eBusiness

HOME > BUSINESS > eBUSINESS & eCOMMERCE NEWS

Tips for Shopping With Your Smartphone

It's a good time to master the basics of mobile money

Ready to revamp (or launch) your Twitter business strategy? Veteran tweeter Alexis Wolfer shares her tips

Twitter: How to Tweet to Get Results

A little Internet fame never hurt anyone. Here's how to tweet to get results, whether it's more visibility for your work, site or message

Facebook Business Strategies That Work

Use Facebook right, and you'll boost your business image -- and your profits. Here's how

The Latest Buying Gimmick: 'Google Wallet'

'Mobile payment' is finally hitting primetime, and Google Wallet is the first 'digital wallet' entry.

How Apple's iCloud Changes Business

Apple’s new iCloud offers cloud-minded IT pros some clout. But there are factors to consider about cloud storage, says our cloud-storage expert

Use the Cloud to Go Mobile

When it comes to the mobile cloud, small businesses lead the way

Apple iPad 2: A Smarter Business Tool

If your organization wasn't ready to deploy the iPad before, now might be the time. Here's what to consider.

Why You Can't Ignore iPhone / iPad Security

Apple products no longer get a pass when it comes to security. Here's how to ensure iPhone and iPad security in your company

How to Recover From a Social Media Mistake

Managing a company's social reputation requires media-savvy strategies -- especially in a crisis, says global digital strategist Dallas Lawrence

Why You Should Inventory Business Cloud Use

Do you know where your data is? For your company's safety, it's critical to know how employees are using the cloud

Best Tablets for Your Business

Thanks to the success of Apple's iPad, tablets are taking the market by storm. Tech expert Marc Saltzman guides you through the new offerings

The App Guide: 5 Must-have Shopping Apps

Mobile apps have changed shopping forever -- and for the better. With just a few apps on your smart phone, you can save money and time, and get goods in your hands faster. On that note, here are five must-have apps that will make shopping more fun and efficient

Mobile Pay Can Give You an Edge

Right now, we're working on a pilot program to accept mobile payments. It would link to a customer's personal credit card information and store it on his or her phone so the customer could use the phone to pay with a credit card at the point of sale. Here's how mobile pay works

FTC Chairman: 'Do Not Track' Rules Would Help Web Thrive

Our browsing is increasingly being tracked by a host of invisible data catchers that report your online clicks to marketing firms that, in turn, sell an astonishingly complete profile of your cyber behavior. The buyers are usually companies that target Internet advertising to your particular interests. Once you enter cyberspace, your private information becomes a commodity out of your control

'Do Not Track' Rules Would Put a Stop to the Internet As We Know It

The Federal Trade Commission and others have lauded an upcoming feature in the newest version of Internet Explorer as a simple implementation of Do Not Track. But upon further inspection, this looks less like a viable Do Not Track mechanism and more like a censorship tool

Are Federal 'Do Not Track' Rules Needed?

The Interactive Advertising Bureau's Michael Zaneis argued that 'Do Not Track' rules would harm e-commerce; Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz said they would help consumers. Here's your thoughts ...

Are Federal 'Do Not Track' Rules Needed?

Internet Polices Itself on Blogger Advertising Better Than the FTC Ever Could

The explosive growth of the Internet and resulting popularity of blogginghave transformed how marketers market. New guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission are expected to cover social media as well as paid media (advertising) and should provide clear direction to help prevent misleading endorsements, ensure effective disclosure, and dissuade financial incentives to write only favorable comments.

Fairness in Advertising Must Extend to the Blogosphere

When bloggers are being paid to say a product is good, readers should know the deal. A core principle of U.S. communications and fair advertising law is that people have a right to know when they are being advertised to. There's no reason this rule shouldn't apply to the Internet.

How the E-Book Is Reinventing the Book Business
What do Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook and Apple's iPad have in common? What about authors like Stephen King, Barbara Freethy, C.J. Lyons, Amanda Hocking and Michael Prescott? If you said they represent the changing book publishing industry, you would be right. The book business is going through a major transformation. Who will the winners and losers be among publishers, stores and authors?

BPM + HR = A Lean, Mean On-Boarding Machine
Let's face it, even though it's 2012 and the recession technically ended in 2009, we're not out of the woods yet. If anything, this recession has made businesses of all sizes think critically about their processes and optimize their current resources to maximize efficiency. HR processes are no exception.

China and Labor: Apple's Not the Only Problem, But Is It the Only Solution?
I found CNN's recent report on Foxconn's poor working conditions at a manufacturing plant in China to be astoundingly irritating. Not because they used "Apple" in the headline and focused on the iPad to snag attention. I was irritated because the story, both in print and the video version, totally missed obvious points in order to try to paint Foxconn working conditions as terrible.

Sprint Groans Under iPhone Subsidy Weight
Sprint Nextel delivered its Q4 and full year 2011 financial results on Wednesday. The third-largest wireless carrier reported an adjusted OIBDA of $842 million for the fourth quarter and nearly $5.1 billion for the full year 2011. The company's stock price fell after it posted an overall fourth-quarter loss.

