Gates still world's richest man despite competition

Forbes Magazine has released its annual report of the world's richest people, and for the twelfth year in a row, the founder of Microsoft, Chairman Bill Gates, ranked number one, making him the richest man on earth, followed by perennial No. 2 Warren Buffett, the famed investor of Berkshire Hathaway, worth US$42 billion, a $2 billion decrease from the year before.

Deal Also Includes CBS Television Network VOD Content
Less than two months after CBS Corp. president Leslie Moonves told Wall Street he wanted the company to be paid for its signal, CBS snagged its first major deal with Verizon and its fledgling TV service.

Verizon and CBS recently announced a comprehensive retransmission consent and video-on-demand (VOD) agreement, which includes analog, digital, multicast and high-definition rights to programming on CBS owned-and-operated television stations; local VOD content from those stations; and CBS Television Network VOD content, including such current popular network series as "CSI," "NCIS" and "Survivor."

Amazon.com came under fire from Britain's book publishing and retailing industries lately even as the debate raged over a perceived threat presented by Google Inc.

The chief executive of HarperCollins UK, said she feared the online book seller more than the Web search leader, which has created a stir with plans to digitize every book.

We all want to talk about Google, but personally I see Amazon as a bigger threat because Amazon has shown a lot of signs that they actually want to move into the publishing space, said Victoria Barnsley.

Blinkx, the smartest thing on your computer and on the Web, launched Pico, an entirely new way to navigate the next-generation Web.

The search, known as Pico, is also being billed as the smallest search program available, taking up just 1MB of space. Pico, a free download available at http://www.blinkx.com, revolutionizes the search process, by bringing relevant information to users, and organizing it for them, proactively and automatically. The file sets up a set of customizable channel buttons on the top of users' desktops, giving them instant access to search results based on the content of the screen.

Amazon.com Inc. is reportedly in advanced talks with several major Hollywood studios about creating a service that would allow consumers to download and copy movies and television programs, sources familiar with the discussions said.

Sources reveal that Amazon is close to completing a deal with three Hollywood studios; Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers. In effect, consumers will be able to download movies and TV shows for a modest fee, and then will be able to burn that content onto ordinary DVDs.

PayPal, the online payment company owned by eBay Inc., appears to be gearing up to let customers send money or order and pay for products by text message from a mobile phone.

The move by PayPal, a unit of online auctioneer eBay Inc., marks a big step in bridging the worlds of e-commerce and the physical world of brick and mortar stores by giving consumers a pay as you go option via phones, analysts said.

"PayPal is going to be launching a mobile payments product," PayPal spokeswoman Sara Bettencourt told Reuters.

Even with help from local Internet companies, Skype and other outfits face challenges in getting through to the mainland.

In a setback for the likes of VoIP pioneers such as Skype Technologies, the Chinese government is reportedly close to banning paid-for calls between computers and conventional telephones for at least two years.

Unica Corp. recently announced that it will acquire Sane Solutions LLC, a Web analytics software maker.

Unica Corporation, a global provider of Enterprise Marketing Management (EMM) solutions, recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sane Solutions, LLC.; a privately-held provider of web analytics solutions. The purchase price is estimated to be in the range of $26 million to $28 million, consisting of $22.8 million in cash, and the remainder in Unica common stock, assumed liabilities and transaction-related costs.

Wide Selection of Popular Mobile Content Creates Personalized Video Experiences

Cingular Wireless of late announced the immediate availability of Cingular Video on-demand streaming video service with a large selection of popular mobile content. Consumers can now watch video clips of their favorite television shows, sports, news and weather, entertainment and premium content on their high-speed 3G capable Cingular phones.

Verizon Communications, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the U.S., reiterated lately that it was working to buy out partner Vodafone Group Plc from their Verizon Wireless joint venture for about US$40bil, British newspaper the Business reported.

We are focused on....working to acquire from Vodafone the remaining 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, Verizon said in a statement released in reaction to AT&T's $67 billion takeover of BellSouth Corp.

Verizon is under pressure to consolidate control of Verizon Wireless in the wake of AT&T's planned acquisition of BellSouth, which will give AT&T complete control of top US wireless company Cingular Wireless.

