Technology News

Norway Consumer Body Challenges iTunes DRM

Source: PC Magazine
October 1, 2008

OSLO - A Norway consumer agency said it aims to take computer group Apple to court over what it calls unfair barriers to playing music from the iTunes music store on devices other than Apple's iPod. Consumer Ombudsman Bjoern Erik Thon told Reuters he hoped other countries would follow the Norwegian example and file their own cases against the U.S. computer giant. Thon said on Tuesday that iTunes—Apple's online store for music downloads—had not met its demands to change its ...

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Google Patent Could Kill off Cellphone Contracts

Source: All About Jazz
September 27, 2008

Google's keyword auctions redefined web advertising. Now, a patent filing reveals, the search company wants to do the same thing for wireless services.

Google's patent filing describes “devices, systems and methods" that would automatically poll nearby wireless services to find the best price for a voice or a data connection for a “portable communications device." That connection might come via a cellphone carrier, a WiMax provider, or even a Wi-Fi hotspot. According to the patent, users can either manually select ...

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Tech Leaders, Bloggers Call for Truly Open Debates

Source: PC Magazine
September 27, 2008

A collection of bloggers, political activists, and other technology luminaries sent a letter to both presidential candidates on Friday asking them to make the debates truly open to the public. Lawrence Lessig, the founder for the Center for Internet and Society joined Craig Newmark, Jimmy Wales and bloggers from both sides of the aisle in calling for the “wisdom of crowds" to be used as a mechanism for deciding questions used at the second, town-hall presidential debate to be held ...

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ACL Live Webcast

Source: JamBase
September 26, 2008

AT&T DELIVERS LIVE WEBCAST OF AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL AT&T blue room Wraps Up Annual Summer Festival Series With Exclusive Webcast From The Raconteurs, Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, Against Me!, John Fogerty and Many More

The Raconteurs School may be back in session but music fans can experience one last taste of summer vacation at this weekend's three-day Austin City Limits Music Festival in person or online at AT&T Blue Room.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) will ...

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Toshiba Funds Store Kiosks for Downloading Content

Source: PC Magazine
September 26, 2008

Several days after SanDisk announced plans to sell a microSD card pre-loaded with music, Toshiba and NCR Corporation said Thursday that they will invest $35 million in MOD Systems, which produces in-store kiosks that allow consumers to download content – including music and more – directly to portable devices. NCR will work with MOD Systems on digital delivery to kiosks so customers will have access to a larger catalog of content, not just what is physically contained in the kiosk, ...

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Myspace Music Megasite Launches Thursday

Source: PC Magazine
September 25, 2008

MySpace will launch its long-awaited MySpace Music Thursday, an offering that will combine audio streaming with download functionality powered by Amazon. MySpace Music will feature songs from EMI Music, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and indie rock aggregator The Orchard. “Music's been a pretty important part of MySpace since the beginning; it's a big part of heart and soul of what we were doing," Steve Pearman, senior vice president of product strategy at MySpace, said in an ...

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Music, Tech Groups Join to Promote Legal Content

Source: PC Magazine
September 25, 2008

In the wake of a Tuesday royalty payment deal regarding interactive music streaming, the Songwriters Guild of America (SGA) partnered Wednesday with several leading technology and entertainment companies for a coalition that intends to educate consumers about how to best access legally provided content on the Internet. SGA will work with AT&T, Viacom, NBC Universal, Cisco, and Microsoft for Arts+Labs, an organization that will be co-chaired by Mike McCurry, former White House press secretary under President Clinton, and Mark McKinnon, ...

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Sony Ericsson to Launch Unlimited Music Service

Source: PC Magazine
September 25, 2008

Sony Ericsson will launch a mobile phone service with unlimited music downloads within weeks, the company said on Tuesday, as it competes with Nokia in expanding business beyond the sale of handsets. Sony Ericsson's Play Now Plus, which will be available solely through telecoms operators, will provide subscribers access to millions of songs, and users can keep up to 300 songs after their 6-18 month contracts end. “In a few weeks' time this service will be available with Telenor," Sony ...

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