InformationWeek quotes AP as saying that Microsoft and Yahoo “Reach Instant Messaging Deal”: Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc have agreed to make their two instant-messaging programs work together, a partnership that could threaten market leader America Online, people familiar with the situation said. The deal was expected to be announced early Wednesday, these people … Read more
I love Skype and I write about it a lot, because I think it’s a great tool, especially for people in places where phone calls cost a lot. But those places tend to be developing countries where monopolies are powerful. Just those kind of places where credit card fraud is a problem. Like, say, Indonesia. … Read more
Who actually pays for Skype? How about the network operators, who have to put up with all the extra traffic? And what are they doing about it? A piece from VOIP Planet, Keeping Skype @Bay, points to the arrival of products specifically designed to block Skype (and other p2p traffic) from their networks: Skype is … Read more
There’s quite a bit that’s interesting in all this Skype/eBay business. I know others have raked over all this before, but now it’s official I’ll weigh in too. The release is quite informative. It says “Skype, eBay and PayPal will create an unparalleled ecommerce and communications engine for buyers and sellers around the world.” How, … Read more
eBay Inc. has agreed to acquire Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies SA, the global Internet communications company, for approximately $2.6 billion in up-front cash and eBay stock, plus potential performance-based consideration. Here’s the rest of the release: The acquisition will strengthen eBay’s global marketplace and payments platform, while opening several new lines of business and creating significant … Read more