Commerce

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Named and Numbers will hold a press conference next week to unveil the generic top-level domains that companies and organizations have applied for.

According to ICANN's announcement today, the agency received over 1,900 applications before it closed registration on May 30. Major companies and organization, as well as startups and even geographical regions, applied for their own top-level domains, the organization said.

With the advent of GTLDs, Web users can expect to many more Web addresses to crop up beyond the common .com and .org. Last week, Google evangelist Vint Cerf said that … Read more

Those of you shopping for iTunes gift cards can grab them at a healthy discount at Best Buy.

The retail outlet is offering the full range of iTunes gift cards for 15 percent off the usual price. So a $15 card is selling for $12.75, a $25 card for $21.25, a $50 card for $42.50, and a $100 card for $85.

Buyers can opt to purchase online so the code is delivered via e-mail or pick up a card at their local Best Buy store. No returns or refunds are allowed on the iTunes gift cards, but … Read more

Are you more apt to buy an item you see pop up on Pinterest or Facebook?

Most of the Pinterest and Facebook users polled by marketing firm SteelHouse said that the sites play a key role in their online buying. But Pinterest users are twice as likely to buy items they see on the site than are Facebook users.

Drilling further the results of the 309 online shoppers polled, 59 percent of Pinterest users said they've already bought something they saw pinned on Pinterest. In comparison, 33 percent of Facebook folks said they've bought a product or service … Read more

It's no secret that more of us are picking up Web-connected mobile devices. But the growth with which that's happening is nothing short of impressive.

At the D10 Conference today, Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers (KPCB) partner Mary Meeker revealed that at the end of 2011, there were 1.1 billion mobile 3G subscribers around the world, representing 37 percent growth over the prior year. The strongest growth came in India, where year-over-year subscriptions rose 841 percent. In the U.S. -- a market much closer to the saturation point -- 3G subscribers rose just 31 percent.

Despite that, … Read more

Zynga and American Express have come up with a plan to combine physical and virtual commerce.

The companies today announced a program called Zynga Serve Rewards. The program allows FarmVille players to earn rewards after making purchases with a prepaid card from American Express.

In order to take advantage of the offer, users will need to jump through some hoops. To kick things off, FarmVille players will need to plant a Serve Money Tree on their farms. After doing so, they will need to register for Zynga Serve Rewards to receive the prepaid card in the mail. After adding money … Read more

Nokia Lumia owners in Europe will soon be able to pick up and read some of their favorite books through their smartphones.

Like other online bookstores, Nokia Reading is part app and part service. Lumia users will be able to find, browse, buy, and download books written their own native languages along with a host of English-language titles. And thousands of familiar classics will be available for free, according to Nokia.

Owners of the Lumia 900, 800, 710, and 610 are eligible to use the new book service. The initial rollout is slated for users in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, … Read more

Do you feel your Facebook posts sometimes get lost in the crowd? The social network is testing a new feature that could help them stand out more.

A Facebook user in New Zealand apparently stumbled upon the feature, according to news site Stuff.co.nz. After logging into his Facebook account, the user reportedly received a message asking if he wanted to pay 1.80 in New Zealand dollars ($1.42) to highlight an important post to make sure his friends would see it.

The message gave him a choice of paying via credit card or PayPal. The user initially … Read more

All seven books in the "Harry Potter" franchise are coming to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

Starting June 19, Amazon Kindle owners who also subscribe to the company's Prime service will be able to check out the titles at no charge from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. According to Amazon, the titles can be borrowed as frequently as once a month, and unlike some other lending services that limit the number of e-books available, Amazon will have enough for anyone to access the books when they go live on the service.

"We're absolutely delighted to … Read more

Apple took home a 5-point jump in customer satisfaction, according to the E-Retail Satisfaction Index published today by customer analytics site ForeSee.

The iPhone maker's retail Web site scored 85 out of 100 in this year's index, compared with 80 last year. Only one other retailer, RueLaLa.com, managed a 5-point gain though that site grabbed an overall grade of only 75.

Despite Apple's ascent, it could only rise to second place, having achieved the same grade as QVC. On top as usual was Amazon.com, which captured a score of 89, up from 86 last year.… Read more