Articles by Keith Regan

Bidding to keep its edge in the rapidly evolving search space, Yahoo has started to test what it calls a "contextual" search function aimed at helping users find more relevant results The service, known as Y!Q, is now available in beta form. Users can download a "demo bar" from Yahoo and also use the feature on the Yahoo News site....

Once thought of as the next big thing in the technological evolutionary chain, hand-held devices are quickly being elbowed out of the market by smarter mobile phones that bear many of the same features A report from market research firm IDC said sales of hand-held devices have fallen for four straight quarters and dropped nearly 19 percent in the f...

In a move likely to spur more speculation about its overall strategy for expansion, Google has won approval to become a registrar of domain names The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently granted Google registrar status, giving it permission to sell specific domain names in seven top-level domains, including .com...

In a reminder of a lingering threat to the growth of online commerce, a new report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says identity theft -- such as phishing over the Internet -- continued to be the most prevalent form of consumer fraud reported to authorities last year In fact, complaints stemming from online activity dominate the list of top...

Vodafone's Japanese unit plans to release a mobile phone next month that answers to motion commands, just the latest development in what analysts say will be an explosion of features for phones as carriers and cell phone makers look to push the envelope The new phones, made by Sharp and distributed by Vodafone, include a motion-control-sensor, a ch...

Microsoft and representatives of the European Union (EU) are locked in discussions over exactly how a stripped-down version of Windows that has the controversial Media Player removed will be marketed in Europe Microsoft previously said it would comply with a ruling that it offer a version of Windows that does not contain the Media Player software, ...

SBC Communications said today it will take over its former parent company, AT&T, in a stock-and-cash deal worth around US$16 billion, a blockbuster takeover that marks just the latest major shift in a rapidly evolving industry Over the weekend, the boards of both companies approved a deal in which AT&T shareholders will receive stock worth $18.41 p...

SBC Communications said today it will take over its former parent company, AT&T, in a stock-and-cash deal worth around US$16 billion, a blockbuster takeover that marks just the latest major shift in a rapidly evolving industry Over the weekend, the boards of both companies approved a deal in which AT&T shareholders will receive stock worth $18.41 p...

SBC Communications said today it will take over its former parent company, AT&T, in a stock-and-cash deal worth around US$16 billion, a blockbuster takeover that marks just the latest major shift in a rapidly evolving industry Over the weekend, the boards of both companies approved a deal in which AT&T shareholders will receive stock worth $18.41 p...

Casting some doubt on a theory that its best growth days are behind it, Microsoft posted record revenue for its second quarter, saying sales were strong across its various businesses and predicting that trend will continue Microsoft said earnings for the quarter more than doubled to US$3.46 billion as revenue rose 7 percent over last year levels to...

Mobile phone handset sales surged in 2004, rising 32 percent over the previous year amid enhanced worldwide demand, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics The market research firm said 200 million cell phones were sold in the fourth quarter alone, bringing the total for the year to 684 million. Fueled by holiday sales of cheaper phones, ...

In a potential blockbuster trade that could re-unite two telecommunication giants separated by regulators, SBC Communications is reportedly in talks with AT&T about a merger that could be worth at least US$16 billion If the deal comes to pass -- and various reports say it is as likely to fall through as it is to be consummated -- SBC would be acqui...

In a potential blockbuster trade that could re-unite two telecommunication giants separated by regulators, SBC Communications is reportedly in talks with AT&T about a merger that could be worth at least US$16 billion If the deal comes to pass -- and various reports say it is as likely to fall through as it is to be consummated -- SBC would be acqui...

In a potential blockbuster trade that could re-unite two telecommunication giants separated by regulators, SBC Communications is reportedly in talks with AT&T about a merger that could be worth at least US$16 billion If the deal comes to pass -- and various reports say it is as likely to fall through as it is to be consummated -- SBC would be acqui...

Speakeasy, a national broadband Internet service provider (ISP), said it will be the first to distribute a customized version of the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browser to its customers The development was immediately being called significant because it stands to open up an entirely new distribution channel to help get Firefox into the hands of us...

Rumors that Google is actively developing its own browser -- talk that Google downplayed last fall -- have gained new life as the leading search engine hired the engineer most responsible for development of the Firefox browser Ben Goodger, the lead programmer of the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox, which has taken the browser market by storm and becom...

IBM has agreed to pay US$182 million in cash to acquire hosted applications firm Corio in a move aimed at strengthening Big Blue's line of application services The deal gives IBM control of Corio's Applications on Demand platform, which targets midsized businesses that need applications quickly but do not want to run them on their own networks....

Travelzoo, which came to be on the strength of dot-com promotional blitz that included stock giveaways and more recently became a rising star among e-commerce stocks, today said the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating stock market activity by some employees for possible insider trading violations The announcement of the SEC pr...

Bidding to stoke sales in some of the biggest ticket items on its sprawling auction site, eBay has announced a deal to extend direct financing to buyers of automobiles on eBay Motors through Web-based firm E-Loan Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed, and for the time being, the pact appears to be limited to sales made through eBay ...

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell, who oversaw numerous controversial decisions, many of which were aimed at freeing e-commerce and telecommunication firms from regulation, is reportedly resigning his post The FCC had no official comment, but widespread reports indicated his resignation would be formally announced some...