Apple Users Download 35 Million Books

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that iTunes users had downloaded 35 million books  and audiobook on iTunes and is now launching iTunes 10.

Tech blog GDGT quoted Jobs as saying: “People have downloaded over 11.7 billion songs from iTunes, and we’re just about to cross 12b. Over 450 million TV episodes, 100 million movies, 35 million books, and over 160 million accounts with credit cards and 1-click shopping in 23 countries.”   Media Bistro

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Browse for books and audio books at Simonandschuster.com

The multimedia section also features audio interviews with authors and offers contests where participants can enter to win a free download of entire audio books. Finally, if you register with the site for free, you can post and read other teen reviews of audio books they have read or particular authors they are hooked on. Kansas City Star

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Some ways to get anti-social on networks

The age of social media has made it easier than ever to stay connected with the people you know, but it has also made it almost inevitable that users will come to feel overwhelmed by interruptions, updates and status reports. So now, the technology that turned people into 24/7 communicators has spawned a tool kit that discreetly lets users be just a tad antisocial on their own networks. Washington Post

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Murdoch may be key to Apples plan to offer 99 cent digital rentals of TV shows

Apple plans a six-month trial of 99-cent rentals for each episode of a TV show. The digital downloads would be viewable on the iPad, above, and other devices. (Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press / January 26, 2010)

Executives of the media baron’s News Corp. are said to be split over whether to go along with the plan. NBC, CBS and Single episodes of such popular shows as “Glee” or “Lie to Me” are available to purchase for as much as $3.99 at Apple’s iTunes store. Some executives of News Corp., which owns the Fox network, worry that offering 99-cent episode rentals will cut into lucrative DVD sales and pull viewers away from watching network TV, thereby eroding a $20-billion advertising market, these people said.Time Warner are opposed, while Disney is in favor. LA Times

The Best eReaders Compared Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Reader Throw Down

With Amazon’s recent announcement that digital e-books outsold hardcover books for the first time, and paperbacks destined to a similar fate in the near future, we can safely say the e-book revolution is upon us. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that the devices upon which we read those books — digital e-readers, tablet computers, smartphones — are anywhere near their final form. Last December, we took a look at the most popular e-readers on the market, and, while many companies have made only incremental alterations to their lineups since then, a few new additions and serious price-drops among others have vastly changed the landscape.  Switched

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Ryan Seacrest, Larry King plotting airwaves takeover

“American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest is just not satisfied with his 50+ jobs — he is now plotting world media domination, starting with Larry King. According to TMZ, Seacrest is reportedly in talks to produce/distribute a new syndicated radio show Larry King. Radio is where both Seacrest and King got their starts, many moons ago.

This move is part of a mega-media empire Seacrest is planning with DreamWorks Animation Chief Jeffrey Katzenberg that would include radio, TV and the internet. Seacrest’s contract with Clear Channel media, where he currently does his morning radio show, is up in November.  Zap2it

How to react when Social Media Attacks Your Brand

Social media disasters occur for a number of reasons, the first being that your company probably messed up. It may not have been intentional, but something, somewhere down the line, went wrong enough for someone to complain and it was enough for others to vocalize that complaint en masse. One mistake is all it takes for social media to turn against your brand.

TOY STORY 3 The first animated film to gross $1 Billion

Woody and Buzz are the gifts that just keep giving.

TOY STORY 3 has recently crossed the $1 billion mark, Disney announced Friday. That makes the sequel the first animated film to reach that milestone.

It’s more good news for a studio that’s having a very, very good year at the box office. In addition to Toy Story 3, Disney’s 3D fantasy film Alice in Wonderland also took in $1 billion. DVD Town

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Rivals to Apples iPad ready to take the stage

Big-name manufacturers will unveil their answers to the iPad this week as Apple is due to launch a raft of new products.

Samsung and Toshiba are expected to lead a tablet charge at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin on Thursday, hours after a San Francisco media event where an annual update of Apple’s iPod range is expected.  FT.com

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Google plans pay per view films

Google’s YouTube video site is in negotiations with Hollywood’s leading movie studios to launch a global pay-per-view video service by the end of 2010, putting it head-to-head with Apple in the race to dominate the digital distribution of film and television content.

Google has been pitching to the studios on the international appeal of a streaming, on-demand movie service pegged to the world’s most popular search engine and YouTube, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.  FT.com

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