snapshot 6/14

Loved the video? Then read the book
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070614/ap_en_ot/book_videos;_ylt=AmmHTOU6fJ18VHK97ThHLldkM3wV
Once a novelty, book videos are increasingly common and, publishers say, essential. Hyperion Books, HarperCollins and Penguin Group (USA) are among those using them. Powell's Books, a leading independent store based in Portland, Ore., plans its own series of films, starting with a video for Ian McEwan's new novel, "On Chesil Beach."


PassAlong's New EMI Offering Not Using freedomMP3 Protection
http://hypebot.typepad.com/hypebot/2007/06/passalongs_new_.html
CORRECTION - We've learned from PassAlong CEO David Jaworski that the company will be not be wrapping tracks in its expanded mp3 offering with its freedomMP3 protection as we reported yesterday. While freedomMP3 is a proprietary product that PassAlong offers others, these downloads including the new tracks from EMI will be normal MP3 files.


European music service wants to rob iPhone thunder
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6190929.html
A music service that lets consumers directly download an unlimited number of songs to their cell phones for a weekly fee is launching Thursday in Europe. Britain's Omnifone said it had signed content deals with the four biggest music groups in the industry and had agreements with 30 mobile operators in a bid to steal the thunder of the much-hyped iPhone from Apple.

The service called MusicStation will be suitable for 75 percent of mobile handsets already available in the market and will launch first in Sweden on Thursday. It will then launch across Europe, the Asia-Pacific and Africa in the coming days and weeks. Omnifone is targeting 100 million phones in a year and can offer over 1 million songs.


Bonnaroo Festival: Music to a Techie's Ear
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,132824-c,techindustrytrends/article.html
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival bills itself as the "most tech-savvy festival in the land." The festival does temporarily turn about 700 rural acres of Manchester, Tenn., into the sixth-largest city in the state, according to D-Link, which is setting up a wireless LAN to cover at least part of the acreage. Bonnaroo also has a deal with Apple iTunes, including a 2007 play list on the iTunes site. Attendees are getting an iTunes card with as many aso 20 free songs from festival artists.


Sony’s Integrating Online Content Streaming Device Into HD TVs
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-sonys-integrating-online-content-streaming-device-into-hd-tvs/
Sony Electronics is gearing up to include its Bravia online-content streaming device as an option in all of its new HD TV models this year, reports WSJ....the Bravia Internet Video Link, a small device hooked up to the back of TVs, was launched at CES earlier this year, and now Sony is making the push for it, probably picking up cues from Apple TV and others. Using a remote control, viewers can access video content from the likes of AOL, Yahoo, Grouper (owned by Sony), Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony BMG...this is without any link to the PC, unlike Apple’s strategy. The company also is in discussions with other content producers, the company said. In its first iteration, Sony will offer a Sony channel that could include movie trailers, back-lot interviews and behind-the-scenes content.


Sony Ericsson and Gracenote Unleash Mobile Music 2.0
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/mood-music/sony-ericsson-and-gracenote-unleashes-mobile-music-20-268907.php
Sony Ericsson's partnering up with Gracenote to provide an even better TrackID-like service called Mobile Music 2.0. Available on the Sony Ericsson W910 and K850 (both shipping Q4 2007), Mobile Music can use Gracenote's DB to search for artist name, track, album, or lyrics, and download songs from Sony Ericsson's PlayNow service or your provider's music store.

Other cool features are the continuation of TrackID, mood analysis on the tracks (SensMe), image transfering, podcast loading, and Shake Control, which lets you shake your phone when you want to randomly play a track.