Smartphones

WARNER BROTHERS will announce 24 new web productions today, in formats ranging from games to episodic online TV. Projects include a neurotic minivan-driving mother who starts a talk show, a puppet show for adults, and a mockumentary about a digital production studio. About 6 additional projects are in development, including an online dating game. The Continue Reading →

APPLE wants to slash the price of TV show downloads in half, according to a new report in Variety. The company has been presenting studios with the idea of selling shows for $0.99 per episode, telling them that increased volume will make up for the price drop. However, the studios are concerned that such low-priced Continue Reading →

APPLE unveiled an all new lineup of iPods yesterday – including revamped shuffles and a new, squarish Nano. The company also released the iPod Touch, which is essentially a phone-less iPhone with WiFi, and announced an unexpected, massive $200 price cut for the iPhone. The iPhone and iPod Touch will be able to purchase songs Continue Reading →

NBC UNIVERSAL has struck a deal with AMAZON to distribute its television shows through the Unbox digital download service. The move comes just days after announcing it would not renew its contract with Apple’s iTunes. Episodes are currently available for $1.99 — the same price Apple charges on iTunes. However, Unbox has much tighter restrictions Continue Reading →

I just received my invitation to a “special event” that Apple is having on September 5th.  The rumor mill is wild with speculation about what might be announced.  Pretty much everyone thinks there will be new iPods.  It would not surprise me.  As I open the drawer marked iPod Graveyard in my office, I am Continue Reading →

Adobe, maker of the Flash Media Server and its associated ubiquitous player, has announced that it will support the H.264 format. I know what you’re thinking — I lost you at “H.” I mean, seriously, could there be a more geek-centric thing to write about? Stay with me, that’s all the tech we’re going to Continue Reading →

 CABLELABS has approved a new technical standard for IP video, in conjunction with major movie studios and consumer-electronics makers. It brings together Paramount, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Hitachi, Intel, Panasonic, and Toshiba. The specification will allow set-top boxes and other devices to transfer cable signals throughout home networks, and should spur growth Continue Reading →

YOUTUBE will unveil a new advertising model today. Semi-transparent overlays will appear on the bottom of videos a few seconds after each clip begins. Viewers will be able to close the overlay, click it to launch an advertisement, or wait for it to fade away. YouTube tested formats with 200 advertisers, and found this approach Continue Reading →

As I have often said, Steve Jobs is the world’s foremost expert in making me buy stuff I don’t need with money I don’t want to spend. In this regard, the 8GB iPhone is his ultimate achievement. It is, by far, the most viscerally exciting, aesthetically pleasing piece of technology I have ever held in Continue Reading →

APPLE is on the verge of partnering with Telefónica’s O2 to bring the iPhone to the UK. The phone will operate on O2’s 2.5G network, not the faster 3G standard. Reports circled earlier this week claiming that Apple will partner with Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile to release the phone in Germany. CABLE PROVIDERS are preparing to Continue Reading →