New
from Microsoft, watch mini movies
In its latest attempt to take a bite out of Apple,
Microsoft is about to introduce the next generation of portability –
essentially an iPod for movies. Known as the Portable Media Center, the
handheld device features a miniature LCD television screen. It can play
digitized shows or films purchased by the user from the internet and
downloaded directly into the machine. Microsoft head Bill Gates will
unveil the PMC tonight at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but
perhaps to his chagrin it will not be the only portable movie player
making its first appearance at the convention. HP, Sony and several other
companies will introduce similar products. Microsoft will have to struggle
to play catch-up with Apple, which currently dominates the digital music
market. But the PMC’s multimedia capabilities, as well as the fact that
it will double as an electronic organizer, may just do the trick.
Hey,
EchoStar, you stole our ideas, says TiVo
TiVo, the digital video recorder
manufacturer, is calling names. The San Jose-based company branded
EchoStar a thief of its digital video-recording technology, and it’s
taking it to court. TiVo sued the Dish satellite TV service operator in
U.S. District Court in Texas on Monday, claiming patent infringement. TiVo
maintains that EchoStar has used part of its Time Warp patent, the
technology that allows users to record one program while watching another.
TiVo seeks an unspecified amount of money from EchoStar and a restriction
on future sales. Cable industry investors will be keep an eye on this case
because so many operators’ growth has been based on “advanced”
digital services such as broadband internet access and video recording
services.
Selling
on eBay just got more expensive
If you’re hoping to sell the
junk you got for Christmas online, it just became more of a hassle. EBay
has jacked up the fee it charges to list the priciest items on its site by
45 percent. An eBay spokesman said increasing fees in the past has not
decreased sales or the total value of goods sold at eBay, though analysts
suggest one this severe could have some impact. The schedule of fee hikes
shows listing fees will rise by 17 percent on Feb. 2 for items with prices
of $1 to $9.99. Items priced at $10 to $499.99 will see fees rise by 9.1
percent. The priciest items will see the costliest fees with items priced
$500 and up carrying a fee of $4.80, a 45 percent raise from the current
fee of $3.30.
Second
opinion: Report says sales hit $18.5B
Online shopping was a hit this holiday season no matter
whose ecommerce numbers you look at, but Nielsen//Netratings puts theirs a
little higher than comScore’s. The Goldman Sachs, Harris Interactive and
Nielsen//Netratings Holiday eSpending Report says $18.5 billion was spent
during the 2003 season, with the top five categories including apparel,
toys and video games, consumer electronics, computer hardware and
peripherals and video/DVD. That’s nearly $7 billion more than
comScore’s Media Metrix reported earlier this week. This year’s
figures are a 35 percent hike from last year’s internet spending. The
eSpending Report is based on a weekly national survey of between 800 and
1,700 online shoppers drawn from Harris Interactive’s online panel of
survey respondents and selected at random.
Republicans
bent about Bush-is-Hitler ad
Apparently comparing President
George W. Bush to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is one of the best ways to tick
off Republicans and prominent Jewish groups. Two advertisement submissions
for a contest affiliated with online leftist advocacy group MoveOn.org did
just that. Even though the ads are not among the 15 finalists, the winner
of which will be announced on Jan. 12, they’re getting more attention
than the contenders. One of the commercials depicts Hitler making a speech
as subtitles flash written statements. The ad closes with a subtitle
saying that God had told Bush to strike at al-Qaeda and he struck them,
following
with
Bush’s likeness replacing that of Hitler with words saying
God also said to strike at Saddam, and he did. The other ad shows Nazi
forces crying “Sig Heil” in allegiance to Hitler before Bush’s
picture replaces Hitler’s.
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