Briefly Noted

Apple: App Store Counts 100,000 Apps, Hits 2 Billion Downloads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 12:32pm.
Cupertino, Calif. - Apple (NASD: AAPL) said on Wednesday that there are now more than 100,000 applications available for download by iPhone and iPod touch owners at its App Store. The company said that users from 77 countries have downloaded more than 2 billion apps since the store's inception.

Report: Apple Stores to Utilize iPod Touch as Checkout Scanner

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 12:31pm.
Los Angeles - Apple (NASD: AAPL) plans to switch from using Microsoft Windows-based computers to register customers' checkout transactions in its retail stores to using its own iPod touch, Apple Insider reported. The device will be used to scan barcodes and swipe credit cards, while customers will sign for credit card purchases right on the iPod touch's screen, using the Pogo stylus accessory.

Twitter Launches Spanish-language Version of Site

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 12:29pm.
San Francisco - Twitter has launched a Spanish-language version of its website, co-founder Biz Stone announced in a blog post published yesterday. The site was created with the assistance of volunteers -- similar to how Facebook has used volunteers and software to create foreign language versions of its site.

tags: Publishing | Twitter |

Pirate Party Gains Second Seat in European Parliament

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 12:28pm.
Brussels - The Pirate Party, a political party centered on less-restrictive copyright schemes, has won its second seat in the European Parliament, TorrentFreak reported. Following the election of a Swedish Pirate Party candidate to a seat in the European Parliament in June, the signing of the Lisbon Treaty by all EU member states this week means that 22-year-old Swede Amelia Andersdotter will take the Pirate Party's second seat in Parliament.

Peek Launches TwitterPeek Dedicated Twitter Mobile Device

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 10:35am.
New York - Consumer electronics firm Peek on Tuesday introduced the TwitterPeek, a mobile device designed exclusively for the purpose of accessing the Twitter microblogging service. The device, which features a QWERTY keyboard, is available for $199 with lifetime unlimited nationwide service, or $99 with a six-month service contract. The TweetPeek lets users send tweets, replies, retweets and direct messages, and also allows users to view pictures on TwitPics.

YouTube Head of Content Partnerships Steps Down

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 10:33am.
San Bruno, Calif. - Google's YouTube has lost its head of content partnerships, as Jordan Hoffner has left to joint a new content venture at IAC headed up by Ben Silverman, PaidContent reported. Hoffner will be replaced at YouTube by Chris Maxcy, who was leading YouTube's music content partnership efforts.

Redbox Experimenting with $2 DVD Kiosk Rentals

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 10:32am.
Los Angeles - Redbox, the unit of Coinstar (NASD: CSTR) that operates automated DVD rental kiosks, is testing new price points above its current standard $1 per night model, Video Business reported. The company, which operates some 18,000 kiosks, is testing $2 per night -- for the first night -- rentals in Pennsylvania, and a nightly $1.50 per night rate in New Mexico. Redbox said in August that it would test different pricing models, as well as experiment with Blu-ray and video game titles in its kiosks.

tags: Movies | DVD | Redbox |

Hulu Provides Schedule of Upcoming TV Episode Releases

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 10:31am.
Los Angeles - Hulu, the online video joint venture between News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) and Disney (NYSE: DIS), has launched a new feature that will let users know when new episodes of TV shows are scheduled to become available on the site. The new Coming Soon feature will offer a weekly schedule of when shows from ABC, NBC ad Fox are slated to go live on Hulu after their broadcast premieres.

Sony Ericsson Introduces First Android Smartphone

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 10:30am.
London - Sony Ericsson on Tuesday introduced the Xperia X10, its first Google (NASD: GOOG) Android-powered smartphone, which is expected to ship in the first half of 2010. The X10 will feature a 4-inch touchscreen; 8.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and 16x zoom; video recording; and a number of pre-loaded Google applications from the Android Marketplace.  

Foo Fighters Live Concert Webcast Serves 440,000 Streams

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 10:28am.
Los Angeles - A live webcast of a performance by the Foo Fighters from their Los Angeles studio drew 440,000 live streams and a total of more than 150,000 viewers from around the world, NewTeeVee reported. The webcast was produced by Livestream, and available online via the band's site, Livestream, Facebook, and the iPhone. A recent live webcast of a U2 concert on YouTube drew a reported near 10 million viewers.

