Modern Media Mom » movies

Headlines for May 21st, 2010

[modern media mom] — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:00:08 +0000

The Empire Strikes Back Turns 30, As Do Fans’ Psychic Scars | Vanity Fair – Today is the 30th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, a film most Star Wars fans consider the best of the franchise’s six films. Just three years after Star Wars revolutionized the blockbuster, Empire redefined it again, proving that a film that took place in outer space and featured light sabers and blasters could also be smart and, yes, depressing.
US wireless not competitive enough – The FCC has published its annual report on the competitiveness of the US wireless industry, and says there's not enough of it – despite industry howls to the contrary.
Sega’s Back-To-Roots Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Delayed – Sega on Thursday delayed the first installment of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, a side-scrolling downloadable episodic series that takes the mascot back to his roots.
Adobe Faces Tough Fight for Flash Survival | PCWorld Business Center – Once upon a time, Apple and Adobe were friends. They had a mutually beneficial relationship creating a niche market based on Apple's Mac operating system and Adobe's content creation software. Now, Apple and Adobe are bitter rivals and aggressively battling each other over the merits of Flash and the future of interactive content and video on the Web. As pervasive as Flash is today, Apple is a force to be reckoned with and Adobe has a fight on its hands.
Google Faces European Investigations In Data Collection Gaff | IT Channel News by CRN – Fallout continues from Google’s admission that it accidentally collected data from unsecured wireless networks. Thursday officials in several European countries announced plans to investigate the incident. And two Oregon residents have filed a lawsuit against the search engine giant, claiming their privacy was violated by the data collection.
Why Your Business Should Not Abandon Facebook – PCWorld Business Center – Facebook is out of line in launching new services and changing the rules without warning, and it is out of line for not making any change that affects the way personal data is shared or distributed opt-in by default. But, in the end the social networking site will most likely continue to grow its membership despite any boycotts and defections, and it still represents a fertile and valuable arena for engaging customers and building relationships to establish and expand your brand recognition.

Headlines for January 13th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:01:42 +0000

Facebook & Privacy: Trying to be everything to everyone is a minefield – "CEO Mark Zuckerberg tried to explain his vision for the future of privacy last Friday at the Crunchies. He basically said that norms had evolved in favor of more sharing and the company had retooled its defaults with these changes in mind."
Infected PCs Won’t Be Allowed on Facebook – "Facebook has joined forces with McAfee to provide discounted security services to all of its 350 million members.
Facebook users will be eligible for a free, six-month trial of McAfee Internet Security Suite software and a discounted price thereafter.

If Facebook uncovers any sort of threat, the social networking site said it would take steps to secure a user's computer, a process that includes a sweep of the affected computer by McAfee technology."
Adobe Hole May Have Been Used in Google Attack – It's an eventful day. Just as Adobe released an important new version of Acrobat, the company has also revealed that "…a sophisticated, coordinated attack…" was mounted "…against corporate network systems managed by Adobe and other companies…" At the same time, Google has revealed that a coordinated attack was mounted against their systems.
Wii Netflix support a natural evolution, cure for sales woes – "Netflix streaming via the Nintendo Wii is finally coming this Spring. Nintendo has long painted itself as a gaming-only company, but with fans from the young to the old, and a price point that begins and ends at $200, Nintendo could quickly become a major player in content… if it chooses."
The Cost of Google Pulling Out of China – "If Google follows through on its threat to shut down operations in China in response to cyber attacks and spying efforts, it would be walking away from a fairly significant chunk of revenue. The resulting Internet advertising vacuum would lead to hundreds of millions of dollars flowing out of the United States and into Chinese coffers."

