Archives

Date

Sony: PlayStation 3 Release in 2005, With Playable Preview at E3

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 12, 2004 - 6:21am.
Tokyo -- Sony announced on Monday that it plans to introduce the next generation of its PlayStation video game console by the end of 2005, with a playable prototype available in time for next May's Electronic Entertainment Expo. Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ken Kutaragi, who made the announcement at a media briefing in Tokyo, did not provide pricing details or a release date for the new console. Rivals Microsoft and Nintendo have both announced development of their next-generation consoles, but have not provided any release details yet either. Sony also said that it will debut its PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game in Japan by the end of December, with U.S. and European launches following in March 2005.
tags: Sony | E3 | PlayStation 3 | Releases |

Canadian Record Industry Appeals Pro-File-Sharing Court Ruling

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 12, 2004 - 6:19am.
Toronto -- The Canadian Record Industry Association (CRIA) on Monday appealed a landmark Canadian federal court ruling that essentially made peer-to-peer file-sharing in the country a legal activity, and prevented the group from compelling Internet service providers to turn over the identities of suspected file-swappers. The Federal Court of Appeal should set a date for arguments in the appeal in several weeks. CRIA said in its appeal that the lower court should have allowed its cases against alleged copyright infringers to go forward, and reiterated its stance that unauthorized file-sharing constitutes copyright infringement.
tags: Law | Canada | Appeals | Pro-File-Sharing |

Report: Online Video Game Revenues Will Triple to $1.1 Billion by 2008

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 12, 2004 - 6:19am.
Boston -- Online game sales and subscription revenue is projected to triple to $1.1 billion by 2008, fueled by new devices and falling console prices, according to a report from Boston-based market research firm Yankee Group. The industry has grown up in recent years to become a generator of $353 million in direct sales and subscriptions revenue, and $450 to $550 million in advertising. The firm predicts that video game consoles will drop in price to $79 to $49 within the next several years. "Console growth is negatively affecting CD-ROM based PC game sales," said Yankee Group senior analyst Michael Goodman. "PC gamers are migrating to consoles, causing revenues for PC games on CD-ROMs to decline and console revenue to grow. Online gaming represents a shift in revenue, away from boxed CD-ROM games sold at retail to online sales."
tags: Internet | Reports | Triple | Video Games |

Google Shares to Trade on the Nasdaq

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 12, 2004 - 6:18am.
Mountain View, Calif. -- Search engine Google announced on Monday that it will list its $2.7 billion initial public offering (IPO) of shares on the technology-heavy Nasdaq Stock Market, eschewing the larger New York Stock Exchange. Both exchanges had indicated that they were aggressively courting Google's offering. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, whose IPO will be the largest technology-related IPO in years, did not set a date for the forthcoming IPO or reveal what ticker symbol it will trade under.
tags: Google | Nasdaq | Trades |

Internet Video-on-Demand Provider Akimbo Raises $12 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 12, 2004 - 6:17am.
San Mateo, Calif. -- Akimbo Systems, developer of an Internet-based video-on-demand service, announced on Monday that it has raised $12 million in its second round of venture capital financing. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers led the investment round; Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Sprout Group and Zone Ventures also participated. San Mateo, Calif.-based Akimbo plans to launch its service this summer, offering independent films, extreme sports, news and foreign language programming. Subscribers will pay $9.99 monthly plus $229 for the Akimbo Player device, which also requires a broadband Internet connection. The company will use the funds to market and deploy its video-on-demand service.
tags: Internet | VC | Akimbo | Video-on-Demand |

Ampex Sues Sony Over Digital Still Camera Patents

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 12, 2004 - 6:16am.
Redwood City, Calif. -- Ampex Corporation, a developer of audio and video storage media, announced on Monday that it has filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, alleging that Sony is infringing on its patented digital still camera storage technology. Ampex also filed a federal suit in U.S. District Court in Delaware for patent infringement that seeks unspecified damages. The company said it has been in active licensing negotiations with Sony and other firms, including Sanyo, which it has also sued for patent infringement.
tags: Sony | Patents | Cameras | Ampex |

Apple iTunes Store Sells 100-Millionth Song Download

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 12, 2004 - 6:15am.
Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple announced on Monday that its iTunes Music Store has now sold over 100 million song downloads. "As we cross this historic milestone, we want to thank our customers, the artists and the music labels who have embraced our dream for iTunes," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "iTunes quickly outpaced the competition and is far and away the world's number one online music service." Apple launched its U.S. iTunes store just over one year ago, and recently launched European versions for the U.K., France and Germany. Apple awarded the purchaser of the 100-millionth download, 20-year-old Kevin Britten of Kansas, with a 17-inch PowerBook, 40GB iPod and gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs.
tags: Apple | iTunes | Download | Musics |