Ditch the Assistant, Organize Online

Simple tips to boost that murky rating

(NEWSER) - Credit scores are key if you're getting a new cell phone, new home, new car—even a new job. The Today Show offers 7 simple steps to give your score a boost:

1. Fix errors on your reports: A mistake on one report can sink a score.
2. Be timely: Payment history affects about a third of your credit score.

Friday outage leaves businesses in the dark with customers

(NEWSER) - Part of Amazon.com’s 2-year-old Simple Storage Service went down for several hours Friday, leaving some customers in the dark and unable to access their own files, reports PC World. The pay-as-you-go “S3” service is used by companies to run websites and warehouse large amounts of data. The outage was resolved by 7am Pacific Time for most users. More»

(NEWSER) - When PC World decided to whip up a list of 2007's most disappointing tech, was there really any doubt what would headline the list? Vista wasn't awful, but neither was it, you know, good. Here's how the list broke down:

1. Vista
2. The Hi-Def Format War
3. Facebook Beacon
4. Yahoo
5. Apple's iPhone

There's no need to throw away cash on these 10 items you shouldn't buy new

(NEWSER) - Some things, like lingerie and toothbrushes, are best purchased new. In other cases, used is just as good—and far cheaper. MSN Money gives you the lowdown:

1. Books
2. CDs and DVDs
3. Little kids' toys

Internet giant's hosting business will offer 99.9% server uptime

(NEWSER) - Amazon.com has upgraded its rent-a-server service to a professional standard, guaranteeing 99.9% server up-time with compensation for excess downtime. "People thought for a while (Web Services) was just an experiment for Amazon,” said one IT manager, but with the new guarantee, “people are taking it more seriously.” The service is popular with startups that have unpredictable server needs. More»