Wed, 05/08/2009
Spotify close to £30m injection
Spotify, the digital music service, is close to securing $50m (£30m) in funding from a group of backers including the Facebook investor Li Ka-shing. The new round of investment would value Spotify, which has been heralded as an alternative to iTunes, at $250m, according to a report in the Financial Times. Spotify, which has 2 million users in Europe and offers 6m tracks for free streaming, is trying to raise funds in order to crack the US market.
Guardian Article
Guardian Article
A third of young people would not pay for music online, says EC report
One in three young people say they are not willing to pay for for online services such as digital music and video downloads, according to a report published by the European Commission. The wide-ranging report, which looks at the competitiveness of Europe's digital sector over the past five years, found that 16- to 24-year-olds have a hardline attitude to online payment systems. Digital Competitiveness found that 33% of the so-called "digital generation" appear to be reluctant to pay at all to download or view online content, twice the average across the EU.
Guardian Article
One in three young people say they are not willing to pay for for online services such as digital music and video downloads, according to a report published by the European Commission. The wide-ranging report, which looks at the competitiveness of Europe's digital sector over the past five years, found that 16- to 24-year-olds have a hardline attitude to online payment systems. Digital Competitiveness found that 33% of the so-called "digital generation" appear to be reluctant to pay at all to download or view online content, twice the average across the EU.
Guardian Article
Google fast tracks Voice for soldiers
Google is adding a new feature to its Voice telephony service in hopes of making life easier for members of the military stationed oversees. The company said that it would be streamlining the Voice signup process for members of the US military with an active .mil email address. Additionally, the company is allowing family members to set up accounts for soldiers who have already deployed overseas.
V3 Article
Google is adding a new feature to its Voice telephony service in hopes of making life easier for members of the military stationed oversees. The company said that it would be streamlining the Voice signup process for members of the US military with an active .mil email address. Additionally, the company is allowing family members to set up accounts for soldiers who have already deployed overseas.
V3 Article
Faster Broadband for free?
BT has started handing out Broadband Accelerators to customers prepared to stump up £1.20 in postage, and promises an average speed increase of half a megabit. BT customers interested in a free boost to their broadband can apply on-line for a free Broadband Accelerator, assuming they're prepared to pay for postage, have the right kind of BT socket, and aren't already getting the promised bandwidth from BT.
The Register Article
Broadband action needed in Wales
A committee of MPs has called for urgent action so everyone in Wales can gain access to broadband internet. The MPs said the governments at UK and Welsh assembly level must ensure needs are met in Wales. The report highlights the urgent need to get rid of broadband 'not spots' around Wales - areas without good access to broadband technology.
BBC Article
A committee of MPs has called for urgent action so everyone in Wales can gain access to broadband internet. The MPs said the governments at UK and Welsh assembly level must ensure needs are met in Wales. The report highlights the urgent need to get rid of broadband 'not spots' around Wales - areas without good access to broadband technology.
BBC Article
"Sexting" craze on the rise among British children
A growing number of British teenagers are swapping sexually explicit images of themselves on mobile phones leaving them open to bullying and victimization by their peers, police and a children's charity said yesterday. The practice, known as "sexting," has also resulted in intimate images of children being posted on websites used by pedophiles without the knowledge of the sender, according to Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center (CEOP).
Reuters Article
BBC Article
A growing number of British teenagers are swapping sexually explicit images of themselves on mobile phones leaving them open to bullying and victimization by their peers, police and a children's charity said yesterday. The practice, known as "sexting," has also resulted in intimate images of children being posted on websites used by pedophiles without the knowledge of the sender, according to Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center (CEOP).
Reuters Article
BBC Article
