Sony BMG joins Nokia's unlimited music service

Concept behind Nokia's new music service "Comes with Music" is starting to catch on with the major music labels.

Sony BMG, one of the four top recording companies, announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Nokia to make its music catalog available on select Nokia devices. After buying one of the devices, users will get unlimited free access to the music of Alicia Keys, the Foo Fighters or any Sony BMG artist for a full year.

During the 12 months of the offer, users will be able to transfer their Comes With Music library to a PC as well as to a new Nokia handheld, but they won't be able to transfer it to iPods or other non-compatible devices. At the end of the year, Nokia users will have the choice of acquiring new music by either purchasing downloads from the Nokia Music store or joining its subscription service.

Nokia is expected to launch the Comes With Music service in the second half of the year. What is groundbreaking about these deals--Universal Music Group was first among the labels to join the service--is that Nokia users can download any song from Sony BMG and keep the music for the rest of their lives. There is no ceiling on the number of songs and the music doesn't disappear at the end of the year.

This is believed to be the labels' deepest foray into free music, and is reflective of the industry's attempt to find new business models that can compete with piracy, shrinking CD sales, and iTunes.
Source : http://www.news.com

Microsft claims XBOX 360 sales double in the european market

Coming to you from Budapest, Hungary, this story caught my eye whilst speed-scanning a few feeds in a smoke-choked coffee shop (yeah, they actually still have those over here). According to Microsoft (by way of Pocket-Lint), sales of the Xbox 360 have more than doubled in Europe.

“Xbox 360 is truly the next-generation console of choice among consumers, and today’s numbers are proof that we are delivering on our commitment to achieve critical mass in Europe,” said Microsoft Europe VP Chris Lewis. “The highly competitive ERP, coupled with entertainment content that’s appealing to everyone in the home, makes Xbox 360 the ultimate high-definition entertainment choice, and it’s clear that we’re already seeing this resonate with consumers.”

Microsoft's also claiming the Xbox 360 is officially the number one next-gen console in Europe, with 42 percent of the market in life-to-date revenue. Microsoft cut the price of the 360 last month, dropping the Arcade to £160, the Pro to £200, and the Elite to £260. It looks like the company's hopes that those cuts would drive sales up dramatically have been momentarily realized. Now it's down to whether upcoming exclusives like Ninja Gaiden 2 -- plus a marketing team that's been working overtime to convince the public the 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV will rate superior to the PS3 version -- can maintain the system's formidable software sales momentum.
Source : http://blogs.pcworld.com

Ferrari Roars to be Heard In India Soon

Ferrari is Italy’s most popular brand for cars. It sells its cars more on ‘wow’ factor rather than their price, sales figures or revenue generation. This company offers unique designs and exquisite interiors of the car which are flagship of its brand value.

The company is obsessed with its legacy and this has made the auto company to develop a cheaper and smaller car to the rising demand of the developing nations. “We want to remain an aspirational brand associated with our niche clientele. Our prime target is to maintain exclusivity,” Davide Kluzer, Ferrari spokesperson. Cars from Ferrari are never for mass consumption. They are known for their exclusiveness.

Although Ferrari has no plans to launch any car in India soon, however, it has already started its studies of the Indian auto car market. According to Kluzer, the company marks India as one of the top booming economies along with China, Brazil and Russia. Its current biggest market is North America that accounts for more than 30% sales of the company.
Source : http://www.cartradeindia.com

Urwerk’s New Sexy 202 Hammerhead Automatic Watch Runs With Turbines

Urwerk took their opportunity at SIHH 2008 to unveil their new 202 Hammerhead Automatic wrist watch which has a innovative new winding rate which is geared with fluid dynamics. For over a century, watch makers were playing around with watches powered with air friction, aided by a traditional rotating vane, much more reliable then the old sand-powered hour glass.

The 202 Hammerhead replaces the traditional vane with two mini-turbines which act as mini air compressors. These turbines give the sexy Hammerhead a dynamic flair, as you can watch them move on the rear of the watches face. And oh yeah, it looks really sexy.

Source : http://www.gearfuse.com

Counterfeit Nokia N95s entering the UK market

Dealers and distributors are being warned to check the authenticity of phones they handle. The warning comes as large numbers of counterfeit Nokia handsets have arrived in the UK mobile market in recent weeks, with predictions of bigger shipments in the coming months.

Even experienced retailers are warning that the fakes could easily be mistaken for real products at first glance. Chinese-based exporters are bringing bigger quantities of fake phones to UK wholesalers, and more recently selling to individuals within the UK mobile industry. Mobile obtained a fake N95 8GB this week with few initial clues that it was a counterfeit. Virtually all the parts of the device are understood to be counterfeit, ranging from the box and manual to the casing, battery, camera, software, user interface and even the games. The phone was sold to Mobile for £150, despite the fact that a genuine model has a trade price of around £350.

Concerns are also rising that traders will start mixing fake stock with real phones, and push prices up to ward off any suspicions. Sources said that the current batch are simply the early attempts to copy Nokia phones, and that improvements are currently being carried out in Chinese factories to improve the quality of the fakes. One dealer, who had unwittingly bought a fake, told Mobile: ‘I can’t imagine an older customer would tell the difference. But even for us, how can you tell, unless you put a Sim in every single one, power it up, and give it a proper going over?’

Source : http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/