News Archive for 05/02/14

Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.

iTunes-compatible phone

02/14, 1:35pm

Motorola debuts first iTunes-compatible mobile phone

Motorola today announced its first iTunes-compatible phone as part of new announcements the company made at 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, France. The company debuted the long-awaited music phone with Apple's iTunes music player software, according Reuters. The E1060 model, designed for music afficionado, will feature iTunes Music Player--the first product of the last summer's Motorola-iTunes announcement, which will make iTunes the default music player on Motorola handsets, however, the company said it would also support other music players as well. The Motorola phone will be able to carry a limited number of songs in the iTunes format, as noted when Motorola previewed the phone in early January.

MS, Nokia music deal

02/14, 1:15pm

Microsoft, Nokia deliver mobile music solution

Microsoft and Nokia today announced a new mobile music solution for mobile operators. The mobile music solution offers mobile carriers the ability to deliver music to Nokia handsets and to Microsoft Windows XP-based PCs. Similar to the Apple-Motorola partnership announced last summer, the Nokia and Microsoft have also agreed to long-term collaboration on extended digital media formats, including support for Windows Media Audio, Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) 10 and Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) on select Nokia handsets as well as support for Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Digital Rights Management and the MPEG Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) family of codecs in Windows Media Player via a plug-in.

Apple honors GRAMMYs

02/14, 9:35am

Apple honors GRAMMY award winning artists

In recognition of the achievements of this year's GRAMMY award winning artists, Apple is offering special iTunes pricing (US only) on all albums that include a GRAMMY award winning trac. The iTunes Music Store has offered previews and downloads for voting members of the academy, a showcase for nominees and winners, and the exclusive online music distributor of the live version of "Across the Universe." "We want to extend our congratulations to all of the GRAMMY nominees and winners," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We're thrilled to be able to honor the industry's top artists by showcasing their award winning music on the iTunes Music Store."

Napster\'s \'bad\' math

02/14, 7:40am

WP: Napster's new music service 'doesn't add up'

Napster's new music subscription service doesn't add up, according to a column at The Washington Post: "Whether you like Napster To Go, the online store's new music subscription service, depends on whether you think of it as all-you-can-eat or all-you-can-pay. Both descriptions are accurate. For $15 a month, Napster To Go offers unlimited song downloads -- in a copy-restricted format that can be played only on Windows XP computers and some digital music players -- but these songs expire if you don't keep paying that fee each month." Columnist Rob Pegoraro notes that there are a limited number of compatible players and concludes that Napster To Go "looks less like a service that allows you to pay to get new music and more like one that forces you to pay to keep your existing music." [free subscription required]

Apple, Sony sued

02/14, 7:05am

Apple, Sony sued over European anti-trust claims

A French consumer group has sued Apple and Sony, claiming that their online music sites violate European anti-trust legislation, according to The Register. Similar to a lawsuit that was filed in California in early January, Paris-based UFC-Que Choisir claims that Apple's iTunes Music Store and Sony's Connect service are anti-competitive because they only work with the companies' own music players. The report notes that the French government's anti-trust organization has already ruled in November 2004 that Apple has a right to maintain a proprietary link between its music store and the iPod, after an unsuccessful attempt by VirginMega to force Apple to license its FairPlay DRM technology--to allow any third-party device to play ITMS-downloaded songs.