AMD to lower prices of Socket-754 Semprons, as K7 is officially phased out

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) will lower prices of its Socket-754 Sempron CPUs in early August, as it has already officially phased out its K7 line of processors this quarter, according to KJ Chou, general manager of AMD Taiwan.

By Charles Chou and Jessie Shen, DigiTimes.com

However, AMD still intends to raise the ASP (average selling price) for its product lines and improve the company’s profits this quarter, said Chou.

Nippon TV to offer 10,000 TV shows over Internet: report

Source: Japantoday.com

TOKYO — Nippon Television Network Corp. plans to start distributing its own TV programs over the Internet for a fee in October to become the first major private TV broadcaster to fully enter the market, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Tuesday.

Will Tiger Problems Hurt Apple?

Since Apple Computer loosed Tiger, more formally known as Mac OS X 10.4, the operating system has had numerous reports of problems, mainly with networking bugs.

By Elizabeth Millard, eWEEK

As more individuals and companies install Tiger and tinker with its features, will more issues put some rot in Apple's reputation in the marketplace? Will enterprises that seemed Mac-bound suddenly put a halt to those plans?

Flaws found in Cisco, Juniper and IBM kit

A government agency that protects the Critical National Infrastructure has published details of a flaw in network vendors' equipment

By Dan Ilett, ZDNet UK

Cisco, Juniper and IBM are suffering embarrassment today as a Home Office agency announced details of a software vulnerability that affects the vendors' products.

E-bay launches classifieds websites

Online auction company E-bay has launched online classifieds websites in select international markets.

By John Tilak, DMeurope.com

Launched on 28 February under the brand Kijiji, the Web sites enables people living and working in the same city to meet, share ideas, trade goods and find information or things they want locally.

Firms seek to reassure e-shoppers over security

With ID theft and phishing attacks on the rise, a panel of experts talks about what their companies are doing to batten the hatches.

By Dawn Kawamoto, CNET News.com

SAN FRANCISCO--Addressing a rise in identity theft and phishing attacks, a panel of security experts discussed on Friday the steps their companies are taking to bolster consumer confidence in online commerce and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.

New holiday online shopping trends emerge

Customers use searches more, show confidence in on-time shipments

By Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service

Vendors and researchers have detected various new trends at play in online retail shopping this holiday season, such as shoppers' increased use of search engines and comparison shopping services to make better informed buying decisions. Not all trends are encouraging, however, such as a disconcertingly high percentage of shoppers willing to buy from spammers.

Online Holiday Shopping Starts with a Bang

Source: Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. consumer Web spending rose 30 percent on the Monday after Thanksgiving, which is traditionally seen as the start of the online holiday shopping season, comScore Networks said on Wednesday.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is a big day for retail stores, as consumers start their Christmas shopping in earnest.

Consumers flock to online shops

E-commerce is looking healthy in the UK although the exact figures are in dispute.

Source: BBC News Online

Online buying habits have changed dramatically in the last five years, a survey has found.

Of 2,000 web-using Britons interviewed a whopping 94% had bought something online, the survey found. This compares to just 37% five years ago.

Microsoft Helps Retailers with Point of Sales System

Microsoft Business Solutions, together with its partners and distributors, is responding to small retailers with a complete POS offering that includes four industry-specific hardware and software packages available at a low total cost of ownership

Source: Smallbiztechnology.com

Microsoft Business Solutions today announced the availability of retail vertical bundles of software and hardware designed for small and medium-sized retailers specializing in beer-wine-liquor, apparel, sporting goods, gifts and hobbies, and specialty retail. Not alone in this market, Intuit's Quickbooks Point of Sale is an ideal SMB tool for retailers also.

Sony May Open Stores, Worrying Retailers

COSTA MESA, Calif. - Few people took notice when Sony Electronics Inc. opened a tiny storefront last year here at South Coast Plaza, a swanky mall south of Los Angeles.

By ELLIOT SPAGAT, AP Business Writer

As it turns out, the small store would represent a big change in how Sony sells its televisions, DVD players and other gear. Since opening its first store last year, Sony has quietly opened stores in seven other cities.

Microsoft Launches Windows Shopping Portal

Microsoft's Windows Marketplace will serve as a "virtual storefront" for hardware and software, offering over 93,000 products.

By David Worthington, BetaNews, eWEEK

According to sources familiar with testing, America Online Inc. is developing its own desktop search technology that will initially be added to the AOL Browser beta as early as the end of this week.

Microsoft begins testing Windows Marketplace

The online shopping and download center for Windows-related stuff gets a public workout.

By Ina Fried, CNET News.com

Microsoft said on Thursday that it has begun publicly testing its Windows Marketplace, an online shopping and download center for hardware and software related to its Windows operating system.

XP Service Pack 2: First security flaws found

"Microsoft never claimed that SP2 would close all the security holes"

by Robert Lemos, Silicon.com

Security researchers say they're starting to find flaws in Microsoft's latest major update for Windows XP.

