Cupertino, Calif. - The developer toolset that Apple (NASD: AAPL) released for its iPhone four days ago has already been downloaded more than 100,000 times. "Also, over one million people have watched the launch video on Apple.com, further demonstrating the incredible interest developers have in creating applications for the iPhone," said Philip Schiller, the company's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing. The company is expected to begin offering the first third-party applications for the iPhone in June.

London - Accenture, the global management consulting and technology services company, said on Wednesday that it has signed a deal to provide digital supply services for Universal Music Group in all territories outside North America. Under the deal, Accenture will collate and store audio and video content, artwork and metadata to distribute to the music company's mobile and digital business partners.

New York - The Nielsen Company announced on Wednesday an agreement with cable TV provider Charter Communications, that will give Nielsen access to anonymous digital set-top box data for analytical and potential TV audience measurement purposes. The data on 330,000 Charter subscribers in Los Angeles will be available to Nielsen beginning in the second quarter.

London - Veteran metal band Iron Maiden will offer a free digital download of its forthcoming compilation of songs recorded during the 80's, which after three listens will expire and prompt users to purchase a DRM-free version of the album, Billboard reports. The trial version of "Somewhere Back In Time" will come as 320 kbps WMA files, protected by Microsoft digital rights management. The album is set for release on May 12 through EMI Records.

New York - Qtrax, the developer of a free, ad-supported, peer-to-peer song-sharing service, on Wednesday announced a new licensing agreement with Finetunes. The deal will bring tracks from the more than 1,000 German independent labels that Hamburg-based Finetunes represents.

Redmond, Wash. - Nintendo on Wednesday announced plans to release "Mario Kart Wii" on April 27, which will come with the company's Wii Wheel driving accessory. The game will allow players to race using their own Mii caricatures, and compete in tournaments and see rankings on a Mario Kart Wii Channel.

Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts on Wednesday said it signed driver Jeff Gordon as the cover athlete for its "NASCAR 09" title, scheduled to ship in North America on June 10. Gordon is ranked sixth all time in Cup Series wins with 81 and is a four time Sprint Cup Series champion.

Hollywood - Video game publisher Brash Entertainment said on Wednesday that it has partnered with Japan-based game studio Game Republic, to collaborate on a game based on an undisclosed "popular Hollywood film," set for release in 2010. Game Republic is led by Yoshiki Okamoto, whose previous titles have included "Street Fighter II," "Resident Evil" and "Genji."

Brussels - The European Union has launched an investigation into U.S. treatment of overseas online gambling operations, with an eye towards possibly launching proceedings against the U.S. at the World Trade Organization, Reuters reported. Several European online gaming services filed complaints with the EU in December, saying that the U.S. is singling out foreign companies for prosecution, while allowing domestic online gambling on horse racing.

San Bruno, Calif. - Google's (NASD: GOOG) YouTube video site on Wednesday introduced updates to its application programming interfaces (APIs) that will allow developers to integrate videos from the site into other applications, and showcased implementations from TiVo (NASD: TIVO), Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS), Animoto and the University of California.

London - ROK Entertainment Group, a provider of mobile video delivery services, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired a 51% controlling interest in Geniem, a Finland-based mobile and Web applications developer.

Washington - The head of Sirius Satellite Radio (NASD: SIRI) said on Wednesday that he is hopeful the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will rule on his company's proposed $4.2 billion merger with XM Satellite Radio (NASD: XMSR) by the end of this month, Reuters reported.

Dulles, Va. - The head of media giant Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) said that he is open to a deal combining AOL with another company, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. CEO Jeffrey Bewkes told the paper that he favors "whatever configuration makes it the strongest and the most valuable." AOL reportedly has been in discussions about a possible combination with Yahoo (NASD: YHOO), which has been attempting to fend off a hostile takeover by Microsoft (NASD: MSFT).

San Francisco - Fluid Entertainment, a developer of children's video games, announced on Wednesday that it has landed $3.2 million in its first round of financing, led by Trinity Ventures.

Mountain View, Calif. - Searchme, a new search engine that delivers results as a browsable stack of preview pages, and provides suggestions of categories as users type search terms, has announced the launch of its search engine in private beta.

San Francisco - Mochi Media, the provider of an in-game ad network for casual, Flash-based games, has raised $4 million in its first round of funding, led by Accel Partners, VentureWire reported.

New York - Pando Networks, a provider of peer-to-peer file-sharing software, has secured $8.12 million of a $20.9 million second round of venture capital financing, PEHub.com reported, citing a regulatory filing.

New York - Next New Networks, a provider of thematic online video channels for targeted communities, has raised $15 million in new financing from Velocity Interactive and Goldman Sachs, VentureBeat reported.