Another week has come and gone and we are a week closer that that wondrous day parents look forward to all summer — back to school! Lots of goings on this week and much of it was centered on mobile phones. Spotify announced that it would have an official app available on the iPhone that works for subscribers on Premium packages. Monday, a bit more light was shed on the much anticipated Android donut update, alas it’s said to not be the OS 2.0 update we hoped for and won’t have multitouch.
Samsung have unveiled their latest HDTV range, the 8500-series, complete with local dimming for the LED backlighting and Yahoo!’s widget engine. Available in 46- and 55-inch sizes, the 8500-series supports 1080p High Definition playback, with a 7,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 2ms response time and 1.6-inch thick chassis.
Confirming what we reported earlier on today, Microsoft and Yahoo! have officially announced a 10 year partnership to collaborate on search technology as well as search advertising. The deal will see Microsoft gain access to Yahoo!’s “core search technologies” to integrate them into their Bing search engine, which moving forward will be the “exclusive algorithmic search and paid search platform for Yahoo! sites”.
Video interviews with Microsoft and Yahoo! after the cut
Microsoft and Yahoo! have finally reached an agreement on an online search and advertising partnership, according to an internal source. While the deal is yet to be publicly confirmed by either company – something expected within 24hrs – it’s believed to involve Microsoft’s Bing search engine powering Yahoo! searches, while the latter company will manage advertising sales using Microsoft technology. The news is being positioned as the two firms’ strike back against Google, who have pretty much cornered the market in both online search and advertising.
Sharp launched their AQUOS D-Series this morning in Japan, which shows a real effort to enter the Internet-equipped TV market. By means of an Ethernet connection, these TVs can hook up to the Internet and stream content straight onto the screen.
A new version of Yahoo Music hit public beta today and it is a serious change from previous versions. In fact, the entire approach is different. The site now works like a hub for all other media content sites, directing you to others to make purchases and take a listen.
At a press conference at CES 2009 today, Samsung announced the latest generation of their Interactive TV Experience, with HDTVs integrating DLNA media streaming, online video from sites such as YouTube, streaming movies from Netflix and similar providers, connected Yahoo! Widgets, and media such as photos, video, music and stocks. Yahoo! are calling this Cinematic Internet, bringing user choice, openness, community and customization to the television screen, controlled solely by a remote control.
LG today announced their new NetCast Entertainment Access system that brings Yahoo!, Netflix and YouTube content directly to selected models in the company’s HDTV range. Both LCD and plasma TVs with the NetCast technology will be available, starting with the 47- and 42-inch LH50 LCD models and 60- and 50-inch PS80 plasma models.
Samsung and Yahoo! have announced the 2009 availability of the Yahoo! Widget Engine, a set of internet-enabled feeds that can be viewed on select models from Samsung’s HDTV range. The fifth-generation of the platform, Widget Engine now has access to Flickr, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Weather and Yahoo! Finance, as well as USA Today, YouTube, eBay and Showtime. Connectivity is either via standard ethernet or optional USB WiFi dongle.
Steve Ballmer would like you to know that, if you’d rather not bother with Windows Vista and instead just kick back until the Microsoft’s next-gen OS Windows 7, that’s okay with him. I mean, he’d prefer you to upgrade now – in fact, if he was you then he’d definitely be installing Vista, probably right this second – but Microsoft will be there waiting for you when you want Windows 7. Speaking at the final Gartner Symposium ITxpo keynote in Orlando yesterday, the Microsoft CEO defended Vista adoption rates as well as protesting claims that the company’s upcoming OS is a “minor release”.
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