consumers

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says an Internet firm claiming it collected only shopper opinions about the products they bought was actually collecting personal data. The firm, Compete, is negotiating a court-approved settlement of the charges. ... So far, the punishment the company will face has not been publicly revealed. Compete used online ads to recruit customers into its "Consumer Input Panel", telling them they can give their opinions and win prizes. To participate, however, consumers needed to install special tracking software on their computers to monitor what websites they visited. ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced it will allow people who buy computers running its new Windows 8 Pro operating system (OS) to downgrade their PCs to Windows 7 or Windows Vista. However, the firm will not allow a downgrade to Windows XP. Downgrade rights ... allow consumers, at no charge, to dismiss a newer version of Windows in favor of an older edition. The wording is clear. "Instead of using the Windows 8 Pro software, you may use one of the following earlier versions: Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business," the Windows 8 Pro licensing agreement reads. (Source: computerworld.com ) However, ... (view more)

According to a recent report, consumers who buy a Windows 7 PC between early June and next January will be given the opportunity to upgrade that operating system (OS) to Windows 8 Pro. At the moment, however, it appears that this opportunity to ... upgrade will not be free. Back in 2009, Microsoft offered a similar deal when it released Windows 7 . At that time, buyers of PCs running the company's previous OS, Windows Vista, were allowed to upgrade to Windows 7, provided they purchased their PC between June and the end of 2009. Microsoft also offered this same kind of upgrade opportunity in 2006 ... (view more)

In an attempt to limit companies that make automated marketing calls to consumers, a government agency has introduced tougher restrictions and standards. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said the move was necessary because companies had ... failed to take heed of the principles behind the existing rules. The new restrictions and standards involve automated calls, often called 'robocalls' because a robot (computer program) makes them, in which consumers answer their phones and immediately hear recorded messages. Marketers find such tactics profitable because they can conduct whole ... (view more)

This week, Walmart announced it would bow out of the digital music business , presumably because competition from Apple's iTunes proved too fierce. Now, it appears Apple's dominance of another market is forcing hardware firm Hewlett-Packard (HP) to ... take drastic action. HP has announced it will cut $100 from the price of its tablet PC, the TouchPad. The cost of the 16GB TouchPad tablet has dropped from $500 to $400, while the 32GB edition goes from $600 to $500. That means both choices are available for roughly $100 less than comparable iPads from Apple. (Source: wsj.com ) Apple iPad Market ... (view more)

Since high definition televisions (HDTVs) first made a splash in the electronics market five years ago, at no point have sales of these devices actually declined -- that is, until now. According to a recent report from the Consumer Electronics ... Association, consumers simply aren't buying high definition televisions right now, meaning it's expected prices could come down significantly in the coming months. The Consumer Electronics Association report points to one glaring statistic: in 2010, 34.4 million TV sets were shipped by manufacturers. That's down 500,000 from 2009, the first time there's ... (view more)

Thought you knew netbooks? Hardware producer Lenovo is determined to change that. The company says its newest line-up of ultraportable netbooks will boast portability as well as power. For most of their brief history, netbooks have been little more ... than compact, lightweight web browsing and word processing tools with minimal performance capabilities. For many consumers, that's been just fine. Netbooks perform these basic functions (which, let's face it, are probably the most important things a computer can do) admirably, and in most cases they cost less than $500. Changing the Way Consumers ... (view more)

As the number of tablet computers on the market steadily increases, consumers are being faced with tough decisions -- do they buy a traditional laptop, a netbook, or one of the new slate options from Apple or a slew of PC makers? According to a new ... study, it's expected more consumers will opt for tablets rather than netbooks or laptops in the coming year. The study, which was completed by analysts at Goldman Sachs, finds that tablet computer sales will steer consumers away from traditional PC laptops at a rate of 33 to 35 per cent. Thus, it's not expected the PC market will grow much in 2011 ... (view more)

Microsoft has received more plenty of flak from its competitors and European investigative bodies over its inclusion of the Internet Explorer browser with each copy of Windows. Now it appears the Redmond-based company has decided to make things ... right, sort of, by not including IE in a 'special' version of Windows 7. According to reports, Microsoft will call the special version of its much-anticipated operating system Windows 7 E. This IE8-free edition of the OS is a reaction to antitrust investigations into Microsoft's traditional inclusion of Internet Explorer with its uber-popular operating ... (view more)

In the tech world, Christmas time is key to successful sales. Failing to release Windows Vista by December 25, 2006 was a large setback for Microsoft, which afterwards watched in vain as consumers opted for the older XP instead. It's not clear if a ... Christmas release would have changed that for the likes of Vista, but holiday sales may have helped cement it as a 'must-have' for consumers. That said, Microsoft will likely not make that same mistake again. The Redmond-based company has confirmed that Windows 7 will in fact be released in time for the holidays, and the move could help drive up ... (view more)