Deloitte Warns Consumers During Holiday Season

Deloitte wants every online shopper to be vigilant this holiday shopping season and has provided a number of tips in a recent press release. Cyber Criminals are very active during the holiday shopping season so consumers need to be careful when searching for gifts to purchase online.

The advice begins with being careful who you give your credit card information to when online. Monitor your credit card and bank statements to notice fraud early in the process. Keep your login information current and change regularly. And keep your security patches up to date for Windows and Anti-Virus software installed on your home PC.

Other good tips include not using free internet access sites, don’t respond to rogue virus alerts when browsing the web, simply shut down the browser, sign-up for credit monitoring and be cautious when posting information on social networking sites like Facebook as criminals look for clues of vulnerable situations.

Milo.com Reaches Milestone and Adds Features

Helping shoppers research items online for free and providing local locations to make purchases has helped Milo.com reach one million users a month. Launching from beta, the website has attracted shoppers from across the country looking for the best price on holiday gifts and wanting to purchase the items locally. The site attempts to take the best features of eBay and Amazon and make it all local so shoppers can see and feel the items before buying.

New Features

New features have recently been added to give users even more search capability. In-Stock searches can be selected to only show items that are in-stock. No more going to the local store to find out they do not have the item. Price alerts are based on a single item at a single store within the users local region. When the item reaches the price you select, you are notified. And finally the Hottest Product List (could have been named by Paris), allows shoppers to browse what others have been searching for.

Online Sales Jump 47% for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

The combined results of Black Friday and Cyber Monday for 2009 exceed sales from last year by 47% according to Retail Decisions. Black Friday performed better with $3.1 billion in sales which is an increase of 52%. Cyber Monday saw sales of $2.2 billion which is 35% better than last year. The good sales on Black Friday related to the heavy discounting that occurred on the day.

The top performing products online for the two day period included the TomTom GPS, Kodak Digital Cameras, Nintendo Wii, Ice Age 3, and Sony Digital Cameras. Some products popular as frauds included virtual gift cards, XBox 360, Nintendo Wii, and the Call of Duty XBox game.

The Ultimate Steal: Windows 7 and Microsoft Office

Currently enrolled students have the opportunity to purchase Microsoft products Windows 7 and MS Office at great low prices. Weather enrolled full-time or part-time you can get these brand new Microsoft software products at lower prices than available anywhere else utilizing the Ultimate Steal program. Windows 7 Professional Upgrade is available for $39.99 while Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 is available for $64.00.

Use your college email account to be eligible for this Ultimate Steal. When you click “Buy Now” from the “additional products” menu on the Ultimate Steal Microsoft page, you will be sent an email with a link to the location you can purchase these two products at great discount prices. This new program is an upgrade to a previous Ultimate Steal program that Microsoft launched prior to the release of Windows 7. Digital downloads are available at the prices listed above while DVDs are available for an additional $13.00 shipping and handling charge.

Get Started Now!

Secure USB Flash Drives from Kingston

Kingston Digital has announced the release of a secure set of USB Flash Drives at affordable prices that every business can afford. The DataTraveler Locker+ provides password protection and encryption of data on drives that range from 4 GB to 32 GB. Remember when flash drives were in the MB ranges, memory has consistently become more affordable.

The encryption used for the devices is 256-bit AES encryption. A complex password provides access to the data on the drive for ease of use for consumers. Prices are in the range of $36 to $200. With the 4 GB costing $36 and the high-end 32 GB drive costing $200. All the devices come with a 5 year warranty and customer support.

© 2009 ISMagazine.com – Not a Paid Post.

Online Movies and TV Shows a Big Hit

According to a recent study from Parks Associate and the Broadband, Communications, and Entertainment Bundles, viewership of online full-length content doubled over the last year. Households continue to watch more movies and even move television programs as catching up on missed shows or finding better times to watch programs through online portals has become increasingly popular.

The numbers are astounding if you are still connected to the Internet through a dial-up connection or are not participating in the content viewing that is happening. But 25 million US homes are watching television content through their broadband connections on their computers. While 20 millions US homes are watching movies in the same fashion. The aliens from Hulu.com commercials have taken over the world.

FeelingFlu.com Sponsors H1N1 Online Chat

Medical Professionals will be providing straight forward answers to anyone that joins an online chat November 5th hosted by FeelingFlu.com. Dr Allan Greene will be answering questions during the “Get the Facts about Swine Flu” chat tomorrow. With many worried that they are unable to get the vaccine and still wanting to protect themselves and their families, this chat is designed to provide the answers.

Dr Greene, a pediatrician, wants to dispel the false rumors that have circulated on the Internet. From what causes the flu to how it spreads and the symptoms of the N1H1 virus. He plans to discuss who to protect yourself from the virus, what to do if someone in your family contracts the flu, and containing the spread of the flu; all during his chat on the 5th.

Taking Online Dating to a New Level with Clicck

On October 11, Clicck technology brought a whole way to find compatible singles to the online community. Using facial recognition software, singles can now select certain facial features that they prefer and then search current online profiles for individuals with similar facial features. The user tags an online photo and is prompted to tell the software why they prefer the photo. These preferences are stored and used during future searches.

The company strived to bring this technology online as an alternative to the popular eHarmony model which matches individuals on personality and character traits and not to such a large extent on physical attributes. If you visit the Clicck site you will notice that their primary audience is the gay community. But the company plans to expand to include all groups.

PandaLabs Releases Numbers for Virus Victims

Panda Security’s malware analysis have releases information about new rouge-ware programs that appear to be antivirus applications but actually hijack your computer and steal your data files. Cyber criminals are using viruses to hijack your computer (ransom-ware) until you purchase their “anti-viral” software which unlocks the system for normal use again according to the security firm.

Total Security 2009 is the anti-viral/ransom-ware application that is being sold to release the systems. It costs victims $79.95 as a one time fee with an additional tech support plan available. PandaLabs is now releasing the serial numbers that Total Security 2009 sells to victims and has also released a video describing the scam. They have also released a report on the lucrative business of rouge-ware.

DealTaker.com Jumps the Gun on Black Friday

DealTaker.com, a coupon and shopping deal site, has begun the holiday shopping season early with their listing ad of Black Friday deals. The company is optimistic about the holiday shopping season with the economy recovering and personal incomes improving over the recent months. Today marks 50 days to the famous shopping day after Thanksgiving, so it’s a great time to start advertising.

Shopping codes and a countdown counter add to the excitement the website is creating around the start of the holiday shopping period. The also features deals from over 2,000 merchants and tips from nearly 1/4 of a million users. At times the forums get a little aggressive with helpful information for shopping which has led to some merchants to ask for material to be removed. So keep in touch will other bargain hunters this season as you shop for your family and loved ones.