E-Commerce Blog

It’s been said that the meek shall inherit the Earth, but in the cutthroat world of technology, only the bold survive. Some of the biggest names in the high-tech and media sectors launched initiatives in the last year that have changed the landscape — perhaps permanently. All of their innovations — spanning the software, digital music, online video and mobile phone spaces — were fraught with risk. This two-part series shines a spotlight on five bold decisions that paid off in the past year.

Here is the original:
Rear-View Mirror: 5 Bold, Brilliant Tech Gambits, Part 1

HP shares soared 14 percent Tuesday, leading a tech sector rally, after the No. 1 PC maker announced better-than-expected earnings six days early. However, technology analysts warned that the industry still might be slipping into its worst downturn since the dot-com bust of 2001. “Things are tough out there,” says equity analyst Brent Bracelin at Pacific Crest Securities. Cisco, Intel and Sun are among big tech suppliers who have trimmed revenue and earnings projections in anticipation of major cuts in corporate spending on tech infrastructure.

Excerpted from:
Tech Firms and the Economic Storm: Nowhere to Hide

Digital video recording pioneer TiVo and microchip-equipment maker KLA-Tencor on Tuesday became the latest in a growing list Silicon Valley companies to shed jobs. KLA-Tencor said it would cut its workforce by 15 percent, or around 900 jobs, as it moves to weather the economic downturn. TiVo said in a regulatory filing that it will cut an unspecified number of positions in a move to reduce expenses. A company spokesperson declined to comment further.

Excerpt from:
KLA-Tencor, TiVo Announce Layoffs as Tech Sector Shrivels

Online shoppers looking to save a few bucks have plenty of options this holiday season. Those looking to save on shipping costs in particular might find themselves at FreeShipping.org, a new Web site that lists free shipping deals for hundreds of retailers. “We noticed how many retailers were offering free shipping, and that shoppers were wanting it,” Luke Knowles, cofounder of the company, which is based in Fort Collins, Colo., told the E-Commerce Times. “There wasn’t a Web site out there collecting that information.”

FreeShipping.org: Painless Deliveries

Credit card fraudsters beware: Victrio might be tracking you. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company recently released a new system aimed at identifying, analyzing and storing the voiceprints of identity thieves. “We’re building a nationwide database of bad guys’ voiceprints,” Victrio’s founder and CEO, Tony Rajakumar, told the E-Commerce Times. Victrio’s service involves mapping the sounds associated with individual voices, storing the voices of fraudsters, and then comparing these voices with the ones on incoming calls.

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Voiceprinting: Victrio’s Fraud-Fighting Watchdog