Archive for the ‘Consumers & E-Commerce’ Category
Nokia Unveils E66 and E71 as Competition for Blackberry and iPhone
Author: Atelier16 Jun
On Monday, Nokia unveiled two new phones aimed at the business market in an attempt to create competition for RIM’s dominant Blackberry and Apple’s iPhone.The world’s number one cell phone maker introduced the E66 (picture right) and E71, the company’s newest corporate-aimed smartphones to be shipped and available in July.
The E66 and E71 will begin retailing at around $538 without taxes and operator subsidies, putting it within the price market of the Blackberry Curve and iPhone, though slightly more expensive depending on the model.
HP’s Envious Comeback to the MacBook Air
Author: Deborah Stokol13 Jun
Hewlett-Packard has responded to the MacBook Air with its own lightweight luxury laptop: the new Voodoo Envy 133, a piece that is a touch thinner, if slightly heavier, than its Apple counterpart.While the MacBook Air is 0.76 inches thick and weighs in at 3.00 pounds, HP’s razor creation is 0.70 inches thick and 3.40 pounds, VentureBeat explained Tuesday.
HP’s TouchSmart a Combination of iPhone and PC
Author: Danny Scuderi13 Jun
Among 17 new products unveiled by Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday was the TouchSmart All-in-One PC, the company’s newest computer featuring touch-screen technology.The TouchScreen responds to fingertip movement much like Apple’s iPhone, and it is built around photo, music, and gaming functions, though it still has normal PC capabilities.
The social and interactive qualities of the new computer will help market it to a young generation of iPhone lovers and social networking users, but its price will appeal to all.
Starting at $1,299, the TouchSmart is very competitive with its rivals, but being the first PC with touch-screen technology sets it apart, for better or worse.
Some are critical about the idea itself, saying that a touch-screen PC appeals to a niche market that may not fully embrace the idea, especially considering the ever-advancing smartphone technology.
Also, the TouchSmart runs exclusively on Microsoft’s Vista operating system, with no plans to create versions that can run on other systems such as Linux.
The most sensational device on the market with similar technology is Apple’s iPhone, but HP has been developing touch-screen technology for almost 25 years.
Still, the popularity of the iPhone can signal either a great future for the TouchSmart, or an extremely dismal one.
It is telling that Apple has not created a similar computer after the high sales of the iPhone, but their neglect of such a user-friendly PC market might be just the thing that drives the TouchSmart to sell well.
The TouchSmart will go on sale in 17 countries starting July 13th, including the United States, Britain, Japan, China, and India.
Just like the iPhone, if the TouchSmart sells well initially, look for it to be around for a while. If not, it might be too radical an idea for a PC.
Apple Promises to Bring the iPhone 3G to 3D
Author: Deborah Stokol10 Jun
San Francisco’s Moscone Center became a temporary haven as 5,200 people eagerly crowded into Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to hear Apple Inc. Co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs unveil the new incarnation of the iPhone.Little less than a year after what has jokingly been called the Jesus Phone was born, Jobs announced the iPhone 3G would become available July 11, 2008.
“[This is] something dear to my heart…the iPhone. In that first year we sold 6 million iPhones since we ran out some weeks ago…The next mountain we have to climb to go to the next level…3G,” he told the developers and those listening to the audio stream taking place live.
The newest “smartphone” is 3G, which works about 2/3 faster than EDGE. Two versions of the sleek black or white phone will be available: the 8 GB and the 16 GB. Jobs hopes to start selling it in 25 countries but eventually move to legal distribution in more than 70 countries.
“We’ve sold iPhone in six countries so far, but believe me, they’re in use ALL over the world.” He laughed, “it’s clear there is a demand.”
The iPhone 2.0 features include a built in GPS, virtual instruments on which to compose music, extended battery life and talking time.
It also offers languages not previously seen in the iPhone such as two forms of entry on the touchpad for Japanese and two forms for Chinese.
“It’s one of the great advantages of not having plastic keys for your keyboard,” he said chuckling while taking a stab at the more computer-like BlackBerry keyboards and the complaints some iPhone users have brought against Apple, saying the touchpad was frustrating and difficult to use.
Apple’s 4.7 oz. gizmo also includes a flushed headphone jack (accommodating those not wishing to purchase a set of earphones specific to the phone), WiFi and a 2 megapixel camera.
Videoconferencing is not its forte, and the iPhone 3G is a two-year commitment. But it bears a clearly attractive, salient feature: its price.
The 8GB model will go for $199 (an impressive drop from last year’s $599) and the 16 GB will sell at $299 while both will sustain an additional $30 per month for internet use.
