With gas prices rising and more people looking to share rides to work, governments and iPhone apps are offering ride-matching services to link riders with drivers. BusinessWeek tells us that a number of companies are springing up that use Web 2.0 interactivity to do a better job of match-making, with some even offering to verify users' identity to make the process safer.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
People who use Twitter to comment about Kodak or General Motors might be surprised when the companies Twitter back at them. BusinessWeek reports that those businesses, as well as others such as JetBlue, Dell, Comcast, and Whole Foods, have started to monitor the microblogging service for mentions of their companies. When they see a mention, their customer service departments respond to the sender, asking if there's anything they can do to help.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
In an effort to identify more potential voters, both the Obama and McCain campaigns are engaging in online behavioral research, trying to target voters, donors, and volunteers by their individual interests. BusinessWeek says that neither campaign will discuss its strategy in detail, but that the effort is sophisticated enough in its tracking to raise concerns among privacy advocates.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Open source software has led to better, cheaper applications. But the major providers of open source, such as Red Hat and Novell, have not profited much from such innovations, reports BusinessWeek. Instead, it's the tech giants such as IBM, HP, and Oracle that are making all the money.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
The Federal Communications Commission wants to bring high-speed Internet access to the 40 percent of American homes that lack it. Business Week tells us that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to provide government incentives for private companies to provide more broadband service. He wants to auction off wireless spectrum and have the winning bidder commit to bringing at least minimal broadband service to 95 percent of the country within 10 years.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Business Week says that, to meet its targets, "Next year, Toyota is expected to add two new cars that it will sell only as hybrids, one badged as a Toyota, the other a Lexus."
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
The Think Ox is about the size of a Prius, runs for 125-155 miles per charge on rechargeable lithium ion batteries, and goes from 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. One wonders if the Ox name, presumably designed to evoke clean air, will have the same effect on sales that the Chevy Nova---"no go" in Spanish---legendarily had on sales in Latin America.
Posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
![[RSS]](http://67.192.49.194/templates/images/rss_icon.gif){kind=icon}
Subscribe to RSS feed
