A recent study found that contrary to arguments repeatedly posed by major record labels — and perhaps contrary to logic as well — BitTorrent piracy has a direct correlation to increased album sales. Between May 2010 and January 2011, North Carolina State University assistant professor Robert Hammond tracked BitTorrent download statistics for new albums ahead of their releases. He then compared his data to music sales figures and found what he believes to be a connection. ”I isolate the causal eff ect of file sharing of an album on its sales by exploiting exogenous variation in how widely available the album was prior to its official release date,” Hammond wrote in his paper. “The findings suggest that fi le sharing of an album benefi ts its sales. I don’t fi nd any evidence of a negative e ffect in any specification, using any instrument.” Of course, the case may simply be that popular music is popular music; whether consumers steal it or buy it, massive marketing budgets help ensure that people are exposed to labels’ premier acts as much as possible, thus promoting demand. More →
Nick Fury and “The Avengers” save the world from imminent doom in Paramount Pictures’ movie of the same name, but in real life, the star-studded team of superheroes would cost New York City a fortune in the process. Based on a Marvel comic, “The Avengers” opened on May 4th and set a new record for opening weekend box office sales. The $200.3 million grossed by the film in fewer than three days wouldn’t even put a dent in the bill this team of superheroes would ring up if they took their battle to the streets of New York in real life, however. More →
Amazon on Wednesday announced an expansion of its Amazon Studios division, which will soon develop original content. The retail giant is currently accepting proposals for comedy and children’s programming to be distributed through its Instant Video service, the company said on Wednesday. “Amazon Studios wants to discover great talent and produce programming that audiences will love,” said Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios. “In the course of developing movies, we’ve heard a lot of interest from content creators who want to develop original series in the comedy and children’s genres. We are excited to bring writers, animators and directors this new opportunity to develop original series.” If selected for a full-budget series, the creator will receive $55,000 and up to 5% of Amazon’s net receipts from toy and t-shirt licensing, along with other royalties and bonuses. Amazon’s press release follows below. More →
Research In Motion has its work cut out for it. Apple and Samsung went from dominating the smartphone industry to completely owning it in the first quarter this year, and RIM’s struggles continued as its BlackBerry 7 smartphone lineup really started showing its age. All eyes are on BlackBerry 10 as industry watchers try to determine whether or not RIM has a real shot at a comeback, and RIM has to be especially impressive at this year’s BlackBerry World conference since its first BlackBerry 10 smartphone likely won’t even launch until some time in October. RIM president and CEO Thorsten Heins will take the stage in just a few minutes when RIM’s BlackBerry World keynote kicks off at 9:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 a.m. PDT, so hit the break to follow all the action as it unfolds and don’t forget to refresh the page for the latest updates. More →
Apple is reportedly in talks to stream films owned by EPIX — a joint venture among Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate — across a variety of devices, including the long-anticipated iTV, according to a report from Reuters. Two people with knowledge of the negotiations told the publication that the talks are in the preliminary stages and no agreement is considered near. The Cupertino-based company is reportedly looking to beef up the content offered through its Apple TV set-top box and upcoming devices. An agreement could prove troublesome, however, due to EPIX’s $200 million agreement with Netflix, which gave the company exclusive streaming rights through September. More →
Summer is fast approaching and if the past two years have taught smartphone fans anything, it’s that Sprint and HTC are preparing to launch a new flagship smartphone. The EVO 4G burst onto the scene in 2010 and raised the bar for Android smartphones around the world. While the handset’s successor, the EVO 3D, was unable to recapture the magic brought about by the original model, it was still a cutting-edge smartphone worthy of the EVO brand. Now it’s 2012, and rumors suggest one of the most impressive smartphones ever to be produced is coming soon to Sprint. Based on the HTC One X, Sprint’s new flagship smartphone will seemingly be chocked full of technology including a 4.7-inch high-definition display, a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, Android 4.0, Sense 4.0, 4G LTE and a gigantic battery. Will Sprint and HTC’s new EVO-branded device rock the industry like the original did two years ago? Hit the break for our live coverage of Sprint and HTC’s press conference, which is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. EDT / 2:30 p.m. PDT.
