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Category: Business

Enterprise and Small Business News

  • Fandango Launches App For The Android Platform

    Fandango today introduced a free movie app for Google’s Android platform at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

     The Fandango Movies, Times & Tickets app allows users to find movies and showtimes, view trailers, locate theaters, view fan ratings and buy tickets.

    Users can find movies playing in their local area by using Android’s GPS feature and connecting to Google Maps for driving directions, or they can browse films under "Opening This Week", "Top Box Office" and "Coming Soon" features.

    Fandango-Android

    Movie fans can also add theaters to a "Favorites" list for faster searching and purchase tickets for more than 16,000 movie screens. Users can sign into their Fandango account to purchase tickets with their credit card stored online or securely store their credit card to the device for faster purchasing.

    As a limited time offer users who download or upgrade the Fandango Android app now through Oscar night, March 7, 2010, can purchase tickets with no service fee.
     

    Related Articles:

    > New Google Phone Has Tech Community Licking Chops

    > New Google Maps For Android Gets Experimental

    > Apple Fans Respond To The "Droid Does" Advertising Campaign

     

  • Rumor: AOL May (Not) Be Buying Mashable

    Update: According to Business Insider, Pete Cashmore had this to say on the matter: 

    We’re very open to partnerships and always talk with those that get in touch. We’ve certainly spoken to lots of potential partners, some of those conversations more significant than others. But I don’t feel that any of those conversations reached a point at which Mashable is likely to cease being independent.

    Original Article:     In mid-2009, all-things-social-media blog Mashable surpassed TechCrunch as the top tech blog in terms of traffic. Now, Mashable is rumored to be on its way to becoming an AOL property.

    In late 2009, AOL revealed its new strategy away from Time Warner. That strategy is content, content, content, and that is something there is no shortage of from Mashable.

    Gawker’s Valleywag appears to be the source of the rumor after hearing from "a source at the Internet conglomerate" that AOL was interested in buying Mashable. Mashable owner Pete Cashmore has since told the publication:

    "We don’t comment on speculation, but we do hold our writers in high regard and pay a competitive salary for their tireless efforts."

    However, since then, famed tech blogger Robert Scoble has posted the following tweet:

    Scoble Tweets about Mashable

    It’s still only a rumor at this point, but it will be quite interesting to see how this one unfolds. Valleywag thinks the only hold up might be negotiations.

    Mashable certainly fits the profile of what AOL is trying to do these days. They cover a wide spectrum of topics (horizontally, if you will), while staying somewhere within the realm of social media, for the most part. One has to wonder if the writers would stay the same if such a deal were to go through.
     

    Related Articles:

    > TechCrunch Dethroned by Mashable as Top Tech Blog

    > Increase Search Traffic with Horizontal Content

    > The New AOL is Now Live

  • Hitwise: Vevo Still Dependent On YouTube

    Hitwise: Vevo Still Dependent On YouTube

    Different opinions exist regarding whether or not Vevo will ever be a big success; on the one hand, it doesn’t offer anything that other video sites don’t.  On the other, well, music labels’ lawyers may work to ensure it’s something special.  But either way, Vevo owes YouTube its life at this early stage.

    Right from the start, everyone understood that YouTube would try to send all music video watchers to Vevo, of course.  Still, the stats are somewhat astonishing.  For the week ending January 2nd, Hitwise’s Heather Dougherty found that YouTube accounted for about 80.64 percent of Vevo’s traffic.

    Google, Facebook, and MySpace then played supporting roles (3.44 percent, 2.43 percent, and 1.80 percent, respectively).

    This raises a couple of questions: will Vevo be able to get away from using YouTube as its primary source of traffic?  And does it even need to?  Plenty of sites do fine with just a fraction of the visitors YouTube sees.

    Here’s one more troubling detail, though: as you can see from the graph below, Hitwise has already recorded a drop in Vevo’s market share.

    We’ll try to see where Vevo stands when it’s had a full six or twelve months to establish a following.

    Related Articles:

    > Vevo Reaches Content Agreement With EMI

    > Vevo Gets Official Launch Date

    > AT&T Strikes Ad Deal With Vevo

  • Warner Bros. And Netflix Reach New Deal

    Warner Bros. And Netflix Reach New Deal

    Warner Bros. said today it has reached a new agreement with Netflix to make new Warner titles on DVD and Blu-ray available to Netflix members after a 28-day window.