With such thunderous audience applause, such facets and such price, though, it’s interesting to note that Apple’s stocks plunged Monday. Still, come July the stores in those countries are going to be busy.
Amazon to Offer Streaming Video within Several Weeks
Author: Atelier2 Jun
Amazon is preparing to launch a streaming video service in order to better compete with digital content rivals Apple and Netflix.The Internet’s largest vendor, Amazon.com is hoping to increase its sales of digital content, including music and movies. In an effort to promote its offerings while increasing revenue, the company will soon launch a streaming video service, though details are scant.
At Wall Street Journal’s conference D: All Things Digital, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed the company’s newest offering, saying the service will start out as a pay-as-you-go service, but considering its nearest competitor in the market, Netflix, it may change to a monthly subscription soon after launch.
The service will be the newest addition to the site, as it tries to dent the markets of iTunes and Netflix.
Recently, Amazon added more digital content to its site, offering video, music, and television show downloads. The company also has a partnership with TiVo that enables users to access Amazon’s Unbox service to order and watch videos on their television.
iTunes has long been the dominant provider of digital music, but Amazon’s music service aims to grab some of the market through a wider variety of music, as its music catalogue is bigger—by about four million songs.
The lack of details regarding Amazon’s new service may signal a precise plan to target Netflix, or that the company is still finishing the final details.
Either way, look for Netflix to have a significant competitor in the near future, considering the scope of Amazon’s user-base and the company’s growing variety of digital content.
By Danny Scuderi
Napster Converts to MP3s to Compete with iTunes
Author: Atelier27 May
Napster is now selling MP3s, as the company hopes to better compete with music-selling rivals Amazon and iTunes and improve declining sales in the past years.The MP3 is an unrestricted file, which means it can play on any digital music device. By changing to the MP3 format, Napster hopes its vast catalogue of music will lure iPod users, among others.
The music industry has long been opposed to licensing music in MP3 format, but because of declining sales over the last decade many labels have begun licensing songs in such a format.
Napster’s MP3s will still be offered for download under the copyright restrictions, which it has with all of the major record labels. The songs are priced at 99 cents each, with entire albums starting at $9.95.
Amazon is the only other online music store to offer music from all the major record labels, and iTunes only recently began selling MP3s from the EMI Group PLC labels.
iTunes’ MP3s, though, are more expensive because of their higher quality.
Because of the dominance of iTunes in digital music, Napster plans on marketing its new MP3s by emphasizing the size of its music catalogue.
iTunes only has a partnership with one record label, and Napster hopes to lure people who cannot find the songs they want in Apple’s music store.
Though Amazon has similar partnerships with the same labels as Napster, it contains about a million fewer songs—5 million compared to Napster’s 6 million.
With the conversion to MP3s, Napster hopes to also sign more subscribers to its monthly service, which enables users to download an unlimited quantity of music for $14.95.
With its declining sales, the company hopes its conversion to MP3s will help, but it seems unlikely considering iTunes’ dominance in the market and the vast, free file-sharing that is slowly crippling the music industry.
By Danny Scuderi
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Internet Has Small Influence Over Purchasing Behavior
Author: Atelier21 May
A new study finds that people better regard the advice of friends and sales associates over the Internet when buying music, cell phones and real estate.The Pew Internet and American Life Project investigated how consumers purchased music, cell phones and real estate (including renting an apartment) and concluded the Internet’s role on purchasing behavior is indirect.
The study, based on telephone interviews with 2,400 adults over the age of 18 from August to September 2007, also suggests that a majority of consumers continue to buy in stores while the Internet is one of many sources people refer to inform their purchases.
"The Internet helps people eliminate irrelevant alternatives," said John Horrigan, Pew’s associate director. "The Internet may influence the choice modestly but has important consequences in getting better deals and in having a more focused search process along the way."
Only 7 percent of music purchasers, 10 percent of cell phone buyers, and 11 percent of those buying homes acknowledge the Internet had a major impact on their buying decision. What’s more, while 22 percent of the music customers and 12 percent of cell phone users bought their items over the Internet, no real estate purchases were reported using the Internet.
When researching the best products prior to making a purchase, the study reports the Internet was not the number one source for information.
83 percent of music consumers learn about music from the radio, TV, or in a movie while 64 percent learned about music from family, friends, or co-workers. 59 percent of cell phone shoppers turn to an expert or salesperson for recommendations.
When it comes to real estate, 49 percent of purchasers recalled using the Internet to preview properties, with 57 per cent of those respondents saying the Web helped narrow the list of homes they eventually viewed in person.