Headlines for January 4th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:01:02 +0000

AppMakr To Make Anyone An iPhone App-Builder – "Companies like WordPress and Six Apart created popular tools to let anyone become a blogger. Now startup PointAbout wants to do the same for building iPhone applications with a new service called AppMakr.
Where developing iPhone apps can typically cost upward of $10,000 and take weeks or months to build, AppMakr promises to deliver a quality app in less than an hour for only $199. Users of the online service, formally launched today, enter a site Web site address or keywords and get back a sample iPhone app built with that content in less than 30 seconds, according to PointAbout."
Spending on Movie Tickets Surpassed DVD Sales in 2009 – "Last year was the first since 2002 that U.S. consumers spent more money buying movie tickets than buying movies to watch at home, underscoring the changing economics of Hollywood."
8 tech trends to watch this week at CES – 'If you like bold predictions, here's one, courtesy of the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, which hosts the massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week:
"In my 28 years of attending the CES and participating in it and being a part of it and running it for most of that time, I can honestly say there will be more innovation at this show than any one in history," Gary Shapiro said.

This from the head of the yearly show that has launched such big tech ideas as compact disc players, high-definition television and Blu-ray."
Freescale Tablet – "2010 may be the year of the tablet. A company called Freescale Semiconductor has designed a tablet computer that it claims can be sold for under $200. Manufacturers can buy the design from Freescale and customize the seven-inch touchscreen computer. Some features include GPS, webcam and up to 64 gigabytes of storage. An even bigger announcement could come later this month if, as anticipated, Apple unveils its version of the tablet computer."
Google’s Chrome Tops Apple’s Safari in Browser Use – "For Apple, non-Mac OS usage of is Safari browser has long felt like something of an afterthought. The company made a big push when it first rolled the browser out for Windows machines, but Apple's software team has since seemingly turned is focus elsewhere. Google, on the other hand, has been all about Chrome in the past year or so–after all, the browser will be morphing into its own operating system, later this year."
Google Nexus One Phone Speculation Hits Critical Mass – Is this the week Google drops Nexus One, its supposedly game-changing Android mobile device? If all goes according to plan — and by "plan," we mean endless, unconfirmed speculation — Google will introduce Nexus One at a press conference in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday.

Headlines for December 9th, 2009 through December 10th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:00:21 +0000

Feds Go Global To Fight Cybercrime Overseas" – Concerned about the rise in this type of sophisticated computer attack from abroad, the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service are beefing up their international cybercrime enforcement, sending agents who specialize in the threats overseas to specifically deal with digital perils."
Study: You’ll wolf down 34GB of data today – "A study released Wednesday from the University of California, San Diego, reports that the average American consumes a whopping 34GB of data and 100,000 words of information per day."
Amazon Disc+ on Demand: Buy a DVD, watch it instantly – "With Amazon’s Disc+ on Demand, when you buy a DVD or Blu-ray movie, you will be able to stream it instantly via Amazon On Demand. Pretty awesome huh?"
Facebook’s New Privacy Settings: 5 Things You Should Know – "The new settings are supposed to make it easier and simpler to control your information, but the changes are drawing a mix of criticism and praise from privacy watchdogs such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU), and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)."
AT&T’s Data Crackdown: I’m Calling a Bluff – "AT&T is huffing and puffing about limiting the data consumption of smartphone users and educating them on the meaning of a megabyte. Yet we know nothing about the carrier's actual plans."
Magazine Publishers Take On The Internet – "Some of the nation's largest magazine publishers have joined forces to launch a digital initiative they hope will restore their appeal—and profits—in the Internet age.
Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp, and Time Inc. said they plan to jointly develop a common software standard that will be used as the basis for delivering highly interactive versions of their products to a range of digital devices, such as e-readers, smartphones and laptops."

