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ETNews of Korea reports on Shinhan Card rolling out Korea’s first ever USB type credit card on Thursday, December 27.

ETNews further writes, “The USB credit card provides the online and contactless payment function and works the post-paid transportation card as well. The built-in IC chip includes the public authorization and the internet credit payment programs.

During the online payment, users do not need to insert the credit card number. Rather, they can pay by connecting the USB to the slot. At the franchise stores with the IC card reader, it enables the no-touch payment.

The card also supports the information inquiry and the automatic log-in service using the public authorization and the built-in internet payment programs. However, it is limited for users to delete or save data so that the USB itself cannot be used as a portable storage device.” More at ETNews.

WASHINGTON — Dec 20, `07 — The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday approved Google’s $3.1 billion purchase of advertising rival DoubleClick, saying the deal would not substantially lessen competition.

The deal, which combines Google’s dominance in pay-per-click Internet advertising with DoubleClick’s market-leading position in flashier display ads, is also being scrutinized by European antitrust officials.

In a 4-1 vote, the FTC decided to end its eight-month investigation of the transaction.

Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour dissented and issued a separate statement expressing reservations, arguing that the deal “may substantially lessen competition.”

She said the takeover “will affect the evolution of the entire online advertising market” as this evolves and have wide-ranging implications for consumers. “The transaction will combine not only the two firms’ products and services, but also their vast troves of data about consumer behavior on the Internet,” she said.

European antitrust authorities are expected to rule on the deal sometime next year. The European Commission last month launched a probe and said the merger “would raise competition concerns.” The European Commission declined to comment on the FTC’s decision, spokesman Jonathan Todd said.

Microsoft and other critics argue the deal would enable Google to dominate two aspects of the Internet advertising market — ad sales and ad-serving tools.

The FTC said in a report on its investigation that both the online ad sales and ad-serving markets have numerous competitors, several of which have been bolstered by recent acquisitions.

Those include Microsoft’s $6 billion purchase of DoubleClick rival aQuantive, the acquisition of online advertising provider Tacoda by Time Warner’s AOL, and Yahoo’s purchase of Internet advertising exchange Right Media for $680 million.

Other competitors include ValueClick and 24/7 Real Media, which was purchased by London-based advertising giant WPP Group PLC for $649 million in May, the FTC said.

Privacy advocates say the combined company will have access to a huge amount of data on individual Web-surfing habits. The FTC said it lacked the legal authority to block the deal on any grounds except on antitrust matters.

However, in an apparent nod to these concerns, the FTC on Thursday proposed a set of privacy guidelines for the online advertising industry, describing them as something that “clearly transcend” the Google-DoubleClick deal. It remains to be seen how such guidelines would be enforced.

Google has a dominant position in pay-per-click ads, which are based on a computer user’s searches. Its ads are usually in the form of text and are shown on the right-hand side of the screen.

DoubleClick is a market leader in the display ads preferred by many corporate advertisers. More at FTC.

San Jose, Calif — Dec 19, `07 - eBay today released the following statement regarding its District Court victory in the Netcraft vs eBay and PayPal patent infringement case.

On December 18, 2007, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin entered judgment, granting eBay’s and PayPal’s motion for summary judgment of non-infringement on both of the patents that Netcraft asserted against eBay and PayPal.

“We are pleased by the Court’s well-reasoned ruling in this case. We will continue to protect the interests of our global community of users and the businesses who rely on eBay’s platforms to make a living.”

In May 2007, Netcraft brought suit against eBay and PayPal and contended that PayPal’s payment services infringe two of Netcraft’s patents titled “Internet Billing Method.” The Court ruled that all of the patents in question require “providing customers with internet access” and because eBay and PayPal do not provide customers with internet access, the two companies do not infringe Netcraft’s patents.

Part shopper, part geek, all penny-wise. All of us here at deal locker really truely love the rush of getting a great deal. Even more we love to help our friends do the same. Deal Locker is in its infancy, but is focused on building a suite of tools designed to help you and your friends save money. Says DealLocker.com.

