PSN headed to new devices
Howard Stringer, Sony CEO and chairman, has confirmed that the company will be expanding the PlayStation Network to other devices, although he declined to note what devices.
In the same interview, Stringer discussed the fight between open source and proprietary technologies while also noting that the company made plenty of mistakes in the past with music and video file formats.
“Customers today want to be able to freely access content via the Internet, information technology,” he added. “This requirement represents a threat to our content business, and to existing frameworks for rights management. I don’t see that we have any choice, though. We have to create a sanctuary which provides customers an environment for their enjoyment.”
“That is how we can change a threat to the content business into an opportunity. A lot of people thought Sony’s content download service was doomed, but it’s in a pretty good place right now in the form of the PlayStation Network, available to PS3 users for network gaming, video, etc. The DRM is based on Marlin, an open scheme developed by consumer electronics companies and other companies.
“What does all this mean? Very simply, it means that Sony has begun the transition from a closed system to an open one. I wish the Japanese media would recognise how important this is. I also put a lot of effort into making sure that many people understand the value of what Sony is trying to do here.
“Next we will be expanding the PlayStation Network to hardware other than the PS3, because the number of PS3 units sold puts a limit on the scale of the network possible. Sony has a vertical structure for each product line, an organisational structure that resists change, so it will take time to achieve this network growth. However, a large number of employees share my opinion on this,” he concluded.
Apple adds NIN app after criticism
Earlier this week, Trent Reznor, front man for Nine Inch Nails, spoke out against the arbitrary Apple App Store approval process, after his application submission was rejected. I implore you to read the entire article here before continuing with this article: NIN iPhone application gets rejected.
Apple has now reversed the decision blocking the iPhone app however, following the intense criticism of the approval process that followed the move.
The app, NIN: Access, allows users to access streaming music and videos from the NIN homepage.
The app was blocked because it violated Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement, which doesn’t allow for objectionable and vulgar content. The song “The Downward Spiral,” which was available for streaming, has many curses in its lyrics.
“Thanks Apple for the clear description of the problem - as in, what do you want us to change to get past your stupid… standards?” Reznor wrote in his rant.
Apple did not explain the new decision, adding: “It’s not something we comment on.”
Vizio now leader in LCD market share
According to new data from iSuppli, the HDTV maker Vizio has now become the leading North American LCD maker, taking the spot from Samsung.
For the Q1 2009 ended March 31st, the company’s market share jumped from 13.8 percent last quarter to 21.6 percent. Samsung’s market share only dropped slightly, but enough to move it to second place, at 19.9 percent.
iSuppli says Vizio’s success is directly related to the ongoing global recession. “Since the onset of the downturn, with budgets becoming increasingly tight, consumers are finding the company’s inexpensive sets more alluring,” iSuppli analyst Riddhi Patel added.
On average, 42-inch Vizio LCDs retail for $850 USD, while competitors such as Samsung and Sony sell theirs for $100-200 USD more.
Harman Kardon to release first BD player
Harman Kardon has announced it will release its first Blu-ray player, dubbed the BDP-10, and will be BD-Live capable.
The BDP-10 will also have “advanced audio codec support and will play back 1080/24p videos without pulldown conversion.” A USB slot allows for JPEG and DivX playback from flash drives.
Harman Kardon is known mainly for its home theater A/V products but has been expanding of late. It remains unknown what kind of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD support the player will have but it will support bitstream versions of the audio formats.
A view of the player shows that it has HDMI 1.3a connectors, as well as component and RCA video outputs, an Ethernet jack, coaxial and optical audio outputs and analog audio output.
The player has a May release date for Europe with a price tag of euro 700. It is unknown when the North American release date is.
School makes iPod Touch/iPhone mandatory for all freshmen
The University of Missouri’s journalism school has just added the iPhone/iPod Touch to the incoming Freshmen required supplies.
“Lectures are the worst possible learning format,” said Associate Dean Brian S. Brooks. “There’s been some research done that shows if a student can hear that lecture a second time, they retain three times as much of that lecture.”
Brooks did note however that theoretically any MP3 player could be used. “You could use a Zune, for example,” he noted.
Why Apple devices then? Simply because being so expensive could benefit students on financial aid.
