Темы
Разделы
Интересы
Top 20
 |
| 91 | Verizon Wireless is pulling a Netflix of sorts. In the midst of three unexplained data outages in less than a month, the wireless carrier decided to start charging customers a $2 fee to pay their bill on its Web site. To say that customers are angry would be an understatement.
"[A] new $2 payment convenience fee will be instituted for customers who make single bill payments online or by telephone," Verizon Wireless announced on its Web site Thursday. The new charges are official beginning Jan. 15, but customers aren't wasting any time complaining about the "convenience fee."
Indeed, the social-media world is abuzz with complaints over the new fee in a way that's reminiscent of the recent Bank of America debit-card-fee drama. Bank of America backpedaled under pressure. So far, Verizon is holding its course. Although the company now blames its data outages on growing pains, the company isn't yet responding to the latest complaints.
Worst Move Ever?
"As if Verizon doesn't make enough money already. I prefer to not use the automatic payments so that I can make sure I have enough money in my account each month. I always pay my bill within a few days of receiving the e-mail," Christina Budd wrote on Verizon Wireless' Facebook page Friday morning. "How about you reward the people who pay on time, instead of punishing them?"
Meanwhile, Matt Beggs wrote, "I hope you enjoy losing almost $200 a month because you wanted to get another $2 out of me." Others took the occasion to start complaining about Verizon's Total Equipment Coverage. Still others reverted to the good old-fashioned "boo" on the wireless carrier's Facebook page. One Facebook follower posted the e-mail addresses of Verizon executives.
"OK, so I see you want to charge me $2 to pay my bill online. I have 15 months to... newsfactor.com » | | 92 | Onepager is a solution for small businesses who are just beginning their activity and can't yet pay a designer to create their webpage. The most difficult part of establishing yourself with a new business is how to start, because all the expenses you must pay without yet having enough income. This is a vicious circle that is often hard to break, and may drive to failure good ideas and promising businesses. Read more Learn more about Onepagerapp.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much Onepagerapp.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 93 | I like this site for the simple reason that it's got the power to take something which's got a fixed role, and change it for good. Wifis.org lets you use your wifi network to make new friends. Read more Learn more about Wifis.org in Dataopedia.com Find out how much Wifis.org is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 94 | | | 95 | There's no shortage of services for meeting new people to hang out with, and they keep on getting more and more inventive. Just the other day I killerstartups.com » | | 96 | A number of audio products will make a splash at the International Consumer Electronics Show, which officially opens Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Fanny Wang Headphones
Fanny Wang's cans are workhorses with a powered amp, 50-millimeter dual-plated drivers and sound that doesn't distort at higher volumes. The headphones have switches for four-way active noise cancellation and bass boost, bumping the beats up 6 decibels.
Despite the snug fit, these headphones are very comfortable, with their ultraplush cup lining. Fanny Wangs are notable for their detachable cord, which features a patent-pending sharing port, creating a social music experience. Unlike similar ports featured on other headphones, sharing doesn't deteriorate sound quality or volume.
The company will paint the headphones to your liking, with more than 1 million custom color combinations. While these sound amazing, they're bulky and expensive: $300 for a pair from the 3000 Series, its top line.
JayBird Freedom Headphones
The JayBird Freedom headphones were designed for the gym rat. As an audio partner of the USA Triathlon organization, JayBird knows what qualities make for good training headphones.
Not only are the Freedom earbuds shock- and sweat-proof, but the lack of long wires means a safe, fuss-free music experience when working out. Using Bluetooth connectivity, the headphones connect to music players and other mobile devices.
The sound is pretty good, producing music that's full and bass-y, but not overwhelmingly so. When fully charged, the headphones can play for six hours. One pet peeve: Headphones use a proprietary charging cable. Available for $99.
TheKube2 Music Player
Heralded as the world's smallest touch-screen music player, TheKube2 sports an aluminum body and touch sensor and will make its global debut at CES.
The package includes the player, a pair of plastic headphones, a 4-gigabyte microSD card and USB reader, a proprietary audio-to-USB charging cable and sticker decal to add flair. Gestures control TheKube2's power, track... newsfactor.com » | | 97 | | | 98 | Move over, Android. On Wednesday, Hewlett-Packard laid out a plan to make its webOS platform open source, in an effort to replicate some of Google's successful strategy in getting its open source OS adopted.
HP said that it was aiming to make the source code available under an open source license by September. Accompanying the open source announcement, HP said it was now releasing versions 1.0 and 2.0 of its developers' tool for the platform, Enyo.