Donna Fuscaldo of Fox Business writes about an entrepreneur turning his frustrations with Internet coupons into a business plan for a new Web site.

His plan turned into DealLocker.com, where users are told to type in a merchants’ name to find all the coupons associated with that retailer. You can also browse through different categories, giving you potentially more opportunities to save, the site boasts.

“The idea behind the Web site is a really easy place to find coupons to stores,’’ said Jonathan Lieberman, founder and chief executive of deallocker.com.

Deallocker.com was born out of Lieberman’s aggravation sparked by Internet coupons. Lieberman, a former Internet marketer, would spend hours paging through websites trying to find those ever elusive coupons.

“You’d get to that checkout page and the empty coupon box would mock you,’’ said Lieberman. “I was so frustrated that I never had that secret code.”

DealLocker.com, which went live in August, currently has 2,500 participating merchants. But consumers are encouraged to post any coupons they find on their own on the Web. All told, the website boasts about 5,000 stores with roughly 20,000 coupons being offered. Lieberman said the company sees hundreds of thousands of visitors each month. More at FoxBusiness.

OAKLAND, Calif — Ask.com a search engine owned by IAC on Tuesday, Dec 11, announced the launch of AskEraser, the first product to give consumers privacy control over their online searches.

When enabled by the user, AskEraser completely deletes all future search queries and associated cookie information from Ask.com servers, including IP address, User ID, Session ID, and the complete text of their queries.

An AskEraser link is featured prominently in the upper right corner of the Ask.com homepage and search results pages - clearly and constantly indicating to the user that their search activity will be ‘erased’ from Ask.com servers. AskEraser remains ‘on’ for searches conducted across Ask.com’s major search verticals: Web, Images, AskCity, News, Blogs, Video, and Maps & Directions - and can be turned ‘on’ or ‘off’ by the user at anytime.

“For people who worry about their online privacy, AskEraser now gives them control of their search information,” said Jim Lanzone, CEO of Ask.com. “AskEraser is simple, straightforward, and easy-to-use. It is an idea whose time has come.”

Earlier this year, Ask.com also announced that it is implementing a new data retention policy to disassociate search history from IP address and User ID after 18 months.

In addition, Ask.com has taken steps to further industry collaboration and dialogue on privacy issues. In July, Ask.com and Microsoft joined together in urging the online industry to develop global privacy principles for data collection, use and protection related to searching and online advertising.

AskEraser launched Tuesday in the United States and in the United Kingdom - and will be deployed globally in 2008. More at Ask.com.

San Jose, Calif — Dec 12, ‘07 — eBay released the following statement in response to the December 11, 2007 District Court ruling in the MercExchange v. eBay case.

“We are disappointed with the court’s order and we plan to appeal it. In its ruling, the court concluded that it did not have the legal right to consider the merits of our arguments concerning the ‘265 patent, but rather was required to reject our motions based on the procedural posture of the case. We intend to appeal the Court’s ruling on the procedural issues and remain confident that after the appeal, the Court will consider our arguments on their merits.

“Additionally, our motion for summary judgment that our 2003 design-around was effective and there is no ongoing infringement of the ‘265 patent, and that no further damages are due, also remains pending before the court.

“We remain pleased with other developments in this ongoing case, including the decision by the United States Court of Appeals to invalidate another patent in this case; the May 2006 unanimous Supreme Court decision in eBay’s favor on MercExchange’s request for an injunction; and the District Court’s subsequent affirmation in September 2007 that no injunction is called for. We look forward to the opportunity to appeal yesterday’s District Court ruling.”

Tuesday’s ruling by Judge Jerome Friedman stems from a jury’s 2003 verdict finding eBay and eBay subsidiary Half.com liable for $35 million for intentionally infringing two MercExchange patents. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit later reduced the award to $25.5 million.

Friedman in July denied eBay’s request to stay proceedings on one of the patents, governing eBay’s so-called “Buy It Now” feature that allows users to buy an item outright at a given price without bidding for it.

