Google just announced a cloud-based mapping service for business, and Microsoft may head there with a better-quality product.

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Not only does online shopping provides consumers the convenience to shop from anywhere, it also allows them to better research a particular product for optimal quality and price.

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With this level of insight across information silos, channels and departments, organizations can better serve customers and increase product innovation and quality and support decisions made across the enterprise, as well as provide more dynamic, contextual customer interactions for one-to-one marketing.

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"From the consumer's point of view it's going to mean better battery life and higher image quality, " said Steve Steele, product manager of ARM's media processing division.

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So, early last year we decided to put our community at the forefront of our business -integrating them into the product development and marketing workflow with the view of creating even better quality products for which our audience had tangible input.

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Yet the company believes that its ability to manufacture high quality materials at lower costs will allow it to offer a better overall product at cheaper prices than its more firmly entrenched competitors.

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Product differentiation through quality ingredients and novel flavours mean "that it does actually taste better and, therefore, we don't mind", says Vince Mitchell.

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Foley believes that this is proof that Microsoft is in this business to build a high-quality product and not simply to beat Apple and scare its partners into building better products.

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It is still the product spec leader in smartphones and tablets but competition has deep pockets and is getting better at the game of quality and timely new products.

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