Archive for March, 2008

Microsoft hedges bet, licenses Flash Lite from Adobe

by Daniel Langendorf

March 17th, 2008 | Posted in Mobile | CommentsNo Comments

adobeApple is gambling against Flash. Microsoft is hedging its bet.

Just two weeks ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the scaled-down, cellphone-friendly version of Flash, dubbed Flash Lite, just wasn’t good enough for the iPhone because it would spoil the phone’s “full web experience”.

With so much Flash content on the Web — in the form of videos, ads, casual games — Job’s proclamation was viewed by some as a major disappointment in the evolution of the iPhone.

Today Adobe said it has licensed Flash Lite (and Reader) to Microsoft for use in smartphones operating the Windows Mobile OS. Microsoft does not manufacturer these phones like Apple does the iPhone; rather, it licenses Windows Mobile to cell phone makers like Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson.

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LimeWire DRM-free music store launches

by Steve O'Hear

March 17th, 2008 | Posted in Audio | Comments5 Comments

LimeWire DRM-free music store launchesA little over six months after first being announced (last100 coverage), LimWire’s DRM-free music download store has finally opened for business.

The U.S.-only store currently has a catalog of 500,000 tracks, with thousands more to be added “daily”. All music is offered as MP3s encoded at 256 kbps and priced a la carte at 99c per track. Additionally, LimeWire is offering pre-paid plans similar to eMusic, ranging from $9.99 per-month for 25 downloads (40c per track) to $19.99 per-month for 75 downloads (27c per track).

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Weekly wrapup, 10-14 March 2008

by Steve O'Hear

March 16th, 2008 | Posted in last100 weekly wrapup | CommentsNo Comments

Here’s a summary of the week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

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Top digital lifestyle news

Lots of Internet TV news this week. Hulu – the online video project from News corp. and NBC/Universal, with participation by Sony, MGM and others – launched to the general public in the United States. In a post titled ‘Here’s The Good, The Bad, The Achilles Heel‘, Dan Langendorf delves into the highs and lows of Hulu..

In other news, Joost, the Internet TV service, is making live-streaming video available through an update to its desktop client. Also TiVo keeps improving its “television services” offering. This time, TiVo is adding YouTube to its ever-expanding lineup. We also reported on Nintendo launch of a DS Lite video download service in Japan.

Other news…

Features

That’s a wrap for the week.

Looking back at a week of numbers from NIN, to the iPhone, to a pop-singing prostitute

by Daniel Langendorf

March 14th, 2008 | Posted in Audio, Mobile, Net TV | Comments1 Comment

nin coverIt’s been a week full of numbers. And we’re not talking the usual investment dollars. Or a mega purchase like AOL buying Bebo for 850 million bucks. No, we’re looking at sales, estimated sales, profitability, downloads, a first-time dip in online video viewership, and future profit from allegedly sleeping with the now-former governor of New York.

So, without further adieu, and in no particular order (it is Friday after all), a look back at a week of numbers.

Nine Inch Nails earns $1.6 million in first week

“Ghosts I-IV”, the latest from the industrial-rock band Nine Inch Nails, totaled just under 800,000 transactions in its first week, racking up $1.6 million in revenue for Trent Reznor — not a traditional record label. “Ghosts”, a collection of interesting sounds and electronic improvisations, is the band’s first release since Reznor declared NIN a free agent last October.

“Ghosts” transactions include all available configurations, including free and paid downloads and advance orders for physical releases of limited-edition vinyl, CDs, and a boxed set. In fact, the deluxe-edition box, priced at a whopping $300, already sold-out of its limited 2,500-copy run.

These numbers were provided by NIN, which will not release traditional sales figures to SoundScan, which tracks sales data for singles, albums, and music videos in Canada and the U.S. We’re not sure why, other than the fact NIN doesn’t have to as the music was not sold through traditional channels.

Take that music industry!

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Another DVR-like patent unearthed for Apple; this one might be game-changing

by Daniel Langendorf

March 13th, 2008 | Posted in Audio, Comms, Mobile, Net TV | Comments1 Comment

apple patentNow that the iPhone is conquering the mobile world … and the super-thin MacBook Air has made its debut … and the AppleTV has been updated into something useful … and the iPod line has been revamped for the future … and the Intel transition is long over … everybody wants to know what’s next for Apple.

An eBook device? Doubtful, but that’s thinking too small.

A Newton-like PDA? Doubtful, and PDAs are a dying product anyway.

A tablet computer? Maybe, but they’re still too niche.

An honest-to-goodness DVR/entertainment hub? Now we’re talking.

The sleuths over at the AppleInsider today dug up another Apple patent, this one dealing again with a digital video recorder-like device. With it, users can browse for television programming, tune into TV channels, record programs, playback those shows, and download and manage content purchased at the iTunes Store.

From the patent it also looks like Apple might integrate the iPhone and/or the iPods into the tightly-tightly controlled, almost choreographed user experience.

