Ina Fried in Mobile on May 24 at 10:04 am PT
Android developers can now charge for apps on a monthly or yearly subscription basis, with Google processing the payments.
News Byte
Tricia Duryee in Commerce on May 2 at 10:43 am PT
The Verge is reporting that next week Microsoft is planning to sell subscriptions for the Xbox, similarly to how wireless carriers sell phones. Under the plan, the Xbox plus Kinect will cost $99 plus $15 a month for two years, including access to the Xbox Live Gold service and its streaming TV and music. Right now, the package appears to be cheaper than paying upfront for the console, though that doesn’t factor in any future price discounts for the aging hardware.
Peter Kafka in News on December 22, 2011 at 12:25 pm PT
“Old fogey discs” are a billion-dollar business for Reed Hastings and company. But if you want to see how badly Netflix wants out, go ahead and try to give someone a DVD gift subscription today.
Tricia Duryee in Commerce on December 20, 2011 at 5:37 pm PT
Revenue from mobile and social games, among other categories, is growing, but not at a fast enough clip to offset the declines witnessed in the traditional games market.
Arik Hesseldahl in News on December 8, 2011 at 8:59 pm PT
Tech prognosticator Mark Anderson is back in New York with his annual predictions for the world of tech in 2012.
Liz Gannes in Social on December 7, 2011 at 10:15 am PT
Facebook will “imminently” launch a plugin for publishers and public figures to ask their readers to subscribe on Facebook directly from their own Web sites.
Peter Kafka in Media on November 10, 2011 at 4:20 am PT
Spotify may be the future. But right now the industry is dominated by iTunes and a phone fad most of you forgot about years ago.
Voices
Loretta Chao, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in Social on September 9, 2011 at 5:00 am PT
Viadeo, a professional networking site operator aiming to compete with LinkedIn by dominating non-English speaking markets, is throwing its weight behind Chinese subsidiary Tianji despite regulatory challenges.
Voices
Loretta Chao, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in Social on September 7, 2011 at 12:00 am PT
In China, where Internet users often expect freebies, individual members of an online dating service are exchanging dozens of love notes every day at 30 cents a pop.
Peter Kafka in Media on August 19, 2011 at 7:30 am PT
No need to replicate iTunes or Spotify or anything else that’s already on the market. If BBM Music thinks small — and it looks like it is — it could work.
