Filed under: Feature, TECHNOLOGY | Tags: CES, Element Skateboards, iPhone, Ladybug, Speakers, Vestalife
DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT: THE VESTALIFE LADYBUG
So, I first met this little gadget in January at CES. Easy to use. Sexy to look at. I loved it immediately. The Vestalife Ladybug is a small speaker system that plugs into an iPod or iPhone to provide surprisingly complex sound (featuring a built-in subwoofer) from a small unit. The speakers turn out to the sides when the iPod is inserted and back together when unplugged. They also have two limited editions designed by Element Skateboards. If you’re not the owner of an iPod, the unit also includes an audio connector for connector other portable media players as well as a USB connector for connecting to a computer. Above is the open position and below is the closed position.
Two Limited Edition Element Skateboards Ladybugs
The Downside
At least on my model, the remote control is barely functional involving random arm movements that make me look well. . .a bit silly.
Where to Get One
Currently retailing for $109.95 plus shipping, you can get one here.
Now, if only I could also go play soccer with it, it would be the perfect machine.
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
Barry Diller acknowledges that at this time next week, he may have lost control of InterActive Corp., the company he has been building for more than a decade. He calls the pending lawsuits over his proposed breakup of IAC “unfortunate” and concedes he has a lot riding on Monday’s court hearing. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981866.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1 3/5)
ABC’s special two-hour broadcast of 20/20: The Royal Family, which aired Monday night (8-10p) attracted an average 14.1 million total viewers and posted an average rating of 3.7/9 among A18-49 and a 4.6/11 with A25-54. The special was actually produced by RDF Media and originally aired as a miniseries in the U.K. ABC bought the footage and edited it down to two hours.
With a potent cocktail of WWE wrestling and the newly acquired “NCIS,” USA posted its ninth consecutive weekly prime-time ratings win of the year. According to Nielsen, USA delivered an average 2.78 million total viewers during the week that ended March 2, 1.19 million of which were in the 25-to-54 demo. (Mediaweek 3/5)
E! will introduce a new nonscripted series this summer, Living Lohan (wt) featuring Dina Lohan, mom to rising teen star Ali age 14 and her big sister Lindsay. Viewers will follow Dina from her Long Island home base as she works as mom and manager to Ali. The series is co-produced by Bunim-Murray Productions and Maloof Television.
The CW has ordered one of its pilot project to series for this fall – How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls from Warner Bros. TV and Alloy Entertainment, and based on the book by Zoey Dean. The story follows a young smart woman who is fired from her job at a tabloid newspaper, only to be hired by a very wealthy man to be the live-in tutor and life coach for his teenage granddaughters.
NBC’s upcoming miniseries The Last Templar, based on the novel by Raymond Khoury, will begin production next month on location in Montreal and Morocco. Produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises, The Last Templar stars Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino as a Manhattan archaeologist who is swept up in a romantic adventure involving lost secrets of the medieval Knights Templar. Victor Garber (Alias) will also star as Monsignor De Angelis.
ABC Family’s America’s Prom Queen competition series welcomes hip hop artist Sean Kingston as a guest judge on the Prom Committee for the March 24 episode that airs at 9p.
Alexander Skarsgard has joined the cast of HBO‘s True Blood, the newest drama series from Alan Ball and based on the novel Southern Vampire by Charlaine Harris. The story is about a vampire, played by Stephen Moyer, who falls for a mind-reading waitress, played by Anna Paquin, reports THR. Skarsgard will play another vampire who is also a centuries old Viking.
TV One picked up the action thriller series Day Break starring Taye Diggs which originally aired on ABC during the fall of 2006. TV One will air all 13 episodes, including seven that were never seen on television starting March 16 at 10p.
