The 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007

From on-demand video services that were overly demanding, to underwhelming operating-system updates, 2007 was full of disappointments. We surveyed the landscape and polled some old friends to come up with the 15 products, companies, and industries that left the most sour taste in our mouths.
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Sirius, XM shareholders give green light to merger

Shareholders of both Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio separately approved Sirius’ $5 billion acquisition of XM on Tuesday.
Now the companies just need approval from the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission before they can make the deal final.
But approval from these agencies is far from guaranteed. The FCC has been [...]

iTunes Plus Adding Indie Labels, Dropping Prices to 99 cents

It’s been a while since Apple launched iTunes Plus, its version of DRM-free tracks sold through the iTunes Store. Only EMI tracks were sold as 256kbps, DRM-free AAC files through the iTunes Store in May, and in June, EMI reported that the iTunes Plus tracks were selling well. Since then, however, we haven’t heard much [...]

With trial date looming, RIAA tries to avoid facing a jury

The over 20,000 file-sharing lawsuits that have been filed over the past few years share a single distinction: not one of them has made it to trial. The RIAA is trying to keep Virgin Records, et al v. Jammie Thomas from a jury trial, filing a motion for summary adjudication on some specific aspects of [...]

10 Sites For Free and Legal Music

Nowadays there is much reported about the rise of illegally copied music being made available on the Internet. However, there is also plenty of music on the web that is free and legal. In this post we look at ten sites or services that offer free legal music to download.
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Music DRM in critical condition: Universal tests DRM free music sales

Universal Music Group has announced that the company is going to test selling DRM-free music to consumers in order to assess the market. It’s a strange test, however; the company won’t be hawking DRM-free music at Apple’s iTunes Store, at least at first.
Doug Morris, UMG’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement that the [...]

Next gen Zune reportedly on track for holiday season

We’ve already heard some talk that a new Zune would be coming before the end of the year, but it looks like things now may be starting to get a bit more certain — at least according to the folks at Whiz Byte, who say they’ve heard as much from a Microsoft press representative. Specifically, [...]

6G iPod UI video: Apple’s new interface?…Apple Legal Department Involved!

According to this MacRumors video — which has since been pulled per request of Apple’s legal department — the new iPod interface will look a lot like the iPhone. Go figure. Of course, there’s always the chance that this video might be a fake, but if that’s the case, why is Apple so worried about [...]

AllOfMP3.com down, but not out

After a long twilight struggle, AllOfMP3.com is no more (sort of). The Russian government has finally bowed to international pressure and shut the site down. The move came as a condition for Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization: an offer that Russia could not refuse. The government agreed to modify its laws [...]

Is the CD Becoming Obsolete?

CD sales are expected to be down 20% in 2008, slightly higher than the 15% drop initially predicted. Why such a drop? Aside from obvious switch to digital media, there are several other factors at play.
Full Story:http://www.audioholics.com
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Five resources to create a Wii media center

In a recent guest post, Tim Robertson looked at the Wii’s media handling capabilities and concluded that the Wii is no media center, lacking the ability to stream photos, videos or music over a home network. On the plus side, Nintendo’s latest console does have a fully-fledged web browser capable of accessing flash-based audio and [...]

iTunes now 3rd largest music retailer in US

According to a just-published NPD Group MusicWatch report for the first quarter of 2007, covering the sales of both physical and downloadable music, Apple’s iTunes has jumped in rank to become the third-largest retailer of music in the United States.
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An iPod Rival Can Browse the Net and Download Audio and Video

Archos has always been the underdog in the portable media player race. While it manufactured some of the first real MP3 players, its products have been overshadowed by the iPod. With its new 605 Wi-Fi, this wallflower is hoping to be the belle of the ball.
The 605, which will be available later this [...]

EMI says DRM-free music is selling well

EMI’s senior VP Lauren Berkowitz reports that sales of the label’s digital music sales have seen a spike in sales after going DRM-free through iTunes a few weeks ago. If EMI can maintain that increase in sales, the other major labels may follow sooner than later.
Full Story:http://arstechnica.com
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Making Tunes a Fixture on the Patio

Home entertainment systems have been making music outdoors since wind-up phonographs first wound up on the veranda. You can get the same effect today by taking out a portable stereo, but more homeowners are permanently installing speakers outdoors.
“People are moving to warmer states and living more outdoors,” said Steve Crawford, chief marketing officer at Sonance, [...]