the tweney review

More on the coming wireless boom:
Wireless E-Commerce Said to Be Heating Up–December 29, 1999

The next Net battle: Time. The UK government wants to create a universal Internet time standard based on Greenwich Mean Time. They’re giving it a new name: “Get,” for Greenwich Electronic Time — although it’s not clear how Get differs from GMT.

To get Get accepted as a standard, of course, the Brits will have to go head-to-head against Swatch, which is touting their own Net time standard. Swatch’s standard is based not on hours, minutes, and seconds, but on a day of 1,000 “beats,” each one about a minute and a half long. I guess you’d need to buy a new watch to keep track of *that* time, now, wouldn’t you?
Greenwich could mark web time

Here’s an interesting review of the year in Internet access appliances, from a site devoted to news about Net devices. As the review points out, wireless access to the Web really started to take off in 1999, with Sprint PCS introducing a Web phone service, and Nokia selling WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) cell phones like hotcakes.

The review predicts that 2000 will see a boom in non-PC Net devices, but errs (I believe) in predicting that boom will start with fixed appliances such as set-top boxes connected to TVs. These appliances haven’t experienced a boom yet; why should 2000 be any different? Clearly, Internet-enabled phones offer people something they want and can use — while the set-top box manufacturers still haven’t figured out a compelling way to integrate TV and the Net. That’s why I think the coming year’s boom in Net appliances will focus on wireless devices, starting with cell phones and handheld organizers.

Net Dreams Turned Into Reality In 1999

Most online holiday shoppers are happy with their experiences, reports say — although online toy stores may have produced more than their share of dissatisfaction:

Web Shoppers Report Satisfaction

(registration required to access site)

EToys, Amazon stock prices dropped Monday despite record e-commerce volume — analysts suggest investors are worried about the impact of fulfillment and customer service problems.

EToys Was No. 3 for Holiday Shopping
But Worries Over Service Hurt Stock

(paid subscription required to access site)

While the Internet economy booms, the Linux and open-source software movements are thriving on a “gift economy” that values intellectual contributions over market share, Salon writer Andrew Leonard observes. Of course, Wall Street loves the gift economy too, pushing Red Hat and VA Linux shares into the stratosphere.

Can Linux billionaires carry the free-software torch?

Red Herring has a nice piece on the “unsung heroes of the Internet” — the ordinary working folks who make e-business happen through their decidedly un-virtual jobs. Profiled in the story are a DSL installer, a Webvan warehouse worker, a call center employee, and a manager at an Exodus data facility. Kudos to Red Herring for taking a moment to look at where the work is really getting done.
Unsung heroes of the Internet - 12/24/99

Toy company says its sorry for late shipments with $100 gift certificates:
Toys R Us Pays for Missed Gifts

E-commerce sales during the holiday shopping season will add up to the predicted $4 billion, the Mercury News reports. And, despite pre-Christmas reports of retailers’ inabilities to deliver presents on time, most online merchants performed respectably, according to early reports.

Net sales soar past ‘98 mark (12/26/1999)

Dire predictions about holiday e-commerce notwithstanding, the top online retail sites seem to be performing pretty well this holiday season, according to Keynote Systems, which measures Web page availability and download times at major e-commerce sites.
Holiday Shopping Web Sites Continue to Perform Well (Keynote press release)