Friedman said in July the US Supreme Court’s 2006 ruling sending the case back to the trial court for further action had no bearing on the jury’s 2003 verdict. More at eBay.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands — Nov 26, ‘07 — Cisco announced today that Amsterdam ArenA, a premier multipurpose sporting and entertainment venue and home to AFC Ajax football club, has turned to Cisco to help make the famous stadium smarter.

With the deployment of Cisco Internet Protocol (IP) technology, the stadium is introducing several innovative services for the 2 million visitors it attracts each year. Visitors will be able to reserve seats from home, get access to real-time travel and parking information, and pay for tickets using their mobile phones. Spectators and sports fans can more easily access all stadium-related services and the organisation can deliver improved visitor service at every event.

Henk Markerink, director of the Amsterdam ArenA said: “The most important goal of the Amsterdam ArenA is to further improve the customer experience, which includes focusing even more closely on the entire service provision chain, from the moment the customer buys tickets, as they travel to the ArenA, the visit itself, to the time he or she is back at home and wants to book tickets again.

We aim to introduce the first services in the middle of next year.”

Integration with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology will make it possible to offer location-specific information to visitors as well.

Markerink added: “The Amsterdam ArenA depends strongly on its transport links. The public transport connections are perfect and the accessibility for motorists is fine, with four motorways nearby and parking for more than 11,000 vehicles. But if the area around the ArenA wants to grow further, then we need to improve mobility.

We also plan to send information to car navigation systems and mobile phones about the best route to take and where to park.”

Cisco has equipped a number of sporting arenas with similar intelligent networks, including the world-famous Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, the Allianz Arena in Munich, Ascot racecourse in the UK and the Misano racetrack in Italy. Thanks to a comparable ‘connected stadium’ infrastructure, the Amsterdam ArenA will be able to extend its reputation as a world-class multipurpose venue and business centre.”

Cisco technology to be deployed at Amsterdam ArenA includes Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series Switches, Catalyst 6500 Series Switches, Aironet wireless access points and CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution. More at Cisco.

Consumer demand for bandwidth could see the internet running out of capacity as early as 2010, a new study warns. US analyst firm Nemertes Research predicted a drastic slowdown as the network struggles to cope with the amount of data being carried on it.

Such gridlock would drastically affect how people use the web and could mean the next Google or YouTube simply doesn’t get off the ground, it said. The report said billions needed to be spent upgrading broadband networks.

It put the figure at around $137bn (£66bn) globally. For users, the slowdown could see a return to the bad old days of dial-up, the report predicts. “It may take more than one attempt to confirm an online purchase or it may take longer to download the latest video from YouTube,” the report cited. But it is the knock-on effect for new services that could be the real problem, report authors think. “The next Amazon, Google or YouTube might not arise, not from a lack of user demand but because of insufficient infrastructure preventing applications and companies emerging,” the report warned.

The demand for bandwidth-intensive applications shows no sign of abating. Nearly 75% of US internet users watched an average of 158 minutes of online video and viewed more than 8.3bn video streams during May, according to research by measurement firm comScore.

The financial invested required to “bridge the gap” between demand and capacity would range from $42bn to $55bn in the US, Nemertes estimates. The report is part-funded by the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) which campaigns for universal broadband in the US.

SAN MATEO, Calif – Nov 19, ‘07 /PRNewswire/ — Oodle today announced the launch of Oodle 2.0, a whole new way to shop classifieds. With a new suite of tools and a complete site redesign, Oodle radically improves the way consumers use classifieds.

“Most people have a love-hate relationship with classifieds,” said Craig Donato, CEO of Oodle. “They can find great deals but it’s incredibly frustrating and time-consuming. Oodle not only gives users access to millions of local listings, it now provides the tools they need to quickly discover great deals.”

With the launch of Oodle 2.0, users can: Relax While Oodle Does the Work 

Oodle recognizes that shopping through classifieds involves more hunting than traditional e-commerce. It typically takes weeks to find the right car or apartment which is why Oodle has introduced a personalized home page that includes recent searches, so when users return to the site they can quickly pick up where they left off. Between visits, users also receive detailed email updates of new listings that match their active searches.

