Redmond, Wash. - Microsoft said this week that it will extend the warranties on its Xbox 360 video game console, at a cost to the company of $1 billion, after an internal investigation showed the devices can be prone to hardware failures. [more..]

Brussels - In a case that could have ramifications throughout Europe, a Belgian court has ordered an Internet service provider in the country to block or filter copyrighted material traded on peer-to-peer services over its network. [more..]

Los Angeles - Global recorded music sales were down for the seventh consecutive year in 2006, when CD and physical sales fell 11% to $17.5 billion, while digital music sales climbed 85% to $2.1 billion, according to data from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an international record label trade group. [more..]

Tokyo - Despite calls from consumers and some game developers and publishers, Sony currently has no plans to lower the price of its PlayStation 3 video game console, which has been in third place in sales among the top three consoles across the past several months, Reuters reported. [more..]

Los Angeles - Just as notorious Russian music download store AllofMP3.com appeared to go offline for good last week, the site's parent company launched a new site at AllTunes.com, where AllofMP3.com's six million users may access their existing accounts and download cheap songs via a software client, Computerworld reported. [more..]

Los Angeles - Lala.com, an online marketplace that lets users swap CDs and recently launched a feature allowing users to stream their complete iTunes libraries from an online locker, has taken the new streaming feature offline indefinitely, Ars Technica reported. [more..]

Needham, Mass. - Fast Search & Transfer (FAST), a provider of enterprise search technologies, announced that it has acquired AgentArts, a provider of recommendation and personalization software for music, video, games and mobile entertainment. [more..]

Shanghai, China - Shanda Interactive Entertainment, an operator of online games in China, announced that it has acquired Chengdu Aurora Technology Development Co., a developer and operator of multiplayer online games in China. [more..]

Paris - DiBcom, a maker of mobile TV chips, has raised $27 million in its fifth round of financing, led by European investment bank NATIXIS. [more..]

Calabasas, Calif. - Emergent Game Technologies, a provider of video game development technologies, has raised $12 million in its fourth round of funding, co-led by Jerusalem Venture Partners and Worldview Technology Partners. [more..]

New York - Clickable, a provider of a Web-based service where online advertisers can manage their search marketing campaigns, has raised $3 million in its first round of venture capital financing, co-led by Union Square Ventures and Pequot Ventures. [more..]

Jay Baage blogs about how he sees Facebook taking off in Europe and how it has taken over from MySpace as the social networking company to keep an eye on.
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Jay Baage blogs about the significance of the infamous Norwegian hacker Jon Lech Johansen, known as "DVD Jon," having cracked Apple's iPhone AT&T service activation lock. [more..]

Media reports say that mobile phone operator O2 has won the sought-after deal to sell Apple's iPhones in the UK, while T-Mobile is rumored to have won the deal for Germany. [more..]

Jay Baage blogs about another smart promotion for the upcoming The Simpsons Movie - Several 7-Eleven stores in the US and Candada have been converted into Kwik-E-Marts. [more..]

Mark Cuban blogs about how he thinks that media has evolved in 3 years from misusing his quotes to just making things up. [more..]

LeeAnn Prescott blogs about three up-and-coming social networks. [more..]

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Scott Karp blogs about another blow to the traditional newspaper industry from eBay, a company that knows a thing or two about connecting buyers and sellers online. [more..]

New York - Korean electronics firm Samsung announced this week that it has launched a mobile digital music service, powered by MusicNet, in the U.K., France and Germany. [more..]

Beijing - Baidu.com, the top search engine in China, announced this week that it has partnered with independent Chinese record label Rock Music Group, to create a free, ad-supported streaming music service. [more..]

Tokyo - Microsoft said this week that it plans to launch the Xbox 360 Elite, an advanced version of the video game console, in Japan on Oct. 11, Reuters reported. [more..]

Los Angeles - Helio, a joint venture between SK Telecom and EarthLink that offers 3G mobile phone and Internet service on its own line of devices, said this week that it has enabled subscribers to upload video taken with their Helio devices to YouTube in just two clicks. [more..]

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, said this week that it has signed a multi-year patent license agreement with Italian digital TV operator SKY Italia, which counts four million subscribers. [more..]

Austin, Texas - NCsoft, a developer and publisher of online games, on Friday announced its slate of upcoming games to be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo Media & Business Summit -- the smaller, more exclusive version of the game industry conference -- that will take place next weekend in Los Angeles. [more..]

Edison, N.J. - Video game publisher Majesco this week announced the list of titles it will show at the E3 Media and Business Summit next weekend. [more..]