Archive

Russia's FSB security service wants to ensure that every ounce of electronic communication is monitored at next February's Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi, according to a team of Russian investigative journalists. The journalists reportedly unearthed documents and tenders from Russian c...

If you're perusing Staples' website anytime soon looking for boring old printer cartridges or what have you, you may be surprised to see a listing for 3D Printers. A 3D printer, for the uninitiated, is a device that's capable of producing a three-dimensional object from a digital design. It employs ...

I've been charting the evolution of the corporate app store idea in this column for more than three years. Until recently, most of the focus has been on how various service providers and other institutions can establish app stores to resell apps to their customers. Now, enlightened CIOs are discover...

The definition of sportmanship may lie to some extent in the eye of the beholder, but on Monday the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service reportedly recognized the video game League of Legends as a professional sport. The decision enables the most elite of players in the field to qualify for Inte...

Microsoft announced Wednesday that the latest updates to its Windows operating system will include built-in support for 3D printers, making it as easy for consumers to create a 3D object as it is to print text. Additive manufacturing isn't a new technology, but it is just starting to work its way i...

If you're perusing Staples' website anytime soon looking for boring old printer cartridges or what have you, you may be surprised to see a listing for 3D Printers. A 3D printer, for the uninitiated, is a device that's capable of producing a three-dimensional object from a digital design. It employs ...

Do you dread calling a company to get customer support? Most of us do. We are on hold forever and the problem drags on way too long, leaving brand loyalty damaged. Some companies are solving that problem by partnering with Support.com -- building customer loyalty, developing a competitive advantag...

Microsoft scrapped plans for Friday night's launch of its Surface Pro tablet at the Best Buy store in New York City because of an impending blizzard meteorologists have dubbed "Nemo." "Surface Pro launch activities in NYC have been canceled due to weather," said Microsoft spokesperson Dani Reese. "O...

One of the age-old challenges that has plagued the software industry, like many others, is how vendors can reach small- and mid-sized businesses with their software products. Although today's Software as a Service model eliminates many of the distribution challenges of the past, it hasn't overcome t...

I recently went to a local Staples store to purchase a cartridge for my HP laser printer. The cost was about $80, including sales tax. While I was driving home, it suddenly dawned on me that I should have ordered the cartridge from Amazon at a much lower price. As soon as I arrived home, I searched ...

Microsoft is putting its Surface RT tablet on more shelves just in time for the holiday season. The recently released tablet will be available at more retail outlets, including Staples and Microsoft's seasonal stores, in a matter of days. The company had been planning to increase Surface retail avai...

To say that Microsoft has a lot riding on its imminent Windows 8 launch is to have a magnificent grasp of the obvious. By now, most of us have heard the reports that Microsoft will spend a whopping $1.5 to $1.8 billion in an all-out Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT Surface tablet marketing blitz. Just thi...

New iPhone? Now, what to do with the old one, and the one before that? Wondering what to do with the old, redundant gear spilling out of drawers, relegating your automobile to the driveway or street? Step 1: Gather it up. Collect all of the household electronics that are no longer being used and p...

Now that Software as a Service and the broader cloud computing concept have gained widespread recognition and acceptance, it will be interesting to see whether online marketplaces will become a preferred method for acquiring these on-demand resources. Given the proliferation of SaaS/cloud providers...

Amazon has moved to acquire Kiva Systems, a maker of robotic equipment that services warehouses. The purchase will be Amazon's biggest since it bought Zappos.com in 2009. Amazon agreed to pay $775 million for Kiva, which creates equipment, handling technology and software that helps large-scale vend...