Author: JD
Facebook To Launch Music Gifting Service
I KNEW THIS WAS COMING, THEY HAVE WAY TO MUCH TRAFFIC October 21, 2009 – Digital and Mobile By Antony Bruno, Denver Facebook later this week will launch a new content gifting service that will allow members to, among other things, buy and give digital music tracks to their friends. The music element will be powered by Lala, which is the exclusive music vendor. Lala’s service allows users to stream any song in its catalog in full for free once. After the free taste, users must either buy the full MP3 for 89 cents or a “Websong” streaming-only version of the song for 10 cents. All of these options carry over to the Facebook gifting service. Facebook users can buy either MP3s or streaming-only songs through the gifting system, paying a fee for each Facebook friend to whom the gift is sent. Facebook will handle all the billing via a credit system. Web-only streaming songs will cost 1 credit (the equivalent of 10 cents) or 9 credits for an MP3. Once gifted, the action will appear in members’ news feeds, where other friends can see what song was gifted and have the opportunity to sample it in full for one time at no charge. Web-only songs can be played on either Lala.com or via the gifts section on Facebook, while MP3s can be downloaded and played in any fashion and on any device. Facebook will make the gifting service available to a small segment of Facebook members as early as today, with plans for the full membership to have access in a matter of weeks. Facebook typically rolls out new services very slowly in this fashion. Facebook revealed details on the broader gifting program on its blog late Wednesday afternoon. In addition to music, Facebook users can gift charity donations, e-cards and other things. A company spokeswoman said it looked at a number of digital music providers, but ultimately settled on Lala. It’s possible other music services may be involved in the future, but there are no immediate plans for including them. This is the first real stab that Facebook has taken into the music space. The popular social networking service has been rumored for years to be interested in adding a music platform, but licensing issues and data reporting requirements have been said to stall the deal. If anything, it’s a bigger win for Lala. The digital music service has quietly inserted itself as the back-end music engine for a number of Web sites this year, including the relaunched Billboard.com and Pitchfork, not to mention the rumored music search service expected from Google. Additional content streaming partnerships are expected in the weeks and months ahead.
Gucci Beats iPhone App
THEY ARE MAKING IPHONE APPS FOR EVERYTHING Ever wish your iPhone could look as good as you do in that Gucci suit with those matching Gucci loafers? Well, it still can’t…. But your iPhone can be laced with the Gucci Beats! Luxury brands have seen a bit of trouble amidst the recession earlier this year so they are vamping up their marketing efforts to move some serious product this holiday season. Gucci’s answer? Create an app for one of the worlds most popular hand held devices of course! Following suit of many other luxury retailers, Gucci’s iPhone app differs from the rest in that it is trageted and designed with a specific demographic and lifestyle in mind. The app features working turntable functionality for mixing tracks produced by Mark Ronson along with a handy hotel and restaurant tip guide. The app also gives users information on Mark Ronson’s limited edition Gucci sneakers as they pop up at Gucci retailers in real time. How much more exclusivity do you want!?! Well, in addition to all that, included are all Gucci store locations along with Gianni’s favorite clubs, hotels, restaurants and hotspots in 20 major cities around the globe and they are marked using your phone’s GPS locator in Google Maps! All this for FREE.99 (that’s free, zip, nada, no cost!), how can you afford to not download it? You can grab the app now via the app store and expect it to start feeding you pop ups starting this Saturday! Now that’s marketing! Source
BUZZVOICE
IF YOU A TRUE BLOG READER/IPHONE OWNER THAN THIS FOR YOU. I WAS INTRODUCED TO THIS AT THE BWE AND I RT IT ON TWITTER. IF YOU LIKE TO KEEP UP WITH WHATS GOIN ON BUT DON’T ALWYAS HAVE A COMPUTER HANDY THIS THE SHIT. YOU CAN CREATE YOUR OWN PLAYLIST AS WELL AS IT ALREADY GIVES YOU THE READ ON ALL THE HAPPENINGS IN THE WORLD BUZZVOICE CHECK IT OUT.
DONDRIA VS. PHATFFFAT
IF YOU’RE A LIFER THAN YOU KNOW THE STORY OF DONDRIA BUT IF NOT LET ME HIP YOU. ALMOST A YEAR AGO I FOUND THIS YOUNG LADY ON YOUTUBE AND I SIGNED HER. I WAS CHARGED BY HER WORK ETHIC ON YOUTUBE AND HOW THE PEOPLE REALLY CONNECTED WITH HER. MY INTEREST IN HER INTRODUCED ME TO THE POWER OF YOUTUBE AND OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKING OUTLETS. I BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO THE INTERNET AND ITS POWER FOR ALONG TIME. IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN I WAS HEAD OF URBAN MUSIC AT VIRGIN I CREATED A CONTEST WHERE JANET FANS COULD CREATE HER COVER. WHICH WAS SUPER SUCCESSFUL AS WELL AS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. NOW WITH DONDRIA I’M PICKING UP WHERE I LEFT OFF WITH THAT. I’M SURE IF YOUR A FAN YOU’VE BEEN WONDERING WHEN THE HELL IS HE GONNA PUT OUT HER RECORD. THEY ALWAYS MAKING VIDEOS BUT I NEVER HEAR ANYTHING. THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS: ON NOV 23rd THE FIRST SINGLE (YOUR THE ONE) WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY ME AND B COX WILL BE AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE.
