Entertainment

A healthy balance between the interests of copyright creators and of users is key to fostering innovation in the Internet environment, according to a report published this week by the Committee for Economic Development, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The CED is wary of too much government in...

After its successful push into the consumer electronics space in 2003, Gateway's branded introduction to the professional services space is problematic, according to Yankee Group SMB senior analyst Mike Lauricella. Specifically, Lauricella expressed doubts about Gateway's ability to tap into the lar...

Apple and Pepsi's iTunes giveaway, which promises a free music download coupon under 1 in 3 Pepsi bottlecaps, made a big splash with an ad aired during January's Super Bowl. Now, is the promotion on the rocks following disclosure of a tactic to identify winning bottles without purchasing them first?...

Cable giant Comcast has announced that, despite being rebuffed by Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner, it will move ahead with a $54 billion bid to acquire Disney. In a public letter addressed to Eisner, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts wrote: "It is unfortunate that you are not willing to ... enter into discus...

Microsoft has reached a deal with The Walt Disney Co. to help Disney deliver content over the Internet and to mobile devices using Microsoft's digital rights management technology to prevent piracy. The deal boosts Microsoft's bid to establish Windows Media DRM as the standard for delivering and pr...

Not everyone watches the Super Bowl just for the football. Given that many of the previous 37 Super Bowls were duller than watching golf on TV, some people would argue that the advertising is as much, if not more, of a reason to watch. This year, Apple, AOL and Monster.com are among the e-businesses...

Digital music has been around for years, but the legitimate online music industry did not attract a critical mass of consumers until the launch of Apple's iTunes Music Store. Now, Apple has spiffed up iTunes by releasing new versions of its iPod digital music player, making iTunes available to Windo...

In the six years since Musicmatch opened its virtual doors, the online music business has seen some significant changes. Musicmatch CEO Dennis Mudd spoke with the E-Commerce Times about what lies ahead. "Things now are like we expected them to be in '97," he said. "When we put the original business ...

Optimism about the tech sector abounded at this year's CES event in Las Vegas, as more than 110,000 attendees gathered to gape at computers embedded in refrigerators, hear about new offerings from Microsoft and watch rhinestone-studded singers belt out selections from the musical "Chicago" at the Sa...

Hewlett-Packard has shaken up the high-tech industry, saying it will work with Apple Computer to build its own version of the Apple iPod and will include Apple's digital jukebox software on its new PCs. The partnership provided the biggest surprise so far during a hectic week of one-upmanship at the...

Underscoring the potential it sees in positioning computers as entertainment devices, Intel has announced it will establish a venture capital fund to back startups that develop home entertainment hardware and software. The chipmaker's venture wing, Intel Capital, will oversee the Digital Home Fund, ...

In his latest Macworld keynote, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has announced a music-creation program called GarageBand, which Jobs described as a pro music tool for everyone, and a 4-GB mini iPod that sports sherbet colors. Perhaps most impressive is the Mini iPod's size: It is approximately as big as a busi...

As Microsoft's long-planned strategy to transform the PC from a work device into an entertainment hub takes shape, the company intends to use this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to ratchet up its efforts to capture more of the billions of dollars spent on home entertainment. According...

Hewlett-Packard has announced plans to launch a music download service and to enter the consumer electronics market with its own music player and a line of high-end flat-panel televisions. Executives indicated the company intends to use the January Consumer Electronics trade show in Las Vegas as a v...

Today's teenagers have powered the ongoing success of apparel seller Abercrombie & Fitch and music heavyweight MTV, among many other brands -- but the vast majority of e-tailers have long ignored the buying power of this group of consumers. That neglect is shortsighted, say industry experts who ...