MOG Online Music Service to Tap Echo Nest Platform

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 10:27am.
Somerville, Mass. - The Echo Nest, the provider of a "machine learning platform that listens to and reads about music all over the Web to enable better music search, recommendation and interactivity," said on Tuesday that its technology will be integrated into MOG's forthcoming All Access online music service. The All Access service from MOG -- a network of and user-created music blogs -- is scheduled to launch later this month.

INgrooves to Offer Labels RightsFlow Licensing Services

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 10:26am.
New York - INgrooves, a provider of digital music distribution, marketing and promotion services, announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with RightsFlow, to provide INgrooves' clients with access to RightsFlow's licensing, accounting and royalty payment platform.

Lala to Offer Artists More Customized Google Music Search

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 11:41am.
San Francisco - Artists will eventually be able to use online music service Lala's platform to point users searching Google (NASD: GOOG) to specific content of their choosing, as well as sell products other than MP3s via search results, Lala co-founder Bill Nguyen told CNET News.com. Lala, along with iLike and several other online music services, recently partnered with Google to provide streaming songs and links to their services within Google search results.

tags: Music | Search | Google | Lala |

Redbox to Rent Summit, NCircle DVD Titles in Kiosks

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 11:38am.
Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. - Redbox, the automated DVD rental kiosk unit of Coinstar (NASD: CSTR), announced on Monday that it has signed new two-year distribution agreements with Summit Entertainment and NCircle Entertainment. Summit's recent films include "Twilight" and "Knowing," while NCircle distributes mainly children's titles, such as "Richard Scarry's Busytown Mysteries," and "Sid the Science Kid." Redbox operates a network of 15,000 $1-per-night automated DVD rental kiosks in the U.S.

Paramount to Distribute Movies on Kingston Flash Drives

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 11:36am.
Fountain Valley, Calif. - Kingston Digital, a maker of flash memory-based products, said on Monday that it has partnered with Viacom's Paramount Digital Entertainment to deliver full-length movies on Kingston USB flash drives and SD cards.

China Unicom Begins Selling iPhone Sans Wi-Fi

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2009 - 9:52am.
Beijing - China Unicom has begun selling Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone in China -- albeit without the key feature of Wi-Fi connectivity, Reuters reported. The iPhone is now available from 2,000 Unicom retail stores; the company hopes to sell 5 million in three years, according to Chinese news reports cited by Reuters. A company spokesman told Reuters the company expects its next batch of iPhones to include Wi-Fi.

Apple Breaks Palm Pre Sync with iTunes for Third Time

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2009 - 9:50am.
San Francisco - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has broken the Palm (NASD: PALM) Pre's ability to sync directly with iTunes, as if it were an iPhone, for the third time. The new 9.0.2 iTunes software update removes the feature. Palm had complained to the USB Implementers Forum that Apple was misusing the technology to lock out competitors back in August, but the standards body ruled in Apple's favor, and said that Palm may in fact be in violation of its terms.

tags: Mobile | Music | Apple | iTunes | Palm | Palm Pre |

Chinese Online Games Firm ChangYou Opens U.S. Subsidiary

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2009 - 3:30pm.
Santa Clara, Calif. - ChangYou.com (NASD: CYOU), a Chinese online game developer whose shares trade on the Nasdaq, said that it has launched a U.S. subsidiary in Santa Clara, California, with plans to launch its online games in Asia to American gamers. The company said that its first U.S. release, "Dragon Oath," will launch open beta Nov. 5. The title, which has run in Asia for over three years, has over 75 million registered players and 910,000 concurrent users.

EPIX Movie Channel Launches on Verizon FiOS TV Friday

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2009 - 3:28pm.
New York - Verizon (NYSE: VZ) will launch the multi-platform pay-TV movie channel EPIX on its FiOS TV digital TV service on Friday, with a $9.99 per month price tag. EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Paramount Pictures, MGM and Lionsgate, aims to eventually become a pay-TV movie channel as well, but to date has not announced any carriage deals.

Funny or Die to Launch Dedicated YouTube Channel

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2009 - 3:27pm.
San Francisco - Funny or Die, the Web comedy studio backed by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, plans to launch its own YouTube (NASD: GOOG) channel next month, COO Mitch Galbraith said at Digital Media Wire's Digital Media Conference West in San Francisco, NewTeeVee reported. The company, which had previously operated a standalone site with an embeddable player, also has plans to produce a TV show for HBO and a feature film.