Archive - May 28, 2009 | Digital Media Wire

Archive - May 28, 2009

Date

Microsoft Introduces New "Bing" Search Engine

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 12:27pm.

San Diego - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) on Thursday introduced Bing, its forthcoming revamped search engine that aims to provide a wider array of search results, and is slated for worldwide release by June 3. Wired.com tested the search engine, and found that it provided advantages to competitors in areas such as travel, shopping and local listings.

tags: Microsoft | Search | Bing |

Google Bans Music Uploads on Korean Blogging Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 12:26pm.

Seoul - Google (NASD: GOOG) has prohibited users of Textcube, its Korean blogging service, from uploading songs to their blogs in the wake of new regulations against online piracy, the Korea Times reported. New uploads have been blocked, while previously uploaded songs are now accessible only by blog owners; posting song samples is the only remaining option. Regulators will be empowered to shut down websites in violation of the new provisions against file-sharing as of July.

EFF Launches "Teaching Copyright" Curriculum, Website

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 12:25pm.

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital civil liberties advocacy group, on Thursday launched a new "Teaching Copyright" curriculum and website.

tags: RIAA | Copyright | EFF | Teaching Copyright |

Blog Network GigaOM Debuts $79 Subscription Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 12:23pm.

Los Angeles - GigaOM, a technology news blog network, on Thursday announced a new $79 per year subscription service, which will provide "unlimited access to research reports and curation by research analysts and reporters, as well as longer essays on topics we GigaOM Network writers feel are particularly interesting," NewTeeVee reports. GigaOM Pro launched with 17 research articles across topics including Green IT, Infrastructure, Connected Consumer and Mobile.

tags: Blogs | Publishing | GigaOM |

Muzu Signs Fourth Major Warner to Music Video Site

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 12:22pm.

Dublin, Ireland - Music video website Muzu now claims licenses from all four major record labels, with the signing of a new deal with Warner Music UK (NYSE: WMG). The deal gives Muzu users across the U.K. and Ireland unlimited, on-demand access to Warner Music video content, with Muzu and Warner to share ad revenues. The companies will also promote the site across Muzu syndication partners like Bebo, GigWise and Eircom.

Sirius XM to Charge Same Satellite Fee for iPhone Application

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 12:20pm.

New York - Satellite radio firm Sirius XM (NASD: SIRI) plans to release an iPhone application that will require users to pay the full $12.95 per month subscription fee for its regular satellite-based service in return for iPhone (NASD: AAPL) access, VentureBeat reported. The commercial-free service will compete with other ad-supported streaming music services offered on the iPhone, including Pandora.

Microsoft: 30M Xbox 360s Sold; 20M Xbox Live Members

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 11:15am.

Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) announced on Thursday that worldwide sales of its Xbox 360 video game console have now topped 30 million units, up 28% from the same point last year.

Google to Introduce "Wave" Web Communication Platform

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 11:02am.

Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) on Wednesday introduced a forthcoming service, Google Wave, that aims to combine email, chat, and content-sharing in a single interface. The service takes elements from increasingly popular tools for communication like Facebook, Twitter and FriendFeed, melding "rolling threaded conversations, real-time chat, nested comments, media sharing, link sharing and wiki-style collaboration into a familiar interface that looks and behaves like an e-mail inbox, complete with folders for keeping things organized and a search box for digging up older threads," Webmonkey reported.

Google Wave

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 11:00am.

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NYT: Labels Offering Better Licensing Terms for Start-ups

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

New York - The four major record labels are beginning to cut "friendlier" deals with digital music start-ups, in the face of declining CD sales and a new generation of listeners who primarily look to the Internet to discover new music, The New York Times reported.

High-Quality Download Seller HDGiants Files for Bankruptcy

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 9:37am.

Incline Village, Nev. - HDGiants, an online retailer of high-quality HD downloads of music and video content delivered directly to home entertainment systems, has filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protections in the state of Nevada.

Lionsgate Sells 49% Stake in TV Guide for $123 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 8:19am.

Santa Monica, Calif. - Film studio Lionsgate announced on Thursday that it has sold a 49% stake in it TV Guide Network and TVGuide.com business to One Equity Partners, the private equity investment arm of JPMorgan Chase, for $123 million.

Best Buy, Velocity Interactive Team on Digital Media Fund

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 8:02am.

Los Angeles - Electronics and media retail store chain Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) announced on Thursday that it has partnered with venture capital firm Velocity Interactive Group to form a new digital media fund, which will invest in companies involved in digital music, video, games and personal media management.

Time Warner to Spin Off AOL into Standalone Company

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 28, 2009 - 7:51am.

New York - Marking what may be the final chapter in a business relationship that never delivered on its initial promise, media giant Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) announced on Thursday that it will spin off AOL into an independent, publicly traded company. The move is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with Time Warner also buying back a 5% stake in AOL that it previously had sold to Google. "We believe that a separation will be the best outcome for both Time Warner and AOL," said Jeff Bewkes, the chairman and CEO of Time Warner.

tags: Advertising | AOL | Time Warner |