AS NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGY

Sky News: A Mobile Way Of Life For Youngsters

2006-09-19T20:17:00.000+01:00

Sky News: A Mobile Way Of Life For Youngsters: "A more common sight
A more common sight
A New Mobile Way Of Life
Updated: 04:09, Tuesday September 19, 2006

More than half of all 10-year-olds own a mobile phone, according to a new report.

By the time they go to secondary school at the age of 12, more than 90% of children have their own phone.

The findings, compiled in the Mobile Life Youth Report, reveal the growing importance of mobile phones in children's lives.

More than four out of 10 girls aged 15 to 17 said they would 'feel unwanted if a whole day went by when my mobile phone did not ring'.

The survey shows most children seem to be encouraged to use a phone by their family.

Three in four youngsters had their phone bought for them by their parents and half had their calls paid for by their parents.

Charles Dunstone, from The Carphone Warehouse, said mobiles had become the most important electronic device for young people.

'It provides them with a social network, a sense of security and access to entertainment,' he said."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Download fans boost music sales

2006-08-25T01:11:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Download fans boost music sales: "Download fans boost music sales
Woman listening to Rokr phone, AP
Record labels should make more of mobile opportunities
Online piracy is not solely responsible for dwindling sales of recorded music, says a report.

Media analysts Screen Digest said broader cultural trends and the debut of DVD had left many consumers with much less to spend on their music collections.

But the boom in sales of music through online portals will help to offset the decline in sales, said the report.

However, the decline will only be halted by 2010 Screen Digest predicts.

Competition time"

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Media | YouTube takes on music giants with free video downloads

2006-08-18T07:44:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Media | YouTube takes on music giants with free video downloads: "
YouTube takes on music giants with free video downloads

Esther Addley
Friday August 18, 2006
The Guardian

A little over a year ago it did not exist. Today it is viewed more than 100m times a day and has become one of the most spectacular success stories of the internet in recent years.

But the dazzling influence of the video filesharing website YouTube may have only just begun, after the site announced plans that observers say could revolutionise the music industry and threaten even the online music giant iTunes.

YouTube's popularity has been based on the facility it offers users to post short home videos, usually of about five minutes, on the site, which other users can view, link to and share.

Yesterday, it declared its intention to become a mainstream entertainment player, announcing plans to post on its site a copy of every single music video ever made. Like the rest of its content, they would be free to view and download. It is that innovation that net watchers say could threaten Apple's iTunes service, which charges users to download videos."

Video Channel

2006-08-15T08:02:00.000+01:00

Video Channel: "Sky News Video Podcasting
Sky News Video Podcasting

Sky News is expanding its groundbreaking video podcasting service.

Now you can get the latest video headlines downloaded to your computer, iPod or multi-media player four times per day.

We hope you enjoy this new service from the Sky News Interactive team."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Young drive 'radical media shift'

2006-08-10T14:30:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Young drive 'radical media shift': "Young drive 'radical media shift'
Teenager on internet
Young adults are moving away from traditional media
The 'networked generation' is driving a radical shift in media consumption, says UK telecoms regulator Ofcom.

Sixteen to 24 year olds are spurning television, radio and newspapers in favour of online services, says the regulator's study.

The 2006 Ofcom report also found that increasingly households are turning to broadband and digital TV.

And it notes 1.8 million homes are now using their broadband connections for internet telephone calls.

This generation has grown up with new technologies - and it is this generation for whom the uptake is instinctive
Spokesman, Ofcom

The Ofcom report analysed industry and consumer trends in television, radio and telecommunications during 2005-6.

It discovered young adults, whom it has dubbed the 'networked generation', are embracing new technologies much more quickly than the general population.

Sixteen to 24 year olds, it reports, spend nearly three hours on the net each week."

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | Searching for a mobile interface

2006-08-06T07:38:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | Searching for a mobile interface: "Nearly a quarter of phones returned for being faulty are working properly, a recent survey suggested. The problem is people just cannot figure out how to use them.

TV on a mobile phone
Handset design has changed little but supports ever more functions

As manufacturers struggle to pack in more features, mobile phone users struggle to get them to work.

