Sony has launched their own challenge to Apple’s iTunes this week, dubbed Qriocity, which will be an unlimited, cloud-based music service available via the PlayStation 3 and other Internet-connected devices such as HDTVs and Blu-ray players.
The service will go live by the end of the year, giving users a chance to stream millions of songs in the cloud.
Besides the PS3, the service will be available on Sony portable media devices, Sony Blu-ray players, Sony home-theater systems, 2010 Web-enabled Bravia HDTVs and Windows PCs.
“We are excited to offer our customers high quality, cloud-based entertainment experiences across many of Sony’s network-enabled devices,” says Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony’s networked products and services group. “Services ‘powered by Qriocity’ will revolutionize the way that users play, listen, watch, share, communicate, learn, discover and create their digital entertainment content.”
Sony has said it will expand the Qriocity “Video on Demand” service which launched in April in the U.S. to France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. in the fall.
The video service has content from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, MGM, NBC Universal, Paramount, Sony, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros.
Result for: network
T-Mobile has announced today that it has expanded its HSPA+ data network to nine new cities, making it available to over 100 million Americans.
The new markets are: Boston, Mass.; Erie, Penn.; Fresno, Palm Springs and San Diego, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; Spokane, Wash.; and Topeka, Kan.
Furthermore, the carrier will double the theoretical peak speeds to 42 Mbps in 2011, a 100 percent jump from the current 21 Mbps max speeds.
The T-Mobile G2 will be the first handset to support HSPA+ when it launches in September.
That device has a theoretical peak speed of 14.4 Mbps, faster than Sprint’s 4G network.
To check if you have HSPA+ available in your area, check here: T-Mobile HSPA+ Coverage areas
Result for: network
Social networking juggernaut Facebook is suing a new website called Teachbook, which is designed to help teachers, administrators & parents share classroom resources with each other.
The suit alleges, “Misappropriating the distinctive BOOK portion of Facebook’s trademark, Defendant has created its own competing online networking community in a blatant attempt to become Facebook “for Teachers.””
Facebook’s lawyers are claiming that using the name Teachbook is intended to (and would) confuse people into believing the site is associated with Facebook.
While there’s certainly truth to the claim that the use of “book” in Teachbook’s name is intended to let people know it’s a social networking site, it doesn’t automatically follow that people will assume an affilliation with Facebook.
In fact it seems like an equally valid argument that the average person would assume the name implies Teachbook is an alternative to Facebook, and therefore not affiliated.