Oracle Opts for Another Day in Court With TomorrowNow
Oracle is clearly not prepared to let go of the TomorrowNow case involving corporate theft it suffered at the hands of the service provider, which was acquired by rival SAP in 2005. In a legal filing this week, Oracle rejected the $272 million in court-ordered damages from SAP. A jury found in favor of Oracle in 2010 and awarded the software maker $1.3 billion in damages. The judge slashed the award last fall.

Yahoo Rumblings Shake Loose Chairman, Board Members
Yahoo's chairman and three of its board members will step down at the company's next shareholder meeting as part of an extensive overhaul process Yahoo has been undertaking to please investors. Yahoo has faced criticism from shareholders for some time. Years ago, its management refused a buyout offer from Microsoft that would have netted $44.6 billion.

GPS, Privacy and the Supreme Court
Privacy continues to be in the headlines. Companies and governments are garnering and analyzing information that they obtain through means some find questionable in unprecedented ways. Many readers use Google maps and rely on the Google Traffic tool to indicate whether traffic is moving or stalled, but the fact that Google uses Global Positioning System data from wireless devices is often a surprise.

iTV Looms Large
Apple ended up being the top-selling smartphone vendor for the fourth quarter of 2011, but rumors about an as-yet unconfirmed next-generation Apple TV claimed much of the company's spotlight over the last week. In a note regarding Apple, Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek wrote that Apple stock was a smart buy because the company's next entertainment device, which he called "iTV," is on its way.

The Talk of the Web
There's been a lot of activity on the Web and in our industry in the last week, and I thought it might be fun to try and tie at least some of it together. Much of it in one way or another involves Facebook -- or "FB," as the proposed ticker symbol suggests. It's widely assumed that its IPO will make the very earliest buyers a nice pile of profit, but what about those looking for a longer-term investment?

Amazon May Be Going Small With Retail Boutique Experiment
Amazon is planning to launch a retail store in Seattle in the coming months, according to reports published by Bloomberg and Good E-Reader. The endeavor is meant to serve as a pilot project for a possible chain of stores that would sell Amazon Exclusive books, as well as its Kindle Fire tablet, line of e-readers, and related accessories.

Facebook's IPO: What's Its Game?
As Facebook prepares for an IPO of its stock that may value the company at US$100 billion, it's important to know what sport it's in and if, like the Chicago Bulls with Jordan, dynasties can last. Michael Jordan was probably the best basketball player to play the game of hoop. He had a halo effect. But baseball just wasn't his sport at the level basketball was.

US Offers $10M to Jump-Start ID Security Tech Research
Identity theft and privacy breaches are reported almost daily. For example, last month two utilities in New York reported that an employee of a software contractor allowed unauthorized access to a database containing social security, date of birth and other information. That same day the DoJ reported the arrest of three women in California for engaging in a scheme to use stolen identities to illegally collect tax refunds.

E-Commerce Times
E-Commerce Times: the E-Business and Technology Super Site

A Google-a-Day Puzzle for Feb. 9
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.

Purported Pictures of iPad 3's Rear Casing Emerge
The launch of Apple's next iPad is just around the corner, if the presence of leaked parts images are any indicator. Today, what reasonably seems to be the rear casing of the new iPad has popped up in photo form on the interwebs.

Sprint's iPhone Strategy Is Paying Off, Q4 Results Suggest
Sprint desperately needed a hit, and it looks like it got one. The struggling wireless carrier sold 1.8 million iPhones in its fourth quarter, with 40 percent of those phones going to first-time Sprint customers.

Why William Gibson Distrusts Aging Futurists' Nostalgia

$900 Lumia 800 Bundle: Why It's Destined for Failure
Just about a year ago, Nokia announced it would be partnering with Microsoft to deliver Nokia-branded Windows Phones. One of the first handsets to spring from that relationship was the Nokia Lumia 800, and it's finally going to land in the U.S. on Feb. 14. Unfortunately, the 800 will only be available in a bundle with a few other products, and the phone itself is unlocked and unsubsidized.

After Office 365 Cloud Deal, How Cozy Are RIM, Microsoft?
It should come as no surprise that business-friendly BlackBerrys get Microsoft's Office 365 via the cloud. But some say the move may be a sign of a bigger deal going on between the two companies.

FBI Puts Cloud Providers on Notice Over Security Rules
The FBI is taking a tough line on cloud vendors looking to do business with U.S. law enforcement agencies, saying Tuesday that there would be no compromise in its new rule that all such services comply with the agency's Criminal Justice Information Systems security requirements.

A Google-a-Day Puzzle for Feb. 8
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.