'Write Once, Run Anywhere'
One particular feature of Enyo could make it appealing to developers -- the "write once, run anywhere" ability to write a single app that works on mobile devices and in Web browsers, for iOS and Android platforms in addition to webOS. Silverlight and Flash will be supported through plug-ins.
Bill Veghte, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at HP, said in a statement that the open sourcing of webOS was "a decisive step toward meeting our goal of accelerating the platform's development" and making it part of an ecosystem of Web apps.
The source code for webOS, including Enyo, will be made available under the Apache License, Version 2.0, which is the same license under which Android is available. This means that there is already an acceptance of this licensing approach among a range of manufacturers, carriers and developers.
The source code will be made available in monthly steps, culminating in the full release by September. An open webOS beta will be available in August, to be followed by the full open webOS 1.0 the next month.
HP obtained webOS in its $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm in 2010, but the resulting webOS products, including the Palm Pre smartphone and the TouchPad tablet, have had meager sales. As of August, the products are no longer being manufactured, and the company announced last month... newsfactor.com » | | 99 | If you want to be successful in selling a product or service, and just began with your business, you will need a good marketing plan to let everyone know about you. You will turn, of course, to modern day resources such as online social media and online marketing. killerstartups.com » | | 100 | At Vyu.me you have an URL shortener that will be a handy tool for sharing long URLs. Read more Learn more about Vyu.me in Dataopedia.com Find out how much Vyu.me is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 101 | Scott Nicholson, a prolific author with 70 books to date, has found most of his success online, selling self-published books at Amazon for the Kindle and other e-readers.
He handles the entire process himself -- from downloading stock photos at $4 to $5 a pop and making covers in Gimp, a free photo software tool, to converting the manuscripts into formats compatible for the e-readers.
"If I can do it, anyone can," says Nicholson, 49, who writes four novels a year from his home in Boone, N.C. He won't say how much he makes, but it's a "comfortable living," solely on e-book royalties. "I'm self-taught on every part of this."
Not everyone is as tech-savvy as Nicholson, and as willing to put in the extra hours. For those who would like some shortcuts, new tools are available to help authors with their conversions. Rates are relatively cheap, or free in Apple's case.
Red Staple and Folium Book Studio, both released in January, offer self-service online tools to convert your books into the ePub format, which, in turn, can be uploaded for Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook, Apple's iPad and Sony's E-Reader, at varying prices. Red starts at $29.99, while Folium is $99.
That's the price for a basic book with mostly text and a cover you make yourself and upload.
What about for those who want to make an e-book that's a multimedia extravaganza?
Apple just released iBooks Author, a free software app for Apple computers that offers drag-and-drop self-publishing tools for Apple's iBooks bookstore. The app is available in Apple's App Store for Macintosh computers, where you'll need an operating system at least as current as 2009's Snow Leopard.
Even though the app is geared to textbook authors, writers of any stripe can add photos and video clips, though they must first be converted to Apple's... newsfactor.com » | | 102 | GNU make — широко известная утилита для автоматической сборки проектов. В мире UNIX она является стандартом де-факто для этой задачи. Являясь не такой популярной среди Windows-разработчиков, тем не менее, привела к появлению таких аналогов, как nmake от Microsoft.
Однако, несмотря на свою популярность, make — во многом ущербный инструмент. Читать дальше → habrahabr.ru » | | 103 | The Internet is a great research and communication tool, but its darker sides are really gloomy. The simplest search terms on sites like Google and Bing can produce pages after pages of inappropriate content. As grown-ups, we know which sites to visit and which to leave well alone. Read more Learn more about Care4Teen.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much Care4Teen.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 104 | There's people who claim they don't support charities because making donations is not easy. That sounds too much like an excuse to me. Yet, the release of this new service is sure to put a stop to that. Read more Learn more about iGiveFirst.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much iGiveFirst.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 105 | Successful sales should be judged by just one thing, namely how encouraged to talk about your products and services your customers are. If one of them recommends your store to three or four of his friends, then that's it. That was a successful sale. Read more Learn more about ShareYourCart.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much ShareYourCart.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 106 | Women reign supreme on social networks, but men are more likely to tote tablet computers. Those are just a pair of the findings in a new analysis of research from Nielsen and NM Incite that was released Thursday. Women make up 54% of visitors to social networks and blogs and outnumber men, 53% to 47%, among online video viewers, the report finds.
Men account for 53% of tablet owners. However, the sexes are in a 50-50 dead heat when it comes to smartphone ownership.
A look at the bigger picture suggests that Internet access is becoming ubiquitous. About 27 4 million Americans have Internet access in their homes, at work or outside the home, at coffee shops, for example. That's more than double the 132 million who had such access in 2000.
