Nicholas Carlson

Amazon.com today announced its new path in babies and toys. Months after a court-ordered divorce from Toys ‘R’ Us, Amazon has launched its new toy and baby stores. Amazon’s new toy store will carry popular brands such as Fisher-Price, Hasbro, LeapFrog, Lego, Mattel, and Vtech, according to a statement. The baby store will sell products […]

The French Senate passed a law today that could force Apple to open its FairPlay format, according to a spokesperson with the Computing Technology Industry Association. Apple uses its FairPlay technology to encrypt songs downloaded from its iTunes music catalog to prevent users from playing them on unauthorized computers. French parliamentarians Richard Cazenave and Bernard […]

Yahoo today announced a $4.95 million click fraud settlement with Checkmate Strategic Group, months after search rival Google settled its own lawsuit for $90 million. Engaged in a class-action click fraud suit since June 2005, Yahoo agreed to pay to the plaintiff’s attorneys $4.95 million and implement a series of click fraud fighting tactics, Gaude […]

After months of rumors and reports, Google today launched Google Checkout, which enables shoppers to purchase items securely from participating stores with a single Google login. Shoppers who want to use Google Checkout have to create a login or use their existing Google login. For user privacy, the service will also conceal a buyer’s credit […]

NBC and YouTube today announced a partnership to enhance and promote. And bring advertising said one analyst. The companies said in a statement the partnership will enhance the entertainment experience on their sites and promote NBC’s Fall program lineup and other shows over the next year. The agreement also includes an integrated, cross-promotional advertising relationship […]

Parents and watchdog groups have spoken. MySpace has listened. The social networking site announced this week the debut of new safety and security features designed to keep distance between teens and adults. The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), said the development is a positive one, but that the new measures don’t go far enough. The […]

There’s a giant, inflated brain in Times Square with Yahoo’s branding on it. Or at least it looks like a brain. Yahoo says it’s a sign of what users can expect from the giant do-it-all company from Sunnyvale, Calif. as it prepares for the next battle frontier with search giant Google: social search. Google’s been […]

It started with those now-ubiquitous three letters: RSS . If the increasing popularity of Ask.com’s Bloglines is any indicator, news feed aggregators — be they Atom, RSS or in one of nine competing XML-based formats — are dominating how we get our information on the Web. According to Ask.com, subscribers to its free RSS aggregator […]

Google   today began testing a new feature for Picasa, the company’s free desktop photo management software that lets users organize and edit their pictures. Picasa Web Albums is an attempt to offers an easier way to share photos online, Google Product Manager Adrian Graham said in a blog post earlier this week. To share […]

Google took another step toward its goal to create a “Mirror World” with some improvements to its Google Earth satellite mapping application. Updates include an increase in its index of high-resolution imagery by four times, the addition of textured buildings, a more streamlined user interface, and new tools that enable the creation and display of […]

UPDATED: The former president of Expedia thinks he’s found another high growth opportunity. Matt Hulett, CEO of Mpire.com, said the new Internet shopping service, which launches today, will bring together listings from eBay, Yahoo, Overstock, and Craigslist. Users will be able to filter results by price, time left to make a purchase, marketplace, geographic location, […]

As first reported by internetnews.com, AOL got into the Internet security arms race today with a new product, that helps check the security health of users’ PCs. And, according to published reports, the company will soon partner with McAfee and other security vendors to release a product package called Total Care. An AOL spokesperson refused […]