'There's a common idea in psychology that users can only cope with a certain number of choices at once,' explains Geoff Kendall of Next Device, 'And that number is roughly seven, plus or minus two.

'So anything more than between nine or five choices then users will get confused and actually only look at the top few items anyway.'

With increasing depths of lists and menus making the user experience more complex, designers are looking for ways to help users to understand what is happening on the screen. A popular solution is animation."

BBC NEWS | Business | Britons 'dependent on mobile use'

2006-07-24T07:58:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Business | Britons 'dependent on mobile use': "Britons 'dependent on mobile use'
Man using mobile phone
Mobiles have had a huge impact since their launch 21 years ago
More than 90% of UK mobile users cannot get through the day without using their phone, a survey suggests.

Among younger users, 9% admitted being addicted to their phones and feeling out of control of how they used them, the Yougov poll of 16,500 people found.

The study, commissioned by Carphone Warehouse, also found many women relied on their phones as a form of security.

Fifty-four per cent of females under 25 had used a mobile when out alone to put people off approaching them, it found.

The mobile has become a new 'barrier' for women to fend off unwanted attention, where a newspaper or magazine would have been used in the past, the study said.

Overall, 21% of the people polled admitted using a mobile as a means to stop people approaching them."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Press&publishing | Sun to put Premiership on readers' mobile phones

2006-07-12T18:51:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Press&publishing | Sun to put Premiership on readers' mobile phones: "Sun to put Premiership on readers' mobile phones

Stephen Brook, press correspondent
Wednesday July 12, 2006
MediaGuardian.co.uk

The Sun and the News of the World are to offer mobile phone users clips of Premiership games from next year.

The two papers, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News International, have signed a three-year deal with BSkyB, also part of the Murdoch empire, after the broadcaster won the rights to the mobile phone package.

The websites of both newspapers will give mobile phone users access to highlights of all 380 Premiership matches and clips from many live games from the 2007-08 season.

'This is a great step forward for the Sun and News of the World,' said Mike Anderson, the managing director of News Group Newspapers, the News International division that includes the two titles.

'Already our newspapers and their online platforms offer our consumers world-class sports coverage. This agreement with Sky Sports will allow us to transmit clips from live football matches directly to mobile phone users.'"

BBC NEWS | UK | How 7/7 'democratised' the media

2006-07-07T21:49:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS UK How 7/7 'democratised' the media: "
How 7/7 'democratised' the media

By Torin Douglas
Media correspondent, BBC News

It may not be the most significant legacy of the London bombings, but 7 July 2005 marked a turning point for the media.
That was the day the phenomenon of 'user-generated content' (UGC) or 'citizens' journalism' came into its own in Britain, as members of the public took over the roles of photographers and news correspondents.
That day, the BBC received 22,000 e-mails and text messages about the London tube and bus bombings.
There were 300 photos - 50 within an hour of the first bomb going off - and several video sequences.
With events happening largely underground, far removed from the eyes of the media professionals, the mobile phone camera came into its own, helping illustrate the day's horrific events in a way that would not have been possible before.

Stills from passengers on the Tube led the BBC News bulletins
The public's photos of the bus with its roof blown off helped confirm this was a bomb and not a power surge, as London Underground had first suggested. "

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Advertising | 'Bloke Coke' gets £8m rollout

2006-07-03T18:07:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Advertising | 'Bloke Coke' gets £8m rollout: "
2pm
'Bloke Coke' gets £8m rollout

Watch the ad

Mark Sweney
Monday July 3, 2006

Coca-Cola ad
Coke Zero: the new brand will use an unprecedented amount of outdoor and digital marketing

Coca-Cola is gearing up for its biggest marketing push for a new product since the introduction of Diet Coke 22 years ago, with a new brand that will be marketed to men as 'bloke Coke'.

The firm's UK arm is backing the launch of the sugar-free drink, called Coke Zero, with a record £8m budget for the first six weeks alone - more than was spent on the main Coke brand over the last year, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

The summer timing of the advertising campaign will be a blessing for ITV, which will receive a much-needed cash injection from the TV campaign.

