Online holiday shopping drops 3 percent
Surprising no one, online shoppers cut back on their gift-buying this year. Web sales during the holiday season dropped three percent compared to the same period last year, according to data from comScore. This is the first time online holiday sales have dropped since comScore started collecting e-commerce data in 2001.
The numbers are barely above those included in the report on last-minute shopping that comScore released a week ago, and for good reason — that… Continue Reading
Local yogurt store tells blogger that Steve Jobs is “in great health”
Amid a flurry of (disputed) reports and rumors about Apple chief executive Steve Jobs’ “rapidly declining health,” blogger Robert Scoble did some field work to dig for the truth today.
Well okay, he was in a yogurt shop with his friend, Socialtext cofounder Ross Mayfield, when Mayfield mentioned he had seen Jobs there in the past. So Scoble decided to ask the person working behind the counter if they’d seen Jobs recently. And guess what? They… Continue Reading
A large iPod touch, er, Mac Tablet coming in fall 2009?
Here’s an Apple rumor that is sure to blow all other pre-Macworld rumors out of the water: A large-form iPod touch is in the works, sources tell TechCrunch. The device will supposedly have a 7 or 9 inch screen and is slated to launch in the fall of next year, the sources say.
But let’s call this device what is really is: A Mac Tablet. And if that’s the case, this rumor isn’t anything new, but… Continue Reading
Consumer Reports consumes Consumerist
Gawker Media, the publisher of popular blogs such as Gawker and Jezebel, has sold its Consumerist blog to Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports.
Consumerist snarkily brings readers product deals and discounts as well as critiques and tips for dealing with companies (see “Target ‘not responsible’ for flying carts of doom” for a sample post). The blog is most popular with younger, male readers, with 70 percent aged 18 to 34, although it’s taught me everything… Continue Reading
Domain marketplace NameMedia cancels IPO
NameMedia, a popular domain name marketplace, has abandoned its plans to go public. It first filed for the anticipated $172.5 million sale in November 2007, but says current market conditions are too poor to go forward at this time. Formerly called YesDirect, it was going to use the proceeds to pay down its debt and fund product development.
Based in Waltham, Mass., it received funding from Highland Capital Partners (which owns more than half of the… Continue Reading
Wireless Environment takes $400K for LEDs
Wireless Environment, an Elyria, Ohio company specializing in energy-efficient light emitting diode (LED) fixtures, has brought in $400,000 from JumpStart, an Ohio business development organization. It will use the new funds to develop a set of controls governing when its lighting systems turn on and off and how brightly they shine. JumpStart stepped in when the company was unable to muster support from venture capital firms, reports VentureWire.
Wireless Environment currently has two products on the… Continue Reading
An end to “dupes” on Digg?
On the social voting site Digg, a story that is submitted multiple times is known as a “dupe” or duplicate story. It’s a major problem for the service because it adds a lot of noise to the system and can prevent an important story from getting promoted to the home page, where it would be seen by the most people. But Digg thinks a solution is near.
“Improvements in duplication detection are underway and expected soon,”… Continue Reading
Sylantro and BroadSoft merge to form VoIP powerhouse
The voice-over-internet-protocol space just got less crowded. Big name BroadSoft has just acquired long-time competitor Sylantro Systems for an undisclosed sum. The merger may portend many to come for VoIP companies in 2009 as the recession encourages further consolidation, industry insiders predict.
BroadSoft and Sylantro are unique in that both enjoyed generous venture backing going into the deal — raising $72 million and $113 million respectively to date. Even though it brought in less, Broadsoft was… Continue Reading
Brightkite hooks up with Facebook Connect, makes location-based stalking easier
Brightkite, the social network that broadcasts user locations, has announced that it’s now officially integrated with Facebook Connect. Once authorized, the Brightkite application automatically updates your Facebook status and/or news feed with your location, photos, notes and anything else posted to Brightkite. One of the most recent updates to the service is that you can specify whether the action goes to your Facebook status or news feed.
Enabling Facebook Connect makes Brightkite more competitive in its… Continue Reading
Another negative prediction for online ad spending in 2009
Is this a case of everyone stating the obvious, or of everyone using the same models, or both? Fitch Ratings, a risk assessment firm, has released a new report that expects online ad spending to fall sharply next year as the overall economy contracts, similar to reports by Barclays and other third-party market research firms.
