RSSHotbar, 180solutions Merge Adware
By Nate Mook | Published June 7, 2006, 12:41 PM
Adware companies Hotbar and 180solutions have merged their businesses into a new company that will be known as "Zango," which is the name for 180solutions' primary advertising software product it bundles in third party downloads.
The companies say Zango, which usually comes with online games and music, and Hotbar will continue to be offered as is. Hotbar enables users to change their Internet Explorer and Outlook toolbar, and adds links to Hotbar services and downloads. Both products are considered risky adware by security vendors.
"The merger creates increased available inventory and an even larger audience of potential customers whom advertisers can target utilizing Zango's time-shifted ad-delivery model," the companies said in the announcement. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Hotbar was rumored to be shopping itself around for $52 million.
Both Hotbar and 180solutions have been struggling to keep revenues up amid a crackdown on spyware and more educated consumers becoming wary about the software installed on their PCs.
180solutions sued ZoneLabs at the end of last year for being labeled as spyware, and later promised to clean up its act. The case was eventually dropped, but 180solutions was heavily criticized for allowing third parties to install its software without specific acknowledgment from end users.
Symantec, meanwhile, proactively sued Hotbar a year ago to assert its right to detect and remove the toolbar add-on from customers' computers.
"The deal, which was said to be primarily the assumption of Hotbar's debt, was perhaps an opportunity to give 180Solutions a hedge against its changing business model, with rapidly declining install rates as a result of no longer distributing through IST and the company’s decision to drop third party affiliate networks (by late Q1, 180’s daily revenue had reportedly dropped to approximately $75k a day, whereas a year ago that number was closer to $200k per day)," commented Sunbelt Software CEO Alex Eckelberry.
To their defense, the two companies say their products have attracted millions of users, and fulfill "consumers' growing demand for free, sought- after online videos, games, music, tools and utilities."
This has to be a scheme to keep the Geek Squad busy...
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|I want to meet one of these consumers. I assume these are people who have deliberatly installed this crap!!
If they are so open, how come the first thing you know about zango, is when your pc crawls to a halt and trys to popup a dozen adverts?
Keep it up, I love taking this rubbish of peoples machines for them.
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|While I wish these people whould boil in there own urine, i welcome there "Customers" whos computers i fix on a dialy basis.
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|hmmmm...
superspyware
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|doesn't this sound like...
"Okay, I am Pirate Team One. He is Pirate Team Two. Last year, I blew up 3 ships, but this year, I only blew up half a ship. So I'll join the Pirate Team Two, on hopes that I'll redeem my terrible loses."
hmmm...
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|just try and install Zango on my sh*t. I dare you.
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|Oh god, the world is endind. you better disconnect your computers from the internet NOW!
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|Well, you haven't yet, why should I? :)
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|I thank Beta News for alerting us of the movements of these predators. Their names should be posted on a list on the internet like sexual predators. The only difference is that sexual predators can be legally kept away from the those that they would prey upon.
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|That rarely seems to stop predators. Why would it legalities stop adware/spyware vendors?
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|This is another one of them Spyware Programs that your mama told you about. Garbage! And what the heck is it doing in Beta News as if it were a worthy program??? DOH!
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|Adware must be tested as well, right? Or perhaps--that's the f***ing problem! THAT'S IT!
Spyware is buggy because they refuse to beta test it! Seriously--have ANY of you guys EVER seen a beta version of 180solutions? CoolWWWSearch? ABetterInternet? Spy Sheriff? NewDotNet? MyWebSearchEmailPlugin? Nope, never. So--why do we expect the spyware to be tested with the newest Windowsupdates?
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|That's because its ALL beta. Ever seen a Final version of these products either? They are constantly evolving..
They are in eternal beta..
This is one product that it would be hard to tell when it was actually finished...
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|cool! Now its even easier to block spam, 2 for 1!
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|I hope this company and everyone who works there burns in hell.
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|Ok...that's just a little harsh. People's eternity should not be determined by that alone...
...I get so thoroughly frustrated with those companies I could puke, and I know exactly where you're coming from. If they could see and comprehend how much worldwide damage they have caused, I think most of em would quit. That's why I say education is best prevention.
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|Yes, but burn in hell, would be so much more entertaining...
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|Zango....Where do they come up with these dumb names... thats what i want to know. It's like they have some really dumb guy in a cage, and when they need a new name they throw him some candy and whatever weird sound he makes they name their adware after it.
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|Zombo.com has everything!
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|still going to make sure everyone i know doesnt use anything of theirs regardless of what they are called. i dont know who they think they are but you cant just say, oh im going to change my business model and you all should like me again. it doesnt work that way, and i hope that company goes bankrupt.
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|In case anyone wants to TP the offices, they're located in Bellevue, just east of 405 on the south side of 90.
If you work there... I feel bad for you. You must go to work everyday feeling shame. It must be the IT equivalent of being the guy at the dog track that has to collect urine samples, but without as much respect...
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|i think you are giving them too much credit, they are more like the door-to-door salesmen that would sell their own mother for a quick buck. soon to be the equivalent of homeless, qith any luck.
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|I had a recruiter call me about them once... he just wouldn't give the company name. After a week of cat & mouse, he finally came clean. I felt icky, and quickly told the guy I wasn't interested.
At least the people on Mike Rowe's "Dirty Jobs" earn an honest living... these guys have to probably tell their families that they are in "IT", but refuse to say more. I just can't imagine how these people feel about infecting computers... is this where all the virus writers go for "legitimate" jobs?
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|Hmm.. downtown bellevue? I've never seen their offices. What building are they in? I sure hope Tek Systems doesn't deal with them or I may have to quit being a consultant for them.
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|The users' that use this service just fulfill darwin's law of evolution: The idiots get their data stolen at the cost of "free" stuff, everyone else keeps their data secure and progresses in other ways.
Biology at work.
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|And not even necessarily at a higher price, just a little more IT-knowledge
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|yea but i dont get paid extra to deal with them, and i still have to fix their machines.
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|God help us all...
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