Articles by

Journyx, a company that provides Web-based time-tracking and project management applications, also offers its customers a back door into customer service. That is, its application lets users track what a customer cost. That is a number that is oftensurprisingly miscalculated or not calculated at all, said CEO Curt Finch. In this economy, relying o...

One of the things that fascinates me is how large companies, when given an "in your face" example from a competitor, more often than not ignore it. For instance, Apple is one of the few companies that designs marketing into their products, out-executes the industry in marketing, and enjoys the highest segment margins and generally the highest grow...

In 2008, researchers were touting the defeat of the Storm worm -- the most notorious example of the malware category that self-propagates through remote exploits, email, network shares, removable drives, file-sharing or instant messaging applications. Some would argue that despite the name, Storm was not a traditional worm at all, since it required a human-computer interaction to spread. ...

Secunia has debunked a myth held dear by Linux devotees and anti-Microsoft grousers: that Firefox is safer than Internet Explorer. There were 115 reported security vulnerabilities in Firefox last year -- almost twice as many as Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari browser combined, according to a new report by the security researcher.Firefox did s...

Search engine powerhouse Google is testing the use of a new expandable ad format with advertisers An expandable ad typically comes in the form of a small display ad that expands into a much larger ad -- often covering up much of a Web page's content, much to the chagrin of users....

You can buy furniture, look for a job and seek an apartment on the popular online classified ad Web site Craigslist. But a quick check of the "erotic services" category for Seattle yields another possible transaction, one featuring a "tall, sexy, seductive blue eyed bombshell" calling herself "Emily." "Hey fellas, back in town, only to the 10th. Th...

Reuters reports that one in five U.S. mortgages are underwater; the people paying them owe more than their house is worth. The real flood, however, is swamping the Internet, where gloomy financial news headlines and the antics of TV-based business reporters threaten to inundate your typical Web surfer Financial news that now travels at the speed of...

Will 2009 see the redemption of the risk management profession, or is the renewed focus on risk a case of locking the stable doors after the horse has bolted? There is tremendous pressure from clients, regulators and politicians to get it right and invest in risk management practices that will prevent a repeat of events. As banks reassess current risk management techniques and supporting infrastructure, budget cuts and pressure to move quickly make it harder to step back and look at the challenge not only from the top down but from the bottom up...

This is the first installment in a three-part series, presenting a detailed look at the current state of opinions on matters of the Linux kernel The free and open source software community is known for many things, but perhaps none more than its propensity for passionate debate....

The Obama administration is ushering in a new era of big government, higher taxes and more spending, to an extent that even supporters are worried. The tech-savvy president should consider recent suggestions from the technology and science sector, such as the idea that not all problems can be solved by simply throwing money at them. The National C...

Microsoft announced on Wednesday the availability of the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2) Release Candidate (RC) for the general public. The software was initially put on limited release a week ago to the company's TechNet and MSDN subscribers The announcement means that anyone interested in testing the penultimate version...

Facebook is revamping its Web site with several new features that give users more information about their networks in real time. The changes have been widely compared to the updates people send and get via microblogging site Twitter, which Facebook apparently now views as one of its competitors The new site, which can be previewed here, allows frie...

YouTube is said to be in talks with Universal Music Group to create an online music video site The reports come at a time when Google-owned YouTube is searching for ways to monetize its vast amounts of video content and Internet traffic. The major record labels have also been exploring a number of online strategies for monetizing their music conten...

Research In Motion's BlackBerry App Center is now called "BlackBerry App World." However, as mobile phone industry players know, when it comes to smartphone applications and how to sell them to customers, it's really Apple's world and we're all living in it That's why analysts who followed RIM's Wednesday announcement about the new name and details...

The Linux Foundation (LF) has inked a deal that fosterscollaboration with SourceForge and acquires ownershipof Linux.com. The move is intended to create a long-lasting community destination forLinux users and developers, officials from the organizations said....

As mobile services become increasingly complicated and businesses look to find extra money, there is a technological solution that can offer companies peace-of-mind. The solution is known simply as "wireless expense management" (WEM), which has allowed some companies to save upwards of US$5 million in their yearly wireless expenses by making wireless bills less cumbersome.

This week Nintendo unveiled its lineup of upcoming titles for the year. Sony CEO Howard Stringer did some executive shuffling in an apparent effort to re-energize the consumer electronics company. Also, Microsoft got some good news from Japan, scoring a hit with its latest exclusive title, "Star Ocean: The Last Hope." There was some bad news for Gi...

This is the seventh in an ongoing series on buiding a Web site for your small business. Part 1 looks at essential elements of a business Web site. Part 2 offers basic site design guidelines. Part 3 tackles some advanced design issues.Part 4 examines social media tools for building traffic.Part 5 compares outsourcing against doing maintenance work in-house.Part 6 offers tips on marketing your site...

We all know that simply allowing customers to purchase products and services through your company's Web site isn't enough anymore. Now accustomed to second-generation Web technology, most customers no longer will choose to spend time at self-service sites that can't provide the customized, specific information that they need to make buying decisions...

A new streaming video startup, ZillionTV, has entered the crowded digital television sector The Sunnyvale, Calif., startup, which is backed by Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, NBC Universal, Disney, Fox, Visa, Sierra Ventures, Concept Ventures and Blu-ray chip maker Sigma Design, expects to launch its new service nationally by the end of the year....