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According to a new report from Macquarie Capital, marketplace giant eBay is set to launch a new vertical this spring called The Plaza on eBay that will focus on direct-to-consumer sales. As Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter notes in a report, details are sparse, but Plaza has been compared to Alibaba’s Tmall. One retailer with knowledge Continue Reading →

Microsoft announced on Thursday it will continue to provide updates to its security products (antimalware engine and signatures) for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015. Previously, the company said it would halt all updates on the same day as the end of support date for Windows XP: April 8, 2014. For consumers, this means Continue Reading →

The federal government on Wednesday said Apple has agreed to pay at least $32.5 million in refunds to parents who didn’t authorize hefty purchases racked up by their children on their iPhones and iPads. The Federal Trade Commission’s settlement with Apple is the first punishment handed to a major tech company over the handling of Continue Reading →

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday announced that it will hear a closely-watched dispute between Aereo, a start-up that streams over-the-air TV for $8/month, and major broadcasters — including NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox — that say the service should be shut down for copyright infringement. The news, noted on ScotusBlog, means the court will Continue Reading →

Android has a lot of great native features and one of its best is Google Now, the voice-enabled personal assistant software that aims to give you important information before you even think to ask for it. Google Operating System reports that Google has now released a desktop version of Google Now that is integrated into Continue Reading →

First Microsoft, now Adobe: 3D printing will get a big mainstream boost Thursday when users find they can now use Photoshop to edit 3D designs and output them directly to a 3D printer. Right now, designing a 3D printable object can be a cumbersome process that involves switching between several design and print prep software Continue Reading →

The Starbucks mobile app, the most used mobile-payment app in the U.S., has been storing usernames, email addresses and passwords in clear text, Starbucks executives confirmed late on Tuesday (Jan. 14). The credentials were stored in such a way that anyone with access to the phone can see the passwords and usernames by connecting the Continue Reading →

On Thursday morning, the nominees for the 86th Academy Awards were announced — and the list contains many expected names and an Oscar newcomer. Netflix continued its awards season run with its first Oscar nomination for the documentary The Square, while science fiction films made an impression as well. Continuing its recent successes, Alfonso Cuarón’s Continue Reading →

Verizon Wireless has the largest average bill size among the four major mobile carriers in the US, while T-Mobile has the lowest, according to a survey released on Tuesday by research firm Cowen and Company. The survey of 1,876 US-based mobile customers in Q4 2013 pegged the average monthly Verizon bill at $148, higher than Continue Reading →

Cyber Monday marketing numbers for 2013 were up compared to 2012, according to Vocus Marketing Cloud. Those numbers are expected to climb even higher this year. Statistics from 2013 showed: A 77 percent increase in push notifications through retail apps. As much as 88 percent of retailers sent promotional emails on the event day, which Continue Reading →