eWEEK EDITORS

Random House has added another chapter to its mobile book publishing business. The publisher announced last week it is taking a stake in Vocel, a mobile content provider of educational materials, and signing deals to include foreign language study guides and video game tips books among its offerings. Vocel, based in San Diego, Calif., presently […]

The mobile phone virus, the SymbOS.Cabir worm, has spread to the United States. According to one recent report, there was a first sighting in a mobile phone store in Santa Clara, Calif. But, according to a spokesperson from Symantec, it will take several years before attacks become common. The worm affects the Nokia Series 60 […]

Texas billionaire Sam Wyly has filed suit against the auditor that checked Computer Associates International Inc.s books when Wyly was selling his software company to CA. The suit, filed in Texas District Court, seeks $80 million from Ernst & Young. Wyly said it was E&Ys erroneous information that led him to take CA stock at […]

RadioShack.com had 25 percent more unique visitors in January than it did last year – the biggest increase among electronics e-retailers, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. Despite the increase in traffic, Radio Shack was last among the top 10 electronics sites for the number of unique visitors in January, according to Nielsen. BestBuy.com was ranked first on […]

Households with incomes of $150,000 or more are the fastest growing group of people going online, with a 20 percent increase over last year, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. High-income web users also spend the most amount of time online – about 76 hours per month. “This represents a solid opportunity for marketers,” said Heather Dougherty, a […]

Supermarket group BI-LO is one of the first major retailers to change its self-checkout technology from a hardware-centric platform to a software-centric platform. The supermarket will use QUICKcheck, ECRSs Java-based open self-checkout software platform. BI-LO said it hopes the transition will allow stores to rely less on hardware, reducing costs. Read the entire Retail Bulletin […]

New Mexico-based AutoCart is planning a drive-through superstore where customers can shop for groceries and other services from their cars using a wireless, touch screen computer. The store would consist of a 130,000 square foot warehouse with a kiosk similar to a bank drive-through where customers go to place orders for various products and services. […]

A leader in “cheap chic” clothing for teenage girls and young women, Forever 21, is planning to buy competitor Gadzooks out of bankruptcy in a $33 million deal. The move will increase the size of Forever 21, which currently has about 200 stores. The company has agreed to take over leases on at least 150 […]

Federated Department Stores has resumed talks with competitor May Department Stores about a possible takeover, according to Wall Street Journal reports. May and Federated had been involved in informal merger talks in recent months. The new discussions are at a “more serious stage,” according to the newspaper. Read the entire MSNBC story here.

Tandy Brands Accessories wasn’t part of the 100 suppliers Wal-Mart called on to use RFID tags, but the company has started using them voluntarily in its Wal-Mart shipments. Tandy, which makes belts, leather goods, hand bags, socks and gifts, said it will cost between $150,000 and $200,000 a year to tag shipments for Wal-Mart. Overall, […]

Based on the success of Marks & Spencer’s yearlong RFID trial, the British clothing, food and home products retailer will expand its RFID trial to 53 stores beginning in Spring 2006. In April 2003, the retailer started tagging apparel including men’s suits, shirts and ties at one of its stores. A year later, Marks & […]

Barnes & Noble.com was ranked first in customer satisfaction amongst e-retailers on the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, which is compiled in part by the University of Michigan. The website’s rating was up from last year – one of the few increases in customer satisfaction amongst e-retailers. “Barnes & Noble stayed true to its business […]