Facebook Soliciting User Feedback on Privacy Policy Re-Write

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Palo Alto, Calif. – Facebook is experimenting with a
redesign of its privacy policy, asking users to comment during its process of
making the policy more "interactive" and easy to access than typical
legalese-filled privacy policies, CNET reports. One proposed interactive tool that
Facebook is seeking feedback on would demonstrate how Facebook uses profile
data to create "Personalized" ads.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/68rglmx

(Facebook)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20036861-93.html

Tap Me Introduces In-Game Mobile Ad Platform

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Chicago – Tap Me on Monday introduced its in-game mobile
advertising platform. The company has opened its beta test for iPhone and iPad
to developers, and said it plans to extend support to Android and other
platforms soon. The platform lets developers offer sponsor placements for
in-game achievements, such as having Gatorade sponsor speed- or
endurance-related "power-ups."

 

Related Links:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110228005981/en

http://tap.me

Penthouse to Debut World's First Adult 3D Channel

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Boca Raton, Fla. – Adult publisher Penthouse, a unit of
FriendFinder Networks, on Monday introduced what it says will be the world’s
first adult 3D channel. Slated to launch on March 1, Penthouse 3D is being
billed as a pan-European 3D-formatted adult channel, and will feature 30 hours
of refreshed programming monthly.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/4msw43n

R.E.M. to Stream New Album a Week Early on Spotify

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Luxembourg – R.E.M. is teaming with European streaming music
service Spotify to promote the release of its forthcoming album, "Collapse
Into Now." The album is being made available in its entirety for free
streaming on Spotify a week before its European release. Spotify is also
running a related contest featuring R.E.M. memorabilia.

 

Related Links:
http://www.spotify.com

Andrew Sullivan to Move 'Daily Dish' Blog to The Daily Beast

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Washington – Political blogger Andrew Sullivan announced on
Sunday that his popular blog, The Daily Dish, will leave TheAtlantic.com to
join The Daily Beast. The move comes three months after Newsweek magazine
announced its merger with The Daily Beast to form a new joint venture. Sullivan
said the move will give the Dish "a whole new audience and potential for
growth," and expects to also contribute columns and essays to Newsweek.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/4tff6no

(N.Y. Times)

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com

AT&T to Target Text Message Ads Based on Location

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New York – AT&T (NYSE: T) announced on Monday that it will begin
targeting mobile ads to users’ phones based on their location.

The ShopAlerts
by AT&T service, powered by Placecast, will deliver ads to subscribers who
opt-in to receive such messages, initially in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago
and San Francisco.

Participating consumers will receive ads when they enter a
"geo-fence," or virtual perimeter around a retail location, event or
any geographic area.

Launch advertisers for the service include HP, Kmart,
JetBlue and SC Johnson.

AT&T said the initiative marks the first time a
major U.S. wireless carrier has introduced such a location-based ad targeting
program.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/4o323b5

http://tinyurl.com/4amonp8
(AP)

http://www.att.com/shopalerts

NYT: JPMorgan Seeks Twitter Stake at $4.5 Billion Valuation

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San Francisco – JPMorgan Chase is seeking to acquire a
minority stake in Twitter, in a deal that could value the microblogging service
at close to $4.5 billion, The New York Times reported, citing people briefed on
the matter. It’s unclear whether the $1.22 billion J.P. Morgan Digital Growth
Fund, established to invest in the social media space, would invest directly in
Twitter, or purchase stakes from current investors.

The Times’ sources said the
talks between JPMorgan and Twitter were "continuing and might not lead to
a deal."

Twitter most recently raised $200 million in December at a $3.7
billion valuation, and before that was valued at $1 billion during a
fundraising round in late 2009.

The Times notes that Twitter is valued at $4.3
billion on SharesPost, a secondary market where investors can trade shares in
private companies.

 

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/6hfxwgu

(N.Y. Times)

Report: Mobile Entertainment Publisher Thumbplay Close to Sale

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Los Angeles – Thumbplay, a mobile entertainment publisher
whose offerings include a cloud-based mobile music service, is close to running
out of cash and nearing a deal to sell the company, PaidContent reports.

The
company’s music unit may sell to a "traditional media company," in a
deal that could close this week.

The price to be paid for the company’s assets
is thought to be "very low," according to PaidContent’s source.

The company’s
music service is based on a platform developed by Aspiro, so music unit assets
likely comprise its subscriber base and associated revenues.

The fate of the
rest of the company’s business, which distributes ringtones, games and other
mobile content, remains unclear.

Founded in 2004, New York-based Thumbplay has to
date raised more than $41 million in financing, from backers including Bain
Capital Ventures, Softbank Capital, i-Hatch Ventures, Brookside Capital and
Cross Creek Capital.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/4dalx3y

(PaidContent)

Report: Nintendo Sells Out of 3DS Handheld in Japan

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Tokyo – Nintendo sold out of its initial stock of 400,000
3DS handheld game systems in Japan during the device’s launch there over the
weekend, according to reports.

A large number of the these units were sold via
pre-order, with retailers now taking pre-orders for a second shipment of the 3DS,
which features a glasses-free 3D display.

Nintendo expects to sell 1.5 million
3DS units by the end of March, just in Japan.

The device is slated to go on
sale in Europe on March 25, and in the U.S. on March 27. Nintendo said it hopes
to sell a total of 4 million 3DS units worldwide by the end of March.

 

Related Links:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/02/26/3ds_sells_out/

http://tinyurl.com/5tpxt8k
(Guardian)

http://www.nintendo.com/3ds

Survey: One-Third of U.S., U.K. Adults Play Mobile Games

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Dublin – One-third of adults in both the U.S. and U.K. play
games on mobile phones, according to a survey conducted by Information
Solutions Group on behalf of PopCap, a publisher of casual video games.

In the
U.K., 73% of those surveyed said they had played a mobile game at least once,
compared to 44% of U.S. respondents.

Overall, 33.6% of all adults in the U.S.
and U.K. said they had played a mobile game in the past month, while 24.6% said
they’d played in the past week.

Of mobile phone gamers who own a smartphone,
83% had played a mobile game in the past week.

"As more people purchase
smartphones and the entire process of finding, purchasing and playing mobile
games becomes as simple as browsing the internet, the mobile games market is
going to accelerate even more." said Dennis Ryan, executive vice president
of worldwide publishing at PopCap — which says it derives nearly a third of
its revenues from sales of mobile games.

 

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/4n4kszj

http://www.popcap.com