Access your music from anywhere at any time

Apple, Best Buy, Google, and Amazon are all launching their version of a music cloud service.  So just what is that?  A music cloud service lets users upload all types of media files -- pictures, videos, ebooks, and music from almost any electronic device including computers, smartphones, and smartpads.  What's exciting for users of this service is they could store, access, and stream their entire music collection from almost anywhere.

The service names and providers are as follows: 
Apple --> iCloud
Best Buy --> Music Cloud
Amazon --> Cloud Drive
Google --> Music Beta 

From the Hollywood Reporter.....

NEW YORK -- Netflix and Miramax on Monday unveiled a multi-year agreement, under which Netflix streaming members in the U.S. will get to access movies from the Miramax film library, including Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Bad Santa, Scream, Spy Kids, The Piano and Kill Bill.

The deal marks the first time that Miramax titles have become available through a digital subscription service.  Beginning next month, Netflix will have access to several hundred Miramax movies, with dozens of titles being added on a rotating basis, the companies said.  Financial terms weren't disclosed, and the companies didn't detail which movies will be available when.

The new Miramax team under CEO Mike Lang, a former News Corp. business development executive, has made digital a key focus.

"Netflix is thrilled to enter into this deal with the new team at Miramax," said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. "Existing relationships with management and a shared affinity for these great films make this an important deal for both companies and for our members, who will enjoy instantly watching movies from one of the truly great film libraries for many years to come."

DirecTV has been in negotiations with four big movie studios to release feature length films just 60 days after they release in theaters.  At the industry's annual convention CinemaCon held in Las Vegas, an all out brawl nearly broke out when this news was leaked out.  The four major film studios in talks with DirecTV are Universal Studios, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and Sony.   This news couldn't come at a worse time for movie theater owners who have watched their revenues plummet as movie goers are opting to stay at home or wait for the DVD release. 

DirecTV is planning to offer these movies as part of their Video On Demand (VOD) service.  The movies would be able to be viewed on your television at a cost of $30.  Typically movies aren't available on DVD until three to four months after their theatrical release.  And movie theater owners see this deal as a direct assault on their businesses.  However they already have two allies, directors James Cameron and Todd Phillips, who each voiced their opposition to the situation.

Just Me

Back in June Hulu announced its new service, Hulu Plus, on its blog.  Hulu is a well-known, free, video-on-demand service that offers a variety of TV shows and movies from ABC, NBC, and FOX and other network studios that users can stream on their PC's.  The website's popularity has grown very fast and now they are expanding their distribution to other platforms.  With Hulu a user has their choice of watching many shows currently running on broadcast television such as Glee, Modern Family, 30 Rock, and Desperate Housewives.  But what about shows on other networks or previous seasons?  And why can't I watch Hulu on my TV like Netflix?  Hulu Plus came along and answered those questions. 

With Hulu Plus you will have access to previous seasons of shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Ally McBeal, The X-Files, and Law and Order: SVU.  And you don't have to be sitting in front of your computer either.  Hulu Plus is offered on the Playstation 3, iPad, the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4, the 3rd generation iPod Touch, Samsung internet-connected TVs, and Blu-ray players.  And just recently they've added some more devices -- Tivo and Roku.  It is also said that other internet-connected TVs manufactured by Sony Bravia and Vizio as well as the XBox 360 will be added in early 2011.  

The Internet’s most powerful presence

I landed on a great story the other night about one of the most-used and most powerful search engines in the world.  CNBC reporter Maria Bartiromo took a look Inside the Mind of Google.  It started off briefly with the history of the now giant-sized company of casually dressed programmers and computer geeks started in 1998 by two Stanford graduate students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page.  Of course one can only assume that Google would employ some of the brightest minds on earth.  The company appears to be a great place to work with a lot of perks.  Some of these perks include Google taking care of mundane details for their employees like doing their laundry or sending buses to pick up their employees who happen to commute to work.  The story then covered many topics about Google such as their search engine security, Google Ads, and how they plan to expand the products they offer.

The Security
DID YOU KNOW.....

Today at the Microsoft MIX10 conference in Las Vegas, Microsoft introduced a new Netflix application for cell phones with the Windows 7 Series platform.  This will be the first application which offers the feature of watching Netflix movies and shows on a user's mobile phone.  If you already use Netflix as I do then you're familiar with its streaming capabilities on your PC or certain TV set-top boxes.  Mobile phone users can stream numerous entertainment programs from anywhere using wi-fi or the 3G network.

Just Me:  I always get nervous when I hear anything that has to do with Microsoft Windows but the Mix10 conference goers seem to be impressed with the new application.  For Netflix, this is a logical step in the right direction in giving consumers more ways to access the Netflix library.

Do you have a USB 3.0 flash drive?  And do you enjoy renting the latest movies and television shows?  Well an L.A.-based company called Digiboo LLC will be bringing these two things together.  Digiboo has created a new technology that will allow movie, television, and media consumers to rent films by plugging in their portable USB 3.0 flash drives into kiosks.  Their pilot program launches this January with digital kiosks placed in Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery stores.  If all goes well they will be expanding to airports, colleges/universities, and coffee shops.  

How it Works
You walk up to a Digiboo rental kiosks.  You pull out your trusty USB 3.0 flash drive, stick it in, select your movies, pay the money, and…….you’re DONE!!   The 8 GB flash drives can hold up to four movies.  The rental period expires after 3-days.   ATTENTION:  And for all you people who love to bootleg --- YES, the material is copyright protected by digital rights management technology.

Benefits

Babelgum.com is a free, Internet and Mobile television platform that began in 2005 by Italian media and telecommunications entrepreneur Silvio Scaglia. This site offers professional and semi-professional produced programming on-demand to a global audience. In doing this, Babelgum.com wants to essentially act as the international ‘glue’ or as they put it “like a modern-day Tower of Babel” for a global online audience. Babelgum.com currently has five dedicated channels: Film, Music, Comedy, Our Earth, and Metropolis.

What’s cool about Babelgum:

Technology
They have their own free application that delivers video via the 3G and Wi-Fi networks available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and some models of Nokia phones.

Talent Scouting
Babelgum has two online contests for promising filmmakers and music artists. There is the Babelgum Online Film Festival, chaired by award-winning director and producer Spike Lee and the Babelgum Music Video Awards, judged by acclaimed film and music video director Michael Gondry.

Independent Filmmakers
They welcome independent filmmakers to upload an unlimited amount of quality content. They also will partner with you to monetize your content…cha-ching…$$$$.