[Source: Smallbiztechnology.com ]

Many of us have been drilled and drilled on the importance of backup. We backup files religiously to external hard disks, CD-ROM or DVD or use online services such as Carbonite, HP's Upline, Dell's Online backup solution, Backupmyinfo or one of many other offerings.

Beyond file backup, which is important for recovering lost files, having an updated image of your computer's hard disk (especially you server) is also important.

Acronis makes a variety of software that not only backs up your files but also creates an image of your computer system. (click here for original article)

[Source: ReadWriteWeb ]

What's more stereotypically trivial than shoe shopping? Using Twitter, of course! Online shoe retailer Zappos does shoes and social media remarkably well. Scores of bloggers, lots of video blogging and 198 employees on Twitter help keep the company's profile high and humanize the folks behind the shoe sales.

Of all the different types of social media the company uses, none are as interesting as its use of Twitter. Twitter may sound cliche, but it's not just about Twitter as one single service. Twitter is symbolic of rapid, short, synchronous and public conversations. Zappos has bitten off a big chunk of that paradigm.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Forrester Research: Retail ]

While Web buyers generally expect the coming 12 months to be particularly grim for the US economy overall, these same consumers view their personal financial situations more optimistically. As a result, more Web buyers report that, on average, they will spend more online in the next year. The segment of the population that is most likely to drive this increase in overall online spend is a set of consumers who saw their personal financial situations improve during the past 12 months. This group is composed of technology-savvy, affluent, career-focused, and convenience-driven consumers. Many online retailers will also be buoyed by price-sensitive consumers who are looking to make their dollars stretch on their planned purchases and are likely to use the Web to comparison shop.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Smallbiztechnology.com ]

Editing photos is not easy. I've used Paint Shop Pro for years and find it quite complicated. Of course Adobe is the leading photo editing software vendor with Adobe Photoshop and related software leading the market as the "de facto" standard for most graphic artists.

Recently Adobe launched Photoshop Express, which makes it pretty easy for just about anyone, including a busy small business person to edit their own photos. Photoshop Express is pleasantly simple and fun to use.

(click here for original article)

With the launch of its heavily promoted cross trainer sneaker just two days away, Under Armour is preparing to expand its push into footwear, producing more shoes to be worn off the playing field.

(click here for original article)

To Our Customers:

Thank you for your interest in Terrasoles. We appreciate your business.

An apparent tornado struck the Terrasoles.com distribution center in San Angelo, Texas, in the early morning hours of Thursday, April 10, and damaged or destroyed approximately 30% of our building. Thankfully, the facility was closed at the time, and no one was injured.

We continue accepting orders and expect to be able to resume most shipments to consumers sometime next week. Until then, thank you for your patience and understanding.

Your friends at Terrasoles.com.

Sony wants to turn your tax rebate into a high-definition television. Home Depot has other plans for your check from Uncle Sam: help the Earth by spending it on energy-efficient appliances. And Sears is offering a gift card to customers for the amount of their rebate checks, plus a 10 percent bonus. Read the entire article here.

ADOTAS – In a year of dismal retail sales projections, a recent report says Americans will continue to snap up clothes, computers and cars online. A Shop.org conducted by Forrester Research found that online retail sales should climb 17% this year to $204 billion. Read the entire article here.

[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ]

Spring is in the air, but a cloud of gloom persists over footwear makers. The industry has faced a lack of "must have" trends for about a year, along with a difficult economic environment, driving shoe sales lower.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ]

Footwear maker Deckers Outdoor Corporation has named Thomas R Hillebrandt as chief financial officer, replacing Zohar Ziv who was promoted to chief operating officer in December.

(click here for original article)

HANOI -- About 3,000 workers at a Taiwanese shoe factory have gone on strike, demanding higher salaries to help cope with inflation, officials said Monday. "In the factory we have almost 3,000 workers. All of them are on strike," Joyce Yang, office manager of the Emperor footwear company in southern Long An province, told AFP.