The broadcaster is set to slip below £100m in ad revenues for July and August for the first time in 12 years."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | New media | BBC broadband popularity soars during World Cup

2006-06-30T06:28:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | New media | BBC broadband popularity soars during World Cup: "BBC broadband popularity soars during World Cup

Mark Sweney
Thursday June 29, 2006

The BBC has received more than 1.7m requests to watch matches over its broadband service in the first two weeks of the World Cup, with weekday games while fans are at work proving the most popular viewing time.

Germany v Costa Rica, the opening World Cup match at 5pm on June 9, has been the most popular so far with BBC broadband users, attracting 153,909 requests.

The broadband viewing figures, measured up until the end of the group stage of the World Cup last Friday, means that each match averaged 75,157 successful requests across the 23 games shown on the BBC.

Other games with more than 100,000 requests include England v Paraguay, Serbia & Montenegro v Holland and USA v Czech Republic.

The figures are likely to arouse the interest of the TV Licensing agency. Earlier this month, a spokeswoman for the agency, which is operated by London congestion charge firm Capita, said it would be 'ringing on the doors' of companies it suspected did not have a TV licence during the World Cup.

If caught without a licence, firms could face a fine of up to £1,000."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Radio | Record number of online visits to Ambridge

2006-06-30T06:27:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Radio | Record number of online visits to Ambridge: "Record number of online visits to Ambridge

Leigh Holmwood
Thursday June 29, 2006

Fans of The Archers catching up with the latest goings-on in Ambridge via the internet gave the Radio 4 soap the highest-ever online listenership for a BBC programme last month.

The soap recorded 756,730 listens via the internet in May - beating its own previous record of 650,782, set the month before.

Programmes can be listened to on demand on the BBC's website for a week after they are first broadcast.

During May, The Archers included storylines such as Alistair finally admitting to his wife that he owed £100,000 in gambling debts to the ruthless Matt Crawford; an accident with baby George leading to Ed Grundy's mysterious disappearance; and Brian Aldridge, Ambridge's richest farmer, causing turmoil among his family as he toyed with the futures of his step-children.

The Archers helped clock up a monthly total of nearly 3m hours of Radio 4 content listened to online in May."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Wi-fi pioneers offer cheap router

2006-06-27T16:27:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Wi-fi pioneers offer cheap router: "Wi-fi pioneers offer cheap router
Wireless internet
Fon aims to create a global community of wi-fi users
A Spanish firm is to sell subsidised routers as part of a plan to turn domestic wi-fi networks into public hotspots.

Fon will sell wi-fi routers, which allow people to surf the net wirelessly, for $5 (£2.75).

The company, which has financial backing from Google and Skype, aims to create public wi-fi networks street by street across the US and Europe.

'Wi-fi is universal in cities, but access isn't,' said Juergen Urbanski.

Mr Urbanski said Fon was aiming to have 50,000 working hotspots worldwide by September, 150,000 by year-end and one million hotspots by the end of 2007."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | BBC and ITV team up to launch mobile television

2006-06-05T17:04:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | BBC and ITV team up to launch mobile television: "BBC and ITV team up to launch mobile television

James Robinson, media business correspondent
Sunday June 4, 2006
The Observer

Some of the country's biggest broadcasters, including ITV and the BBC, have formed an unprecedented alliance to develop a TV service that will broadcast live to mobile phones.

They will announce a six-month trial tomorrow, in conjunction with Samsung and LG mobile phones, which will test the market for 'mobile television'. Together with other partners, including Eurosport and Cartoon Network (owned by US media giant Time Warner), they will make six channels available on handsets, which will broadcast live and continuously. Services will include BBC News 24 and one of ITV's popular digital channels. The package is likely to be expanded if the trial is a success."

Guardian Unlimited Arts | Arts special reports | Planet Funk - the first band to release a single by phone

2006-05-31T12:24:00.000+01:00

Guardian Unlimited Arts | Arts special reports | Planet Funk - the first band to release a single by phone: "Planet Funk - the first band to release a single by phone

Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Monday April 10, 2006
The Guardian

Planet Funk
Stop Me if you can ... Planet Funk

Anglo-Italian band Planet Funk will next month become the first to release a single exclusively via mobile phones and the latest to engage in a game of technological one-upmanship that is changing the rules of the charts.

