company - Programming Blog

Posts Tagged ‘company’

21 Jan 2010

All eyes are on Apple as the company prepares to unveil its Tablet device next week. But the dominant force in the e-reader market – Amazon – is about to shake things up in a major way by announcing what amounts to an app store for Kindle.

According to The New York Times, a formal announcement from Amazon will come on Thursday. The company expects developers to build a wide range of applications, from new ways to experience e-books to games and utility apps.

And just like iPhone, there’s going to be lots of money to be made: developers will keep 70 percent of the revenue from app sales. Content publishers also stand to make more money — the NYT reports that the app store model may represent a shift in Kindle’s relationship with newspapers and magazines, as those companies currently receive just a 30 percent cut of sales.

This is a huge development that completely changes the dynamics of the impending Tablet wars. Developers will suddenly have two huge new markets to target, content publishers will have some leverage in negotiating deals with Amazon and Apple, and consumers will have a lot more to think about when it comes to choosing which device sits in between their mobile phone and their desktop computer.

Tags: amazon, apple, Apple Tablet, gadgets, Kindle, software

Go to Source

No Comments
Tags: Amazon, app, Apple, Apple Tablet, company, content publishers, device, dominant force, e reader, formal announcement, Kindle

Microsoft Sues TiVo

In: web resources

21 Jan 2010

Microsoft has filed suit against TiVo, specifically accusing the company of infringing on its video purchasing and delivery patents. This comes just days after a lawsuit was filed by TiVo against AT&T, one of Microsoft’s biggest customers.

The best way to explain this complicated series of affairs is through a short timeline. Here’s the summary of what’s happened thus far:

– Last August, TiVo sued AT&T and Verizon over several patents involving its DVR technology. TiVo has succeeded in the past with these lawsuits, most notably winning $103 million in damages from EchoStar last year.

- If the lawsuit were to succeed, it could take down AT&T’s U-Verse TV service, which is powered by Microsoft technology. Specifically, Microsoft powers the video delivery platform and digital recording tech utilizing its Mediaroom technology.

- Thus, in defense of its partner and lucrative customer, Microsoft intervened in the lawsuit on January 15, asking to join the case on the side of AT&T.

- Now Microsoft’s decided to turn up the heat on TiVo by launching its own lawsuit. In a statement to Bloomberg, Microsoft said the following: “We remain open to resolving this situation through an intellectual-property licensing agreement, and we have initiated discussions to engage TiVo in negotiations.”

- Essentially, Microsoft’s offering TiVo the chance to settle this affair before it goes to court, but it doesn’t look like TiVo is backing down.

TiVo may be emboldened by the fact that it’s set a precedent of winning these types of lawsuits, but facing Microsoft’s legal muscle is probably the company’s biggest challenge yet. The future of DVR technology could be at stake if a court does eventually decide this case.

[via: WSJ]

Tags: att, lawsuit, microsoft, tivo

Go to Source

(3) Comments
Tags: company, delivery platform, lawsuit, legal muscle, Microsoft, microsoft technology, technology, TiVo, u verse tv service, video delivery

Twitter Exec: No IPO in 2010

In: web resources

21 Jan 2010

In a video interview with Bloomberg, Twitter COO Dick Costolo said his company will not try to make an initial public offering this year, but instead focus on expanding and making more money.

That’s further affirmation of Twitter’s apparent strategy; co-founder Biz Stone said a month ago that he and his colleagues “are definitely not interested in selling the company.”

Costolo said he expects revenue growth from a new advertising platform that’s coming “very soon,” commercial accounts with analytics features for tracking tweets and traffic, and at least 10 more distribution deals in the future. Twitter has drawn some criticism because the company’s revenues are low for its $1 billion valuation. That is clearly a concern within the company, and something that needs to be addressed before an IPO. “Now we have to go build the business the business that lives up to that valuation,” Costolo said.

Expansion into new areas and features is part of the plan despite slowing growth (or maybe in response to it), but Costolo didn’t go into specifics in the Bloomberg video. He did say that the company will be aggressive in making acquisitions of companies that have something to offer in the areas into which Twitter wants to expand.

Reviews: Twitter

Tags: dick costolo, ipo, social media, twitter