Uncategorized

What do you do when the going gets tough? If you are IBM, you make "on demand" computing a focus of your strategy. Big Blue CEO Sam Palmisano has announced a new on-demand initiative at the company, in which IBM will institute more flexible pricing for businesses whose need for computing power fluct...

PC processor giant Intel recently launched two new cell phone chips, and in 2003, it plans to launch a semiconductor lineup for wireless notebook computers. "Intel's vision is to have Intel silicon in all mobile devices," Intel spokesperson Christine Vermes told the E-Commerce Times. So, why is Inte...

U.S. online sales fell in the third quarter, marking the first quarterly decline in the history of e-tail as economic realities finally found their way onto the Web, according to a Forrester Research report. Forrester said sales in the quarter totaled about $17 billion, down from nearly $20 billion ...

When it comes to selling computers to consumers online, the easier, the better. Both Dell and Apple have taken this adage to heart -- but which online store is best? Dell's service options, such as a prominently featured toll-free order number and in-depth online help, trump Apple's FAQ pages and le...

Venture capital investments tumbled another 26 percent in the third quarter, with quarterly funding levels falling below $5 billion for the first time since 1998, according to a new report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association. The number ...

Aiming to capture a market focused on form and size, the number one computer manufacturer has released its smallest desktop PC to date. The Optiplex SX260, weighing in at less than eight pounds, is half the size of other Optiplex models. It can fit under a desk horizontally or vertically or can be m...

The forecast for 2002 holiday online shopping is promising -- especially in Europe. With European online holiday sales expected to top $15.77 billion, the continent will be the number one region for global online sales in the fourth quarter of 2002, according to research firm GartnerG2. "Retailers n...

Pop-up ads can interrupt, slow or even ruin a Web surfer's experience, but these annoying products of the online ad slump can be eliminated using a number of methods -- including free, third-party software that deflects unwanted browser windows. On the other hand, unsupported third-party software ca...

E-tail giant Amazon.com said sales grew 33 percent year-over-year to $851 million in the third quarter, fueled by its free shipping offer in the United States and by dramatic expansion in overseas sales. Amazon's net loss shrunk to $35 million from $170 million in the same quarter in 2001. The compa...

Intel could make a long-term splash in the server market with its Itanium 2 processor, but first it must make its case to enterprise technology buyers. According to Intel, the latest version of Itanium increases performance over the original by between 50 and 100 percent, but those who control corpo...

It may be an overused phrase, but it is still a fact that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and this rule certainly has held true in e-commerce. But there is still abundant opportunity for less-established e-commerce sites to trumpet their existence to the world -- or at least the part of the worl...

The war between Microsoft and AOL for Internet users is extending to a new battleground today: New York's Central Park. That is where Microsoft is scheduled to hold a star-studded launch event for MSN 8, the latest version of its Internet browser and online services. Microsoft has long run a distant...

Microsoft has announced it will pay $96 million in cash to acquire Vicinity, a firm that helps customers find information about a company's nearest outlet and its hours via the Web, telephone or wireless devices. The software giant will merge Vicinity with its own MapPoint unit and will customize Vi...

Once upon a time, the performance of bellwethers like Cisco told the economic fortunes of the technology sector as a whole. But Cisco's dismal financial showings over the last two years have left some industry observers wondering whether the company still wields much influence, even though it is sti...

Few companies would be likely to admit it, and even fewer would be willing to talk about it publicly, but layoffs can have business benefits that go well beyond short-term cost savings. When done right, they can even help improve morale by reassuring employees that their employer can make tough deci...