The KeywordSpy Presentation

This is a 3 minute video presentation of the KeywordSpy Advanced Keyword Research Tool showing how the product can help online advertisers specially in PPC advertising to make a powerful online ad campaign in just minutes. It includes the discussion of its features and ease of use as well.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3dVEJ2zcyg
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1330423

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iPod cheap in Hong Kong, but a Brazil bank-breaker

By Rob Taylor Thu Oct 4, 4:12 AM ET

CANBERRA (Reuters) - In the market for a new video iPod? Head to Hong Kong or, if Europe-bound, stop off in Switzerland. But best avoid Brazil.

One of Australia's biggest banks, the Commonwealth Bank, has used the latest version of Apple's music player -- the slimline 4GB Nano -- to compare global currencies and purchasing power in 55 countries.

Along the lines of the Big Mac index launched 20 years ago by The Economist magazine, the survey prices the recently launched 4GB Nano in U.S. dollars and found Brazilians pay the most for an iPod, shelling out $369.61.

That was well above second-placed Bulgaria, where locals and visitors pay $318.60 for the player, which Apple recently introduced at the same price as the older, less-capable Nano.

"It's not often that you get something for nothing. Even in technology land where there are constant improvements in product quality, it ranked as a big deal," Craig James, chief equities economist at Commonwealth Bank, told Reuters.

Hong Kong was the cheapest place to buy a Nano at $148.12, while the United States was second cheapest at $149, followed by Japan ($154.21), Taiwan ($165.82) and Singapore ($167.31).

Australia, where the local dollar has surged to 18-year highs, jumped 11 spots into 8th place with the Nano costing $175.42, cheaper than Germany ($211.62), France ($225.82), South Korea ($180.60) and even China where the machine is manufactured.

Within the euro zone, the Nano's price also differed, with retailers in Greece offering the cheapest deal.

Purchasing power parity surveys compare the prices of goods in different countries and at their simplest level can help show whether one currency is undervalued against another.

James said the results underscored the falling U.S. currency against almost all others around the world.

"It also highlights the effect of tariffs and taxation in countries. The Brazilians, the Argentinians, are going overseas probably to do their shopping," he explained.

"Its clear from the changes in the Apple iPod range that price deflation is alive and well in the technology space. It is a near-nirvana situation for consumers."

The CommSec iPod Index, based on October 2007 prices in U.S. dollars.

1. Brazil $369.61

2. Bulgaria $318.60

3. Argentina $317.45

4. Israel $300.80

5. Peru $294.08

6. Chile $294.06

7. Malta $293.83

8. Egypt $269.10

9. Romania $266.60

10. Uruguay $260.00

11. Turkey $256.12

12. Hungary $254.50

13. Azerbaijan $252.11

14. Serbia $249.14

15. Croatia $245.41

16. Czech $242.54

17. Slovakia $234.13

18. Estonia $226.67

19. South Africa $226.60

20. Finland $225.82

21. France $225.82

22. Russia $220.32

23. Norway $220.20

24. Sweden $215.35

25. Belgium $211.62

26. Austria $211.62

27. Italy $211.62

28. Portugal $211.62

29. Ireland $211.62

30. Germany $211.62

31. Netherlands $211.62

32. Denmark $209.26

33. UK $201.92

34. Mexico $201.87

35. Cyprus $201.85

36. Luxembourg $201.12

37. Poland $200.52

38. Philippines $198.39

39. Spain $197.42

40. Greece $196.51

41. Switzerland $195.43

42. India $183.47

43. Malaysia $181.82

44. Korea $180.60

45. New Zealand $180.58

46. China $179.63

47. Pakistan $179.48

48. Australia $175.42

49. Thailand $174.89

50. Canada $169.68

51. Singapore $167.31

52. Taiwan $165.82

53. Japan $154.21

54. U.S. $149.00

55. Hong Kong $148.12

Source: CommSec, Apple

Note that pricing for some countries hasn't adjusted yet to the new model

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Nintendo gets touchy with new "Zelda"

By Scott Hillis Thu Oct 4, 12:09 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Nintendo (7974.OS) has reworked one of its most beloved franchises in a new "Zelda" video game designed to appeal to a broader audience.

"The Legend of Zelda," which was first released 20 years ago and has become one of the company's most successful game lines, is a classic action-adventure game set the land of Hyrule.


"Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass" for Nintendo's handheld DS device has already won strong reviews for its beautiful imagery, deep storyline and innovative use of the device's touch screen to control almost every aspect of the action.

"It's definitely the big game of the holiday season for the Nintendo DS and reaches the traditional audience as well as the new audience they are starting to shoot for," said Jeremy Parish, features editor for gaming news site 1up.com.

A sequel to 2002's "Wind Walker," the new Zelda adventure once again puts players in control of the elfin hero, Link, after he washes up on a mysterious island following an accident at sea.

Instead of mashing buttons, players poke or trace movements on the DS touch screen to make Link jump, somersault, or swing his sword.

That's in line with Nintendo's drive towards making games more accessible to customers outside the core audience of young males who are happy to spend hours a day mastering every nuance of a title.

"I think what Nintendo was doing with the series was to strip it down to the essential gameplay and appeal to a broader audience," Parish said.

That should help make the game, which launched just over a week after Microsoft's (MSFT.O) "Halo 3" juggernaut burst onto the scene, a top-seller through the holiday season.

The game is expected to sell more than a million copies in its first two months on the market, according to game sales forecasting outfit The simExchange.

"Without a doubt this will be a chart-topper," said Jesse Divnich of simExchange. "We're looking at over a million units for a Nintendo DS title which is as strong as it gets when talking about a triple-A release."

Another highly anticipated game on sale this week is "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars," a fast-paced, graphically rich PC game that pits humans and alien Strogg in fierce online battles.

The "Quake" series, made by renowned developer id Software and published by Activision (ATVI.O) has been a staple of online "deathmatch" competition, and Divnich said he expects it to sell about 210,000 copies this month, not bad for a PC game appealing mainly to hard-core fans.

But it will soon face competition from other shooting games such as "The Orange Box" collection of games based on the dystopian "Half-Life 2" game, and "Crysis" with its super-realistic graphics. Both games are being published by Electronic Arts (ERTS.O).

"The consumer base is really waiting now to see how 'Orange Box' does and whether it will overtake "Enemy Territory" to be the one title that everyone will be playing this holiday season," Divnich said.

On the console side, Xbox 360 owners have "Project Gotham Racing 4," which features dozens of sports cars barreling down city streets. Previews have praised "PGR4" for its gorgeous graphics and realistic weather effects.

Basketball fans have their choice of EA's "NBA Live 08" or "NBA 2K8" from Take-Two (TTWO.O). Both games are available for the Xbox 360 or Sony's (6758.T) PlayStation 3.

"EA has a good handle and control on the basketball market. For last couple of years, 2K has scored higher review scores among game critics but the sales are not going to reflect that," Divnich said.

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Verizon unveils iPhone rival

Verizon Wireless unveiled three new cell phones on Wednesday for the holiday season, including a high-end handset named Voyager that will compete with Apple Inc's iPhone.

The Voyager, made by LG Electronics, trumps the iPhone by offering faster wireless Web access. But in a nod to the Apple device, which is only available to AT&T Inc subscribers, it has a large touch screen and full Web browser.

Verizon Wireless hopes the new phone will attract customers put off by the iPhone's lack of a traditional keypad -- the Voyager hinges open to reveal a small computer keypad and a second screen.

"We think it'll be the best phone ... this year. It will kill the iPhone," Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman said in an interview.

Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said the Voyager may attract existing Verizon subscribers who do not want to switch service providers, but he doubted it would hurt iPhone sales.

"People who want a high-end media phone and want to stay with Verizon will certainly give that one a hard look. I don't know that it would pull anybody away from an iPhone," he said.

The battle for cell phone buyers' hearts this holiday shopping season is shaping up to be even fiercer than usual, as rivals to Apple and AT&T launch new challengers.

Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc, has not been first with the hippest phones, but said this line-up is its best yet.

"Typically a carrier brings one, maybe two exciting products to the market in a year. We're bringing four," Lanman said, referring to the three new models and its existing LG Chocolate phone.

Verizon also introduced Juke, an ultra-narrow phone that comes in three colors and is shaped like a chocolate bar. The phone, made by Samsung Electronics, is less than 1 inch wide.

It also unveiled another LG phone, the Venus, which comes in black and pink, and has a phone keypad that slides out from under a touch screen. As with Voyager, it vibrates when a user taps a menu option on the screen.

Verizon Wireless would not give exact pricing beyond saying each phone would target a different segment and range from under $100 to about $400. The iPhone costs $399.

