E-Commerce Times: E-Business Means Business

Yahoo Pulls PlayerScale Under Its Umbrella

Friday - May 24, 2013

Yahoo hasn't been playing around when it comes to acquisitions. Its latest, announced Tuesday, is PlayerScale, which makes software infrastructure for cross-platform gaming. Four-year-old PlayerScale has built a sizable audience, and it could fit well with Yahoo's new direction. "This deal is intriguing for a couple of reasons," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "First, this is a people-driven deal in that Yahoo recognizes that the PlayerScale team is as important as the company's technology." [More...]

PRODUCT PROFILE
Crowdsourced App Helps Otis Lift E-Service to Another Level

Friday - May 24, 2013

Mobile CRM is well entrenched in the sales and marketing spaces -- perhaps too entrenched in some cases. However, the third tier of traditional CRM -- service -- has barely been breached by mobile technologies. Some headway has been made, but for the most part it has been in fits and starts. Only a few vendors offer e-service applications for the mobile environment. [More...]

Kutcher's Insight Into Mobile Investments Is No Act

Thursday - May 23, 2013

Actor Ashton Kutcher has his hand in more than just the show Two and a Half Men and other roles, including his portrayal of Steve Jobs in the upcoming film Jobs. While other actors venture into businesses such as clothing lines or fragrances, Kutcher actively invests in the tech community with a venture fund. [More...]

HTC's Exec Exodus Prompts Questions About Company's Future

Thursday - May 23, 2013

Top executives are leaving HTC as the smartphone company's market share dwindles rapidly, according to published reports. The latest to depart is HTC Asia CEO Lennard Hoornik, who joins at least five other senior executives. Those include product strategy manager Eric Lin, who issued a tweet urging colleagues to leave the company. [More...]

ANALYSIS
When Customers Get the Shaft, Companies Are the Biggest Losers

Thursday - May 23, 2013

Do you ever wonder why some companies flourish and grow while others struggle? Why you love doing business with some but not others? It all has to do with how they interact with customers. Hilton Head Island in South Carolina has become my family's favorite vacation destination. There are two big brand name hotels there, and we've experienced a big difference in the way they treat customers. [More...]

ANALYSIS
Integration Plus Intelligence Equals Multichannel Campaign Success

Thursday - May 23, 2013

The personality inventory known as the "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator" is premised on the idea that different people process information in different ways. Some people are verbal processors. Others are visual processors. Some people respond more strongly to images -- others to text. The most effective way to learn is to map the different learning styles to each individual's characteristic strengths. [More...]

Walmart's Mobile App Aims for 'Indispensable' Customer Tools

Wednesday - May 22, 2013

The key for developing a mobile strategy? Understand the customer. That was the theme of Wednesday's keynote presentations at CTIA 2013, the wireless industry trade show held this week in Las Vegas. Companies that address their consumer find higher adoption and engagement. In the case of Walmart, the world's largest retailer has found a way to push boundaries while addressing consumer needs. [More...]

JLo, Verizon Partner on Wireless Stores Targeting Latinos

Wednesday - May 22, 2013

Actress, singer, dancer and fashion designer Jennifer Lopez can now add wireless industry mogul to her resumé. JLo is the big name behind Viva Movil, a new mobile phone retailer that addresses the growing Latino market. Lopez is the founder of Viva Movil, as well as a majority shareholder and its chief creative officer. [More...]

Clearwire Board Gives Nod to Sweeter Sprint Bid

Wednesday - May 22, 2013

Clearwire's special committee and its board of directors recommended that shareholders approve Sprint's increased offer to buy the remaining half of the company. Sprint already owns about 50 percent of Clearwire. It upped its bid to purchase the remaining stake by 14 percent Tuesday, offering $3.40 per share. That offer values Clearwire at $10.7 billion. [More...]

Intel Puts Its Chips on 'New Devices'

Wednesday - May 22, 2013

Intel's new CEO Brian Krzanich showed Tuesday he's ready to put his stamp on the chipmaking giant by announcing a company reorganization that includes a division for new devices. The division, headed by former mobile unit chief Mike Bell, will reportedly focus on emerging product trends. It will be a key component in Intel's attempt to boost its performance where it has lagged rivals. [More...]

GOVERNMENT IT REPORT
White House Pulls Back the Curtains on Big Data Project

Wednesday - May 22, 2013

The U.S. government is awash in data that is collected, stored and disseminated by federal agencies to fulfill their public service missions. However, the existence of huge amounts of information within the government presents a major profit-making opportunity for commercial firms. The Obama administration has now launched a program to make federal data resources much more available. [More...]

CUPERTINO BUSINESS REPORT
Cook Plays Defense Against Senators Over Apple's Taxes

Wednesday - May 22, 2013

Apple CEO Tim Cook defended his company's tax policies in Congress Tuesday, after the Senate released a report that condemned it for tax policies that used global subsidiaries to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes. Apple dodged taxes on as much as $44 billion in foreign income from 2009 to 2012, the report alleges. [More...]

INSIGHTS
SuiteWorld Reveals Cloud ERP's Moment in the Sun

Wednesday - May 22, 2013

NetSuite bloomed this week, in part because of a very well-produced user meeting, SuiteWorld, held in San Jose. However, it also bloomed because there can no longer be any doubt that the market for ERP technology is turning to the cloud. What was once unthinkable -- that ERP could or would ever be delivered as a cloud solution -- has been gaining acceptance [More...]

MicroStrategy's Saylor: Our Mobile Identity Completes Us

Tuesday - May 21, 2013

Mobile identity was the theme that kicked off at a keynote speech Tuesday at CTIA 2013, the wireless industry trade show under way this week in Las Vegas. Michael Saylor, founder, chairman and CEO of MicroStrategy and author of The Mobile Wave, spoke of how mobile identity is becoming a vital part of consumers' lives. [More...]

Browse Earlier Stories