Here’s a summary of the last two 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.
Internet TV
Amid layoffs, Vudu concedes its future lies outside of its own set-top box
Despite making its own range of set-top boxes, including two high end devices aimed at home theatre enthusiasts, Vudu’s future ultimately lies outside of building its own hardware, says the company.
Distribution is King and other takeaways from Netflix Q4 earnings call
During the Q4 earnings call, CEO Reed Hastings gave further insight into the thinking behind Netflix’s video streaming efforts. Here are some of the key takeaways…
Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate’s new ‘premium’ film channel to debut online first
The new ‘premium’ film channel announced last April as a joint venture between Viacom (Paramount), MGM and Lionsgate now has a name and a launch date, but, interestingly, no traditional distribution. At least not yet.
Mobile
Should Nokia release a Netbook?
If 2008 was the year of the Netbook, is it too late for Nokia to jump on the bandwagon? While the company talked up its recently announced N97 smartphone for its Netbook-like quality, it also fazed out the WiMAX version of its rather long in the tooth N810 Internet Tablet, perhaps paving the way for a new Nokia device designed primarily for surfing the web.
If buggy smartphones are the “new reality”, here’s some free advice for handset makers
It’s an honest yet unwelcome admission: rushing devices to market with buggy and unfinished software is the “new reality” in the smartphone space, RIM’s co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie tells the Wall Street Journal.
What if Apple sued Palm, would Microsoft come to the rescue?
When the iPhone first launched at Macworld in 2007, I distinctly remember Apple CEO Steve Jobs boasting that the company had over 200 patents on this thing. At the time, that boast stuck out like a sore thumb as I couldn’t recall Apple making such a fuss over patents before.
Mike Arrington’s CrunchPad web tablet reaches prototype but should it go into production?
Six months on from TechCrunch editor Mike Arrington’s stated mission to create a “dead simple and dirt cheap touch screen web tablet to surf the web” and the first fully working prototype has been unveiled.
Will audio ads on Pandora help it swim back across the pond?
It won’t be popular, yet Pandora’s decision to introduce audio ads is almost certainly necessary to keep the service running and, therefore, something I welcome. Especially if it helps bring the service back to the UK.
That’s a wrap! Thanks for reading.
– Steve
