Yahoo shutters music service, allies with Rhapsody
The search provider has decided to end its music service, opting instead to send its business to Real.
In a joint statement this morning, Rhapsody -- the joint venture from RealNetworks and MTV -- revealed that, over the coming months, Yahoo will transition its customers over to Rhapsody by offering tools to convert their library from one format to the other.
Ericsson to supply HSDPA chips for Lenovo notebooks
Laptops from Lenovo will start shipping this year with HSDPA technology built in, which can theoretically support download speeds up to 14.4MBps..
Market projections say that by 2011, an annual 200 million notebooks will ship worldwide. Of those, Ericsson is betting that half will ship with built-in HSDPA. If that's the case, then the Swedish cell phone maker is jumping on board at the right time.
New Italian law may have unintentionally legalized MP3 sharing
A new copyright law in Italy making its way through Parliament seems to suggest that trading in MP3s would become legal so long as no profit is made from its distribution.
The law states that music or images that are at "degraded or low resolution" can be distributed on the Internet "for scientific or educational use, and only when such use is not for profit," according to a rough translation.
Sony BMG, XM reach deal on Pioneer Inno
The deal could be a sign that the satellite radio provider's legal woes surrounding the recording functionality of some of its receivers may be waning.
Pioneer's portable XM receiver was one of the devices targeted by the RIAA in its suit filed in May 2006. At the time, the recording industry representatives accused XM of committing "massive wholesale infringement."
Microsoft, Novell sign joint deal with Renault
While many deals on operating systems for corporations result in a loss for one side or the other, this case could be seen as a net benefit for both.
Instead of Renault switching over to Linux completely, the French car manufacturer will purchase more than 1,000 priority support certificates from Microsoft to use with Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
Intel, Micron announce faster NAND flash chips
The two companies have collaborated on a new NAND flash memory technology which is said to speed up data transfer rates fivefold.
Intel and Micron first came together in November 2005 to co-develop new flash technologies, and are already supplying chips through 2010 to Apple, who uses them in various flash-based iPods.
FTC hands down sanctions against 'free product' spammer
The agency said this week that it had settled with a spammer who had failed to tell consumers they actually had to spend money to receive "free" products.
MemberSource Media will be required to pay $200,000 in fines, as well as clearly disclose the requirements to qualify for the products or services. The company did business as ConsumerGain.com, PremiumPerks.com, FreeRetailRewards.com, and GreatAmericanGiveaways.com.
Apple TV 'Take 2' update delayed, MacBook Air ships
Owners of the set-top device will have to wait a little longer for the highly-anticipated upgrade that allows the renting of movies from iTunes.
Apple says it needs an extra week or two to finish the upgrade to the $229 device, which should make it a much more attractive item to consumers. At Macworld, CEO Steve Jobs had promised the software by the end of January.
Meebo looks to monetize its chat rooms for partners
Meebo is looking to open up its interactivity platform in an effort to increase both its reach and ad revenues, which will be shared with partners.
At launch, the company is announcing that Piczo, Revision3, RockYou, Social Project, and Tagged would employ the API and Network platforms. Advertising revenues will be split 50 percent between meebo and the partner. It also will provide licensing options for those wishing to eliminate ads.
HyperOffice brings corporate e-mail to the iPhone
Launched in public beta on Wednesday, HyperOffice's enterprise communications tools will enable Apple iPhone users to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook, since the iPhone doesn't support Microsoft Exchange.
Currently, the iPhone has no support for Exchange e-mail, which can be seen as a negative to its use in the corporate environment. HyperOffice hopes that its tools suite will solve this problem.
Amazon scoops up Audible in $300 million deal
The deal is likely to mean that audiobooks will become the latest addition to its fast-growing music download store.
It's not clear what will happen to Audible's deal with iTunes, if anything -- the company is the chief supplier of audio books to Apple's music service. However, Audible seems a good fit for Amazon considering the retailers core business is book sales.
Sweden formally charges Pirate Bay owners
As expected, the Swedish government charged the owners of Pirate Bay with copyright infringement of four applications, nine movies, and 22 music tracks.
Each of the four owners, Fredrik Neij aka 'TiAMO,' Gottfrid Svartholm Warg aka 'Anakata,' Peter Sunde aka 'Brokep' and businessman Carl Lundström could be liable for fines of up to $188,000 and a two-year jail sentence.
Verizon exec: No 'policing the Internet' for us
The telecommunications company said it had no interest in looking into how its customers use its broadband services in an attempt to filter pirated content.
Public affairs chief Tom Tauke made the comments at the Congressional Internet Caucus' State of the Net conference, being held in Washington, DC. The stance of Verizon seems to differ from that of other operators, who are actively throttling downloads.
Dell shutters its kiosks as part of a new retail strategy
In a move possibly intended to shift focus to its efforts in retail stores, computer manufacturer Dell Inc. said that it will shut down its retail kiosks in about 140 malls nationwide.
"Moving into retail is a prime example of Dell listening to its customers," global consumer business chief Tony Weiss said in a statement. "This move fits in with how our broad global retail strategy is evolving."
Sonic Solutions drops HD DVD authoring in favor of Blu-ray
11:30 am ET January 31, 2007 - Sonic Solutions this morning clarified its position regarding its apparent switch from HD DVD to Blu-ray, telling BetaNews that initial reports that the company abandoned HD DVD altogether were not quite accurate.
Sonic spokesperson Chris Taylor said that the decision is only specific to its professional authoring suite. Other divisions, such as its Roxio consumer arm and ATG licensing group would remain format neutral. Even within the professional division, HD DVD would still live on through its CineVision authoring application.
Ed's Bio
Ed Oswald is a freelance journalist from the Reading, PA area. Although he has written across a variety of subjects, Ed’s passion and focus has been on technology and gadgets. His work regularly appears on tech news sites BetaNews, PCWorld, and Technologizer, and has been syndicated to eWeek, Time’s Techland blog, VentureBeat and the New York Times.
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