Thursday 30 January 2020

E-Commerce Minute

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E-Commerce Minute

January 30, 2020

Feds Seek Restraining Orders in Robocall Cases

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday filed complaints in two landmark cases calling for temporary restraining orders against five companies and three individuals alleged to have carried hundreds of millions of fraudulent robocalls to American consumers. The calls resulted in massive financial losses for vulnerable victims across the U.S.

Feds Plan Crackdown on Online Counterfeit Traffic

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week released a report outlining its plans to combat online counterfeit product sellers. The value of counterfeit goods traded internationally rose from US$200 billion in 2005 to $509 billion in 2016, according to DHS.

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COPRA May Be Coming, and It's Not Too Soon to Prepare

All eyes are on the West Coast as the state of California reins in the unfettered collection, use and sale of the personal data consumers share as part of the bargain for "free" online services.

In Praise of Clayton Christensen, a Revolutionary Thinker

Clayton Christensen died last week, and we should care. He was the Harvard Business School professor who wrote The Innovator's Dilemma. and changed the world, certainly the part we inhabit in CRM. Christensen did more than anyone to plant the idea of disruptive innovation in the minds of people in the tech industry.

Could Ads Become Potent Weapons Against Streaming Piracy?

In the United States, some 12.5 million pay-TV households accessed pirated video in 2019. One answer to video piracy -- particularly for streaming providers -- might be a dynamic shift in the business model, namely to ad-supported services.

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MoviePass declared bankruptcy

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It's Thursday, January 30, 2020.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

OK, who had 2020 in the MoviePass-death pool? Everyone? I guess the good news is that even though this movie theater subscription business (and its parent company) is going belly up, the concept has spread to others in the industry. Whether it’s AMC’s Stubs A-List or Alamo Drafthouse’s Season Pass, it’s easier and cheaper to be a frequent moviegoer, if that’s your thing. As for MoviePass, well, we’ll always have the summer of 2018.

-- Richard

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The opposite of a delay?

Tesla moves the Model Y release date up to 'spring 2020'

Thanks to a quick turnaround in building its Shanghai Gigafactory, which was completed in just 10 months, Tesla can now focus on ramping up production of its new crossover SUV, the Model Y, at its existing production plant in Fremont, California. The Ys, which were expected to begin shipping in fall 2020 are now slated for delivery by the end of Q1 instead.

We’ll have to update the lyric.

UPS deals increase its use of electric and self-driving trucks

Get ready for a couple of variants on the usual brown delivery vehicles. UPS is making an investment in UK technology company Arrival, which includes an order for 10,000 electric trucks. The plan is to deploy them across Europe and the US over the next four years. Separately, it also announced a pilot with Waymo to have that company’s self-driving Chrysler Pacifica vans shuttle cargo from UPS stores to its processing hub in the metro Phoenix area.

Fox’s upconverted 4K stream is a great excuse to upgrade.

The best pre-Super Bowl deals for 4K TVs and streaming

If you’ve been holding off on the purchase of a(nother) 4K TV, then Fox’s plan to provide a 4K feed of Super Bowl LIV is a pretty strong argument for upgrading. Even if it’s really a 1080p HDR stream that’s upconverted, it will still be better than the standard 720p version you’d otherwise have to live with. You will need the right equipment, however, and I have some suggestions, with everything from a Fire TV 4K Stick to an 85-inch Sony TV that’s practically a bargain if you just think about the price per square inch.

5 unique products to help you learn a new language

Just add talent.

What to buy if you want to start producing music at home

If you follow Terrence O’Brien’s instructions carefully, then you too can make a Grammy-winning album in your bedroom.

See everything.

Google Earth adds views of outer space on mobile

Now, when you zoom all the way out on Google Earth’s app for mobile devices, you’ll see an accurate representation of the Milky Way. Google says adding stars to Earth is part of its efforts to make the program look as realistic as possible, which is why it also previously added animated clouds to show weather patterns around the world.

But wait, there's more...

1. The Nintendo Switch has passed the SNES in lifetime sales

2. NASA is fixing a Voyager 2 snag from 11.5 billion miles away

3. Netflix is turning manga and anime 'One Piece' into a live-action series

4. Lab-grown heart muscles transplanted into a human for the first time

5. Google's 3D scans recreate historical sites threatened by climate change

6. Lawsuits claim Amazon, Apple and more are streaming unlicensed music

7. Roku's speakers can finally turn into a surround sound system

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