BROADBANDblogs

Free VoIP? Well, yes. It has been around for a while. Yahoo, MSN, and others have had free VoIP for quite some time. It works from their instant message features. If you were already in a "chat", you just hit the "start a conversation" button, put on your headset, and you had a free long distance call going. Not as conventional as picking up a hand set and dialing up your Mother, but still good quality (if you use a head set), and free! Now Yahoo! has plans to make VoIP from Yahoo IM a bit more conventional.

According to CNET, "...Yahoo said it focused particularly on VoIP by placing a "click to call" button front and center, by adding voice mail features and by optimizing voice connections to and from those with broadband and those with dial-up."

To learn more about Broadband Phone Calls ( VoIP ) visit SatellitePC telecommunications & electronics

In a recent interview Time Warner CEO, Dick Parsons, suggested that AOL may be spun off as a seperate stock. This would leave the one time queen of dial-up internet access to fend for herself in the business world. In recent months, AOL has lost almost 4 million subscribers to Broadband Internet Providers.

For more of this story go to CNET

CNET and InfoWorld report that SBC - Yahoo ! will offer new secuity measures to their DSL subscibers. The package will inculde antispyware and antivirus tools, a pop-up blocker, parental controls, and e-mail protection. In addition, subscribers can manage the tools from an integrated dashboard.

InforWorld says, "It is the latest among security offerings served up by Internet service providers that have been under pressure to keep up with growing online threats."

You can check the price and availability of SBC Yahoo! DSL service in your location by using our tool in the right column.

For more on this story go to CNET. (InfoWorld does not provide trackback services.)

"What", you ask, "is this Star Tracker icon -- that BROADBANDblogs has on their web site?" And, the short answer is, it is our own implementation (hack) of the "TrackBack" tool from the great people at sixapart and MOVEABLETYPE.

The (not so) long answer...

We wanted to use TrackBack here on our blog, and on our websites. After repeated unsuccessful tries at making it work (the way we felt it should), we gave up and made a few "tweaks". We still do not have it quite the way we want it, but will live with it for now.

Our sincere thanks to the fine folks at MOVEABLETYPE for their hard work and gracious sharing of those scripts. And, thanks to CNET for helping us find the resources.

CNET reports that DSL sales are on the rise, cutting into the market share of Cable Internet providers. Price and service could be the reason.

Quoting CNET, " On average, DSL service ranges in price from $20 to $30 a month before discounts. Prices on cable broadband typically start around $30 to $40 a month and can go as high as $65 a month. For the most part, cable operators have competed with the phone companies on speed rather than price."

For more of this story go to CNET's tech news, NEWS .COM

Did you know that you could check for residential high speed internet price and availability right here on our web log? You can !!! Just fill in your info in the box below our menu in the right hand column. In seconds you can see what is available at your location and how much it will cost.

C | NET reports that Vonage, a Broadband Phone Service Provider ( VoIP ), has raised an additional $200 million more in venture capital. Some industry watchers are looking for investment in VoIP to begin to cool.

While venture capital may dry up to some extent, the industry is just starting to heat-up. Many consumers have already made the transition to the use of cell phones as their #1 communications tool, and with excellent pricing and features, VoIP could be the next step in the evolution of telecommunications.

For more of this story go to C | NET's tech news, NEWS .COM

As C | NET puts it, "Qwest finally on VoIP quest". Qwest has returned to the VoIP market.

Qwest was the first major provider of Broadband Phone Service Provider ( VoIP ), but has since given up their market position citing problems with scalability.

For more of this story go to C | NET's tech news, NEWS .COM

C | NET's tech news, NEWS .COM, announced that SBC plans to offer "Naked DSL" later this summer, as have other Baby Bells like Qwest, and Verizon.

Naked DSL, also called No Phone DSL, is a high speed internet connection that is delivered over a phone providers twisted pair wire, but does not require the user to subscribe to local phone services. The user can then use a Broadband Phone Service Provider ( VoIP ) or a cell phone for everyday telephone conversations.

For more of this and related stories go to C | NET's tech news, NEWS .COM