Back when Sony announced their Playstation Network and Qriocity services had been hacked, unleashed 77 million users' personal details in the process, everybody knew it was bad. However, nobody realised that more than six weeks later Sony's evidently laughable security would still be falling victim to marauding groups of hackers.
As far as tarnished reputations go, Sony is currently in rare air. The initial hacking furore of mid-April, which resulting in the company's PSN gaming network and Qriocity media service being shut down for three weeks, is far from over.
Nokia Corp. isn't the only player looking to offer devices that come with music.The Finnish manufacturer raised eyebrows late last year when it teamed with Universal Music Group International to unveil Comes With Music, an ambitious program that will package unlimited full-track downloads for...
Nokia Corp. bulked up its music offerings, inking a deal with Sony BMG and adding two new handsets to its XpressMusic line.The Finnish company said Sony BMG has joined its Comes With Music offering, a program that packages one year's access to full tracks...
Mobile entertainment firm Thumbplay Inc. will bulk up its content portfolio thanks to a new pact with Sony BMG Music Entertainment.The New York-based, direct-to-consumer aggregator said it will add 7,000 goodies including ringtones, music videos, voice clips and mobile games from Sony BMG's stable...
Editor's Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News' weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the wireless industry.--AOL announced it...
With ringtone revenues in decline and full-track downloads struggling to find an audience, carriers and third-party vendors are working furiously to breathe life into a withering mobile music industry.Ringtones for years have been the most popular type of content on (or off) carrier decks,...
Editor's Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the wireless industry. --Peer-to-peer...
Record labels and carriers are looking for creative ways to keep the lucrative ringtone party alive. But a handful of startups have taken a cue from music group REM, asking, "Why don't we give it away?"Ringtones for years have been the most popular type...
In another move indicative of the music industry's increasing frailty, two of its largest players are trying some new twists: Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group last week announced a new format they're calling the "ringle."Each ringle will contain one ringtone bundled...
Sony Ericsson has tapped Gracenote to power a sideloading-enabled mobile music platform.The new platform includes features such as search and discovery, song identification and playlisting, and is designed to allow the easy transfer of tunes between home music libraries, online music stores and mobile...
MobiTV bulked up its content library with a deal to license more than 2,500 music videos from Sony BMG Music Entertainment.The wireless video provider said it will put the videos into rotation "immediately" on its music channels, expanding its portfolio to 7,000 music videos....
The mobile gaming world is targeting mass-market users with "one-thumb" casual offerings that are simple to understand and easy to play. But one Orlando developer is hoping to find an audience with a line of sophisticated games that use GPS technology.Your World Games Ltd....
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. said last week that it expects to reach the 100,000-customer mark by early in the second quarter and launched a full-track music download service to compete with similar offerings from rival MVNOs and traditional operators.The company ended last...
Helio L.L.C. expects to reach the 100,000-customer mark by early in the second quarter, and its subscribers have been generating average revenue per user of more than $100 per month, the mobile virtual network operator said.The company ended 2006 with 70,000 customers, according to...
Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group are backing an effort to provide full-track mobile music downloads to Chinese subscribers.The companies announced a strategic investment in Access China Media Solutions, a joint venture between U.S.-based digital content delivery company Melodeo Inc. and Access...
While most mobile-game makers are targeting mass-market users with casual one-button offerings, boutique developer Your World Games Ltd. is hoping to find an audience with a line of sophisticated, location-aware games.The Orlando, Fla.-based startup is putting the finishing touches on its initial offering, a...
IN THE BLEAK WORLD of digital rights management, wireless service providers may actually serve as a beacon out of the darkness.But don't count on it.Anti-piracy software may be nearing a crossroads. A handful of record labels are beginning to experiment with DRM-free music, releasing...
NEW YORK—Motorola Inc.'s iRadio service is the latest to woo music lovers with unreleased content, with the vendor inking a deal with Sony BMG to allow subscribers to access "leaked" albums before they hit the shelves. The music company has created a channel at...
CHICAGO-McDonald's franchisees John and Karen O'Keefe watched sales flatline for most of the year at their store in Chicago's suburban Woodfield Mall while other restaurants in the fast-food chain's system pulled in gains of 2 percent or better. But after the couple installed a...
By Kate MacArthur CHICAGO—McDonald's franchisees John and Karen O'Keefe watched sales flatline for most of the year at their store in Chicago's suburban Woodfield Mall while other restaurants in the fast-food chain's system pulled in gains of 2 percent or better.But after the couple...
Here's what got the edit staff fired up this week: Did you see RCR Reporter Colin Gibbs' story about Sprint Nextel selling ad space on its mobile Web service? Like it promised, Sprint Nextel is transforming itself from a wireless carrier and into a...
LOS ANGELES--Starwave Mobile announced new licensing deals and a move to sell content directly to consumers. Starwave Mobile gained licensing rights from Beyonce Inc. and Sony BMG to develop and publish a mobile game around the singer. Expected to launch in 2007, Starwave Mobile...
And welcome to a special CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2006 edition of our column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry—especially at trade shows—so this column is a chance for us at RCR to...
