Mashed Report

Top 10 of the World's Theme Parks Battle for Social Dominance

2012-08-15T21:40:47Z

Theme parks operators have a great synergy with social media.... keep coming up with cool stuff for people to play with and they will return billions of dollars in global word-of-mouth advertising.

According to the Travel and Leisure, the Magic Kingdom is still the world's No. 1 most popular theme park, with more than 17 million annual visitors. The others rounding out the list add up to tens of millions of additional annual visitors, clearly demonstrating just how big the market is when it comes to creating "WOW" experiences for families everywhere. Big experiences equal big returns and if you're not on the pulse of the social media universe, you don't exist as far as today's prospecting theme park customer is concerned.

Traditional marketing isn't as awesome as it used to be due to the evolution of DVR ad-skipping and online add blocking. Unlike most industries, theme parks have an ability to offset this problem by utilizing social media. Many theme park operators know this and are lucky enough to be in a business that simply needs to create something that people want to talk about and... BAM! A user-generated advertising campaign begins online via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, worth millions that is measurable and much more valuable than any traditional ad dollar spent in the past.

With this global shift to a more connected society, theme parks are dropping some serious cash into the next best experience for their visitors to chat about. And the reason?... because people want something to enjoy with their families that offers a boat-load of awesome memories that can't be explained lightly, and have to be posted. By this, I mean the only true way to describe the experience requires status updates, pins, tags, tweets, and keeks on any and all social networks so that everyone knows how it felt at every moment of the experience. In a world of "likes" and "comments", the average amount of followers and friends in the social space, the return on the investment adds up quickly for theme park operators.

When you compare the social value created by these online socialites vs the cost of traditional advertising, it's easy to agree that now-a-days, there's a definite advantage to charming the "chatter" with the next best park experience. Justifying a crazy expense on a ride that takes you the highest, at the fastest speed, upside down, while spinning and diving underwater is a no-brainer. With the advancement of mobile technology and total connected people on the planet... the Socialverse has become the premier means of mass-communication for any smart theme park marketer.

A lame ride can be a deal-breaker in today's world, regardless of how much publicity a park spins. Anyone can quickly conduct research on whether or not the million-dollar, hyped publicity campaign they saw on TV is full of hot-air. In as little as 5minutes, users can read hundreds of status updates from other user experiences, watch actual reactions on YouTube, or scan hundreds of photos to decide whether or not they want to justify spending the lofty ticket price of $70+, or even the extra VIP "Cut-in-line" pass cost averaging another $100+ along with whatever travel costs they may have to spend.

Is it worth it? Well, if you check out the numbers below, the answer is absolutely! As long as theme parks can continue providing fun-times and freshly-themed experiences for its park visitors, they will enjoy the social perks of the connected world.

1) Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, FL

Annual Visitors: 17,142,000

In 2011, more than 17 million people visited the world's favorite theme park, eager for photos by iconic Cinderella's castle and a turn on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain. "It is what people think about when they think of Disney World," explains Deb Wills, founder of AllEars.Net. A Disney character parade cuts through the park and heads down Main Street, USA, every afternoon, and a fireworks spectacular lights up the sky many nights. The makeover of Fantasyland is the big news for 2012.

Disneyland Park (Photo: Greg Balfour Evans / Alamy)2) Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA

Annual Visitors: 16,140,000

Disney's original theme park, opened in 1955, comes in a close second to its significantly larger counterpart in Orlando. Disneyland can boast about some of Walt's best original rides as well as the newly revamped Disney California Adventure next door--all the more reason to book an Anaheim vacation.

Tokyo Disneyland (Photo: 2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.)3) Tokyo Disneyland

Annual Visitors: 13,996,000

Though closed for a full month in 2011 following the tsunami, the 126-acre Japanese Disneyland still managed to pull in 14 million visitors. "It was a little bit surprising how strong this park did in the face of literal disaster," says Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider. But maybe locals needed that Disney magic more than ever.

Tokyo Disney Sea (Photo: 2011 Disney Enterprises, Inc.)4) Tokyo Disney Sea

Annual Visitors: 11,930,000

Attendance dropped 6 percent at Disney's unique marine-themed park, whose seven themed areas are replicas of some of the world's most scenic ports of call. Like Tokyo Disneyland, it was closed for a month in 2011 following Japan's earthquake and tsunami.

Disneyland Paris (Photo: Marcos Veiga / Alamy)5) Disneyland, Disneyland Paris

Annual Visitors: 10,990,000

Europe's most popular theme park had a respectable 5 percent attendance bump amid a Continental recession. The park is heralding its 20th anniversary in 2012 with an elaborate nighttime light-and-sound show, a new carnival-style parade, and a meet-and-greet character train.

Epcot, Walt Disney World (Photo: Songquan Deng / Alamy)6) Epcot, Walt Disney World, FL

Annual Visitors: 10,825,000

Disney's futuristic- and international-themed park fell one position last year as its attendance flatlined at 10.8 million visitors. Expect a surge in numbers when the feverishly anticipated major renovation of Test Track is completed this fall. Other top attractions include Soarin' and Mission: SPACE.

Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World (Photo: M. Timothy O'Keefe / Alamy)7) Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, FL

Annual Visitors: 9,783,000

This 500-acre homage to Africa is by far the largest of all Disney theme parks, re-creating a lush jungle area and savanna that is home to 1,700 animals from 250 species. The Expedition Everest coaster and Kilimanjaro Safaris often attract the biggest crowds.

Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World (Photo: M. Jeremy Pembrey / Alamy)8) Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World, FL

Annual Visitors: 9,699,000

Disney's entertainment-themed park claimed the No. 8 spot for the second year running. Much of the credit goes to favorite thrill rides Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, not to mention stunt-filled shows like "Lights, Motors, Action!"

Universal Studios Japan (Photo: Photo Japan / Alamy)9) Universal Studios Japan, Osaka

Annual Visitors: 8,500,000

A chockablock calendar of 10th-anniversary events in 2011 helped secure the No. 9 spot for Universal's Japanese park, which mixes the best elements from its Orlando and Hollywood counterparts and features crowd-pleasing rides (Jaws) and shows ("Shrek's 4-D Adventure"). Watch for attendance to skyrocket when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens in 2014.

Islands of Adventure (Photo: stephen searle / Alamy)10) Islands of Adventure, UniversalOrlando, FL

Annual Visitors: 7,674,000

Catapulting ahead of Disney California Adventure and into the top 10 for the first time has given Universal execs newfound bragging rights. And with an expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the works, don't expect attendance to slacken anytime soon.

Sony Website & Customer Accounts Hit with New Wave of Attacks

2011-05-23T04:44:18Z

Sony just can't seem to catch a break. After locking down and overhauling its online services due to a cyber attack that revealed the personal information of over 100 million account holders -- and fixing a snafu in its password reset system -- Sony is under the gun once again. Both a major Sony homepage and Sony's Japanese internet service division have now been victimized.

According to a warning from security firm F-Secure, Sony's Thai website was hacked and used to trick unsuspecting visitors into handing over personal information to a fraudulent Italian credit card company. Sony was notified of the unauthorized activity and is taking action to rectify the problem. On a much more serious note, Sony's Japan-based So-Net internet was reportedly breached, with the hackers making off with over 100,000 yen (roughly $1,200) of account holder funds. The company is currently investigating that breach, but has reportedly found no evidence that any personal information was obtained by the attackers.

At this time, it doesn't appear that the attacks are directly connected to the network breach that brought the PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment (which just came back online today) to a halt late last month. However, Sony is most definitely in the public eye, as customers begin to question what people and services should have access to their vital information.

Source - Yahoo News

It's Official - CoffeePledge Steam Reaches 300K Cups

2011-05-23T04:30:29Z

CoffeePledge broke the 300K cups milestone officially at 5:23pm EST today, with its more than 40,000 user accounts. The world's first social media movement to leverage the coffee industry to fight cancer, is merely in its first 90 days of birth, and has already begun to build steam with social network users.

"With most internet users utilizing social media routinely every day, the distribution of a simple message can be done without the need for insane budgets," says Aspen Decker, CEO of the Social Good Foundation, "the key is to have a message that is specific, and not too complicated for social users to understand."

With nothing but coffee and ambition fueling the team behind the CoffeePledge, it seems milestones are being passed before they are able to be determined. When asked about what brand of coffee is fueling this innovation, Decker replied, "It's a special blend of social good... only found in special retail locations, to be disclosed during CoffeeWeek 2011."

CoffeePledge's social movement, provides the opportunity for users to pledge to drink at least one cup of coffee during CoffeeWeek, to support the fight against cancer. They are able to select their favorite coffee brands when pledging, to invite them to join the movement. As the total amount of cups pledged increases - so does the buying power of the user base. The goal of the movement is to influence coffee brands by demonstrating a big enough cause-market size of interested coffee-lovers, who want to participate if the coffee brands join.

Decker reports that the social site will be launching within the next week, so stay tuned for our analysis of the social features that will become available to all users.

Learn more about the CoffeePledge and join one of the most innovative campaigns in history: http://www.coffeepledge.org

About the CoffeePledge Initiative:

CoffeePledge -- a program of the Social Good Foundation, a charitable organization -- raises funds to accelerate cancer research, further education and save lives. In the winter of 2010, two Internet professionals whose lives were severely affected by cancer collaborated on a simple concept that could leverage their passion for social innovation, along with the resources of internet and coffee industries to fight the biggest disease in the world.

Co-founders include: Aspen Decker, CEO, whose mother has been fighting cancer for 15 years; and Marcos Arce, CTO. With nothing but coffee and ambition for fuel, the two began their mission to create the world's first online coffee 'buzz' initiative using social media to rally cause supporters for making cancer history together.

