May 1st, 2006

You are currently browsing the articles from the VoIP Digest written on May 1st, 2006.

Polycom Unveils Communicator Speakerphone for Skype

It's Skype Certified and aimed at businesses.

Written by VoIP Magazine Featured Stories on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Polycom Unveils Communicator Speakerphone for Skype

It's Skype Certified and aimed at businesses.

Written by VoIP Magazine Featured Stories on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Uncategorized.

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Sphere Launches With New Cash

Sphere, a San Francisco- search engine company that specializes in searching blogs, for relevant information has closed a $3.75 million in fresh capital from Hearst Publishing, Trident Capital and About.com founder Scott Kurnit. Sphere, had raised $500,000 in seed capital from Radar Partners , Will Hearst, True Ventures and other angels back in April 2005. All seed round investors participated in what is said to be an up round. I believe the company is getting ready for official launch.

The company clearly is going to need the cash - it is competing against blog search services from Google and Yahoo amongst others. The company was co-founded by Tony Conrad, Martin Remy and Steve Nieker, who had developed the Waypath service. Since then, Victoria Bianchini who ran the guide program at About.com has joined the company and has about seven employees. I had previewed the service back in October 2005, and I still find their search, well relevant. Mike has a more in-depth and fresher review.

Written by Om Malik on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Web 2.0 and Start-Ups.

Microsoft, Return of The Beast

A few things are a constant in life - taxes, death, broken hearts and of course Microsoft waking from some kinda slumber, finding an upstart to hate and then crushing them. The IE7 drama that is currently being played out today should be dubbed The Return of The Beast.

This default thing works well for Microsoft - they did it once before, got into trouble with Justice Department, played humble for a while, and well, they are back for an encore. Except, this time around it is a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing highlighting that its all about the user.

“Whatever behavior happened in the past, the guiding principle we had is that the user is in control,” said Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of the Internet Explorer group. [NYT]

Not that it easy to find compassion for Google these days. At least not amongst those who are extremely jealous of its money making abilities. Google is complaining that Microsoft is using its market domination and defaulting to Microsoft’s in house search engine. Hello Reality! (Microsoft may claim that is easy to switch search engines. In reality that is possible if you really know the browser innards, as outlined here.)

You know, what they say market predicts the future… Take a look at these two charts of Microsoft stock from 1996 and 2006. In December 1995 Bill Gates wrote the now famous Internet-or-nothing memo, and rest is history. Similarly late last year Microsofties got a Web 2.0 or nothing memo. History in the making?

Written by Om Malik on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Revenge of the Electric Company

The phone companies have high-speed DSL, the cable companies have high-speed broadband cable, and both offer Triple Play solutions, but what about the electric company? Just about every home in any industrialized nation has three copper wires services coming into their home - electric, phone, and cable, yet for the most part only the phone and cable wires are being utilized, leaving the electric companies in the "dark" (there's a joke in there somewhere).

Sure, you can build a home Local Area Network (LAN) that transmits packets using your home electrical wiring (HomePlug Powerline Alliance) but the packets can only travel a short distance. What good is a LAN without access to the Wide Area Network (WAN) - specifically the Internet.

Well, electric companies aren't going to stand idly by while the phone and cable companies make money hand over fist with these new Triple Play packages. There are now technology solutions that can transmit IP packets over electrical wiring over long-distances. In fact, a Danish power company, Tele Nordvest, will begin offering customers VoIP completely naked - as in no subscriber line or Internet connection necessary. They are setting themselves up as VoIP providers, with a backbone in their powerplant. According to their press release, this could have some interesting angles: theoretically, every power outlet in your house suddenly becomes a telephone plug. Here's a link to the article - unfortunately, it's in Danish, so if you can't read Danish, you'll just have to take my word for it. Yep, reading Danish is yet another talent of mine. Actually, an avid reader of mine, Johan gave me the tip and the translation. Thanks Johan!

The electric companies can one-up both the cable companies and the phone companies - only they have the proper gauge wiring and infrastructure to offer electricity. Now add in voice (over IP), data, and even video, and you got yourself a TRUE Quadruple Play! This could be a case of where the tortoise (electric companies) beats the hare (cable + phone companies). They're still late out of the gate, but certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Oh, I neglected to mention two other pieces of copper (or other metal) coming into many homes - your plumbing and your gas pipe. I know what you're thinking - "Surely, you cannot transmit IP packets over the plumbing or a metal gas pipe." Well, you would be wrong.

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on VoIP and Triple Play and triple play and video and cable and data and electric and ip and packets and phone and power.