Greengart at Current Analysis said the new Verizon range is a step forward for a company that has been trumped before by AT&T, which sold Motorola Inc's Razr long before Verizon did.

"This is something Verizon had to do," Greengart said. "It's been a long time coming for them to get hotter devices."

Venus and Voyager both have 2-megapixel cameras, and high-speed wireless connections for fast music and video downloads, and a slot for 8 gigabytes of extra memory. The iPhone has 8 gigabytes of built-in storage.

Venus and Voyager will launch before the end of November

The cheapest phone in the range is the Juke, which is narrower than any U.S. phone so far and will go on sale on October 19, Lanman said.

The Juke slides open to reveal a tiny keypad and comes in dark blue, red and teal. It has dedicated keys for playing music but does not have a high-speed wireless link.

Verizon Wireless said it expects to attract more fashion-conscious young users to Juke than those who want to constantly e-mail or Web-surf on cell phones.

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Big names for Disney's "Turok" video game

Seeking an edge in the crowded gaming market, Disney will inject some star power into its upcoming game "Turok," its first Mature-rated title.

Timothy Olyphant, Powers Boothe, Ron Perlman, William Fichtner and Donnie Wahlberg will provide the voices for "Turok," set for release in February. The game is being developed by Vancouver-based Propaganda Studios.

Based on the popular comic book license, the game pits a team of commandos against soldiers, dinosaurs and other creatures.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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Nintendo's "Wiimote" gets cushion

Nintendo's "Wiimote" is getting a cushion cover.

The Japanese gamemaker's Wii machine has become a global hit among players young and old alike who use its wandlike remote control for fishing, golfing, tennis and other video games.

To help prevent accidents and soften possible blows, Nintendo Co. is shipping for free rubbery silicone covers for the handheld devices — just in case overly excited players see the Wiimote flying out of their hands.

The notice about the free Wii "jackets" has been sent as a message to owners who have their Wii machines connected to the Internet, and a notice is also posted on the company Web page, company spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said Wednesday.

Wii remotes going on sale after about Oct. 15 will come with the covers, Nintendo said.

The company has already strengthened the straps for the remotes that go around the wrist to help keep them fixed in players' hands. It recalled the remotes to exchange the straps in December after people complained they were coming loose, even crashing into TV sets.

Minagawa said the company has not received any reports of bodily injuries from the Wiimote.

The Wii console from the Kyoto-based manufacturer of Super Mario and Pokemon games has drawn relative newcomers to gaming, including the elderly and women, with easier-to-play games such as brain teasers, cooking recipes and virtual pet dogs.

"This is a totally new game experience. There's a chance some people may still be a little worried," Minagawa said of the covers. "This is not because there were any problems. It's strictly a precaution."

Since the Wii went on sale late last year, Nintendo has shipped 9.3 million of the consoles around the world, with supplies barely keeping up with demand, especially in the U.S. and Europe.

By the end of this fiscal year in March 2008, Wii global shipments are expected to have reached a cumulative 22.3 million.

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Microsoft upgrades Zune players to challenge Apple iPods

Microsoft is upgrading its Zune line and testing a website where owners of the MP3 players can socialize as the technology giant strives to wrest market share from Apple's beloved iPods.

Zune models featuring touch-sensitive navigation buttons instead of track wheels, wireless synching to home computers and more ability to transmit music wirelessly between Zunes, will be in stores next month, Microsoft said.

"Twenty years ago we bet the company on an integrated productivity suite of word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, and we changed the way people work," Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said while unveiling new Zunes on Tuesday.

"Today, we're making big bets on games, music, and video and connecting these entertainment experiences to help change the way people play."

Microsoft has three new Zune models. A black Zune with 80 gigabytes of hard drive memory and a 3.2 inch screen is priced 250 dollars (US).

Colorful "ultra-portable" Zunes with flash memory are priced 150 dollars for a four gigabyte model and 200 dollars for eight gigabyte versions.

The devices are the first additions to the line since the original 30-gigabyte Zune debuted in November of last year with a price of 199 dollars.

"It's a nice evolutionary development to the product line," said Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg.

"The real challenge is winning the hearts and minds of consumers. The iPod has gone from being a music player to being a cultural icon. This is going to involve the cool factor and Microsoft isn't known for being a cool company."

