Archive - Oct 28, 2009 | Digital Media Wire

Motorola, Verizon to Sell Droid Smartphone for $199

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:55am.

Libertyville, Ill. - Motorola (NYSE: MOT)and mobile network partner Verizon (NYSE: VZ) on Wednesday introduced the Droid, a new Google (NASD: GOOG) Android-powered smartphone that will run on Verizon's 3G network. The touch-screen device features a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi, and will sell for $199 with a two-year contract when it goes on sale Nov. 6. The Droid will also be the first smartphone capable of running Google Maps Navigation, the company's new turn-by-turn navigation application.

Ex-Yahoo Music Execs Debut Production Music Site Dashbox

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:53am.

Los Angeles - Two former music executives from Yahoo and Launch Media have launched Dashbox, a subscription service that offers aggregated production music and sound effects. Dave Goldberg and Bob Roback's personal investment firm, Twain Media, acquired mSoft -- reportedly for under $10 million -- and rebranded it as Dashbox.

Politico to Launch Site Covering Local D.C. News

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:52am.

Washington - Political news blog Politico plans to launch a new site that will cover local news in Washington, D.C., The New Republic reported. The new Metro site, which will compete with the Washington Post, will be headed up by former Washingtonpost.com editor Jim Brady.

CBS's Last.fm to Debut Video Service Last.TV

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:50am.

New York - CBS-owned (NYSE: CBS) social music discovery service Last.fm is planning to launch a new video service called Last.TV, Music Week reports. The service will reportedly initially cover music festivals in Europe, and is expected to launch in January.

Sweden's Voddler Introduces Video-on-Demand Site

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:49am.

Stockholm, Sweden - Voddler on Wednesday debuted its online video-on-demand service in Sweden, which features movies, TV episodes and music from partners including Paramount and Disney, Variety reported. The service, which is expected to launch across all Nordic countries in a year's time, is also reportedly close to signing a deal with Sony Pictures.

Report: In-Game Currency is Most Popular Virtual Item to Sell

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:16am.

Santa Clara, Calif. - Nearly one-third (31%) of those who purchased virtual goods over the past year also sold virtual goods, with in-game virtual currency being the most frequently sold item from player to player, according to a report from market research firm VGMarket and PlaySpan, an operator of virtual goods marketplaces.

Google Introduces "Social Search" Feature

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 11:01am.

Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) has introduced a new experimental search feature from its Google Labs, Social Search, which adds relevant public content from a user's friends and contacts to search results.

tags: Social Networking | Search | Google | Social Search |

Google Offers Turn-by-Turn GPS Directions for Android Phones

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 10:49am.

Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) on Wednesday announced the release of Google Maps Navigation for Android mobile phones, an update to its popular mapping application that provides turn-by-turn directions, as well as voice-powered search and other features.

Netflix to Raise $200 Million in Notes Offering

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 10:17am.

Los Gatos, Calif. - Netflix (NASD: NFLX), the online DVD rental service, said on Wednesday that it plans to raise $200 million through a notes offering.

U.K. Parliament to Consider "Three-Strikes" P2P Bill

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 10:14am.

London - The U.K. government plans to introduce a bill mimicking France's recently enacted "three-strikes" legislation on file-sharing, which authorizes the suspension of the Internet accounts of those warned repeatedly they are violating copyrights, according to published reports. The bill will "make technical measures available, including account suspension," U.K. business, innovation and skills minister Peter Mandelson said at a meeting of government and entertainment industry heads, according to PaidContent's coverage.

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Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 10:13am.

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Report: Pirate Bay Being Courted by Four New Suitors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 9:45am.

Stockholm, Sweden - In the wake of the unraveling of Global Gaming Factory's unsuccessful attempt to acquire The Pirate Bay, as many as four new suitors have emerged with an eye towards purchasing the file-sharing hub, TorrentFreak reported, citing Sweden's Dagens Industri. Reservella, the Seychelles-based holding company that currently owns the Pirate Bay, is reportedly currently in talks with GamersGate, a Swedish online games firm.

Retail Convergence to be Acquired for up to $350 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 8:09am.

Boston - Retail Convergence, the Boston-based operator of RueLaLa.com and SmartBargains.com, an e-commerce marketplace, has agreed to be acquired by GSI Commerce, a provider of e-commerce and interactive marketing services.

Omaha World-Herald Acquires WikiCity Local Wiki Network

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 7:21am.

Omaha, Nebr. - WikiCity, an online network of over 22,000 city-based wikis, has been acquired by newspaper publisher Omaha World-Herald Co, the World Herald reported on its website.

ScanScout Lands $8.5 Million for In-Stream Video Ads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 7:12am.

Boston - ScanScout, a provider of in-stream video advertising services, has raised $8.5 million in its second round of funding, led by Singapore-based EDB Investments.

MPower Mobile Raising $5 Million for Mobile Payments

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 7:04am.

Austin, Texas - MPower Mobile, a provider of mobile payments technology is closing on a $5 million, second round of funding led by Maples Investments.

Layar Raises $1 Million for 'Augmented Reality' Platform

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 28, 2009 - 6:55am.

Amsterdam - Layar, a Dutch developer of "augmented reality" technology, is near closing a $1 million round of funding from European investors, VentureBeat reported.