By Kathleen Clark
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"Phishing" Scam Steals Personal Data from Thousands of U.S. Citizens
Author: Atelier20 May
38 suspects have been charged with crimes involving the theft of names, Social Security identification numbers, credit card information and other personal data from U.S. Internet users and financial institutions.The U.S. government has found incriminating evidence to support the indictment of members of a global crime ring for illegally collecting personal data from trusting Internet users. More than half of those charged are Romanian while the scams were also managed from the United States, Canada, Portugal and Pakistan. Two Romanians involved in both schemes linked the cases.
The scam, known as “phishing,” involves obtaining information through fraudulent e-mails that direct Internet users to fake websites that seem legitimate and ask for personal information. The e-mails may also include attachments to install "spyware" that can capture personal data that is sent to third parties over the Internet.
The latest offenses indicate the growing threat of organized crime groups committing crimes over the Internet.
"International organized crime poses a serious threat not only to the United States and Romania but to all nations," Deputy Attorney General Mark R. Filip said in a statement from Bucharest, where the charges were announced. "Criminals who exploit the power and convenience of the Internet do not recognize national borders; therefore our efforts to prevent their attacks cannot end at our borders either."
Racketeering, bank fraud and identity theft are among the charges against 33 people in Los Angeles. Prosecutors believe the Romanian con artists gathered thousands of credit and debit card account numbers and other personal information from people who responded to the spam e-mail. The collected data were then routed to the United States for encoding on magnetic cards that could be used to withdraw money from bank accounts.
By Kathleen Clark
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New Data Shows Identity Theft Occurrence at Major Banks
Author: Atelier14 May
A new study conducted at the University of California’s Berkeley Center for Law and Technology reveals which U.S. financial institutions have the highest occurrences of identity theft claims.Using the Freedom of Information Act, researcher Chris Hoofnagle applied identity theft complaint data collected by the Federal Trade Commission in 2006 to research determining which institutions reported a higher incidence of theft. In releasing the results of the study, Hoofnagle aims to reveal to consumers which institutions reported a higher incidence of customer account takeovers.
More than ever, identity theft is an important issue, especially in an age where personal information hovers in cyberspace where billions upon billions of people surf each day. Thus, according to Hoofnagle, institutions owe it to customers to be open about theft concern.
On the whole, financial institutions recorded the most incidents of theft compared to other types of institutions.
Bank of America led the list with 3,351identity theft claims during January, March and September of 2006. JP Morgan/Chase/Bank One fell in at number two with 1,839 incidents, followed by Capital One with 1,328 incidents.
The results also recognized theft in the telecommunications industry with AT&T and Sprint leading with the highest occurrences; though, no metric exists in the research to compare financial institutions with telecom companies.
Hoofnagle admits to gaps in the research and welcomes “constructive criticism, suggestions, and comments in an effort to shine light on the identity theft problem.” The study is only an initial attempt to measure how institutions perform while handling theft.
Ultimately, Hoofnagle hopes his study will promote a standard dialogue between consumers and companies concerning the occurrence of identity theft. As the data is built upon and improved, consumers can use the information to choose safer institutions, and company regulators can better monitor theft and protect customers in addition to themselves.
By Kathleen Clark
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Technology Companies Create Forum To Network Household Electronics
Author: Atelier1 May
Several top technology companies have formed a group to promote the networking of household electronics in order to more easily share digital media.Panasonic, Intel, Infineon and Texas Instruments are the four leading members of the HomeGrid Forum, a panel comprised of technology companies in order to make standard the wiring of PCs, TVs and entertainment systems.
The goal is to make all of these household technologies operational through a computer, thus limiting the amount of remote controls and labor involved in switching from one to the other.
The four companies will test and market a standard to bring together the electronics through the electricity and cable lines already existent and in use in most American houses.
"Powerline is the most ubiquitous technology in the world. You have powerlines to almost every house in the world," Intel’s Matt Theall, president of the new HomeGrid Forum said on a conference call to Msnbc.com.
Within a year they hope that new products will be compatible with this network standard and enable simple sharing of media between them.
The four companies will work with the International Telecommunications Union and a standard they have already been working on, hopefully speeding up the process and bringing the technology to homes more quickly.
The HomeGrid Forum is similar to the Wi-Fi Alliance, in which a similar group of companies worked to make wireless the household standard and produced thousands of products to be wireless-compatible.
Seven other members of the HomeGrid Forum include Aware, Gigle Semiconductor, Pulse Link, Ikanos, Sigma Designs, DS2 and Westell, with more companies to come into the group.
Household electronics integration will probably prosper come a year from now, and it will be just the beginning of networked technologies.
By Danny Scuderi
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