    The move by Warner is an effort to squeeze all the potential profit it can from its new releases. Warner says under the deal Netflix will benefit by paying the studio less for new releases. The agreement also expands the license for Warner Bros. streaming content allowing Netflix to offer its members more movies they can watch instantly.
    Ted-Sarandos
    "We’ve been discussing new approaches with Warner Bros. for some time now and believe we’ve come up with a creative solution that is a ‘win-win’ all around," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix.

    "We’re able to help an important business partner meet its objectives while improving service levels for our members by acquiring substantially more units than in the past after a relatively short sell-through window. At the same time, we’re able to extend the range of choices available to be streamed to our members."

    Warner Bros. says 75 percent of new release sales occur in the first four weeks of availability. New releases from all suppliers account for about 30 percent of Netflix shipments. Look for more studios to follow Warner’s lead.


    Related Articles:

    > Netflix Strikes Deal With Samsung

    > Netflix Now Streaming ABC Shows

    > Netflix Announces Contest Winner… Finally

     

  • Online Holiday Spending Hits $29.1 Billion

    Online Holiday Spending Hits $29.1 Billion

    Online holiday spending during 2009 reached $29.1 billion, representing a four percent increase over the same period last year, according to a new report from comScore.

    "The 2009 online holiday shopping season was a positive one as its growth rate slightly surpassed our forecast and returned to solidly positive rates after nearly a full year of marginally negative growth," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

    "Among the highlights of the season was the first $900 million online spending day and a strong late season spending surge, propelled by effective retailer promotions, guaranteed shipping and a major snowstorm on the eastern seaboard that convinced many to shop from the comfort of home."

    Holiday-Sales

    Tuesday, December 15 was the heaviest online spending day of the year and of all time, at $913 million, one of nine individual spending days to surpass $800 million during the 2009 holiday season.

    Cyber Monday ranked as the second heaviest spending day of the season, the highest it has ever ranked, with $887 million in spending. The third heaviest spending day of the year was Tuesday, December 1, with $886 million in spending, followed by Wednesday, December 16 with $874 million and Monday December 14 with $854 million.

    Jewelry & watches rank as the top performing online retail category for the holiday season growing 20 percent over 2008. Consumer electronics ranked second with 15 percent sales growth, driven by strong sales of flat panel TVs, mobile devices and e-readers. Other categories performing well included event tickets (up 8%), computer hardware (up 7%) and books & magazine (up 6%).
     

    Related Articles:

    >Cyber Monday Deals Attract Online Shoppers

    >Walmart Wins Thanksgiving, Amazon Wins Black Friday

    >Online Retailers See Strong Cyber Monday Sales

     

  • DivX Rolls Out Online TV Platform At CES

    DivX Rolls Out Online TV Platform At CES

    Digital media company, DivX, said today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it is introducing an embedded Internet TV platform called DivX TV, which offers access to online media content streamed directly to any connected device.

    DivX TV does not require a PC or a set-top box to access online content. The platform can be supported on almost any kind of Internet connected device, including digital televisions, blu-ray players and gaming consoles.

    "DivX TV revolutionizes the television experience by giving consumers quick and easy access to a virtually limitless universe of online content, and it’s as simple to operate as changing channels with a remote control," said Kevin Hell, CEO of DivX, Inc.

    "Our partners will also be pleased to know that DivX TV is designed specifically to work with today’s mass market consumer electronics. It’s easy to implement and support and new content sources can be added with very little effort."

    DivX-TV

    LG Electronics has signed as the first manufacturer to license the DivX TV platform for upcoming Blu-ray players and home theaters.

    DivX TV will offer content including online video, movies, music channels, social networking and photo-sharing sites. Currently there are more than 70 content channels in place and the company says it expects to sign on more partners by the first launch of a DivX TV device.

     

    Related Articles:

    > CES About to Kick Off the Year in Technology

    > Cisco Leaving a Big Mark on Consumer Electronics Show

    > Looking Back on CES

     

  • Use Your BlackBerry to Give Presentations

    Use Your BlackBerry to Give Presentations

    At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas, Research in Motion (RIM) unveiled a new device called the BlackBerry Presenter, which is a way for users to wirelessly present Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, and other image files right from their BlackBerry smartphone. Pretty cool.