(click here for original article)

MUMBAI: Crocs Inc will launch an array of shoes and accessories based on Walt Disney’s hit shows, Hannah Montana and High School Musical.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ]

Shares of Skechers USA Inc. rose Thursday after the shoe company said international sales lifted first-quarter profit and an analyst raised his price target on the results.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ]

NIWOT, Colo.----Crocs, Inc. and Jibbitz, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Crocs, are launching an all new collection of footwear and accessories inspired by the smash hits, Hannah Montana and High School Musical, and the upcoming Disney*Pixar film Wall-E.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ]

Swiss shoe brand Bally International AG is being sold to new luxury goods venture Labelux Group in a move that marks the end of a nine-year investment for US-based private equity firm TPG Capital.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ]

Footwear company Stride Rite has teamed up with children’s entertainment specialist Nickelodeon to launch a four-strong range of “slime-inspired” footwear for children.

(click here for original article)

[Source: In-Store & Retail Media News ]

I tried to think of a better headline, but the one from USA Today is pretty complete. Quite simply, fewer teens have the high-paying jobs and access to cheap transportation in order to still be able to afford that $150 Coach wristlet handbag or $100 designer jeans anymore, and that spells big trouble for retailers who count on a steady stream of free-spending minors in order to turn a profit. Instead of bemoaning the end of an era (and let's face it, most of 'em probably didn't even realize that such easy access to cash isn't actually normal), some brands and media are instead trying to capitalize on being frugal.

That's right, my friends. Thrift is in.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Footwear News ]

St. Louis Business Journal - by Lisa R. Brown Brown Shoe Co. is expanding its headquarters in Clayton within a massive $568 million mixed-use development that will be one of the largest commercial developments ... via St. Louis Business Journal

(click here for original article)

[Source: Retail - RSS Feeds ]

The latest version of PCCharge targets the payment processing needs of smaller retailers....

Download your collaboration technology brief. Learn why online collaboration has reached the Tipping Point and how it’s accelerating business.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ] Japan has instructed the maker of Crocs to alter the design of the footwear after complaints that children wearing the colorful plastic clogs have had their feet injured on escalators. (click here for original article)

[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ] Reports in New York say that $25m worth of fake Nike sneakers have been seized in Long Island. (click here for original article)

[Source: MAKE Magazine] This "Walking Bike" by maker Max Knight exchanges its tires for 8 pairs of sneakers and some crazy wheel modifications. Each sneaker even has a black ankle sock to give it that "leg" look. Pretty cool idea, check out the video link below. (click here for original article)

[Source: Daily apparel & textile news and comment - from just-style.com ] The retail scene in the western world is changing rapidly, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the increasing number of suppliers moving into brands and wholesale brands stepping into the retail arena. The prospects and potential pitfalls of this strategy was discussed at the Prime Source Forum in Hong Kong, as Leonie Barrie reports. (click here for original article)

We’re all familiar with the semiannual rate adjustments from MasterCard and Visa.The most recent round went into effect on April 4th, so if you see a bump on your April statement, you’ll understand why.

What does this mean to you?

If you’re on a pass-through plus merchant processing arrangement, such as the NSRA plan with Chase, your rates will increase, but only by the amount of the MasterCard and Visa interchange increases, which even your processor can’t control.

If, however, you process under a “bundled rate,” be careful that the processor is only passing through the MasterCard and Visa interchange, and not taking that opportunity to tag on a little extra for themselves without saying so.

Read the entire article here.

[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ]

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. today reported record revenue and earnings for the first quarter of 2008, and increased its full-year 2008 earnings per share estimate.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Forrester Research: Retail ] Our research still shows that despite the adoption of online transactions, consumers prefer in-store experiences over the Web when it comes to researching, buying, and getting customer service. This somewhat counterintuitive data points to the biggest challenge that eBusiness executives face — creating an online value proposition and experience that go beyond simple order taking. (click here for original article)

[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ]

Shoe- and handbag-maker Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. said Tuesday Kenneth Cole will relinquish the chief executive title to Liz Claiborne Inc. executive Jill Granoff, effective May 5.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ]

Shares of Crocs Inc. plummeted 41 percent Tuesday after it lowered earnings forecasts amid sluggish sales, which prompted some analysts to wonder if consumers are tiring of the shoe manufacturer's colorful plastic clogs.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Yahoo! Finance: Textile - Apparel Footwear & Accessories Industry News ]

Shares of shoe makers sank Tuesday, after Crocs Inc. announced guidance cuts that one analyst termed "stunning," amid lower-than-expected demand.

(click here for original article)

[Source: Wired Top Stories ]

The new developer release of the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) incorporates many requested features. The release isn't ready for everyday use, but it signals one of the most robust updates yet to this open source alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

(click here for original article)