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Will Secretary of State Clinton's "Internet Freedom Agenda" Finally Get Traction?

Kara Swisher in News on February 16, 2011 at 7:09 am PT

Yesterday, in a major policy speech in Washington, D.C., Secretary of State Hillary Clinton jumped on the Internet bandwagon again, unveiling a $25 million government investment for entrepreneurs to allow dissidents to thwart “thugs, hackers and censors.” Since that’s about the amount a third-string social photo-sharing site gets while walking down University Avenue in Palo Alto, Calif., from venture capitalists with bags of money to spend, let me just say the money is, well, underwhelming. Clinton’s speech, thankfully, was much better.

One Down: Spotify Signs Sony to U.S. Deal

Peter Kafka in Media on January 19, 2011 at 4:18 pm PT

This doesn’t get them into the States, but it gets them a lot closer: Music service Spotify has finally signed with Sony for a U.S. distribution deal. Multiple sources tell me the deal, which has been very close since last fall, is now closed.

Voices

Early Adopter: The Daytum iPhone App Visualizes Your Life (and Lunch) as Data

Drake Martinet, Associate Editor, All Things Digital in News on January 10, 2011 at 11:03 am PT

Want to do some serious numerical navel-gazing like the pros? Need to know how many eggrolls you’ve eaten this year? How about finding out at what bus station you are most likely to give change away? Daytum might be the app for that.

D: Dive Into Mobile: The Full Interview Video of Spotify's Daniel Ek

Kara Swisher in News on December 16, 2010 at 9:05 am PT

And today, here’s Spotify’s Daniel Ek singing for his supper. Well, not in the U.S. as yet, where the Swedish CEO and co-founder of the innovative streaming music service has not been able to make good on his promise to strike deals with music labels.

What Privacy Problem? Web Ad Targeter Media6Degrees Raises $17 Million

Peter Kafka in Media on December 12, 2010 at 9:00 pm PT

More money for a Web ad start-up that promises marketers it can sniff out prospective buyers by tracking their “social signature.”

Voices

House Committee Asks Professor to Censor Facebook Remarks

Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on December 3, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

In an unusual move, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection asked a Columbia University Law School professor to censor his remarks in a hearing about online privacy legislation. “We as members of Congress are never inclined to censor testimony in open congressional hearings,” Rep. Zachary Space, an Ohio Democrat, said when introducing the professor, Eben Moglen. “But Congress tries to foster highest level of decorum. I would ask you to avoid personal attacks against any companies or company employees.”

Xbox Kinect: Just How Controlling Can a Body Be?

Katherine Boehret in The Mossberg Solution on November 23, 2010 at 3:26 pm PT

Xbox Kinect does well with games involving more natural gestures and motions, but its games using objects, like a bowling ball, need more work, says Katie.

A Store, a Cloud Service and Sharing: Here's What Google Music Might Look Like

Peter Kafka in Media on September 15, 2010 at 10:13 am PT

A download store, a music locker and the ability to share some of your music with your friends, for $25 a year. That’s what Google would like its music service to look like, according to a new report. There aren’t any deals in place yet, so the reality may look entirely different. But it sounds good on paper….