Google may run fine with the new music search feature.

Google Inc. started out 13 years ago as a simple search engine, but it has grown into a behemoth that has shaken up dozens of industries, including computers and cellphones.
On Wednesday, it jumped into the music industry.
The Mountain View, Calif., Internet giant unveiled a music search feature that lets users play millions of songs for free with an option to buy or rent them from several online music stores.
Although not a direct threat to Apple Inc.'s hugely popular iTunes store, the new feature is expected to bolster the music services that compete with iTunes.
The move was applauded by the music industry, which has been struggling against piracy that has siphoned off billions of dollars of potential revenue from musicians and recording studios.
The industry is hoping the search feature will direct users to legitimate digital music outlets and in turn help them compete with free but often unauthorized sources of music.
"We're trying to get consumers to interact with some of these more legitimate services," said Thomas Hesse, president of global digital business for Sony Music Entertainment.
"Having Google step up and support this is a positive development."
Google formally rolled out the much anticipated search tool Wednesday at the Capitol Records building in Hollywood with scheduled performances by rock groups OneRepublic and Linkin Park.
But Google, which last month accounted for about 70% of Web searches in the U.S., said it wasn't interested in competing with digital music retailers such as iTunes and Amazon.com Inc.
"We're not in the music business per se," said R.J. Pittman, Google's director of product management. "We don't license the music nor sell the music directly on Google. We are merely a music search feature."
But in steering millions of Internet users to its partner sites, Google is indirectly boosting the sites' abilities to compete with iTunes, which was responsible for 69% of U.S. digital music sales in the first six months of this year, and 35% of all music sales, including physical albums, according to market research firm NPD Group Inc. Amazon, the second-largest player, accounted for 9% of digital music sales and 10% of overall music sales.
Up-and-coming start-ups such as Lala Media Inc. as well as longtime players such as RealNetworks Inc.'s Rhapsody have tried to gain an edge over iTunes and Amazon by offering lower prices or different features.
Lala, for example, lets buyers listen to an entire album once free of charge before they buy. It also sells Web-only songs for as little as 10 cents a track, and downloadable MP3s for 89 cents.
iTunes typically charges 99 cents or more per song. Rhapsody, in comparison, gives subscribers unlimited access to more than 6 million songs for a monthly fee.
Millions of people already use Google to look for music on the Internet and learn more about bands.
The search engine last week accounted for 30% of referral traffic to music-related sites, according to Experian Hitwise, a firm that tracks Internet traffic. At any point, two of the top 10 terms searched using Google are music-related, Pittman said.
With the new tool, the song that's being sought would appear on Google's search page. A search for Coldplay, for example, would yield the band's album cover art alongside four popular songs that users can play once free of charge. Once a song has been played, they will be able to hear only a 30-second sample.
To hear more, users would need to click to one of Google's music partners, including Lala, Rhapsody, Pandora Media Inc., Imeem Inc., and News Corp.'s MySpace Music.
"Technology has made music more affordable and more instantaneous than ever," said Bill Nguyen, co-founder of Palo Alto, Calif.,-based Lala. "Google is helping people to find and listen to what they like with virtually no effort. When you make it easier for people, they tend to buy more music."

 

http://www.latimes.com

Microsoft Exec Warns On Windows 7 Upgrade Hack

Just because something is technically possible doesn't mean it's legal. That's the message Eric Ligman, global partner experience lead inMicrosoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Worldwide Partner Group, is sending this week to bloggers who claim to have found a way to circumvent Microsoft's rules and perform a clean install of Windows 7 using upgrade media.

Cost savings is the motivating factor here: The Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade sells for $80 less than the full version, and the Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate upgrades are $100 less than full price. However, Microsoft's EULA only allows Windows 7 upgrades to be installed on PCs that have a previous version of Windows already installed.

Ligman, whose knowledge of Microsoft's complex licensing terms is nearly as vast as the lawyers who drew them up, often warns of the dangers of violating Microsoft's EULA, which include potential Business Software Alliance audits and a host of other costly legal hassles.