    "BlackBerry Presenter helps simplify the presentation experience by allowing professionals to lighten their travel load and leave their laptops back at the office," says RIM’s Douglas Soltys.

    The device includes a loop mode, which lets you set the time between slides and leave it running as you deliver a presentation. It also has a Freeze mode, which will freeze a slide on-screen while you browse through the rest of your presentation on your smartphone. It supports PowerPoint effects, Bluetooth connection, and is compatible with multiple online video formats.

    Here’s what it looks like:

    BlackBerry Presenter

    RIM lists the following as system requirements for the device:

    1. Video output device and a VGA cable or an S-Video cable.

    2. BlackBerry Presenter is not supported by the BlackBerry Curve 8300 Series and/or BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8200 Series smartphones.

    3. Upgrading BlackBerry Presenter firmware requires (a) an Intel compatible computer with an available USB port that is compliant with USB 1.1 or higher and that is running the Microsoft Windows XP or later operating system and (b) BlackBerry Device Software v4.6 or later.

    BlackBerry Presenter Specs:

    Physical Dimensions (LxWxH)
    3.4 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches (86 x 60 x 23 mm)

    Languages Supported:
    English, French, Italian,
    German, Spanish

    Video Formats Supported:
    NTSC, PAL

    Video Cable Support:
    S-Video, VGA

    Power Connections:
    USB

    Display Resolution Support:
    640×480 (VGA), 800×600
    (SVGA), or 1024×768 (XGA)

    Bluetooth:
    Version 2.0 + EDR, Class 1.5

    Carrying Case:
    Synthetic Leather

    Watch for more WebProNews coverage of CES, with exclusive video interviews coming soon.


    Related Articles:

    > CES: Opera Releases New SDKs and New Browser

    > Cisco Leaving a Big Mark on Consumer Electronics Show

    > HP Unveils New Touch Notebook and Some New Minis at CES

  • Opera Releases New SDKs and New Browser

    Opera is unveiling three new releases at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This includes two new software development kits (SDKs), the Opera Devices 10.15 SDK for Linux and Windows CE (WinCE) platforms, and the company’s new standalone browser, Opera Devices 10 for WinCE (beta).

    Christen Krogh "Opera Devices SDKs are built with freedom and flexibility at their core, giving customers the ability to build a full Web browser, a widget or an application platform on any connected device, including TVs, STBs, media players, mobile Internet devices, and many more," said Christen Krogh, Chief Development Officer at Opera Software. "The TV industry’s evolution and innovation has created a demand for toolkits that can handle next generation IPTV and hybrid broadcast/broadband services on any TV screen. Opera Devices SDK for Linux is just the comprehensive client to help customers harness the power of Web technology."

    Opera SDK features include:

    – Opera Turbo
    – Flash Lite 3.1
    – HTML5/CSS3
    – Widgets

    Opera says the Linux version has a few additional features, such as:

    – Hardware acceleration – Opera Devices SDK for Linux now takes advantage of accelerated hardware to boost page rendering. The SDK also supports DirectFB for tighter integration with hardware platforms.

    – OOIF – Opera’s Open IPTV Framework allows for the development of HbbTV and OIPF clients, compliant with next-generation IPTV or hybrid broadcast/broadband services. For more information, go to www.oipf.org and www.hbbtv.org.

    – Opera Widgets for TV – Opera’s acclaimed Widgets for TV demo has been extended with remote control inputs and now includes Web browsing, a fitting addition to the widgets experience.

    The Opera Devices 10 browser for Windows CE supports Opera Turbo and includes features like portrait/landscape mode, URL auto-completion, touch screen browsing, visual tabs, and Opera’s Speed Dial shortcuts to pre-selected web content.

    Watch for more WebProNews coverage of CES, with exclusive video interviews coming soon.


    Related Articles:

    > CES About to Kick Off the Year in Technology

    > Cisco Leaving a Big Mark on Consumer Electronics Show

    > HP Unveils New Touch Notebook and Some New Minis

  • Global Consumers Willing To Pay For Some Online Content

    Many global consumers are willing to pay for some online content or are open to increased advertising, but attitudes vary greatly by geography, demographics and content type, according to a new survey by Nielsen.

    Nielsen polled more than 27,000 consumers in 54 countries to determine attitudes about paying for online content and to gauge what types of content consumers were most likely to support financially.

    More than half (57%) of global consumers are willing to pay for professionally produced content such as music and movies, while 50 percent are willing to pay for current Tv shows.

