Artificial Intelligence

Minneapolis – Target Corp. is decking the dorm with a new application aimed at students preparing to go back to college this fall. Target’s Made for U College Styler is an interactive tool that assesses a college student’s personal style and creates tailored room designs they can shop and customize via phone, tablet or desktop.  

Framingham, Mass. – The future of technology looks cloudy, and IT professionals should be pleased. In a new study, International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts the number of new cloud-based solutions will triple in the next four to five years.    

Minneapolis – Target Corp. is taking a centralized approach to security to help ensure that data breaches such as the one which inflicted serious financial and branding damage in late 2013 do not happen again. Target has opened a Cyber Fusion Center (CFC) that brings Target’s key information security teams together.  

New York – The changes continue at eBay. Jeff Wong, who ran eBay’s Business Incubation Group, has joined professional services firm Ernst & Young as chief innovation officer.    Wong will lead Ernst & Young’s newly formed Global Innovation Team. The team will identify emerging concepts and solutions and also work to develop new technologies, strategies and solutions.  

Target is always trying to appeal to a younger, hipper crowd, and its 2015 back-to-school marketing strategy is no exception.

The retailer has launched a new digital tool, Target Made For U College Styler, that allows the digitally inclined college crowd to design and shop for their dorm rooms and apartments.

Shares of Amazon.com surged past the $500 mark after the company reported a second quarter profit and revealed more details about a phenomenally successful Prime day promotion that fell in the third quarter.

Hoboken, N.J. – New membership-based Jet.com officially took off into wide rollout on July 21, and initial pricing analysis shows it is flying beneath competitors Amazon.com and Wal-Mart when it comes to what customers are paying.

New York – Simon Venture Group, the corporate investment arm of Simon Property Group, is among the companies saying yes to light-based data collection. Simon participated in a private funding round of $36 million led by Cisco Investments and including Acuity Brands and GE Ventures, for Sunnyvale, California-based Sensity Systems Inc.

Spokane, Wash. – Automated water management solutions vendor Apana is trying to make saving water a little easier. Apana is generally releasing its cloud-based solution for commercial and industrial companies to save water and money.

Hoboken, N.J. – A new rival to Amazon.com has officially taken flight. Jet.com, a membership-based e-commerce platform that promises to beat Amazon Prime prices using “profit-free pricing,” launched as of July 21.

Jet says it sells millions of items, in sizes ranging from small to bulk. The site is specifically designed to compete with the Amazon Prime paid loyalty service, charging $49.99 for an annual membership fee (although it is currently offering an introductory free three-month trial).