CoffeeWeek is currently scheduled for September, 5th-11th, 2011 anyone can buy a coffee, tea or water product, or donate the value of those drinks to the cause at any coffee partner location nationwide. The proceeds from drink purchases will vary by each coffee partner's commitment, however, 100% of all donations will go directly to fighting cancer.

Starbucks is a Growing Brand Favorite on the CoffeePledge Network

2011-05-23T04:14:29Z

As the total cups pledged continue to add up... so do the user requests to add favorite coffee brands to the cause. As of today, 44,000+ users nationwide have pledged to purchase more than 322,000 cups during CoffeeWeek 2011, to support the fight against cancer.

Users have selected Starbucks as one of their preferred coffee brands to drink during CoffeeWeek on more than 280,000 of the total cups, creating an impressive $700,000 in coffee purchasing power at a national average cost of $2.50 per cup.

"We estimate brand favorites will continue building followers," says Aspen Decker, CEO of the Social Good Foundation, "as we recently launched our following capability for users." When asked about Starbucks involvement, Decker replied, "We have invited Starbucks, as well as other brands to join us for CoffeeWeek and look forward to their participation in making history." "For now, we are focused on continuing to build our online and offline coffeebuzz to generate awareness, while coordinating CoffeeWeek events."

Centered around coffee, and fighting cancer... the CoffeePledge Network includes many familiar social network features, such as posting updates, newsfeed, inviting friends, following other users, as well as uploading videos and photos. It also includes a Coffee "Buzz" point system, where users can compete against each other on the "Buzz" leaderboard. There are badges to unlock and specific actions users need to do in order to unlock them. Users are also able to post to Twitter and Facebook from their profile and earn "buzz" points. Uploading Videos and Photos also earn users "buzz" points.

"The idea was not to be a stand-alone social network for users at all" says Decker, "it's to leverage all available tools and platforms of existing popular social networks and have users manage their coffee "buzz" progress from a single interface." "Users can collaborate, compete against each other, and help raise awareness about a great cause at the same time. It's simple and fun. Who said fighting cancer had to be depressing."

Learn more about the CoffeePledge and join one of the most innovative campaigns in history: http://www.coffeepledge.org

About the CoffeePledge Initiative:

CoffeeWeek is currently scheduled for September, 5^th-11^th, 2011 anyone can buy a coffee, tea or water product, or donate the value of those drinks to the cause at any coffee partner location nationwide. The proceeds from drink purchases will vary by each coffee partner's commitment, however, 100% of all donations will go directly to fighting cancer.

The World's 1st Coffee Social Network Launches

2011-05-21T18:11:18Z

CoffeePledge officially launched its social network today for its 40,000+ users. The world's first social media movement to leverage the coffee industry to fight cancer, is still in its first 120 days of birth, and is beginning to heat up the pot of tens of thousands of coffee-lovers world-wide.

The CoffeePledge started off as a pledge-only website to gauge the response from Internet users on the concept. After only two weeks, and more than 50,000 cups pledged by users, the development of the complimentary social network version of the site had been greenlighted and launched a couple months later.

"We are so happy to finally get this beta version launched," says Aspen Decker, CEO of the Social Good Foundation, "we knew we were on to something and didn't want to lose momentum, so we pretty much worked round the clock to get it done."

The CoffeePledge Network includes many familiar social network features, such as posting updates, newsfeed, inviting friends, liking a profile, as well as uploading videos and pics. It also includes a Coffee "Buzz" point system, where users can compete against each other on the "Buzz" leaderboard. There are badges to unlock and specific actions users need to do in order to unlock them. Users are also able to post to Twitter and Facebook from their profile and earn "buzz" points. Uploading Videos and Photos also earn users "buzz" points.

Decker and team wouldn't disclose what actions earn the most "buzz" points, but informed us users can find out when they start using the network. As Decker and team continue develop new features for users, they have also begun preparation for numerous offline events during CoffeeWeek, scheduled for September 5th-11th, 2011.

"We are setting up many events in six major markets nationwide" said Decker, "and coordinating the events are the next big hurdle for us. With the help of our wonderful user base and volunteers working round the clock, we are confident that we can reach our offline milestones and make CoffeeWeek a success."

With CoffeeWeek only a few months away, the CoffeePledge team seems to be maintaining high-energy and there is definitely not a shortage of creativity when it comes to the events being planned and social networks being built.

5 Things You Need to Know about the iPad 2 Launch

2011-03-03T17:44:29Z

It's the day after Apple's iPad 2 announcement, and by now you know the new device has two cameras and is thinner faster and lighter than the original. But are you ready for Friday, March 11, when the iPad 2 will go on sale? Apple's original iPad drew big crowds during its U.S. and international launches, and the iPad 2 promises more of the same. With that in mind, here's a quick look at some of things you need to know before braving the crowds next Friday.

iPad 2 Highlights

Apple's second-generation iPad features a 1GHz A5 dual-core processor, front- and rear-facing cameras, up to 1080p video out support via HDMI, a 9.7-inch screen with 1024-by-768 resolution, 10 hours of battery life, an accelerometer and three-axis gyroscope, and separate GSM (AT&T) and CDMA (Verizon) 3G connectivity options.

