Consumer content

Report: Google searching for music chief?

We've known for a while that Google has plans to launch a music service, but the search engine is now searching for someone to lead the music venture, according to a published report.

Citing industry sources, the blog All Things Digital reported that Google has spoken to several digital-media executives about the job but hasn't hired anyone yet. Google has spoken to the labels about launching a music service that offers song downloads, streams music, and ties music into the company's all-powerful search engine, as early as this fall, according to people familiar with the situation.

Those … Read more

Netflix debuts on the iPhone

Netflix has hit the iPhone.

The popular video subscription service just updated its Apple app to support the iPhone and iPod Touch, which now join the iPad in offering streaming videos. Netflix members can download the free 1.1.0 version to watch their favorite TV shows and movies.

The Netflix app lets you access your Instant Queue to view videos you've already saved. You can browse by genre or search for specific titles from the service's growing library of streaming content. You can also stop a video and then resume where you left off, whether you're … Read more

AGs call on Craigslist to banish adult ads

Craigslist's adult services section is under fire once again.

Attorneys general from 17 states sent a joint letter (PDF) on Tuesday that asks the site to immediately remove the section because it promotes prostitution and child trafficking.

In the letter to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark, the attorneys general state that ads for both adult and child prostitutes are "rampant" on the site. And because Craigslist cannot or will not adequately screen these ads, the attorneys general said, the section should be taken down.

Asserting that women and children are being exploited by the … Read more

Report: Apple prepping 99-cent TV show rentals

Apple could be on the verge of giving users the option to rent television shows from its iTunes Store.

Citing "people familiar" with discussions between Apple and News Corp., Bloomberg reported Tuesday that 99-cent TV show rentals are being talked about. Users would have to watch the shows within 48 hours of purchasing the rental, according to the report.

The rental system sounds very similar to the one Apple uses for movie rentals on the iTunes Store, where users have a specified amount of time to watch the rented media before it expires.

Bloomberg also says Apple is … Read more

Want a weather report? Watch this music video

If you watch the music video for singer Lissie Maurus' new song "Cuckoo" today, you might see the musicians against a nice sunny backdrop. Or a gray, windy one. It depends where you're watching it from.

The video changes according to live weather conditions. Viewers zoom in on a city or area on an interactive Google world map, and the video backdrop changes according to current local conditions. Pick a different location and the song continues while a humorously mustachioed, bow-tie-wearing TV weatherman kind of guy delivers a new forecast before the video shifts to reflect the … Read more

Monster swallows HotJobs, inks deal with Yahoo

Monster Worldwide has completed its acquisition of Yahoo's HotJobs for $225 million in cash and has sealed a three-year deal as Yahoo's exclusive provider of job and career content, the companies said Tuesday.

Although Monster already claims the title as the leading online job site, the addition of HotJobs to its resume is part of the company's drive to match up more working professionals with its business customers. The deal with Yahoo will place Monster on Yahoo's home page in both the U.S. and Canada.

With HotJobs, Monster said it expects to now reach about … Read more

RIAA: U.S. copyright law 'isn't working'

ASPEN, Colo.--The Recording Industry Association of America said on Monday that current U.S. copyright law is so broken that it "isn't working" for content creators any longer.

RIAA President Cary Sherman said the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act contains loopholes that allow broadband providers and Web companies to turn a blind eye to customers' unlawful activities without suffering any legal consequences.

"The DMCA isn't working for content people at all," he said at the Technology Policy Institute's Aspen Forum here. "You cannot monitor all the infringements on the Internet. It'… Read more

Dish Network brings shows online

Satellite television provider Dish Network is preparing to offer television programming through an online-streaming service.

According to a New York Times report, Dish Network customers will be able to watch several shows on DishOnline.com from all the major networks. Customers can also watch content from cable networks, including MTV, Comedy Central, and The History Channel, to name a few.

Dish Online has been available in public beta for a while. But starting on Tuesday, the "beta" tag will be removed, and customers can watch content.

It won't all be free content, though. According to the Times … Read more

Chatroulette offline for revamp; what will it reveal?

What does the next spin of the wheel hold for Chatroulette? The Webcam/chat site apparently went offline Sunday but is promising an update and relaunch sometime Monday.

The site now greets you with the following bare-bones message:

"The experiment #1 is over now. Thanks for participating. Renewed and updated version of the website will be launched today."

Unveiled late last year, Chatroulette lets you bounce from one anonymous video chat to another, with some people seeking a meaningful conversation and others seeking something more risque. If one person doesn't meet your chatting fancy, you simply click … Read more

Hands-on review of the Kindle 3

Just as Apple's iPod wasn't the first MP3 player, Amazon wasn't the first company on the block to release an e-book reader--NuvoMedia's RocketBook and the early Sony Readers all beat the Kindle to market. But it's hard to argue that the online retailer's Kindle isn't the iPod of the e-book reader market. The Kindle has helped usher the e-book reader from gadget curiosity to a burgeoning mass-market device, all in less than three short years.

And now, amid a much more competitive market, Amazon is debuting the third-generation Kindle.

The first thing you … Read more