“If it’s required, it can be included in your financial-need estimate,” Brooks added. “If we had not required it, they wouldn’t be able to do that.”
By having an Apple device however, it is easier to download the lectures, as it has a special section in the iTunes Store. “There are about 50 other schools across the country that are doing this,” he concluded.
Hulu going international soon
Hulu, the currently US-only online video service jointly run by Fox, NBCU and Disney, has begun signing content deals with international television producers, perhaps hinting at a global launch in the near future.
In under 18 months, Hulu has moved to become the third place video site online, behind YouTube and Fox Interactive, seeing 380 million clips viewed last month.
The main complaint with the service is the fact that it does not exist outside the US, but it appears Hulu is ready to expand the service to eight “leading broadcast markets.”
“We’re having discussions in the top six to eight markets…we’re laying the groundwork,” noted Andy Forssell, senior vice president of content acquisition and distribution.
In the UK, Hulu has signed deals with Endemol (producer of Big Brother) and Digital Rights Group, which will bring episodes of Green Wing, Peep Show and Doc Martin.
The large Bollywood distributor Saavn has also signed a deal with the online video site.
Android 1.5 headed to US next week
Earlier this month we reported that the popular T-Mobile G1 Android handset, which recently sold its one millionth handset, would be updating to Android version 1.5 (Cupcake) in Germany bringing the addition of an on-screen keyboard, more widgets, video recording and finally, stereo Bluetooth.
The carrier has now confirmed that the update is headed to US G1 users as well beginning before the end of next week. T-Mobile hopes to have all 1 million G1s updated to 1.5 by the end of May.
The most anticipated addition is the the on-screen keyboard. Users will be able to enter text while the phone is in portrait mode instead of having to rotate to landscape mode and open the keyboard.
The new update will also add more Home Screen widgets including a widgets for the user’s calendar, a music player, and a picture frame.
The addition of video recording, as well as the addition of video playback support for MPEG-4 and 3GP, is a welcome addition for many whose biggest complaint is the lack of video recording using the built-in camera.
VidZone headed to the PS3 this year
Sony has said that it will be bringing the music and video download service VidZone to European PlayStation 3 consoles this summer, allowing users to watch music videos at their leisure, for free.
VidZone currently runs the service from their own independent website, and is has deals with Sony BMG, EMI and over four thousand independent labels. The service on the PS3 will be ad-supported and will allow gamers to stream over 25,000 music videos and “behind-the-scenes commentaries.”
“VidZone is not just about giving music fans access to thousands of music videos, but offering a completely interactive and personalised music experience,” added VidZone CTO Michael Russo.
The VidZone application will be made available through the PS3’s Xross Media Bar (XMB) with a later firmware update and will allow users to create playlists, save a video library, or select any individual video from the catalog.
“Music has always been popular on PS3 and now VidZone is set to transform the way we view music videos by letting you completely tailor your experience and is just one more reason for PS3 to be the most valued player in your living room,” concluded Isabelle Tomatis, hardware and platforms marketing manager at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
The app will be available in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, German, Spain and Australia.
Samsung i7500 headed to T-Mobile?
According to a leaked roadmap, the touchscreen Android Samsung i7500 seems to be headed to T-Mobile in the US later this year.
The leaked calender shows a phone very reminiscent of the i7500 shipping in the fall.
The phone is expected to have an American launch, especially because it supports the 1,700MHz frequency needed for 3G access on T-Mobile USA.
The leak also appears to show off the new T-Mobile G2 (HTC Magic) shipping in June with a $179 USD price tag. The G2 would also signify the end of the G1, which will see a price cut to $149 or less.
NIN iPhone application gets rejected
Trent Reznor, front man for Nine Inch Nails, has spoken out against the arbitrary Apple App Store approval process, after his application submission was rejected.
As posted on his personal blog, the rejection letter was as follows:
“Thank you for submitting nin: access to the App Store. We’ve reviewed nin: access and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store at this time because it contains objectionable content which is in violation of Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement which states:
“Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.”
The objectionable content referenced in this email is “The Downward Spiral”. Since the app is live on the App store, please make the necessary changes to the application as soon as possible, and resubmit your binary to iTunes Connect. Thank you
Regards,
iPhone Developer Program “