This month Crazy by Gnarls Barclay became the first track to hit No 1 on the strength of digital downloads alone. Sales of the CD appeared to be boosted when it was released in the shops a week later. Planet Funk, who are already successful internationally, hope that by selling their single Stop Me exclusively via downloads on mobile network 3 from May 8, the attendant publicity boost and marketing efforts of the phone network will help them to follow suit."

Guardian Unlimited Arts | Arts special reports | Fifty-quid bloke gives way to MP3 woman

2006-05-31T12:23:00.000+01:00

Guardian Unlimited Arts | Arts special reports | Fifty-quid bloke gives way to MP3 woman: "Fifty-quid bloke gives way to MP3 woman

Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Monday May 15, 2006
The Guardian

Women using digital downloads to circumvent intimidating record shop assistants are driving a resurgence in music sales, according to research.

The fifty-quid bloke, the marketing name for middle-aged men credited with boosting record sales by buying piles of CDs, has been superseded by a new breed of female music fans.

The belief that growth in the market was coming from older male fans sparked a rash of magazines aimed at that niche. But research by the media group Emap shows that the huge popularity of MP3 players such as Apple's iPod has now fuelled an increase in sales to women."

Podcast girl launches album

2006-05-21T16:00:00.000+01:00

Podcast girl launches album: "Podcast girl launches album
8.34AM, Sun May 21 2006

The singer/songwriter who broadcast her gig on the internet is celebrating the release of her first album with Sony BMG.

Scot performer Sandi Thom broadcast the gig to 70,000 people on the internet, from the basement of her flat in Tooting, South London."

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Q&A: The future of gaming

2006-05-14T16:50:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Q&A: The future of gaming: "Q&A: The future of gaming
People trying out games at E3
Gamers are able to try out the latest innovations at E3
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3, is the world's largest trade show for the computer games industry.

The three-day event is taking place in Los Angeles, a chance for companies to tout their forthcoming hardware and software.

The BBC News website technology editor Alfred Hermida is at the conference and answered some of your questions on the future of gaming.

Q: I'd like to know about the online services the new consoles offer.
Stephen Murray

Sony seems to be following the lead of Microsoft with its online service. So for example, you will be able to buy and download tracks for its Singstar karaoke game, much like you can download music videos on Xbox Live. It is hard to judge which online network is better until both Sony and Nintendo launch their new consoles.

Q: Is anyone going to make an"

BBC NEWS | Technology | Nintendo shows new games console

2006-05-14T16:49:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Nintendo shows new games console: "Nintendo shows new games console
By Alfred Hermida
Technology editor, BBC News website in Los Angeles

Nintendo Wii remote
The Wii controller contains a motion sensor
Nintendo has shown off its new Wii games console with its unorthodox motion-sensing controller, arguing it will help draw more people to gaming.

But it shied away from setting a launch price or date at a US news conference, ahead of this week's E3 games expo.

'Our goal is expanding the number of people playing games,' said Satoru Iwata, president of the Japanese firm.

Sony's PlayStation 3 is due out in November, while Microsoft released its Xbox 360 last year.

Swing a sword"

BBC NEWS | Technology | Nintendo steals the show at E3

2006-05-14T16:48:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Nintendo steals the show at E3: "
Last Updated: Sunday, 14 May 2006, 00:24 GMT 01:24 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Nintendo steals the show at E3
By Alfred Hermida
Technology editor, BBC News website in Los Angeles

People queuing at the Nintendo stand
Queues for the Nintendo Wii stretched around its stand
If success was judged by the size of the queues at this week's E3 games expo, then Nintendo would win hands down.

Fans waited in line for hours to have a go at the new Wii console and its unorthodox motion-sensing controller.

Nintendo's Wii (pronounced 'we') stole the show in Los Angeles, which is one of the key events of the games industry.

It managed to overshadow Sony's much vaunted PlayStation 3 (PS3), even though this was the first time buffs were able to play games on the new system.

As E3 entered its final hours on Friday afternoon, the queues to play the PS3 had vanished."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Will 'fourplay' be the next big thing?

2006-05-09T19:10:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Will 'fourplay' be the next big thing?: "Will 'fourplay' be the next big thing?
The shape of tomorrow's communications industry is becoming clearer, says technology commentator Bill Thompson.