No preorders

Apple is not accepting preorders for the iPad 2, probably because the new tablet is set for release in just over a week on Friday, March 11. If you're hoping to get an iPad 2 on launch day, expect to be standing in long lines at the Apple Store. The iPad 2 launches at 5 p.m. local time on March 11.

Not just the Apple Store

Even though you may have to stand in line to get an iPad 2, you may have better luck getting your hands on the new tablet at third-party retailers. Best Buy's website says it will have the iPad 2 on March 11, and a tipster told 9-to-5 Mac that the iPad 2 has been added to the inventory systems for Sam's Club and Wal-Mart. It's not clear whether the 3G iPad 2 models will be available at Verizon and AT&T retail stores on March 11 as well. So far, Apple has only said the iPad 2 will be available at apple.com, Apple retail stores and "select Apple Authorized Resellers."

HDMI for all, sort of

Apple's Digital AV Adapter with an HDMI out port and Apple 30-pin connector doesn't just work with the iPad 2, but also the original iPad, iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod Touch. The bad news is only the iPad 2 can support 1080p video out, the other devices only support up to 720p high definition resolution. Movies play at 720p for all devices including the iPad 2, according to Apple.

The mirroring effect where you can view the iPad 2's display on an HDTV and the tablet itself at the same time is also only available on Apple's new device. The mirroring feature allows you to easily display and control PowerPoint-style presentations using the iPad 2. It's not clear what kind of HDMI out functionality you will have on the original iPad and other iOS devices. The Digital AV Adapter sells for $40 and will be available soon.

iPad clearance

If you've had your eye on the iPad, but were reluctant to fork over $500 for the device, then now's your chance to get Apple's first-generation tablet. You can get the original iPad models for $100 off right now in Apple's clearance section. You can grab the 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad for $400 or the 32GB version for $500, and the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad is $530.

Dual dilemma

If you want an iPad 2 with 3G connectivity, you're going to have to choose between a GSM device on AT&T or a CDMA tablet on Verizon. The iPad 2 does not have dual-mode functionality.

Top 10 Tweets While Facebook Was Down

2010-09-23T22:32:08Z

Facebook crashed on Thursday, September 23, 2010. With its 500 million + users up in arms, die-hard Twitter users and rookies alike took advantage of the situation. The humor varied from witty to snarky, from observant to lame. Many claimed they "didn't care" or made snide remarks about the people who were freaking out. No matter what you personally thought about the Trending Topic "Facebook Down," one thing was for sure: Twitter users came out to play!

Here's my Top 10 Tweets: favorite attempts at 140 character humor regarding the Facebook outage:

10. @ClickWebDesign - Facebook is down, so open a window and shout your status update to the people outside. If they "like" your status, they'll give a thumbs up.

9. @alqaeda - #facebook is down. Not sure if we did that, but we should claim credit anyway. Hitting the infidels where it hurts, etc.

8. @MTVClutch - Facebook is down. We can't tell who's hungry or tired.

7. @billyeichner - Facebook is still down!!! If anyone knows that weird girl I went to camp with, please tell her I said Happy Birthday!!!

6. @danicrino - DNS FAILURE: Facebook is down which means 9 months from today, many children will be born

5. @TheDollSays - Facebook users are roaming the streets in tears, shoving photos of themselves in people's faces and screaming 'DO YOU LIKE THIS? DO YOU??'

4. @Emilburp - When Twitter's down, everyone Facebooks it. When Facebook's down, everyone Tweets it. When MySpace's down, no one cares.

3. @OPB - BREAKING NEWS: Facebook is down. Worker productivity rises. U.S. climbs out of recession.

2. @40WattHype - We're holding a benefit concert for all the farmville crops that died when facebook went down...

And my personal favorite...

1. @soulblend - Wait wait - #Facebook goes down and as soon as its back up they post an opening for a developer - http://j.mp/cUQxEn? #SomebodyLostTheirJob

Other Fun "Facebook's Down" commentaries:

Huffington Post

ReadWriteWeb

Wired

"American Idol" new judges to be unveiled Wednesday

2010-09-20T14:11:13Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "American Idol" will unveil its new judging panel next Wednesday, ending months of speculation following the departure of old hands Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi, Fox said on Thursday.

The network said it would announce the lineup at the Los Angeles Forum, an arena where auditions will be held ahead of the show's Season 10 premiere in January.

Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler are reported to have signed up for the panel in a major overhaul aimed at reversing a four-year slide in viewership.

Lopez, 41, star of movies "The Backup Plan" and "The Wedding Planner," was widely reported earlier this week to have signed a $12 million contract with "Idol".

