With DRM fading away from MP3s, here come the ads
Today, Amazon.com announced an advertising partnership with Pepsi that coincides with the direction of the music industry as predicted by its leaders.
Numerous music industry heads at a panel discussion at CES last week displayed favor for the ad-supported, subscription-based models of music sales as we move away from DRM. Today, a major online music store that rejected DRM since it opened -- and was not represented on the panel -- is showing similar interest.
Netflix to allow unlimited streaming on select plans
Netflix subscribers who have unlimited rental plans will now be able to stream an unlimited number of movies or TV shows on their PCs at no additional cost. The change affects all subscribers with plans starting at $8.99 per month, according to a statement. About 6,000 movies and shows are currently available for streaming. Previously the company used a metered approach to offering streaming.
"Unlimited has always been a very powerful selling point with our subscribers and a large part of what set us apart in the marketplace," marketing chief Leslie Kilgore said. Only subscribers of the $4.99 per month plan will have limits on streaming. Two hours of time will be alloted to customers on that plan at no extra charge.
EC to investigate new charges against Microsoft
Surprising perhaps no one, the European Commission stated this morning in Brussels it will proceed with a fresh round of investigations against Microsoft, on some very familiar sounding allegations.
A complaint raised by the makers of the Opera Web browser that Microsoft's tying of Internet Explorer to Windows makes it harder for others to compete, is one of two almost nostalgic complaints which the European Commission agreed today that it will formally investigate.
Clues point to launch of 'MacBook Air' at Macworld
Although its not clear exactly what it may be, Apple looks set to launch a new model of its MacBook which could signal its entry into the UMPC space.
Speculators are pointing to an Adium usage log report from January 9, that shows an entry for a "MacBook Air" that was made before the first inklings of such a name came out. Additionally, Macworld posters have been spotted with the phrase "there's something in the air" on them.
Toshiba drops price of HD DVD players as format war continues
In a sign the high-definition format war is far from over, Toshiba on Monday dropped the suggested retail price of its entry-level HD DVD player to under $150. That puts the HD-A3 $250 cheaper than Sony's PlayStation 3.
The MSRP of the HD-A3 will now be $149.99 USD, while the HD-A30 with 1080p output is lowered to $199.99 USD. Toshiba's high-end HD-A35 will now be priced at $299.99 USD. Retailers are already undercutting these prices, with Amazon selling the A3 for just $134.99, while TigerDirect has it listed for $129.99.
CES Trend #1: If the format war is over, what has Blu-ray really won?
Scott Fulton, BetaNews: We really didn't have enough stories on the format war this week, only a few dozen. And I figured that perhaps to make it an even thirty (or was it forty?) we should close the gap with one more.
The huge trend we saw this week was the move away from the format war. Well prior to Warner Bros.' announcement, it appeared the major CE manufacturers were working to build the functionality some of them had once planned for their high-definition disc players, into their HDTV displays and set-top boxes instead. A great many of them -- with a few prominent exceptions, such as Sony -- were about ready to write off their losses and move on.
CES Trend #2: Is 2008 finally the year for 4G mobile?
Scott Fulton, BetaNews: Every year at CES time, we revisit the topic of when or whether the United States will finally catch up with the rest of the world in mobile wireless broadband. Why do we keep butting up against the same roadblocks year after year?
For our #2 trend on the countdown, we ask whether this time, the telcos and service providers at CES are finally getting the formula down for the next great evolution of services. To start, I'd like to bring in former Gartner analyst, and our CES analyst here all week, Sharon Fisher.
CES Trend #3: High-def displays seek differentiation to avoid commoditization
Scott Fulton, BetaNews: If you've been following our CES 2008 coverage since the few days before our team arrived in Las Vegas, you probably found yourself asking an interesting question: Has BetaNews forgotten how to count?
After all, we had a Top 10 countdown, and we ended up at #4. Well, we do have a bit of an excuse for you: First of all, we had some material already planned about the high-definition format war. That material became quickly outdated after the events of last weekend, and with the crowd at CES starting to see Blu-ray as the front-runner, if not the outright leader, for the first time.
CES 2008: What have we learned this week?
Scott Fulton, BetaNews: It's the end of our full week of coverage of the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, so one last time, I'd like to call in our Senior CES Analyst, Sharon Fisher. Sharon, here's what I'm wondering tonight, and I'd like to see if you agree:
Usually CES is a gadget show. We walk away from it talking about the coolest thing you can hold in your hand. This time around, I got the distinct feeling that it was a platform show.
Former OLPC CTO: $75 laptop will run Linux and maybe Windows
The co-designer of the original OLPC now has plans for its chief competitor, including integrating low-cost cameras and top-notch displays. Her goal is for the Pixel Qi to be as technologically and aesthetically compelling as an iPod Touch.
Her new ultra low-cost laptops will not be "Dells on a diet," said Mary Lou Jepsen, designer and head of the Pixel Qi project, in an e-mail exchange with BetaNews. Jepsen's Pixel Qi also has plans for low-cost cameras, display screens, and other consumer electronics goods that she hopes will be as technologically and aesthetically compelling as Apple iPods.
Big search company shakeups at Ask.com, Microsoft
As another indication that the already big stakes at play in the search technology market are sliding higher, Ask.com has announced the departure of its Jim Lanzone as CEO, only a couple of days after Microsoft made its controversial $1.2 billion bid for search technology firm Fast Search & Transfer.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's own acquisition chief, Bruce Jaffe will now be leaving that company, too, as of February 29.
CES 2008 'Better Questions' contest winners
After culling through over 300 entries, we have selected the best questions from our CES contest and attempted to find the answers. Winners will be contacted via e-mail next week regarding their prize.
Without further ado, in no particular order:
XStreamHD is the real deal, but challenges lie ahead
Instead of taking a cursory peek at XStreamHD and writing it off, we actually sat down with the company's CEO to dig deep into the new satellite-based video delivery service.
On display for the first time at CES but in development since 2002, XStreamHD sees itself as a "transport network" for content providers. The platform is built on a simple premise: the Internet isn't fast enough to do broad distribution of high-definition video and existing hardware boxes like TiVo aren't able to handle full 1080p HD.
AMD delays more CPU rollouts, this time quad-core Phenoms
A further indication of trouble for AMD in its effort to catch up with Intel in the quad-core field, as the company has delayed rollouts of its higher-speed enthusiast level quad-core CPUs for at least one quarter.
In a statement to BetaNews this afternoon that makes it sound as though its customers actually asked for this, AMD confirmed it is delaying shipments of more of its latest Barcelona architecture CPUs: specifically its consumer-grade quad-core Phenom processors.
Network Solutions under fire for domain registration practice
The Internet registrar is being criticized for its practice of putting holds on domain names that searchers on its site may not look for but not immediately register, although it since has backed down.
The company was removing the name from the pool for about four days. During that period, the customer could come back to register their name with Network Solutions for $35 per year, but it would be unavailable from other registrars.
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