Get the Inside Scoop

Oodle enables users to make informed buying decisions answering questions like, “What’s a great price?” and “How often do listings like this pop up?” The site also safeguards users against an increasingly prevalent problem in classifieds: fraudulent listings. Oodle’s improved spam detection automatically deletes listings it determines to be fraudulent and flags listings that seem suspicious. More at Oodle.

Tempted by the ‘unbeatable prices’ and ‘unmissable deals’ that airlines offer if you book online? You may be. At least, that is, until you read the small print.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Nov 14, ‘07 — Free or cut-price tickets that turn out not to be available; airport taxes and other hidden costs; insurance that’s automatically added unless you opt out – these are just some of the unlawful practices the EU has found on over 50% of the websites checked.

The ‘airline sweep’, carried out by 15 EU countries on 24-28 September, was more than just a fact-finding exercise – the goal is to enforce consumer rights. “Whether in Brussels or Barcelona, Munich or Manchester, consumers deserve clear and fair pricing and no hidden surprises in the small print of contract terms” said EU consumer protection commissioner Meglena Kuneva.

National enforcement authorities examined 447 websites, of which 226 were flagged as breaching consumer protection law. The companies involved have now been given four months to correct irregularities. The idea is to keep the names of the companies secret for this period, to encourage them to act. But Ms Kuneva has made it clear she will not hesitate to name and shame those who fail to take the necessary steps by the January deadline. Airlines that don’t toe the line may be fined, or have their websites shut down.

“There is a substantial problem in the industry,” said Kuneva after investigators checked more than 400 Web sites through much of the 27-nation bloc. “Over 50 percent of sites checked seem to mislead consumers.”

Allegedly cheap tickets are often leaden with hefty charges. Kuneva said investigators found offers for 20 euros only to find out five pages further on that the total price was over 100 euros. Sometimes there simply are no flights for the lowest prices advertised or insurance is automatically added to the price.

Belgium came out worst, with 46 of the 48 sites showing irregularities. Of the 15 EU nations checked, only Austria, Cyprus and Greece had a clean bill of health in the test of airline and travel Web sites. Kuneva said Web site operators had until the end of January to clean up their act or face fines or closure. More at European Commission.

SEATTLE– BUSINESS WIRE–Nov 07, 2007– Amazon.com today announced the launch of “Customer Video Reviews,” enabling customers to use video to share their opinions and demonstrate the use of products on Amazon.com. Customer Video Reviews are located within the Customer Reviews section of items in the Amazon.com catalog. For example, check out this video review in which Amazon.com reviewer “Anjana” shows the Fisher-Price T.M.X. Tickle Me Elmo toy in action: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2WRZYZZOZKQIA. It’s easy to post a Customer Video Review on Amazon.com. Simply upload a .WMV, .MPEG, QuickTime or .AVI file to the Customer Reviews Section of any product detail page. The new Flip Video camcorder from consumer electronics manufacturer Pure Digital provides on-board software which allows users to upload a video to Amazon.com from a computer in a matter of minutes. A Customer Video Review shot with a Flip Video camcorder can be seen at: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3I0A6SL5SZ2IK.

Check out a Customer Video Review of the Wenzel Queen Insta-Bed Air Bed here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R5NAX0NIHS72H or a review of a Sony Telephoto Conversion Lens here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RXP87I7U8NXB9. Video game enthusiasts can see a Customer Video Review of the PlayStation 3 here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1WDAOWIW8WCF. See what “Gregory” thinks of the Hasbro Star Wars Darth Vader Voice Changer here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2GZP7CUOQAVWL or watch a Snowmobile Trail Post Driver in action here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2L3YN0TKFE4V0.

More at Amazon.

NORWALK, Conn.–BUSINESS WIRE–Nov. 5, 2007–Priceline.com announced today that it will permanently eliminate airline ticket booking fees on all published domestic and international fares. This means that, in most cases, priceline.com customers will pay less for their tickets than they would at other major full-service online travel reservation services, including Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz.The booking fee elimination applies to all priceline.com tickets purchased on a published-price basis and does not apply to priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price airline ticketing service, which already delivers some of the deepest discounts among the so-called opaque ticketing services.

