You’ve probably heard how much the microblogging service Twitter can help your business, or that being on social-networking site Facebook can boost your company’s profile. But what you might not have considered is the potential danger in over-relying on these start-ups that could go out of business, get bought out, or close your account if you aren’t familiar with their Terms of Service.
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Apple observers sifting entrails for portents of iMacs to come have three new signs in which to put their faith this week. The most recent: reports that Apple has been telling its resellers that iMac supplies are tightening, often interpreted as a sign that the company is dropping inventory levels ahead of a product life refresh.
If there’s an award to be given for most layoffs handed out by a technology company in a recession, NEC may have just won it. This morning, the Japanese electronics giant said it will sack at least 20,000 workers world-wide as it struggles to shore up its business amid the worsening econalypse. 
Amazon’s much needed good news in a week full of bad news is proving a boon to investors. The nice gain the online retailer posted in its fourth quarter appears to be reviving traders beaten into submission by the worst economic malaise since the Depression. Amazon’s shares are trading up more than 17 percent as I write this. 
Dell, the second-rate PC company, may soon become a second-rate handset company as well. Anonymous sources tell The Wall Street Journal that the company has developed prototype smartphones that work on Windows Mobile and Google’s Android operating system. The first is said to boast a touchscreen similar to Apple’s iPhone, the other a slide-out QWERTY keypad like the Palm Pre--both intended to compete in the segment dominated by the iPhone and BlackBerry devices. According to the Journal, Dell may uncrate one or the other, or both, as early as February. 
