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When the Lights Go Out, Social Nets Can Be More Than Friends December 11, 2012 
A notable behavioral shift has occurred in the United States over the last few years. Communication methods have changed. One transformation is that people are less dependent on the classic voice telephone call -- landline or mobile -- and rely more on textual communications like those provided through social networks.
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Building Loyalty When Customers Are a Moving Target December 10, 2012 
When Double Cola wanted to encourage its customers to keep coming back for more of its vintage fizzy drink, it started a rewards program. Using tried-and-true loyalty methods, the company offered customers the opportunity to turn over the cola's caps, earn points, and get discounts and merchandise.
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Getting Out There: Strategies for Social Media Advertising December 05, 2012 
When the first banner ads came out in the 1990s, they attracted lots of attention -- and lots of click-throughs. Since then, though, their effectiveness has plummeted, forcing businesses to think creatively about the future of online advertising. This future is likely to include a mix of social media influencing, content marketing, and in-depth storytelling.
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The Skies Have It: Affordable Broadband Internet for All December 05, 2012 
The rural broadband delivery business is rapidly changing. When Dish Network's super-cheap broadband-via-satellite service, dishNET, went live in October, it prompted a satellite Internet price-war. dishNET download speeds reach 10 Mbps. Service starts at $39.99 a month for 10 GB of data at 5 Mbps if you bundle it with Dish Network's television service.
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OpenSUSE's Jos Poortvliet: Collaborate or Become Obsolete December 04, 2012 
Last month, Jos Poortvliet's job as openSUSE community manager brought his career full-circle. He was chosen to lead a discussion on open governance at the Summit of New Thinking in Berlin. The open innovation concept is what got him interested in free software communities while studying organizational psychology, and it's an idea he tries to merge into growing the openSUSE community.
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A New FCC Rule Might Change How You Watch TV November 30, 2012 
The Federal Communications Commission passed a little-publicized order last month that changes how cable television providers can deliver basic broadcast channels. This rule change has far-reaching implications for those who legally grab their basic broadcast channels for free from cable, but don't buy a cable subscription. It also affects television streaming device set-top box makers, like Boxee and Roku.
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Brick-and-Mortar's Showrooming Scourge November 20, 2012 
How can classic retail, the brick-and-mortar physical stores dotting our
neighborhoods, compete with the likes of Amazon and Zappos? Can real-world retail survive e-commerce? And if it can, what's the trick? How do retailers intend to meet this growing threat? We're now seeing something insidious that threatens the very heart of brick-and-mortar retail: showrooming.
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File-Sharing's Cloudy Future November 20, 2012 
Last month Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, who is facing charges in the United States for engaging in digital piracy, announced that he would relocate a new version of his site, Me.ga, outside the United States. The belief was that this would free him from coming under fire by U.S. law enforcement, but Gabon -- which controls the ".ga" domain -- has already suspended it.
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Smart TVs: You Won't Just Watch Anymore October 31, 2012 
The line between TVs and computers is increasingly blurring, with TVs becoming smarter and more connected than ever. As interactive, Web-connected appliances, smart TVs have search and navigation capabilities, can interact with tablets and smartphones, and offer access to downloadable apps. In short, smart TVs provide the kind of always-on connectivity that consumers have come to expect.
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Escaping the Clutches of a Cellphone Contract October 30, 2012 
Wireless carriers are putting more energy into prepaid. It's a normal evolution. As quality phones became cheaper, prepaid brands like Sprint's Boost and Virgin Mobile have been able to offer better phones -- even a selection of smartphones, including the iPhone. Those better products, along with the availability of 4G network speeds, have increased prepaid demand.
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Standing Your Ground Against Cybermuggers October 23, 2012 
Many people know it's a bad idea to open attachments in email received from strangers, but relatively few know they need to take the same precautions when clicking links on social media sites and even VoIP service Skype. In recent weeks, cybercriminals have been targeting individuals through Skype, and the criminals have been picking up their game and increasingly utilizing so-called ransomware.
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In-Flight Entertainment: Almost All the Comforts of Home October 19, 2012 
The in-flight entertainment sphere has expanded far beyond showing movies on hard-to-see overhead screens. Passengers want constant availability of media, entertainment and connectedness wherever they happen to be, and in-flight systems are simply trying to keep up with that demand.
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Kicking Back in the Online Social Gaming Scene October 12, 2012 
Online gaming is big business, and one of the fastest-growing segments of the online game market is casual gaming -- simple games that can be played on websites, through social media sites like Facebook, or on mobile devices. "The casual games appeal to a broad market because they don't involve an enormous time commitment or uninterrupted attention," said Keela Robison, VP of operations for GameHouse.
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Reports of the Mouse's Death Are Not Greatly Exaggerated October 09, 2012 
The mouse may be running scared. That's the kind with buttons and scroll wheel -- not the tailed, furry variety that elephants are afraid of. How long has the mouse got? Way back in the dark slate ages of 2008, Gartner analyst Steve Prentice made a startling prophecy based on his observations of multiple computer interfaces that used gestures and other interactions.
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YouTube Grows Up: The Maturing of a Medium October 03, 2012 
Remember Charlie? YouTube isn't just about cat videos and basement productions anymore. Charlie's a big boy now, and YouTube has been growing up too. The site has evolved into a full-fledged social media platform, and entertainment companies and other businesses have begun to take note. "In a world of short attention spans, text is no longer enough," said Phil Starkovich, president of Sincell.
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Mobile CRM Gets Gamified October 02, 2012 
CRM is a mature software category with a decades-plus history of development and evolution. Still, one important problem remains unsolved: A lot of employees, especially sales staff, just can't be bothered with it. Corporate "solutions" have ranged from bribing to arm-twisting to appeals to corporate loyalty. None, though, have worked so well as building gamification features into the system.
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New-Fangled Bicycle Helmets: Not Just Brain Buckets Anymore September 21, 2012 
There is no denying that serious cyclists adopt some very specific forms of fashion. The jerseys and shorts are tight-fitting to reduce drag, gloves are worn both to provide padding while gripping the handlebars and to protect hands during a crash, and shoes are a fashion statement all of their own. But one piece of equipment has become somewhat ubiquitous: the helmet.
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The Perplexing Carbon Fiber Repurposing Problem September 18, 2012 
Today nearly all professional road cyclists have one thing in common: They almost all ride bikes with carbon fiber frames. This space-age material, which is one of the most popular composites in the sporting goods industry, has many features that it make it a popular choice. Carbon fiber, which at its most basic form is carbon graphite, will last virtually forever.
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Mobile CRM's Golden B2B Side September 18, 2012 
Without a doubt, mobile CRM has become a must-have deployment in the B2C world. Expect that trend to move into the B2B community for similar reasons: The devices are becoming ever more equipped to serve multiple needs, and their uses can soothe a lot of pain points. B2B, more so than B2C, is highly sensitive to screen size and quality.
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Your New 2nd Car Could Be an E-Bike September 14, 2012
Interbike, the largest bicycle trade show in North America, remains very much about pedal power, but in addition to the high-end Tour de France-worthy road bikes, go-over-anything mountain bikes, and hipster- and messenger-friendly fixed gear bicycles, there are those that are juiced up with electric motors and batteries.
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