Wal-Mart
expands its dirt-cheap download list
Wal-Mart, which sells digital
downloads for 11 percent less than major competitors, expanded its catalog
of artists by 50 percent, including exclusive songs from artists such as
Jessica Simpson, 3 Doors Down and Shania Twain. The site, which allows
customers to download a song from the Internet for 88 cents, has been
around since December. The Wal-Mart brand name is widely recognizable, but
the chain is entering the dot.com craze pretty late in the game. Wal-Mart
faces fierce competition from Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes music store and
Roxio Inc.'s Napster, which both charge 99 cents per song. Analysts say
Wal-Mart’s goal is to bring more people to its web site.
Study:
Cost-conscious consumers skip b-band
A Yankee Group report found that interest in high-speed
services is still growing, but dial-up consumers are highly
price-sensitive. Only 17 percent say they are likely to subscribe to
broadband at $45 per month. Seventy-one percent of Internet customers
claim they would opt for broadband if it were cheaper. Thirty-one percent
of broadband households chose their high-speed providers because of
bundled discounts for multiple services. Bundling allows providers to
lower the monthly price of broadband without sacrificing subscriber
profitability because of higher revenue per customer.
Viruses
jack up disaster recovery $ 23 percent
Computer viruses and attacks are not only hurting
machines, they’re hurting companies’ bank accounts as well. Security
firm TruSecure performed a recent survey of executives at 300 companies
and government agencies around the world with at least 500 computers. It
concluded that despite increased spending, both the perception and the reality of the
malicious code problem continue to worsen. The survey found “disaster
recovery costs" increased 23 percent over the past year to almost
$100,000 per organization per attack.
New
Opera browser lets you sing your sites
Internet users may be able to talk to their computers in
the future, and the talking won’t be limited to blurting obscenities
when a machine malfunctions. Opera Software introduced a new browser that
incorporates IBM's ViaVoice technology, enabling the computer to ask what
the user wants and "listen" to the request. The demonstration
version is available only in English right now. After listening to the
computer's question, users have to wait for a beep before stating their
request. The voice technology could make the internet accessible to users
who are physically unable to use a keyboard.
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