Can an exec with consumer tech experience run an enterprise tech company? That’s the question raised by analysts who spoke to Bloomberg about Meg Whitman’s prospects as HP’s new CEO, following the firing of Leo Apotheker on Wednesday. Apotheker had been CEO for less than a year–after being fired from his previous job as co-CEO of SAP. READ MORE
Need to build an app? Now there’s a market for that. Appcelerator launched its Open Mobile Marketplace today, a forum that includes mobile-app modules, templates, design elements, cloud extensions, and other parts that will send developers into an excited frenzy. READ MORE
Whether you run your entire business on eBay or you just put up a few posts with grandma’s left-over junk, one thing is for sure: It might be time to move off the now-venerable auction site. READ MORE
According to PayPal, in excess of 12 million users are shelling out for games on Facebook each month. With the social networking site estimating users at 750 million, that means that only 1.6 percent of Facebook users pay for games. That may not seem like a large demographic, but it has been enough to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for game developers like Zynga. READ MORE
Airbnb, a website that helps users find short-term accommodations in the living rooms and recreation rooms of cities around the world, announced today that it has raised $112 million in second round funding from Andreessen Horowitz, DST Global, and General Catalyst on a valuation of $1 billion. The company’s previous round of funding totaled $7.8 million. READ MORE
Stephanie Tilenius, Google’s vice president of commerce, visited VentureBeat’s MobileBeat 2011 conference in San Francisco to discuss her company’s plans for mobile and online payments. Tilenius, who is responsible for Google Wallet and Google Offers, the company’s payment system and “daily deals” loyalty program, respectively, believes the company is just getting started. READ MORE
“What do people talk about on Google+?” goes a question in a current Xtranormal animation on YouTube. The answer: “Google+.” There’s a reason: Those of us fortunate few who actually have Google+ memberships can’t talk to most people we know because they aren’t there and we can’t invite them. The only thing we have in common with most other Google+ users is the service itself. READ MORE
E-commerce giant eBay has purchased mobile payments start-up Zong for a price tag of $240 million in cash. The company will use Zong’s pioneering mobile transactions technology to boost endeavors at Paypal, which is entering the fast-growing arena of mobile payments. READ MORE
Business-minded new media megalith Mashable road-tested some of the internet’s best ecommerce solutions for small businesses. These websites, which are user-friendly and DIY, allow businesses to take their wares onto the internet with a variety of options to choose from. READ MORE
Many companies have tried–and failed–to take on the might of Craigslist, which remains incredibly popular (and proves quite useful) despite its jumble of blue links and anti-design aesthetic. A new company, EggCartel, has released a product that just might have a chance of winning some market share in the neighborhood marketplace arena. READ MORE
