Qwest plans to be first Bell firm to offer Internet-based phone service

Qwest Communications International plans to become the first local Bell company to offer consumers phone service over the Internet.

The Denver-based company did not disclose a launch date or pricing for the new service, which will use technology known as Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. The service will require a high-speed Internet connection, though not necessarily from Qwest.

The initial rollout will be in Minnesota, one of 14 states, including Utah, where Qwest is the dominant local phone carrier.

Qwest said it felt comfortable offering the service there after a federal judge blocked Minnesota’s attempt to subject a small VoIP provider to the same regulatory obligations and fees imposed on traditional phone companies.

Internet-based phone services convert voice into small packets of data not unlike e-mail, scatter them across the Internet and then reassemble them into sound at the other end. Such calls are generally cheaper than those using regular phone lines.

Until Qwest’s announcement, such services for consumers had been available only through Internet startups and some cable companies, not traditional phone companies.

The number of VoIP subscribers in the United States, currently estimated at 1.3 million by In-Stat/MDR, is expected to grow with the increasing availability and adoption of high-speed Internet connections.

— The Associated Press

Less TV, more Net for men

Three-quarters of young U.S. men used the Internet for an average of 32 hours last month, according to researchers at ComScore Media Metrix.

The Reston, Va.-based firm released its analysis in the wake of national TV ratings finding a substantial drop in viewing by the group.

The results “take at least some of the mystery out of the decline in viewing among this prized demographic,” said Peter Daboll, the research firm’s president. “Given the heavy Web usage patterns we see in this segment, marketers clearly can reach this prized demographic — quickly and efficiently — through interactive marketing.”

The three most popular categories for the group were gaming information (accessed by 25.6 percent of the group), adult (24.9 percent) and personals (22.9 percent).

— CBS MarketWatch

Intel’s new microprocessor

Intel Corp. has launched its Pentium 4 Extreme Edition microprocessor with an extreme price tag — $925 each when purchased in bulk.

The chip, targeted at deep-pocketed gamers and computing enthusiasts, is $508 more expensive than the standard Pentium 4, which runs at the same frequency, 3.2 gigahertz. The Extreme Edition was made available last week.

The key difference is an extra two megabytes of memory packed on the chip. That boosts performance because the processor does not have to wait as long for information to travel to and from the computer’s regular system memory.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel announced the Extreme Edition in September just days before rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. began selling its latest Athlon desktop processors. AMD’s flagship desktop processor, the Athlon 64 FX, sells for $733 in bulk.

The new Athlons can process data in 64-bit chunks and handle exponentially more memory than Intel’s 32-bit Pentiums, though very little software currently exists to take advantage of the 64-bit feature.

Intel’s new Extreme Edition chip is designed to work with current top-of-the-line Intel motherboards and chip sets, meaning buyers won’t have to replace other components.

Like AMD, Intel says its latest chip offers more realistic game play and improved video editing performance. High-end Pentium 4s also include a feature called Hyper-Threading, which boosts performance by tricking software into acting as though there are two processors present.

— The Associated Press