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As they interact with brands, customers take various journeys, from an initial expression of interest to a purchase to receiving ongoing support and ultimately buying again These journeys define the consumer experience and play an important role in the success of e-commerce businesses. The more a company considers and plans for the paths its custom...

The Linux Foundation (LF), Amazon, and more than 20 other gaming companies hope to make open-source game playing more of a win-win technology for both developers and players LF on Tuesday announced an intent to form the Open 3D Foundation to accelerate developer collaboration on 3D games and simulation technology. The Foundation is a nonprofit orga...

There's a virtuous circle pattern being drawn in society by CRM and it's been ongoing for many years already First, cloud-based CRM democratized business information, then it erased the distance between customers and vendors. Now it is poised to expand into other areas with similar democratizing opportunities. I am speaking about how we work -- at ...

Dealing with cybersecurity is an ongoing battle of wits and skills that often leaves IT professionals feeling like they are barely holding back the never-ending attacks of a giant whack-a-mole defensive game of chance Take the case of Microsoft and the infamous SolarWinds supply chain hack that was first reported last December. Its ramifications ar...

I finally picked up an Oculus Quest 2 last month and have been exploring its capabilities. I'm impressed This untethered product is the first VR rig I've tested using the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform, and I was skeptical about how it would perform compared to the older Samsung rig I have connected to my PC. To my surprise, it didn't perform as well...

A global study of IT business leaders praised the growing merits of open-source software amid concerns that big tech supporters could undermine its open qualities and collaboration Perhaps one of the main takeaways is the optimism IT execs (82 percent) feel about the future of open source. But that praise comes with a dire warning. Three-quarters (...

The U.S. technology industry is guardedly supporting a massive legislative package designed to address a range of issues affecting the sector, including a federal commitment to add billions of dollars to government technology research and development programs The legislation, dubbed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), was approved on J...

Amazon is attempting to add to the growing base of fans of vinyl records with a new subscription service Called Vinyl of the Month Club, the service, available for U.S. customers only, costs $24.99 a month and sends subscribers during each billing period a classic album from the 1960s and '70s -- the golden age of vinyl -- by artists such as Pink F...

Cancel culture and politics aside, one of the more brutal threats lurking in the shadows of the internet is the slander industry. All too often, unsuspecting people become victims of websites that promote slanderous, often unverified, information about individuals. This false and vilifying information lives on the internet forever and can sully an otherwise spotless reputation...

The e-commerce boom has led many large brands to bypass wholesalers completely and shift to a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model -- a process called "supplier disintermediation." By cutting out the middleman, brands can earn a higher margin and gain direct access to consumers and their data. For these reasons, leading brands such as Nike are aggressive...

The software development industry is gearing up for post-pandemic activity. But developers will no doubt find that the race to release will likely fall flat if they do not consider meaningful metrics in their implementation The most important consideration for successful implementations and launches is using smart, accurate, and effective metrics, ...

It looks like we're ending Salesforce Season. This is a new idea for me, and I think there may be two seasons in a year -- the one we're finishing and one that happens just before Dreamforce. Roughly speaking, these seasons happen when the company disgorges a raft of new technologies both to update existing products and to bring forth new ones This...

I've covered every Windows launch since that of Windows 95, and Windows 11 may be the most significant since the iconic introduction of Microsoft's first GUI operating system. The world has changed a lot since that 1995 launch. Microsoft has as well, and this will be the first major version of Windows conceived and launched under Satya Nadella.

Microsoft on Thursday unveiled Windows 11 as a redesigned computing platform that feels familiar but has numerous changed components. It offers new ways for users to create, learn, play, and connect with others globally Feeling familiar may take some adjusting, however. Windows 11 is built around a simplified user interface for productivity, creati...

Digital messaging plays an ever-increasing key role in business-to-consumer (B2C) selling as marketers face immense challenges in the post-Covid era in terms of messaging and customer data access, according to a survey from customer marketing platform provider MessageGears A key takeaway from the survey released in April is that B2C marketers are p...

Travel after the pandemic is not going to be quite the same as it used to be, but it's definitely coming back As people emerge from lockdowns and limitations in the coming months, and look toward getting out and exploring the world again, travel is anticipated to become a popular and valued activity....

Clients of SolarWinds, which experienced a high-profile data breach last year, are being targeted in a probe by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a Reuters report The investigation is focusing on whether some of the companies doing business with the network management software maker failed to disclose they were affected by t...

The Linux Foundation on Tuesday announced the Open Voice Network, an open source association dedicated to advancing open standards that support the adoption of AI-enabled voice assistance systems Organizations are beginning to develop, design, and manage their own voice assistant systems that are independent of today's general-purpose voice platfor...

In six short years Amazon has risen from worst to first in the video streaming pack, according to a survey released by a consumer market research firm In its annual survey of the smart TV and streaming box market, Parks Associates revealed that Amazon, which had a lowly 12 percent of the streaming video market in 2015, surged to a 36 percent share ...

Amazon continues to face intensified scrutiny from antitrust lawsuits to allegations of inhumane working conditions. Yet despite criticism, consumers continue to feed the massive digital marketplace that allegedly is filled with shady practices. According to e-commerce veteran and Amazon entrepreneur Jason Boyce, the time is now for consumers to wake up to the cost of convenience...