Beatles come to iTunes

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Chris Morris

Apple has filled one of the biggest holes in the iTunes catalog. The Beatles catalog is now available for download.

After years of teasing, disappointment and back and forth, the Cuppertino-based company (which has become one of the most powerful forces in the music industry) and the iconic band have come to terms. It’s unclear at this time whether Apple secured exclusive digital rights to the band’s songs or if EMI, The Beatles’ record company, will be striking similar deal with other providers.

Microsoft: Kinect sells 1 million units in 10 days

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Chris Morris

Microsoft has a hit on its hands with Kinect, the motion capture device that lets players act as the controller for the Xbox 360. The company says it has sold more than 1 million units in the first 10 days of availability.

That’s a significantly stronger start than Sony’s PlayStation Move – which shipped 1 million units in its first month of availability, but did not sell that many. It also underscores the “must have” status of Kinect as the company gears up for the holiday shopping season.

Sonic’s RoxioNow gets big HDTV boost

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Chris Morris

Sonic Solutions’ RoxioNow has taken a big step forward in its ongoing expansion, today announcing an integration of the streaming media service onto HDTV chipsets from Trident Microsystems.

The service, which is used by Blockbuster, Lionsgate and Best Buy (among others), will now be built-in to forthcoming sets – a more direct approach than the app format many other companies are taking with today’s Internet-enabled sets. Trident is one of the top three semiconductor providers to both TV and set-top box manufacturers. Its clients include Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Motorola and Roku.

Call of Duty sets new entertainment records – again

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Chris Morris

For the second year running, Activision’s “Call of Duty” franchise has broken all-time entertainment industry opening day records.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops,” the latest installment in the $3 billion franchise, had opening day sales of $360 million in the U.S. and U.K – a number no entertainment property (film, game or book) has ever come close to.

Google TV suffers another blow

Posted on November 11, 2010 by Chris Morris

Search giant Google says it wants to take TV into the future, but the networks are pretty comfortable with the present. Fox has joined CBS, NBC and ABC (along with Hulu) in blocking its content from appearing on Google TV.

Uses who use the service’s Web browser to access the network’s site will still see the Web page itself, but will receive an error message when they attempt to stream any programming. Typical PC users, of course, still have access to all of the content.

NHL widens its streaming program

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Chris Morris

As Major League Baseball reaps the benefits of expanding its online game streaming subscription package beyond the PC, the National Hockey League is getting in the game.

The NHL has announced its NHL GameCenter Live service is now available on the PlayStation 3, Roku and Boxee. The service, which was initially announced Oct. 5, lets subscribers watch up to 40 out-of-market games per week as well as classic matches.

Nintendo’s weirdest trademark

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Chris Morris

It’s common for companies to trademark their characters, games and hardware – but cultural sayings revolving around them? That’s a new one.

Nintendo has filed a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong”. I’ll pause a minute to let that sink in.

“Fallout: New Vegas” launches big – real big

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Chris Morris

Everyone suspected the follow-up to “Fallout 3” would be big – but numbers released by Bethesda Softworks this morning still managed to surprise onlookers.

“Fallout: New Vegas” has shipped more than 5 million units to retail so far, with sales of over $300 million – and retailers are demanding more. As an added bonus, digital sales have also been strong.

Several airlines to offer free Wi-Fi this holiday

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Chris Morris

Productivity in the sky should pick up this holiday season, as Google is teaming with a number of U.S. carriers to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi.

Delta, AirTran and Virgin America are all teaming with the search giant to offer the service at no cost between Nov. 20 and Jan. 2. Each carrier has outfitted their entire domestic fleet with the Gogo Inflight service.

Is Net neutrality dead?

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Chris Morris

Democrats weren’t the only ones who were hit hard by the mid-term elections. Proponents of Net neutrality may have seen their best chance of that bill passing fade as well.

Every one of the 95 candidates who had pledged to support the bill, which would force Internet providers like Xfinity and Time Warner Cable to treat all Web content equally, fell short in their bid for the House and Senate, reports CNNMoney

Chris Morris: Journalist

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