NTL home
Companies looking to offer more than TV
Convergence is in the air again, but this time the focus is not on multi-media phones or bizarre combinations of functions like pacemakers with integrated MP3 players and DAB radios.

The real interest at the moment is convergence at the service delivery end, following NTL's purchase of Virgin Mobile last week and Sky's earlier acquisition of internet service provider Easynet.

Virgin TV, as the combined NTL/Virgin business is likely to be branded later this year, will be the first combined communications company in the UK to offer cable TV, broadband, and both fixed-line and mobile telephone services to its customers.

Most people call this 'quadplay', though Virgin's Richard Branson prefers the seaside postcard-level double entendre of 'fourplay', and it is being pushed as the next big thing for communications companies, whether they started off in telephony or television."

Yahoo to Introduce New Technology Channel - Yahoo! News

2006-05-01T07:29:00.000+01:00

Yahoo to Introduce New Technology Channel - Yahoo! News: "Yahoo to Introduce New Technology Channel

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Business Writer 1 hour, 44 minutes ago

SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) on Monday plans to unveil a new section aimed at helping consumers cope with the onslaught of new technology that's reshaping modern life.
ADVERTISEMENT

The new channel, dubbed 'Yahoo Tech,' represents the Internet powerhouse's latest effort to grab a bigger piece of the rapidly growing Internet advertising market.

The section will include 19 different categories devoted to an array of products, including laptop computers, cell phones, digital cameras and high-definition television."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Sky could lure customers with cheap broadband

2006-04-08T07:23:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Sky could lure customers with cheap broadband: "Read today's paper
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Special report: BSkyB | Television

Sky could lure customers with cheap broadband

· Satellite viewers could get cut-price internet access
· Move would be 'typical Murdoch', says TV rival

Jane Martinson
Friday April 7, 2006
The Guardian

Satellite television subscribers could be given cut-price access to broadband services under proposals being considered by BSkyB as part"

BBC NEWS | Technology | 3G mobiles 'change social habits'

2006-04-03T07:12:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | 3G mobiles 'change social habits': "3G mobiles 'change social habits'
By Adam Blenford
BBC News website

Woman using a 3G mobile
So-called High Street hedonists use 3G mobiles while shopping
Increasing use of 3G mobile phones can change the way people communicate and create new social trends and tribes, a behavioural study has suggested.

The study said the combination of still and video cameras on modern phones, and the advent of high speed data transfer, can inspire a generation of users.

Bloggers, film-makers and clubbers all benefit from 3G phones, it said.

Analysts Future Laboratory said the report was the first ethnographic survey of 3G use across the UK.

3G is the next generation of mobile phone technology, offering a wide range of high speed mobile services, including video calling and messaging, e-mail, games, photo messaging and information services.

Free to use

Researchers studied the phone habits of 10 groups of friends between the ages of 16-35 over six weeks in a range of UK cities."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Mobile phone TV begins in Japan

2006-04-03T07:10:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Mobile phone TV begins in Japan: "Mobile phone TV begins in Japan
A prototype mobile phone with an LCD screen
Japanese mobile users can now watch TV on their phones
Mobile phone users in Japanese cities can now watch digital TV on compatible mobile phones for the first time.

The service is not the world's first, but it has the potential to be the biggest, by reaching more subscribers than in any other country.

Finding new phones in Japanese shops has proved difficult as only limited quantities have been produced so far.

Japan's 90m mobile phone users can already play video games, send emails and check websites on tiny handsets.

The new service has been carrying test transmissions for several months and will remain free while mobile operators assess its potential and the number of subscribers.

Broadcasters Nippon Television, Fuji Television and TV Asahi are among the companies which have signed partnerships with mobile operators."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Crazy song makes musical history

2006-04-02T21:21:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Crazy song makes musical history: "Crazy song makes musical history

Gnarls Barkley
Listen to clips
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley has made pop history as the UK's first number one song based on download sales alone.

Until this month, download sales could only count towards a chart position if the song could also be bought in shops.

But under new rules, downloads can be counted as long as physical copies go on sale the following week.