Landmark Communications is seeking up to $5 billion for the Weather Channel cable television network, with preliminary bids due next week. Landmark announced in January that it was exploring options. Interested parties include NBC Universal, Time Warner, CBS and Comcast. (http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSWEN431420080304 3/4)
A “strong personal connection” between Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes and Cablevision director Frank Biondi could help pave the way for a deal between the two cable giants. Buying Cablevision would be “a tempting way” for Time Warner Cable to grow, observers say. (http://www.thedeal.com/dealscape/2008/03/timing_is_everything_time_warn.php 3/4)
Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, will tell lawmakers on Capitol Hill today that cable companies have discriminated against the nascent NFL Network when it comes to carriage placement, according to this report. But Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt, who will also testify today, called Goodell’s claims disingenuous. “The NFL in particular is being especially disingenuous in appealing to the government to compel distributors to carry one of [its] services — the NFL Network — on broadly distributed tiers while simultaneously defending its right to limit distribution of its more appealing service — the NFL Sunday Ticket Package — to a single distributor, DirecTV,” Britt said. (Multichannel News 3/4)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Since reaching a record $741.79 in November, Google’s stock price has plunged 40%. The company’s stock slipped nearly 3% Tuesday to $444.60, its lowest point in nearly a year. The dive reflects concerns that a slowdown in consumer spending could temper Google’s stunning growth. (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-google5mar05,1,7597546.story 3/5)
Google has started offering search boxes within their search results. In the example above, a search box is offered for Amazon. The new service seems to be restricted to larger sites with a slant towards retails sites. Borders, BestBuy and OfficeMax offer the secondary box, as does a search for Wikipedia and The NY Times. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/04/google-offers-secondary-search-boxes 3/4)
Yahoo and Time Warner are holding in-depth talks to form an alliance that would help the Internet company fend off a takeover bid from Microsoft. A deal between the two companies would involve Time Warner merging its AOL unit into Yahoo, and then taking a stake in the combined entity. (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB120468830515212763.html 3/5)
Yahoo’s Change in Strategy with the Microsoft Bid
Facebook is believed to be approaching record companies about creating a music service on the social networking site. The approach follows similar moves by rival MySpace, which is discussing a MySpace Music joint venture with Universal Music, Sony BMG, Warner Music and EMI. (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4dc3ea28-ea54-11dc-b3c9-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid=e8477cc4-c820-11db-b0dc-000b5df10621.html?nclick_check=1 3/5)
Facebook is hiring Google sales exec Sheryl Sandberg as COO, mining its rival’s ranks to gain expertise in online advertising sales. At Facebook, she will report to Mark Zuckerberg, the 23-year-old CEO of the No. 2 social-networking site. (http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9885424-36.html 3/4)
The music Web site Pitchforkmedia.com will launch its own version of MTV, with the new Pitchfork.tv. Pitchfork is already widely recognized as the most influential music destination on the Internet. The new video site will air concerts, interviews and music videos. (http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2008/03/pitchfork-to-la.html 3/4)
Barry Diller’s Ask.com is abandoning its effort to outshine Internet search leader Google and will instead focus on a narrower market consisting of married women looking for help managing their lives. The site will help users answer questions on subjects like recipes, hobbies and health. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080305/ap_on_hi_te/ask_makeover 3/5)
Nokia opened an online music store in Germany this week, just a few months after it launched its British online music store in November 2007. The company is charging about $1.50 per song and plans to open online stores in nine more countries by mid-2008. (The Washington Post/Reuters 3/4)
Who needs Anderson Cooper? CNN has received more than 100,000 submissions from the public in the past 18 months for its iReporter citizen journalism project, says company exec Chris Press. The new iReport.com is “a lot like YouTube, but with a focus on personal reporting.” (http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/531124.php 3/4)
MySpace founder Brad Greenspan’s LiveVideo.com acquired amateur video publisher Revver.com for an undisclosed amount. Revver was one of the first video sites to begin sharing ad revenue with its creators. But Revver was tripped up in Jan. of 2007 when its proprietary video player stopped working on MySpace. LiveVideo is now claiming that MySpace purposely blocked the player from its site for competitive reasons. (PhotoBucket submissions were also blocked from the social networking site in the weeks leading up MySpace’s acquisition of the photo sharing site.) For Revver the deal comes in a nick of time, as it had burned through its $13 million or so funding. (http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=206901715 3/4)
Navic Networks, the company that manufactures interactive TV and advanced advertising applications, has received Acadia Application Integration and Test validation, opening the doors for it to run its systems on the Motorola/Gemstar TV Guide iGuide navigation system. The approval more than doubles Navic’s opportunities in the emerging digital-cable world, according to this article. (Light Reading 3/4)
Consolidation in the social media space continues. Santa Monica, CA.-based Demand Media, led by former MySpace Chairman Richard Rosenblatt, acquired social media platform provider Pluck. The move expands Demand’s network of websites to include more than 200 addition media properties that reach over 100 million users including Fox, Gannett/USA Today, Hearst, Meredith and McGraw Hill. The two platforms will combine toolsets to offer Pluck’s third party clients new revenue sharing applications. (http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/03/demand-media-pi.html 3/4)
(Below) While I appreciate any improvement, all of these upgrades/downloads are starting to drive me nutty.
Homepage application aggregator Netvibes launched a new version called Ginger, adding 3rd party widgets from Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Slide to the thousands of widgets it already offers. Ginger also offers sponsored search results for widgets from publishers such as The New York Times, Capitol Music Group, Los Angeles Times, washingtonpost.com, Newsweek, IDG and CondeNet.
