4 posts and columns on SunRocket

Few Things More Pathetic Than an Argument Between the Already Dead and the Dying

in News on August 27, 2007 at 10:26 am PT

SunRocket may be dead and buried, but like the corpses in Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead,” there’s a bit of life left in it yet. Sherwood Partners, the company presiding over the dissolution of SunRocket’s assets, sued Vonage last week, accusing the Internet telephony outfit of wrongfully using the SunRocket subscriber list to solicit new customers. [...]

The Tech 10: SoundExchange Cuts Deal, Yahoo Plans Video Makeover and Teen Geek Frees iPhone

in News on August 24, 2007 at 11:54 am PT

Note: John Paczkowski is on vacation and won’t be writing or posting videos until he returns Monday. To keep you abreast of tech news while he’s away, we’re compiling a daily digest of 10 must-read tech stories. We’re calling it the Tech 10 and it appears below.
  1. Music to their ears: SoundExchange, the recording-industry group that has been in a protracted battle with Internet radio companies, has reached a deal with them on royalties. The Associated Press reports that SoundExchange would cap fees at $50,000 a year for Webcasters offering more than 100 channels–down considerably from the much higher per-channel tax it had sought to impose.
  2. Playing catch-up with YouTube, Yahoo plans to revamp its video portal. Miguel Helft of the New York Times writes that Yahoo will consolidate the Internet site’s somewhat messy video interface into a more interactive one enabling users to view and share videos and compile playlists. Of the plans, Helft quotes Mike Folgner, general manager of Yahoo Video: “We’re going to make it a more cohesive experience. Video is going to be everywhere on Yahoo.”

No Contracts. No Hidden Fees. No Gotchas! … No Company, Either.

in News on July 17, 2007 at 11:00 am PT

SunRocket Takes a Dirt Nap

in News on July 17, 2007 at 12:01 am PT

SunRocket, the “No Gotchas” Internet phone company, is apparently the “No Employees” phone company as well. It has ceased operations and is transitioning its 200,000 or so customers to rival telephony ventures after reportedly failing to negotiate a sale