UPDATE: Be sure to check out our hands-on preview of the HTC EVO 4G LTE! More →
Cable network operator and Internet service provider Comcast reportedly confirmed earlier this week that it would give its own video streaming service a huge advantage over rival services like Netflix. Showing blatant disregard for net neutrality principles, Comcast said this week that its video streaming service Xfinity will be exempt from the 250GB bandwidth cap it foists on subscribers, Raw Story reports. Movies and TV shows streamed using rival services such as Netflix and Hulu will still apply toward users’ monthly bandwidth caps. Microsoft announced earlier this week that Comcast’s Xfinity service was launching on its popular Xbox 360 video game and home entertainment console, and heavy users on Comcast’s network now have a clear reason to choose Xfinity over any of the dozens of rival streaming services supported by the Xbox. More →
Microsoft has begun to roll out an update for its Xbox Live service that includes new on-demand content from Comcast, along with apps from HBO and MLB, GigaOM reported on Monday. The launch these services will give users the ability to search through a wide range of content directly from their game console. In October, Microsoft announced a number of new content partners that would deliver movies, television shows and other content to its popular Xbox 360 game console. The system had already received updates that included apps from Verizon, Epix, Vevo, Vudu and YouTube. The launch of HBO Go comes as little surprise. In February, the company’s co-president Eric Kessler told reporters that the Xbox HBO Go app would go live on April 1st, in time for the season premiere of “Game of Thrones.” Microsoft fans noted that the company always releases updates on Tuesdays, however, and it was unlikely for HBO to roll out an update the day of the premiere to avoid download complications. More →
Mobile World Congress has been a roller coaster ride so far this year. The week kicked off with a bang on Sunday with both Sony and HTC unveiling their latest and greatest smartphones, and the HTC One X was definitely the star of the show. Things were up and down on Monday and Tuesday however, and the show actually got pretty slow for a while there. Our time in Barcelona isn’t up just yet, however, and Microsoft chose today to unveil the latest version of its next-generation operating system, Windows 8. The technology giant released a preview version of Windows 8 last September, but we’re sure plenty has changed over the past five months. And beyond checking out all the new features Microsoft has undoubtedly baked into its new OS, we might finally get a better idea of when devices carrying the platform will finally launch. Microsoft’s Windows 8 press conference is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern / 6:00 a.m. Pacific (3:00 p.m. local time in Barcelona), so hit the break for our live coverage of the event!
UPDATE: Don’t forget to check out our full review of Microsoft’s Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which is now live! More →
Apple reportedly plans to launch a new Apple TV next month that will feature a faster processor along with other enhancements. Apple watcher 9to5Mac on Tuesday reported that the Cupertino, California-based technology giant plans to refresh its Apple TV offering in March alongside the iPad 3. To be clear, this is not the HDTV Apple is rumored to be working on, but rather the somewhat popular iOS-powered set-top box. 9to5Mac’s source says the new Apple TV will be powered by a faster dual-core processor, perhaps the “Apple A5x” that has been rumored recently, and it will feature better video playback performance as well. Earlier rumors suggested that Apple’s new Apple TV might also feature Siri voice command integration, a Bluetooth 4.0 remote and support for Apple’s rumored upcoming 1080p iTunes content, but none of these rumors have been confirmed. More →
In less than one quarter with just two smartphones on the market, Nokia managed to take the top spot among Windows Phone vendors in the fourth quarter of 2011. Microsoft’s mobile platform still accounts for just a small fraction of Nokia’s smartphone sales, but the Finnish vendor is in the early stages of a transition that will eventually see Symbian devices eliminated from its portfolio. The Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 started things off, and Nokia revealed the Lumia 900 during the Consumer Electronics Show, a flagship device that BGR exclusively reported will launch on AT&T next month at a very aggressive $99.99 price point. Nokia is rumored to have at least two new devices that will be unveiled during today’s press conference — the entry-level Lumia 610 and a high-end camera phone expected to be the international version of the Lumia 900 — and we’re on hand to bring you all the news as it breaks. Hit the jump for our live coverage of Nokia’s press conference, which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 a.m. EST / 11:30 p.m. PST (8:30 a.m. local time in Barcelona). More →
HTC has a lot to prove at this year’s Mobile World Congress trade show. The Taiwan-based smartphone vendor had a huge year in 2011, firmly establishing itself as one of the leaders in the smartphone space. Toward the end of the year, however, stiff competition from Apple and Samsung caught up with HTC and the company ended 2011 with a whimper instead of a bang. HTC has promised that change is coming, however, and it looks like the vendor plans to deliver. BGR exclusively revealed details surrounding the mid-range HTC Ville and the high-end HTC Edge/Endeavor last November, and at that time we said both smartphones would be unveiled at Mobile World Congress. Will HTC indeed take the wraps off these two sleek smartphones on stage at today’s event? Does the vendor have any other devices in store at this year’s show? HTC’s press conference is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. EST / 11:30 a.m. PST (8:30 p.m. local time in Barcelona), so hit the break for all the news as it unfolds. More →