Firebrand, a television and online service that since October has been presenting commercials as content, is being shut down as its major investors — including NBC Universal and Ion Television — decide to halt funding. The Firebrand TV show on Ion was said to be getting low ratings. (http://tvdecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/firebrand-burns-out 3/4)
Prime time for online video may be lunchtime, but more companies are finding ways to block online video viewing in the workplace to increase productivity and reduce the drag on office networks, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Top 10 internet video brands viewed at work in the U.S., Jan. 2008
Brand Millions of streams
YouTube 674.2
Yahoo 156.5
Fox Interactive Media 92.8
MSN/Windows Live 74.2
ESPN 68.3
CNN Digital 41.6
Turner Entertainment 41.4
NBC Universal 30.5
Disney Online 27.2
Nickelodeon 23.5
Source: Nielsen Online VideoCensus
Percentage of U.S.Searches Among Leading Search Engine Providers
Domain Feb.-08 Jan.-08 Feb.-07
www.google.com 66.44% 65.98% 63.90%
search.yahoo.com 20.59% 20.94% 21.47%
search.msn.com 6.95%* 6.90%* 9.30%*
www.ask.com 4.16% 4.21% 3.52%
Note: Data is based on four week rolling periods (ending 2/23/08, 1/26/08; 2/24/07) from the Hitwise sample of 10 million US Internet users.
* – includes executed searches on Live.com and MSN Search.
Filed under: WIRELESS
Bravo singed a variety of multiplatform sponsors for the 4th season of Top Chef, offering in-show product integration combined with on air and online components. Verizon Wireless will deliver Top Chef mobisodes and a quickfire challenge to V Cast-enabled phones under the Bravo To Go channel. Michelob will be the official online sponsor.
The market for mobile video games, which was flat in 2007, is likely to get a boost this year from the growing popularity of social-networking sites and the launch of Nokia’s N-Gage game service, according to this article. (International Herald Tribune/Reuters 3/4)
Nokia has announced its intention to make Microsoft Silverlight available for S40 and S60 phones, along with Nokia Internet tablets. The decision strengthens Silverlights position as a competitor to Flash, but more importantly readies Microsoft’s Silverlight platform for the one game that’s new enough that it might have a hope in winning: offline apps up against Adobe’s AIR platform. Rumor has it that we may well see an offline Silverlight announcement at Microsoft Mix this week. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/04/silverlight-on-nokia-phones-offline-announcement-perhaps-tomorrow 3/4)
(Below) I’m going to go on record here. I don’t want generic push advertising on my cell phone. I would certainly be amenable to receiving messages that I ask for (pull advertising if you will) OR location-based highly targeted push advertising. But, otherwise, mama don’t like.
A new study from Nielsen found 23% (58 million) of all U.S. mobile users have been exposed to advertising in the previous month and half of all mobile data users (28 million) who recall seeing mobile ads during the same period say they responded in some way. Other finding include:
- Teen data users (ages 13–17) were the most likely to recall seeing mobile advertising (46%) recalled seeing some type of mobile ad, compared to 29% of all data users
- Asian-Americans and African-Americans are more likely to recall mobile advertising (42% and 40%, respectively) than all data users
- 26% of those who saw an ad responded at least once by sending an SMS text-message, the most popular ad response.
Filed under: GAMING
The principals behind Harmonix, the studio acquired by Viacom in 2006, are in line to collect over $200 million if profits from the popular new “Rock Band” video game hit certain performance targets by the end of 2008. Analysts expect “Rock Band” to reach $600 million in sales this year. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/03052008/business/weet_music_100446.htm 3/5)
“Dexter,” the Showtime series about a serial killer, is being developed into a video game for home consoles. Marc Ecko Entertainment will develop the game, and the cable network will serve as an adviser to ensure that it stays true to the TV show, which has a strong following among young adults who love video games. (Broadcasting & Cable 3/4)
Nintendo reportedly has launched a TV Guide Channel in Japan, which allows the Wii controller to double as a TV remote control. Users can not only adjust the volume of the TV, but they can also surf channels, share favorites and receive alerts about shows they want to watch. (EngadgetHD 3/4)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
Dell has launched its first laptop designed to defend against shocks, moisture, high altitude and high temperatures. The Latitude XFR D630 is said to be in line with U.S. Defense Department standards to function in extreme environments. (InfoWorld/IDG News Service 3/4, PC Magazine 3/4)
Under a new partnership between Nike and Apple, members of select gyms will be able to plug their iPod Nanos into cardio equipment to create and monitor workout programs and send their data to a Nike Web site for analysis. The program is slated to launch this summer in some 500 gyms around the globe, according to this article. (USA TODAY/Associated Press 3/4)
