBC and the regional sports networks, reports Multichannel news.

"We've been testing it, but our primary concern is the security of the gating and the ability to make sure our broadcast partners are protected," Mr. Ritter said. "So far, the test is going very well, and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to offer it in the not-too-distant future." Established in 1917 with five teams, the NHL has now grown to 30 teams. The majority is based in the U.S., although there is a small presence in Canada.

National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and ESPN already offer broadband packages, states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, who operates the industries leading comparative shopping website. "It's our understanding that NHL will charge a fee for the service but an exact cost has not been determined yet"

For more information on high-speed broadband and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Fishing Report

Treasure Coast fishing report, March 13

By, Ed Killer


Capt. J.C. Henderson in Sebastian said inshore anglers can expect to pick up a few spotted seatrout fishing near sand bars and sandy spots in the grass flats between Vero Beach and Grant. Most of the fish are in 3-4 feet of water and the best action was on soft plastic baits. Included in a day's fishing are sheepshead, small snook, jacks, black drum, ladyfish and a few flounder near Sebastian Inlet.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY

Capt. John Follweiler fished the flats in Fort Pierce near Harbor Branch to record catches of trout to four pounds and big bluefish on topwater lures. Offshore, the action was slim to none. A few dolphin were caught in 160 feet of water along a well-formed line of sargassum weed. Fishing aboard the Twin Vee with Capt. Fox Watkins, Katherine Knauf, 9, and brother Mitchell Knauf, 13, caught a bonito and a barracuda.

MARTIN COUNTY

Capt. Greg Scherer of Bridge Tender Guide Service said action was a little on the slow side inshore although a few keeper-sized snook are being caught near the bridges and under docks. Big jacks are crashing mullet pitched near seawalls, but there is not a lot of bait in the St. Lucie River this week. Snapper, sheepshead and Goliath grouper to 12 pounds round out the catches near structure.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE

Easterly winds are making the lake muddy again. The bass are really biting well, but only in clean water and in areas that are becoming more difficult to get to. In the lake, expect to find bass in 18 inches of water mixed in with the heavy Kissimmee grass. In the river and the canals, the bass are holding in deeper water where a crank bait or spinner bait is more effective. Wild shiners however are still the way to go for sheer numbers.

To file a report, contact Ed Killer at edward.killer@scripps.com or call him at (772) 221-4201.

Skype Teams With Nokia To Provide Broadband

Popular Internet calling service Skype has joined with Nokia to develop a new mobile calling function. Announced at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, the collaboration basically consists of making Skype mobile on the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet. As long as there is a wireless Internet connection available, customers can use Skype wherever they so choose, under the new service.

Ari Virtanen, vice president, convergence products at Nokia, said: "Skype is the recognized leader of internet communications with over 136 million registered users worldwide. "Nokia's new N800 Internet Tablet is designed for mobile Internet. Together, we can develop communications devices beyond expectations." The Nokia N800 is to become available sometime in the first half of 2007.

Meanwhile, special software has been developed as an add-on for Skype, which can tell whether a person is lying. The software analyzes the voice stream of the person and shows their stress levels to the user. Skype is currently the most widely used Internet communication service and is available in 28 languages. Users of Skype can avail themselves of free voice, video and instant messaging over the Internet.

"Digital voice is one of the fastest growing broadband services," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, the industries leading comparative shopping website. For more information on VoIP and digital voice visit www.broadbandnational.com

TV Network Sites Uninteresting And Out Dated

Although television companies are streaming content over the Internet and broadband video is proving a hit with consumers, TV network sites are failing to live up to the standards of more interactive sites, a new study has said.

According to an industry report by Broadband Directions, TV network sites are less interesting because they fail to engage the user and are much less attractive than popular file-sharing sites.

Other problems likely to divert traffic away from these sites are out-of-date videos and promotional clips and their inability to upload video, download clips to portable media players and create personalized playlists.

Broadband Directions has said that TV stations need to realize that online video is not merely promotional but is a self-sufficient medium, reports MediaPost Communications. "Most networks still have not embraced the value of building out robust, deeply interactive, short-form clip properties," the report said. "The most common interactive element we found was the ability to email the clip along to a friend."

Broadband Direction's report follows a warning from Google that the Internet is not capable of supporting TV broadcasts and that the popularity of services like YouTube could bring the infrastructure down.

"If networks want to broadcast, interact and engage viewers over the Internet there needs to be a serious upgrade and build out of existing networks", states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, who operates the industries leading comparative shopping website. "The high data transfer rates required for such interaction is why fiber to the premises (FTTP), also called fiber to the home (FTTH) is the preferred technology that many providers are already intorducing."

For more information on IPTV and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Recording Industry Tackles Illegal Downloads

Recording industry groups have announced a crackdown on illegal music downloading in universities.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has complained to a number of universities across the US and has called on them to take action against the offending students. While it is possible to identify which computer is being used, the RIAA does not know which individuals are illegally downloading copyrighted material.

Jonathan Lamy, a spokesman for the RIAA, said: "We know piracy is most acute on campuses. "Students have high-speed access and have more time than money." The RIAA wants universities to take action against those who illegally download music through various means, such as forcing them to watch an educational video on piracy.

It has also suggested that universities revoke students' rights to use computers on campus if they are found to be downloading unlawfully. In the past year, the number of complaints sent out by the RIAA has increased three-fold to 15,000.

"Illegal downloading is certainly not a new story," states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, who operates the industries leading comparative shopping website. "People must remember that along with your music, you are most likely downloading hundreds of nasty viruses that will cripple your PC. They embed themselves right in the music files and begin to go to work damaging your PC while you listen to the music."

For more information on music downloads and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com