Archive

Visa has dropped Global Payments from the list of companies that it deems compliant with its security policies following news that the third-party vendor experienced a security breach that could have compromised some 1.5 million Visa and MasterCard accounts. The breach first came to light at the end...

It finally has happened -- the number of U.S. mobile subscribers who own smartphones is just about equal to the number who own feature phones, according to new data. As of Feb. 2012, 49.7 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers carried a smartphone -- an increase of 38 percent from Feb. 2011, when only 3...

Amazon is becoming a major challenger in the overall app marketplace, according to a new report from Flurry. Flurry looked at some of the top-ranked apps across three major app sources: Apple's App Store, Amazon's Appstore and Google Play. Together, the stores brought in 11 million daily active user...

Yahoo has been at work developing a header solution that will implement Do Not Track compliance across its global network by early this summer. The news follows the final report released by the Federal Trade Commission this week that, among other points, calls on companies to make privacy options si...

In January of this year, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office issued a patent to Amazon for its "one-click" technology, thereby marking the beginning of business method patents in Canada. This came more than 13 years after Amazon's initial patent application, which was rejected by the Canadia...

Research In Motion's recently appointed CEO Thorsten Heins emerged from his self-imposed 10-week quiet period by dropping a number of bombshells. Former co-CEO Jim Balsillie has resigned from the board of directors. Several other executives, including Chief Technical Officer David Yach and Chief Ope...

Best Buy is taking an ax to its big box retail business model. The company plans to close 50 of its larger stores and test new store formats in San Antonio and Minneapolis. The formats will be so-called "connected stores" that will emphasize tech support and wireless products. They will feature chec...

It appears that Yahoo and shareholder Third Point are digging in for a contentious proxy fight. The companies have been tussling over who will fill four seats on the board of directors, with the two sides clashing on several points, including whether Third Point CEO Daniel Loeb should get one of th...

Research In Motion has said it will offer app makers a prototype of the next smartphone in the BlackBerry 10 line at an upcoming conference in May. Good news, but is it too little, too late? The phone will not be ready to roll into the market till late 2012. RIM ruled during the last decade, but it ...

The Federal Trade Commission this week urged Congress to impose new regulations on companies that collect consumer data related to Internet browsing habits. Under the policy the FTC suggests, data brokers, or the holders of personal consumer information, must allow consumers access to that informati...

Microsoft continued to expand its television offerings for members of its Xbox Live Gold service Monday by adding HBO Go, Major League Baseball video and Comcast's on-demand video service. Comcast Xfinity TV allows Xbox Gold members to access the cable carrier's expansive library of entertainment pr...

Effective landing pages are an essential component of successful online marketing campaigns and are probably the single biggest factor in determining whether or not you will convert a Web visitor into a prospect who is willing to provide contact information. Landing pages are custom-designed single ...

Nokia's Lumia 900 will make its U.S. launch on April 8, at which point AT&T will begin selling the phone for a relatively modest $99. The handset isn't the first Windows Phone-powered Nokia device to hit the U.S. market -- T-Mobile has carried the Lumia 710 for months. However, the LTE-enabled L...

Major corporate realignments happen for any number of reasons. First and foremost, they aim to pursue and capture improved leverage of financial and human capital. Second, they can alter inefficient habitual behaviors and deconstruct unwanted corporate fiefdoms. Finally, they provide tangible proof ...

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission released a report Monday calling for greater privacy protections for online users, including increased transparency regarding the data companies collect from consumers. The report also addressed Do Not Track systems, which allow consumers to opt out of online behavi...