Spotlight Features

The tablet computer craze that has users of all ages launching Angry Birds and making Temple Runs is profoundly influencing toy makers as well. "We are moving into a new realm of toys that the industry finds quite exciting," said Jackie Breyer, editor-in-chief of The Toy Book. "We've seen a big push...

In the midst of an emergency while on a Grand Canyon rafting and rock-climbing trip last fall, Kevin Camp discovered first-hand the life-saving capabilities of satellite communicators. When a member of his party fell off a rock and sustained serious injuries, Camp used a DeLorme inReach to contact r...

Linux lacks any clear-cut system for determining which is the most popular or the best distribution, or which desktop environment is used more than others. That may be one of the major frustrations among Linux developers trying to spread the word about adopting the Linux desktop instead of Microsoft...

Customers expect call centers to know everything about them -- their order history, what they've posted about the brand on Facebook, and how long they've bought from the company. Increasingly, companies are beginning to keep up with that expectation, and the more they do, the better customer service...

As the U.S. prepares for kick-off of Sunday's Super Bowl, advertisers already have their plays in motion. Many of the commercials are already viewable online, and ads get support from online components. Over the past few years, the brands who buy air time for the Super Bowl have begun posting their ...

The calls for gun control in the United States have grown more urgent since the December shooting in Newtown, Conn., and it is likely that legislation will be introduced in Congress this year. Gun control advocates are pushing for more extensive background checks, a ban on high-capacity magazines, a...

It's a universal reality: Customers dislike waiting on hold. Now call-backs and virtual queuing are changing all that. "Our basic mission is to improve the call center experience," said Shai Berger, CEO and cofounder of Fonolo. "The heart of what we do is replacing hold time with a call-back." Call-...

Hybrid and electric vehicles have marketed as the "cars of the future," but consumers just aren't getting in gear with alternative powertrains; neither hybrids nor electrics are rolling down the road in great numbers. Although each year sees the introduction of new hybrids at auto shows, the most no...

Browse any mobile app store and you'll find a number of apps relating to monitoring activity and tracking fitness while you work out and train. Shelf space is increasingly dedicated to fitness-related gadgets including activity monitors and other workout gear. Now there are massively multiplayer-sty...

Call centers are increasingly migrating away from on-premises systems to cloud-based systems, which can save money and give greater flexibility. Everything from customer data to telephony software is making its way to the cloud, revolutionizing the way call centers manage their operations. "It's all...