"The experience is completely different from what it was 10 years ago," says Radha Subramanyam, senior vice president of media analytics for Nielsen. "Today, there are all these social experiences, and there is video everywhere, and there are apps. It's not just on one screen but on totally different screens."
Other findings:
The Internet generation is living up to its billing. Those ages 18-34, dubbed "Generation C" by Nielsen because they are constantly connected, make up 23% of the U.S. population but account for 39% of smartphone owners and 33% of tablet owners.
Generation X slightly nudges out the younger Gen C netizens on social networks, blogs and online video. Those ages 35-49 make up 28% of social networks and blog visitors and online video watchers, while the 18-34 age group comes in next, making up 27%.
Whites make up 61% of smartphone owners and 60% of tablet owners. Hispanics make up the next largest group of smartphone (17%) and tablet ownership (15%), followed by African Americans and Asian Americans.
African Americans, who make up 12%... newsfactor.com » | | 107 | Good ol' Facebook. Between the new timeline and the privacy concerns that have always sidelined it, I wouldn't be surprised if its expansion rate has slowed down a bit recently. Of course, it's remaining the biggest site on the Internet for years. Read more Learn more about PeerBinder.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much PeerBinder.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 108 | Turn your lunches into something really productive by signing up for a service like LetsLunch,.com and have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you're doing all that can be done to expand your professional network. LetsLunch is a platform that follows in the steps of others that we have already reviewed here on KillerStartups such as killerstartups.com » | | 109 | | | 110 |  SHANGHAI (Reuters) - New real-identity rules to be imposed on China's Weibo are likely to make the country's most popular microblogging platform more alluring to advertisers, as Sina Corp seeks to start generating revenue from its product later this year.
Reuters: Internet News » | | 111 | Making plans is easy. Breaking them is even easier. In most cases, it's just too hard to keep your motivation up for as long as you need to make your goals come true. Read more Learn more about GoalsGoneSocial.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much GoalsGoneSocial.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 112 | | | 113 | (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc and Barnes & Noble Inc unveiled Harry Potter e-books on Tuesday in deals that suggest the companies made big concessions with author J.K. Rowling for electronic access to the hit series.
Reuters: Internet News » | | 114 | ChatRoulette and LinkedIn might be like fire and ice, but sometimes the best startups come from the weirdest of combinations. 85by55 certainly does, as it mixes these two services in order to create something really original. 85by55 is a social service for connecting with random professionals. Read more Learn more about 85by55.com in Dataopedia.com Find out how much 85by55.com is worth with Stimator.com killerstartups.com » | | 115 | Компания Dell заключила окончательное соглашение о покупке компании Make Technologies, специализирующейся на поставках программного обеспечения и услуг по модернизации приложений. osp.ru »2012-04-13 16:25 osp.ru / Новости / | | 116 | Компания Dell заключила окончательное соглашение о покупке компании Make Technologies, специализирующейся на поставках программного обеспечения и услуг по модернизации приложений. osp.ru »2012-04-13 16:25 osp.ru / Новости / | | 117 | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Diversified manufacturer Honeywell Inc said it will manufacture hardware for in-flight internet connectivity for satellite communications company Inmarsat PLC's next generation broadband network.
Reuters: Internet News » | | 118 | Research In Motion is doing what no smartphone maker has done before -- offering developers guaranteed income for apps.
Alec Saunders, RIM's developer guru, told listeners during his keynote at the BlackBerry Jam developer event on Tuesday that the company will guarantee apps they make for the BlackBerry 10 platform will earn $10,000 in the first year they are on the digital App World store shelves.
But it's not just an empty promise. If the app doesn't pan out at least $10,000 in the first 12 months of availability, RIM pledged to pay the developer the difference. The only two stipulations: it has to be a "certified BlackBerry 10" app -- there isn't any information yet as to what exactly what means -- and the app has to earn at least $1,000 on its own.
RIM's Subsidies
We called Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis who spent some time at BlackBerry World in Orlando this week, to get his thoughts on RIM's unusual tactic.
"The application development guarantee is a different way of attacking the problem that we've seen with other mobile operating system vendors," Greengart told us. "There have been a lot of contests to come out with good apps. Some offered cash prizes. There's been a lot of app funds. Microsoft has been going around writing checks to people to port apps over to the Windows Phone 7."
As he sees it, RIM is making an interesting plea to app developers, basically saying, "You should be developing for the BlackBerry because you are going to make money, which is the reason you develop for any platform. If you don't believe me we'll make sure you make money."
An Offer Devs Can Refuse?
Instead of paying for the port RIM is sort of offering an insurance policy. But can the insurance policy woo enough... newsfactor.com » |
|
| |
|