E-Commerce Times: E-Business Means Business

Virtual Personal Assistants: Not Just for the Filthy Rich

Saturday - July 5, 2008

Think only celebrities, high-ranking professionals and the wealthy can enjoy having personal assistants at their beck and call? Not necessarily. A growing number of Web sites are making it easier to outsource virtual errands overseas, making it cheaper to indulge in the luxury of never having to write another thank-you card or sit on hold with the department of motor vehicles. Those who use the sites, for everything from ordering takeout to managing online dating, say the cost is affordable and a small price to free up their time -- even in the face of a sputtering economy. [More...]

OPINION
iTunes' Rivals Are Worth a Look

Saturday - July 5, 2008

If there were a reason to keep using Apple's iTunes Store exclusively to buy music online, it escapes me. Do you buy CDs only from your neighborhood record store? Not unless your best pal owns the store. In the world of physical music sales -- yes, CDs still exist -- there is little reason to spend $14 for an album while another retailer offers it for $10. We shop around for price. [More...]

BEST OF ECT NEWS
Staying Safe in the E-Commerce Jungle

Friday - July 4, 2008

Despite the overwhelming success of e-commerce, there are still consumers out there too terrified to click their cart through a virtual checkout. Are they just a silly-nilly group, nutty as a bunch of conspiracy theorists? Or are the rest of us just too naive to get it? Neither, it turns out. [More...]

BEST OF ECT NEWS
Beat the Recession Blues With CRM

Friday - July 4, 2008

Even in a recession -- if in fact we've crossed that line -- there is still significant economic activity. For example, according to the most recent data I can find, the U.S. economy generated about $13.13 trillion in activity in 2006. That's also known as the "GDP" or gross domestic product. Absent a recession, GDP should increase every year. The question becomes how to participate in that GDP. [More...]

BEST OF ECT NEWS
Waiting on WiFi

Friday - July 4, 2008

WiFi was supposed to effortlessly connect us to the world on the run. Instead, we're all on the run seeking a connection. We skip from airport to coffee shop, from cell connection to hotel hook-up, constantly trying to pace connects and disconnects with our physical location of the moment. We are, in essence, tethered to the one thing that was meant to cut the cord. [More...]

BEST OF ECT NEWS
Is the Tide Turning in the ID Theft War?

Friday - July 4, 2008

Depending on which set of criteria you reference, ID fraud either is on a significant decline or will be a lingering threat for several more years. The general trend points downward. Overall, 2007 saw a 12 percent drop in ID fraud incidences to $6 billion, according to Javelin Strategy & Research's report released in February. [More...]

BEST OF ECT NEWS
Linux Runs for Office

Friday - July 4, 2008

Give office workers familiar with the Microsoft XP operating system an opportunity to try the same navigational tasks at a Linux-based desktop. Then step back and wait for the reaction. First will come the surprised look. Then questions like "where did the command line go?" will soon follow. [More...]

BEST OF ECT NEWS
The Lost Laptop and the $54 Million Lawsuit

Friday - July 4, 2008

A frustrated Best Buy customer has filed a $54 million lawsuit against the electronics retailer in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Her complaint? Best Buy lost the laptop she had brought in for repair; the tech staff was evasive about its whereabouts; and the store refused to compensate her fully for her loss. [More...]

BEST OF ECT NEWS
IT, Apple and the Specter of Sweatshop Labor

Friday - July 4, 2008

In 2006, iPod users -- not to mention Apple shareholders -- were stunned to hear news accounts that workers at a Chinese factory that manufactured the devices were being subjected to abusive living and working conditions. In reality, Apple customers -- or the shareholders at least -- had little to worry about. [More...]

Court Gives Viacom Window on YouTube User Activities

Thursday - July 3, 2008

U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton ruled that Google must provide Viacom with information from its database, including users' YouTube login IDs, the videos they watched, and the time they watched them. Viacom wants the data in order to rebut Google's claim that user traffic to copyrighted content on YouTube is just a small part of the site's overall traffic. [More...]

Browse Earlier stories

Shortcuts