The song, used in ads for Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show, has been downloaded more than 31,000 times on all internet sites, a spokesman for HMV said."

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | Japanese comics go mobile

2006-03-26T19:51:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | Japanese comics go mobile: "Japanese comics go mobile
Richard Taylor

By Richard Taylor
Editor, BBC Click Online

From texting to surfing the internet and making video calls, the ways in which mobile phones can be used seem to be ever expanding. In Japan, another string has been recently been added to the mobile bow with the launch of electronic books and comics specifically for phones.

A woman reading a novel on her mobile phone
Will mobile e-books help relieve commuting boredom?
Two-thirds of Japan's 80 million people are using their mobiles in ways which would make the rest of us gasp in astonishment.

Here you can use your phone to alleviate many of the more mundane things life tends to throw up, everything from paying for your groceries, to letting yourself back into your apartment.

Catering to the drudge of the daily commute, an entirely new phenomenon is catching on.

You can either while away an hour-long train journey getting lost in a paperback, or alternatively you could bury your head in some absorbing prose on a screen two inches (4cm) wide.

Wireless Watch Japan's Daniel Scuka says: 'Japan is a very literate country. Literacy is a lot higher than in many Western countries.

'People read newspapers and novels a lot, they actually consume the written word quite strongly. Cer"

Georgia College Pushes for iPod Ingenuity - Yahoo! News

2006-03-19T14:25:00.000+01:00

Georgia College Pushes for iPod Ingenuity - Yahoo! News: "MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The campus of Georgia College & State University boasts traditional college fare — spacious greens, historic architecture and a steady stream of students with the familiar white headphones of iPods dangling from their ears. But here in the antebellum capital of Georgia, students listening to iPods might just as well be studying for calculus class as rocking out to Coldplay — after the school's educators worked to find more strategic uses for the popular digital music and video players.
ADVERTISEMENT

At least 100 of the rural school's employees are turning iPods into education or research tools — impressive for a college with only about 300 faculty. But it's more than simply making class lectures available — a practice now routine at many colleges and even a few high schools.

History professor Deborah Vess asks students to download 39 films to their video-capable iPods so she doesn't have to spend class time screening the movies. Psychology professor Noland White has found a new-age answer to office hours: a podcast of the week's most asked questions.

And the 5,500-student campus has organized a group of staff and faculty to conjure up other uses for the technology. Called the iDreamers, the team bats around ideas that could turn iPods into portable yearbooks and replace campus brochures "

BBC NEWS | Technology | Wi-fi promises internet shake-up

2006-03-09T08:52:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Wi-fi promises internet shake-up: "Wi-fi promises internet shake-up
By Mark Ward
Technology Correspondent, BBC News website

Men using wi-fi
Businesses are expected to be big users of wi-fi
There is a good reason why the biggest wi-fi zones in the UK are in the City of London and Canary Wharf, with widespread wireless access being touted as the force behind the net's next wave of innovation.

The first wave centred around the dotcom boom of the late 1990s when lucrative domains were snapped up, fledgling web businesses were established and everyone got dizzy on the potential of this new medium.

Some of that potential is starting to be seen now in what is being called Web 2.0.

This takes as its starting point the basic infrastructure of the net and the communities forming on it, and marries both with innovative thinking about what to do with these raw materials."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | New media | Kiss FM diary that's become Bridget Jones for podcasters

2006-02-22T07:53:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | New media | Kiss FM diary that's become Bridget Jones for podcasters: "Kiss FM diary that's become Bridget Jones for podcasters

Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Tuesday February 21, 2006
The Guardian

What Bridget Jones did for chick-lit and call girl Belle de Jour did for blogging, an anonymous London student threatens to do for podcasting.

Her weekly musings on her colourful sex life, her relationship with her parents and her calorie counting obsession have propelled the broadcasts into the top 10 most popular in the UK. It is one of several recent podcasting hits which threaten to take the burgeoning medium into the mainstream. The show, which can be downloaded free to MP3 players, is also gaining a growing audience in the US, where it features among the top three most popular 'audio blogs' on the US version of Apple's iTunes Music Store.

Just as online diaries, or blogs, have allowed members of the public to reach large audiences over the internet, the explosion in iPod sales threatens to do the same for audio and video podcasts.