"For those of you without an existing Windows license to upgrade from, you should be aware that an upgrade license by itself is not a license to install and run Windows on your computer," Ligman wrote in a Tuesday blog post.

Added Ligman: "In order to upgrade, you need to have a qualifying license to upgrade from. Again, that's why it is called an 'upgrade.'"

Ligman also called out unnamed sources who've recently published instructions on how to use a Windows 7 upgrade disk to install Windows 7 on a blank hard drive. "Regardless of what any hack says, a Windows 7 upgrade is an upgrade," Ligman wrote in the blog post.

The same situation arose after Vista's launch when users figured out that Vista upgrade media could be installed on a blank hard drive, and then installed a second time to activate it as an upgrade. When Microsoft failed to close the loophole in Vista Service Pack 1, some pundits suggested that Microsoft had included it intentionally in order to make Vista more appealing to sophisticated customers.

Ligman's response to those claims was much more pointed.

"The fact that there are people writing articles advising people to illegally install software that they are not licensed for 'because they can get it to physically install' just shows how clueless some people are and how willing they are to share that with others," Ligman wrote in an April 2008 blog post.

 

http://www.crn.com/

Verizon: Who Needs the iPhone?

To stay ahead of AT&T and Apple, Verizon is placing a big bet on Android smartphones and other new gadgets

 

Can Verizon Wireless keep its spot as the leading wireless company in the U.S. if it doesn't have the industry's hottest phone?

Lowell McAdam, the company's chief executive, is trying to make the case that it can. Two years ago, Verizon Wireless passed on the chance to become the exclusive U.S. distributor of the Apple (AAPL) iPhone and pushed Apple into the arms of rival AT&T (T). Since then the iPhone has become a megahit, helping AT&T close the gap with Verizon. In the most recent quarter, AT&T added 2�million wireless subscribers, bringing its total to 81.6�million, while Verizon Wireless added 1.2�million, for a total of 89�million.

Now, McAdam is launching a slew of products designed to keep Verizon ahead. In the fourth quarter the company is rolling out its largest new-product lineup ever: 14 devices, vs. half that number a year ago. Among those will be two netbooks and five smartphones, including the Droid phone from Motorola (MOT), a sleek device with a touchscreen and keyboard that runs on Google's (GOOG) Android operating system. The new products are backed by an unusually aggressive marketing campaign. In one TV spot, Verizon takes direct aim at Apple with a series of "iDon't" quips that explain all the things an iPhone can't do. "The Droid can compete head to head" with the iPhone, says John Stratton, chief marketing officer of Verizon Wireless.
Too Many New Offerings?

Verizon's strategy is bold but risky. With the Droid and another phone from HTC, Verizon is placing a big bet on the unproven Android. The software is popular with techies and has attracted enough support from developers that 10,000 apps are available for download to Android phones, but it hasn't yet caught on with consumers. In addition, Verizon risks confusing customers with the sheer number of devices it's introducing. "Greater choice is not a guarantee of a greater quarter," says Richard Doherty, research director at Envisioneering Group.

McAdam and Stratton are firing up Verizon's marketing machinery to win over consumers. The Droid will be backed by Verizon's biggest marketing campaign ever for a single device, and total marketing spending will increase 5% to 10% in the current quarter from last year. Stratton says the anti-Apple vibe will be toned down in favor of ads that underscore the features of its phones and the reliability of its network compared with AT&T's. Verizon has said it is still interested in selling the iPhone if Apple is amenable.

Verizon is experimenting with new marketing approaches. For several weeks in November, the company has rented time on two huge electronic billboards in New York's Times Square that will show real-time results of searches people make on their Android phones. Verizon is also planning to transform Droid, the moniker for the Motorola phone, into a brand name for a whole lineup of Android devices.
Google Could Be the Key

Verizon's success may ultimately depend on how the partnership with Google works out. As cell phones become more sophisticated computing devices, wireless companies need Silicon Valley firepower to compete. Google has helped boost the number of wireless applications available on Android phones, but analysts say it has to step up its marketing of Android to gain ground on Apple. "When the iPhone was associated with Apple iTunes, that really meant a lot to consumers," says Ken Dulaney, an analyst at researcher Gartner (IT). "You want to know that the [Android] app store is being run by Google."

