online shopping

The battle for the shrinking American budget is moving online this year with a vengeance. While the recession took its toll on shopping centers and strip malls around the country, the economic downturn has left the Internet poised to enter 2010 as a larger force in retail.

I once gave a vacuum cleaner as an anniversary gift.

Despite my good intentions that proved to be an ugly mistake.

My judgment isn't the only shaky thing. My gift-wrapping skills are so bad that, when I'm done with the paper and ribbons, the finished product often looks as if it has been attacked by a large dog.

On Wednesday, Intel researchers demonstrated an experimental, 48-core processor that rethinks how laptops, PCs and servers are designed. Described as a single-chip cloud computer, the futuristic chip offers 10 to 20 times the processing power of today's most advanced Intel processors.

The key word here is futuristic. Intel is still working to better understand how to schedule and coordinate the many cores of this experimental chip for its future mainstream chips. However, the company did offer a glimpse of what's possible.

Virgin America and Google are wasting no time in offering recession-stricken passengers a little something for the holidays: The companies are teaming up to give passengers free Wi-Fi.

Since May, Virgin America has offered Wi-Fi access on its fleet of airplanes, but for a fee. "Virgin America was the first airline to offer travelers Wi-Fi on every flight, as well as power outlets at every seat," said Abby Lunardini, corporate communications director at Virgin America.

In a move to compete with brick-and-mortar retailers this holiday shopping season, Amazon.com on Thursday announced new shipping options that aim to get goods to consumers much faster with local express delivery in seven major cities. The new option gives customers what many have clamored for since the early days of e-commerce: Same-day delivery.

Amazon will initially offer the service in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The company said it will extend the service to Chicago, Indianapolis and Phoenix in coming months.

To spite the lack luster economy, I’ve been seeing stories in WWD, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal that suggest consumers are shopping.  Perhaps not as much and not for the same things they used to, but they are out there shopping.  BIGresearch reports 4o percent of women said that shopping for themselves is at the top of their priority list.  The key to consumer spending today is value, according to Yanklovich and Ropers recent consumer studies.  Consumers want to know when they make a purchase they can feel good about the money they spent becaus

To spite the lack luster economy, I’ve been seeing stories in WWD, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal that suggest consumers are shopping.  Perhaps not as much and not for the same things they used to, but they are out there shopping.  BIGresearch reports 4o percent of women said that shopping for themselves is at the top of their priority list.  The key to consumer spending today is value, according to Yanklovich and Ropers recent consumer studies.  Consumers want to know when they make a purchase they can feel good about the money they spent becaus

With economic uncertainty tainting everyone's holiday spirit, consumers are bracing to stay within their budgets -- especially when it comes to holiday shopping. This year, experts say, gift-givers will find some of the best deals online.

"Online shopping will be second only to discount shopping for customers in terms of finding value for their money," said Steve Lemelin, regional leader of consumer business for Deloitte. "For that very reason, it's the multi channel retailers who are going to fare better this season."

As politicians, Wall Street, and retailers watch economic indicators with a hopeful eye, Symantec has offered insight on a different economy.

Symantec on Monday released its Report on the Underground Economy. The overarching takeaway is that the online underground economy has matured into an efficient, global marketplace in which stolen goods and fraud-related services are regularly bought and sold. It estimated the value of goods offered by individual traders in the millions of dollars.

Shopping online is one of the great luxuries of modern life and it has its environmental benefits. It keeps us from using our cars and, in the case of online-only stores, removes the need for energy-demanding, brick-and-mortar stores. But when you factor in the fuel-using, emission-producing trucks that deliver the products, it becomes clear that online shopping has its environmental cost.