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Report: iTunes Now More Popular Than Most Free File-Sharing Services

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:50am.
Port Washington, N.Y. -- In a sign that legal digital music services are finally gaining ground on file-sharing, Apple's iTunes Music Store tied with peer-to-peer service LimeWire as the second most-popular digital music service in March 2005, according to a report from New York-based market research firm NPD Group. The top service in March, according to NPD, was file-sharing service WinMX, which was accessed by 2.1 million households; both iTunes and LimeWire were used by 1.7 million households. Also in the top 10 were file-sharing networks Kazaa and iMesh, and legal services Napster and Rhapsody. NPD said a total of 4% of Internet-enabled U.S. households used a paid music download store during March. "One of the music industry's questions has been when will paid download stores compete head-to-head with free P2P download services," said NPD Group's Russ Crupnick. "That question has now been answered. iTunes is more popular than nearly any P2P service, and two other paid digital music offerings have also gained a level of critical mass."
tags: Reports | iTunes | File-Sharing | Popular |

Apple to Use Intel Chips in Macs Starting in Mid-2006

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:48am.
Cupertino, Calif. -- Following years of speculation, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has announced that his company will start using chips made by Intel in its Macintosh computers, spelling the end of the company's long-time relationship with IBM, as well as its PowerPC platform. "This is not going to be a transition that happens overnight. It's going to happen over a few years," Jobs told a conference of software developers. Jobs said that the first Macs with Intel chips will begin to appear in about a year, with all new Macs fitted with the processors by the end of 2007. The move is considered a major win for Intel, as well as a blow to IBM, which had worked with Apple and Motorola to develop the PowerPC architecture in the early '90s. Apple's relationship with IBM had been rocky in recent months, with the chipmaker reportedly unable to deliver enough versions of the Apple G5 chip.
tags: Apple | Intel | Macs |

Swedish Anti-Piracy Group Reports 200 Suspected File-Swappers to Police

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:45am.
London -- Following the recent passing of a law in Sweden banning all file-sharing, the country's anti-piracy organization, Antipiratbyran (APB), has reported 200 alleged file-swappers to the police, The Register reported, citing a report in Sweden's The Local. The new file-sharing ban was passed by Swedish parliament and goes into effect on July 1. While APB had already sent copyright warnings to 400,000 file-swappers, the organization has been criticized for potentially violating Sweden's privacy laws by collecting IP addresses. After more than 1,000 complaints were sent to Swedish authorities, the APB said it has since changed its method of identifying suspected file-swappers.
tags: Reports | Anti-Piracy | Swedish | File-Swappers | Police |

Drugstore Chain CVS Offers First Disposable Digital Video Camera

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:43am.
Woonsocket, R.I. -- CVS, the second-largest drugstore chain in the U.S., announced that it has begun selling the first disposable digital camcorder, a $29 device that can be used to capture up to 20 minutes of video. For an additional $12.99, the video footage may then be turned into a DVD by CVS that includes a main menu and individually-titled scenes. Developed by San Francisco-based Pure Digital Technologies, the camcorder sports a 1.4-inch color playback screen, and includes the ability to delete unwanted footage. CVS said the camcorders are now on sale in 1,400 of its stores, and will be offered in 4,500 stores by the end of June.
tags: Camera | Digital Video | Drugstore | CVS | Disposable |

Spoken Word Provider Audible, XM Radio Partner on Handheld Receiver

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:42am.
Wayne, N.J. -- Audible, a provider of digital format spoken word audio content, announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with XM Satellite Radio on a line of portable, handheld satellite radio receivers capable of downloading Audible content from the Web. The first such AudibleReady/XM devices are slated for release in 2006. Under the agreement, Audible will also market XM radio programs like "The Bob Edwards Show" to its customers, while Audible's 70,000-hour library of audio content will be offered for sale on XM's website, and promoted on its radio programs.
tags: Deals | XM Radio | Audible | Handheld Receiver |

Nintendo to Install 1,000 Wi-Fi Hotspots in Japan for DS Gaming

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:40am.
Tokyo -- Nintendo on Tuesday announced plans to install 1,000 wireless Internet access points in Japan this year, enabling free wireless gaming between owners of its DS handheld game devices, Reuters reported. Nintendo said it also plans overseas expansion for the free Wi-Fi hotspots, which the company says will overcome such hurdles to Wi-Fi gaming as the cost and cumbersome process users face when setting up their own networks. "We would like to create an environment where more than 90 percent of the people that buy our WiFi-compatible games have tried them at least once online," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told a news conference. Wi-Fi-compatible titles including "Mario Kart DS" and "Animal Crossing DS" are slated for release in 2005. Nintendo expects to sell some 12.4 million DS units this year.
tags: Games | Nintendo | DS | Japan | Wi-Fi Hotspots |

MusicNet, MusicGremlin to Offer Direct-to-Device Song Downloads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:38am.
New York -- MusicGremlin, the developer of a direct-to-device digital music download service, announced on Tuesday that MusicNet -- a major label-backed digital music distributor -- will provide technology for its music store, as well as its 1.5 million track library for sale on MusicGremlin devices. New York-based MusicGremlin's technology adds Wi-Fi software to MP3 players, so they can download songs directly over a wireless Internet connection, without the need of a separate computer. The first generation of MusicGremlin-enabled MP3 players are scheduled to launch in the second half of 2005, offering both a monthly subscription service with unlimited downloads, and an a la carte store for permanent downloads. MusicGremlin said its devices will also allow owners to share music wirelessly with other users.
tags: Downloads | MusicNet | MusicGremlin | Musics |

Mercora Adds Song Search Feature to P2P Streaming Radio Network

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:37am.
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Mercora, a provider of a peer-to-peer streaming radio network, on Tuesday launched a new service that lets users search for songs offered on Mercora users' individual radio stations, and play them on demand. The search engine, which Mercora is offering for free to website and blog operators to place on their own sites, returns results from the repository of over 30 million tracks from over 6 million artists offered by Mercora's network of users. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Mercora maintains the service is legal; it does not offer downloads, and the songs are streamed from one user's computer to another single user. "We're looking at their more recent offerings to see if they're in compliance with the (law)," John Simson, executive director of SoundExchange, the group that collects and distributes royalties from Web radio stations, told CNET News.com. "We haven't come to a conclusion yet."
tags: Radio | P2P | Mercora | Musics |

U.K.-Based Mobile Content Firm Bango to Get London IPO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2005 - 10:34am.
London -- Bango, a U.K.-based company that helps companies sell content on mobile phones, announced that it is planning an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) later this month. By paying a monthly fee, Bango users can access content using mobile phone bills or credit and debit cards. Channel 4, for instance, is using Bango to offer "Big Brother"-related content to U.K. consumers on any mobile network. Bango said it expected to raise as much as $9 million with the IPO. "The AIM admission and funding will increase our profile internationally and assist in exploiting our scaleable technology platform in new territories," said Bango CEO Ray Anderson. "We are building on the successful relationships we already have with many content providers and network operators and are expecting to see significant growth," he said.
tags: IPO | Bango | U.K | London | Mobiles |