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The Beatles land on iTunes, in the form of "American Idol" performances

by Daniel Langendorf

March 13th, 2008 | Posted in Audio | Comments2 Comments

david cook on american idolMaybe the Beatles catalogue is coming to iTunes after all, if “American Idol” is any indication.

Last Friday, reports surfaced in the UK press that the Beatles catalogue is about to be made available on iTunes. Reports suggested that unnamed sources “close to Sir Paul McCartney” had confirmed that the Beatles music would be available through iTunes and other legal online services “within months.”

But this week, Apple downplayed the Beatles-coming-to-iTunes as “unsubstantiated speculation” and issued a bunch of “no comments.”

We hear the Beatles are coming to iTunes every few months, the last being in November when McCartney told Billboard.com that “It’s down to fine-tuning, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be happening next year, 2008.”

McCartney’s solo catalogue is already available on the Web, and Olivia Harrison, widow of Beatles guitarist George Harrison, said last June that McCartney, Ringo Starr, and representatives of the late John Lennon were in agreement that the music should be available online.

Tuesday the 12 remaining “American Idol” wannabes performed songs from the Beatles catalogue, which “American Idol” producers have been trying to land for seven seasons. They finally secure the rights . . . at the same time Apple launches a huge promotion of “American Idol” performances in iTunes.

Coincidence?

By the way, David Cook’s cover of “Eleanor Rigby” is pretty darn good. Or so I’m told.

TiVo continues expansion, adds YouTube to "television services" lineup

by Daniel Langendorf

March 12th, 2008 | Posted in Net TV | Comments1 Comment

tivo manIt seems a bit late, but the important thing is that TiVo keeps improving its “television services” offering. This time, TiVo is adding YouTube to its ever-expanding lineup.

TiVo’s partnership with YouTube will deliver Web video directly to user’s televisions. The catch is to get YouTube content you must own the latest TiVo HD and TiVo Series3 models.

“TiVo’s strategy is to bridge the gap between Web video and television and make as much content available as possible for our subscribers,” said Tara Maitra, vice president and general manager for content services at TiVo (New York Times).

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Joost makes live-streaming video available, starting with March Madness

by Daniel Langendorf

March 12th, 2008 | Posted in Net TV | Comments2 Comments

joost logoIf you are away from the living room TV or a sports bar and want to watch March Madness, there’s always your laptop or desktop computer and the Internet. Joost, the Internet TV service, is making live-streaming video available through an update to its desktop client.

NewTeeVee reports that Joost has landed a deal with one of its investors, CBS, to stream live and relatively ad-free NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship games. The new Joost client — for the PC and Intel Macs only — was made available for download today and is needed to access live streaming. Joost began looking into adding “live television” back in October.

If you’re already a Joost user — and there are a few of you out there — watching March Madness games through the client might be a nice Plan B if you’re stuck at work and away from the living room or local sports bar. Beginning next Thursday, first- and second-round games will be shown live with only CBS’ in-stream ads to get in the way.

An added benefit for hoop fans living outside the U.S.: Joost imposes no geographic restrictions, so London-based last100 editor Steve O’Hear can follow Drake’s and Gonzaga’s trek to the Final Four, or at least improbable entry into the round of Sweet 16.

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10 mobile apps and services for sharing media

by Guest Writer

March 12th, 2008 | Posted in Mobile | Comments2 Comments

This is a guest post by Aseem Kishore, a technology enthusiast and lead blogger for Online-Tech-Tips.

In my last post on last100, titled ‘Ten mobile apps and services you should definitely check out‘, I listed ten mobile phone applications that enable you to do everything from shop to accessing your PC desktop remotely via a mobile phone.

In this post we take a look at ten more mobile phone apps — this time focusing on those that enable you to share content and various media via a cell phone. While most of these applications will work on just about any modern handset, some also have the added benefit of being optimized for the iPhone.

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Hulu set for its public debut: Here's The Good, The Bad, The Achilles Heel

by Daniel Langendorf

March 11th, 2008 | Posted in Net TV | Comments6 Comments

huluHulu is supposedly opening up shop tomorrow to the general public, at least in the United States. After nearly five months in an escalating private beta, it’s time to take stock of what it does well, what it doesn’t do well, and what I think is its Achilles Heel.

The Good

  • Hulu remains free, legal content to viewers, albeit ad-supported.
  • From what many in the industry have said, Hulu’s ad strategy is flexible to advertisers and palatable to viewers. For the advertisers: They like professional (predictable) content, unlike the user-generated fare found on YouTube (unpredictable). During certain shows, viewers will be able to choose which commercial they want to watch — an ad for Nissan’s Rogue SUV, Maxima sedan, or Z sports car, for example. For consumers: You can watch an episode of NBC’s “The Office” and sit through only 25 percent of the ads you’d see on the network.
  • Hulu, the site, is not cluttered with ads and unnecessary features screaming for your attention. The user interface is pleasant, easy to use, and the video quality is very good.

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