Bank holiday round-up
All the news that's printed to fit
Whilst the UK has been sunning itself/dodging showers (delete where applicable), the technology world has continued on its merry path, but don’t despair – we’ve picked out some golden nuggets from the long weekend to get you back up to date.
In the world of online sales, CraigsList CEO Jim Buckmaster has criticised eBay for their lawsuit against the company.
Auction site eBay are miffed that their investment in Craigslist, of which they own 25 per cent, has been diluted by their recent actions, and they released an unsealed lawsuit claiming that Buckmaster and Craig Newmarket had engaged in transactions that would benefit themselves “to the detriment of eBay.”
However, Buckmaster believes that eBay has taken many of the same measures. It remains to be seen who the law courts agree with.
Merlin unites to bring indies to iTunes
More than a thousand of the world’s independent record labels have joined together to form Merlin – a “virtual fifth major” that can compete with the likes of Sony BMG, EMI, Warner and Universal.
With the vast majority of the world’s music released on independent labels, the need for a unified voice to negotiate with the likes of iTunes and webcat radios has become of paramount importance.
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However, the news that a unified body has been formed should now bring a better deal for the indies.
iPhone down under
Vodafone is celebrating after announcing a deal with Apple to provide iPhones to ten markets.
The mobile network giant has agreed to sell the coveted handset in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy (so much for Telecom Italia), India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey.
If you happen to be in those countries, however, don’t hold your breath; the release date has only been given as the vague ‘later this year’.
Monitor your health
Finally, in a tale that should warm your cold heart, Microsoft has agreed a deal in the US that will see Xbox 360 kiosks made available in hospitals.
The Redmond giant will work with not-for-profit Companions in Courge to bring Live network play across a secured network, allowing chat and gaming.
Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content. After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.