Business briefs

Advertiser Staff

Internet service to be upgraded

Time Warner Cable yesterday announced several upgrades to its Road Runner service, which are aimed at keeping the broadband Internet provider competitive with alternatives such as digital subscriber lines.

The cable company will begin offering a suite of secu-

rity services at no charge, including anti-virus software and parental controls.

It also introduced a redesigned home page at www.rr.com.

The new Web page and services are expected to be available to Hawai'i subscribers starting Wednesday. In redesigning its home page, Time Warner wants to better showcase the multimedia capabilities of high-speed

Internet service, said Kiman Wong, Oceanic's general manager for internet services.

"It's to show that you can get all kinds of content, if you have a high-speed connection," he said.

Firm invests in 5 companies

Mainland venture capital firm Advantage Capital Partners yesterday announced $3.5 million in investments in five Hawai'i-based companies.

Hawai'i Biotech, Kona Bay Marine Resources, Broadband ITV, Nascent Pharmaceuticals and Hoku Scientific each received investments ranging from $250,000 to $1.5 million.

Advantage focuses on early-stage companies, including those located in areas that lack venture capital funding.

Disability tools in tech display

In a free display next week, the Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii will showcase technology designed to help those with disabilities.

The public will be able to view the exhibit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday on the second floor of the State Capitol.

The display will include eating and writing implements and computer-based hardware and software.