E-Commerce

As Microsoft's long-planned strategy to transform the PC from a work device into an entertainment hub takes shape, the company intends to use this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to ratchet up its efforts to capture more of the billions of dollars spent on home entertainment. According...

Last week, the U.S. Congress passed the sweeping "CAN-SPAM" bill, creating the first federal law regulating spam. Advocates of the bill say it is a major step in the fight against the deluge of e-mail ads for pornography, cheap prescription medicine and scads of other something-for-nothing schemes.

Early reports suggest holiday e-commerce sales grew well over 30 percent from 2002 levels, helping the e-tail industry record its best-ever season, even without the type of must-have gift items that have driven sales in past years. Total holiday season spending online -- measured from November 1st t...

Microsoft has agreed to settle a patent infringement lawsuit filed by software firm SPX, which already has convinced a jury that Microsoft infringed its patents related to online meeting software, which SPX sells under the NetMeeting name. The settlement between Microsoft and SPX came not long after...

In the e-business realm, unique challenges abound for firms that are trying to build a loyal customer following. Consumers may be wary of e-commerce in the face of identity theft, network security breaches, poor online customer service and the lingering shadow of failed dot-coms. However, some compa...

In a move designed to prevent its ever-growing range of products from drawing attention away from its core operating system, Microsoft has announced it will form a division solely focused on improving the Windows OS software. The company said the stand-alone Windows unit will create a more streamlin...

Part 1 of this two-part series detailed five ways companies can improve their position in search engine rankings, including URL submission, paid inclusion, content tailored for Web "spiders," a well thought-out page title and the nuances of META tags. Focusing on improving your site by addressing ju...

In a bid to break into the market for alternative online payments, Yahoo has said it will launch an international version of its PayDirect service, using disposable ATM cards as the method of transferring payments. Analysts said while it is unlikely that PayDirect could dislodge PayPal from the top ...

The ways in which people search for information on the Web have changed. It is increasingly vital that a site's listing appear in the first few pages of search results -- because most people will not take the time to scroll further than that. This two-part article outlines 10 strategies that can hel...

Seeking to retain its edge in the fiercely competitive search engine world by expanding its pool of engineering talent, Google has said it plans to open an R&D facility in India next year. The company has settled on Bangalore, a city often referred to as India's Silicon Valley, as the location f...

Seeking to retain its edge in the fiercely competitive search engine world by expanding its pool of engineering talent, Google has said it plans to open an R&D facility in India next year. The company has settled on Bangalore, a city often referred to as India's Silicon Valley, as the location f...

Seeking to retain its edge in the fiercely competitive search engine world by expanding its pool of engineering talent, Google has said it plans to open an R&D facility in India next year. The company has settled on Bangalore, a city often referred to as India's Silicon Valley, as the location f...

In the immortal words of philosopher and cultural critic George Santayana, those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens' famous play A Christmas Carol, likely would have agreed with this sentiment. In a similar vein, as the holi...

In the immortal words of philosopher and cultural critic George Santayana, those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens' famous play A Christmas Carol, likely would have agreed with this sentiment. In a similar vein, as the holi...

In the immortal words of philosopher and cultural critic George Santayana, those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens' famous play A Christmas Carol, likely would have agreed with this sentiment. In a similar vein, as the holi...