Apple

NBC is in talks to acquire Quarterlife, the “TV-quality” series that debuts this Sunday on MySpace. The pending deal has been spurred by the Writers Guild strike and may bring the show to NBC as early as February. Quarterlife is currently scheduled to run for 36 eight-minute episodes online. Show creator Marshall Herskovitz recently expressed Continue Reading →

THE WGA began its strike at midnight after Sunday’s 10-hour marathon negotiation broke down. Writers are expected to begin picketing at 9 AM this morning outside high-profile locations, including major studios on the West Coast and Rockefeller Center in New York. The Guild issued a memo telling its writers to spend at least 20 hours Continue Reading →

One of my seriously Mac-addicted staff members stood in the rain last Friday night to get us a five-pack of the Apple’s new Leopard operating system. Being only slightly less addicted, I set aside 40 minutes circa 8:30am Saturday morning to do the install. I stopped for the day about 11:30pm — this is my Continue Reading →

YAHOO is seeing positive results from its new SmartAds, which were introduced to travel-industry advertisers last month. SmartAds utilize consumer data to personalize ads on the fly, changing design and content to fit a specific user’s preference. In a test of the technology, Yahoo found that consumers clicked on SmartAds up to three times more Continue Reading →

AOL will purchase TACODA, the online behavioral-targeting ad firm. Tacoda serves ads to 4,000 websites, reaching approximately 125 Million people. AOL is reportedly paying between $200 million and $300 million for the acquisition. CROWN CASTLE has pulled the plug on Modeo, its DVB-H mobile TV service. Modeo began trials earlier this year in New York, Continue Reading →

When was the last time you went into a Best Buy and asked to see their Radio Department? That brilliant, but rhetorical, question was posed by Larry Rosin, co-founder and president of Edison Media Research at a Bill Sobel breakfast entitled, “The Future of Radio: 2007 and Beyond.” Larry was responding to a question about 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 in advanced talks with Hollywood studios about offering downloadable movie rentals. Apple is said to be “aggressively pursuing” the idea, and wishes to launch the service in the fall. A downloadable Apple VOD system would compete heavily with cable company offerings.NBC has begun a unique online show that targets a new “prime Continue Reading →

GigaOM reports from the CTIA Wireless conference, in Orlando.  They reveal a few choice details about Sprint’s WiMAX service, after speaking with a Sprint Senior VP.  They have also posted a thorough overview of newly-announced phones. NewTeeVee provides a quick review of the benefits of Brightcove.  The video streaming service has gained a strong client Continue Reading →

There have been several news items this week with prophesies of doom and gloom for Microsoft’s Vista operating system. After Steve Balmer’s quote about its lackluster launch, the sharks have been circling and, truthfully, the press (especially the blogs) have been quite amusing. I know most of you think that operating systems are boring and Continue Reading →