Google Further Enhances Gmail Buzz Privacy Settings

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Mountain View,
Calif. – Responding to users’
complaints, Google (NASD: GOOG) has revamped the set-up process for its new Buzz social
service for Gmail, and ditched the "auto-follow" model of automatically
choosing Gmail contacts, to an "auto-suggest" model where Buzz will simply
suggest friends to follow.

"We’ve heard your feedback loud and clear, and
since we launched Google Buzz four days ago, we’ve been working around the
clock to address the concerns you’ve raised," the company wrote in a blog
post.

"Many people just wanted to check out Buzz and see if it would be
useful to them, and were not happy that they were already set up to follow
people… You won’t be set up to follow anyone until you have reviewed the
suggestions and clicked ‘Follow selected people and start using Buzz.’"

The company also said that Buzz will no longer connect a user’s public Picasa
Web Albums and Google Reader shared items automatically.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ue1uf
(Gmail blog)

http://snipurl.com/ue1wq
(DMW previous coverage)

Warner Settles Suit Against Redbox; Agrees to 28-day Window

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Burbank,
Calif. – Time Warner’s (NYSE:  TWX) Warner
Bros. Home Entertainment Group on Tuesday announced that it has settled
litigation against Redbox, the automated DVD rental kiosk unit of Coinstar (NASD:  CSTR), and
agreed to distribute new titles to the kiosks after a 28-day window following their
DVD release dates. Redbox still faces pending litigation from News Corp.’s (NYSE:  NWS) 20th
Century Fox and NBC Universal (NYSE:  GE).

For its part, the company also has a suit pending
against Fox, stemming from the studio’s insistence on a 30-day window, as well
as an antitrust lawsuit pending against Universal Studios Home Entertainment,
over a 45-day window.

Redbox said the multi-year deal provides the company with
"reduced product costs, sufficient quantities of product and optimal stock
levels four weeks after street date… and extends access to Blu-ray
titles."

"The 28-day window for redbox balances the economics of our
relationship while continuing to offer great value to their customers,"
said Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders.

"This accord establishes a
mutually beneficial relationship that will foster an ongoing and productive
partnership."

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ue1pu

http://snipurl.com/ue1pg
(DMW previous coverage)

http://snipurl.com/ue1pe
(DMW previous coverage)

http://snipurl.com/ue1pg
(DMW previous coverage)

http://www.redbox.com

Survey: U.S. Broadband Adoption Rises but Digital Divide Persists

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Washington – Though
Americans are now using broadband connections at higher rates than ever before,
a "significant" portion of the U.S. population remains offline,
according to a new report from the Department of Commerce’s National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Overall, 64% of
households have broadband Internet, up 13% from two years ago.

The digital
divide, however, continues to persist, with low-income households, seniors,
minorities, the less-educated, non-family households and the non-employed
lagging behind other groups in home broadband use.

The two most commonly cited
reasons for not having broadband at home are that it is perceived as not needed
(38%) or too expensive (26%).

Americans also cite the lack of a computer as a
major factor. "Broadband Internet access is critical to creating jobs in America,
improving our global competitiveness, and enhancing our quality of life,"
said Lawrence Strickling, the NTIA’s administrator.

Strickling said that the
survey data will be useful to "the broader research community working to
address the digital divide." The complete report is available at the link
below.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ue1ns
(PDF)

Microsoft Introduces New Zune-inspired Smartphone Software

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Redmond,
Wash. – Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) on Monday
introduced new mobile phone operating system software that is similar to the
software powering its Zune portable media players, although the new software is
called Windows Phone 7 series.

The company’s phone software was on 13% of
smartphones sold in the U.S.
in 2009, according to In-Stat data.

The new software will mandate that handset
makers using it include a touch-screen; 5-megapixel camera with flash; and
permanent buttons for "home," "search" and "back"
navigation.

Handsets running the new software are expected to ship in time for
the holiday shopping season.

