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New Media News Every Morning

Box.net enhances file sharing with iPaper technology

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boxnet.gifBox.net, the first online file system, has integrated Scribd’s iPaper, a format which enable all your powerpoints, word files, excel spreadsheets, and PDFs to be viewed directly in a flash interface without saving it to your computer.

For someone like me who hates downloading PDF files and other documents, iPaper is a big help. And there’s no need to worry about incompatible file formats. For Box.net, this is a very practical feature which can help improve productivity and collaboration without leaving the Web browser.

Scribd’s iPaper is similar to YouTube videos wherein files like PDF, Word, and PowerPoint can be viewed in Flash widgets so you can embed or share them on web pages. It’s fast and light since documents are not downloaded but streamed to iPaper. The best part is you don’t have to leave the site and access your Acrobat Reader or other software just to view these documents. In short, you get to keep your customers on your site for a longer time.

Originally posted on February 21, 2008 @ 3:02 am

Universal Music to offer free downloads on new Nokia handsets

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universal musicAs a way to promote mobile phones as media devices and generate additional revenues for the music industry, handset manufacturer Nokia and recording company Universal Music have agreed to offer free music downloads on selected Nokia phones.

According to the New York Times, both companies agreed to let users download Universal Music’s entire catalog to their cellphones for 12 months free of charge.

Well, this is still a business deal so don’t ever think Universal is doing this for the good of mankind. Though details of this deal are not clear, Universal is reported to receive a portion of the profits generated from the sales of new handsets.

“It’s one thing to have people downloading free music illegally,” said Mark Mulligan, an analyst at Jupiter Research. “What is bold and strategically important about this is that they are tacitly accepting that they will never get digital youth to pay for music.”

Nokia’s strong interest in the music business is becoming more apparent these days. Recently, it launched Nokia Music Store to compete with Apple’s iTunes and just this week it officially released Nokia Internet Radio in selected handsets.

Originally posted on December 5, 2007 @ 12:15 pm

NBC chief accuses Apple of destroying the music business

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new media newsIn what I believe a desperate move to woo other media companies to support its startup venture Hulu.com, NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker has accused Apple of destroying the music business with its parity pricing strategy implemented in iTunes stores.

Moreover, Zucker believes Apple will also “destroy” the online video business if the traditional media companies will not take a stand against this pricing policy.

You might remember that last month iTunes stopped selling NBC TV shows due to disagreement over price. According to Financial Times, Mr Zucker said “he urged Apple for months to price one programme at $2.99 per download – as opposed to the current $1.99 – as an ‘experiment’ but was rebuffed by Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive.”

What is apparent in Zucker’s remarks is his big concern for profits over consumers’ welfare. If this is a reflection of Hulu’s future direction, Zucker might have a hard time finding suckers who are willing to pay more.

Originally posted on October 30, 2007 @ 10:55 am

Download free video editing software at Videothang.com

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internet newsVideoThang is a free software designed for people who just want to share their experiences without reading a manual or uploading to a web site.

This cutting edge software will change the way all consumers share the experiences they’ve captured whether as video or digital pictures.

It speeds sharing as well as feeding the need to get videos to sites such as Facebook and YouTube, but also automatically sizing editing files for easy email sharing for those people who are interested in sharing with the world.

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“Consumers today capture their experience through video and digital photos, and research has shown that 67% of them want to edit before they share, but available software takes too much time to master. With VideoThang, every consumer can quickly create and share their experience and then get back to their life,” said Kathy Sharpe, Founder of VideoThang LLC.

Originally posted on October 19, 2007 @ 5:31 am

Will Radiohead’s set-your-own-price scheme work?

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inrainbows.gifRock band Radiohead is changing the rules of the music industry by allowing their fans to set the price they want to pay for their new album In Rainbows.

You won’t find this new album in your favorite online and offline music stores. Instead, you can go directly to the In Rainbows official website to download this 10-song album.

This new scheme has resulted to mixed reactions from fans and business analysts. Even though it’s too early to predict the outcome of this move, several bands like Nine Inch Nails, Oasis, Charlatans and Ash, and Jamiroquai are considering this option as well.

Originally posted on October 11, 2007 @ 1:05 pm