Last week, German company Heise Security announced that two flaws could be used to circumvent the new warnings that Windows XP Service Pack 2, or SP2, normally would display about running untrusted programs, potentially giving a leg up to a would-be intruder's attempts to execute code on a victim's PC.

Apple updates hot deals, offers reconditioned iPods

Source: MacCentral

Apple on Friday updated its Hot Deals Web site with several of its retail partners, including its own online store.

The Apple Store online is offering Apple Certified iPods starting at US$169 with PowerMacs, PowerBooks and several other products available, as well. CDW|MacWarehouse has a variety of hardware and software products, while technical book publisher O'Reilly is offering several Mac OS X books.

Where to buy the HP iPAQ Pocket PC phone ? [ h6300 series = h6315 or h6340 ]

Source: Pocket PC phone

This upcoming phone collects excellent reviews, even from mainstream press (not just from naturally pro-Microsoft MVP people; see below for links), and we don't share critique that says that internal keyboard would be better!

External keyboard is indeed better because you can then detach it on demand and in case of failure you can get new keyboard without the need to exchange whole unit!

Amazon to Take Pre-Orders for Portable Media Center

Source: Reuters

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday that online Web shopping site Amazon.com Inc. will begin taking orders for Portable Media Centers, a new line of portable devices for listening to music and viewing video content.

The world's largest software maker, which developed software for the new handheld multimedia devices, also said that Major League Baseball games and footage would be available for download to the devices, which are scheduled to be shipped later this summer.

Amazon.com Goes Plogging

By Ryan Naraine, Internetnews.com

E-commerce superstore Amazon.com has caught the blogging bug.

Looking to take advantage of the blogging craze, the Seattle-based firm has launched a beta of Plogs, or personalized blogs, to shuttle links of recommended products and relevant shopping information to users.

Holiday online retail spending up in 2003

By Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service

Holiday shoppers took to the Web in droves to purchase gifts in 2003, spending significantly more online than they did in 2002, according to preliminary figures that market researcher and consultancy comScore Networks released Monday.

Holiday online retail spending, excluding travel and auctions, reached $12.5 billion in 2003, up 29.5% over 2002, according to comScore, which defines the holiday shopping season as the period between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. ComScore had expected an increase of between 25% and 30%.

Microsoft: What's in Store for 2004?

By Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft Watch

Microsoft can be predictable in some areas, but inscrutable in others. Here are our best guesses as to what to expect from the Redmondiands in the coming year.

Before kicking off my 2004 predictions column, I'd like to offer a quick self-critique. After reviewing my predictions from last year, I'd say (to be generous) that your all-seeing Microsoft Watcher achieved a barely 50/50 accuracy rate.

Macromedia updates multimedia tools

By David Becker, Staff Writer, CNET News.com

The software maker announces a new version of Director, one of the company's oldest applications.

Director is one of Macromedia's oldest applications, dating back to the days when multimedia content was mainly distributed on CD-ROMs rather than over the Internet. Key markets for the software include companies building custom educational and training software and developers creating simple games and other animation for Macromedia's Shockwave player.

Old mobiles 'dumped' at Christmas

BBC News Online

About 750,000 mobiles will have been dumped since Christmas as owners get newer models, says a survey.

Three quarters of a million old mobiles will have been discarded or dumped since Christmas, according to a survey.

Just four per cent of those questioned in a poll for The Body Shop said they would bother to recycle them. Toxics in dumped mobiles can harm the environment, but more than a quarter of people with new models said they would just throw their old ones in the bin.

Dell Offers Zero-Percent Financing

Reuters - Dell Inc. (DELL.O) said on Friday that it will offer consumers zero-interest financing on everything from digital music players to television sets as the No. 1 personal computer maker tries to steal share in the consumer electronics market.

Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, has offered zero-percent financing to business customers in the past as it faced stiff competition and a downturn in demand for technology.

Amazon full of the joys of Christmas

by Will Sturgeon, Silicon.com

So, what did you all buy this year?

If you spent Boxing Day watching Pirates of the Caribbean, listening to Dido's Life for Rent and cooking lunch on the George Foreman Grill while the kids played Fifa 2004 upstairs on the PlayStation 2 then it's likely you're one of the thousands of consumers who benefited from an Amazon Christmas.

Amazon.co.uk despatched more than 300,000 items ranging from CDs and DVDs to home electronics and kitchenware this Christmas and claims 99 per cent of holiday orders were shipped in time for the big day.

Swap That Ugly Sweater: Online

Reuters

LOS ANGELES -- Didn't get what you wanted this holiday season? You aren't alone.

Web bazaars like eBay are geared up for a 'Get What You Really Wanted' campaign. And on community sites like Craigslist, postings for holiday shopping and after-holiday unloading have tripled.

As Internet retailers put the wraps on what is shaping up to be their best year yet, Web bazaars like eBay are geared up for the great gift swap.