Online Spending Two Sizes Too Small?

John Paczkowski — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:19:35 +0000

With the econalypse still playing havoc with global finances, holiday shoppers are behaving pretty much as you’d imagine. They’re spending less–presumably saving up for that awful rainy day when discretionary income is better spent holding onto their homes than on another Wii game under the Christmas tree. According to the latest metrics from comScore (SCOR), online retail sales slowed the second week of December. They slipped one percent, though spending was up three percent from 2007 the week prior. “After a very strong first week of December, e-commerce sales growth slowed somewhat during the most recent week,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “However, the week still managed to see a few particularly strong spending days, with sales of $887 million on Tuesday, Dec. 9 surpassing Green Monday last year (Dec. 10, 2007) as the heaviest online spending day on record. With Christmas now fast approaching, look for online retailers to continue to offer enticing last-minute deals, including discounts on expedited shipping, to spur a final wave of spending.”

And that’s exactly what consumers are looking for, according to Google (GOOG).

“We’ve seen quite an increase in queries for things like discounts and bargains and things like that,” Google CEO Eric Schmidt told “Meet The Press” this past weekend. “And we know that shoppers are using the Internet to get better pricing.”

GPhone 10 Percent Cheaper, Uglier Than iPhone

John Paczkowski — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:50:35 +0000

T-Mobile’s G1, the first smartphone based on Google’s (GOOG) Android operating system, really is as cheap as it looks. According to a new theoretical tear-down by research firm iSuppli, the G1 costs about 10 percent less to manufacture than Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 3G.

The estimated bill of materials for the G1: $144. The estimated bill of material for Apple’s 8GB iPhone 3G: $160.

Now, iSuppli’s estimated bill of materials for the G1 is based on component and materials costs alone. It doesn’t account for other expenses like research and development, software, shipping and distribution. It does, however, account for “wow factor,” of which the G1 apparently has a paucity. Though Tina Teng, iSuppli senior analyst of wireless communications, described the G1’s interface as better than average, she said it “still has a gap to close with Apple’s interface” and “lacks the wow factor of some of its slicker competitors.”

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Online Spending Two Sizes Too Small?

GPhone 10 Percent Cheaper, Uglier Than iPhone