More Facebook Music Rumors

i think Facebook might just buy iLike, especially with Microsoft money … 

from TechCrunch by Erick Schonfeld

Is Facebook finally going to take on MySpace as a place for bands and music fans to hang out? We’ve heard various Facebook Music rumors before. The latest one comes from CO-ED Magazine.com (so you know it’s got to be true!).

According to CO-ED’s executive editor Stephen Gebhardt, who says he heard it from a group of marketing managers at a major music label, Facebook has been holding secret meetings with all the music labels and will announce Facebook Music next week at New York’s ad:tech conference (where it is also expected to announce its social ad network).

Here are the details Gebhardt was able to gather: Facebook Music will essentially be a way for musicians (or their labels) to create their own fan pages just like on MySpace, each with a separate sub-domain within Facebook. Facebook members will be able to join any artist’s network as a “fan.” This will be similar to joining a group, but centered around music. Members will be able to listen to streamed songs, watch videos, add music to their own pages, find out about upcoming tours, and meet other fans. Facebook is also supposedly working on sales widgets for these pages (to be introduced at a later date) so that artists can sell downloads directly through Facebook. (Watch out iTunes).

MySpace, Apple, Google . . . who will Facebook pick a fight with next?

Ad Infuse Continues to Grow

from MobileCrunch by John Kullman

Ad Infuse, a company that delivers personalized mobile handset advertisements, announced today that it has closed 14 new mobile advertising and marketing deals and 22 new publishing deals so far in 2007. Ad Infuse hopes to finalize several more contracts by the end of the year. The company added that inventory across its content channels will exceed 160 million impressions per month as of October, 2007.

Ad Infuse thinks that the future of mobile advertising will be more personalized than mass market oriented. By bringing together carriers, brands, content providers and consumers, Ad Infuse specifically targets consumers, so advertisements can be more cost efficient than the old impersonalized advertising method.

“Advertising on the mobile device is a new frontier,” said Brian Cowley, CEO of Ad Infuse. “Companies that do it right can increase consumer loyalty, build revenues and extend “brand awareness. Ad Infuse creates a customer-centric mobile environment where people can connect to and interact with the brands that define their lives.”

I’m not sure if it is fair to say that advertising on mobile phones is a new frontier. In this quick tempo technological world, if an idea has been around for more than a few months it starts to get the label of being old. This probably isn’t fair but some people feel the need to criticize a good idea they didn’t think of. Specifically targeting individuals or small groups of people, with specially tailored advertisements may be the future of advertising not only on mobile devices and computers, but also in other media formats. I can see a time when two different television sets in two different houses in the same neighborhood are tuned to the same show, but different advertisements are watched by each household.

Real-Time Videoconferencing for Today’s Mobile Phone

from MobileCrunch by John Kullman

KT-Tech, a small start-up company, has revealed its mobile phone videoconferencing application, KTvid. KTvid allows person-to-person videoconferencing in real-time over today’s mainstream cellular networks. The application doesn’t require the high-bandwidth of a 3G cellular network for quality two-way video and audio connectivity so its potential can be realized today. I don’t know how good the picture and sound is but you can be assured that KT-Tech thinks they are high-quality.

“Video has created enormous business opportunities on the Web, but the high cost and low quality of video on today’s cell phones has hindered the adoption of mobile video consumption, real-time video reporting and mobile videoconferencing,” said Rob Lerner, COO of KT-Tech Inc. “We are aiming to lower the barriers to adoption of mobile video by enabling high-quality video on today’s handsets, over today’s cellular networks.”

KT-Tech reveals its videoconferencing application today at the 2007 CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment convention which is being held in San Francisco on October 23-25. If you are at the convention stop by Booth #112 and look at KT-Tech’s product for me. Leave a message in the comments section of this MobileCrunch post and give your opinion as pertaining to the quality of the video and audio, and whatever thoughts you may have.

KT-Tech

Google’s Plans for a Social API

from Slashdot by CmdrTaco

NewsCloud writes “After tonight’s Breaking Open Facebook with Free Open Source Software, TechCrunch reports Google plans to announce an open API for social networking tomorrow. “OpenSocial is a set of three common APIs, defined by Google with input from partners, that allow developers to access core functions and information at social networks: 1) Profile Information (user data) 2) Friends Information (social graph) and 3) Activities (things that happen, News Feed type stuff)” Says Om Malik: “OpenSocial attacks Facebook where it is the weakest (and the strongest): its quintessential closed nature…Even if you take Facebook out of the equation, the task of writing and adapting widgets for the every increasing number of social platforms was going to be turn into a colossal mess.”"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Drop that Tilt: HTC releases WM6 upgrade for AT&T 8525

from Engadget by Evan Blass

Filed under: Cellphones

So if you don't really need that extra megapixel and auto-focus on the camera, and you're doing just fine with your Bluetooth GPS receiver, HTC has just given you one less reason to upgrade to the AT&T Tilt by finally posting an official Windows Mobile 6 update for the 8525 / Hermes. From today tomorrow through February of next year, 8525 owners can download their first non-cooked version of Redmond's latest mobile OS, giving them some much-needed conveniences like simplified tethering — and a much-needed refresh for an operating system that's grown a little long in the tooth. So, plug in your Hermes and go nuts; just remember to backup all your info and applications, because they'll be gone daddy gone in less than five minutes.