Audemars Piguet Debuts Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Mexico
SOMETHING FOR MY WATCH COLLECTORS Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet has revealed a new exclusive timepiece, specially crafted for the 3rd edition of the Salon International Haute Relojeria Mexico 2009. Adding to their prestigious collection, the limited edition Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Mexico honors the Bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico. Inspired by the country’s flag with a white Mega Tappisserie dial, olive green numerals and a red pointer for seconds, the exquisite chronograph houses an automatic movement, has a power reserve of 38 hours and is water resistant to 100m. Available in either titanium /steel (200 numbered pieces) or 18 carat pink gold (only 100 pieces) the Royal Oak Offshore Pride of Mexico straps to your wrist with a stylish crocodile black “Hornback” bracelet with green stitching.
GOOGLE ANDROID-BASED E-BOOK READER
I’M ON THIS! Spring Design Announces Dual-Screen, Google Android-based E-book Reader, Hyperlinking Text with Multimedia Secondary color touchscreen supplements text with web-based or any linked multimedia content; Enables users to enhance original text with their own embedded video, audio, photos and notes FREMONT, CA – OCTOBER 19, 2009 — Spring Design today announced Alex™, the first e-book based on Google Android featuring full browser capabilities and patented dual screen interaction technology, the Duet Navigator™. The Alex livens up text with multimedia links, adding a new dimension to the reading experience and potentially creating a whole new industry for secondary publications that supplement and enhance original text. Alex’s dual-screen display design brings together the efficiency of reading on a monochrome EPD (electronic paper display) screen while dynamic hyperlinked multimedia information and third party input on its secondary color LCD screen, actually an integrated Android mobile device, opens a rich world of Internet content to support the text on the main screen. Alex is the first Google Android-based e-book device to provide full Internet browsing over Wi-Fi or mobile networks such as 3G, EVDO/CDMA and GSM. With its dual-screen, multi-access capability, it provides the entire Web universe as a handy reference library, prompting users to delve into its vast information base to complement, clarify or enhance what they are reading. Alex is the first truly mobile wireless e-book device that gives users their own personalized library on the go, whenever and wherever they need it. Spring Design pioneered its patented dual-screen device with ‘touch and extend’ capability in 2007, and has been working with major book stores, newspapers and publishers over the past two years to share its vision and the capabilities of the dual screen device. Alex brings together the efficiency of an EPD display with the responsiveness and richness of navigational convenience of the LCD screen. Its removable SD card gives users extensive storage, allowing them to expand their text with multimedia “add on” editions. Ideal for professional, educational and entertainment markets, Alex dynamically transforms the reader’s experience with images, videos and notes inserted as ‘Web grabs’ or with custom text created by the user or other secondary authors pertaining to the subject being displayed. Users can create their own images and notes and capture them to augment the original text or just dynamically grab relevant content with Link Notes™, Alex’s innovative multimedia authoring tool to enhance multimedia publishing. “This is the start of a whole new experience of reading content on e-books, potentially igniting a whole new industry in multimedia e-book publishing for secondary authors to create supplementary content that is hyper linked to the text. We are bringing life to books with audio, video, and annotations,” said Dr. Priscilla Lu, CEO of Spring Design. “This gives readers the ability to fully leverage the resources on the Web, and the tools available in search engines to augment the reading experience.” Alex™ features a 6″ E-Ink EPD display and 3.5″ color LCD display, earphones and speakers. A removable SD card will free up library space on the device while letting users archive content for future reference. The enhanced Android OS is optimized to support integration between the color and monochrome displays while preserving battery life. Users can capture and cache web content from their online experience on the LCD screen, and toggle to view it on the EPD screen without taxing the battery life. Browser features such as bookmarking, history, and security settings are built in and the device, with full Android browsing capability, is mobile-enabled with smart phone capabilities. Spring Design is currently in discussion with, and enlisting major content partners and plans to release the Alex device for selected strategic partners by the end of this year.
Marge Simpson for Playboy | A Closer Look
LAST WEEK I SHOWED YALL MARGE ON THE COVER OF PLAYBOY THIS WEEK I SHOW YALL THE INSIDE . It’s no secret that Marge Simpson is the November 2009 cover girl for Playboy magazine. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the cartoon, the magazine features a 3-page spread on everyone’s favorite blue-haired, yellow skinned mom. According to her interview, Marge appeared for honorable reasons, “I’m donating my hefty fee from this tasteful pictorial to SPHG – Saving and Preserving Historic Gazebos. Gazebos are disappearing, people, and they’re not coming back!” And yes, we’ve featured two sets of cartoon boobs in one day.