Even though OpenID has made some major headway into being the one stop log in for the internet, it still has some drawbacks.  Some find it difficult to log on, others forget their Open ID URL.  This will change soon, though, with the advent of a new program called Click Pass. With Click Pass users can log in with one click, and are not required to remember their OpenID URL.

The European Commission has given the okay for Google’s acquisition of the online advertising company Double Click. Microsoft and ATT tried to block the deal, citing it as monopoly on the online advertising revenue.

Searchme goes into private beta today, allowing users to sign up for a test at their web page. The flashy web design is the main stand out function of this search engine,  contrasting nicely with Google’s minimalistic interface. This search engine is not just flashy graphics, however, it brings back relevant results for most of the searches queried, and even does a Wikipedia style disambiguation.

Time Warner has made it official- AOL is up for sale.  The web company is still considered a big deal, even if it is past its glory days. Now the question simply remains- who will buy it?  And for how much?

Firefox 3 has gone into beta 4 this week, bringing the new version of the web browser closer to it’s final look and feel.  One of the main things to note is the look and feel- it matches the operating system you are using almost exactly now.  The other thing is the speed- FireFox 3 is fast. Much faster than the competitors.

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尽管OpenID已经在互联网上取得了很多不错的进展，但是它还是有很多弊病。有些人发现它登陆很困难，还有人会忘记自己的OpenID地址。这些都将有所改变，随着一个新的叫做Click Pass的软件，用户们可以实现一键登陆，而不必记住他们的OpenID地址。

欧盟委员会最终还是批准了Google对在线广告公司Double Click的收购。微软与ATT曾试图阻止这项交易，认为这是对网络广告收入的垄断行为。

Searchme今天进入了内测阶段，用户可以在他们的网站上进行注册测试。基于Flash的网页设计是这个搜索引擎的亮点，与Google极度简约的风格形成了对比。而它吸引人的不光是flash界面，另外，它会返回与搜索内容最相关的结果，甚至提供了与Wikipedia类似的排歧页面。

时代华纳正式宣布将出售美国在线。虽然美国在线已经风光不在，但它的影响依然很大。现在问题很简单，谁会买它？和价格是多少？

火狐3本周发布了beta4版，带来了更接近最终版本的外观和体验。值得关注的是新的界面和感觉，它将与你正在所使用的操作系统相吻合。另外一点是速度，火狐3确实很快。领先于其他的竞争者

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Shopzilla has released a public beta for a new Pay Per Click program. Unlike google’s adsense, which lists relevant websites for a users to click, Shopzilla’s advertising gives relevant stuff for people to buy. These small ads give a picture of the product, a price, and a link to a Shopzilla store for the item.

ManagedQ is a new search engine that uses google as a back end, but displays the results as thumbnails and a batch of extracted terms. It uses a slick web 2.0 layout and the visual results make it easier to find more relative content without searching through page after page of google results.

Prototypes of phones using Google’s Android (also known as the gPhone) operating system have been making their rounds, and wowing the people lucky enough to get one. With the backing of big cellphone manufacturers like Texas Instruments, Wind River and Qualcomm the Android is already considered a success.

We also have a list of the top four youtube tools you can’t live without. All of the items on the list are free to use and download, and can really enhance viewing any video you find online.

Office Live just expanded its Small Business web hosting offers to compete with Yahoo’s recent changes to its own Small Business web hosting. Included now is a free domain name for a year, and contact management and intranet portal creation are now completely free.

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Getting sick of all those Facebook application requests?  Get ready to see a cut down on all that clutter — Facebook released a new initiative that will reward Facebook Apps that people like, and punish those that get a poor response, by limiting how many notices and invitations they send out.  Nice. The more people use an application, not spam with it — the more power it gets. But with MySpace putting out its own application framework last week, get ready to see more pokes – and more pushy friends.