The podcast project is the brainchild of Kiss FM breakfast DJ Bam Bam. The student delivers the broadcast by voicemail. Bam Bam plays clips of the broadcasts, transcribed and disguised through a voice synthesiser, on his breakfast show for the London radio station and points listeners towards the"

BBC NEWS | Technology | Broadband growth speeds forward

2006-02-21T19:20:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Broadband growth speeds forward: "Broadband growth speeds forward
Broadband in the home
The majority of homes are becoming wired for broadband
More and more people in the UK are jumping on the internet's fast lane, official figures show.

Broadband now accounts for 64% of all net connections in the UK, according to figures for December released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Dial-up appears to be in terminal decline, with connections down by a third compared with last year.

The growth of broadband is been fuelled by its widespread availability and competitive prices.

End of dial-up?

It has been a remarkable period of growth for high-speed net access. In January 2001, when the ONS began compiling net data, broadband accounted for less than 1% of connections."

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click Online | Mobile TV finally gets moving

2006-01-15T21:08:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click Online | Mobile TV finally gets moving: "We have been talking about mobile TV for several years, but so far the services have been limited and the technology not quite up to the job. Ian Hardy found at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that things seem to be coming together.

Video mobile
The mobile TV market has struggled to take off in recent years

They were everywhere at CES: devices to transport your favourite TV shows and video clips wherever you go.

The shrinking screen provides an expanding market, and the cell phone is at the centre of it.

Verizon Wireless, for example, plans to dramatically increase the number of downloadable video clips it offers its V Cast customers."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | US downloads beat CD sales

2006-01-13T18:21:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | US downloads beat CD sales: "US downloads beat CD sales
Apple iTunes homepage
Apple's iTunes is one of the popular legal download services
Music fans in the US are buying almost twice as many singles in digital form over the internet as they are on CDs from stores, according to a report.

Some 7.7 million tracks were bought and downloaded since the end of June - compared with four million CD singles sold, Billboard magazine reported.

The figures show the success of new legitimate music download services."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | New media | HMV boss is first victim as internet price war batters the high street

2006-01-13T11:19:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | New media | HMV boss is first victim as internet price war batters the high street: "HMV boss is first victim as internet price war batters the high street

� Book and music chain sees profits wiped out
� Boss admits he was wrong about appeal of web

Julia Finch, city editor
Friday January 13, 2006
The Guardian

The internet shopping revolution claimed its first big high-street scalp yesterday when the boss of HMV and Waterstone's quit as the group blamed the combined power of online retailers and the supermarkets for plummeting sales.
Alan Giles handed in his notice after unveiling the worst Christmas trading figures of any big UK retailer so far, particularly at the HMV chain. He said there had been 'a quantum jump' in online sales in recent months, while the supermarkets - especially Tesco and Asda - had once again turned the screw on price. The rise in popularity of music downloads has also undermined the traditional high-street music retail business."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Mobile TV is not a turn-on, BT trial finds

2006-01-13T11:18:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Mobile TV is not a turn-on, BT trial finds: "Mobile TV is not a turn-on, BT trial finds

� Phone users prefer to listen to digital radio
� Results of survey likely to disappoint operators

Richard Wray
Friday January 13, 2006
The Guardian

Mobile phone users are more interested in listening to digital radio through their handsets than watching mobile television services, according to research unveiled yesterday, and are only willing to pay about �5 a month for the privilege of catching up with their favourite shows on a phone's small screen."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Rumours fly about Apple's plans

2006-01-10T18:39:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Rumours fly about Apple's plans: "Rumours fly about Apple's plans
Steve Jobs launching iPod Nano
The announcement of the iPod Nano surprised many
As Apple fans gather in San Francisco for the annual Macworld conference, speculation is rife about what exactly founder Steve Jobs will announce.

He will kick off the conference with a keynote speech on the opening day - 10 January - and, as usual the event is cloaked in secrecy.

The buzz this time around is likely to be around computers, analysts agree.

An Intel-powered Mac Mini, iBook or PowerBook are all being touted as possible announcements from Mr Jobs.