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Computer Flat Screens Spell Death to CRT's

By Graham Fitton

Have you tried to buy a computer lately? Chances are if you have you will know that with the latest systems it's all about computer flat screens. When my old CRT monitor died recently, I went out and replaced it with my first computer flat screen and I'm just loving it. The differences are so great that I wonder why I had waited so long to take the plunge.

The major difference I first noticed is the fantastic image quality in my new LCD monitor. Compared to my old junky old CRT screen. It is not only sharper and clearer, but it has a much better refresh rate. Another benefit I immediately noticed is the eyestrain and subsequent headaches I used to get form my old CRT computer screen have disappeared.

Another huge benefit of having a computer flat screen is the smaller size. Computer flat screens are incredibly space efficient with a very small footprint on my desk. My old CRT screen was the major piece of equipment on my desk, but with my new LCD monitor there is suddenly heaps of room for all my other things.

In the early days of computer flat screens they were very expensive. Like any new technology they also had technical issues like dead pixels and so on. The modern technology has been improved enormously, and it like any electronic item in a more mature stage of its life cycle has come down in price significantly. These days a brand name computer flat screen is only marginally more expensive than the same sized CRT monitor.

If you are putting together a new computer then there really isn't a good reason not to get a computer flat screen. The money saved by choosing a CRT monitor is very little, and you'll have a bulky piece of space hungry equipment to contend with as a result. I would be surprised to see any CRT monitors for sale in the market in the near future, and so they will have disappear forever.

Next time you find yourself in a store that sells monitors, check out their selection of computer flat screens. Once you know which model you want you can go home or back to the office and do a quick search for them online to find the best price. You might be surprised on how cheap they've become recently!

Computer Portal Site is top site to discover the latest news on all sorts of computer hardware.

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Top 7 Tips to Learn Before Downloading

By Yih Long Tan

Are you searching for an iPhone download service? I know I was! Now you need to find your favourite media files to upload into your iPhone. Many download sites have been created on the internet over the past months, some amazing and some just downright horrible. Learning to choose the best iPhone download site is very important. Most of these sites charge approximately the same fee, and it is quite impossible to know which are the good and which are the bad unless you join their service. In order to find the best iPhone download service, the following 7 factors are a good indicator of whether the download service is of good quality or not.

1. Huge database of media

This is especially essential for any iPhone download site, and surprisingly, there are several poor iPhone sites that simply have a very limited range of media. The best iPhone download sites will allow you to find a large collection of media from different genres. It should also provide a wide range of media, like music, TV shows, movies and games all with a one time membership.

2. High speed and quality downloads

Being able to download media at a fast speed is important too. Several poor iPhone download sites have a download speed limit to allow more people to download at the same time. Downloading files from these sites often produce a lot of problems because of the small size of their server, causing many interruptions and errors during download. Good iPhone download sites have very large server space and therefore are able to cope with a large amount of downloads at the same time, and not causing any interruptions.

3. Service Fees

Most good iPhone download services charge a reasonable price for unlimited downloads. If you are considering to download large number of files for your iPhone, you should join a one time fee membership site. Another option that you may choose is the pay per download plan. The more media you download from these sites, the more money you will have to pay. We do not advise that you join pay per download sites, since your costs can accumulate very quickly and you never know how many files you may want to download next. Getting good value for money is very important here.

4. Support and converter software

Some files that you download from the iPhone membership sites may not be fully compatible with your iPhone. Luckily, most quality iPhone download sites provide converter software, whereas the poor quality ones will expect you to get the software yourself. Software that allow you to transfer the files to your iPhone easily should also be provided.

5. Technical support

Occasionally you might encounter problems with the software that the download sites provide you. A good technical support team will quickly help you resolve any issues that you have. If you join a poor quality iPhone download site, you may be stuck with technical issues and have to wait days before you can even get into contact with their staff.

6. Security of files

High quality iPhone download sites will scan files before you download them to ensure that they are free of spyware and adware. You should not put your computer at risk by downloading files from poor iPhone download sites.

7. Legal or no?

The top iPhone download sites respect copyright laws and ensure that all its media files are safe and legal for download. Thus by downloading from top iPhone sites, you do not have to worry about getting into trouble with the law.

Did you find this information useful? The author has identified the best iPhone download sites on the internet. He runs a website at http://www.review-best.com/iphone/iphonedownloads.htm where he exposes the iPhone download scams and identifies the 4 best iPhone membership websites on the web.

