Smartphones: Microsoft and RIM battle for No. 3

As Apple and Google dominate the American market, former leaders Microsoft and RIM find themselves brawling for third.

FORTUNE -- On Jan. 30, Research in Motion -- the Canadian company that once owned the American smartphone industry -- will attempt to regain its foothold with the launch of a new mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10. The company's goal is not to out-innovate the iPhone. Rather, in a market controlled by Apple MORE

To transform education, Donorschoose hires a data scientist

How a small nonprofit aims to influence $1 billion in education funding through data.

FORTUNE -- What kind of tech do teachers really need? Depends on whom you ask.

There are plenty of companies and causes fighting for more laptops and tablets and smartboards in public school classrooms. But on Donorschoose.org, where a quarter of a million teachers hailing from roughly half of the nation's public schools have logged requests for their MORE

Will lending to a friend take off?

After a rocky period, so-called peer-to-peer lending appears to be gaining traction.

FORTUNE -- The first time I wrote about peer-to-peer lending was back in 2007, when, like most other forms of social networking, it seemed like a novel experiment. Companies like Prosper and Lending Club were attempting to disintermediate the traditional banks by inviting individuals to request and make small loans on Facebook-like platforms.

Five years later, peer-to-peer lending has come MORE

Will news bites for digital natives work?

Companies are trying to crack mobile video. Lerer Ventures-backed NowThis News is working on a formula to do just that.

FORTUNE -- "Congress is being all Congressy again," quips a youthful male anchor with a gee-whiz eye-roll as he reports on the demise of a Congressional Bill called the Sportsmen's Act of 2012. He's an anchor on NowThis News, the new mobile social video news network started by two of the MORE

How Facebook and Twitter changed disaster relief

Thanks to social networks, grassroots relief efforts scaled quickly and efficiently in Sandy's aftermath, giving them a bigger presence in many places than even the established aid agencies.

FORTUNE -- Here's to Andy Wandilak, the owner of Two Boots Pizza in Park Slope Brooklyn. On the day Hurricane Sandy decimated entire neighborhoods of New York, he offered to feed and shelter the family of a musician who plays at his restaurant. MORE

With Neighborhoods, Airbnb expands its horizons

The hot home-share startup is banking on rich, neighborhood guides to attract and keep more customers.

FORTUNE -- Two weeks ago, the city experts began to arrive at Airbnb's office in downtown San Francisco. They came from Rio de Janeiro and from Paris. They came from London, where a couple of Airbnb hosts had spent days walking a photographer through all of the city's most secret, special spots. Within days, Airbnb MORE

Meet the man reinventing the news

Jonah Peretti's BuzzFeed is putting together a new model for Internet journalism.

FORTUNE -- Jonah Peretti has made a massive bet that smart people -- specifically writers and editors -- are key to the success of a next generation media company. User-generated content by the likes of unpaid bloggers and anonymous internet users -- the secret sauce of many Web 2.0 startups -- just isn't enough.

Speaking October 15 at the Pivot MORE

Online stores are moving into the real world

Jewelry site BaubleBar's THE BAR is the latest in a trend of e-tailers setting up shop in traditional retail spaces.

FORTUNE -- Fashion site BaubleBar has spent two years building an avid group of fans who turn to the site to sift through a fast-changing array of hip jewelry sold at reasonable prices. On October 17, the company will invite customers to try on that jewelry in person -- at THE MORE

How Coke got 52 million Facebook likes

Authenticity and transparency are the keys to engaging consumers—and becoming a social media force.

FORTUNE -- Coca-Cola has 52 million "likes" on Facebook. One of the earliest advertisers on the social media platform, the company has been one of the leaders among large global brands in establishing authentic relationships with consumers. The key? "You have to be "flawsome," said Wendy Clark, who is Coke's Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing Communications MORE

Carol Bartz has some advice for Marissa Mayer

Carol Bartz talks about life after Yahoo.

FORTUNE -- Yahoo's former CEO has a bit of advice for new CEO Marissa Mayer. Says Carol Bartz, "I'd tell her changing culture is not a sprint. It's a marathon."

Speaking Tuesday at The Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, Bartz was candid about her time at the Internet giant, saying that while she got to know the board members, she didn't invest MORE