Random House gives Da Vinci Code ebooks away free to promote Dan Brown’s new book
For a week, readers can download free copies of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. The giveaway is intended to promote Brown’s upcoming book Inferno. Read more »
Stories for Mar. 18, 2013
Stories for Mar. 17, 2013
March Madness: where to watch the 2013 NCAA Tournament live online
March Madness is once again streaming each and every game live online. However, this time around, viewing live streams will require a cable subscription – unless the game airs on CBS. Confused? Then check out our guide. Read more at GigaOM »
Veronica Mars lives again: Lessons from a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign
It’s breaking records and changing paradigms — but what impact will Veronica Mars‘s studio-supported but fan-funded feature film have not just on the Kickstarter economy, but Hollywood in general? Read more »
Stories for Mar. 16, 2013
Kickstart this book! What I learned about crowdsourced publishing
Last fall, Book Riot successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign to publish a book. But it was grueling and not very financially rewarding. Here’s what you need to keep in mind if you decide to publish via Kickstarter. Read more »
Stories for Mar. 15, 2013
Media outlets will argue in Apple, Samsung appeal over sealed documents
Last years’ gigantic court fight between Apple and Samsung continues to have ripples in the court and the press. This week, an appeals court agreed to let the New York Times and others argue that documents in the case should not be secret. Read more at GigaOM »
The 14 most outrageous (fake) headlines from Buzzfeed’s new business section
photo: ca$hcats.biz
If Buzzfeed had a business section (and soon it will) this is what it might look like. Read more »
Google is launching an ebook line based on its augmented reality game Ingress
Google’s startup division, Niantic Labs, is launching a line of ebooks that tie into its augmented-reality mobile game Ingress. Read more »
Google is getting even tougher on sites that abuse links, says report
Google is continuing its effort to punish sites that manipulate outside links in order to increase their search visibility. The move means websites should be careful that their SEO strategies doesn’t lead to a penalty. Read more »
Amazon Publishing launches literary fiction imprint, Little A
photo: Flickr / William Christiansen
Amazon Publishing is launching a New York-based literary fiction imprint that will publish novels, short stories and memoir. Read more »
Ricky Gervais brings his British Office character back to life on YouTube
Ricky Gervais, creator of British hit “The Office,” is bringing David Brent back to life on his new YouTube channel. Read more »
Why the death of Google Reader doesn’t bother me that much — social news has won
A lot of die-hard RSS users are upset that Google has decided to kill off its Google Reader service, but for me Twitter and other platforms based on social news are far superior to any RSS reader and have been for some time. Read more at GigaOM »
Samsung partners with Blurb to let users order physical photo albums from the Galaxy S 4
Samsung and self-publishing company Blurb are partnering to let Galaxy S 4 users create and order physical photo albums directly from their phones. Read more at GigaOM »
Stories for Mar. 14, 2013
Hulu’s content chief Andy Forssell officially takes over as acting CEO
Hulu has a new CEO — for now, anyway: SVP of Content Andy Forssell will take over as acting CEO when Jason Kilar leaves by the end of the month. Read more »
NowThis News, the video app from former HuffPo execs, launches on Android
photo: NowThis News
NowThis News, the video news app from former HuffPo execs Ken Lerer and Eric Hippeau, just launched on Android. Read more »
Social media editor at Reuters indicted for hacking LA Times
photo: Reuters
The Justice Department has unsealed a stunning indictment that accuses an editor at international newswire service Reuters of collaborating with the hackers’ collective Anonymous. Read more at GigaOM »
Grumpy Cat shows claws, vows to sue infringers
photo: Grumpy Cat Incorporated
Grumpy Cat is the latest internet meme whose fame is growing by the day. The feline’s fame is valuable and her owners and lawyers have filed trademarks to protect it. Read more »
Digg: Don’t worry, Google Reader fans, we’re building an alternative
Mourning the demise of Google Reader? Digg announced Thursday that it’s already planning a revamped reader, and will speed up production in light of Google’s announced spring cleaning. Read more at GigaOM »
Redbox Instant launches publicly, CEO calls original content talk premature
Redbox Instant is available to all after a closed beta test that netted the company tens of thousands of paying customers. CEO Shawn Strickland told us that his company won’t do original content any time soon. Read more at GigaOM »
Social sports betting: market is huge but big payout is unlikely
photo: Jerry Sharp
A social gaming site called Fanhood invites players to buy tokens and make sports wagers with their friends. While they may entertain sports fans, sites like this have little hope of being part of recent moves towards legal online gambling. Read more »
CBS launches an iOS app to stream full episodes of some shows
CBS’s new iOS app lets viewers stream episodes of some shows a week after they air. But full episodes from popular shows like “The Mentalist” and “The Big Bang Theory” are missing. Read more »
What would the perfect news application designed for Google Glass look like?
