| Gadgets Notebooks Outnumber Desktops in the Consumer Sector
The writing has been on the wall for years concerning the rise of the notebook computer. Notebooks were once relegated to business professionals and the upwardly mobile types that didn't mind paying $1,000 USD or more to "cut the cord." However, Intel's Centrino campaign coupled with lower component prices have allowed the notebook market to blossom. Society's craving for wireless Internet access anywhere and a shrinking performance gap between desktops and notebooks have finally allowed the former to rise to the top in consumer PC sales. Notebooks for the first time outsold desktops during 2007 for the consumer market. Online retailer Amazon.com reinforced the dominance of the notebook with its sales stats for the holiday season – 16 of its top-selling PCs during the holiday season were notebooks.
Coastal Post Online
In 2001, my longtime dream of owning a community-serving business was realized when, without any retail or bookselling experience, I purchased the Brown Study Bookshop, a sleepy used-book store in Point Reyes Station. I soon came to learn the realities of owning a small independent business in an age when consumers, seeking the best deal, are drawn to purchasing goods online and in big-box stores.
The last two decades have brought sweeping changes in many American communities as strip malls, big-box retailers, and e-commerce replace the locally owned shops on Main Street. Nationally, the number of independent bookstores alone has fallen from 4,700 in 1993 to 2,500 today, as revenues from Internet book sales climbed from $2.6 billion in 2002 to $4 billion in 2006. Describing the mega-corporate takeover in The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century, David Korten writes, "unlike the owners of locally based businesses, the absentee shareholder owners of these new businesses have little knowledge or concern for the consequences at the local level for action taken on behalf of the corporation."
In contrast, a growing movement of independent businesses is creating "local living economies" and seeking a "living return"-one partially paid by the benefits of living and working in healthy, vibrant communities.
U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. Names Shane Evangelist Chief Executive ...
CARSON, Calif., Oct. 15 -- U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. , a leading online provider of aftermarket auto parts and accessories, today announced that effective immediately, the Company has appointed Shane Evangelist as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Evangelist succeeds Mehran Nia, who served as President and Chief Executive Officer since founding U.S. Auto Parts in 1995. Mr. Nia will continue to serve on the Board of Directors. Prior to joining U.S. Auto Parts, Mr. Evangelist served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Blockbuster Online where he was responsible for leading the creation, development and launch of Blockbuster's online movie rental service. Under Mr. Evangelist's leadership, Blockbuster grew monthly unique visitors faster than any other e-commerce company in 2004, was listed as the fastest growing Top 500 e-commerce business in 2005 according to Internet Retailer and followed that up as the fastest growing Top 100 e-commerce business in 2006.
Extraordinary Products and Services at NaturalAreaRugs.com
Leading provider of natural fiber rugs and carpets provide customers with excellent online buying experience. Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) July 25, 2006 –- Amidst a world of online business fraud and schemes, NaturalAreaRugs.com has continued to maintain a supreme level of integrity in its business practices. NaturalAreaRugs.com is America's leading provider of imported natural fiber rugs and carpets made of materials such as sisal, seagrass, wool, bamboo and jute. "With customer satisfaction gaining increasing importance in ecommerce, trust and site-relevance are important to many consumers who don't want to be taken advantage of in a hacker-infested cyberspace," Natural Area Rugs President Moe Kermani said. "NaturalAreaRugs.com operates all transactions through Yahoo's secure checkout system and has been building Internet trust for many years." The following recent buyer's experience is one of the many success stories skeptical buyers are experiencing while shopping at NaturalAreaRugs.com: The Internet site was very well designed with the wealth of information and the ease of use.
Waukomis police warn of potential Internet scam working in area
Waukomis police are warning of potential scams and tricks after receiving a report from a woman last week who has lost between $400 and $600 in an Internet scam.Officer Phillip Ott said the Waukomis Police Department has discovered more than $3,500 has been lost to someone posing as a Georgia businessman who is on a trip in Africa.Ott said the Waukomis woman contacted the department July 23 when she began receiving packages for the suspect with other people's names on them.The woman told police she had met the man online, and he asked her to be the creditor for his business and to take checks and money orders for him and then ship them to him in Africa.Ott said six to eight victims have been taken by the suspect, who Ott said police have traced to Nigeria."We want people to be careful about what you do on the chat lines and on the Internet," Ott said.
Freebie Fridays Help You Save Cash
This is a Freebie Friday that won't cost you money, but it could cost you some serious time. I'm talking about an internet golf game so new, it's only in beta right now. The people behind the website have partnered with Kiawah Island Golf Resort, taken tons of professional photos and used them to make a golf game you can play on the internet. The makers of the game say it's the most authentic online golf game out there. Since it's the only online golf game I've ever played, I can't speak to that, but I recently read a column about this game in fortune magazine. The columnist goes so far as to predict that when the game goes live in June, business productivity in offices around the country will drop precipitously. Since the game is in beta, the only game you can play right now is a "closest to the pin" competition, but this summer you can play the entire course against your friends on the internet.
vnunet.com analysis: The malware 'shadow economy'
Viruses, malware and online crime are evolving from the realm of geeks into a major shadow economy that closely mimics the real world. Maksym Schipka, a senior architect at security firm MessageLabs, claims to have identified a sophisticated online black market with tens of thousands of participants. This underground internet economy is worth over $105bn, making it bigger than the global drugs trade. Click here for the full interview with Maksym Schipka (MP3) Collectively, online criminals are using the techniques of the free market to subvert and corrupt legitimate online business. In his report Schipka lays out the basic workings of this system, comparing it to a normal high street experience. As with high street stores, online crime breaks down into a series of specialised trades.
Top marketers held at GUN POINT and forced to make $1,000 in 48hrs.
Thats the exact scenario put before a few top Internet Marketers. With such a motivating challenge they "spilled the beans" about there top secrets for generating insane sales on the internet. All the marketers were asked to document what they did and how they did it on screen shot videos as they placed ads and used various web 2.0 venues to put out the message about the product they were asked to sale. Why would you put forth such a challenge and document it, you ask. Simple to show anyone considering starting or developing a home business that its not as hard as so many people make it out to be. With the right education, training and mentoring you can use an unlimited amount of available tools to promote and successfully build an online business with tools other than Google.
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