Apple's new iPods:
Lower prices, bigger memory
Apple is building on the
success of its by popular iPod line by adding more models with more
features for less money. Yesterday the company cut the price of the
4-gigabyte iPod mini from $249 to $199. A new 6-gigabyte version will sell
for $249. The playback time on the new iPods is 18 hours, up from eight
hours on previous models. Apple also reduced the price of the 60-gigabyte
iPod photo from $599 to $449. A new 30-gigabyte model for $349 replaces a
$499 40-gigabyte version. Apple also said it expects to start selling a
$29 cable in March that allows photos shot with a digital camera to
transfer straight to an iPod photo.
Looking for love? Lycos wants to play cupid
Singles seeking love are in luck. They might just
find it by doing a simple internet search. Lycos has launched Lycos Dating
Search, a free search engine that indexes dating web sites. Participants
include Lycos' Matchmaker.com, iMatchup.com, LoveAccess.com, Tickle, and
True.com. The engine already houses millions of profiles and photos, and
Lycos is trying to bring in additional online dating sites. In some
instances, Lycos offers more extensive search capabilities of a web
site’s content than the site itself offers. The index, which will be
refreshed daily, sends back matches from a query. Users then click on a
link that takes them to the original posting.
E-customer
satisfaction shows big 4Q dropoff
Americans spent huge amounts of cash during the
fourth quarter holiday shopping season last year. But were they
appreciated enough to do it again? According
to a new study by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, in fourth
quarter 2004 customer satisfaction with online purchases fell by 2.7
percent from the third-quarter figure, the largest drop since the ACSI
began tracking e-commerce in 2000. The number fell to 78.6 on a 100-point
scale. Some experts say dissatisfaction is the result of customers
becoming more demanding over time. On a 100-point scale, Amazon’s
customer satisfaction fell from 88 to 84, while eBay dropped from 84 to
80.
Ever-expanding Google adds movie time listings
Google wants to be a part of
your weekend plans for dinner and a movie. The search giant said yesterday
that movie showtimes are now available on its internet search engine and
can be accessed by any device that can get online. The service also offers
theater locations and movie reviews. Users can search for movies by title,
plot or genre. Yahoo offers a similar service through Yahoo Movies.
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