Business – Page 225

Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, Music

RIP Zune Player, 2006-2011

March 15, 2011

May all your Zunes come true.

Microsoft is not planning on releasing any further Zune devices. Instead, the company plans to focus on Zune software for smartphones.

Microsoft declined to comment on the future of the Zune players, but in a statement to Bloomberg noted that it remains “committed to supporting our devices in North America.”

Zune launched in November 2006 to much fanfare and hopes that it could beat Apple’s iPod. But sales never came close to reaching the levels of Apple’s best-selling and market changing music and media player…

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Business, Culture, Economy, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Money Talk, New Viewpoints

Is A Million Bucks Enough to Make You Feel Rich?

March 14, 2011

You have some bucks, but is it enough?

A million bucks ain’t what it used to be. Heck, it’s not even enough to make (rich) people feel rich anymore:

Some 42 percent of the more than 1,000 millionaires surveyed by Fidelity said they did not feel wealthy.

Respondents had at least $1 million in investable assets, excluding any real estate or retirement accounts…

Continue reading… “Is A Million Bucks Enough to Make You Feel Rich?”

Analysis, Business, Internet, Latest Trend

Advertisers Missing Opportunities by Overlooking the Power of Long Tail Websites

March 14, 2011

Ads placed on long-tail sites had a significant lift in clickthrough rate compared with ads on larger web properties.

Many advertisers stick to the top sites on the web when planning an online campaign, but overlooking less-trafficked sites could be a mistake.

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Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Entertainment, Famous Inventor, Latest News, New Inventions, People Making a Difference

Craig Newmark of Craigslist Launches Craigconnects To Aid Nonprofits

March 13, 2011

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, has embarked on a new endeavor: craigconnect, a site that harnesses the power of the Internet to aid nonprofits organizations…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Internet, Latest News, Latest Trend, New Discoveries, New Inventions, New Viewpoints

How Foursquare & AmEx Are Putting a Fresh Twist on Loyalty Marketing

March 13, 2011

New technology means new marketing.

In the summer of 2010, Foursquare’s Head of Business Development Tristan Walker and American Express’s Vice President of Global Marketing Capabilities David Wolf started talking about ways to work together to redefine loyalty for local merchants.

The fruit of their conversations is now on display in the city Austin, Texas where 60 merchants — including Whole Foods, Starwood Hotels and Stubb’s BBQ — are offering Foursquare users “spend $5, save $5″ rewards when they load the special and swipe their AmEx cards.

The pilot program started Friday and will run through Tuesday, March 15. Participating merchants have posted “Austin Unlocked” window clings to highlight their participation, and Foursquare users need only register their American Express cards to unlock this new type of special — the Loyalty Special…

Continue reading… “How Foursquare & AmEx Are Putting a Fresh Twist on Loyalty Marketing”

Big Problems, Business, Latest Trend, Money Talk

Banks Considering Cap on Debit Card Purchases

March 12, 2011

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is mulling a $100 cap to help combat new rules.

Banks discussing limiting caps on debit-card transaction sizes may have a standard bearer in J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., which is mulling a $100 cap to help combat new rules.

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Analysis, Business, Economy, Latest Trend

Economy Adds Jobs but the Kind of Jobs Created is Less Encouraging

March 11, 2011

New jobs that are being created pay less and offer fewer work hours than the ones they have replaced.

When it comes to jobs, it’s not just quantity that matters–it’s also quality. It’s great news that the economy is finally producing jobs again–even if it’ll take another few years of this kind of growth to get us back to where we were before the Great Recession. But that also means it’s now time to ask what kind of jobs are being created. And on that front, things are a lot less encouraging.

Continue reading… “Economy Adds Jobs but the Kind of Jobs Created is Less Encouraging”

Analysis, Big Problems, Business, Economy, Food, Globalism, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News

Why World Food Prices Are Poised to Keep Climbing

March 11, 2011

In February, world food prices reached the highest level on record. Soaring food prices are already a source of spreading hunger and political unrest, and it appears likely that they will climb further in the months ahead…

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Business, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues

Apple Changes In-App Purchase Policy to Protect Parents’ Credit Cards

March 11, 2011

Children may be raiding their parents credit cards.

Apple has changed its policy for in-app purchases to prevent users, especially children, from accidentally purchasing virtual goods.

Previously, consumers have been able to make an unlimited number of purchases without entering a password for 15 minutes after a change was made using a password. Parents complained that this policy made it easy for their children to incur huge iTunes charges without understanding that they were spending money or asking for parental permission…

Continue reading… “Apple Changes In-App Purchase Policy to Protect Parents’ Credit Cards”

Business, Entertainment, facebook, Internet, Science & Technology News

Warner Brothers to Offer Movie Rentals on Facebook

March 9, 2011

Warner Brothers will rent “The Dark Knight” to American users over Facebook for the equivalent of $3 in Facebook’s currency.

Warner Brothers became the first major media company to offer a movie for rent on Facebook, a move that could position the social network to become a force in the digital distribution of movies, rivaling services like Netflix and iTunes.

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Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Entertainment, Human Behavior

Canned Cow Farts Prove Big Hit in Germany

March 9, 2011

A gassy success.

Stall Duft is a small can filled with the smell of an old wooden stable full of gas-producing cows. This thing is actually for sale in Germany and Austria, and the strangest part is that it’s a success…

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Internet, Latest News

New Dating Website Helps You Find Someone Who Looks Just Like You

March 8, 2011

Lookin’ good!

Because that’s what we’re all looking for, right? Christina Bloom is the founder of FindYourFacemate.com, which will open for business later this month. She says that she was inspired to build the website after people kept telling her that she and her ex-husband look a lot alike. So this website will use facial mapping software to match you up with someone like you..

Continue reading… “New Dating Website Helps You Find Someone Who Looks Just Like You”