Topping the News: Kayne Sues over Coinye, Curved Phones Are Coming


Topping the News: Kayne Sues over Coinye, Curved Phones Are Coming

Here’s the top business news this week from our Small Business Trends editorial team.

Entrepreneurship

Kayne West files infringement suit against virtual currency developers. The singer, wrapper and songwriter has become an icon. So it should have come as no surprise to a group of developers this week when West filed suit to protect his name.

Animal pillows are the products for this 14-year-old’s startup. Sydney Lowe goes to school in the  Silicon Valley. So it’s probably no surprise that entrepreneurship is part of her curriculum. But not every teenager launches their own ecommerce business.

Tech

Curved smartphones finally head to the U.S. Learn more about what’s behind this tech trend. Hint: Durability is certainly one thing. The question is whether you need and can justify the cost of one of these.

The world’s first Ultra HD laptops are here. And who knows? One of them could be perfect for your business. Of course, it will have to be a graphic or video intense business to justify the capabilities packed into this hardware.

Web

Web.com and MasterCard have a new product for online businesses. You can add the Take-A-Payment tool to your website and start processing payments from credit cards immediately. And all of it is powered through a MasterCard service called Simplify Commerce.

Vimeo builds faster, more mobile, more social player. One of YouTube’s many competitors is video site Vimeo. Though using Vimeo for business isn’t free, there are some new features that may make it an attractive option.

Yes, 60 percent of your traffic is bots. A report from Incapsula sheds new light on who (or what) is really visiting your website. So what does this mean to you as a website owner?

Yahoo unveils news digest, digital magazines. The Web portal is still trying to reinvent itself. But will these new products resonate with an audience? Online business owners who create branded news content know the challenges involved.

Social Media

The value of a Twitter follower. You’ve got them, of course. And sometimes you may even be a bit competitive when it comes to getting more. We’re talking about Twitter followers. And, in this post Small Business Trends publisher Anita Campbell reviews data showing what they can do for your business.

Vine is still growing. The video app has been overshadowed by Instagram of late. In fact, some say the photo sharing app’s attempt to steal Vine’s thunder by adding a video feature was the beginning of the end. But rumors of Vine’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

Facebook will shut down (some) sponsored stories. Time will tell what a notice published in Facebook’s development section recently will mean for the future of one of site’s more controversial advertising products. Chances are, if you’ve used sponsored stories you’ll see some big changes in the program soon.

Policy

Obama nominates new Small Business Administration chief. Maria Contreras-Sweet has been tapped to be the next Administrator of the Small Business Administration.  Her claim to fame is founding a community bank in California.

Update: New postage rates now available. We told you last week postage rates would go up Jan. 26. The new rates are now posted on the USPS website. We’ve added a link on our original story to let you have a look.

News tablet photo via Shutterstock

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  1. I love the idea of animal pillows! And it’s inspiring to see someone so young launch a business!

    I can see why Kanye would have a problem with the name the company chose. (p.s.: Kanye and rapper’s spelt wrong in the post.)

    And bad bots, yes, they can be very true to their name, sadly.