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tyler, 62, would add some serious cachet to the singing contest, which launched the Grammy-winning careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson.

Record producer Randy Jackson is expected to keep the seat he has held since the show debuted in 2001.

"American Idol" has generated huge advertising revenues for Fox and boosted record sales and digital downloads. While it remaining the most-watched TV show in the United States last season, about six million viewers have deserted the program since 2006.

Abrasive British judge Cowell -- one of the biggest celebrities on American TV -- quit in May to launch his own TV talent show on Fox in the fall of 2011. Talk show host DeGeneres left in July after just one year on the panel, and songwriter DioGuardi quit two weeks ago after two years.

In the past two months, "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller has dumped Sony Music for Universal Music, the world's biggest music label, as the home for future "Idol" stars.

British TV producer Nigel Lythgoe returned to the show he helped to create with Fuller, and top Universal Music executive Jimmy Iovine will be a creative consultant.

"American Idol" is produced by 19 Entertainment, a unit of CKX Inc and FremantleMedia, a unit of Bertelsmann AG-controlled broadcaster RTL Group. Fox is a unit of News Corp.

(Editing by Dean Goodman)

'Idol' contestant Adam Lambert accused of battery

2010-09-20T14:07:45Z

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert is accused of simple battery on a photographer on Miami Beach. A police report says 38-year-old Victor Eras was taking pictures of the singer Thursday when Lambert started running toward him "in an aggressive manner."

Eras claims Lambert grabbed his back pack and wrestled him to the ground. The photographer did not suffer any injuries. He declined to comment to The Associated Press on Friday.

No arrests were made. A police spokesman says there will not be an investigation. The state attorney's office will review the report and decide if any charges will be filed. TMZ first reported the alleged attack.

Lambert's publicist did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Netflix raises curtain on iPhone instant streaming

2010-09-20T14:05:20Z

Netflix execs have been teasing us for months about an instant streaming app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Indeed, they've been promising it for so long that I'd pretty much forgotten about it. Until now.

Netflix took the wraps off its new app -- or, to be more precise, its newly updated iPad app, which is now "universal" for use with the iPhone and iPod Touch -- early Thursday, a couple of months after officially announcing the app and just a week before the expected arrival of a spiffy new iPod Touch.

Free for use if you're a Netflix subscriber (memberships start at $8.99 a month), the app lets you stream more than 20,000 movies and TV shows from Netflix's "Watch Instantly" library. As with other versions of the Netflix app (available on all three of the big gaming consoles, several HDTVs and Blu-ray players, various set-top boxes, and -- of course -- the iPad), you can pick up a video from where you left off on another device; browse various movie genres and customized categories; or search for a specific title.

You can also add movies to your "instant" queue, delete them, or give individual titles a star rating. I'd also been hoping for the ability to manage your DVD queue from the Netflix app, but nope -- can't do it. (There are several third-party iPhone apps that will let you tweak your Netflix DVD queue, though, including the free PhoneFlicks and Flixster apps.)

Movies and TV shows are streamable over the Netflix app via both Wi-Fi and 3G, and for the most part, videos looked smooth and sharp -- if pretty small -- on my iPhone 4's Retina display, at least over Wi-Fi. When I switched over to 3G (with four out of five bars of AT&T reception), though, the trouble began, with videos pausing every few seconds for buffering.

Then again, AT&T reception is terrible in my neighborhood, so you may have a better experience depending on your location (and indeed, some early user reviews say they've been streaming over 3G with few hiccups). But if you're signed up for one of AT&T's capped data plans, keep in mind that streaming video is a quick way to blow through your monthly allotment of 3G data.

Another note: The new Netflix app doesn't appear to be optimized for fast-app switching under iOS 4, meaning that if you switch to another app midmovie, the Netflix app will restart once you come back to it. At least you'll pick up your video right where you left off, but expect to wait several seconds for your movie to rebuffer.

Otherwise, pretty nice -- and as I mentioned earlier, the newly updated Netflix app arrives just in time for Apple's "special event" next week, where we'll probably ("probably" being the key word here) get a new iPod Touch with an improved display -- perfect for watching videos -- dual cameras, and more.

Meanwhile, what's the deal with the expected Netflix app for Android? Good question. Something seems to be brewing, based on the help-wanted ads that Netflix has posted for Android developers in the past few months, but for now, the wait continues.

-- Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

Google reportedly courts Hollywood for (more) YouTube movie rentals

2010-09-20T14:03:08Z

Google has been dabbling in streaming movie rentals for months now, but word has it that the search giant wants to plunge into the pay-per-view market head-first. Hollywood, meet YouTube.

You may have already seen YouTube's somewhat limited movie rental store, which opened in January with a handful of titles from the Sundance Film Festival and has since expanded to flicks from the likes of Lionsgate ("Lord of War," "Reservoir Dogs") and ... well, some lesser-known studios. (Ever heard of "Fearless Hyena" with Jackie Chan? Not me.)