“Today’s announcement reinforces priceline.com’s brand position as the online travel service with the best deals,” said priceline.com President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffery H. Boyd. “We already offer consumers an easy, one-stop way to do comparative ticket searches for most popular airlines, flights and prices. With our new no-booking-fee policy, priceline.com customers can get the best possible price on their tickets no matter which flight they choose.” More at Priceline.

New York, NY –Nov 05, ‘07 — IAC/InterActiveCorp, the Internet conglomerate run by media mogul Barry Diller, said Monday it will break itself into five businesses.

New York-based IAC said its HSN home shopping network, Ticketmaster ticketing service, Interval time-share business and LendingTree mortgage referral units would be spun off.

Its other assets — including the Ask.com search engine, Match.com, Evite, Citysearch and Excite — would remain as part of IAC, it said in a statement.

“We’ve been a complex enterprise almost from the very beginning 12 years ago, with hundreds of transactions over those years. And while we’ve created a lot of value, I’ve always believed our complexity and many mouthfuls of sentences to explain who we are and what our strategy is have hampered clarity and understanding with all our constituencies, particularly investors,” Diller said in a statement.

ROCHESTER, NY–BUSINESS WIRE–Nov 05, ‘07–According to the latest Harris Poll, the number of adults who are online at home, in the office, at school, library or other locations continues to grow at a steady rate. In the past year, the number of online users has reached an estimated 178 million, a ten percent increase.

In research among 2,062 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone in July and October, 2007, Harris Interactive found that 79 percent of adults are now online. This is a steady rise over the past few years, from 77 percent in February/April 2006, 74 percent in February/April 2005, 66 percent in the spring of 2002, 64 percent in 2001 and 57 percent in Spring of 2000. When Harris Interactive first began to track Internet use in 1995, only nine percent of adults reported they went online.

The amount of time that people are spending online has also risen. The average number of hours per week that people are spending online is now at 11 hours, up from 9 hours last year and 8 hours in 2005.

Internet Access Increases at Home and at Work

The proportion of adults who are now online at home has risen to 72 percent, up from 70 percent in 2006 and 66 percent in the spring of 2005. The percentage of those online at work has also risen, now at 37 percent, and up from 35 percent in 2006. The largest increase is among those adults who are online at a location other than their home or work as this has risen from 22 percent in 2006 to 31 percent today. It appears people who do not have access at home or work are increasingly turning to other outlets to get online. More at BusinessWire.

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 22, 2007–Amazon.com, Inc, today unveiled a new category store, the Amazon All Business Center, aimed at helping entrepreneurs find solutions to fit the needs of their small and medium businesses. The store serves as a one-stop shopping destination to help business owners start, manage and grow their business. In addition to providing customers with quick, easy access to small and medium business products in categories including software, computers, printers, books and office products, business owners will also have the opportunity to explore other services available to them such as Amazon Web Services, Fulfillment by Amazon and Amazon Corporate Accounts.

“Becoming an entrepreneur can be a risky, yet exhilarating experience,” said Greg Hart, vice president of software at Amazon.com. “Our goal with the Amazon All Business Center is to help eliminate some of the guess work when it comes to the information small business owners need to know and the products they need to have in order to succeed. The store is a tool that allows us to reach out to this unique group of customers, and provide them with the best prices, selection and convenience to help make their dreams of owning their own businesses a reality.

Key features of the Amazon All Business Center include:
–  Customers forums, where business owners can ask questions and receive guidance from each other
–  Essential software solutions focused on helping small and medium businesses get started
–  Industry-specific software such as financial services, creative and design, professional services and retail to help entrepreneurs manage their businesses
–  How-to software to help businesses expand
–  Everything needed to outfit an office from furniture, laptops, monitors and printers to notepads and pens
–  Access to Amazon Web Services, Fulfillment by Amazon and Amazon Corporate Accounts
– The Amazon All Business Center is sponsored by Microsoft and Intuit.

More at Amazon