June 1, 1999
News.Com: New WebTV boxes dropping hard drives.
In addition, the hard drives included with the original boxes were never put to much use, Kaldor said. "They know it, and I know it, and it's a fact, even if WebTV won't say it: The hard drives were not getting used..."
Information Week: Virtual Cash Gets Real.
For years, Web merchants have experimented with alternative payment mechanisms, but they've been slow to catch on. That's changing, as companies look for ways to keep the cash flowing at their Web sites--and as vendors offer new payment options.
Information Week: Join The Standards Debate.
With the Internet poised to transform many brick-and-mortar stores into electronic-commerce engines, it's no wonder the process of creating standards is becoming more public and hotly contested than ever.
PC Magazine: Big, Bright Displays.
At the recent Society for Information Display conference held in San Jose, California, developers showcased some of the emerging technologies for making improved microdisplays, LCDs, plasma displays, and CRTs.
Internet Week: Don't Neglect The Delivery Piece Of The E-Selling Puzzle.
The most progressive companies are linking their ERP and other systems with those of their suppliers to exchange product availability, pricing and other information in real time.
Online Journalism Review: 'For Sale' on the Web.
All kidding aside, it is a sobering piece of information -- particularly for journalists -- to think that the financial security of the entire newspaper enterprise depends on classified ads -- those things that no one in the newsroom ever reads!
USA Today: Customer service shortfall hits Net sales.
Sixty-seven percent of online purchases are never completed, largely because top e-commerce sites have made few provisions for real-time, online customer service and support, a new survey shows.
Wired News: 'Somebody Freakin' Talk to Me!'.
LivePerson's software fills some of the online service void. Got a question about that new sweater? Hit the LivePerson icon and a chat window pops up, connected to a company staffer.
Wired News: Borders to Print Books On Demand.
The system costs about US$40,000 and takes up about 60 square feet of floor space. Sprout claims on-demand books are virtually indistinguishable from traditionally printed books.
MSNBC: Borders to try a new weapon: printing books inside its stores.
...has taken a minority stake in an Atlanta start-up company called Sprout Inc. that will eventually let the chain’s stores print high-quality paperbacks in the store in about 15 minutes.
News.Com: AOL acquires Spinner.com, Nullsoft.
America Online has become the latest to get into the online music business, with acquisitions today of Net radio firm Spinner.com and music technology company Nullsoft.
ZDNN: Teens entering the virtual mall.
RocketCash Corp. Monday announced the launch of a new online store that lets parents set up accounts for their children to go shopping.
PC Week: Startup adds twist to e-payments.
An electronic commerce payment system that leverages existing credit and debit cards could pose a major challenge to the emerging smart-card market.
News.Com: Time Warner phases out Pathfinder.
Pathfinder, Time Warner's long-beleaguered Web behemoth, seems to have closed its doors for good.
SJ Mercury: Easy answer to what makes the Palm V sell.
Dan Gillmor. The principal worth of a device goes to qualities the PC industry has never, and probably will never, fully grasp: ease of use and reliability.
Useit.Com: Spotlight of an AskTog mail from a frustrated Microsoft UI Program Manager about the difficulty of improving Web usability.
On the other hand, they could do more: for example build better authoring tools that promoted usable design, was integrated with a set of recommended design standards...
ZDNN: Two more sign on for e-commerce.
The struggle for manufacturers has been figuring out a way to reach the consumer without upsetting their existing channels.
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