But Google's movie-rental plans for YouTube are apparently far more ambitious, with the Financial Times reporting (based on "several people with knowledge of the situation") that negotiations are underway with "leading" Hollywood studios for a wide selection of their latest and catalog movie rentals, the idea being to give iTunes and Amazon on Demand a run for their money.

Talks have been continuing for "several months" but have "taken on greater urgency in recent weeks," the Financial Times claims, with a certain amount of "excitement" on the Hollywood side as Tinseltown execs scramble for new sources of cash in the face of dwindling DVD revenue.

Google -- which has yet to confirm or deny the Financial Times piece -- is supposedly stoking the fire with promises of a "global" streaming rental store driven by its ubiquitous search engine.

The new YouTube rental store could arrive before the year is out, with rentals costing about as much as they do on iTunes and Amazon -- that is, about $5 for new releases, less for catalog titles -- says the FT article. No word on whether HD would be part of the deal, although given that YouTube already supports 1080p streaming, I don't see why not. It also sounds like Google wants to go the pay-per-view way rather than selling subscriptions, a la Netflix and Hulu.

In the background, of course, are hot-and-heavy rumors that Apple is teeing up a slimmed-down, $99 app-friendly revamp of its Apple TV "hobby," while Sony is prepping its (very real) $130 "Netbox" for market.

And then there's Google itself, which made a splash back in May with the announcement of its Google TV platform that would integrate Web browsing and Google search into your TV experience via set-top boxes and Google TV-ready HDTVs. Apps would also be a big part of the Google TV service, Google promises, with the first Google TV-ready products set to arrive in the fall.

Given the impending arrival of Google TV, it makes sense that Google would want a real on-demand movie rental store of its own that would be tightly integrated with its Google TV platform. Then again, it would be a little strange to see a truckload of for-pay video titles on the formerly free-for-all YouTube. (It's already odd to stumble upon the occasional green "rental" tag on a YouTube search result.) Odd, but inevitable, I guess.

• Financial Times: Google plans pay-per-view films (subscription required)

-- Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

Apple to end free case offer for iPhone 4 on Sept. 30

2010-09-20T14:00:53Z

Claiming that the iPhone 4's infamous "death grip" problem is "even smaller than we originally thought," Apple announced Friday that it would end its offer of free cases for all iPhone 4 owners by the end of the month.

After that, says the notice on Apple's Web site (which was first spotted by The Loop's Jim Dalrymple), users who are still having reception problems with the new iPhone can call the AppleCare hotline to "request" a free case, although it's not clear if you'll get one automatically by doing so.

During a July press briefing convened in the wake of widespread complaints of reception problems on the revamped iPhone, which boasts an external stainless-steel band that doubles as an antenna, Steve Jobs promised to hand out free iPhone 4 cases, including Apple's own Bumper case, to all owners of the new handset.

At the time, Jobs said the offer would run until Sept. 30, and that Apple would "re-evaluate" the deadline as it approached. Looks like the top dogs at Apple decided that there weren't enough lingering complaints to extend the offer.

For the record, Apple's full statement reads:

We now know that the iPhone 4 antenna attenuation issue is even smaller than we originally thought. A small percentage of iPhone 4 users need a case, and we want to continue providing them a Bumper case for free. For everyone else, we are discontinuing the free case program on all iPhone 4s sold after September 30, 2010. We are also returning to our normal returns policy for all iPhone 4s sold after September 30. Users experiencing antenna issues should call AppleCare to request a free Bumper case.

The iPhone 4's reception problems were ultimately narrowed down to a thin, black stripe on the lower left side of the handset, which marks the separation between the two segments of the external antenna. Wireless experts theorized that the iPhone's reception could dip when a user bridges the gap between the segments while holding the phone in his or her hand.

During the original "Antennagate" press conference, Jobs -- who'd earlier drawn fire for suggesting to a handful of iPhone 4 users over e-mail that they could avoid reception problems if they'd "just avoid holding it that way" -- defended the iPhone 4's design, calling the handset "perhaps the best product we've ever made at Apple," and he also showed videos of other top-drawer smartphones losing reception when they were held the "wrong" way (much to the annoyance of the singled-out manufacturers, by the way).

But Jobs allowed that perhaps the spike in reception complaints was because only a fraction of customers were leaving new stores with cases (which were hard to find at the time). Hence, the limited-time offer of free cases for one and all.

Jobs also promised Apple would waive the standard 10 percent restocking fee for returned iPhone 4's, but Apple's statement Friday says that Cupertino will be "returning to our normal returns policy" after Sept. 30.

Despite the "death grip" drama, sales of the iPhone 4 have been strong, with Apple and AT&T stores consistently sold out over the summer and the online Apple store still showing a three-week wait time for new orders. That said, a recent survey suggested that iPhone sales may have taken a hit due to the "Antennagate" brouhaha.

So, do you agree with Apple's decision to end its free case program at the end of the month?

