Nokia is making a play for Apple's iTunes domination of digital music downloading with its latest endeavor, Comes With Music, a digital entertainment service that comes bundled with Nokia XpressMusic phones and the Nokia N95 8GB.
When a customer purchases a Comes With Music phone, they'll have access to tracks from Universal, Sony, and Warner artists, as well as independents from The Orchard and other independent music sources. Nokia also recently announced the addition of the EMI catalogue to its music service.
Users get access to a year's worth of music, for one fee included at time of purchase of their phone, and they'll get to keep the music even after the year is over without a subscription or price per track added on. With Nokia still the world's top mobile phone maker, and sales of XpressMusic phones reaching 10 million units, it's quite clear how this music service could make Nokia a significant player in the digital music downloads arena.
See a video below detailing just how easy the service is to set up.
Like iTunes, Nokia's music service is protected with DRM, which means users will be wedded to the device they purchased the music on (or another Nokia handset that uses the service). Already though, there's workaround software that provides a hack. The DRM-stripping program, called Tunebite, enables “playing and re-dubbing the tracks into a non-encrypted file and apparently works in a matter of seconds per song.”
Currently the Comes With Music service is only available in the UK, but Nokia plans to make it available in the U.S. in 2009. Maybe Nokia will have an answer for Tunebite by then.
The Android Market is still in its infancy, having just opened October 22. So it's no surprise that the most popular applications are classics, led by Namco's Pac-Man with more than 250,000 downloads. The total number of downloads is increasing at a steady clip, though, and the news that Sony Ericsson is releasing an Android phone next year means that developers are likely to start pushing out more apps in the near future.
Here are the 10 most popular Android Apps for November 2008, based on number of downloads, number of comments, and average rating, according to a report by Medialets, a mobile analytics and advertising company.
Pac-Man by Namco
Pac-Man was one of the first apps available for the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1. This version features three unique control schemes: Swipe Mode allows players to direct PAC-MAN's path by simply swiping in the direction you want to travel, Track Mode lets players zip through mazes using the phone's trackball, and Accelerometer Mode allows players to control PAC-MAN by tilting the phone in the direction they want to move. It's not a lot different from the arcade game, except for the price: players get full access to the game for free.
MySpace Mobile
Upload photos to your profile, check out band tour schedules, view and comment on photos and profiles, search and add news friends, send and read messages, and update and view mood and status with this app. It's also integrated with Shazam, the mobile music discovery service that helps you to identify songs by holding your phone towards an unknown song and connecting to the artist's MySpace page.
The Weather Channel
While Video may only be available through the pre-installed YouTube app (or other applications offered through Market), The Weather Channel has done a nice job of including video weather updates of your local weather featuring a meteorologist. You also get hourly, 36-hour, and 10-day forecasts.
ShopSavvy
Launched exclusively for Android on the G1, ShopSavvy by Big In Japan, Inc., uses the camera in your phone to scan the barcode of products and assists you with finding the best prices on the Internet and at local stores.
Ringdroid
This app lets you create your own ringtone by editing an MP3 track from your music library, or recording one directly from your phone. It's like Garageband for your Android phone.
imeem Mobile
Streaming radio for your phone with imeem Moobile is pretty simple. Take imeem on the road with you and discover new artists, create favorite stations, or listen to what your friends are listening to.
Shazam
Shazam's users can discover new music and get information about something they haven't heard before, search for a specific interest, buy a range of music products, remember what's playing to buy it later, or just to create a collection and pass it on to friends and family.
Rings Extended
Rings Extended, by Dianne Hackborn, expands on your pre-installed ringtone selection by allowing you to select from music stored on your phone or even sounds that you recorded.
Bonsai Blast
This action-puzzle game challenges players to shoot and match colored balls to clear them before they reach the Yin-Yang at the end of the level. The rich, detailed environments of earth, wind, and fire are controlled by using the touch-screen and accelerometer.
Brain Genius Deluxe
Also from Bonsai Blast developers glu mobile comes this collection of 24 intuitive touch-controlled games and bonus puzzles including Sudoku and Jigsaws. You'll quickly test your genius level, as you compare your score with that of other users.
Check back next month to see how the stats measure up for December.
Inventor Le Trung from Toronto, Canada has built the perfect girlfriend, a female robot named Aiko (whose name means love child). She can even clean house and respond to touch, and that's not all..
To advance the field of AI, Trung is reported to have spent two years and $21,000 to build Aiko, who will fight back if you squeeze her too tightly. She can also be reconfigured to simulate an orgasm.
Medialets, an advertising solution and analytics mobile company, has announced the first New York City Android Developer Meetup to be hosted at Fast Company.
Thirty of New York City's top Android developers will speak about their experiences and show off their applications at the event, which takes place December 16, 2008, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Fast Company offices. The best apps will be featured on FastCompany.com
If the recent NextWeb NY Web 2.0 Meetup is any indication, then Silicon Alley is not only ripe with promising ideas, it's actually thriving. Too bad we can't say much about the technology we employed in our attempt to bring you a live report.
Armed with a Nokia N95, the heart of the Mobile Journalism Toolkit, and a Sylvania g Meso Netbook, we were all set to stream live from the meetup on our Kyte channel. But with both Wi-Fi and our Edge Network being temperamental, as it were -- no dice. Even the netbook was unable to serve as a Wi-Fi connector backup. So instead we resorted to journalism 1.0 -- good old fashioned Q&A (typed on the netbook of course), with some smart, forward-looking entrepreneurs. Here's who we met:
Amos Winbush III, CEO, CyberSynchs
Currently in beta, this company enables universal mobile syncing. The idea came to Winbush when he lost his phone, and all of his contacts with it. He decided to make a solution that would allow people to use multiple phones without ever having to worry about having their contacts saved to a carrier's web address book or to a SIM card. There's also a GPS system built into the application, enabling you to find your phone, should you ever lose it. It seems necessity inspires ingenuity after all.