Mac users need to check out the beta version of the new Safari browser.  This thing is blazing fast; it leaves FireFox in the dust, and it just might get Apple into the browser wars. Of course, it doesn’t have the add-on’s and plug-in’s that Firefox does, but you need to see the speed to believe it.

Yahoo keeps pushing out new toys for people to use, even while fending off hostile takeovers.  Their latest web application is Yahoo Live — a live streaming website that allows you to broadcast video in real time over the internet, like uStream. Very cool.

OpenID, a system for allowing users to log into any website with a single username and password, has rocketed forward this week with plans for support announced from web giants Microsoft, Google, and Verisign.  Combined with the support from big movers like LiveJournal, Yahoo and many others, this standard for world wide login’s may be catching on.

Intel’s looking to put the internet in the palm of your hands by making a cheap, fast chip called SilverThorne.  It will be the smallest and most affordable chip of its speed on the market, and will be used in tiny, palm sized computers used to give an online experience identical to the one on a desktop.

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Yahoo’s Open ID signup is now live. If you use Yahoo’s email, portal page or any other service, just log in to Yahoo’s new OpenID page and fill out some additional information. After that you’ll be able to log into any website that supports OpenID. So far, that includes some big players, like Technorati, Magnolia and Blogger. Unfortunately, it’s a one-way implementation; if you’re already using Open ID, you can’t just login to Yahoo. But this should drive adoption, significantly.

If you want to understand the data portability concept and why it’s important, this 2-minute video explains what you need to know.

Google has recently released some new, experimental search result formats in their experimental labs. Included are search results with maps for locations and a timeline view for searches that show the history of a person, company or topic. For e-commerce merchants, an even bigger deal in Google’s recent decision to display those merchants that use Google Checkout in a link at the top of the search results for certain product searches. That’s live in the main SERP’s now.

NetScape is finally dead. As of last Friday, the first commercial web browser’s demise is official, and it will no longer be updated or supported. Even though Netscape may be a thing of the past, it has passed on its legacy to FireFox and Mozilla, which both share code used in the last version of Netscape. Internet Explorer, bundled with Windows — for free – finally killed Netscape. Yet another example of how moving the Free Line is good for business – and bad for competitors.

Speaking of that, if you’re enjoying the Free Line Report, please leave us a comment! And hit the Digg button – or Stumble or Del.icio.us – any social bookmarking is always appreciated!

Tune in tomorrow for a new SEO content contest. (This kind of “User Generated Content” could win you $500.)

Have any Web 2.0 or Internet Marketing news or tips? Send them to tips@freelinereport.com. We just might include you in the next Free Line Report.

Yahoo announced support for the format known as OpenID. This will allow Yahoo users to login anywhere with one username and password for every blog, forum, journal or any other community using OpenID .Dell laptops are shocking — literally. The new brushed aluminum laptops from Dell are giving users shocks. From a mild tingle when touching, to a full on ZAP! when connecting USB toys, it looks like bad news for Dell users. (I like to think it’s the latest thing in laptop security.)Bad news for iPhone users this week, as a trojan highlights security issues. So far, it’s just a proof of concept, but the holes in iPhone’s security still need to be plugged.

Splashtop allows users to bypass Windows and head straight into Email or the Internet to start working right away. No more waiting for Windows to load at an airport before going online. Now there’s a “productivity enhancer” while you’re waiting for a flight on Southwest.

In a great example of Moving the Free Line, the free video from StomperNet about SMARTS is already making a big splash in the Internet Marketing world. SMARTS stands for Social Marketing Traffic Strategies – and just ONE of these strategies already caused a major Web 2.0 site to change their policies. (Scribd.com)Botttom line: If you’re looking for more free traffic, and want to learn the best ways to leverage the power of MySpace, Facebook, Squidoo, Propellar, Scribd — and many others — watch this video to learn some very powerful strategies for Social Media Marketing.

Plus, you can download the comprehensive 40-page Strategy Guide while it’s still available for free. The free video and comprehensive Strategy Guide are available here.