Free is not the magic number: New trends in ebook pricing
Ebook pricing strategies are changing fast as the market evolves and retailers and publishers amass more data. Here are some new tips. Read more »
J. K. Rowling’s Pottermore to launch on PlayStation Home
photo: Pottermore trailer
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter fan site Pottermore is launching on Sony’s PlayStation Home. Pottermore CEO Charlie Redmayne said the partnership provides the “most immersive experience possible within that space.” Read more »
Sony ends 20p price promotion in its UK Reader Store
Sony is ending a price promotion that it had been running in its U.K. store since last July. The promotion sold select ebooks for just 20 pence, and Amazon matched the discounts on Kindle books in the U.K. Read more »
Sony announces PlayStation 4, touts speed and social but media vision unclear
Gaming consoles are still big business, especially when you consider that they also double as cord-cutting devices. But Sony’s Playstation 4 announcement was short on details and just plain long on everything else. Read more at GigaOM »
Sony Entertainment CEO: DVRs and Netflix have made TV better
The rise of long-form TV dramas is often attributed to networks like HBO and Showtime, but Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton believes it’s a direct result of Netflix and digital video recorders. Read more at GigaOM »
Google Books, movies and Nexus 7 tablet head to Japan
Google added new Japanese reading features to its ebooks app yesterday and is now selling the Nexus 7, ebooks and movies through the Google Play store in Japan. Kobo expanded to Japan in July, and Kindle is expected to launch there in October. Read more »
Sony not ceding mobile to casual games
At GigaOM’s Mobilize conference in San Francisco on Thursday, Jack Buser, Sony’s senior director of PlayStation digital platforms, talked about why Sony developed the PlayStation Mobile platform for PlayStation games that can, for the first time, be played on devices not made by the Japanese company. Read more at GigaOM »
Ebook price drops begin — and Apple is discounting, too
photo: Shutterstock / Thomas Bethge
Just a few days after the approval of the DOJ’s ebook settlement, HarperCollins has entered into new contracts with ebook retailers, and they’re already discounting its titles. What kinds of deals will you get? Read more »
States reach $69 million ebook pricing settlement with publishers
photo: Shutterstock
Ebook buyers in 54 states and territories are set to receive $69 million in a settlement between the states and HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster. Those who bought agency-priced ebooks between April 2010 and May 2012 are eligible for payment if the settlement goes through. Read more »
Sony outs new Reader PRS-T2 with Evernote, Facebook sharing
Sony’s newest e-reader, the Reader PRS-T2, may appeal mainly due to the $129 price tag. But the ability to share passages on Facebook and integration with Evernote make it even better. Evernote is superb for clipping web content for viewing later on nearly any device. Read more at GigaOM »
Smashwords gets more self-published ebooks into libraries
photo: Shutterstock / Gts
Digital self-publishing site Smashwords is making it easier for self-published authors to get their ebooks into libraries. The site is allowing certain libraries to buy Smashwords titles in bulk, and is also adding custom library pricing options for its authors. Read more »
Sony launches new Google TV set-top for global market
After disappointing sales of its first-generation Google TV product, Sony will launch an updated version of its Android-based set-top next month. It will also be the first to extend the platform beyond the U.S., with plans to debut it in Europe and Latin America. Read more »
Universal Music agrees to pay indie artists Vevo royalties
The world’s biggest music label has always regarded music videos as promotional tools. But now that Vevo, the music video platform Universal co-owns with Sony, is making $150 million a year, the label agrees the indie artists who render these works deserve compensation. Read more »
Amazon Publishing makes some e-books available to other retailers
Amazon is selling at least two Amazon Publishing titles in other digital bookstores. Until now, it has sold its e-books exclusively through the Kindle Store. Read more »
Crashing a book on the financial crash: E-book bestsellers breakdown
This weekly feature tells the backstory of how one e-book became a bestseller, and highlights bestselling titles that are selling more copies in digital than in print. This week: Crashing a book about the financial crash. Read more »
This book plays itself on TV: E-book bestsellers breakdown
photo: Hyperion
This new weekly feature tells the backstory of how one e-book became a bestseller, and highlights bestselling titles that are selling more copies in digital than in print. This week: A book that plays itself on TV. Read more »
E-book bestsellers breakdown: I married a billionaire
This weekly feature tells the backstory of how one e-book became a bestseller, and highlights bestselling titles that are selling better in digital than in print. This week: Marriage to a billionaire. Read more »
E-book bestsellers breakdown: Desert island romance
