Play.me Debuts Streaming Music Service, Android App

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York
– Play.me on Wednesday introduced a streaming music service, available online
and via an application for Google’s Android mobile platform. Developed by Dada
Entertainment, the service counts 2.5 million songs licensed from major labels
Sony Music and EMI, and independent distributors IODA, The Orchard and Beggars
Group. An ad-supported, free trial version is available before users are asked
to pay a $9.99 monthly subscription fee. Play.me plans in coming weeks to
launch applications for iPhone and BlackBerry platforms.


 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tzi32

http://www.play.me

Lithium Technologies Nabs $18 Million for Social Net Tools

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Emeryville,
Calif. – Lithium Technologies, a
developer of software that lets businesses create their own social networks and
online communities, said on Wednesday that it has raised $18 million in its
third round of funding.

New investors DAG Ventures and Tenaya Capital joined
previous backers Benchmark Capital, Emergence Capital and Shasta Ventures.

The
company also raised $12 million in its second round, which closed in June 2008.

This past June, Lithium acquired San Francisco-based Keibi Technologies,
developer of a platform that allows online communities to monitor content for
appropriateness.

The company’s clients include Best Buy, Sony, AT&T,
Research In Motion Limited (RIM), Univision and PayPal.

 

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

http://www.lithium.com

Mashable

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Report: AOL in Talks to Buy Technology Blog Mashable

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

New York
– AOL (NYSE:  AOL) is in talks to acquire Mashable, a popular blog that covers social media,
Valleywag reported, citing a source within AOL. Blogger Robert Scoble also
cited sources as saying that a deal is in the works.

Founded in 2005 by now
24-year-old Pete Cashmore, Mashable focuses its coverage on Web 2.0 and social networking-related
stories.

The site overtook TechCrunch as the world’s most popular technology
blog in June 2009.

AOL, which recently spun-off from parent company Time
Warner, is in the midst of turning itself into a content publisher, and already
counts around 80 blogs in its stable.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tzhlu
(Valleywag)

http://twitter.com/Scobleizer/status/7453568435

http://snipurl.com/tzhm1
(Silicon Alley Insider)

http://www.mashable.com

Reed Business to Shutter Video Business Magazine, Other Titles

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Angeles
– Publisher Reed Business Information announced on Wednesday that it will
shutter its 29-year-old Video Business magazine, as well as its online
operations, with the Jan. 4 issue serving as its last.

Reed Business is also
closing its MBT (Manufacturing Business Technology) and Industrial Distribution
titles, "as part of a larger, ongoing strategy to divest itself of most of
its business-to-business publications in the U.S.," Video Business
reported.

The publisher also recently sold off its Broadcasting & Cable,
Multichannel News and TWICE publications, and set its Hollywood
trade magazine Variety behind an online subscription paywall.

 

Related Links:
http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6713846.html

Gaikai Secures $5 Million for Cloud-based Gaming Service

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Amsterdam
– Gaikai, a start-up developing a cloud-based gaming service, has raised $5
million in its first round of funding, PaidContent reported, citing a
regulatory filing.

Details on investors were not provided.

Netherlands-based Gaikai
was founded in 2009.

The company’s Streaming Worlds technology purports to
allow users to play any game online via a Web browser, with Gaikai hosting the
games and then streaming them to users in real-time.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tzh3u
(PaidContent)

http://www.gaikai.com

Studios Appeal Swedish Court Ruling on OpenBitTorrent Host

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Stockholm, Sweden – A group of 13 Hollywood
movie studios has appealed a decision by a Swedish court not to force ISP
Portlane to bring down OpenBitTorrent, a file-sharing network, TorrentFreak
reported.

The studios had filed a motion in Stockholm District Court in November,
demanding that Portlane cease providing bandwidth to OpenBitTorrent and accusing
the ISP of contributing to copyright infringement.

The court disagreed, saying
that Portlane must do more than merely host the site in order to be held liable
for any infringement by OpenBitTorrent users.

The studios have appealed that
decision to Sweden’s
Court of Appeal.

They have alleged that OpenBitTorrent is simply
"the Pirate Bay tracker with a new name," and
in the new filing liken Portlane to a property owner who knows prostitution
occurs on the premises but fails to take any action.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/tzgy5
(TorrentFreak)

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

http://www.portlane.com/en

http://openbittorrent.com

Amazon Introduces $489 Kindle DX with Global Wireless

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Seattle
– Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) on Wednesday introduced a new version of its larger-screen Kindle
e-book reader, the Kindle DX with Global Wireless, which features wireless
Internet connectivity in 100 countries.

The company has said that the 9.7-inch
display on the Kindle DX, first released last May, is more suited to reading
newspapers, magazines and textbooks.

The move will also make AT&T (NYSE: T) the
company’s global partner for 3G Kindle connectivity, replacing previous partner
Sprint (NYSE: S) in the U.S.

The $489 global Kindle DX is available for pre-order today, and will begin
shipping on Jan. 19.

 

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

http://www.amazon.com/kindledx

Napster CEO Gorog Steps Down; President Also Dismissed

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Los Angeles
– Chris Gorog said on Wednesday that he has stepped down as CEO of Napster, the
digital music service now owned by consumer electronics and media retail store
chain Best Buy (NYSE:  BBY). The company’s president, Brad Duea, has
also been dismissed, and both positions have been eliminated by Best Buy.
Instead, Napster chief operating officer Christopher Allen will become the general
manager of Napster within Best Buy.

"I wanted to touch base to let you know that after ten
years of building Napster and Roxio as Chairman and CEO — I am stepping aside to
let Best Buy continue to develop Napster after acquiring the company in October
2008," Gorog wrote in a blog post.

Gorog said he has formed a new personal
company, Gorog.net, for "exploring new opportunities, building new
ventures and assisting others in doing the same in — entertainment, media and
technology."

Meanwhile, Napster separately announced on Wednesday the
release of Napster Access, a public API that lets consumer electronics and Web
developers integrate Napster content and services into their own products and
Web pages.

The API includes a la carte music purchasing, on-demand streaming of
9 million songs, radio stations, user-created playlists and Billboard charts.

 

Related Links:
http://blog.napster.com/napster/2010/01/a-note-from-napsters-ceo-chris-gorog.html

http://gigaom.com/2010/01/06/napster-ceo-and-president-dismissed-by-best-buy/

http://snipurl.com/tzgkx

http://www.napster.com

Baidu Confirms Plan to Launch Hulu-like Video Portal in China

By
Mark Hefflinger
-
0

Beijing – Baidu (NASD: BIDU),
China’s largest
search engine, plans to form a new independent company to launch a licensed
video portal for Chinese Internet users.

The news confirms speculation in
reports on the service from yesterday, when Providence Equity Partners — also
an investor in the Hulu video portal joint venture — invested $60 million and
Baidu a reported $10 million more into a joint venture.

Baidu said it has named
Yu Gong as CEO of the new venture; Gong was formerly president and COO of China
Mobile’s 12580 business, and before that was COO of Sohu.com.

"As China’s
Internet industry evolves, we have seen increasing demand for high-quality
video content on our search platform. By establishing this new company, we will
be able to better serve our users and customers with superior content and
focused resources," said Xuyang Ren, Baidu’s vice president of marketing
and business development.

 

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

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

http://www.baidu.com

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