marketplace

Zaarly, Craigslist's bizarro twin, yesterday released its native app for Android. If you're unfamiliar with the strangely named service, it's a bit like a digital bulletin board where you can post requests for goods or services (that you're willing to pay for) in hopes of finding a nearby user to oblige. It launched to the public this past May, and it's backed by some big-name tech investors including Twitter-darling Ashton Kutcher.

Here's how the app works. Log into Zaarly, post something you want, how much you're willing to pay for it, and when … Read more

Zaarly is essentially a reverse Craigslist app that lets you post requests for goods or services to nearby users in hopes of getting one (or more) of them to oblige.

Here's how it works. Log into Zaarly, post something you want, how much you're willing to pay for it, and when you need it by. Then, nearby users will respond if they've got the goods or they're willing to provide the services. Whether you're looking for furniture, someone to pull weeds in your backyard, or a pick-up truck to borrow for the evening, Zaarly seems … Read more

As we always do with rumors, we're taking this one with a grain of salt. But CNET sister site GameSpot is reporting that Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 8, may be able to play Xbox 360 games.

The source of the rumor is a site called Teknylate, which doesn't cite a source for the actual news. GameSpot points to another post on Insideris in May that teased the idea, but did little to back it up.

Whether it comes to fruition or not, this certainly seems like a plausible move for Microsoft, considering the company has begun to blur the lines of separation between Xbox Live and PC gaming. A quick visit to Xbox.com gives access to PC games in the Xbox Marketplace, as well as tracked achievements that fall under the Games for Windows Live brand. … Read more

Too busy to keep up with today's tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Friday, July 1.

Google+ contributor and Mac pioneer talks with CNET (Q&A) A core feature of the new Google+ service is Circles, which makes it drag-and-drop easy to build "circles" of friends in the browser. Meet Andy Hertzfeld, the man behind Circles--and the original Mac. More

Living life without unlimited data CNET's Maggie Reardon helps current Verizon customers understand their data options, and also offers pointers on choosing among Apple, Google Android, and RIM … Read more

Microsoft's mobile-app marketplace might now feature more than 25,000 applications, one report claims.

According to Windows Phone App List, a Windows Phone 7 Marketplace app tracker, Microsoft's store currently has 25,076 applications available to users. However, another Windows Phone 7 Marketplace tracker, WP7applist, claims the store has 24,878 applications. What's more, WP7applist claims 4,044 of those programs are currently "inactive."

Either way, it's worth nothing that neither Windows Phone App List nor WP7applist offer the official stats on available applications in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace--that is reserved for Microsoft.… Read more

Microsoft is now restricting the number of Windows Phone apps that it will approve from a single developer to 20 per day.

In a blog posted yesterday, Microsoft said the new restriction is aimed at cutting down on "bulk app publishing," a process through which developers can flood the Windows Phone Marketplace with hundreds of apps over the course of just a few days.

Though these apps may meet Microsoft's certification guidelines, the company is concerned that such apps can push other recently-published apps out of the "What's New" category, thereby degrading and "… Read more

Microsoft has shared more details about the upcoming refresh to the online Windows Phone Marketplace application store that the company first teased yesterday in a blog post to developers.

The screenshot below was internally labeled as a final version of the new design, which is scheduled to launch when Microsoft releases its Mango update this fall.

The new Windows Phone Marketplace features a sharper, darker interface, with greater use of black and a new section to spotlight select apps. In addition to browsing and searching the app catalog, a new feature will enable Marketplace shoppers to share favorites through e-mail, … Read more

Microsoft announced today during a news event tied to a forthcoming Windows Phone 7 update that its Windows Phone Marketplace holds 18,000 apps.

While that's peanuts compared to Android Market's 200,000 apps and the iPhone App Store's estimated 500,000 titles, it appears that Windows Phone 7 may actually have a similar or larger haul than BlackBerry App World, depending on how you count.

RIM's online market hosts about 25,000 items, which is 7,000 more than the Marketplace. If we split hairs, 7,500 of those titles are visual themes and another … Read more

On a recent bus ride, I saw a guy use his smartphone to shop for a Porsche on eBay. It might sound silly, but he's not alone. Apparently, shopping for cars and car parts this way is part of a growing trend; on eBay Mobile, 90,000 parts and accessories and 2,000 cars per week sold during the first quarter of this year, according to eBay.

This week, the company released a magazine-like app for the iPhone to cater to two markets: users who want to browse and bid on cars on the go and people looking to find parts for their current ride. While consumers can--and do--already shop for cars on the regular eBay app, this new app specifically targets the car crowd.

I downloaded the free iPhone app, called eBay Motors, to see what was on the market. While a tad out of my price range, the first cars that popped up on the screen were a Ferrari going for $200,000 and a Bentley priced at $156,995. If I was interested, I could have hit a button to place a bid. But I scrolled down to see other details like the make and model of the car and a button that would allow me to check the history of the vehicle.

Steve Yankovich at eBay told CNET he calls this situational shopping: "the trend of buying an item on mobile the instant you are inspired, and not having to wait until you are in front of your computer or at the mall. When a car enthusiast is working on their car or at a motors event, they aren't in front of a computer but their smartphone is handy." … Read more