Phil Karl, CEO, DocShare
Also in beta, Karl says his company is a B2B service that helps business to better share documents with clients. When asked what made this solution better than other file-sharing services, or even FTP, his reply: "We're more public and we're more secure for business." We'll have to see how that one pans out.
Scott Kolber, CEO, Linkstorm
Linkstorm is an advertising technology company that's been in business for eight years, but only recently started practicing social media as a form of advertising for its clients. The company's been busy working with major companies like Cisco and American Express, but one of its recent projects -- one that Kolber is ecstatic -- is a Facebook application for the new James Bond flick, Quantum. "We're proud of the way it's been used," he says. "We took what was a static one-time only game on the movie's site and turned it into a viral, social media product that has a lasting impression for the life of the campaign."
Roger Wu, President, Klickable
Klickable makes web video as interactive as the Web itself. Anyone who creates content can use the service to add contextual information to a video. Say it's a video of a model and a bottle of perfume, you'd be able to click on the perfume to learn more about it with Klickable, and then you could click on the model to learn more about her or her clothes. It really all depends on how the video producer used the tagging system to build in links. There's even a special feature called a klick kart, which allows the viewer to save an item's info for later, so as not to interrupt watching the video. For now, the business has caught the women's lifestyle market, with Rachel Ray leading the charge with her Klickable Kitchen and Klickable Gift Guide. Project Runway also uses the service. Next up for Wu: bringing the service to TV.
One of the most popular meetups in New York, NextWeb's NY Web 2.0 Meetup, catering to the Web 2.0, Social Networking and Social Media scene, continues to highlight some of the Alley's most innovative companies.
The networking event includes presentations and/or showcases from New York-based companies. The latest event featured the presenters below:
Boxee
The first “social” media center, boxee plays media from your computer and other devices in your home network, as well as connects you to various Internet sources that allow you to stream or download movies, TV shows, music and photos.
Contxts
Contxts enables you to have a text-message business card. Instead of carrying around business cards, you just text special code to your contact's phone number, they respond with your Contxts username, and you either accept or reject the request. And suddenly they have all of your contact information.
WebGrrls
One of the first online and offline networking organizations for professional business women who work in the technology field. The organization focuses on networking, learning about new technologies, and helping members to find jobs.
Yelp
Yelp is the most comprehensive city guide all created by user recommendations and reviews.
When we published The Best Business Books of 2008, readers reached out on Twitter to share their favorite reads. So then we put out an official call with the hashtag #fcbooks, and here's what we got: (Add your favorites in the comments below)
These objects of perfection first became available this summer, when only tech gadget enthusiasts and real audiophiles (Will.i.am was rocking a pair on Larry King Live when King interviewed him about his Obama is President song, "It's a New Day") were first introduced to them.
Here's why:
- The high price tag alone makes them feel totally exclusive.
- Because they're made by Dr. Dre and Monster Cable, I never really have to worry about a short in the cord (Monster Cables are like, forever).
- The quality in the booth is unprecedented. At first I never heard my Macbook or iPod sound so great, but the real test didn't happen until I tried them out in a recording studio. It was a slam dunk, especially the lows I experienced with the bass.
- They shut out all ambient noise. Just ask the guy who sits next to me who has to keep banging on my desk to get my attention.
When I first took them out of the box and plugged them in, I was in aural heaven. The only drawback: I had some cell phone interference with the cord, because you get to swap out the appropriate cords and inputs for different audio experiences (mini plug, stereo plug, airline plug, etc.) So it seems, that would leave a lot of room for open waves getting in. Another drawback is having to remember to power off, because these are all the way battery operated, and not just for the noise reduction like other headsets.
But just in case you don't believe me, go ask Cool Reviews. But I think I have enough swagga to offer legit cred to these sound monsters. Get it, sound monsters? *Sheesh.* Anyway, these are the luxury headphones to have -- they are to your ears what a Louie V scarf is to your neck. But mostly, they're only for the cats, like Jay-Z, who can't wear skinny jeans because their knots are too thick. [Beats by Dr. Dre]
When Mr. Coolhunting himself, Josh Rubin, first told me about his new gloves last month, I decided I wanted to give them a try before actually writing about them. I'm glad I waited.
They arrived just in time for the beginning of cold season in New York, and armed with my new T-Mobile G1, and sometimes riding my Vespa, I gave the gloves a thorough spin. They worked when I performed activities on the phone and the scooter, with no problems. And did I mention that they were warm? Well, they are.
You may have seen fingerless gloves before, but these are different. You only pull back the forefinger and thumb tips on each hand, and use the magnets available to keep the flaps from getting in your way. Have a tricky gadget maneuver to perform, like grab a photo or answer a phone call, just pull back and your finger tips are available to you immediately.
This is a cool gift idea for your daget-loving friends. The most expensive pair -- they come in fleece, stretch, and leather -- are only $40. [Freehands]
When you go to bed at night, you probably have a wire mess going on next to your bed with your cell phone, MP3 player, bluetooth headset, and possibly even your laptop contributing to the mess. E-ZCharge is an inexpensive and simple way to solve the clutter.
No more tangles. No more trips. Just neatly compacted wires and devices. The U-shaped cradle docking station is a budget buster too, coming in at under $10. [E-ZCHARGE]