    Paying-for-content

    Only 20 percent of consumers are willing to pay for blogs and less than a quarter (24%) would pay for user-generated video content. Nielsen found consumers are more likely to spend money on what they currently pay for, instead of what they already receive for free.

    Nearly half of global respondents indicated they would be open to more ads to support free content, but that varies by market. For example, 57 percent of respondents in the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan are more open to advertising, while just 40 percent in North America and 39 percent in Europe feel the same way.

     

    Related Articles:

    > Nielsen Also Puts Bing Up In November

    > November Online Video Trends A Mixed Bag

    > Online Video Viewing Continues To Boom

     

  • Cisco Showcases Big Video Plans

    Cisco Showcases Big Video Plans

    Cisco has quite a large presence at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year. The company is showcasing some interesting new video experiences at the event.

    Today Cisco announced new customers, features, and professional service options for the Cisco Eos social entertainment platform. The company also announced that it is providing a medianet (a media-aware IP video network infrastructure) to NBC during the network’s coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Winter Games, February 12-28.

    Ned Hooper"Video is rapidly expanding from a lean-back experience confined to the living room, to a new breed of exciting video experiences available on any device or screen — anytime, anywhere," said Ned Hooper, chief strategy officer and senior vice president, Consumer Business at Cisco. "The network is the platform to make this happen, and as a result, we are enabling new experiences that allow consumers to easily capture and share their lives and connect with the people and content that matter most to them."

    Cisco also announced today its data for Flip Video obtained during the 2009 holiday season, which highlights huge growth in video usage over the past year. The company says, "There were more than one million Flip Videos uploaded through FlipShare software in December 2009. These uploads represent three million minutes of Flip videos viewed, which is equivalent to more than six years of continuous video streaming, representing an increase of 395% from December the year before. In addition, there were 42,000 gigabytes of video streamed in December, up from 525% the year prior, indicating an increase in HD video usage."

    Cisco says it will be sharing its vision and progress towards developing an "entirely new category" of video communication called “home telepresence”, while at CES. This uses consumers’ existing HDTV and broadband connection to deliver a unique natural video communication experience from the living room, according to the company.

    "With Cisco’s best-in-class telepresence technology and networks such as Verizon’s advanced, all-fiber-optic network, we believe we will deliver a video communication experience to consumers unlike anything they’ve seen before," said Marthin DeBeer, senior vice president and general manager for Cisco’s Emerging Technologies group. "Home telepresence will make a difference in consumers’ lives by allowing them to enjoy natural video communications with family and friends wherever they are located. To ensure that early home telepresence users will have plenty of friends and family to communicate with, in addition to calling other home telepresence users, they will be able to place calls to PCs using a webcam and video chat service."

    More details about Cisco’s announcements can be found here and here.

    Watch for more WebProNews coverage of CES, with exclusive video interviews coming soon.

    Related Articles:

    > CES About to Kick Off the Year in Technology

    > The Truth About CES

    > Looking Back on CES

  • USA Today Rolls Out New Homepage

    USA TODAY has introduced a newly designed homepage, the first major redesign for the site since 2007.

    The new site offers improved navigation and a cleaner feel with the aim of making it easier for users to find content. The new homepage loads 25 to 35 percent faster allowing users to get to news content quickly. Initially the redesign is launching just on the homepage and more changes will be visible over the rest of the site in the coming weeks.

    The top part of the homepage displays main stories and unique content and includes a listing of the sites most popular stories.  Below that , there is a row of multimedia content featuring graphics, videos, and photo galleries. Further down, content is grouped by print and online-only sections to include: News, Money, Life, Sports, Better Life, Weather, Tech, Travel and Opinion.

    "Over the last few years we at USATODAY.com have been listening to feedback, watching users engage with our site and analyzing usage patterns," said Jeff Webber, publisher of USA TODAY.com.

    "We believe these improvements to USATODAY.com improve our home page, better serving our readers and offering new opportunities for our partners."
     

    Related Articles:

    >Newspapers Not Effectively Using Social Media

    >Google News SEO Tips-Ranking In News Search

    >Newsday To Charge For Online Access

  • Opera CEO Steps Down, Immediately Replaced

    Jon von Tetzchner has stepped down as CEO of Opera, though he will remain with the company full-time in a "strategic and independent" capacity. Opera has appointed Lars Boilesen to take his place as CEO.