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The Unavoidable Negative Effect of World of Warcraft - Wrath of the Lich King

By Liam Schembri

The recent announcement of the 2nd expansion pack for World of Warcraft, Wrath of the Lich King, has (understandably) sent the massive online world's community into a stir. While the hardcore raiders ruin their keyboards even further from their anticipation and excitement drool, casual players aren't all that happy.

Blizzard is planning to release the expansion only 12 months after the first expansion, The Burning Crusade, was unleashed to over 8 million players worldwide. While the 12-hour-a-day raider steamed through the expansion's content as quickly as possible, many (if not most) casual players are just beginning to experience the end-game content. Unfortunately, once Wrath of the Lich King is released, all content in The Burning Crusade will effectively become obsolete (as was demonstrated with the original end-game instances immediately after The Burning Crusade's release). Casual players will once again be left behind.

I wouldn't have an issue with Blizzard's speedy expansion pack development if the game wasn't so dependent on how much you play. I suppose it is the nature of MMORPG's, but a game just isn't fun when your dominance in the game is based on whether you're able to play 12 hours a day and keep up with new releases and competing players.

It's unfortunate that, since WoW is unlikely to die out any time soon, the average new casual player will never be able to experience current end-game instances. If you're only able to play an hour or so a day, it's highly unlikely that you'll reach level 80 in 12 months - which of course, by then, Blizzard will have already shelved the next expansion pack.

Liam Schembri is a professional writer and blogger. Having a passion for online gaming, he is the sole owner of World of Warcraft Guides - a popular resource for World of Warcraft guides, news and more.

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This Short Page Tells A Story Of How I Turned My Pc Into A TV

By Victor Emeka

This short page tells a story of How I Turned my PC into a TV, and started watching Satellite TV programs directly on my computer, without any TV Tuner cards or Satellite Tuner cards, cables, analog antennas, cable TV subscriptions (eliminating monthly fees), and no digital cable or satellite TV subscriptions.

I travel and work around the world, and move house a lot, so out of pure frustration of always needing to hook up with a new local cable company every time I moved, I got fed up, but ended up finding something better. On top of all the re-connections and hassles, monthly fees like $40, $60, $90 each and every month, don't seem like much at first, but really added up over a year, and frankly I'd rather spend that money on a very fast Internet connection.

I'm not a technically inclined person. Especially when it comes to trying to make your PC or laptop into a TV, so basically I was looking for a quick and easy solution. After days of Web searches, and trawling through tons of forum posts and information sites (have you done this before? ...its a nightmare) on how to make your PC into a TV, all the information I found mostly went along the same old lines of...

Most of them said to get TV on your PC you would have to... Subscribe to a good cable or satellite TV provider (and pay monthly fees) >> Search around for and buy a TV Tuner card (and make sure it has the capability to do what you need) >> Install the card, buy more cables and hook up your cable or sattelite TV >> Search around again for good software to manage channels... configure the software... etc etc etc... and on and on.... and all I want to do is watch freekin TV on my PC !

So I searched for a better way that I can watch my favorite TV shows, Sports, and movies all on my laptop computer. My laptop is like my third arm, and I do pretty much everything on it.... so why not watch TV on my laptop as well?

Now don't get me wrong, I like big TV screens and nice home theater setups just like everyone else, but when your traveling around the place, and moving all the time its a pain in [you know what] transporting massive TVs around... or should I say pain in the foot... literally... I nearly broke my foot moving one >>>

But I didn't give up, and glad I didn't either because the easy way to get Satellite TV on my PC was just around the corner, much easier than carting Real TVs around the place. If I had of given up, I would not have found this easy solution and ended up crushing more feet ;-)

I also wanted to watch overseas TV shows, Sports, and Movies in any country (and different languages), and not pay ongoing monthly fees for various services. I'm sure everyone has experienced trying to watch the big game, and then missing it because your cable or satellite company doesn't carry it. As you've probably seen, there are many different ways of getting TV on your PC, especially when you go and search for Satellite TV. I've looked at most of them, but nothing really satisfied me until I found a unique Software.

What made me interested in this site is their software allows you to view Satellite TV directly on your computer almost instantly, through a special software application that you can download straight away - I didn't have to signup to long-winded forms or wait for CDs in the mail. And the other thing which was very attractive to me is that it was a once off payment!

The site did look a little strange to me at first, because I have been scammed on the Internet before, and I didn't want to lose my time and cash to somebody who was just stealing peoples money. So I emailed their support department to ask a few questions. I didn't want to deal with somebody who never answered their e-mail. That's the problem I had last time when I got scammed before.