RIM (Blackberry) out of the frying pan and into the…

We all know that RIM, makers of the popular Blackberry has settled with NTP. Betcha thought the war was over, right?  Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don't turn it off! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you! And I did what I had to do to win! But somebody wouldn't let us win! And I come back to the world and I see all those maggots at the airport, protesting me, spitting. Calling me baby killer and all kinds of vile crap! Who are they to protest me? Who are they? Unless they've been me and been there and know what the hell they're yelling about! -- Rambo, First Blood.

Well, the war is indeed not over. Check out this latest suit again RIM by Visto.

VISTO WINS MOBILE EMAIL VERDICT AGAINST SEVEN NETWORKS, FILES ACTION AGAINST RESEARCH IN MOTION (RIM)

FEDERAL COURT FINDS IN FAVOR OF VISTO, VALIDATING MORE THAN A DECADE OF TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT

(Redwood Shores, CA)  – A jury has overwhelmingly found in favor of Visto Corporation in a long-running intellectual property lawsuit between Visto and Seven Networks.  The jury found that Seven’s mobile email service infringes on the system that Visto created over the past decade.  They further found this infringement to be willful on all claims brought to trial.


Immediately following their victory over Seven Networks, Visto attorneys filed a similar suit against Blackberry provider Research in Motion (RIM).  Visto is seeking an injunction and monetary damages against RIM.


“Friday’s sweeping decision against Seven Networks validates our claims that Visto’s intellectual property serves as the basis for this industry’s birth,” said Brian Bogosian, Visto’s Chairman, President and CEO. “There was no ambiguity in the jury’s decision.  Likewise we believe that RIM’s infringement of Visto’s technology will be halted.    Our case against RIM is based on similar technology, law and patents as the case we have just won in federal court against Seven Networks.”


“Based on Visto’s sweeping victory in court against Seven Networks on Friday, RIM must understand that there is no place in the mobile email space for this sort of behavior,” continued Bogosian.  “Under the law, which protects consumers from products that contain infringing technology, RIM should not be able to sell the Blackberry system.”
 

“The verdict over Seven Networks is vindication for more than 10 years of investment in our own homegrown intellectual property,” said Bogosian. “Patents ensure that companies which create technology and truly foster innovation will not be harmed in the market by competitors that infringe on our technology.  Visto has continued to grow in this market because of our innovation now represented by over 400 employees in 10 countries serving some of the world’s largest mobile operators.  This verdict is further validation of our technology leadership in this market.”


The jury in the federal court for the Eastern District of Texas validated the claims asserted by Visto, finding that Seven Networks not only infringed on Visto’s intellectual property, but that they did so willfully.  The court upheld each of the five claims and three separate patents Visto brought to trial.  The jury awarded Visto damages at a royalty rate equivalent to 19.75% of Seven’s infringing products’ revenue, or about $3.6 million.


“The royalty rate awarded in this case reflects the tremendous value of Visto’s patents in the mobile space,” Bogosian said.  “The court is expected to hold a hearing concerning an injunction against Seven Networks that would prohibit the further use of their infringing system.”


Daniel Méndez, Visto’s Co-Founder and Senior Vice President, created the company in 1996 to enable users to access sensitive data, including email, even behind secure corporate firewalls.


“Visto is a global leader in the mobile email market,” said Méndez, who is one of the actual inventors of the technology at issue.  “We have invested tens of millions in capital from loyal and patient investors to bring our products from invention to market.    But we are still a small company, and we can only succeed and innovate if large companies are kept from violating the laws that protect inventors and innovators,” Méndez said.  “We’ll excel given a level playing field, but when others simply take what is ours, we must insist that the laws of the land be enforced.  We ask for nothing more, and nothing less.”
 

Three of the patents in Visto’s win over Seven are identical to those in Visto’s suit against RIM.  The four patents Visto charges RIM of infringing are:

•    U.S. Patent No. 6,085,192 titled, “System And Method For Securely Synchronizing Multiple Copies Of A Workspace Element In A Network”
•    U.S. Patent No. 6,023,708, titled “System And Method For Using A Global Translator To Synchronize Workspace Elements Across A Network”
•    U.S. Patent No. 6,708,221 titled, “System And Method For Globally And Securely Accessing Unified Information In A Computer Network”
•    U.S. Patent No. 6,151,606 titled, “System And Method For Using A Workspace Data Manager To Access, Manipulate And Synchronize Network Data”
Further strengthening Visto’s case against RIM is the fact that patent 6,085,192 has recently completed a re-examination at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent was upheld as valid over the substantial literature examined by the USPTO.  