    Jon Von TetzchnerJon von Tetzchner co-founded the company fifteen years ago. Boilesen has held executive positions at Alcatel-Lucent where he was CEO for the Nordics and the Baltics. He has also served at Opera Software where he was Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, from 2000 to 2005. A year ago, he rejoined Opera as Chief Commercial Officer, and has served on the company’s Board of Directors as Vice Chairman.

    "Lars Boilesen brings both a very significant industry experience and a deep understanding of Opera to the role as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. In short, Opera’s spirit runs through his veins," says Jon von Tetzchner. "My decision to assume a new role in Opera is based on a lengthy consideration process. As outgoing Chief Executive, I leave confident in the company’s continued leadership in key markets, our strong management team, our ongoing commitment to innovation, and our robust financial foundation."

    Lars Boilesen"I was very happy about convincing Lars to come back to Opera one year ago. Today, I am very excited about asking him to take over as CEO as we continue our growth and global expansion. We have worked closely together for many years and I am certain that he is the right person to lead Opera into a very bright future," added von Tetzchner.

    "I am impressed with what Opera has achieved under Jon’s leadership," says Boilesen. "We provide browser technology not only to nearly 100 million consumers worldwide, but also to the major players in the industry: Vodafone, T-Mobile, Nintendo, KDDI, SKT, Nokia, Samsung, Toshiba and Sony Ericsson to name but a few. Our focus going forward is to execute on our current strategy and continue to deliver the best browser experience to the breadth of our customer and user base."

    Opera says Boilesen played a crucial role in transforming Opera from a desktop browser vendor into a leader in cross-platform browsing.

    Related Articles:

    > Opera Turbo Sees 60% User Growth in One Month

    > 40 Million Reasons You Need a Mobile Web Presence

    > Opera Releases Latest Version of Popular Mobile Browser

  • Hulu Investor May Help Launch Similar Site In China

    An investment group with significant ties to Hulu may now be ready to help a similar site launch in China.  A report’s connected Providence Equity Partners to both Baidu and a new online video destination.

    Let’s start with a little history.  Once upon a time (or in mid-2007, to be more exact), Providence Equity Partners invested $100 million in Hulu, giving it a ten percent stake that it holds to this day.  Providence Equity Partners has also established links to entertainment entities like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Music Group, and the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network.

    It seems to have a knack for investing in important organizations, then.

    Which might bring us to its latest undertaking.  Reuters reported this morning that Providence Equity Partners and Baidu will "set up an online video channel in China," and that the pair "will team up to create a fund to buy licensed content to show on the channel."

    Also, "The channel . . . is set to launch in the first quarter."

    So it shouldn’t be long before more details surface and we can make guesses about whether this video site is likely to sink or float.

    Related Articles:

    > Hulu CEO Shares 2009 Stats

    > Microsoft Dubs China "Most Important Strategic Market"

    > Baidu Readying Mobile App

  • More Media/Ad Trend Predictions for 2010

    More Media/Ad Trend Predictions for 2010

    In a recent article, we looked at some predictions from Nielsen for advertising trends in 2010. These included optimizing media convergence being a top priority, new models emerging to take advantage of smartphones, more cross-media ad campaigns, an increase in commercialization of social networking hubs, and more interesting and interactive online ads.

    A representative for Cross MediaWorks sent us some predictions for media, advertising and content trends in 2010 from that firm as well, that are worth sharing. These come from CEO Marc Krigsman (formerly EVP of Primedia Digital Video) and COO Larry Rubin (formerly SVP, Business Development, USA Networks and Vice President, Associate General Counsel – Transactions, Viacom).

    Cross MediaWorks 1. An improvement in ad spending in 2010, especially by the automotive, financial, and healthcare industries. However, spending will not return to pre-downturn levels. Overall, they think it will be a conservative year with conservative growth as companies concentrate on fine tuning their messages.

    2. There will [be] more emphasis on measurement of performance in 2010 with data being incorporated from other areas such as shopping carts, social media, and credit-card data.

    3. Advertising on both broadcast and cable television will remain the most cost-effective option for advertisers; viewership for both will continue to increase in 2010.

    4.  Spending on online and mobile will not get ahead of television for at least eight to ten years.

    5.  Smartphones like the iPhone will continue to pave the way for content platforms to emerge that will drive more users to mobile sites; however, what is considered a valuable mobile ad will remain undefined until that happens.

