money

A post-redesign AOL hits new Web site traffic records

AOL announced on Friday that it posted double-digit growth in March, posting new traffic records for the former high-flying Internet darling.

Page views on AOL's programming sites jumped 35 percent in March, compared to a year ago, while unique visitors rose 11 percent, to 56.5 million users, in the same comparison period, according to ComScore Media Metrix.

"Our strong growth is a direct result of rebuilding each and every one of our vertical Web sites over the past 12 months, with the goal of providing consumers highly relevant and rich experiences that focus on key passion points,&… Read more

Why you don't need an Armani TV

For most people, the goal of consumer electronics is to keep the cost down as much as possible without compromising performance or quality. The problem with progress is that once everyone can afford a massive flat TV the footballers, hedge-fund managers and rappers have nothing left to prove they're more worthwhile than the rest of us.

Enter the great fashion designers of the world, who encourage us to purchase fragrances that are mostly water mixed with some chemicals, and clothes made in the same third-world sweat shops as your local high-street brands, but at a massive premium. It wasn'… Read more

This PC is an Illusion

Can your computer do magic?

This prototype design can. The Illusion PC is one of thousands of entries into the Next-Gen PC Design competition sponsored by Microsoft. Gizmodo spotted it, and I have to agree that it pulls off a pretty nifty visual trick.

The design makes the PC appear to have no inner components. The designer says the aim was to make the computer not look like a computer, and when turned off to look just like a household decorative object.

The cube measures 8.25 inches on each side and uses a Mini-ITX mainboard, 200-watt mini-PSU, and slot-loading … Read more

SplashMoney financial manager comes to Windows Mobile phones

Windows Mobile users looking for a way to manage their personal finance from their phones ought to take a look at SplashMoney for Windows Mobile smartphones and PocketPCs, which just became available this week. The two-way app synchronizes with a desktop companion (included in the mobile download) to keep information current between the phone and computer, though SplashMoney also works as a standalone app on the phone as well as the Mac or PC.

Similar to most mobile money managers, SplashMoney lets you store and track financial data such as credit card details, account balances, budgets, and expenses. You'll … Read more

AOL opens up AIM

AOL on Wednesday announced the Open AIM 2.0 developer program, which opens up the chat network to third-party developers and services.

AOL is giving developers access to the AIM network to integrate the chat program into other applications and services, a first for the messaging service. Meebo and eBuddy are among the first partners.

The company also is rolling out a new advertising revenue-sharing platform in April called "AIM Money" in which developers of third-party applications can make money off display ads that appear next to AIM.

There are also new tools to aid developers of mobile … Read more

Where sensitivity is our middle name.

EPISODE 21 Digg users revolt, EA strikes back, Lost alternate reality game and a $600 rebate for your taxes... plus win some expensive headphones for listening.

Ron Paul supporters rebut charges of racism

I've written here about a couple of previous "money bombs" organized by independent Ron Paul supporters-- one commemorating Guy Fawkes Night (and, oddly, the movie V for Vendetta) and another celebrating the Boston Tea Party.

There's another one scheduled for today, but it has a purpose beyond mere money-raising. As Rep. Paul has been gaining ground in the polls and primaries, opponents have revived old charges of racism based on newsletters written in his name back in 1992. The statements in the newsletters were pretty bad, but Paul didn't write them and has apologized for … Read more

U.S. venture funding up nearly 11 percent in 2007

Calling all entrepreneurs: follow the money.

If you did, that road down the IT path would likely lead you to clean-tech and Internet-specific businesses, according to results of the 2007 MoneyTree Report released Friday by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.

U.S. venture capitalists invested a total of $29.4 billion in 2007, up 10.8 percent from the previous year. That marked the fourth consecutive year of growth. The number of deals reached 3,813 last year, a modest rise of 5 percent over a year earlier.

Clean-technology companies attracted $2.2 billion in investments last year, … Read more

Ron Paul's Tea Party-- a bigger money bomb

I see today's "money bomb" for the Ron Paul presidential campaign is doing even better than the Nov. 5 event. No doubt the publicity from last month is helping this time around.

According to this real-time data from RonPaulGraphs.com, contributions are coming in at a rate about 50% higher than the previous occasion. Around 3 P.M. Pacific time, the day's donations passed the total for Nov. 5.

Donations are currently on a pace to reach about $6.5 million for the day, which would set a new one-day record for actual donations. And all without the support of the official campaign organization. … Read more