Online ad spending “could be negatively affected by advertisers scaling back experimental expenditures in favor of more proven, performance-based mediums,” the… Continue Reading
The many rumors of Apple’s final Macworld
The Macworld Expo, formerly the most anticipated Apple event of the year (before Apple kicked out its legs by pulling Steve Jobs and announcing it was pulling out entirely next year), starts on Monday. Not surprisingly, rumors of what we can expect from Apple at the event are all over the map. Apple’s senior vice president of product marketing, Phil Schiller, will be giving the keynote address in place of Jobs and he certainly will… Continue Reading
AOL’s web-wide chat plans for AIM still in Powerpoint
AOL is thinking about launching a service that integrates AIM, its instant message service, into other sites, as we reported earlier this month. However, sources close to the company are saying the plans are still in Powerpoint — AOL has just been showing mock-ups to potential partners.
Conceptually, it’s an interesting idea. The plan could make once-dominant AIM — and Bebo, its recently-purchased social network — more central to the web. The service could let users… Continue Reading
Internet providers scramble for slices of broadband pie
It looks like President-elect Barack Obama’s promise to improve the nation’s broadband Internet access has been embraced by both politicians and the telecommunications industry. As usual, however, things get tricky once we dig into the details. The Wall Street Journal reports that how “broadband” is defined, and where the money gets spent (in the form of tax credits, government-backed bonds, and grants), will determine which industries benefit.
The big division is between phone and cable companies…. Continue Reading
China is the biggest: Plans set for a gigawatt of solar panels
China gets a lot of flack for all the coal plants it builds. However, there’s been some evidence that the country could step out as a leader not just in pollution, but in renewable energy too. Two companies have unveiled a plan to build a power plant in the Qaidam Basin of northwestern China containing a gigawatt of solar panels, or enough to light 20 million of your 50 watt lightbulbs at any given moment.
Some… Continue Reading
Hulu will live-stream New Year’s Eve in Times Square so you don’t have to freeze
Hulu will be streaming live coverage of the New Year’s Eve festivities in New York City’s Times Square on Wednesday night starting at 10 p.m. ET. This means you can theoretically watch the famous ball drop from the cozy confines of your couch or bed and be thankful you’re not part of the huddled, freezing masses. But I’m sure you have more exciting plans than that, right?
You can watch the stream here on the site,… Continue Reading
Cree settles patent suit with LED co. Bridgelux
Efficient lighting company Cree has settled its patent infringement lawsuit with Sunnyvale, Calif. LED maker Bridgelux after two years of litigation. Not only must Bridgelux pay to license the technology from Cree — technology that increases the efficiency of LED lighting systems — but it also signed an agreement to make Cree one of its major suppliers.
The suit encompassed six different patents concerning LEDs (long-lasting lighting systems that cut energy use up to 85 percent… Continue Reading
Dean’s top ten family games of 2008
As always, my other top-ten games lists were chock full of the violent fare that I enjoy. But family games are big in my house too, so here’s my list of the best family games of 2008:
1. Wii Fit (Nintendo Wii) Nintendo. May 2008. Yes, this game made multiple lists, but for a good reason. It’s fun. Itgot gamers off their couches and running around in circles, jumping up and down, and trying to keep their… Continue Reading
Roundup: Cisco’s digital stereo, Twitter gets authority search, and more
Here’s the latest action:
Cisco offers digital stereo — The shift to digital entertainment is a big change from the company’s roots in routers and Internet pipes.
The Internet does another round of arguing about Twitter — Loic Le Meur, founder of video site Seesmic, sparked a discussion about the micro-blogging site Twitter by suggesting that the service should allow users to search by something he calls “authority.” Frankly, I got bored with the debate pretty quickly, but hey… Continue Reading
Yes, there are cheats for SimCity on the iPhone
When I first wrote about SimCity coming to the iPhone back in November, the first question someone asked me was if the cheat codes would work. Managing a city can be rough — some people just want to build stuff and see what happens without having to worry about money. Well, I have good news for that crowd: the cheat codes do work — at least some of them.
Following the launch of SimCity in the… Continue Reading