Visto’s technology is at the heart of Visto Mobile™, a leading push email offering that is branded and made available through the world’s largest carriers including Cingular, Sprint Nextel, the Vodafone Group, Rogers Wireless, and many others.  Individual and business subscribers get Visto Mobile service through their mobile phone carrier.

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Uncategorized and BlackBerry and lawsuit and ntp and rim and visto.

Siemens targets the SMB VoIP market with P2P HiPath BizIP solution

Siemens Communications Inc. today announced its HiPath BizIP offering, a new peer-to-peer SIP VoIP phone system that negated the need for a complex enterprise network telephone system. Conceptually, this is similar to Popular Telephony or Nimcat Networks (now part of Avaya) , but the real news here is the fact that Siemens, a traditional "big iron PBX company" is now offering a P2P phone system that doesn't require a centralized PBX - instead the intelligence is located on the "peers", i.e. the phones. Now that's Avaya and Siemens that have embraced P2P phone systems. Can the death of the big iron centralized PBX be far behind?

Also, Siemens Communications also announced announced that it would provide development-friendly, business-focused communication applications across a framework of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) standards and associated Web services interfaces. The Siemens Communications SOA initiative, which began in 2004, will ultimately encompass all key enterprise innovations and services – including past and future communication solutions.

The HiPath BizIP feature overview:

-- Helps enables low-cost calling via the Internet and ISDN.
-- Supports typical enterprise telephone services such as three-way conferencing, speed dialing, caller lists, call diversion and call swapping.
-- Includes integrated personal answering machine capabilities, with all phones working together to ensure voice mails are not lost when a phone is busy or out of order.
-- Scales to allow from two to 16 phones to be connected as a single workgroup.
-- Can be used in branch offices.
-- Provides a flexible Web tool for simple administration.
-- Includes back-up functionality between telephone terminals.
-- Has quality of service equal to a conventional telephone system.

"This solution stands out for its low investment costs, helping a small office or home office to set up a robust VoIP system without having to create a complex communication infrastructure," said Mark Straton, senior vice president of Marketing, Siemens Communications Inc. "Installation and maintenance costs are also lower because the existing LAN infrastructure is reused and peer-to-peer software helps eliminate the need for complex telephone configurations."

Communication with public voice and broadband data networks is handled by the BizIP Access Device, which helps ensure that a service provider's VoIP phone numbers can be used for Internet telephony, ISDN lines or both. The HiPath BizIP solution is pre-packaged to interoperate with low-cost session initiation protocol (SIP) services offered by operators. In addition, analog phones, fax machines and door intercoms can still be connected.

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on VoIP and SIP and hipath bizip and p2p and siemens and smb.

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo battle over undecided gamers

According to an IGN survey, 14% are unsure about their next next-gen videogame console purchase. Microsoft has a headstart over both Sony and Nintendo, however the Sony Playstation 3 sports a 36% allegiance versus Microsoft XBox 360's 28%. Having trouble deciding - I say just buy one of each. Here's the IGN survey synopsis...
Console Makers Must Court PlayStation 2-Owner Fans of "Lost" who Listen to Gorillaz on their MP3 Players and Eat at Taco Bell, According to IGN May 1, 2006 - Brisbane, Calif. - In the race to be the leading next-generation console, any of the three manufacturers can take the prize, according to results of a recent study by IGN Entertainment's GamerMetrics and IGN Research Solutions. The "IGN Research: Next-Gen Console Allegiance" survey shows that while 36% of the IGN.com audience claims loyalty to the PlayStation 3, the spread is narrow enough for the undecided 14% to make the critical difference.  28% say they have the strongest allegiance to the Xbox 360, while 22% pledge their faithfulness to the Nintendo Wii.

IGN's survey also profiled and analyzed the undecided gamer by lifestyle choices, media consumption habits, favorite brands and game genre preferences to understand what Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony need to consider as they strategize to emerge as the victor. One noteworthy quality about the undecided gamers is the fact that they prefer role-playing games (RPGs), while the favorite genre of the entire survey sample is Action.  This, coupled with the fact that 79% currently own a PlayStation 2 - traditionally considered the top console for players of RPGs - might give Sony the edge over their competitors. Favorite brands of the undecided gamers include Google, Apple, Coke, Taco Bell, Target and Dell.  The group's affinity for youth-focused brands that offer quality products for reasonable prices might favor Nintendo's next-gen approach.

