AOL turns to Yahoo's ad exchange to move inventory
How to compete with Google in the display advertising space? Late last year, three unlikely allies, Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft, forged a pact that would allow each company to sell certain display ad inventory for the others.
At the time, Yahoo and Microsoft decided to use different ad exchanges, while AOL remained undecided.
Google, Facebook, PayPal and Microsoft join forces to fight phishing
Google, PayPal, Facebook, Yahoo and Microsoft, alongside 10 other leading email, security and financial providers, have formed the technical working group, DMARC, in order to reduce email phishing and spam.
The DMARC, Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance, will create internet standards to improve email senders' authentication practices.
Digital and mobile are underspent says Sir Martin Sorrell at CES 2012
Retailers and tech reporters were not the only ones clambering around the Convention Center at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week.
The event, attended by 140,000 people all eager to catch a glimpse of the latest technology wizardry from the likes of Panasonic, Samsung, Intel, Microsoft and about two and a half thousand other exhibitors, was also a meeting place for some of the biggest advertisers on the planet.
Spotting representatives from the four major agency holding companies, plus senior marketers from Unilever, Kraft, Intel and more, I managed to get five minutes with WPP CEO, Sir Martin Sorrell.
IE6 is almost dead in the US
Known for its lack of support of web standards, as well as a seemingly countless number of security issues, IE6 may be the worst web browser ever created.
Yet it has also been resilient thanks in large part to the fact that it was the default browser shipped with Windows XP.
But the browser that can't die soon enough is finally dying.
Mozilla renews search agreement with Google
Mozilla, the organisation behind the Firefox web browser, counts Google as its biggest source of revenue.
In fact, last year, the search giant was responsible for the vast majority (84%) of Mozilla's $123m in revenue.
The relationship between the two high-profile technology outfits is simple; Mozilla makes Google the default search engine in Firefox, and in return, Google shares revenue generated by Firefox-driven searches.
Thanks to a new three year agreement announced yesterday, this relationship will remain in place under financial terms that are undisclosed.
Apple's Mac App Store hits 100m downloads
Little more than a year ago, I asked the question, "Will the Mac app store change the desktop software landscape?"
The answer may not yet be obvious, but one thing is for sure: Apple's attempt to bring the app store model to the desktop isn't a flop.
Yesterday, the company announced that less than a year after launching, the Mac App Store has already surpassed the 100m download milestone.
According to Apple, this makes its newest app store "the largest and fastest growing PC software store in the world."
Microsoft to launch Windows Store for apps
Windows 8 is coming, and it's going to bring more than just a new operating system to users. Perhaps inspired by Apple, Microsoft will be delivering an app store dubbed the Windows Store with the newest version of its OS.
The Windows Store, which Microsoft wants to be the primary distribution hub for Metro style apps, is clearly something Microsoft has high hopes for. In fact, it's one of the reasons Microsoft is calling Windows 8 "the largest developer opportunity, ever."
2012: five things to watch
Despite questions about the global economy and volatility in the markets, 2011 proved that there's no place quite like the technology industry, where innovative new services and products continued to win adoption by both consumers and businesses.
With 2012 just around the corner, it's time to ask: what's around the corner?
Could the future of Xbox Live be 'g-commerce'?
Microsoft will tomorrow release an update to its Xbox 360 console that will allow users to use it to watch TV.
This will position the Xbox as an all-in-one entertainment hub for the living room, incorporating games, movies, TV, music and sports.
A key feature is the integration of Kinect, which adds voice search to the entertainment experience - with Windows Phones available to use as a controller.
Bing drops CyberMonday.com, others over "thin" content
For companies hit by Google's Panda updates, the search giant's approach to cleaning up its index may seem quite unfair.
But if Google has been aggressive with Panda, its efforts appear to be no match when compared to Microsoft's efforts to increase index quality on Bing. Need proof? Just ask CyberMonday.com, which is run by the National Retail Federation's Shop.org.
