As the wireless networks prepare for inauguration traffic jam, there are plenty of ways that users will be utilizing the Internet to stay up to date on their inauguration coverage, just as they did with the election. Of course Hulu has it covered, and has even gone so far as to provide an embeddable countdown:
Digital Music Sales Up 25 Percent
The digital music business saw solid global expansion in 2008, growing by an estimated 25 percent to $3.7 billion, according to a report from the industry trade group IFPI.Digital platforms now account for around 20 percent of recorded music sales, up from 15 percent in 2007. Despite this the music industry is still plagued by large amounts of unlicensed music distributed online. The IFPI estimates over 40 billion files were illegally shared in 2008, giving piracy a rate of about 95 percent.
Google Earth Gets A Better View Of D.C.
Some people have spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars to be in D.C. during the presidential inauguration. For those folks who are interested but couldn’t find the money (or just didn’t feel like camping on someone’s lawn), Google Earth has at least unveiled some new imagery of the area.
Microsoft Jumps on the News Alert Bandwagon
Google has been offering news alerts for years. It’s been a handy way to get updates on particular topics of interest via your inbox, or more recently, your feed reader.
Wireless Networks Prepare For Inauguration Traffic Jam
With the 2009 Presidential Inauguration taking place Tuesday, wireless companies are working to optimize their network capacities in and around Washington, D.C. to prepare for the expected increase in demand."For months, wireless carriers have been working hard to prepare for what could be an unprecedented Inauguration week," said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association.
YouTube Offering Downloadable Videos
YouTube is now allowing downloads of some of the videos it hosts. While competing sites have offered the ability to download videos for some time, this is not a feature that YouTube has made available.
Mobile Phone Users Confused By Technology
The complexity of mobile applications and services is preventing their adoption and usage, according to a survey by mobile device management company Mformation.The majority (95%) of consumers said they would be more likely to try new mobile services if setup was easier. Difficult setup issues are also preventing 45 percent of people from upgrading to new, more advanced mobile phones. More than half (61%) of these mobile users say phone setup is a frustrating as changing a bank account.
iPhone Version of iGoogle Dropped
Last year, Google was kind enough to tailor a specific version of its personalized homepage tool iGoogle, to the ever-popular iPhone. They even offered a video showing how nice and convenient it would be for iPhone users.
Google Reflects on Knol’s First 5 Months
Knol is a service from Google that lets people write "authoritative articles about specific topics." Recently, the 100,000th "knol" was published since the service’s launch in July.
RIAA Hearing To Be Broadcast Online
On Thursday, the Recording Industry Association of America will confront yet another university student in court over file sharing allegations. This time, though, the RIAA may have to do so in front of an unfriendly audience, as U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner has agreed to allow live online coverage of the hearing.