As new technologies such as Web 2.0 continue to improve the Internet, netizens begin to expect more from the Web. They want new and improved features from the sites that they frequently visit and this puts on a lot of pressure for companies that manage online storefronts while at the same time raising a market opportunity for IT providers.

One major reason to explained the increased expectations is that websites such as eBay, Flickr, YouTube and Amazon are still pushing the envelope as far as new features and an improved online user experience is concerned, says Gartner vice president for e-commerce and CRM research, Gene Alvarez.
A report released by Gartner suggests that while IT budgets continue to shrink by about 5 percent to 25 percent, consumers still expect companies to provide better online shopping experiences.

Alvarez said that this is one of the biggest challenges for e-commerce organizations. Whether it is in business-to-consumer or in business-to-business e-commerce, he adds that customers continue to tap into new capabilities so they expect the same capabilities on practically every website that they visit.
And technology providers have started addressing the demand for new features by launching software and ecommerce hosting services that are designed to improve online storefronts.

Just recently, Google rolled out the Google Checkout store gadget. The application can be embedded into any website sans the need for complicated coding. The app allows people to establish their online store within minutes.
There are also a lot of technology vendors in the Philippines that are leaning towards developing e-business applications in both B2B and B2C space. For instance, ePLDT is currently developing a suite of business apps which will be launched online. ePLDT is an ICT firm owned by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company.

Today it is a must for innovative companies to get hold of IT hardware simply to sell their products and services on the internet. This expense is due not merely to basic costs, but also because these items must have regular upgrading, upkeep, and repairs, which frequently has to be carried out by somebody from outside the organization. And of course having a network shut down whether for scheduled upgrades or repairs implies a significant lost income.

Second-hand hardware can lower costs significantly and appeals especially to new businesses and professional individuals working solo. It’s not difficult to see why the trade in quality refurbished servers and information storage is flourishing. They can buy these items at a small fraction of the cost and they’ll operate just as well if not better than brand new computer hardware. A further positive of choosing second-hand computer hardware is availability. When you can do without the hassles that come with recently launched technology, obtaining a specific brand or model can sometimes seem impossible. If you are dealing with providers that specifically feature second-hand servers and second-hand data storage however, the process is really a piece of cake. You will be able to find units with specific features, a particular brand, and from time to time even further options available. Many of the issues with the latest technology are not evident until the computer hardware has already been introduced. Downtime for patching and upgrading is not unusual in the months and weeks after the release of brand-new hardware. In fact it is not unheard of for early adopters to simply bite the bullet and write off their new hardware in its entirety in its entirety after an aborted attempt at implementation.

Naturally with used servers, used data storage, and used network computer hardware, you can choose an item which is known to be reliable regardless if it’s a refurbished Juniper or some used HP 9000 servers. This equipment has usually had most teething problems resolved. Dependability isn’t an issue either as every last unit is refurbished before being shipped. Choosing the right IT asset disposal services is the secret to making life easier. Do some homework and find one with a good track record. By doing this you can be assured of getting top quality items. And in case something goes wrong, do ensure your purchases have a guarantee. You can see that in comparison with taking a chance on overpriced new equipment, investing in refurbished networking equipment makes a lot of sense. If you work out just how much money and time you can save, you’ll never buy brand new networking equipment again.

Australia-based DeepThink Pty Ltd announced the launch of its new hosting company, OpenSim. The announcement came from Adam Frisby, founder of the company, and was released to the media today.
Adam Frisby is the co-director and head of research and technology for DeepThink. He is also the core developer of the OpenSim virtual world server software, an open source application.

SimHost, the new hosting company, is going to be a joint venture between DeepThink and James Stallings. Stallings has been working as an OSgrid admin for two years. He comes with a lot of experience in dealing with OpenSim-based worlds.
Prices for the service will start at about $50 for every region. For $190, clients can get a dedicated server that is designed to accommodate up to 16 regions.

ReactionGrid and PioneerX are identified as the main players in the hosting space. At ReactionGrid, prices will start at $25 for every region and will climb up to up to $495 per month for the use of a dedicated high-end server.
On the other hand, PioneerX will offer the service at $16 for every region or $108 per month for the same server.

However, the configurations will differ. In basic regions, for instance, all the companies offer packages that are supposed to support moderate use although every company defines the feature in a different way. PioneerX basic region, for example, can accommodate up to 4,000 primitive building objects. On the other hand, ReactionGrid defines the same service as light scripting and having 10 to 15 concurrent avatars.

SimHost is going to be like the two companies in that with will give customers the power to choose between using an existing grid such as OSGrid and then creating your own standaloe world, or you can also connect the current virtual world to OSGrid and other types of grids.

There’s a lot of hype at the moment about push email technology. New cell phone handsets are beginning to support the technology and it seems to be getting its head into other areas of the market too. This could be the next big thing in the telecommunications industry and the speculation is heating up about who are going to be the major players involved.

Right now there are at least five major operators in this market and surely this will be reduced in the near future. Most experts say that there are simply too many of them fighting over the same space.

Right now both Visto and Seven have been keen to show their commitment to this technology. These are following the lead set by Canadian firm RIM (Research In Motion) who brought the technology into the spotlight with their Blackberry device. While so far they have been concentrating on supplying hardware, they have stated that they will be moving into the supply of software instead in the near future.

The wave of consolidations has already begun. British vendor Comtag was acquired by Smartner who in turn was acquired by Seven; moving in parallel with this, Visto acquired Psion Software. It looks like the heat is turning up in the race to capture this market. Both Visto and Seven show no sign of flagging as they continue to increase the number of operators they can lay claim to, as well as increasing the number of handsets and other supported devices they are marketing. Seven has also added a useful security feature which allows you to send a special message to your device which will delete all the messages it currently has stored. This could be lifesaving if you left your handset in a public place.

Good Technology was somewhat shielded in its area by supporting Palm and Windows devices but now there is the new Windows Mobile based Treos to contend with.

So what is Microsoft’s reaction to all of this? Well, they appear to be gearing up to enter the market. In his blog, Microsoft senior technology specialist, Harold Wong has reported that the company is getting ready to release its ‘Community Technology Preview’ build of Exchange Server 2003, Service pack 2. And this is not the only step the giant is taking. In June 2005, Intellisync announced a new service that would allow subscribers to receive push email on Windows Mobile, Palm OS and Symbian devices.

While, of the current estimated 4 million push email subscribers, most seem to be using RIM Blackberry devices, this assault will be difficult to bare much longer.

On the technical side, there are two basic technologies that can provide push email solutions:

• one technology is true push;
• the other has a push effect using synchronization.

While the user will not notice a significant difference when they log in to check their mail, the costs vary to a considerable extent with true push technologies offering a far cheaper monthly cost to the user. While Intellisync is currently using a SyncML or synchronization technology to serve its customers, RIM and Microsoft are using their own proprietary systems. The system that has found favour both with Vodafone, the world’s largest network operator, and Rogers, the first operator to deploy Blackberry devices is the solution that Visto opted for also. This is best described as a Proprietary + RTP/RTSP system and Visto calls it ConstantSync. It effectively relies on a real time streaming protocol to deliver email over mobile networks.

Whatever the technicalities behind the networks, there is a lot to play for in this emerging market and we’ll have to wait and see whose technology and handheld devices carry the most favour with customers. All have relative advantages and disadvantages both in terms of technology and market strategy and it all really is still to play for.

Linda Fowels shows you which email software to use for a successful email marketing campaign at http://www.emailmarketingsoftware.org - an email marketing software guide with tips on increasing your email list, building your newsletter and tracking your campaigns.