Gamers undecided about their next-gen purchases seem to spend more time and money consuming their entertainment at home.  More have sizable DVD collections than go out to the movies (67% own at least 20 DVDs, while only 50% went to see a movie within the 30 days before taking the survey), and many (47%) plan to buy an HDTV.  They won't be using it to watch MTV, however.  Only 17% watch "Punk'd," while an even smaller 10% watch "The Real World."  Undecided gamers will instead be watching their choice television drama, "Lost," as will those allied with the Xbox 360, a positive sign for Microsoft.  PlayStation 3 enthusiasts by and large prefer "24," while Nintendo Wii devotees favor "Smallville."

Other findings about the undecided gamer include:
• 70% own a handheld gaming device (their preferred handheld being the PSP)
• 90% regularly download music from the internet; 60% own MP3 players
• Favorite band is Gorillaz (which is true also for those most excited about  the Nintendo Wii.  Xbox 360 fans prefer Nirvana, while those awaiting the   PlayStation 3 most enjoy Eminem.)

IGN's research suggests that Microsoft must lose its reputation as being first and foremost for the First-Person Shooter crowd to appeal to a broader market. Nintendo must appeal to the consumer who can not afford to spend close to $500 on a new console and Sony must reach out to their loyalists by promoting backwards capability with the PlayStation 2 and offering functionality with the PSP. IGN Entertainment's network of videogame-related properties which includes IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others is the web's number one videogame information destination and attracts one of the largest concentrated audiences of young males on the Internet. GamerMetrics data is based on more than 30 million users' activity on these, and on a pool of more than half a million users volunteering which titles they own, want and are evaluating. IGN's "Next-Gen Console Allegiance" survey is available at no charge to members of the press, industry analysts and clients of IGN.

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Microsoft and Video Games & Gaming and gaming and nintendo and sony and video games.

Free Napster!

Yes, once again, one of the most famous (or notorious) music download sites -- Napster -- is free.

However, things are a bit different now as Napster moves to an advertiser-supported model that allows users to listen to songs for free five times before paying for a song or monthly subscription. Walt Disney Co. and Guitar Center are among the site's new sponsors, and record labels will get a cut of the advertising revenue.

Check out the blurb on the IAB SmartBrief newsletter or the whole scoop at www.usatoday.com.

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on MP3 Players & Digital Audio and walt disney and guitar center and iab smartbrief and music downloads and napster and usa today.

Take Me to the Pilot: Rigorous Testing a Must Before New Technology Deployment

Don't expect success if you're not willing to do the test.

Written by VoIP Magazine Featured Stories on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Take Me to the Pilot: Rigorous Testing a Must Before New Technology Deployment

Don't expect success if you're not willing to do the test.

Written by VoIP Magazine Featured Stories on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Uncategorized.

Startup School

Om and I attended Startup School last Saturday, a one-day event at Stanford organized by seed funders Y Combinator. Entrepreneurs shared lessons learned in between sessions from supportive services such as lawyers, venture capitalists, and a journalist.

Did we learn anything? Lawyers are excited about the many new patent opportunities for startups, a supposedly necessary tool to bargain against the patents of others. Moonlighting as an entrepreneur is in, creating new prototypes with a low burn-rate. Y Combinator provides seed money to young entrepreneurs, enough for about 3 months of development.

Om and I discuss our favorite and least favorite speeches from Startup School and some of the entrepreneurs we met along the way. What does it take to be a successful startup in 2006? Are you building your company around a product or a feature? What does it take to get the attention of a journalist?

This week's PodSession, Startup School, is 24 minutes in length, a 11 MB download.

Written by Om Malik and Niall Kennedy on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Report: Vonage to start collecting sales taxes in 21 states

On the non-Vonage-affiliated Vonage Forum today, several posters to a thread called New Vonage Logo and Sales Tax Discussion note that Vonage says it may start to collect sales taxes in as many as 21 states as soon as today.In an effort to find out more definitive information, Vonage Forum Member mbkerk went to the [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Planet Funk’s Debut Single: Only on Mobile Phones

Now here’s an idea whose times has truly come. The music group Planet Funk will become the first music group in the U.K. to release a single that will be available only on mobile phones this month.

Let’s see how the “Stop Me” single plays in the U.S. ...

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Written by VoIP & Gadgets Blog on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Skype now has more than 100 million users

Peer-to-peer Voice over internet protocol service provider Skype says that it now has more than 100 million registered users worldwide.