Apple is currently shifting away from the PowerPC chip it has used for years to chipsets built by Intel."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Press&publishing | Barnes spearheads News International women's launch

2006-01-10T17:06:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Press&publishing | Barnes spearheads News International women's launch: "Barnes spearheads News International women's launch

Claire Cozens, press and publishing correspondent
Tuesday January 10, 2006

News International has hired the former New Woman publisher Augusta Barnes to take charge of its first weekly women's magazine.

Ms Barnes joins as publisher of Love It, which launches next month and will compete with real-life titles including as Take a Break and Chat.

She was previously publisher of Emap's New Woman and Top Santé, but left the company last year.

Love It launches on February 6 with a cover price of 60p, although the first issue will be sold at half price.

The new title launches at a competitive time for the real-life sector, with the National Magazine Company gearing up to launch its new magazine, Real People.

H Bauer and IPC, the leading publishers of real-life magazines in the UK, are likely to retaliate with their own price-cutting measures."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Marketing & PR | Cadbury sponsors Street for £20m

2006-01-10T17:04:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Marketing & PR | Cadbury sponsors Street for £20m: "Cadbury in £20m Street deal

Stephen Brook, advertising correspondent
Tuesday January 10, 2006

Cadbury
Coronation Street: expected to become a key target for product placement

Cadbury Schweppes today renewed its sponsorship of Coronation Street in a £20m deal - the largest broadcast sponsorship agreement anywhere outside the US."

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Sky offers subscribers movie downloads

2006-01-10T17:02:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Broadcast | Sky offers subscribers movie downloads

Horror Fans Welcome 'Hostel' - Yahoo! News

2006-01-08T20:56:00.000+01:00

Horror Fans Welcome 'Hostel' - Yahoo! News

Photo Practice

2006-01-08T01:31:00.000+01:00

Galloway's Big Brother Triumph

2006-01-07T19:33:00.000+01:00

MediaGuardian.co.uk | Overnights | TV ratings: January 5: "Celebrity Big Brother triumphs with Galloway

Jason Deans, broadcasting editor
Friday January 6, 2006

Celebrity Big Brother - George
Celebrity Big Brother: now faces a sterner challenge from ITV's new reality format, Soapstar Superstar. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Channel 4's surprise signing of George Galloway for Celebrity Big Brother proved a ratings masterstroke last night, with nearly 8 million watching the controversial MP enter the house.

The show attracted 7.6 million viewers - a 31% audience share - between 10pm and 10.15pm, when Galloway was the last of the 11 contestants to leave his limo and walk into the house, according to unofficial overnights."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Teenagers reach out via weblogs

2006-01-07T14:12:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Technology | Teenagers reach out via weblogs: "Teenagers reach out via weblogs
By Jo Twist
BBC News Online science and technology staff

Girls using a computer
The gender spilt in blog use is 50-50
Teenage boys and girls are using blogs, easily publishable online diaries, in many more similar ways than has been predicted, according to a study.

Previous studies on gender and the net have suggested girls communicate better, and more often, than boys.

But US researcher David Huffaker's study of 70 blogs contradicts this.

He found the gender split in blog use was 50-50. But worryingly, teens tended to reveal more personal details on blogs than in chatrooms and forums."

How to dress your children like whores- Bratz, 27/11/05, Pippa's Wrath

2006-01-07T13:31:00.000+01:00

How to dress your children like whores- Bratz, 27/11/05, Pippa's Wrath: "How to dress your children like whores- Bratz
Yesterday, whilst persusing the aisles of Woolworths in Coventry i stumbled across the kids toys. I though to myself, you know what, i'll have a look at the Barbies and see how they're coming along. You see, as a child i owned many a Barbie, and many accerssories for that matter. One of my happiest memories is my Mum and Dad buying me a princess Barbie for my (6th?) birthday. I loved Barbie, I really did. Now I know all the arguments about how demeaning they are to women (how if you actually made a lifelike size Barbie she would be a complete freak with abnnormally large boobs, a minscule waiste and freakishly long legs) and i do agree, but as a blissfully unaware child i loved them and had many a joyful day dressing them and hacking at their hair. So, as you see, Barbies are part of my childhood, a much loved part of my childhood."