photo: Flickr / Thomas Hawk
Devices like Google Glass are going to change the way that we consume the news and other information — how will media companies have to change the way they think about the news and how it is constructed? Read more »
Google Reader, please don’t go — I need you to do my job
Google Reader is one of the top-three tools I use to do my job — and Twitter and Flipboard aren’t good substitutes. Read more »
Redbox Instant ready to open its doors to the public
Still waiting to try out Redbox Instant? Then better get ready: The service is set to open up to the public as early as Thursday. Read more at GigaOM »
Stories for Mar. 13, 2013
Veronica Mars movie hits $2M Kickstarter goal in 10 hours
Veronica Mars is coming back, thanks to Kickstarter: A crowdsourced fundraising campaign to make a Veronica Mars movie has hit its $2 million goal in just 10 hours. Read more »
Google kills Google Reader, says it will go offline on July 1, 2013
Google is shutting down more projects it considers distracting to core business. So far it has shut down 70 such apps and services, but it is Google Reader whose loss I bemoan. Read more at GigaOM »
Don’t touch that dial: How YouTube is bringing adaptive streaming to mobile, TVs
YouTube switched to adaptive streaming for its desktop player last year, reducing buffering by 20 percent as a result. Now it wants to bring the technology to TVs and mobile devices. Read more at GigaOM »
Judge rules Apple CEO Tim Cook must testify in ebook antitrust case
photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Apple CEO Tim Cook must testify in the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Apple for conspiring to fix ebook prices, citing Steve Jobs’ death as a key factor in her decision. Read more »
Twitter music app ready to launch on iOS soon?
Twitter is reportedly getting ready to launch its own social music discovery app on iOS. The app has been built by the team behind the music site We Are Hunted. Read more at GigaOM »
Amazon slashes price of 4G Kindle Fire HD by $100, expands tablet to Europe & Japan
Amazon announced Wednesday that it’s dropping the price of the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD in the United States, and is also rolling out the tablet in Europe and Japan. Read more at GigaOM »
Samsung spent $401M on Galaxy ads and iPhone mockery in 2012
photo: Samsung
Samsung’s U.S. smartphone spending in 2012 saw a huge jump from a total of $78 million in 2011. In the meantime, the company actually outspent Apple, which put $333 million toward iPhone ads during the year. Read more at GigaOM »
Big publishers sign on to New York Times sticky ad tool
photo: New York Times
The New York Times offers an ad tool that lets brands use its stories in a unique form of content marketing. The tool, which can provide publishers with a new source of long-tail revenue, will soon be used by other publishers like Forbes and Condé Nast. Read more »
Netflix goes social, turns on Facebook integration for U.S. subscribers
Netflix rolled out its Facebook integration for U.S. subscribers Wednesday, offering them an easy way to see what they friends are watching on the service. Read more at GigaOM »
Top jobs of the week in digital media
photo: Shutterstock / Tom Mc Nemar
Looking for a job in digital media? Each week we highlight some of the most interesting positions posted to paidContent’s jobs board. Check out the latest gigs at media companies across the country. Read more »
Cosmo, Harlequin will kick off ebook line with two books by bestselling author Sylvia Day
Cosmopolitan and Harlequin are launching a line of ebooks called Cosmo Red Hot Reads this summer. Sylvia Day, who originally self-published the bestselling Bared to You, has signed a seven-figure deal to write the first two Red Hot Reads. Read more »
Stories for Mar. 12, 2013
Feds issue rules for social media and small screen ads — Twitter and bloggers take note
photo: Mel Canlas
Social media and small screens have led to new forms of marketing. In response, the Federal Trade Commission has updated its disclosure rules and provided 22 examples to explains what advertisers must do to avoid confusing consumers. Read more »
Vevo’s new live TV channel: it’s all about devices
Vevo’s newest offering may seem a big of a throwback: The on-demand music video platform launched a curated live stream that looks and feels like MTV – but is all about devices. Read more »
Why a LinkedIn acquisition of Pulse would make sense — content requires context
photo: Shutterstock / noporn
If LinkedIn were to buy the Pulse news-recommendation app — something a number of reports say could be in the works — it would give the corporate social network a powerful way of filtering content for its users. Read more »
Spotify hits 6 million paid users as market for music streaming heats up
A report shows that music subscription service Spotify continues to grow at a rapid pace. The growth validates Spotify’s business model but is also inviting a growing cluster of rivals. Read more »
Vimeo on Demand launches to let creators charge for videos
Vimeo will allow creators with Pro memberships to charge for their video content starting Tuesday. Creators keep 90 percent of revenues, after transaction fees. Read more »
Politico hits 1,000 Pro subscriptions and plans to launch a magazine
photo: Wikimedia / Kmccoy
Politico announced subscriber numbers to its premium product, Politico Pro, on Tuesday: 1,000 organizations now pay for the subscription site, with about 7,000 employees a month reading it. Read more »
