InternetChina Claims World's Largest Internet User Base (NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - According to the China Internet Network Information Center, more than 253 million people in China are now online. By contrast, Nielsen Online reports more than 220 million Americans have Internet access at home and/or work, and 73 percent of those were active in May.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center, more than 253 million people in China are now online. By contrast, Nielsen Online reports more than 220 million Americans have Internet access at home and/or work, and 73 percent of those were active in May. "This is the first time the number has drastically surpassed the United States, becoming the world's number one," the nation's official net monitoring body said in a statement quoted by BBC News. However, western researchers say some caution is advisable when it comes to weighing statistics about Internet use in China. "Estimates of the size of the Chinese Internet population vary a great deal, depending on the definition of 'Internet user,' among other things," noted the authors of a report issued by Pew Research and the American Life Project earlier this year. The estimates are more "interesting for their trend, rather than for their absolute numbers," Pew Research analysts said. Inevitable Eclipse For comparison, comScore reports Internet use in China rose 14 percent in April to 102 million visitors. Moreover, the research firm currently ranks the Chinese-language search engine Baidu as No. 3 in the worldwide search market, behind Google and Yahoo. Despite the uncertainties involved in making statistical comparisons between Chinese and western data, researchers agree... [ Read more on www.yahoo.com ]

InternetNew Search Engine Cuil Challenges Google Technology (NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - A new search-engine platform was unveiled Monday by some former Google engineers to compete with the leading search site. Dubbed Cuil and pronounced "cool," the new company claims to combine the largest Web index with content-based relevance, results organized by ideas, and complete user privacy. Cuil said it has indexed 120 billion Web pages, three times more than any other search engine.

InternetIBM Buys BRM Maker for $340M

French software maker Ilog was struggling with exposure to financial services customers before the IBM purchase.