 

http://www.businessweek.com/

GPS system puts Droid phone on the map

When it comes to GPS car navigation, the new Droid phone from Verizon Wireless could change everything.
That's right -- from a phone.
Mounted to the windshield with an optional holder, it provides a voice-activated GPS system with so much potential that mainstream GPS companies may have to scramble to catch up. Someday.
It's not quite there, however, as a consumer-friendly navigator. But the possibilities for the Droid as a GPS guide as well as a smart phone are enticing.
The phone, which Verizon announced Wednesday, will go on sale Nov. 6 for $199 (with a two-year contract). It's the first to be powered by Google Inc.'s updated mobile software, Android 2.0.
The navigation system, which is the software's most prominent new feature, is included in the base price.
With Google in its corner, the Droid can use the Web search giant's excellent mapping and navigation tools, including tracking down addresses, finding businesses by name, mapping routes and even displaying real-life photos of locales.
And of course it's a phone, too, with features obviously designed to challenge the king of telecommunications cool, Apple Inc.'s iPhone.
But maybe not for long. At a news conference earlier in the week, Google executive Vic Gundotra said the company has been talking with Apple about bringing the navigation system to the iPhone (which already has available a GPS system from TomTom International that costs $100).
Gundotra would not give details on the talks.
For now, Verizon and Motorola Inc., which makes the touch-screen Droid, have exclusive use of Android 2.0. Its features include the ability to use several applications at once as well as Web surfing, e-mailing and instant messaging. As with the iPhone, other apps can be added.
Unlike the iPhone, it comes with a slide-out, real-world keyboard, but that makes the Droid a good bit heavier than the Apple phone.
There are also two optional devices to go with it -- a car cradle to attach the phone to the windshield or dash, and a charger dock that turns the phone into a table-top alarm clock. They also go on sale Nov. 6, but Verizon and Motorola representatives declined to say how much they will cost.
The Droid is not only a chance for Google and Verizon to shine, but also troubled Motorola, which is badly in need of a hit.
It's the navigation system that's sure to catch attention, especially at first.
Here's how it did during go-home rush hour in Los Angeles.
First, the positives: The location/search engine was fantastic, which was of little surprise. I used the voice command mode (which was hit and miss, but mostly hit when I was in a quiet car) to input addresses that were quickly found.
It then came up with quite reasonable routes (locals usually know some tricks that GPS units don't). The on-screen maps, showing the turn-by-turn directions, were easy to understand, as was the voice announcing turns (including street names).
All in all, a classy presentation. And if you touch the little figure of a person on-screen, it shows you a real-life picture of the destination, if available.
The software also worked well when, instead of an address, I asked for the name of a restaurant. And when I asked it to find "Mexican restaurants," dozens of search results popped up.
The downsides mostly had to do with the hardware. The touch screen and especially the buttons were not responsive enough for easy use, and just getting to a screen to input voice commands was a chore.
Not much about the process was intuitive. Over time, it might get closer to second nature, but it was not consumer friendly at first.
Although the navigation system, right out of the box, was clumsy to operate, a preliminary look at other aspects of Android 2.0 found them to be at least as useful as in the 1.0 version that came out a year ago -- and that's a compliment.
No matter how successful the Droid is, there is already a winner that has earned money off of it. Or rather, just from the name.
Motorola had to license the smart phone's name from a film company dominated by one of the most successful movie makers of all time. Here's a hint: 3-CPO and R2-D2.
Yes, Lucasfilm Ltd., of "Star Wars" fame, owns the trademark to Droid.

 

http://www.latimes.com/