MySpace Plans iTunes ‘Killer’ April 04, 2008

Read more Digital Audio , Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , MP3 , Mobile Devices , Music

Hot on the heels of Amazon MP3, social networking site MySpace has announced plans to launch a music download service to rival iTunes.

Called MySpace Music, the service has the backing of Sony BMG, Warner Music and Universal which will act as partners in the venture. It will offer DRM-free downloads, paid for videos, free music streaming and a host of music-related activities like tickets sales and music merchandise.

EMI is the only big music publisher not in on the deal but MySpace CEO and co-founder, Chris De Wolfe, thinks that it’s only a matter of time. Talking about the new service, De Wolfe said:

iPhone Price Slashed To £78 – In Germany, Damn It April 04, 2008

Read more Apple , Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Mobile Devices , Mobile phones , Smartphones , iPhone

T-Mobile in Germany has made just about the most dramatic iPhone-related decision since the product launched, by slashing the cost of the device to €99 (£78), down from €399.

This is either a stroke of genius or, a sign of desperation that the iPhone is not selling as well as they’d like. Between April 7 and June 30, lucky Germans will get the stylish 8GB model for £78. The catch is that they will have to opt for T-Mobile’s top iPhone contract, the 2-year Complete XL, which costs around £70 per month. Still, even regular folk get a good deal.

Windows XP Life Extended To 2010 April 04, 2008

Read more Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Laptops , Mobile Devices , Software , Technology

Whether it’s just good business or Microsoft bowing to customer pressure, the software giant has just announced that it is extending the life of Windows XP Home on what it calls ‘the new class of mobile personal computers called ultra-low-cost PCs, or ULCPCs’

The company confirmed that the current deadline of June 30, 2008 will no longer apply and that OEMs will be able to buy the OS until June 30, 2010, ‘or one year after general availability of the next version of Windows’, codenamed Windows 7.

ULCPCs – I know, another dumb acronym - are essentially cheap mobile devices that, faced with running Microsoft’s resource-hog Windows Vista, would fall over and die.

LaCie’s Triple-Interface HDD Looks As Good As Ever April 04, 2008

Read more Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , PC , Peripherals , Portable Media , Storage

LaCie was smart to get Neil Poulton designing its hard drives because they look damn fine - as always.

This is another one looking like the slab from in the 2001: A Space Odyssey but adds an extra dose of functionality by adding very useful Firewire 400 and eSATA interfaces alongside the usual USB 2.0 port.

The drive comes clad in the usual sexy black mirrored finish with its cool blue LED strip. It’s not all style though since Poulton’s sturdy chassis features natural heat dissipation thanks to bottom plate holes.

iTunes Tops US Music Charts April 04, 2008

Read more Apple , Digital Audio , Entertainment , Gizmodo UK , MP3 , Music , Online , iPod

iTunes has managed to topple retail giant Wal-Mart in the US to become the biggest music seller.

According to NPD’s MusicWatch survey, iTunes finally surpassed Wal-Mart, using the criteria that 12 downloads is the equivalent of one CD. The news highlights the growing shift in music buying habits away from traditional retail outlets.