Why the fax machine refuses to die

Haven't used one in years? Seems like few people have, but that hasn't stopped the Stone Age technology from hanging on. Here's why.

By Kurt Wagner, reporter

FORTUNE -- Candy manufacturer NECCO is well-known for the messages printed on its heart-shaped Sweethearts candies. Although the product is old -- the candies started back in 1902 -- the messages have stayed remarkably relevant. (Hearts this year featured sayings like "UR HOT" or MORE

What great design can do for data

Companies are waking up to the power of design to make data meaningful for customers and create better relationships with them in the process.

By Olof Schybergson

FORTUNE -- Companies that have long believed in the virtues of hoarding data are now looking for ways to use it to the benefit of their customers. Big data presents a massive opportunity for organizations across industries to become more transparent and trustworthy, get MORE

Wheelz acquisition: Another sign car-sharing is heating up

Why RelayRides is buying Wheelz.

By Kurt Wagner, reporter

FORTUNE -- Peer-to-peer car-sharing service RelayRides announced on Tuesday the acquisition of competitor Wheelz, a San Francisco-based startup also connecting users with nearby rental cars. The deal's financial terms were not disclosed, but Wheelz's financial backers have agreed to carry over their investments to RelayRides. Wheelz has raised $15.7 million in funding to date, and investors include Zipcar, Social+Capital Partnership, and Fontinalis MORE

Never forget where you parked again

Startup Automatic wants to make your iPhone your car's cerebral cortex.

By Kurt Wagner, reporter

FORTUNE -- You will never forget where you parked your car again. Well, you may forget, but now your phone will keep you from aimlessly wandering the parking lot. Helping drivers remember where they parked is just one feature of Automatic, a new device users can plug into their car, enabling it to talk to their MORE

Inside the drone economy

Unmanned aerial systems -- drones -- are about to unleash $82 billion in economic impact across the 50 United States.

By Clay Dillow

FORTUNE -- Last month the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, the unmanned systems industry's largest trade organization, released its first economic study detailing just how an expected $82 billion in economic impacts resulting from the integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the national airspace will be MORE

Why Zuckerberg's political group is playing both sides

FWD.us, backed by clean-tech evangelists, is pushing dirty energy projects to push for immigration reform. Will the disruptive lobbying work?

By Tory Newmyer

FORTUNE -- The tech executives behind FWD.us, Silicon Valley's latest foray into political advocacy, have earned the ire of their friends and neighbors by embracing bare-knuckle tactics in their push for immigration reform. And the founders, including Facebook's (FB) Mark Zuckerberg, may be stung by the blowback -- but MORE

War of the TV boxes heats up

Old-school DVRs are fighting to stay relevant in an era of add-on devices from the likes of Apple, Roku, and others.

By Peter Suciu

FORTUNE -- It used to be that families would gather around the living room TV during prime time to watch their favorite shows together. Even as the living room set has gotten bigger, the audience in front of it continues to shrink. Moreover families aren't watching together MORE

Why mobile wallets alone will fail

Smartphones are the key to revolutionizing shopping—but not in the way many think.

By Cyriac Roeding

FORTUNE -- Mobile wallets as they are defined today are unfortunately a solution in search of a problem. Consumers are quite happy with their credit and debit cards…they work, they're fast and they're familiar. And retailers, while they may complain about credit card fees, have bigger strategic issues with online competition and showrooming than to worry MORE

Godzilla vs. Mothra, the sequel

What happens when two giants collide?

By Jeff Jordan, contributor

FORTUNE -- Amazon and Google are on a collision course.

When I was at eBay, we had a belief that no one was going to compete with us by replicating exactly what we were doing.  We had first mover advantages and network effects.  Amazon and Yahoo! both launched auction marketplaces in response to eBay's strong growth, and both businesses were essentially DOA.  What MORE

Welcome to the hardware revolution

Major shifts in hardware design and production have allowed the "maker movement" to mature rapidly. The next generation of fantastic hardware could very well come from the startup up the block.