eBay

Software
February 10, 2014
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Flappy Bird iPhone on eBay

Flappy Bird devices selling for thousands of dollars on eBay

By on February 10, 2014 at 6:30 AM.

Flappy Bird devices selling for thousands of dollars on eBay

Flappy Bird developer Nguyen Ha Dong on Saturday surprisingly announced via Twitter that he will remove the popular game from app stores in following hours, and he kept his promise, as the game went down both in the App store and in the Google Play Store at midnight local time on Sunday. “22 hours rom now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down” Dong said on Twitter. “It is not anything related to legal issues. I cannot take this anymore.” However, that doesn’t mean the game is completely unavailable.
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Internet
April 11, 2013
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Ebay Users Data

EBay will now use your data to sell targeted ads

By on April 11, 2013 at 7:50 AM.

EBay will now use your data to sell targeted ads

Internet auction giant eBay (EBAY) recently announced plans to begin sharing the browsing habits of its customers with third-party advertisers. The move follows similar strategies of other online companies such as Google (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN) and Facebook (FB). EBay traditionally used its proprietary user data to help grow its eBay Marketplaces business and promote products from various merchants to users who had shown interest in similar items on its website.

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Services
October 10, 2012
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eBay launches redesign and same-day delivery service, plans Groupon-style deals site

By on October 10, 2012 at 1:00 PM.

eBay launches redesign and same-day delivery service, plans Groupon-style deals site

EBay Redesign Groupon Killer

eBay (EBAY) announced on Wednesday the launch of its redesigned website alongside a new simpler logo. The new eBay site draws on cues popularized by social photo-sharing site Pinterest. The most noticeable addition is the eBay Feed, a section dedicated to provide improved product discovery features. The Feed will suggest items that a user might be interested in based on pre-selected likes, eBay history or Facebook (FB) interests. Recommended items will populate the Feed’s stream and users can then instantly choose to buy the item or watch it. Users can even follow other user feeds to get more ideas. eBay users who want to get in on the Feed early can turn it on here. More →

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Internet
August 18, 2012
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eBay clamps down on magic spell auctions, thwarts would-be wizards

By on August 18, 2012 at 2:30 PM.

eBay clamps down on magic spell auctions, thwarts would-be wizards

eBay Magical Item Ban

Vindictive souls looking to buy magical curses to place on their enemies will have to go shopping somewhere other than eBay (EBAY). Wired reports that eBay will officially ban “intangible” items from being auctioned starting on August 30th, including “spells, curses, hexing, conjuring, magic, prayers, blessing services, magic potions, healing sessions” and more. More →

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mobile
August 7, 2012
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iPhone 5 rumors send smartphone owners scrambling to sell phones

By on August 7, 2012 at 11:40 AM.

iPhone 5 rumors send smartphone owners scrambling to sell phones

iPhone 5 Rumors EBay Sales

Smartphone owners are scrambling to sell off their old handsets as the release of Apple’s (AAPL) next-generation iPhone draws near. Apple will unveil the “iPhone 5″ during a press conference on September 12th, and the sleek new smartphone is expected to launch one week later on September 21st. According to data from eBay (EBAY), the volume of trade-in offers generated by the company’s eBay Instant Sale service recently spiked by 70% due to the influx of  rumors surrounding the new iPhone’s imminent release. More →

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Legal
July 25, 2012
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Google, Facebook, Amazon and eBay found pro-tech lobbying group

By on July 25, 2012 at 9:05 PM.

Google, Facebook, Amazon and eBay found pro-tech lobbying group

Internet Association Tech Lobbying Group

Four major Internet companies are giving America just what it needs: More federal lobbyists. The Washington Post reports that Google (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (FB) and eBay (EBAY) have all teamed up to form the Internet Association, a lobbying group that describes itself as “the unified voice of the Internet economy, representing the interests of America’s leading Internet companies and their global community of users.” The group is being headed by Michael Beckerman, who most recently worked as the deputy staff director for the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and as an advisor to committee chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI). While the group has yet to post any official policy recommendations on its website, it’s a safe bet that special, industry-specific tax breaks will be among them. More →

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mobile
March 15, 2012
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PayPal announces ‘PayPal Here’ iPhone payment system to compete with Square

By on March 15, 2012 at 9:55 PM.

PayPal announces ‘PayPal Here’ iPhone payment system to compete with Square

PayPal on Thursday unveiled “PayPal Here,” a small accessory similar to the solution offered by Square, that can be used to accept credit card payments on an iPhone. The reader is a large blue triangle that connects to the top of an iPhone through the headphone jack. With the help of the “PayPal Here” iOS app, a merchant can input a sum and have a consumer swipe his or her credit or debit card to make payments. PayPal’s app also features a “Scan Card” feature, which uses the iPhone’s camera to record a credit card number or even a check. The app can track invoices and cash payments, and be used with checks, credit cards and debit cards. PayPal Here comes on the heels of the company’s unveiling of an upcoming digital wallet service that looks to compete with Google Wallet. More →

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Services
March 14, 2012
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PayPal’s Google Wallet competitor shown off at SXSW [video]

By on March 14, 2012 at 8:25 AM.