Greenpeace Hates Big Tech, But Wants To Kill Google Least
Greenpeace looks down on the tech giants of the world. But it looks down on Google the least. On Tuesday, the big-name environmental-rights outfit unveiled its annual ranking of the tech giants working hardest to combat climate change and shift their operations to renewable energy sources. It's called the "Cool IT Leaderboard," and this year's leader is Google, which scores a mere 53 points out of 100. Cisco, last year's leader, dropped to second, with 49 points.

Yahoo Chair Roy Bostock, 3 Directors Step Down in 'Soft eBay Takeover'
The latest board shakeup comes on the heels of founder Jerry Yang?s resignation from the board and ex-PayPal/eBay executive Scott Thompson?s hiring as CEO in January. On Twitter, Dealbook?s Evelyn Rusli reported that a source, pointing to Thompson and Webb?s shared history at eBay, called Yahoo?s overhaul ?a soft eBay takeover.?

Chinese Firm Demands $1.6 Billion from Apple in iPad Trademark Dispute
Apple is embroiled in a trademark suit over ownership of the iPad name, and the battle has taken a dark turn for Cook and company. Apple might have to shell out anywhere from $38 million to $1.6 billion if Chinese courts don't rule in its favor -- and it's looking like they won't.

Why Telcos Would Be Testing an Apple iTV Prototype
According to the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, telecom companies Rogers and Bell Canada have in their labs an early prototype of Apple's rumored television set. Although the possibility of an honest-to-goodness prototype being tested is exciting, the idea that it's being scrutinized by telco operators is actually the more interesting part of the report.

The Amazon Store? Maybe Try an In-Store Shop First
Apple has been successful with its retail stores for reasons that are almost entirely specific to Apple. There is no reason, besides ego, for any company to mimic Apple's approach unless that approach is a good fit for their business. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has plenty of ego, but he isn't foolish.

Facebook: The Last Great Company of the Desktop Age, Playing Catch-Up in a Mobile World
Facebook may be the last great company of the desktop age. It's beaten back Friendster, MySpace and a half-dozen other pretenders, and ? at least so far ? is successfully holding off both Twitter and Google+. Its desktop display advertisements make the company billions of dollars in revenue. But that's not nearly enough. Now, Zuckerberg has to further capitalize on the growth of mobile to extend its reach. And he knows it.

Hands On: Chrome Beta for Android ? the Platform's Best New Browser
The Chrome Beta for Android is now live -- and it's quite an improvement over Android's generic browser app thanks to a unique syncing feature. Gadget lab provides a hands-on, first-look analysis of Google new mobile browser.

Chrome Web Browser Finally Comes to Android Phones, Tablets
Google launched a beta version of Chrome for Android smartphones and tablets Tuesday, delivering a mobile version of the popular desktop web browser after a very long wait. Indeed, both Android and Chrome launched more than three years ago, and users have demanded unification ever since.

Google Tips Its Hat to Charles Dickens on His 200th Birthday

Gadget Lab Podcast: E-Cigarettes, a 3-D Food Printer, the Future of Digital Music
This week, Michaels Isaac and Calore discuss Facebook's looming public stock offering, take a gander at a 3-D printer that outputs to a unique fried-food format, and dig into high-definition alternatives to MP3 audio. But the show, quite dramatically, opens with a big puff of smoke.

A Google-a-Day Puzzle for Feb. 7
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.

Employee or Employer: Who Owns the Twitter Followers?
A blogger may be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in economic damages after allegedly hijacking his former employer's Twitter followers. A lawsuit brought by South Carolina-based PhoneDog Media, a mobile-phone review site, raises a novel legal issue asking the simple question: Who owns an account's Twitter followers, the employee or employer? For the moment, it looks like the employer does.

Giant Thermostat Company Sues 'Nest' Creators
Honeywell, a company long known for its commercial and residential thermostats, filed a patent infringement lawsuit on Monday against Nest Labs, the outfit that launched the highly publicized Nest thermostat last October.

Over 3 Years Later, 'Deleted' Facebook Photos Are Still Online

Commentary | Scoble: I'll Go Down With the Ship
I will always love Scoble for who he is, and who he is not. He is a great user. I love users. I named a company after users. Users are everything. The only reason to make software is for users. That?s my basis for respecting Scoble. But I?m not going back to Facebook, no matter what Scoble says.

Rdio's Android Player Gets a Much-Needed Update
The subscription-based streaming music service has just released a completely redesigned Android app that fixes all of the little annoyances.

Futurama Monopoly: Bite My Shiny Metal A@#

Alt Text: 100-Word User Agreements for Google, Facebook and Friends

A Google-a-Day Puzzle for Feb. 6
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.

A Google-a-Day Puzzle for Feb. 5
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.

A Google-a-Day Puzzle for Feb. 4
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.

RIM Claws Back Against Apple and Google With Free Tablets
In an effort to claw its way back into the game, RIM has settled on a new strategy. Effective today until February 13, every Android developer who ports an Android application over to the BlackBerry ecosystem will receive a free PlayBook, according to a recent tweet sent by RIM VP of developer relations Alec Saunders.