The value of U.S. spending on e-commerce has risen to $37.5 billion for the second quarter, up 14 percent from the previous corresponding period, according to the latest figures from ComScore.

Meanwhile, another poll finds that 29 percent of mobile phone owners in the U.S. believe their phone will be the primary device for their entertainment needs in the future, according to 2011 Mobile Consumer Report from Experian Simmons, a part of Experian Marketing Services.

The report found that 56 percent of smartphone owners access the Internet from their phone; while 27 percent watch video. And, 30 percent of iPhone owners want to make purchases in stores using their phone.

Cloud Computing Taking Off with SMEs

A new survey from the CompTIA industry group finds that cloud computing is taking off with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while larger companies are not as quick to gravitate to the technology because they are more likely to have bigger IT departments and resources.

Nearly one-third of SMEs have adopted cloud computing technology, with medium-sized businesses (42 percent) showing the highest utilization, according to the survey. Another 35 percent of all SMEs plan to use the cloud in some form in the next year.

The survey also found that storage and backup solutions are the most heavily used cloud applications, with 71 percent of SMEs using the cloud for these functions. Email (62 percent), document management (59 percent), collaboration (56 percent) and customer relationship management (53 percent) are other popular options.

Among SMEs now using cloud computing, 92 percent of firms say their experience has been “positive or very positive”; and 97 percent report that their move to the cloud “has produced the desired result, with cost and flexibility most frequently cited as the benefits of a cloud solution.”

In addition, seven out of ten of the SMEs surveyed said they expect to increase their technology spending over the next 12 months, and one-third of the companies surveyed expect to increase their IT budget by 10 percent or more.

Telematics Helps UPS Trim Fuel Bill

Even though UPS’ domestic package volume rose 1.8 percent in 2010 over the previous year, the amount of fuel consumed per package went down by 3.3 percent.

When the volume represents 3.94 billion packages that were delivered last year, the savings are substantial. All told, UPS avoided driving more than 63.5 million miles in 2010.

The company credits technology for the impressive number, including routing technology that reduced the miles flown and driven, loading optimization that allowed more packages to be delivered by fewer vehicles, and telematics, which provides data on how a vehicle performs mechanically as well as driver behavior.

According to UPS, telematics saved 15.4 million minutes of engine idling time in 2010—the equivalent of more than 29 years.

“The data we gather from telematics enables us to make small adjustments with big payoffs,” said Scott Wicker, UPS chief sustainability officer. “For example, one of our metrics is ‘stops per mile,’ which measures our ability to deliver more packages with fewer engine restarts. Increasing the number of stops per mile by just 0.01 percent in 2010 was the equivalent of not driving 9.13 million miles.”

Chinese Firm Unveils Long Range RFID Reader

Chinese firm DAILY RFID has unveiled a long range RFID passive reader that can deliver long range reads up to 15 meters. The long range RFID reader is compliant with the ISO18000-6B or ISO18000-6C EPC Gen2 standard.

The long range passive reader is based on UHF technology and provides stable identification performance of operating from ISM 902MHz to 928MHz or from 920MHz to 925MHz. In addition, with Gen 2 RFID technology, the RFID passive reader offers fast read speed and can read a single card in less than 10ms per 64 bits on average.

DAILY RFID’s passive reader will primarily be used for RFID applications requiring longer read range and high accuracy, such as warehouse management applications and process automation.

HP Expands Cloud-Based Tracking Service

Tech giant HP has chosen India as the first country for the rollout of the company’s Global Authentication Service for medicines “due to the phenomenal growth in the country’s pharmaceutical industry.”

The company describes the technology as a “cloud-based track-and-trace solution…that helps protect consumers against dangerous or ineffective drugs and enables pharmaceutical companies to protect their revenue and intellectual property from the growing black market.” wt