Andy Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft’s
mobile business, told AP that Microsoft is "willing to spend hundreds of
millions of dollars on marketing" to ensure the success of its mobile
strategy.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ue1nd (Microsoft announcement)

http://snipurl.com/ue1n2
(AP)

Abbey Road

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Report: Struggling EMI Looks to Sell Abbey Road Studios

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
2

London
– Struggling major record label EMI is looking to sell its historic Abbey Road studios,
the Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the situation. The
label purchased the London
residence in 1929 and converted it into the recording studio that would be
made famous by the Beatles’ record of the same name in 1969.

Terra Firma, the
private equity firm that acquired EMI in 2007 for $4.7 billion, has had to make
several cash infusions and is currently seeking another to help avoid
defaulting on the loan it took from Citigroup to finance the acquisition.

Meanwhile, Terra Firma head Guy Hands reportedly proposed separating the
company’s recorded music and music publishing units back in November, Digital
Music News reports.

Last week, the Telegraph reported that EMI is also planning
"radical cost cuts, including a further reduction in its 3,500-strong
workforce."

 

Related Links:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100216/ap_en_mu/eu_britain_abbey_road

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/021410emi/view

http://snipurl.com/ub2sp
(DMW previous coverage)

http://snipurl.com/ue1kk
(DMW previous coverage)

ReelzChannel Acquires HollywoodPressTV.com

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Angeles – ReelzChannel, an entertainment-focused TV
network owned by Hubbard Media Group that is carried by DirecTV, announced on
Tuesday that it has acquired HollywoodPressTV.com, a movie satire and comedy
site.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The three-year-old HollywoodPressTV.com
was created by Irvine, Calif.-based The Buddy
Group, Steve Patterson, David Gaw and David Martinez.

Patterson has joined
ReelzChannel as a correspondent.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ue0wd

http://www.thebuddygroup.com

http://www.reelzchannel.com

Gawker Acquires Cityfile; Names New Editor-in-Chief

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York
– Blog network Gawker Media has acquired New York-focused blog Cityfile, and
named its editor Remy Stern as the new editor-in-chief of its flagship
Gawker.com site.

Financial terms of the transaction — Gawker’s first
acquisition — were not disclosed.

Cityfile has assembled some 2,000 profiles
of prominent New Yorkers, which will be integrated into Gawker.

Current
editor-in-chief Gabriel Snyder was "canned" from the position,
according to a blog post he wrote on Business Insider, and declined an offer to
become an assistant managing editor at Gawker Media.

"The history of
Gawker Media careers shows that they tend to burn bright and fast. So it
shouldn’t have come as a much of a surprise when our mercurial owner told me
he’s hatched other plans for Gawker," wrote Snyder.

"We had hoped to
persuade Gabriel Snyder to stay in a management role. But he’s moving on,"
Gawker head Nick Denton wrote in a blog post.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/udzns
(PaidContent)

http://snipurl.com/udzpl
(Business Insider)

http://www.gawker.com

http://cityfile.com

Video Ad Network TidalTV Raises $16 Million

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Baltimore,
Md. – TidalTV, an Internet video
advertising network, has closed a new $16 million round of funding, from
backers including Comcast Interactive Capital, New Enterprise Associates and
Valhalla Partners, Mediapost reported.

The round was first announced last
October, when the company has secured the first $8.9 million.

Baltimore-based
TidalTV, founded by Advertising.com co-founder Scott Ferber, counts NBC News,
Scripps, TV Guide, The Weather Channel and Sports Illustrated as customers.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/udzgp
(Mediapost)

http://snipurl.com/udzgl
(DMW previous coverage)

http://tidaltv.com

NTT DoCoMo Backs Social Media Player TuneWiki

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Angeles
– TuneWiki, the developer of a social online media player, has received an
investment from Japanese mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo’s NoCoMo Capital arm,
TechCrunch reported.

Founded in 2007, TuneWiki’s social media music player
integrates licensed song lyrics, combining subtitled lyrics translated into
over 45 languages with songs and music videos.

The company, which also
separately announced recently that it closed a $7 million second round of
funding, will use the new investment for product development and to expand its
mobile and Web platforms.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/udzc2
(TechCrunch)

http://snipurl.com/udzcm
(DMW previous coverage)

http://www.tunewiki.com

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