Tell me more

Archive for April, 2008

AOL reinvents sites to attract advertisers

AOL has been struggling to update their various web sites since changing their revenue strategy last year. In an effort to attract more advertisers, they have made major changes to a number of their vertical sites, including Money & Finance, ... more

Microsoft explores subscription plan for productivity software

The wires are buzzing this week as Microsoft is reportedly experimenting with subscription-based versions of their productivity and security software packages. The new pricing plan, code-named "Albany", is currently in private beta, and no announcement has yet been made as ... more

New music video site to rival YouTube

A new website aims to compete with YouTube by offering premium quality music videos. The Santa Monica, CA based start-up is PluggedIn Media, and their strategy is decidedly different from Google's "homemade" video site. PluggedIn is firmly within ... more

Competition heats up for RIA platforms

As the popularity of interactive web applications continues to set the standard, the tools developers use to create RIAs (rich internet applications) are increasingly functional and sophisticated. Some focus more on graphics and animation, while some are directed at businesses ... more

Yahoo! to unify services in social networking model

Hot on the heels of Yahoo!'s better-than-expected earnings report, the search company has revealed new plans that will change their social networking strategy. Instead of continuing to pursue Yahoo! 360° as a social networking spot, Yahoo! will open its platforms ... more

Apple earnings report is bad news for Microsoft

In an unexpected twist, yesterday's earnings report from Apple shows that the Silicon Valley giant is still very much dependent on its Macintosh products for revenue. As the Wall Street Journal is reporting, "Apple said it sold 51% ... more

Online identity: how businesses can appeal to multiple personas

In our everyday lives, both online and in the physical world, we all present different versions of ourselves to others. People speak differently to their friends, a clerk at the grocery store, their boss, or a bartender at their favorite ... more

Dilbert goes Web 2.0

Scott Adams' popular workplace comic strip, Dilbert, has undergone a Web 2.0 makeover. The new Dilbert.com hosts a blog, features flash displays of newly color strips, and invites readers to outwit Adams by creating their own punch lines ... more

Businesses honor Earth Day with green policies

Today is the 39th annual celebration of Earth Day, a "holiday" created in 1970 to increase awareness for environmental protection. People around the world will plant trees, conserve electricity and water, stop driving, and make changes to their habits today ... more

Mozy offers online storage for all

A new trend in SaaS applications has emerged in the online storage realm. Everyone from USAToday to CNN Money is recommending that everyday internet users engage in some form of off site document backup. One promising ... more

The Onion hits the “airwaves” online

America's popular spoof news source, The Onion, has launched a web video version of their popular newspaper and website. Onion News Network (ONN) is reaching out to readers with high quality video clips that mimic the style and ... more

Candidates use microtargeting to reach undecided voters

The 2008 presidential candidates are taking a page out of the marketing book in trying to win voters. They are employing a strategy, called microtargeting, that is usually reserved for consumer profiling and customer segmentation. The process involves finding out ... more

iPhone rivals are piling up in 2008

There have been many failed attempts by mobile companies to make the elusive "iPhone killer," a mythical touchscreen device that can compete with the friendly interface and cult popularity of Apple's phone. Because of AT&T's exclusive deal with Apple, the ... more

Yahoo!, Google, and AOL vs. Microsoft and Newscorp.?

In the two months since Microsoft first made an unsolicited $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo!, much speculation has been circulating about how the deal will play out. The rumor mill is churning today, as several new developments have arisen. Yahoo! ... more

Documents on demand: SAAS options for businesses

On-demand software has taken firm hold in the enterprise market. Businesses are turning to web-based applications for everyday activities, particularly when it comes to customer relationship management (CRM) tools. However, most businesses still rely on traditional software suites for document ... more

A second opinion can be part of your employee benefits

Some employers are offering a new employee benefit to compliment traditional health care practices: a second opinion. Large companies such as Genzyme, J.B. Hunt, and EMC have teamed up with a new service called Best Doctors, which provides ... more

The greening of insurance

Many businesses are marketing to a new kind of customer, one who recycles religiously, eats organic/fair trade fruits and vegetables, and shops with their environmental impact in mind. This trend towards eco-friendly products is breaking out of the retail and ... more

LUNARR brings innovation to documentation

A new document creation service has hit the web, and it's inspiring individuals and businesses to change the way they collaborate on documentation. LUNARR, founded in 2006 by entrepreneurs Toru Takasuka and Hideshi Hamaguchi, creates a virtual "back ... more

Adobe pushes SAAS offerings with Photoshop Express

With the recent proliferation of Software As A Service companies pushing out new applications, "traditional" software companies are trying to match their pace. Adobe Systems is no exception, and they've pleased Photoshop fans the world over with the announcement of ... more

Losses from online scams hit all time high

With more and more people accessing the Internet these days for everything from shopping to social networking to medical consultations via live web feed, it's no surprise that web crimes and scams are also on the rise. But just how ... more

Prioritizing pays off in website development

In today's work-a-day world, most of us have multiple projects or tasks that we are working on simultaneously. Some handle multitasking well, and others struggle with it. That is why, under any circumstance, it is important to prioritize. The same ... more

For rent: Amazon’s cloud

In a recent article, Talkibie reported on the increase in software and services that are jumping from the desktop to the web. Large, infrastructure-rich companies are enabling this change by allowing smaller web-based businesses to rent scalable portions ... more

Traffic Arbitrage - the next “get rich quick” scheme?

We are all familiar with the "get rich quick" schemes that have been around for years. Some prove successful, but most fall through. However, as the tech-savvy generation comes into their own, the next big money-making idea centers around website ... more

Widescreen displays increase worker productivity

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah has drawn a solid correlation between widescreen displays and worker productivity. Analysts and industry experts have long suggested a connection between screen set-up and productivity, and the new study ... more

Adobe and Apple spar over Flash

Tensions have been running high recently between Apple, Inc. and Adobe Systems, Inc. over the Internet browsing capabilities of the iPhone. Because the iPhone's web browser is incompatible with Flash Player (the web video streaming technology produced by ... more

Part of the Makibie Family of Products