Archive

For many Western companies, a lack of confidence and basic local knowledge is stifling opportunity for international expansion. There are two key markets that I consider to be low-hanging fruit for U.S. merchants: Russia and China. First, develop a simple strategy for processing international paymen...

Facebook will simplify its advertising structure in an effort to make it easier for marketers to determine which products will help them best reach consumers, the company announced this week. Advertisers currently face a choice of 27 different formats on the social network, but the streamlining effo...

Homing in on consumers' frustration with the escalating costs of wireless services, FreedomPop this week announced a mobile plan that offers voice, text and data -- for free. The FreedomPop service utilizes mobile VoIP on Sprint's cellular network. The company will offer a number of Android phones f...

Private companies that do business with the U.S. government have a big stake in how federal agencies regulate the cybersecurity elements of federal contracts. As cyberthreats increase, the government is attempting to keep pace by upgrading cyber-requirements. The government has now launched a progra...

Amazon reportedly is rolling out a grocery delivery service that could allow it to expand into a mostly untapped e-commerce market. The company already runs AmazonFresh, a grocery service that delivers food and home products to several Seattle neighborhoods. A similar service reportedly will launch...

We have been watching the big guys battle it out for the last few years. Apple's iOS vs. Google's Android on the operating system side, and Apple's iPhone vs. Samsung's Galaxy on the handset side. However little attention has been paid to No. 3. Which company is No. 3? I'll be you don't even know. Y...

The Obama administration on Tuesday targeted patent trolls with a number of initiatives aimed at curbing activity it blames for stymieing innovation in America. The initiatives include five executive orders and seven legislative recommendations. Patent trolls have been accused of abusing the system ...

Zynga is slashing 18 percent of its workforce in an effort to better allocate costs as it attempts to develop more gaming hits across multiple digital platforms. It will eliminate about 520 positions by August. The cuts were necessary but not something the company ever expected to face, CEO Mark Pin...

It's nothing new for trial lawyers to investigate potential jurors in the hopes of making sure those assigned to their cases are likely to find in favor of their clients and against their opponents. What is new today is that social media services such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter can now enhance...

Google's Android operating system leads the smartphone market with a majority 51.7 percent share in the United States, but competitors are gaining ground, according to a report released Monday by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Apple's iOS and Microsoft's Windows Phone platforms are now actually surpassi...

Twitter's Vine sprouted on Android devices Monday, allowing users to post 6-second videos in their tweets. Earlier this year, Twitter launched its Vine app for Apple's iOS, but until now, Android users have been left out of the fun. Now they can get into the thick of it as well. "Android owners: Wel...

DirecTV and two other unidentified bidders reportedly are offering upwards of $1 billion to buy Hulu. DirecTV could be planning to add Hulu's digital offerings to its TV packages. Hulu offers both free and paid content, with about 4 million subscribers to its premium Hulu Plus service. Together, ads...

Samsung's rumored selection of Intel's Clover Trail+ mobile system on a chip for at least one version of its upcoming Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 was given fresh strength by a Reuters report last week. The rumor had been floating around for weeks, fueled by the publication online of 3D graphics bench test re...

Michael Dell's attempt to take his company private in a $24.4 billion deal has moved forward another inch or so in what is turning out to be a very long road for the CEO. Dell notified its shareholders on Friday that the special committee formed in February, after Michael Dell first unveiled his buy...

It appears Lenovo is getting ready to bring smartphones to the U.S. market. After acquiring the IBM Thinkpad line of computers, this company has gone from virtually unknown in the United States to one of the heavy hitters. Now Lenovo is entering the smartphone business. Will it be successful? In Chi...