The Loop: Apple to discontinue free iPhone Bumper Case program on Sept. 30

-- Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

Hands-on with Halo : Reach

2010-09-20T13:58:12Z

After last year's disappointing Halo 3: ODST and my personal "meh" reaction to the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta back in June, I figured I was pretty much Halo-ed out. After many hours of furious fragging with the final version of Reach, however, I learned that my love of Halo was alive and well.

Tuesday, of course, is the big day for Halo fans, with Microsoft throwing a series of lavish Halo: Reach launch events in a few hours, at midnight. For those of you who aren't hip to all things Halo, imagine the premiere of a new "Star Wars" epic --complete with long lines, fans dressed up as their favorite characters, the whole bit.

The original Halo: Combat Evolved launched back in 2001, with blockbuster sequels in 2004 (Halo 2) and 2007 (Halo 3), followed by a Halo 3 expansion pack that (unfortunately) morphed into a full-price, standalone title (a rather familiar and truncated one, if you ask me) last year. There was also a Halo real-time strategy game, called Halo Wars, that came out earlier in 2009 -- a bit of a departure from Halo's first-person-shooter roots, but still a game that I quite enjoyed.

Like the most recent "Star Wars" movies, Halo Reach ($60, Xbox 360) is a prequel to the original Halo, and the game puts you in the shoes of a typical Spartan foot-soldier rather than the indomitable Master Chief, the hero of the first three Halo games. Your "supersoldier" isn't nearly as powerful as Master Chief -- you'll need health packs to survive, for starters, and you won't be taking the same leaps and bounds as the mighty Master Chief did. Luckily, your fellow squad mates will have your back as you engage the enemy on the planet Reach, the final battleground between humanity and the dreaded Covenant. (Pass the popcorn, please.)

Dedicated fans can steep themselves in the lore of Halo to the nth degree, of course, but for the casual Halo player, the story is merely a setup for a series of pitched battles: some just your typical corridor-bound shoot'em-ups, others sweeping firefights with dozens of enemies on the screen at once, complete with ground troops, swooping Banshee fighters, and starships the size of small cities. And when you're done with the solo campaign, there's online multiplayer -- lots of online multiplayer.

[Note: Before I launch into my hands-on impressions, I should point out that I haven't finished the solo campaign yet -- that's why I'm calling this a "hands-on" piece rather than a full review. Also, I should disclose that Microsoft gave me a copy of the game for review purposes.]

So, what do we have here? Well, Halo developer Bungie hasn't reinvented the genre it created nearly 10 years ago -- but that's not really what we expected, was it? The familiar first-person perspective is present and accounted for, as are many of the old Halo weapons (like the Assault Rifle and the Needler), enemies (the Grunts, Brutes and Elites), and vehicles (warthogs, battle tanks, ghosts, etc.).

There's also a lot that's new here -- and right off the bat, I noticed that the graphics in Reach look quite a bit sharper and more detailed than they did in Halo 3. Bungie rebuilt the various Halo assets from scratch, upping the polygon count in the process. The game as a whole also has a darker, grittier feel, although there are still plenty of brightly lit, colorful, wide-open spaces and comically terrified Grunts to help lighten the mood.

There are also a series of new power-ups strewn about the campaign, which you can equip one at a time for abilities like increased speed (yes, you can finally run in Halo), a jet pack for soaring over your enemies (just wait till you try it), holograms to confuse and distract your foes, an invisibility cloak, and a temporary shield that gives off a vehicle-disabling electromagnetic pulse before it snaps off.

As usual, the Halo: Reach solo campaign is just a prelude to the incredibly rich multiplayer experience, complete with the Firefight mode from Halo 3: ODST (think waves of AI-controlled enemies that you must ward off with help from other online players) that now adds matchmaking, good for finding fellow players on Xbox Live if you don't happen to have a posse of pals standing by. You can also earn credits as you fight, good for purchasing a variety of customizable goodies (but no additional weapons or abilities, unfortunately), and there's also a vastly expanded Forge tool for customizing your own maps.

Speaking of maps, the arenas in Halo: Reach don't stray far from the usual Halo formula -- fans of the old Blood Gulch, Ivory Tower and Midship maps will recognize their Reach equivalents, for example, and there are plenty of multilevel maps stuffed full of beige corridors and control rooms. If you've played as much Halo multiplayer as I have, the overly familiar maps can get tiresome after awhile (hence my lack of enthusiasm during the multiplayer beta this past summer), but once I'd lobbed a few grenades and assassinated some unsuspecting victims (you'll now get a cool "assassination" animation when you slug an enemy from behind) in Reach, I got back into the pulse-pounding groove.

So no, we're not talking Halo: Combat Reinvented here, but rather Halo: Combat Refined -- and that's a good thing, if you love Halo. (If you don't, Halo: Reach won't change your mind.)