    6.  In the coming year, there will be a greater emphasis on "active eyeballs" as opposed to "passive eyeballs" with regards to online advertising and online ads will get more visual, [and] include multimedia.

    7. Video content available online will have to move to a subscription model or one with more advertising as media comes at a cost.  In television’s early days, for example, entire programs were paid for by an advertiser like "Texaco Star Theater."

    8. The Web can’t yet deliver a video product comparable to HD and the top-trafficked Web sites are informational; consumers continue to go to the Internet to look for information about their bank, their phones, etc.

    While we’re no the subject of predictions about trends for 2010, let’s not overlook a recent survey by Silverpop, which found that 40% of email marketers plan on increasing their budgets for the channel in 2010 and 47% said their budgets would stay the same.

    Related Articles:

    > Nielsen Shares Predictions for Advertising Trends in 2010

    > Email Marketing Budgets Set For Increase In 2010

    > Online Video Viewing Continues To Boom

     

  • ChaCha Closes $7 Million Round of Funding

    ChaCha Closes $7 Million Round of Funding

    Answers service ChaCha announced today that it has closed a $7 million E round of funding. The service lets users go online, call, or text questions on mobile phones and receive answers "within minutes" for free. The service has an iPhone app and lets people ask questions via Twitter as well.

    This round of funding might be particularly significant for the company. "We believe this latest round provides ChaCha the cash required to reach profitability," says CEO Scott A. Jones.

    Over the past four years, since its inception, ChaCha has raised about $52 million from prominent tech leaders, venture capitalists, and angel investors. The company says its text service passed Google in mobile text traffic in Q3 2009. According to ChaCha, when the company’s mobile service launched in January 2008, Google SMS had nearly 100% of he mobile text search market, but ChaCha now has more text traffic, coming from users mostly under the age of 25.

    That may be why ChaCha is considering itself the "#1 way for advertisers to reach teens and young adults on their mobile phones."

    Scott Jones of ChaCha"Given that we started our mobile text service less than 2 years ago, that also makes us the fastest-growing mobile text service that provides advertisers with a way to reach elusive teens and young adults," says Jones. " We have been monetizing from national brands and local businesses who want to be ‘in the conversation.’  We have provided a successful advertising venue for brands, including The CW Network, IKEA, Paramount Pictures, McDonald’s, Palm, Coca Cola, AT&T, J&J, P&G, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and hundreds of other businesses."

    "ChaCha acts as a ‘smart friend’ to answer any question via text (or voice, iPhone, or twitter), particularly from college-age and high school-age students," adds Mr. Jones.  "While many headlines frequently report ‘mobile web’ search traffic stats, the reality is that ‘smart phones’ represent less than 20% of phones that are in users’ hands today (iPhones represent about 6%).  For the vast majority of mobile phone users, the common denominator of texting, which works on virtually all phones, is the more universal way to get answers.  Interestingly, our new iPhone app gets MORE engagement from users than our mobile text service, which leads us to believe that ChaCha will be even more successful as smart phones (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, etc…) continue to proliferate."

    Between its mobile and online services, ChaCha has answered over 300 million questions in the past two years. The company cites data from Quantcast, which indicate it gets over 10 million unique monthly visitors in the US.


    Related Articles:

    > Need Answers? Text ChaCha!

    > ChaCha Gets Extra-Important $10M In Funding

    > ChaCha Receives $6 Million To Keep Dancing

  • Will Google Phone Bring Spotify to the US?

    Even if you haven’t used Spotify, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of it. The service’s description goes: "A world of music. Millions of songs on your computer, on your mobile and available offline. Brought to you ad free."

    Spotify on Android DevicePeople in the US have been unable to use the service so far. There has been talk that this may soon change upon the launch of Google’s Nexus One phone, but this may not happen. There was rumored to be a US Spotify app for Google’s Android ready just in time for the launch of the phone. Michael Arrington reports:

    The two companies sketched out a plan where Spotify’s excellent Android application would be build [sic] into the 2.1 version of Android and would launch in the U.S. with the Google Nexus One phone on January 5. The application – which is available in Europe and allows for offline syncing of songs – would give Google a much-needed competitive answer to Apple’s iTunes. The Android could realistically be seen as a media consumption device, like the iPhone, with things like Spotify built into it.

