Technology News

Net Neutrality Advocates in Charge of Obama Team Review of FCC

Source: All About Jazz
November 15, 2008

Network Neutrality The Obama-Biden transition team on Friday named two long-time net neutrality advocates to head up its Federal Communications Commission Review team. Susan Crawford, a visiting professor of internet and communications law at Yale Law School, and Kevin Werbach, a former FCC staffer, organizer of the annual tech conference Supernova, and a Wharton professor, will lead the Obama-Biden transition team's review of the FCC. Both are highly-regarded outside-the-Beltway experts in telecom policy, and they've both been pretty ...

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Senator Pushes for Net Neutrality Legislation

Source: PC Magazine
November 14, 2008

WASHINGTON - A senior U.S. lawmaker plans to introduce a bill in January that would bar Internet providers like AT&T Inc from blocking Web content, setting up a renewed battle over so-called network neutrality. Sen. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, believes a law is essential to prevent telephone and cable companies from discriminating against Internet content, even though regulators have taken actions to enforce free Web principles, a top Dorgan aide said on Thursday. “We feel that legislation is ...

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Youtube Adds Sponsored Videos

Source: PC Magazine
November 13, 2008

NEW YORK, Nov 12 (Reuters) - YouTube, the popular online video sharing site owned by Google, said on Wednesday it will roll out a new sponsored videos format, the latest step in its drive to grow revenues through advertising. The sponsored videos program is designed to enable video creators, from everyday users to major advertisers, to reach the broadest range of consumers with relevant videos. The new program works by allowing an advertiser to decide which video they want to ...

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Youtube Details Webcasting Show Plans

Source: PC Magazine
November 13, 2008

LOS ANGELES - YouTube will venture into webcasting later this month, in an effort to take the video sharing Web site's popularity to a new level by showcasing the talent behind its most viewed videos. The site, owned by search giant Google Inc., has matured from Web start-up and video fad to a site with loyal fans. But as any good TV industry executive will say, it needs to begin producing new and fresh content to keep its audience. So, ...

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Blockbuster Confirms Set-Top Will Launch in Q4

Source: PC Magazine
November 12, 2008

Video rental chain Blockbuster plans to launch a set-top box into the consumer market before the end of the year, Blockbuster executives said late last week. During the company's third-quarter earnings call, Jim Keyes, Blockbuster's chairman and chief executive, said that the company's transformation from a movie-rental brick-and-mortar organization into a “multichannel platform" will include a set-top box. Keyes implied that the set-top will be a trial offer, and not a full-fledged product. Blockbuster representatives did not return calls for ...

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Google Adds Voice, Video Chat to Gmail, Apps

Source: PC Magazine
November 12, 2008

Fearful that the tone of your instant messages is sometimes lost in translation? Google on Tuesday announced that it is integrating a voice and video plug-in for it Gmail Chat offering that lets you see or hear the friend with which you are chatting. Users will need to download and install a plug-in, and have access to a Webcam for video purposes. Google has partnered with Logitech and Buy.com to offer discounts of up to 30 percent on several cameras, ...

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Live Nation to Sell Major Label MP3s on Artist Pages

Source: All About Jazz
November 11, 2008

Live Nation, which has been on a tear recently with major artist signings and its own ticketing system that will soon replace a contract with Ticketmaster, has confirmed that it will sell unprotected MP3s from three of the four major labels.

Rather than an iTunes-style database, Live Nation's MP3 store will route fans to artist pages somewhat similar to the ones found on MySpace. The deal represents another major label move away from DRM, but it also strengthens Live Nation's ...

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MP3 Player Headphones Could Hinder Pacemakers

Source: PC Magazine
November 11, 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Headphones used with MP3 digital music players like the iPod may interfere with heart pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, U.S. researchers said on Sunday. The MP3 players themselves posed no threat to pacemakers and defibrillators, used to normalize heart rhythm. But strong little magnets inside the headphones can foul up the devices if placed within 1.2 inches of them, the researchers told an American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans. Dr. William Maisel of the Medical Device Safety ...

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