PayPal’s Google Wallet competitor shown off at SXSW [video]

During the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, PayPal finally showed off its upcoming digital wallet product that will compete with the likes of Google Wallet and other digital payment platforms. The EBay-run eBay Ink blog also posted a pair of videos on Tuesday in which PayPal vice president of global product and experience Sam Shrauger walks us through a number of the new eWallet product’s capabilities. PayPal’s digital wallet has a simple desktop interface and of course it features mobile compatibility and a number of now-common features, but there are also a few intriguing features that aren’t common among rival offerings. One such feature allows the user to pay for something with PayPal’s digital wallet while on the go, and then log in to his or her account at a later time and choose which credit card or bank account should supply the funds for the purchase. This feature and more are explained in a pair of videos from eBay and PayPal, which follow below. More →

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Business
September 21, 2011
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HP may oust Apotheker for former eBay CEO Meg Whitman

By on September 21, 2011 at 1:45 PM.

HP may oust Apotheker for former eBay CEO Meg Whitman

HP may replace current CEO Leo Apotheker with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, AllThingsD reported on Wednesday. Reportedly, HP board members are not pleased with “a series of management mishaps,” inside HP. It is unclear if those mishaps are related to HP’s recent decision to kill off its webOS devices and spin off its PC business, which resulted in recent job cuts from the former Palm team. The board may be more upset HP’s stock has tanked more than 40% since Apotheker took the reins in September, 2010. In any case, if Apotheker does get relieved of his duties as CEO, one analyst has suggested he will still have made $9.4 million for the year. Whitman, who is also on HP’s board, is reportedly interested in the job but the appointment is far from official, AllThingsD said. Whitman’s experience in the consumer market might help HP if ever does decide to revive the TouchPad and other webOS hardware efforts. Whitman served as eBay’s chief executive for 10 years until 2008 before trying her hand in politics. More →

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Rumor
August 15, 2011
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MacBook Pro prototype spotted with 3G modem

By on August 15, 2011 at 10:35 PM.

MacBook Pro prototype spotted with 3G modem

Apple has yet to release a MacBook with an integrated 3G modem, but that doesn’t mean the company hasn’t toyed with the idea. A 2007 15-inch MacBook Pro has surfaced on eBay with a built-in 3G antenna and a SIM-card slot. The seller says he or she originally purchased the 3G-capable MacBook Pro “for parts,” from a former Apple engineer and said “it was immediately clear this was no normal MacBook Pro.” The machine’s SIM card slot is still recognized by OS X 10.6.8 Leopard but the seller has been unable to get the data connection working properly, and noted that “it’s entirely possible it never worked.” The high bid for the one-of-a-kind MacBook Pro was $11,211.11 at the time of this writing. Read on for a few more images. More →

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Legal
May 27, 2011
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Google sued by eBay, PayPal for stealing trade secrets

By on May 27, 2011 at 9:04 AM.

Google sued by eBay, PayPal for stealing trade secrets

Google on Thursday finally took the wraps off its Google Wallet and Google Offers services, which offer an NFC-based contactless payment system married with a location-based local coupon service. On the same day, eBay and its online payment arm PayPal filed a lawsuit against Google and two of its executives for stealing trade secrets relating to mobile payments. Osama Bedier and Stephanie Tilenius, both of whom were heavily involved in the development of the Google Wallet service, were named in the suit. Beider and Tilenius were formerly PayPal employees who left the company to join Google and help build Google Wallet. Both executives were with PayPal for the better part of a decade, and Bedier was most recently vice president of platform, mobile and new ventures. The suit accuses Bedier of having “misappropriated PayPal trade secrets by disclosing them within Google and to major retailers,” and it alleges that Tilenius broke a contractual agreement with eBay by recruiting Bedier once moving to Google. More →

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Software
April 28, 2011
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Shazam gives Android users unlimited tagging in 2011, Shazam Friends

By on April 28, 2011 at 9:57 PM.

Shazam gives Android users unlimited tagging in 2011, Shazam Friends

Shazam and eBay have teamed up to offer Android users a nice freebie. From now until January 1, 2012, Android Shazam users can enjoy unlimited song tagging without having to buy Shazam Encore. “This is the first exclusive App sponsorship deal agreed by eBay anywhere in the world, and the first time Shazam has selected a partner to provide free services to their customers,” reads the press release. The company’s self-titled, free application gives users the ability to tag up to five songs each month, after which Shazam Encore must be purchased. “In addition, we’re pleased to offer Android Shazamers access to the Shazam Friends social feature, allowing them to share their music discoveries with their Facebook friends and family while discovering exciting new music and content themselves in a continuously updating feed.” The full press release is after the break.

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mobile
April 1, 2011
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eBay outs iPad 2 sales data

By on April 1, 2011 at 9:15 AM.

eBay outs iPad 2 sales data

eBay has revealed sales figures for the iPad 2 during its first two weeks on the market. The online auction house created a chart that shows just under 12,000 iPad 2 units were sold during the two week period that it was exclusively available in the United States. The graphic notes that 35% of iPad 2 units sold during that 2 week period were to international customers looking to get an early taste — that figure is down from the 65% of international customers who purchased the original iPad on eBay. Canada and Russia were the two largest importers, each purchasing about 500 iPad 2 tablets. Hong Kong, Japan, and the United Kingdom each bought about 350. Australia purchased 317 iPads last year, but only purchased 110 iPad 2 devices in 2010. The 16GB Wi-Fi version of the iPad 2 was the most popular, as it represented 30% of all iPad 2 sales. Apple has yet to release its official iPad 2 sales figures. More →

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