photo: Flickr / redagainPatti
This new weekly feature tells the backstory of how one e-book became a bestseller, and highlights bestselling titles that are selling better in digital than in print. This week: Two castaways find romance on a desert island…and other bestsellers. Read more »
The bestsellers breakdown: Titanic takes it
photo: Peabody Essex Museum
Breaking down the e-book bestsellers list: A new weekly feature. Read more »
Kindle rivals advance internationally…slowly
photo: Flickr / Staci D. Kramer
E-reading companies timed announcements around the London Book Fair this week. Read more »
Wal-Mart Will Start Selling Cloud Storage At 3,500 Stores Next Month
photo: Wal-Mart
We told you it was coming — and it did. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has formally announced its support for Hollywood’s struggling UltraViolet movi… Read more »
Bands Led By Youngbloods Ding Sony For $8M In iTunes Royalties
photo: Apple iPod Commercial
Sony’s music labels have agreed to pay almost $8 million to bands like Allman Brothers and Cheap Trick which claim the company shortchanged… Read more »
Hackers Allegedly Steal Sony's Archive Of 50k+ Michael Jackson Tracks
photo: AP Images
Sony (NYSE: SNE) is facing yet another major security breach. Hackers reportedly illegally downloaded over Michael Jackson’s entire back cat… Read more »
Sony’s New CEO Sets ‘Clear Path’, And Unveils Big Losses
photo: Holger Eilhard/Flickr
Sony’s new president and CEO has quite a task on his hands. A day after Kazuo Hirai was appointed to replace Howard Stringer, who remains as… Read more »
Sony Ericsson’s Loss Is Apple’s Gain: iPhone Maker Hires Latin America Head
photo: Rogers Helps, Flickr
Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericsson (NSDQ: ERIC), as it winds up as a troubled joint venture to become fully part of Sony, is spinning out some talent… Read more »
Carriers Have Only Around 100 Million Pay-TV Users, Less Than 60% Via IPTV
photo: Shutterstock / alexmillos
Some numbers out today that underscore the challenge telecoms operators have had in attracting customers to their pay-TV platforms, includin… Read more »
Interactive TV Advertising: Not Huge Now, Will This Be The Year It Grows?
photo: Falling Pixel
Last week’s CES event brought a clutch of announcements around interactive TV services — specifically around more content getting pushed to… Read more »
Hollywood Lambasts Sky Movies Ruling, But Open Access Gains Favour
photo: AP Images
Six Hollywood studios have urged the UK’s competition watchdog to throw out its assertion their Sky Movies deals are anti-competitive. But s… Read more »
@ CES: Available Now – Android OEM. WLTM Caring, Ambitious, Strong Partner
Unlike its local rival Samsung, the Korean handset maker LG (SEO: 066570) has lately had more of a mixed bag when it’s come to Android devic… Read more »
The CES Lowdown: 1-12-12
Here’s a look at what’s been going on at the giant electronics show that is CES:
» Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Could Sell 37 Million Windo… Read more »
Ultraviolet Movement Picks Up New Backer: Samsung
Samsung has rolled out a new line of Blu-ray players that support Ultraviolet, thus joining the ranks of entertainment brands that support t… Read more »
The CES Lowdown: 1-10-12
photo: CES
A look at what’s been going on at the giant electronics show that is CES
» Panasonic flirts with irrelevance with MySpace TV par… Read more »
What To Expect At CES: Tablets, TVs, And Transition
photo: CES
The biggest spectacle in the tech industry kicks off Sunday evening, when an estimated 150,000 people will flood into Las Vegas not to place… Read more »
Correction: Razr Ain't Cutting It: Motorola Mobility To Fall Short On Q4
Correction: An earlier version of this article noted Motorola (NYSE: MMI) Mobility’s revenue in “millions” not “billions”. It has now been c… Read more »
Report: Sony's Hirai Promoted To President, Stringer Still Chairman And CEO
In a move that further sets up Kazuo Hirai as the heir apparent at Sony (NYSE: SNE), the company has promoted him to president, taking that… Read more »
What's Coming In 2012: Internet TVs Out-Box The Boxes
photo: Flickr
This is the third in a series of posts this week that will highlight key people, companies and trends to watch in 2012 in the sectors we cov… Read more »
Report: In Europe, Not All Windows Open For Netflix
photo: Netflix
Some more detail appears to be emerging in the lead-up to Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) launching in the UK next year: in the midst of signing a seri… Read more »
LoveFilm Signs Streaming Deal With Sony Pictures Television
Amazon’s LoveFilm is continuing its film and TV content rights war with U.S. rival Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX), signing a deal with Sony (NYSE: SNE… Read more »
If Netflix Is In Play, Here's Some Companies That Would Be In The Hunt
photo: Flickr / Global X
Verizon is getting its full turn in the rumor mill. Last week, word had it that Verizon is looking to launch an OTT subscription service. Ne… Read more »
Get Ready For Another Streaming Music Service: The Ad-Free Rara.com
photo: Dplanet
Spotify and Pandora (NYSE: P) may be the music brands people think of today when it comes to streaming services. But with only five million… Read more »
