Spotify goes offline

Spotify are developing an Android app that allows you to listen to your music offline as well. Going on the Tube, but still want to hear that funky music - no problem: The app will cache a few tracks for you, whilst you're offline.

Read more:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/28/spotify_offline_and_mobile/

Will the web get clever on our streams?

An interesting article on social network data streams and the semantic web. I think it's all about creating standards and the data-mining after.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/activity_streams_poetry_or_nihilism.php

Pre-rolling on YouTube

YouTube are going to trial pre-roll ads in the UK. I'm dead against this and I think it's one of the things that has made YouTube so successful is a lack of these forced ads. I guess this trial will see some large scale feedback on the subject.
Personally I think the way forward is highly targeted ads, like facebook provides. The video that someone is watching can mean far better targeted ads, than I currently see on YouTube.

Read more:
http://www.marketingvox.com/youtube-pilots-pre-rolls-across-uk-network-content-044166/

BOO! The Sound of Twittering?

Is AudioBoo the sonic version of Twitter? In the three months since it launched it's become the popular way to say something online. Stephen Fry using it must have been a springboard for its success. But then again our very own Mr Mason has AudioBooed already, which can only have increased its popularity:
http://audioboo.fm/boos/11729-eye-of-the-tiger

Will people find vocally twittering as popular as the 140 characters? Only time will tell, but with iPhones becoming ever more popular, it's probably easier than typing in the 140 characters.

Read more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/may/26/audioboo-youtube-twitter

Twitter to remain ad-free

Twitter will stay ad-free says founder Biz Stone. Apparently they've still got plenty of money and therefore time to find a way to monetise Twitter. Time will tell if there is any money to be made, and if they can find it in time!

http://www.marketingvox.com/twitter-to-remain-ad-free-founder-says-044139/

Google's unreliable service

Google's been slow, GMail has been down, UStream was down when we wanted to use it today. What's the future for these unreliable online services? Can we trust them? Without any guarantees, I don't know. At least Rackspace have 99.9% guaranteed up time.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8051262.stm

Up launches Cannes Film Festival 2009

Disney-Pixar's UP will be the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival, the first time that an animation has opened Cannes.

Read all about it here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/may/13/pixar-up-cannes-film-festival-review