Microsoft Corp said Wednesday it has sold more than 10 million Kinect motion-sensing game system units worldwide in just over four months, making it the fastest-selling consumer device on record. Get the full story »
Filed under: Entertainment
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Warner Bros. to offer movies through Facebook
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution said it would make some of its films available on Facebook, opening up a new source of revenue for the Internet social network and marking new competition for online entertainment companies.
Consumers can pay for the movies using Facebook Credits, Warner Bros. said on Tuesday. Until now, the virtual currency developed by Facebook has been primarily used in the social games that are popular on the site.
The first movie available on the Warner Bros. Entertainment page on Facebook’s site is “The Dark Knight,” which consumers can rent for 30 Facebook Credits, or $3. Get the full story »
Report: Apple seeks unlimited music downloads
Apple Inc. is in talks with record labels to give customers of Apple’s iTunes service unlimited access to music purchased across multiple devices, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the plans. Get the full story »
DirecTV plans premium video-on-demand
DirecTV is in advanced talks to be Hollywood’s first partner for early video-on-demand, a plan that is putting it in the cross hairs of the nation’s top theater chains.
People familiar with the matter said the satellite TV company would likely be the first distributor to launch so-called premium VOD, through which consumers would pay about $30 to rent a movie via the Internet or cable 60 days after it opened in theaters and at least a month before it would become available on DVD.
U. of C. to get some of Watson’s ‘Jeopardy!’ prize
IBM supercomputer Watson takes on "Jeopardy!" champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. (IBM photo)
IBM’s supercomputer, Watson, may have trounced the last hope for humanity when it beat two “Jeopardy!” champions in a three-night contest this week, but it has also extended a philanthropic helping hand to mere mortals.
IBM is allocating $500,000 of Watson’s $1 million winnings to World Community Grid, a project where volunteer PCs users make up a “virtual supercomputer” that helps scientists with research projects. The grid harnesses the spare computational power of 1.7 million PCs from 535,000 volunteers in 80 countries, putting this combined capability to work on complicated problems. Get the full story »
Sony ‘digital jukebox’ streams into U.S. homes
Sony Corp. is betting on being able to bring music to consumers’ living rooms by offering millions of songs through a digital jukebox connected to popular devices such as TV sets and games consoles.
The new service called Music Unlimited Powered By Qriocity was launched in the United States Thursday, offering 6 million songs on demand through the cloud-based network that 60 million Sony PlayStation gamers use to play video games online. Get the full story »
Feb. 14 at 10:54 a.m.
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Filed under: Cell phones, Entertainment, Telecommunications, Wireless Sony Ericsson unveils Playstation phone
Sony Ericsson has unveiled its long-awaited PlayStation smart phone, taking video game console wars to cellphones.
Sony’s PlayStation, on the Sony Ericsson’s new Xperia Live phone, will take on Microsoft’s Xbox Live, available on Windows Phone 7. Get the full story »
Comcast, Time Warner strike major content deal
Comcast Corp., the nation’s largest cable and broadband provider, has struck a wide-ranging deal with Time Warner Inc. that will give the company access to content that it can distribute across numerous platforms.
The multiyear deal means that Comcast subscribers will be able to access Time Warner-owned programming from networks that include TBS and TNT online.
Movie ticket prices rise 5% in 2010
If you thought it was getting more expensive to go the movies, your hunch was right. The average ticket price at theaters in the U.S. and Canada last year rose to an all-time high of $7.89, up 5 percent from $7.50 in 2009, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.
The figure represents a national average of theaters in big cities and small towns alike, and includes discount matinees and children’s prices. Get the full story »
Disney confirms layoffs in video game unit
The Walt Disney Co. is confirming layoffs amid a restructuring of its video game division, a money-losing unit that is focusing more on mobile and social games and away from expensive-to-produce console games.
The company didn’t specify the number of people affected, however. Get the full story »
Uncensored Playboy coming to iPad in March
Forbes | Playboy is coming to the iPad in the all-together starting in March, according to a tweet from Hugh Hefner.
Clerkdogs to start live-chat movie reviews
As Netflix and other video services offer thousands of movies streamed over the Internet, all those choices are creating a dilemma: what to watch next.
A 2-year-old movie recommendation Web site called Clerkdogs is addressing the problem by offering online chats with former video store clerks, film critics and other movie buffs. Get the full story »
Nintendo glasses-free 3DS to debut March 27
(AP)
Promising to usher in a new era in 3-D entertainment, Nintendo says its glasses-free handheld 3DS will go on sale on March 27 in the U.S. for $250.
That’s the same price that the Wii console cost when it went on sale in 2006.
The president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, said Wednesday the 3DS is a “truly unique experience that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
The gadget features a touch screen on the bottom and a 3-D screen on top. It has three cameras, one facing the user and two facing outward. The latter two let you take 3-D photos, which can be instantly displayed on the screen. Nintendo Co. says more than 30 games will be available for the 3DS by June.
Blockbuster hits creditors up for another $250M
Blockbuster Inc. is asking creditors to put up more money to help it exit bankruptcy protection, prompting a debate among bondholders about whether to invest further in the struggling video chain or put it up for sale, people familiar with the matter said.
When Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 protection in September, the company had agreed to turn ownership over to its creditors. But after poor holiday sales and new estimates for a costlier turnaround, the company is asking bondholders for an additional $200 million to $250 million to be used after the chain exits court protection. Get the full story »
Kuma’s to hold price on Lady Gaga’s fave burger
Lady Gaga’s favorite Judas Priest burger will still cost $12 at Kuma’s Corner as the trendy Chicago eatery is resisting raising prices though the cost of making that burger has gone up.
“You can’t pass it on, not in times like this,” Kuma’s manager Frank DeBoss said of beef prices that recently rose 10 percent. Get the full story »