Headlines for November 26th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:01:47 +0000

Assassin’s Creed II Stabs Its Way to Success With 1.6 Million Units Sold – "It may be no Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but Assassin's Creed II's better than expected sales is music to Ubisoft's ears"
Microsoft window display gets hijacked by macheads – "…the Internet is full of stories about Apple fans who apparently have hijacked #holidaywindows and are sending tweets such as "Get a Mac" and "Windows is lame."
But while the smug tweets are appearing on Twitter and being joked about on the world wide web, the Apple fanboys actually have been largely wasting their time."
Dissecting a Black Friday Doorbuster: Is That $197 HP Laptop Any Good? – "Black Friday doorbusters are loss leaders designed to whip up consumerist lust and draw shoppers to stores. Retailers typically lose money on these giveaways, but hope that while you're online or in store, you'll grab a few high-markup items too."
Google Movie Search Goes Mobile For iPhone, Android – "Google this week extended its new movie search capabilities to Apple's iPhone, Android-based devices such as the myTouch 3G, Motorola Droid or HTC Eris, and Palm WebOS smartphones."
Ikee worm author gets developer job – "The author of the first iPhone worm has been given a job with Australian iPhone app developer Mogeneration, much to the disgust of security experts."

Headlines for November 4th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:10 +0000

Free Flow of Internet Traffic Requires Sensible Road Rules – "Some type of control is necessary to keep Internet traffic moving, but free marketeers argue that the government shouldn't call the signals. However, if the current system is allowed to prevail, it will be up to consumer groups to play watchdog with no clear legal framework for identifying violations. Investors and entrepreneurs want legal certainty that their products will work across all networks."
The iPhone gets jailbroken again – Apple's latest iPhone OS 3.1.2 has been jailbroken again, allowing users to do whatever they like with the gadgets they've bought.
Apple launches iTunes Music Movies with exclusive content – "Apple has begun to promote music-themed movies on the iTunes Store with a new landing page, a place the company plans to fill with exclusive content."
PayPal Unveils Plans To Open Payment Service – The PayPal X service is designed to make it easier for developers to integrate PayPal into third-party applications.
The PC World 100: Best Products of 2009 – "PC World looked at many outstanding hardware and software products, sites and services this year, evaluating each one on its design, functionality, performance and impact. Here is the cream of the crop, the 100 best of 2009. (Note that we chose not to rate products specifically on their price or value, focusing instead on their overall quality.)"
Microsoft reveals new-look MSN – "Microsoft's web portal MSN.com has been given an extensive revamp for the first time in almost ten years."
Verizon Lawsuit Makes AT&T The Villain, Again – "America is thanking AT&T this morning for drawing attention to how limited its 3G coverage is. This is something I never paid much attention to until yesterday, when AT&T sued Verizon over a TV ad comparing the carriers' 3G coverage."

Headlines for November 3rd, 2009

[modern media mom] — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:04:58 +0000

Google Chrome Beta Gets Bookmark Sync – "The latest beta version of Google's Chrome Web browser is making it easier for you to keep track of all your favorite Web sites across multiple computers. The search giant introduced bookmark syncing this week as a feature of Chrome's latest trial version."
Start-up sues over Nook – "A small start-up has picked on the might of number two book king Barnes and Noble claiming that the bookseller misappropriated trade secrets in creating the Nook e-reader.
Spring Design said it had a nondisclosure agreement with Barnes & Noble and had been discussing its e-reader plans with the bookseller since early this year."
New Chorus App For iPhone Lets Friends Chime In With Their Favorites – If Apple's App Store and Facebook had a baby, the result might be Chorus, a new social application from envIO Networks for the iPhone that lets users discover new apps based on advice from their friends.
Microsoft Price Cut Goes After Google Apps – "In a move aimed at heading off those who might "Go Google," Microsoft has cut the prices of its Exchange Online service by half and its Business Productivity Online Services suite by a third."
Best Buy to Deliver Streaming Movies via CinemaNow – Best Buy is teaming up with Sonic Solutions to provide customers on-demand access to streaming movies and TV shows.
Dedicated tweeting gadget TwitterPeek launches – "A new gadget designed specifically for people who want to tweet on the go was launched Tuesday by gadget maker Peek.
The device, dubbed TwitterPeek, does one thing and one thing only: it lets people tweet. It doesn't access e-mail. It doesn't make phone calls. It tweets. That's it."

