| Warner Music Group says streaming services now account for 25 percent of digital revenue Aug 9th 2012, 19:41  We've been seeing plenty of evidence that streaming music services like Spotify, Pandora and Rdio are pulling in more folks than ever, and we now also have a good idea of how that growth is affecting the bottom lines of music labels. In its third quarter earnings report, Warner Music Group revealed that streaming services now account for a full 25 percent of the digital revenue for its recorded music group. As AllThingsD reports, that translates to 8 percent of Warner Music's total revenue for the quarter, or about $54 million in all. What's more, that growth in streaming appears to be a net plus for the company all around, as it's apparently not cutting into traditional sales of digital music (at least, not yet), and is also bigger than the decrease in sales of physical media. Filed under: Internet Warner Music Group says streaming services now account for 25 percent of digital revenue originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  AllThingsD |  Warner Music Group | Email this | Comments | | Apple reportedly price matching iPhone discounts from carriers and other retailers Aug 9th 2012, 19:36  According to a leaked screengrab hosted up at MacRumors, Apple retail shops now have the authority to price match carrier and rival retail discounts on iPhone. Specifically, the note informs employees that prices from Best Buy, "carriers," Radio Shack and Target can be matched, with $49.01 seeming to be the savings across the board. Curiously, places like Wirefly, Amazon, Negri Electronics and even Walmart aren't mentioned, so we wouldn't recommend trying to work the price down based on ads seen from any of those. The note also mentions the iPhone 4 and 4S exclusively, and we're fairly sure this sort of goodwill won't ever been applied to iPad, Mac hardware or pretty much any other Apple kit. Of course, crazier things have happened. We've reached out to Apple for comment, and will update this article should it choose to reply. Filed under: Cellphones Apple reportedly price matching iPhone discounts from carriers and other retailers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | MacRumors | Email this | Comments | | General Motors invests in NanoSteel, hopes to lighten its load Aug 9th 2012, 19:19  What's the simplest way to improve fuel efficiency? Build a lighter car, of course. That's GM's plan, at least, and it's taking its first step toward a more efficient future by investing in a nano-structured materials design firm called NanoSteel. "Over the next several years, light-weighting of vehicles will be a major focus area to improve fuel economy." GM's Jon Lauckner said of the deal. The nano-structured Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) GM's betting on has the potential to shave excess pounds off of a vehicle without sacrificing structural integrity. It's easier to work with too, and can be shaped and cut without being heated. The size of GM's contribution to the cause hasn't been disclosed, but NanoSteel CEO Dave Paratore seems encouraged by the partnership, stating that it will allow them to "accelerate the final phases of development" for its nano-structured AHSS. Maybe together, the two firms can meet President Obama's 2025 mileage goal. Read on for the official press release. Continue reading General Motors invests in NanoSteel, hopes to lighten its load Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation General Motors invests in NanoSteel, hopes to lighten its load originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Wired | | Email this | Comments | | OTA Update Center encourages PC-free upgrades for custom Android ROMs Aug 9th 2012, 18:57  Over-the-air firmware updates are mainstays for most smartphone platforms, but custom ROM builders have rarely had such a luxury, even with Android. The OTA Update Center wants to shoulder that noble burden. Along with simply hosting the updates to prevent outrageous bandwidth bills, the Center enables everything an Android ROM creator might need, such as update checks, on-device firmware flashing and wiping either a cache or all user data for the more dramatic upgrades. In practice, the real perk is the cost: it's free to use, so everyone from hobbyists to seasoned teams can take advantage. While the list of those either using or planning to use the OTAUC isn't public, we're hoping it leads to a few more experimental builds of CyanogenMod and other ROMs that can now get the same tender loving care as the official code. Filed under: Cellphones OTA Update Center encourages PC-free upgrades for custom Android ROMs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink XDA-Developers, The Verge | OTA Update Center | Email this | Comments | | Gartner reports Western Europe desktop shipments down, portable PCs up in Q2 2012 Aug 9th 2012, 18:39  When it comes to technology and the end of a financial quarter, you can bet your wage there'll be an analyst report or two letting you what's what. And according to Gartner's latest estimates for Western Europe, PCs didn't fare too well in Q2 of this year, with a 2.4 percent decrease in shipments compared with the same period in 2011. Consignments of mobile PCs (read: not tablets) grew by 4 percent, while desktops floundered, dropping 12.8 percent. Of this, a minor growth of 0.4 percent was recorded in consumer PCs, while the professional market decreased by 5.3 percent. Among the big hitters, HP remained at the top of the pile despite losing some market share, and Acer remained in second position with a mild increase in the same. ASUS put in a healthy performance, moving the company up to bronze medal position, while Dell dropped off the podium to fourth. The vendor statistics for the whole region were echoed in France in Germany, but during the quarter Apple managed to break into the top five in the UK market. Meike Escherich, principal analyst at Gartner, attributes the overall performance to economic uncertainty in the region, as well as lackluster demand in the wait for Windows 8 machines. We don't want to spoil all the fun, so a comprehensive breakdown of the numbers awaits you at the source link. Filed under: Desktops, Laptops Gartner reports Western Europe desktop shipments down, portable PCs up in Q2 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TechCrunch | Gartner | Email this | Comments | | MIT Media Lab's Tensor Displays stack LCDs for low-cost glasses-free 3D (hands-on video) Aug 9th 2012, 18:16  Glasses-free 3D may be the next logical step in TV's evolution, but we have yet to see a convincing device make it to market that doesn't come along with a five-figure price tag. The sets that do come within range of tickling our home theater budgets won't blow you away, and it's not unreasonable to expect that trend to continue through the next few product cycles. A dramatic adjustment in our approach to glasses-free 3D may be just what the industry needs, so you'll want to pay close attention to the MIT Media Lab's latest brew. Tensor Displays combine layered low-cost panels with some clever software that assigns and alternates the image at a rapid pace, creating depth that actually looks fairly realistic. Gordon Wetzstein, one of the project creators, explained that the solution essentially "(takes) the complexity away from the optics and (puts) it in the computation," and since software solutions are far more easily scaled than their hardware equivalent, the Tensor Display concept could result in less expensive, yet superior 3D products. We caught up with the project at SIGGRAPH, where the first demonstration included four fixed images, which employed a similar concept as the LCD version, but with backlit inkjet prints instead of motion-capable panels. Each displaying a slightly different static image, the transparencies were stacked to give the appearance of depth without the typical cost. The version that shows the most potential, however, consists of three stacked LCD panels, each displaying a sightly different pattern that flashes back and forth four times per frame of video, creating a three-dimensional effect that appears smooth and natural. The result was certainly more tolerable than the glasses-free 3D we're used to seeing, though it's surely a long way from being a viable replacement for active-glasses sets -- Wetzstein said that the solution could make its way to consumers within the next five years. Currently, the technology works best in a dark room, where it's able to present a consistent image. Unfortunately, this meant the light levels around the booth were a bit dimmer than what our camera required, resulting in the underexposed, yet very informative hands-on video you'll see after the break. Continue reading MIT Media Lab's Tensor Displays stack LCDs for low-cost glasses-free 3D (hands-on video) Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment MIT Media Lab's Tensor Displays stack LCDs for low-cost glasses-free 3D (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | MIT Media Lab | Email this | Comments | |
