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Apple earlier this month dropped the Bitcoin app Blockchain from its mobile marketplace without giving any explanation. Bitcoin holders obviously were upset with this development. In fact, I recently saw a Web video in which a Bitcoin holder actually shot at and destroyed his iPhone because he was so angry and wanted to make a dramatic statement ...

Criminal and civil allegations of insider trading recently were filed against Brian Jorgenson, a senior portfolio manager at Microsoft. This news amazed me, because over the last few years there has been an abundance of published information about the hazards of insider trading, especially the criminal consequences ...

A short while ago, few people had heard of omni-channel commerce, also known as omni-channel retailing. Today, however, if you were to ask most retail executives, you'd no doubt find that they are well-informed about the subject. In fact, our most ubiquitous brick-and-mortar retailer, Walmart, is currently quite immersed in this relatively new phenomenon...

Bitcoin has had quite a ride this year. In late November, the virtual currency was valued at around US$675. When you compare that to its price of about a year ago, you'll find that the currency has risen about 50 times its year-ago value. Does this make sense? I don't think so ...

As most of us know by now, the Bitcoin is a digital currency, a virtual currency. It is not controlled by any central governmental authority and, as such, is not subject to a government-directed devaluation. Those who hold Bitcoins as an investment should be especially wary because it has experienced wide fluctuations in value due to the market forces surrounding such a monetary unit.

To one who has been predicting the demise of print media in the E-Commerce Times for over five years, it might seem odd that such a techie as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos would buy The Washington Post. Why, even this past November, Bezos said in an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, "one thing I'm certain about: There won't be printed newspapers in 20 years." ...

Whatever happened to that venerable weekly magazine we all knew as Newsweek? ...

The potential of 3D printing and robotics is nothing if not inspiring, but it's difficult even to imagine the extent of the inroads they will make in our manufacturing base or the myriad products they'll eventually produce ...

The more I think about the Bitcoin phenomenon, the more intrigued I am. The creators of the Bitcoin have established a new, virtual currency that's internationally accepted. Additionally, we now have legitimate and seasoned technology investors who are investing in Bitcoin startups. This fact alone makes me take the idea of a virtual currency more seriously.

What's a Bitcoin? A Bitcoin is a form of digital currency whose creator called it "a peer-to-peer, electronic cash system." It is presently used where the parties to a transaction do not want to leave a digital trail, like credit card transactions, or any other trail for that matter. For this reason, the Bitcoin is presently mostly used for gambling, drug transactions, or speculation...

It has become a Web phenomenon, but many people still may not have heard of crowdfunding. In its simplest terms, it is a way an online group of individuals can come together to fund a particular project. To date, most of the projects funded are charitable causes such as free software development, scientific research, disaster relief, the support of artists by a fan base, and civic projects...

There is much lamenting in some quarters that the U.S. has lost its road map in tech innovation. Many point to China as a country in a hurry to catch up to and even pass America in technology. They talk about how China is stressing tech-related endeavors and how forward-looking it is. ...

Much has been said over the last few years about the loss of American jobs to other countries. The fact is that China and India, as well as other cheap labor countries, have taken a good number of jobs. Many of these jobs will likely never return. ...

I recently went to a local Staples store to purchase a cartridge for my HP laser printer. The cost was about US$80, including sales tax. While I was driving home, it suddenly dawned on me that I should have ordered the cartridge from Amazon at a much lower price. ...

During the dot-com era, there were many companies that had to close their doors because they didn't properly manage their cash flow. When these companies ran out of cash, they were forced to go back to the venture capitalists that provided the wherewithal to get the companies started in the first place ...

For those who aren't familiar with the acronym SWOT, it means, "strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats." ...

The extent of Amazon's product offerings is quite breathtaking. Consider that it is not only a powerhouse in book retailing; it also is selling such things as consumer electronics, retail goods, computer services and digital content. Its computer infrastructure is so substantial that it is currently renting it to companies of all sizes on a worldwide basis.

Last month I wrote an article for the E-Commerce Times called "Amazon Spreads its Wings." In it, I talked about the many ventures that Amazon has embarked on, including its rewriting of the rules of publishing and retail sales ...

Amazon.com is now listed number 206 in the Global 500 listing of corporations, a singularly amazing feat for a company that was created in July of 1994 by Jeff Bezos. From a business that started as an online retailer of books, because it could offer more books than the brick-and-mortar bookstores, it has certainly transformed itself into a global electronic behemoth. ...

Some of us have never heard of 3D printing. The fact is, this type of "printing" will revolutionize manufacturing and change where, how fast, and at what cost products will be produced ...