But this service answered the 3 e-mails I sent within hours. All 3 times the support responses were friendly and helpful, and so this reassured me that I would get what they had claimed on their Web site (more recently though, their software has become so popular that they do not answer support emails directly at their info email, because of the huge demand for this service. However after you purchase the product they have a special technical support department email address that you can ask questions with). I thought I would try it out, So I decided to go ahead and order Satellite TV for PC, then downloaded the software... And it was one of the best decisions I could have made...

The download files were about 13MB in size total. I also needed to get the very latest version of Windows Media Player (this software is completely free, and can be downloaded from Microsoft's download Web site).

After downloading and installing all the software, I was then able to easily run the main program which looked something like this... The one with the black screen is the Software and the download Web site is the one in the background. Then I did some tests... and I accessed some of my favorite programs...

From left to right: ESPN Sports Channels, Basketball, Football, Fox News, Music Video Clips, Ministry of Sound

There's a lot more than this, but would be too much to put up on this Web site. Everything that the Satellite TV for PC Web site stated was 100% true. I could access Live TV programs for many countries around the world. I downloaded the software instantly, and accessed Satellite TV instantly, all with a once off cost to me - and I did not need to buy anything more (no video cards, tuner cards, subscriptions etc). It was also good to find that the software did not come with any nasty adware or spyware.

I couldn't believe that I actually got access to Satellite TV without paying any monthly fees. But I did.

With the money I'm saving by not having to pay monthly fees to Satellite TV and cable companies, I now spend on getting a bigger and better Internet connection.

I have no problem in recommending Software for anyone who wants instant access to Satellite TV worldwide all on your PC.

Happy Channel Surfing!

Victor is a successful webmaster, author and fan of TV shows. Discover how you can instantly watch satellite TV on PC, tuning into hundreds of LIVE world channels of news, movies, music and kids program at http://bestofthewebs.blogspot.com/

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EBay takes $1.43B charge for Skype

SAN FRANCISCO - EBay Inc. announced Monday that the co-founder and chief executive of its Skype division was stepping down, and that the parent company would take $1.43 billion in charges for the Internet phone service division.

Of the charges to be taken in the current quarter, $900 million will be a write-down in the value of Skype, eBay said. That charge, for what accountants call impairment, essentially acknowledges that San Jose-based eBay, one of the world's largest e-commerce companies, drastically overvalued the $2.6 billion Skype acquisition, which was completed in October 2005.

EBay also said Monday it paid certain shareholders $530 million to settle future obligations.

In 2005, eBay wooed Skype investors by offering an "earn-out agreement" up to $1.7 billion if Skype hit specific targets — including a number of active users and a gross profit — in 2008 and the first half of 2009. The Skype shareholders holding those agreements received the $530 million in an early, one-time payout, eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said.

EBay also announced that Skype CEO Niklas Zennstrom will become non-executive chairman of Skype's board and likely spend more time working on independent projects.

Durzy said the resignation of Zennstrom, a Swedish entrepreneur who started Skype, was not related to the impairment charge or Skype's performance.

"Niklas left of his own volition," Durzy said. "He is an entrepreneur first and foremost, and he wanted to spend more time on some of his new projects that he has been working on."

Skype, which allows customers to place long-distance calls using their computers, reported second-quarter revenue of $89.13 million, up 102 percent from a year ago. It was the second consecutive quarter of profitability for the newest eBay division.

Zennstrom is likely to work on developing Joost, an Internet TV service he started in 2006 with Skype co-founder Janus Friis, relying on peer-to-peer technology to distribute TV shows and other videos over the Web.

Joost had at least 1 million beta testers in July and will launch at the end of the year, Zennstrom said earlier this summer.

One of the pair's first collaborations was the peer-to-peer file-sharing network KaZaA, which launched in March 2000 and is used primarily to swap MP3 music files over the Internet. Zennstrom also co-founded the peer-to-peer network Altnet and the venture capital firm Atomico.

EBay chief strategy officer Michael van Swaaij, formerly vice president for European operations, will serve as acting Skype CEO until a replacement is named. EBay hired Russell Reynolds Associates to search for replacements.

EBay also announced Skype President Henry Gomez will return to eBay as senior vice president for corporate affairs. Gomez was eBay senior vice president during his two years at Skype.

EBay shares rose 64 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $39.66.

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