Kindle evolves, turns into iPhone app

For those of you who don't know, the Amazon Kindle is an electronic device that allows users to download e-books in seconds for lower prices than paperback, and read them on the kindle. The only problem is that in Canada with taxes in, a Kindle will run you about $300 (about 150 UK pounds). What if you have an iPhone? Do you really want to be walking around with nearly $1,000 dollars worth of electronics? Probably not. As much as I dislike most Mac products, the iPhone is pretty sweet, it now has a Kindle app. Mind you there were e-book apps long before the Kindle app, but the Kindle app allows you access to the Amazon e-book store; reports Telegraph.co.uk. I personally think this is one of the most useful apps I've heard of the iPhone having. This is because it allows iPhone users to utilize their existing hardware to implement new, innovative technology. Furthermore, this creates an incentive for anyone who was thinking about purchasing a Kindle, to purchase an iPhone instead, simply based on all the apps that become available to you. I would actually consider ditching my BlackBerry for an iPhone once I do more research on apps that are available to me.

Call of Duty "Modern Warefare 2" Smashes Records

It seems that gamers have ensured that first-person shooting games dominate the videogame market. Call of Duty "Modern Warfare 2", in its first month sold 6 million copies (between Xbox360 and PS3). The story gameplay is realistic and exciting, but short. Why is this game doing so well you ask? It's because of the online community play. Xbox Live and the Playstation Network have created something of a networking community centred around playing videogames, instead of creeping on other people's facebook profiles. Once you purchase the game, you don't have to pay to play online (for PS3 at least), making earning revenue very difficult once the initial transaction is complete. I'm not sure what % of the sale of the videogame Sony would get in this case, but it would be in their best interest and Mircosoft's for that matter, if Modern Warfare 3 was released a.s.a.p. The Halo saga revolutionized the gaming industry, now the Call of Duty franchise has taken it one step further.

And in this corner...

It seems that Verizon Wireless and AT&T (the US's two largest wireless providers) are going to war. The two companies have been waging war via commercials in similar fashion to the Mac vs. PC battle that has been raging for a number of years now. The battle has even spilled over into the courts; according to the E-Commerce Times. But all legal mumbojumbo aside, what does this mean for you, the US consumer? This is great because it means that both companies will most likely end up in a price war in conjunction with a race to build a larger more up-to-date network. Which means that consumers in small town USA will be able to enjoy and utilize new technologies such as m-commerce without having to be in a metropolis. It's too bad Telus, Rogers, and Bell can't do the same here in Canada. But it's expected, Canadian wireless providers have been screwing us for years, why should they stop now?

Christmas Shoppers Calling The Shots

With the holiday season fast approaching retailers are depending on this quarter to jack up their balance sheets and make up for this terrible year. However, consumers this Christmas are becoming more and more price sensitive leaving retailers in an ever more despirate state. This is partially due to the economy, but it also has a lot to do with e-tailers aggressive price and promotion strategies in an attempt to drive sales and move consumers away from the busy malls. They are doing this by offering discounts on orders once you reach a specific price level, offering free shipping, and express shipping so it can get there in time should you order it late. As a consumer myself, I like the idea of shopping online for Christmas presents, this is because I hate malls and parking lots. So if an e-tailer is willing to provide me with a comparable price to a similar product offered by a brick and mortar store then I'm all for it. At this point in the game, I'm all about convenience, not security, PayPal's got my back.

Windows 7, better than Vista...

So it turns out that consumers actually want to purchase Windows 7, early figures indicate that Windows 7 out sold Windows Vista by some 234%. This is pretty impressive, considering that October (the month in which it was launched) is a historically weak month for PC sales. Nevertheless, even though Mac did their best with a steady smere campaign, it seems that consumers like Microsoft products. Who can blame them? I don't can't use, nor do I want to use a a computer that doesn't have a left and right clicker. It's crazy, in my opinion. A word of caution to my readers; I would suggest waiting a few more months before adopting Windows 7, or any new operating system from Microsoft. This is because, in the past I've noticed a number of problems with the operating systems when they first hit the market. It happened to my Dad, he lost all his files for a day or 2, the Windows support team called the house a few times before the problem was resolved. It's up to you in the end, but I would wait, and I definitly wouldn't buy a Mac. If you're considering it, give your head a shake...

Global Economy - Global Currency

There has been much speculation recently about the prospect of a global currency to replace the once dominate US dollar, but is this a good thing for the world? Many non-Americans, particularly the Chinese, the Russians, and the Brazilians, will argue that the US dollar does not meet the needs of the world in a global economy reports the E-Commerce Times. However, I believe that the formation of a global currency by what many refer to as the BRIC nations is an attempt to bring the US down to their level. If you look at all the countries advocating for a global currency, all of their domestic currencies are far weaker than that of the US dollar. Therefore it would allow them to become more influencial/profitable on a global scale, a good example of this was the introduction of the Euro. The Euro put all European countries on an even playing field and now the Euro is valued higher than the US dollar and almost as much as the UK pound. In my opinion, the idea of a global currency has far too many implecations, especially in developing nations and is merely an attempt to take America's economic dominance away. Please notify me when you hear a non-European, Chinese, or Brazilian advocating for a global currency, when you do I'll be sure to ignore you.

This will also have implecations on e-commerce activities, especially for North American exporters. If China, Brazil, and India are all of the sudden in possession of a strong world currency, what are the advantages of doing business with them? It would drastically change the landscape of importing and exporting, there are too many speculations to make and I don't have the time or the knowledge to make those speculations. If the sotry gets wheels then you'll definitly hear about it on CNN.

Tight For Cash? Spend BIG!

It seems whenever the economy takes a crap on corporate (North) America, companies go into survival mode, streamlining productions and cutting cuts where ever they are able. Making them stronger than before s*** hit the fan economically. The E-Commerce Times reports that companies that spend large during recessions end up coming out on top once the economy rebounds. For example; if your company spends $2 million annually on R&D and then spends a fraction of that once the recession hits, then your company will not likely enjoy a competitive position in the market, for obvious reasons. A common problem during recessions is that companies cut costs across the board, every department must save 10% of their budget from the previous year. But there are problems that accompany this strategy. As a marketing graduate, my profs always told me that many companies will cut marketing spending as a cost saving strategy. But how will your company save money by limiting your marketing departments overall effectiveness? It likely won't, sure they'll save money from the budget, but they'll also not enjoy the same level of sales as they probably could. Then the economy will likely be blamed for the slump in sales, not management's decision to handicap their marketing department. The point I'm trying to get across here is that during a recession companies cannot afford to cut costs carelessly, they must make logical, meaningful cuts that will not affect the overall effectiveness of the business.