Compiled by Emily DiFilippo
Do It Yourself
On July 5, 2000, a California-based software company called Reef introduced a product that will enable entrepreneurs and businesses to easily and inexpensively set up websites. The Java-based package, Internetware 2.0, enables the user to set up a website without the aid of technical personnel. Its applications are individually packaged and easy to integrate; one need not have extensive knowledge of computer programming to use the software. In many instances, it's impractical and unaffordable to constantly employ technical personnel to maintain an online business. Internetware 2.0 is supposed to be a do-it-yourself package that can eliminate this expense.
An Event for Affiliate Program Administrators
The Institute for International Research (IIR) is hosting an "Online Affiliates" conference July 17-19, 2000 in San Francisco at the W Hotel. The conference is designed to "energize your affiliate program and make it durable for the long run." Through an interactive workshop as well as lectures, website operators will learn, among other things, to increase their customer base, boost sales, and integrate affiliate and advertising programs. Those interested can learn more by visiting www.iir-ny.com.
Webride Introduces Virtual 'Rooms'
A new software application from Webridge, called Portal Express, will help Internet businesses collaborate and increase profits by enabling them to set up portal systems that serve as virtual "rooms" for conducting business. It can be deployed in less than 90 days--much faster than existing portal software. The price and availability of the product haven't yet been disclosed.
The 'Internet Check'
Solutron, a Minneapolis-based provider of treasury management services, has announced the launch of a new option for e-commerce payment. The innovation, known as the Internet Check, will serve as an alternative to credit cards for online transactions. The Check will be cheaper for merchants and more convenient for the millions of Americans who don't own a major credit card. In using the system, the buyer chooses an Internet Check payment option on a website and enters her checking account information. The information will be instantly verified against a national negative file database and can be approved within seconds.
A Credit Authorization Solution
First Atlantic Commerce, a Bermuda-based Internet service provider, has launched a state-of-the-art credit authorization system called cGateSM. It provides an e-commerce gateway through which credit card authorizations are sent directly to Bermuda banking networks. It can simultaneously process up to 10 transactions per second and can work with numerous international currencies. cGateSM was basically designed to facilitate e-commerce with "fast approvals in high-volume environments."
CD-RW Technology Gets Bigger and Faster
Cirrus Logic Inc, a developer of computer chip technology, has teamed up with Sony to create a faster and better re-writable compact disk (CD-RW) chip. The CR3490 contains 1.3 gigabytes of storage space and has the fastest writing and reading speeds yet seen: 16x and 48x respectively. As the CD replaces the floppy disk as an information storage option, these improvements should greatly aid consumers.
German ISP Seeks to Wire Western Europe
Internet service provider Global TeleSystems, Inc. (GTS) of Frankfurt recently introduced a plan that gives Internet access and a range of other e-business services over a pan-European infrastructure in
35 cities and 12 countries in Western Europe. GST now proclaims itself "the only pan-European ISP operating a seamless European Internet infrastructure." Businesses throughout Europe can now utilize a suite of Internet services powered by GTS's high-performance Internet backbone, GTS Ebone, which operates at 2.5 Gbps with zero packet loss. The development of the GTS "Euro ISP" platform was completed five months ahead of schedule.