Interestingly, Skype had 54 million members back in September 2006, when online auction site eBay bought it out for $2.6 billion. That means that Skype will more than double its member-base since that buyout.

Skype is moving into newer markets. It targets the business users more aggressively. Recently, Skype also announced that it would sell music from its website.

Finally, roughly 5% users are logged into the Skype VoIP service at a time.

Via USA Today

Written by gautam.chabbra on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Cisco and others get serious about Voice Over Wireless LANs

We have been saying it for some time over the hot prospects about VoIP over WiFi. Already providers in the United States and Europe have rolled out their services using this exciting technology.

Not surprisingly, the equipment suppliers have made their moves. Networking major, Cisco Systems has formed a partnership with Intel, Nokia, Research In Motion (RIM), and other technology suppliers to drive adoption of 'voice-ready wireless networks'. For example, Cisco has started the Compatible Extensions program that will test other suppliers' products for interoperability.

Via InformationWeek

Written by gautam.chabbra on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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VoIP is now available on the Federal Government Contract

Finally, even the mighty U.S. government is taking up VoIP in a big way. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Technology Service recently announced VoIP service is now available on the MCI FTS2001 Contract.

For those outside the United States, GSA is the centralized, federal procurement cum property management, cum policy development and (phew) information provision agency. 
Since, GSA acquires products and services on behalf of federal agencies, government agencies can implement VoIP networks based on MCI's infrastructure.

Via IT News Online

Written by gautam.chabbra on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Interlink to use XO’s support for its VoIP Service

Interlink Global, which provides IT management software, has recently XO Communications to provide support its VoIP services for its US-based customers.

Interlink Global has just launched point-to-point and multi-user videophone service for home and business customers.

Interlink Global customers are spread across North America, South America, Asia , and, soon it will expand to the Middle East. Interlink Global provides SIP-based broadband telephony solutions, WiFi, WiMax, Marine Satellite Services, calling cards, and other enterprise services internationally.

Via TheWhir

Written by gautam.chabbra on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Yahoo Tech Not Really A Threat to CNet

There is this meme spreading around the web that Yahoo’s newly launched technology site is a big threat to C/Net and its properties. It is getting a lot of press - WSJ and NYT are all dutifully reporting what Yahoo is preaching. I checked out the site and even a cursory glance is enough that C/Net has nothing to worry … yet.

Yahoo’s site is shiny and pretty, and has cool graphics, and yet I somehow get the feeling of big advertorial. It is a typical Yahoo play - aggregate content from other sources, (including some of their own) mash-it-up together. The result might be appealing for the mass market users looking for basic content, but it does lack the depth of C/Net content. The end-users might be quite different for the two sites.

Patrick Houston, the general manager of Yahoo Tech, said there was “a big, big opportunity for a site that is built especially for people who have neither the time nor the inclination to understand technology at the bit-and-byte level.”

Given that it is Yahoo, the new temple of everything social, Yahoo Tech is also going to allow people to create instant social networks around their tech devices and gadgets. Which is kinda contrary to Houston’s statement above. If they don’t have the time or the inclination to understand the technology, then do they really have the time to socially network with fellow gizmo freaks?

Written by Om Malik on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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JAJAH trying YouTube posts as marketing strategy: what’s the end game?

 I was playing around a bit with YouTube over the weekend. You know, the site where you can post your own videos. Then I got the idea- hmm, what about YouTube as a distribution media for technology marketing messages. VoIP, maybe? Would this add a note of faux authenticity to these messages that Internet banner [...]

Written by Russell Shaw on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on News and General and Providers and trends.

Fox Buys Newroo, kSolo

Ross Levinsohn, made a big splash a few months ago when he announced at an Under The Radar event that he had bought someone in the room. The news zipped across the Silicon Valley right on to my Power Book, just when the Business 2.0 Next Net panel got underway. In subsequent weeks everyone speculated, but now the news is final.

FIM has officially announced that it bought Newroo, and kSolo.com, which is sort of like an online karaoke service. I had heard about the kSolo deal, but could not nail down the specifics. Oh well…here it is. Mike has blogged the full press release. The deals are small - very small. (Nevertheless, FIM is being pretty active these days - Simply Hired investment, and now these deals.. will there be more to follow?)

Newroo is like a meme-tracker for everything and I got the demo from Dan Gould, and was suitably impressed. Levinsohn was impressed enough to spend a few million on the company which never got a chance to come out of stealth. I saw some prototypes build by Gould & Co, that would go well with the celebrity crazy MySpace crowd.

Written by Om Malik on May 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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