19
March
2008
|
22:00 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Newswatch 3.19.08: Music with your iPod

Would you like music with your iPod? Apple is negotiating with music labels to offer unlimited access to the iTunes music library when consumers pay a premium for a new iPod. Apple is thinking about copying Nokia's "Comes with Music" plan but the negotiations are foundering, as usual, with how big a cut of iPod sales Apple will share with the labels. Music exec: "It’s who blinks first, and whether or not anyone does blink." (FT)

Who won the spectrum? The betting money says Google is out of the running on the 700MHz spectrum, but who won? Altogether, the FCC netted $20b – $4.75b for the C block, but nothing for the D block, dedicated for public safety agency communication. (AP)

Spreadsheet Gadgets. Google has unveiled several Gadgets for spreadsheets in Google Docs. Gadgets are more than a way to distribute the data; they're a data source themselves. "If I'm collecting census data and putting it into a spreadsheet, I can also make that data available to statisticians" through the Visualization API, says product mgr. Jonathan Rochelle. (News.com)

iPhone Flash? Adobe wants help. Statement: "To bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience, we do need to work with Apple beyond and above what is available through the SDK and the current license around it."

EU net: faster, cheaper. Increased competition is improving broadband speeds and cutting costs in Europe, but former monopolies still need to let go more. (AP)