Reach also represents a serious return to form for Bungie after last year's middling Halo 3: ODST, which felt more like a $40 expansion pack than the $60 standalone title that it was. Bravo -- and by the way, Reach marks Bungie's exit from the Halo series, although we may yet see more Halo games from Microsoft in the months and years ahead.

Anyway, you'll have to excuse me; I've got more Covenant to slaughter.

So, are you planning on picking up a copy of Halo: Reach in a few hours?

-- Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

Is Apple eyeing newspaper subscriptions for the App Store?

2010-09-20T13:54:03Z

Newspapers and tablet PCs sound like a match made in heaven, and publishers are understandably eager to boost sagging revenue by launching iPad-friendly versions of their respective rags. So guess who reportedly wants to help -- for a piece of the action?

Nothing's confirmed yet, but the San Jose Mercury News claims that Apple may be looking to launch an App Store-based subscription plan for newspapers that would involve taking a 30 percent cut of subscription revenue and a 40-percent cut of the ads (which, I'm guessing, would be served by by Apple's new iAd mobile advertising platform).

Industry sources tell the Merc that Apple (which has yet to comment on the story) would also offer an opt-in system for subscribers to share their demographic information with the newspaper -- information that's "vital" to selling ads, according to the Mercury News article.

A few newspapers have already launched iPad apps that require paid subscriptions, such as the Wall Street Journal ($3.99 a week) and the Financial Times (which, at $4.25/week, happens to boast one of the nicest, easiest-to-read newspaper apps I've seen for the iPad yet), while other publications are taking more of a wait-and-see approach. The New York Times, for example, has a free "Editors' Choice" app for the iPad with a limited amount of content, with a full-on paid edition expected once the Times erects a pay wall for its website.

But while an Apple-managed subscription plan for newspapers could entice more dailies to go the App Store way, newspaper publishers are said to be balking at the (supposedly) high price of admission. According to the San Jose Mercury News, publishers might be willing to pay a fee for working with Apple on digital subscriptions, but they're "not happy" with Apple's idea of a 30 percent cut of subscription fees and an even larger share of the ads.

And then there's the issue of print editions of newspapers, with one analyst quoted by the Mercury News noting that publishers are afraid readers will drop their print subscriptions in favor of digital "too quickly" without "a comparable growth in advertisement revenue" from digital and tablet versions. Indeed, according to the article, newspaper publishers had been thinking they'd serve up iPad apps in a bundled deal with their regular print subscriptions, presumably to keep the revenue from print ads flowing smoothly.

Well, speaking purely for myself here, I can understand newspaper publishers being wary of forking over 30 and 40 percent shares of their subscription and advertising revenue. They're nuts, however, if they think they're going to sell me an iPad version of the paper plus the print edition. I'm sure there are plenty of newspaper readers who still get a rolled-up paper tossed on their doorstep every morning at 4 a.m., but personally, I haven't had an actual print newspaper subscription in years, and I'm not interested in going back. But hey -- that's just me.

For now, anyway, all the App Store newspaper subscription talk is academic, given there's still no official word from Apple about such a plan, and I'm sure there won't be until when -- or if -- the plan is actually hatched.

So, would you subscribe to the tablet version of a national or local paper through the App Store -- or, say, through the Android Market, if that were an option? And would you want the print edition bundled with the tablet version?

San Jose Mercury News: Apple to announce subscription plan for newspapers

Tiger Woods picked for U.S. Ryder Cup team

2010-09-07T19:09:31Z

Some people can win for losing.

Tiger Woods, who has yet to finish better than fourth at a professional golf tournament this year, was named to the U.S. Ryder Cup team Tuesday.

Corey Pavin made Woods one of his four captain's picks, even though Tiger's best finishes this season -- and only top-10 finishes -- were ties for fourth in the Masters and U.S. Open.

Well, Woods has won 14 major championships and 71 titles on the PGA Tour, so those must count for something.

Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and PGA Tour rookie Rickie Fowler also were named to the squad.

Missing from the list was Charley Hoffman, despite his win at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

"There was a lot of thought put into it," said Pavin, who made his announcement at the New York Stock Exchange. "I spoke with all eight [qualified] members of the team as well and got their opinions."

The first eight roster spots were secured by Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan and Ryder Cup rookies Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar.

The 38th Ryder Cup will be held Oct. 1-3 at Celtic Manor in Wales.

"It's an honor to be selected," Woods told reporters via telephone. "I've been to Wales for the Walker Cup and look forward to going back."

The USA has not won on foreign soil since 1993.

Woods, 10-13-2 in five appearances in the Ryder Cup, missed the 2008 contest at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky., because of reconstructive knee surgery. Without Woods, the U.S. team defeated Europe, 16 1/2-11 1/2.

Pavin called Woods on Monday night and asked if he would like to be on the team.

"He said, 'Absolutely,' and said, 'Whatever you would like me to do, I will do, just tell me what you would like,' which is exactly what a captain likes to hear from any player on the team," Pavin said.