    Google wanted Spotify badly enough that they were willing to cover the label costs for every user of $3 – $4 per month. Spotify would add advertising on top of it, as they do with the free version in Europe, to make additional revenue. Without Google paying those label fees there was no way Spotify could handle the costs of the user flow that 2.1 would provide. Currently, European users must pay for Spotify Premium to use the mobile versions of the service.

    Those in the US waiting to get their hands on Spotify may have to wait though. Arrington says his sources indicate that the deal has likely "gone cold," but he says there is a chance Spotify could still be part of Google’s Nexus One announcement, slated for Tuesday, January 5.

    Such a deal could mean big things for sales of Android devices and really give the iPhone a run for its money. It’s going to be quite interesting to see how the smartphone competition plays out over the course of 2010. This is only the beginning. Even if a deal is not made, Google is clearly interested in the musical side of mobile, and will likely pursue other options.
     

    Related Articles:

    > Google Phone Excitement Builds Ahead Of Jan. 5 Event

    > Android Crowds iPhone In New comScore Report

    > New Google Phone Has Tech Community Licking Chops

  • Amazon Customers Most Satisfied Online Shoppers

    Customers of the largest online retailers are more satisfied than ever according to ForeSee Results’ annual report on holiday shoppers.

    The ForeSee Results E-Retail Satisfaction Index (U.S. Holiday Edition) jumped 7 percent to 79 on the Index’s 100-point scale, a new all-time high. Websites for Macys, SonyStyle, The Gap, The Home Shopping Network and Overstock.com had the greatest increases in satisfaction year over year, with all five seeing increases of 10 percent or more.

    "Even in this tough economic climate, e-retail continues to be the bright spot in a dark environment and last year’s declines are proving to be the anomaly," said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results.

    "But those gains aren’t necessarily shared across the board.  These are the biggest retailers on the web, and they’ve got the ability to invest in the web channel and even meet the price points that consumers are looking for in this economy.  Smaller and midsized e-retailers may not be so lucky."

    Customer-Satisfaction

    Amazon scored the highest with 87, improving 4 percent since last year and setting a new record for the Index. Eleven online retailers scored over 80, and none scored below 70. A number of companies made big gains in score, and the most improved among them include Macys (up 13% to 79), Gap (up 10% to 76), and Overstock (up 10% to 76.)

    The study found that a highly satisfied online shopper is 65 percent more likely to purchase online, 44 percent more likely to purchase offline, 70 percent more likely to recommend, and 49 percent more likely to return than is a dissatisfied shopper.

    "It’s no surprise that price is priority this year. It’s a reflection of these difficult economic times," said Kevin Ertell, Vice President of Retail Strategy at ForeSee Results.

    "But simply cutting prices isn’t necessarily a business model for success,  so prioritizing website improvements that customers value most is an absolute necessity."

     

    Related Articles:

    >Cyber Monday Deals Attract Online Shoppers

    >Walmart Wins Thanksgiving, Amazon Wins Black Friday

    >Online Retailers See Strong Cyber Monday Sales

     

     

  • Most Stumbled Sites Of 2009 Named

    Today is, for better or for worse, the last day many people will have off before heading back to work or school and resuming normal life.  And if you have lots of stuff to do, good luck.  But if you’re a bit bored – maybe still stuck at a relative’s house or just out of books to read – here are some of the "Most Stumbled Sites of 2009."

    One important note: The sites were divided into ten categories, and in each category, three sites were named.  So for the sake of not overwhelming you, we’re just hitting the highlights.  Click through to the original post on the StumbleUpon if you’ve got even more time on your hands.

    Jim Jarmush Quote came out on top in the Arts category with 278,000 stumbles.  99 Things You Should Have Seen On The Internet won the Bizarre/Oddities field with 471,000 stumbles.  Next, 26 Cakes Perfect for Geeks placed first in the Food/Cooking group with 290,000 stumbles.

    Air Traffic in 24 Hours won in Environment.  Humor was headed by Cheat Sheet for Travelling Back in Time.  8 Tracks Mix: Songs that Make You Feel Better did best in Music.  And Peter Funch Street Photography triumphed in Photography.

    Finally, Robot/People Art by Kacie Kinzer beat the competition in Science.  12 Most Amazing Pools in the World topped everything else in Travel.  And Ball Droppings fascinated folks among Video Games.

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