Headlines for October 22nd, 2009

[modern media mom] — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:13:09 +0000

Windows 7 had 8 million testers, biggest beta ever – "Microsoft has revealed a bunch of numbers surrounding the development of Windows 7, and boy do they carry a lot of weight."
Internet Can Help Save Elderly From Senility – "With record numbers of Americans online — more than 80 percent — and businesses, media, and TV entrenching themselves deeper in the internet, debate over the medium's merits is at an all time high. Some accuse the internet of being an insidious source of addiction. Still others attack the internet by jumping on stories of cybercrime.
Despite all that negativity, some studies are actually showing that internet use throughout live can improve mental function. "
Twitter hits tweenhood – "It has 55 million users and no business model. But that's a touchy subject."
Disney’s Keychest unlocks movies for any platform – Disney is readying a technology that would let viewers pay a one-off fee for permanent access to a movie or TV show across multiple devices.
A fifth of Americans use Twitter, or something • The Register – "The Pew Internet and American Life Project handed Twitter either a massive PR coup or a trademark problem yesterday, by declaring 20 per cent of Americans were using the service – or something similar.
In a chart headed "Who Tweets", the researchers said that 19 per cent of US adults were Twittering – or using a similar status update service."
UPDATE 1-U.S. FCC staff recommends open Internet rule | Reuters – "Staff at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Thursday recommended establishing an open Internet rule aimed at restricting network operators from favoring some content over others along landlines and wireless platforms."
Social Search from Google and Bing: My 8 Big Concerns – "The search engine wars took a dramatic turn yesterday, with Google and Microsoft both announcing real-time search deals with Twitter. Additionally, Microsoft struck a deal with Facebook to index status updates on its Bing search engine, and Google introduced Social Search, which integrates your friends' social networking information directly into search results."

Headlines for May 20th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:01:42 +0000

Amazon To Discovery: No, You’re Violating Patents – If "Amazon Vs. Discovery" in a patent infringement lawsuit sounds familiar, that's because it is: back in March, Discovery filed suit against Amazon alleging that Amazon's Kindle violates electronic book patents its held since November 2007.
Netflix to Stream Content on Windows Media Center – Popular online video rental service Netflix is now available through Microsoft's Windows Media Center, where users can stream thousands of films and television shows.
Microsoft’s My Phone Service Goes Public – Microsoft has opened up its mobile phone synchronization and backup service – MyPhone – which was until now in closed beta.
GPS System Could Begin To Fail Within a Year – The Global Positioning System faces the possibility of failures and blackouts, a federal watchdog agency has warned the U.S. Congress. Mismanagement by and underinvestment by the U.S. Air Force places the GPS at risk of failure in 2010 and beyond. The problem: Delays in launching replacement satellites, among other things.
Microsoft’s Next-Gen Search Engine Kumo Expected Next Week – "Microsoft has officially declined to comment on a Kumo debut, but the fact that the conference sponsors are scooping news on their own event suggests this rumor is either a publicity stunt or true."
Google CEO Tells Grads: Turn Off Your Computers – Speaking at Penn's commencement at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Monday, Schmidt advised, "you need to turn off your computer, turn off your phone, look at people who are near and around you and decide that humans are the most important things, not the other aspects," according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

Headlines for April 6th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:05:40 +0000

Remote-Controlled Repo – Hadn't considered this possibility before.
What’s ‘broadband’? Billions in stimulus funds are at stake – While we're at it. let's try to finally figure out what "is" means.
Clever: Windows 7 will be the final play in Microsoft’s current ad campaign – I am the only one who actually liked the Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld commercials?
Fox News Columnist Pays Big Price for Reviewing a Pirated Movie –
Now streaming on Netflix: SpongeBob, Cartman – "Netflix's streaming-video service still very much takes the back burner to its DVDs-by-mail service, but the company has deals in place with TiVo, Boxee, Microsoft's Xbox, and some HDTV providers."