Ed Oswald

EMI said Friday that had agreed to provide over 300,000 tracks to Bertlesmann's GNAB legal European P2P service, currently being developed by the company Arvato division. The deal marks the second with a major label; Sony BMG has agreed to provide content as well.

EMI's artists include artists such as Coldplay, Daft Punk, Janet Jackson, Norah Jones and the Rolling Stones, in addition to rock legends The Beach Boys, The Beatles as well as the members' solo acts, and Pink Floyd.

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The IEEE on Thursday approved the first draft of a proposal for the 802.11n wireless standard at a meeting in Hawaii. Last week, the group set aside the last of their differences, adopting a proposal put forth by the Enhanced Wireless Consortium, a interest group headed by Atheros, Broadcom and Intel.

While it is not final just yet, chipmakers will likely begin to rush out chipsets compatible with the soon-to-be standard. However, the IEEE warns that until 802.11n is finalized, the products carry no guarantee of interoperability.

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The Nintendo Revolution will go on sale later this year at a price of less than $300, the company's executive vice president of sales and Marketing Reggie Fils-Aime told CNET News.com in an interview earlier this week. The news sent the company's stock soaring in Japan, up 6.4 percent to 16,090 yen Friday.

Fils-Aime also took the opportunity to criticize Nintendo's rivals for pricing consumers out of the market. He pointed to the Xbox 360's high startup cost as an example where the average consumer would need to spend about $700 to fully experience the system, not including an HDTV.

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Cell phone usage does not increase the risk of developing the most common type of brain tumor, known as glioma, according to the results of a four-year study performed by the London-based Institute of Cancer Research and three British universities.

The survey was the largest ever published on the subject, and seems to suggest similar findings in other studies are indeed correct. Talk of a heightened cancer risk with cell phones was commonplace in medical circles earlier this decade, however evidence was no more than circumstantial.

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Apple's cost to build the new Intel-based iMac likely costs about $873, research firm iSuppli said on Thursday. The most expensive part in the computer is the Intel Core Duo processor that powers it, on which the firm placed a value of $265.

Additionally, the firm estimates it costs Apple $25 to build and test every iMac, making the total cost $899. This does not include the cost of including a keyboard and mouse, as well as documentation with each system.

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In a letter to eBay members, eBay North America President Bill Cobb said the company plans to launch a specialty site where items would be available for immediate purchase. He says eBay hopes that the new site would attract customers who prefer a more conventional e-shopping experience.

It was not immediately clear how much eBay Express would differ from the company's current "Buy it Now" feature other than providing a central location for such listings. However, instead of purchasing items separately from each seller, the site would offer a shopping cart allowing for purchase from multiple sellers.

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According to a recent study by Nielsen/NetRatings, the average iTunes consumer is a Volkswagen driving, hard cider drinking, Wired reading, Cartoon Network viewer. The findings were released as part of the organization's monthly report on the most heavily trafficked Web sites for the month of December.

The survey also found that teens 12 to 17 are more than twice as likely as the average Internet user to visit the iTunes Web site, and are more likely to be male by a 54 to 46 percent margin.

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The Bush administration on Wednesday asked a United States federal judge in San Jose, Calif. to order Google to turn over search records from its database. The request stems from a failure by the search giant to comply with a subpoena issued in October.

The federal government is attempting to gather data to support a child protection law that was struck down two years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court. Under that law, the government could punish pornography sites that made content easily accessible to minors.

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Digital music sales tripled during 2005 according to figures released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry on Thursday. Downloads accounted for $1.1 billion in sales during the year, up from $380 million the year previous.

Users downloaded 420 million tracks during the year, which was twenty times larger than 2004. The IFPI also counted more than 2 million legal tracks on the net, double the number that was available last year. Additionally, digital music now accounts for six percent of total music sales, indicating more consumers are opting for the increased portability of the medium.

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The PC market continued to grow at an impressive rate in the fourth quarter of 2005, research firm IDC said on Wednesday. Although U.S. shipments of computers were slower than forecast, international sales were better than expected, leading to a growth rate of 17.1 percent year over year, and 16.4 percent for the entire year.

IDC had expected 15.1 percent growth for the quarter and 15.8 percent for the year. The firm said portable PC demand helped drive sales and should remain over the next several quarters.

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The popular iPod may be doing more harm than good, especially to the hearing of the user, doctors say. According to Christine Albertus, an audiologist with the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin, iPod users should limit their use of the device to two hours or less per day.

The problem lies in the in-ear headphones Apple offers for the device. Before, music blasted from the speakers of their home audio systems. With the advent of the Walkman, the sound moved closer to the ear through muff-style headphones.

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French chipmaker STMicro said on Wednesday it will introduce a disposable chip that would be able to detect the avian flu in humans. The test would be available for healthcare providers by the fall, just in time for the next flu season, the company said.

While the virus has not yet made the necessary mutations in order to transmit easily among humans, scientists say the avian flu carries the highest risk of a worldwide pandemic of any flu strain in decades.

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Cingular on Wednesday announced the availability of the self-branded 2125 Windows Mobile Smartphone in retail locations throughout the United States. The device is the first traditional-style cell phone to include the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, the company said.

The 2125 has been available through the company's Web site since December 12. Built by HTC, the phone includes Bluetooth, quad-band capability and EDGE data support.

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Despite rumors of its demise, Napster said on Wednesday that its subscription service had surpassed 500,000 subscribers, including some 50,000 non-paying college users.

Earlier in the week, Web log Digital Music News cited sources within Napster who painted a much less rosy picture of the company. According to the alleged source, layoffs are imminent and executives were looking into exit options.

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The release of Sony's highly anticipated PlayStation 3 may not occur in the U.S. until the holiday season of 2006, analysts say. Furthermore, in what could be potentially damaging to the gaming console's overall sales, the number of titles available may be far less than competitor Xbox 360.

A working version of the console was notably absent at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, and Sony CEO Howard Stringer left any mention of the PS3 out of his keynote address. A non-working model was displayed behind glass, and only non-playable demos of games were shown at Sony's booth.

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