Typically, when an ex-Microsoft employee moves on to another career, it usually is to another computer giant like Dell or HP. However in a recent story, two former Microsoft workers transitioned to a whole other kind of job-one in which they have leveraged the skills they learned in their previous positions to create an algorithm that they are using to assist women in finding the most suitable bra for their individual needs.
In case you missed it, a recent interview with IBM CIO Jeanette Horan in the MIT Technology Review caused quite a stir. The frenzy it created was about IBM - whose embrace of the bring your own device (BYOD) for use at work trend includes the iPhone 4S as an approved device - banning the use of Apple's popular Siri voice recognition-based digital assistant feature on IBM networks.
WEBINAR: Three keys to creating a better online customer experience
Use it or lose it - online customers lose value with every tick of the clock and won't wait for your call
Tuesday June 12, 2012 2:00pm ET/ 11:00am PT
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As more and more people adopt the Internet as a standard method of communication, providing a superior customer experience is imperative in this world where consumers want everything NOW! Web-generated leads and inquiries have doubled or even tripled in the last couple years. However, problems arise when companies lack the capacity or strategy to effectively respond to this increase. If you're slow to initiate contact, your lead is drifting over to your competitor's website and giving them the chance to beat you to the punch.
Join InfoCision and Time Warner Cable for a TMCnet-hosted webinar on how a couple quick ticks of the clock can mean the difference between keeping or acquiring a new customer or losing them to a competitor.
What Attendees will learn:
- Why it's more important than ever to be equipped to rapidly handle online leads and customer inquiries
- Why seconds count - the benefits of speed in qualifying and converting online leads
- How you can take customer service from a cost center to a profit center
- Determine whether your users are on the optimal wireless plan
- Developing a robust web-generated lead program - speed isn't the only differentiator

The struggle for control and regulation - or lack thereof - for the Internet continues.
Today, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), an IT lobbying agency, is applauding a bipartisan U.S. House resolution opposing government control and regulation of the Internet.
Nokia has filed lawsuits against Research In Motion, HTC Corp and Viewsonic Corp for alleged patent infringement, seen as a way for it to collect much-needed money from royalties until it can generate revenue from other sources.
Altogether, there were 45 patent infringements claimed with cases related to the United States and Germany, and connected to phones and tablets, according to the lawsuit.
In 2009, globally, there were about 4.5 mobile "lines" in service for every fixed voice line, and the ratio doubtlessly has increased in mobile's favor since then. One would expect the mobility trend to affect business spending and priorities as well, but that does appear to be the case.
Dell announced its first quarter earnings results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 today, with some positive findings coming out, intermingled with some deeply troubling facets. Dell's transitional moves, as it sets out to become more than just a consumer electronics company and gain ground in the enterprise services and solutions market, are underscored in these results as well.
Growing plants in a garden might seem like an outdated task if it involves actually picking up a shovel and going outdoors - not checking on your crops through Farmville. But today with new reports being released almost daily about the potential harms of genetically modified crops, the poor nutritional value in refined foods and the cost of everything going up - homegrown vegetables cultivated in one's own backyard can be beneficial.
In a society where many believe "if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself," customers located around the world who are facing a problem with a product or just desiring to voice a complaint due to subpar service tend to turn to social media websites such as Twitter to get a fast response. However, a recent study released just today from STELLAService shows that too often service questions to companies go completely unanswered via Twitter.
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