Those applications now include online payment, video, mapping, e-mail, social networking, search and soon, DoubleClick's behavior-tracking advertising data.

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It includes e-mail alerts to remind customers when their payments are due and payment calculators to show customers how their payments affect their balances.

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In his statement Thursday, Ryley said Sky News had commissioned an internal audit of payment records, alongside the external review of e-mail records.

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And the savings in late-payment penalties could be valuable, too, for those better at dealing with e-mail than with paper bills.

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If a payment estimate changes after Buyback Boss receives a device, the company notifies the customer via e-mail of the price change.

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