4/21/2009

Study: pirates biggest music buyers.

Filed under: — Aviran Mordo

Those who download illegal copies of music over P2P networks are the biggest consumers of legal music options, according to a new study by the BI Norwegian School of Management. Researchers examined the music downloading habits of more than 1,900 Internet users over the age of 15, and found that illegal music connoisseurs are significantly more likely to purchase music than the average, non-P2P-loving user.

Unsurprisingly, BI found that those between 15 and 20 are more likely to buy music via paid download than on a physical CD, though most still purchased at least one CD in the last six months. However, when it comes to P2P, it seems that those who wave the pirate flag are the most click-happy on services like the iTunes Store and Amazon MP3. BI said that those who said they download illegal music for “free” bought ten times as much legal music as those who never download music illegally. “The most surprising is that the proportion of paid download is so high,” the Google-translated Audun Molde from the Norwegian School of Management told Aftenposten.

iPhone OS 3.0 to feature voice control and feedback

Filed under: — Aviran Mordo

Sources speaking to Ars have discovered evidence of new voice control features coming to iPhone OS 3.0. Apparently going by the code name “Jibbler,” it looks like it will provide not just voice synthesis, but also voice recognition for the upcoming iPhone OS 3.0.

Not much information is known at this time, but according to our own people familiar with the matter, Jibbler appears be an enhancement to the iPhone SpringBoard application, the Finder-esque app that acts as a launcher and will support the newly announced 3.0 Spotlight search. Jibbler may be controlled via the iPhone headset—button squeezes could be used to record short voice segments from the user, which Jibbler will then interpret. Voice synthesis can then be used to give the user a response, similar to the latest generation iPod shuffle, which can “read” playlists and track names—the difference being that the iPhone hardware itself could handle real-time voice synthesis.

BitTorrent Trackers Close En Masse After Pirate Bay Verdict

Filed under: — Aviran Mordo

Several private BitTorrent trackers including Nordicbits, Powerbits, Piratebits, MP3nerds and Wolfbits, have closed down after the Pirate Bay verdict came in last Friday. Other trackers are set to follow this example in what could be the greatest voluntary tracker collapse ever.

Google Data Center Secrets Now Showing On YouTube

Filed under: — Aviran

Not long ago, Google data centers were a closely guarded secret. The company’s technical innovations were regarded as a competitive advantage.

But on April 1, in the spirit of a promise made in 2006 to be more transparent, Google revealed details about its custom servers and its data centers.

Google opened its kimono before more than 100 industry leaders and journalists at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters and now has posted a video tour of one of its data centers and videos of its presentation on YouTube.

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