Archive for January 10th, 2007
Visa and Nokia on Tuesday launched a mobile payment platform that aims to turn digital devices into digital wallets.
The system allows consumers to swipe a phone across a credit card scanner, which then reads the credit card information on a microchip that is embedded in the handset. Customers authorize the purchase by pushing a button on the handset.
Mobile payments are set to rise from a mere US$155 million in 2005 to a whopping $10 billion in total revenue by 2010, according to Juniper Research. Mobile payment for mobile content has already become a billion-euro industry in Europe, Forrester Research reports, as young consumers use SMS-based (short message service) mobile payments to purchase ring tones and other items.
Click here to read the rest of this story on the E-Commerce Times.
January 10th, 2007
In the midst of a Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that has featured a slew of high-definition (HD) products and announcements, Warner Home Video unveiled its “Total Hi Def” disc late Tuesday.
The company boasts support from major retailers for its innovation, which it hopes will alleviate consumer confusion over whether to purchase DVDs and players that subscribe to the competing Blu-ray or HD DVD formats. Best Buy, Circuit City, and Amazon.com will make room on their shelves for the dual format discs.
The Warner disc, as well as LG Electronics’ dual-format high-definition DVD player, also announced at CES this week, are positive developments, said Steve Kovsky, principal analyst for digital TVs at Current Analysis. Until the format issue is resolved, the HD marketplace will remain slow, he predicted.
Click here to read the rest of this story in TechNewsWorld.
January 10th, 2007
Eons, the media company launched by Monster.com creator Jeff Taylor, on Tuesday unveiled a search engine aimed at baby boomers and seniors.
Dubbed “Cranky.com,” the age-relevant search engine is designed to deliver targeted search results to users who are over 50 years old. It combines expert reviews with user ratings and rankings to come up with relevant search results.
“When we conducted focus groups and asked people about their experiences with the Internet , the general consensus was that the tools they used to find Web sites were confusing,” Taylor said. “Part of that confusion stemmed from the overwhelming amount of information that you yield even with simple searches — but there was also a relevancy factor.”
Click here to read the rest of this story on the E-Commerce Times.
January 10th, 2007
Appearing to hedge it search bets, electronics giant Samsung on Monday announced partnerships with competing search engines Google and Yahoo.
Samsung will preinstall mobile search software and services from the two leading search engines on millions of its mobile phones.
“Samsung is trying to create consumer appeal that is as broad as possible,” Greg Sterling, Principal of Sterling Market Intelligence told TechNewsWorld. “Partnering with both companies is a bit of hedging, but Motorola did the same thing. Why would you sign an exclusive agreement with either search provider and potentially alienate a large group of users?”
Click here to read the rest of this story on MacNewsWorld.
January 10th, 2007