Western Digital Ships 320GB 2.5-Inch Drives for Laptops [Storage]

from Gizmodo by Wilson Rothman

It’s official: you can now buy a 320GB drive from WD for your laptop, and for just $200. The WD Scorpio SATA drive spins at 5400rpm and has a 8MB cache. The press release says it’s “extraordinarily quiet while running at cool operating temperatures.” I hope that doesn’t mean it’s extremely loud while running at super high temperatures. The important thing is, this timing coincides with the arrival of Mac’s Time Machine and the Windows Home Server, two easy ways to offload your laptop’s entire contents, swap out the internal drive, then restore your old image without a lot of tinkering. I know some of you like tinkering, but this is the future. [WD]

Free Documents at DocStoc [Document Sharing]

from Lifehacker by Kevin Purdy

Need a template for your business plan, a tutorial on Python programming, or a copy of the Gettysburg address? Document sharing web site DocStoc has more than 12,000 files posted for free browsing and downloads. Registered members can keep personal “folders” on the site with links to useful docs and get notified by email when another user uploads a file type they request. Those looking for straight-up legal forms have other options, but DocStoc’s wide range might make it a useful bookmark for when you just need to see an example—or you need a PowerPoint template to modify in a hurry.

docstoc [via Download Squad]

A PERFECT web 2.0 service

http://www.ajaxload.info/

Samsung A737 Ultra-Thin Slider Unveiled for AT&T

from Mobiledia: Cell Phone News by Mobiledia

Samsung SGH-A737 More Photos - View Specs

AT&T today unveiled the Samsung A737, an ultra-thin sliding phone with accelerated multimedia and entertainment features. The A737 offers Video Share, AT&T Mobile Music, stereo Bluetooth 2.0 technology, a 1.3-megapixel camera with video record, external memory microSD cards up to 4GB and advanced messaging options. The sliding design allows for a larger screen, which is ideal for browsing, reviewing photos and Video Share calling.

Users can share one-way live video while participating in a voice call. Both customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone. Users can also send messages to friends and families any way they choose with Text Messaging, Mobile Email, AOL, Yahoo! and Windows Live Instant Messaging.

AT&T Mobile Music allows customers to use Napster and eMusic to load music on the handset. The A737 supports over-the-air music downloads through eMusic Mobile, and other services including Music ID, XM Radio, music video viewing, The Buzz music news portal and more.

Inside the A737, users will have 3G connectivity to AT&T's network in more than 170 major metropolitan areas across the U.S. Data coverage outside 3G service areas is available via AT&T's nationwide1 EDGE network. AT&T's EDGE network is available in more than 13,000 cities and towns and along some 40,000 miles of major highways.

- Samsung A737 Specs

NBC Universal Hires SinglePoint

from MobileCrunch by John Kullman

NBC Universal has hired SinglePoint, a wireless messaging service, to launch one of the biggest mobile marketing initiative ever conducted by a media company. SinglePoint will manage and execute multiple participation media campaigns such as mobile voting, sweepstakes, contests, and mobile text news alerts. By outbidding its competitors, SinglePoint has won the largest Interactive Television (iTV) contract of its kind in the mobile marketing arena.

SinglePoint will be developing and managing large-scale, cross carrier iTV messaging events for multiple properties across NBC Universal including NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, USA, NBC Sports, NBC News, iVillage and venue-related activities for Universal theme parks.

“In today’s competitive TV environment, we constantly evaluate how new technologies can better engage viewers and, ultimately, build stronger relationships with them,” said Jon Dakss, Vice President of Technology Product Development for NBC Universal. “SinglePoint stands apart in the increasingly critical mobile segment thanks to their ability to manage the entire participation media process – from connectivity to carrier relations to client services. Working with SinglePoint will allow us to strengthen our market leadership, as well as win and maintain the loyalty of our viewers.”

“There is no question that the wireless industry has given new meaning to participation media by adding entertainment, social and economic value to some of today’s most popular TV programs,” said Rich Begert, President and CEO of SinglePoint. “We can not express enough how extremely pleased we are to work with NBC Universal and drive the mobile component of their leading franchises. Our tools empower customers to drive growth, connect to end-users and enhance viewing experiences. We expect this strategic partnership will set a new bar for participation media in the U.S.”

For decades television viewing has been criticized as being a totally passive activity that at the very least leads to lazy thinking. I have always thought that it isn’t if you watch T.V. but what you watch and how you watch it that is important. A service like the one SinglePoint is providing for NBC will make viewers feel like they are part of the show, which has the potential for generating more viewer loyalty. By actively engaging with content, viewers’ minds will be more engaged and stimulated then if they watch the content without an outlet for expressing an opinion.