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The sour economy is causing industries and individuals alike to tighten their belts in just about all areas of spending, including software. Downloading free and low-cost open-source software is often an attractive alternative to proprietary commercial products. The potential for enterprises and other users to switch from high-priced software to open-source alternatives poses a new opportunity for open-source developers...

Part 1 of this three-part series discusses the fuzziness -- or the flexibility, depending on one's point of view -- of the definition of "cloud computing." Part 2 provides a snapshot of some of the major players and best-of-breed vendors in this fast-growing technology sector....

The ongoing global economic crisis will likely cut expected IT spending growth in half in 2009, according to a newly revised report released Wednesday by IDC. Previous forecasts predicted growth of 5.9 percent; that number has decreased to 2.6 percent in the more recent report. In the U.S., IDC anticipates IT spending to decline to 0.9 percent in ...

Google has announced the debut of Google Flu Trends, a tool designed to identify flu-outbreak patterns through an analysis of search data An early version of the technology deployed during the 2007-2008 flu season accurately estimated flu levels across nine regions in the U.S. as much as two weeks faster than reports from the Centers for Disease Co...

Google is ratcheting up the sophistication of its messaging and collaboration applications by adding voice and video chat to Gmail. The enhancement is in part a tactical play -- Google would like to scoop up more video users among its enterprise customer base, according to Rajen Sheth, Google senior product manager. However, it is also part of a l...

Microsoft and Verizon Wireless are said to be close to a deal that would make Windows Live Search the default search engine on Verizon handsets and expand the number of Verizon devices powered by the Windows Mobile operating system News of an impending deal between the software giant and the soon-to-be No. 1 wireless operator was first reported in ...

IBM announced a partnership with International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) Tuesday that will see the two companies begin deploying Broadband over Power Line (BPL) networks at electric cooperatives throughout the eastern U.S. The two companies are working to resolve an issue that has plagued U.S. residents in rural areas -- no access t...

Just two days after regional consumer electronics chain Circuit City declared bankruptcy, Best Buy has slashed its earnings forecast for the upcoming holiday season and much of 2009 The retail giant forecast fiscal 2009 earnings of about US$2.30 to $2.90 per share, down from a prior forecast of $3.25 to $3.40 per share. Best Buy now expects annual ...

While other consumer electronics makers are headed for a rough holiday season, two standouts in the industry are expected to rise above the rest -- Apple and Dell A survey by ChangeWave concluded that the U.S. is on the brink of experiencing a "massive breakdown in consumer spending" just in time for the holiday season....

For the second time since its acquisition of Siebel, Oracle is rolling out a major upgrade of the iconic on-premise suite. Version 8.1.1 has rehabbed many of its features -- as well as lavished a great deal of attention on the loyalty functions The company is also introducing Oracle CRM Gadgets for Sales -- five mini-applications that provide enter...

A small group of us were standing on the Dreamforce trade show floor surveying the more than 200 booths and vendors assembled there. We were trying to put a finger on what, exactly, the show had become. Was it a user group meeting, a conventional trade show, a partner meeting, or some hybrid? By process of elimination hybrid won out simply because we could not conclude that the show was anything else.

A study conducted by the Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks company, determined that Best-in-Class organizations were able to leverage their investments in mobility to drive significant improvements in customer satisfaction, workforce productivity, and employee retention ...

Cisco Systems' new ASR-9000 edge router promises faster delivery of all that rich Internet media destined for personal computers and mobile devices. The US$80,000 question for potential customers: Will it prove to be too rich during challenging economic times? The company's new piece of telecommunications equipment -- introduced Tuesday after four ...

Four years after Microsoft paid US$1.6 billion to Sun Microsystems to settle an antitrust and patent suit, the once-bitter rivals are teaming up on Internet search Under an agreement announced Monday, Sun will offer Microsoft's MSN Search toolbar when users download Java Runtime Environment, or JRE....

Lost in the furious run-up to the November elections was a Kentucky court ruling that could unravel a long-established legal argument supporting basic e-commerce activity: namely, that local or state governments cannot extend their reach into cyberspace to impose their own laws on a Web site Because that precept is considered so fundamental to e-co...

Five years ago, Mark Goldstein and three partners recognized that loyalty programs were becoming a cottage industry Coming up with the right way to manage those programs, he believed, would be a neat trick. So would finding an effective way to lure in customers....

Terra Soft Solutions, the developer of Yellow Dog Linux (YDL), has been acquired by the Japanese software firm Fixstars Corporation, a developer of Cell Broadband Engine solutions The new company, now known as "Fixstars Solutions," is operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fixstars and will maintain its entire product line from a regional office...

Just like anyone else who saw the original "Star Wars" when it was released back in the late '70s, I've always wanted to enter the galactic fray and emerge triumphant in a lightsaber duel, to cross swords with a Dark Side opponent and hear the vwhoom-vwhoom as my saber slices through the air and sparks fly It's a fantasy that I expected would remai...

After some back-and-forth in the medical community, it has generally been decided that iPods and MP3 players do not seriously interfere with pacemaker functions However, a study points to an entirely new concept of the risk involved with these devices. It is not the music player itself that can cause disruption. Rather, say researchers at Beth Isra...

All those singing cats and clumsy kittens you currently see on YouTube will soon be getting some more feline company at the online video Web site: Leo, the roaring, toothy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion The movie studio announced Monday that it would allow a very limited selection of full-length movies and TV shows from its library, along with one- to tw...