Prime real estate on MySpace apps gallery comes with a price

Last week, MySpace opened its Application gallery to the public, allowing third-party developers' apps to be discovered and embedded in users' profiles. Those now highlighted as "featured applications" have reportedly earned that position by paying for it.

The most downloaded applications typically enjoy a place on the first page of MySpace's applications gallery, which premiered last week. Now, however, the gallery has a "featured applications" section that encompasses the top half of the splash page, the prime real estate formerly showing off the most popular gadgets.

By Tim Conneally -

Yahoo Buzz social news service receives update

Yahoo's social news service Yahoo Buzz, which launched in beta in February, has upgraded its service, adding a widget and expaned RSS feeds.

Principal among the updates is the "Top Buzz" embeddable widget. The 240-700 pixel window can display between one and ten Buzz stories from a chosen subject and be placed in Web sites or blogs.

By Tim Conneally -

Evidence T-Mobile is inching closer to a 3G rollout

Several pieces of evidence were found this week pointing to T-Mobile's launch of a 3G network in select markets today. However, it appears today's launch is only an early step toward a complete UMTS network.

TMO news posted a leaked internal T-Mobile document from April 29, announcing the launch as a part of the company's "Big 5 goal to Deepen Coverage and Begin High-Speed Service Rollout." It clarifies that this phase of 3G only affects the voice channel; all data transmission will still rely on T-Mobile's EDGE network.

By Tim Conneally -

eBay unfairly invested in Craigslist's competition, its defense alleges

Last week, eBay -- an investor in classified ad site Craiglist -- filed suit against it in Delaware for "unfairly diluting eBay's economic interest in Craigslist by more than 10 percent," according to details released just yesterday.

After the suit was issued, Craigslist's official blog said eBay's action came without any forewarning, and immediately struck the classified ad publisher as unethical. With most of the suit's details posted today (a considerable chunk of important data was redacted at the behest of Craigslist) in a public version of eBay's claim (PDF available here), it appears eBay is accusing Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and CEO Jim Buckmaster of implementing "self-dealing transactions" that were designed to benefit Craigslist at eBay's expense.

By Tim Conneally -

AT&T's MediaFLO mobile DTV service launches May 4

AT&T has finally given the exact date for its Mobile TV with FLO launch and how much subscribers should expect to pay, putting it a full year behind Verizon's establishment of its almost identical service, V CAST.

The Mobile TV announcement from AT&T came at the CTIA wireless trade show in March, where it disclosed the handsets that would be featured at launch time -- LG Vu and Samsung Access -- and anticipated a debut in April.

By Tim Conneally -

Intel shuffles its ad agencies after controversial mag spread

Contrary to blog chatter today, Intel's creative relationship with McCann-Erickson, the firm responsible for a questionable ad last year, has not ended entirely, though $300 million of its media planning and buying will go elsewhere.

Omnicom Group's OMD will replace Universal McCann and Starcom who currently handle Intel Corp's $300 million dollar global account. The company announced its win yesterday, after a year-long review from Intel.

By Tim Conneally -

Sims Online closing after more than five years

In February, EA's six-year-old Sims Online MMO underwent a serious format change and re-branding, becoming a free-to-play world called EA-Land. Already, the team responsible for EA-Land has announced its termination on August 1.

Yesterday, in the official EA-Land blog, it was announced that the "lifetime of the game has drawn to an end, and now we will be focusing on new ideas and other innovative concepts in the games arena." Resources consumed by EA-Land/The Sims Online will be focused on "future games."

By Tim Conneally -

British group releases 3G phone unlocking mod

A company known as 24/7 Mobile Solutions has made available a chip which the company claims to be able to unlock any 3G phone.

To install the SIMable mod, the user must punch a hole in his SIM card with the provided cutting device, and then sandwich the chip and the SIM together in the handset.

By Tim Conneally -

The Frog lives: Warner resurrects The WB online in beta form

Today, Warner has announced that it will be bringing back The WB as a free, ad-supported online video network to showcase original Studio 2.0 content as well as offer hit WB shows from that networks' -- and others' -- past.

Launching in beta at the beginning of May, TheWB.com will offer free full-length episodes of The OC, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, and Everwood, as well as the current CW show Smallville -- considered by many TV analysts The CW's only actual "hit," in very relative terms.

By Tim Conneally -

World-class stealing: Grand Theft Auto IV makes its global premiere

Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive have released the fourth installment of the popular Grand Theft Auto series for the Xbox 360 and PS3 -- easily the most important episode thus far for the fate of its publisher.

Sales of this game could help shareholders resist EA's $2 billion dollar takeover bid, as well as increase trading value of the company's stock. Already this morning, the company's value rose 17 cents a share in NASDAQ trading.

By Tim Conneally -

Comcast business customers get free speed boost

The CATV provider's Business Class Internet service is increasing its speeds to 16 Mbps download/2 Mbps upload nationwide at no additional cost to subscribers.

Previously, these speeds were only attainable when the company's PowerBoost speed enhancement was active in the "Enhanced" package deal.

By Tim Conneally -

Were PND devices just a flash in the pan?

Dutch Personal Navigation Device company TomTom posted a dramatic 83% first quarter drop in European earnings thanks to a number of factors; many of which could add up to the commodification of GPS.

TomTom warned of its diminishing revenue first when it lowered its full-year guidance from €2.14 billion to €1.8-2.0 billion in the beginning of April as stocks dropped 13% in value internationally.

By Tim Conneally -

Gigabyte's low-cost Atom-powered portable gets a name

The much anticipated, 8.9-inch, Intel Atom-powered ultra-low-cost PC from motherboard manufacturer Gigabyte, expected to hit the market in June, now has a name: M912.

Unfortunately, that's still all it officially has. As DigiTimes reported this morning, The M912 is reportedly being both designed and manufactured in-house so the company can release it in a timely fashion. If Gigabyte's current UMPC/MID offerings are any indication, the device could take on the "slider" form factor instead of the traditional "clamshell" laptop/notebook design.

By Tim Conneally -

At least one Psystar Mac clone ships

With doubts circulating about the company's legitimacy, Psystar announced that it had begun shipping its Open Computer Mac clone last week. Early this morning, a video surfaced apparently chronicling the arrival of at least one model.

Gizmodo reader Patrick [whiskeyfrown] posted comments last week that he had received his 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo, Leopard-installed Open Computer. Today, the same user submitted a video showing the boot-up process of what is purported to be the very Psystar Open Computer. Addressing questions about the recent Psystar video showing an Open Computer running, he actually traces the cable from the tower to the monitor to show it's not a hidden Mac actually booting up.

By Tim Conneally -

Qwest DSL gets a speed increase in ten US States

Qwest Communications, Internet, TV, phone service provider for 14 western states announced the latest speeds available in the phased rollout of its Fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) network.

Available in 23 of its top markets in 10 states (Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah) Qwest offers the "Quantum" package for $104.99 per month that promises a 20 Mbps download speed, and the "Titanium" package for $51.99 monthly offering 12 Mbps. Both packages are $5 cheaper when coupled with local phone service.

By Tim Conneally -
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