Cisco Systems is getting into the security surveillance market with the acquisition of a small company called SyPixx Networks

In a move to promote a convergence between IT security and surveillance cameras that act as the eyes of security professionals who defend physical perimeters and corridors, Cisco Systems said it was planning a $51 million acquisition of SyPixx Networks Inc., a privately held maker of video surveillance software and hardware that lets existing analog video systems operate as part of an open IP network.

AT&T recently announced that it will acquire fellow phone company BellSouth Corp. in a stock deal worth $67 billion, expanding its reach to 22 states and cementing its position as the largest U.S. telephone company, creating a telecommunications giant that dwarfs its nearest competitor, Verizon Communications.

The new AT&T, which was formed in November when SBC Communications Inc. completed its acquisition of AT&T Corp., also said it would repurchase at least $10 billion of its common shares over the next 22 months.

Business software maker Oracle Corp. recently announced new software designed to sift through corporate networks, a major push into the red-hot search market dominated by Google Inc.

Oracle Secure Enterprise Search 10g, which the company announced on March 1, scours and indexes enterprise data cubbies, including internal and external Web sites, databases, file servers, document repositories, enterprise content management systems, portals, e-mail systems and business applications. It tiptoes around data, though, mindful of corporate security policies.

The deal gives RIM an "unfettered right" to keep using NTP's technology to keep the BlackBerry network running

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and patent-holding company NTP on March 3 announced that both parties have entered into a settlement agreement for $612.5 million and a license that will end the patent litigation that had been threatening to shut down BlackBerry service in the United States. Under the agreement, RIM will receive a license to NTP's patents going forward, they said.

Uncertainty over ability of SoftBank to buy company
Vodafone is poised to pull out of Japan after admitting that it was in talks with the Japanese internet investment group SoftBank to sell its ailing mobile phone company there in a deal worth about £6bn.

Sources close to the matter said the deal would be valued significantly higher than the 1 trillion yen ($8.6 billion) figure which other sources said the two companies had discussed over a year ago. The unit's book value is about 2 trillion yen.

Motorola Inc. lately said that it will combine its two wireless equipment operations, the latest move by Chief Executive Edward Zander to streamline the company
In the name of seamless mobility advancement, Motorola plans to combine its Networks and Government & Enterprise Mobility Solutions entities into one unit, a move claimed to be in anticipation of the retirement of one of the company’s senior executives. The new organization will operate under the Networks & Enterprise moniker.

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications lately announced a deal with Google to integrate the search company's Blogger and Web search features into Sony Ericsson mobile phones.

The two companies are the first in the industry to provide a pre-loaded blog application with a tight integration to the mobile camera and intuitive automatic set-up for consumers who do not already have a personal blog.

Using software preloaded on the phones, subscribers of Blogger.com will be able to update their personal blogs from their cell phones.

Ever on the prowl, Sun Microsystems has picked up a small patch management company called Aduva.

Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Aduva Inc. recently announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Sun will acquire Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Aduva Inc., for an undisclosed amount.

Aduva Inc. specializes in keeping Linux and Solaris servers current. In particular, the Aduva OnStage product handles the installation and testing of patches across large numbers of servers...

The (MPAA) is steamrolling across the great indexing plains.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) said that it sued a new round of popular Web sites associated with movie piracy, including several that serve as search engines but do not distribute files themselves.

Some recent events brought news that the eDonkey2000 indexing server Razorback2 was taken offline by Belgian Police, in conjunction with the MPAA. Then, the MPAA has announced a tremendous escalation in their fight against online piracy.

A group of nonprofit and public interest groups is beginning a campaign soon to protest plans by America Online and Yahoo, which each offer e-mail services, to charge high-volume senders of e-mail fees to guarantee preferred delivery of their messages.

The campaign is being organized by MoveOn.org, a liberal advocacy group that uses its list of three million e-mail addresses to influence public opinion and raise money, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an Internet civil liberties group. They have enlisted about 50 other supporters including the Gun Owners of America, the Democratic National Committee and the National Humane Society.