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In a deal that underscores the notion that many Internet-oriented technology companies are wildly overvalued by the market, business-to-business (B2B) software giant i2 Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ITWO) has agreed to purchase supply chain services company Aspect Development (Nasdaq:ASDV) for $9.3 billion (US$) in stock. Aspect reported $95 million in revenues and $8.9 million in earnings for its fiscal ended December 31, 1999...

Microsoft Corp. and Andersen Consulting announced an estimated $1 billion (US$) joint venture today to provide midsize to large-scale customers with e-commerce applications built on the Microsoft enterprise platform and Windows 2000 operating system Windows 2000, so far, has reportedly received only a luke-warm reception from Information Technology...

Hoping to offer one stop shopping for customers anxious to develop a Web presence, San Francisco, California-based Wells Fargo announced eStore Business Solutions, which will provide an end-to-end e-commerce solution for mid-sized (companies with revenues between $10 and $250 million US$) companies Not only will the eStore Business Solution provide...

Number two auto manufacturer Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) announced Thursday that it will partner with B2B auction site ZoneTrader.com to sell its surplus capital equipment at online auctions Under the terms of the agreement, ZoneTrader.com will be responsible for managing the disposition of all Ford equipment that is not covered under a service ag...

Instead of moving closer to a consensus on the issue of Internet taxation, the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce (ACEC) appears to be approaching deadlock as individual U.S. states discuss taking the matter into their own hands The panel, which was commissioned by the U.S. Congress, has firmly divided itself into two factions. Panel chief ...

After putting 22 million shares up for sale Friday at an asking price of $12 (US$) per share, HomeGrocer.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOMG) is facing widespread industry speculation that it will fail to attract investor enthusiasm in much the same way that rivals Peapod (Nasdaq: PPOD), Streamline (Nasdaq: SLNE) and Webvan (Nasdaq: WBVN) have faltered All thr...

It was reported earlier this week that America Online CEO Steve Case has been engaged in serious alliance talks with AT&T. Case told reporters that AOL and AT&T could work together in various ways -- although he quite characteristically declined to be specific. This news should come as a bombshell to many observers, considering the fact that AOL a...

Many e-tailers have lost sight of the forest for the trees. In some cases, they invest several million dollars into development and technology, but forget to employ the basics of sound retailing Whether the purchase is offline or online, consumers take all costs into consideration when making a buying decision. What really counts is the final bill ...

After enduring months of criticism over his company's protective patent policies, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos suggested Thursday that the United States undertake a fundamental retooling of the current patent system In an open letter posted on his company's Web site, Bezos said that he has received several hundred e-mails regarding Amazon's lawsuit ag...

New high speed Internet access services like DSL and cable modems are opening the door to a new vision of computing. Many software companies are looking to develop new e-commerce-based sales channels by putting their programs on a Web site and only charging customers to use them rather than selling them outright Furthermore, instead of charging a h...

Linux vendor Red Hat, Inc. (Nasdaq: RHAT) has announced the availability of a new version of its Linux OS designed to power online business operations that are working with the Oracle8i database Red Hat Linux Enterprise Edition for Oracle8i, created in collaboration with Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL), is part of Red Hat's line of enterprise edition L...

Internet Capital Group, Inc. (ICG) and Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. have partnered to develop business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce in Asia The $62 billion (US$) Hutchison Whampoa is controlled by Asian billionaire Li Ka-shing. His group of companies makes up 16 percent of the Hong Kong stock market's total capitalization and his personal wea...

Online search engine GoTo.com (Nasdaq: GOTO) heated up the competition in the already tight Internet auction world today by announcing that it will buy auction search and listings site AuctionRover.com in an estimated $175 million (US$) stock deal The Pasadena, California-based GoTo.com, which matches consumers with shopping and other destinations,...

Software giant Oracle Corp., oil company Chevron Corp. and a unit of Wal-Mart Stores have announced plans to create an online supply exchange for the convenience store industry According to company officials, the new B2B network will link convenience stores to suppliers by way of Oracle's electronic-business platform, Chevron's existing retail Inte...

Recently, Microsoft Corp. quit the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) after the computer trade organization sided with the U.S. government's antitrust suit against the software giant and urged enforcers to consider breaking the company up Microsoft claims that it made its sudden exit stage left after 14 years in the association beca...

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HWP) and voice recognition technology startup Talk2 Technology, Inc. announced a strategic alliance Wednesday to launch a service that allows people to access the Internet and shop by telephone -- whether wired or wireless The new technology would allow people to use voice commands to get information, trade stocks or make...

A survey released this week by Forrester Research, Inc. reports that e-tailers are now using electronic mail as a major means of generating repeat business from customers According to Forrester senior analyst Jim Nail, e-mail is effectively changing the way marketers work. "Marketers are hunters -- following the tracks of consumers and scattering p...

Only months after forging a shaky entrance into online banking with its WingspanBank.com, Bank One Corp. has announced a new initiative to deliver money to users via secure e-mail The program, called eMoneyMail, is hardly groundbreaking. Online banking firm X.com already has a similar service, and money transfer services like Western Union and the ...

VA Linux Systems (Nasdaq: LNUX) has joined a number of prosperous companies that are pumping up developer resources for the Linux community by announcing a new service to help accelerate the development of Linux applications The new SourceForge CompileFarm service, a part of the VA Linux SourceForge resource site, will give open-source developers t...

Venerable computer giant IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today that it will form an alliance with Ariba (Nasdaq: ARBA) and i2 Technologies (Nasdaq: ITWO) to provide what it calls an "end-to-end solution for business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and collaboration." Saying the alliance will offer seamless integration of IBM's hardware, software and marketi...