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Wal-Mart and Amazon are in the midst of an epic Holiday season rivalry. Both retailers are holding massive holiday sales, with both companies dropping prices of popular gifts after the competitor. In the cautious market, Amazon and Wal-Mart are trying to take advantage of their ability to create lower prices, a benefit for all consumers.

Sony announced that it will open a digital store to sell books, digital music and movies. Currently dubbed Sony Online Service, the virtual store will be able to be accessed via Sony’s internet connected Bravia televisions, as well as other web connected devices. The new service will also be compatible with the PS3.

A new report says that while Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” has been played over a million times on Spotify, the artist has only collected $167 from the service. The meager royalty check from the Swedish copyright organization STIM is another logisitcal step back in the advancement of free, streaming media. Expect publishers to work long and hard to figure out how to properly get paid before Spotify opens up shop in the US.

AT&T is offering customers the chance to buy prepaid data plans. The DataConnect Pass will offer several subscriptions, the cheapest being a 75MB/daily pass for $15. While the packages are available, it is still cheaper for customers to purchase data with their wireless plan.

About Shelly Palmer

Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.

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