Internet » The Rise of We-Commerce

Can't decide what to buy? Ask a friend, or your mom. Shopping's always been a social activity, and social shopping sites are now harnessing the power and promise of networks. They are evolving along with consumer expectations and desires, shaping a new world for e-commerce. It just makes sense that consumers tend to trust the opinions and recommendations of friends before they trust those of advertisers, promoters and retailers. Social shopping...

Internet » The Social Game Changers

For far too long, the Web has struggled to make sense of users by applying metrics that were mere proxies of player behavior. As the social Web expands, a paradigm shift based on previous user behavior metrics will follow. The analytics company that best packages, distills, and helps its clients understand how to better monetize users within the paradigm will gain the biggest share of this new market. Once considered the red-headed stepchild...

Internet » What Would Linus Do About GNOME 3? Why, Use Xfce

"It really seems that OS designers in general, and window manager designers especially, have forgotten what an OS is for: to allow me to get work done," said Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack. "Fancy 3D spinning cubes to change virtual desktops might amaze other people, but they are actually SLOWER than just having the desktop switcher on the bar. Xfce seems to get this." Debates are always plentiful here in the Linux blogosphere, and the topic of...

Internet » Is Social Networking's Honeymoon Nearly Over?

"I think that the reason [privacy] is not such a big topic -- or hasn't been in the past -- is that we're still in the honeymoon phase ... . People love sharing snapshots of their lives, letting people know what they've been up to, connecting, networking, socializing with old friends, old flames -- meeting new people. It's very fun -- it's very exciting. It's all about instant gratification." Technology analyst Scott Steinberg answers the question,...

Internet » How Anonymous Could Attack Facebook - If It Really Wants To

Should Facebook be afraid of Anonymous? A message purportedly from a member of the group has threatened an attack on the social networking site for Nov. 5. Tweets from another Anonymous channel claim attacking Facebook wouldn't be the group's style. But if someone really did want to wallop Facebook, could it be done? Possibly -- there are more ways to screw up a site than a DDoS blitz. Could Facebook be the next target in hacker group Anonymous'...

Internet » Kindle Cloud Reader Rains on Apple's In-App Fee Parade

Amazon has found a way to give iPad users easy access to their Kindle books -- and the Kindle Store -- without having to give Apple a 30 percent cut of its revenue. Other content providers, including Walmart and textbook company Kno, are following suit. The trick? HTML5 Web apps with caching features that allow offline access. The apps also work with PCs and Android tablets equipped with browsers that support HTML5. Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) unveiled...

Computing » The Future of Android, Part 2: Security Snafus

As the Android world grows, it becomes an increasingly juicy target for malware. Infected apps have been spotted in various Android app outlets on numerous occasions. The platform is less restricted than Apple's, for example, and with those freedoms sometimes come security dangers. Critics say Google could address Android's security issues with a few tighter control policies. The Future of Android, Part 1: The Legal Squeeze The number of attacks...

Computing » PiTiVi: A Solid B-Lister of a Movie-Maker

PiTiVi may not have quite the same variety of features and functions found in certain other open video editing applications. However, more complex video apps can be downright intimidating to use, and PiTiVi's interface is simple enough for newbies to handle. The application's motto of "anything in/anything out" is a good clue to the degree of flexibility this film editor provides. PiTiVi is a GTK-based film editor that shows promise but lacks...

Computing » Nokia Goes All In With Windows Phone in North America

Feature phones and Symbian devices will no longer be on Nokia's North American menu. The handset maker is putting all its chips on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform for its North American operations, abandoning a fading operating system as well as the cheap phones that earned the company few points with major U.S. wireless carriers. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) revealed a bold move Wednesday as it announced its North American operations will stop selling...