• Frenzy Begins Over Cookie Alternative
    An existing technology offering cookie-like functionality is gaining attention from publishers, marketers and others as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous, but potentially endangered, text files.
  • Hollywood Seeks iTunes for Film
    Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment is trying to develop and own the next iTunes--but for films. "We want to set business models, pricing models, distribution models like (Apple Computer CEO Steve) Jobs did for music, but for the film industry," Michael Arrieta, senior vice president of Sony Pictures, said at the Digital Hollywood conference.
  • E-mail Ad Firms Winning War Against Spam
    Those on the outside might assume the e-mail marketing industry is in a state of crisis as a result of the backlash against spam, but insiders say business is booming.
  • Mobile Phones as Blog Tools
    A new technology expected to launch in April promises to turn cellular phones into mobile blogging tools. The application, called ''Rabble,'' streamlines the now-cumbersome process for publishing text or images from a cell phone to a Weblog. It also creates a way to search mobile blogs for items of interest -- from homes for sale in a particular neighborhood to updated tour information for a favorite band.
  • Longhorn Could be Tough Sell for Microsoft
    Longhorn has already survived several major delays, intense scrutiny from the industry and a radical redesign of its features. But the toughest test for Microsoft's next release of Windows is still to come: Will anyone buy it?
  • E-mailer Says Suits Drove it Bankrupt
    E-mail marketer Scott Richter fought lawman Eliot Spitzer, but he's knuckling under to the world's richest man, Bill Gates. Richter's company, Westminster-based OptInRealBig.com, has filed for bankruptcy protection in Denver. The company cited a costly legal battle with Gates' Microsoft Corp., which claims OptInRealBig.com illegally spams computer users.
  • When Will Tina Brown Blog? Scoop: Real Soon.
    When will Tina Brown start blogging? Starting next month Brown is crashing the bloggers' party, as Arianna Huffington's guest. Huffington, the conservative-turned-liberal author, pundit, California gubernatorial candidate, and bona fide blogger, is adding "media entrepreneur" to her list of titles with a new online publishing venture, the Huffington Report.
  • Oodle Launches Classifieds Search Engine
    A team of former Excite executives this week debuted three beta sites for local search alternative Oodle, an aggregator and vertical search engine for classified listings. Oodle's primary source of ad revenue initially will be contextual ads from Google's AdSense program, which appear on the results pages. Future revenue models under consideration include upselling enhanced listings to display them more prominently, as eBay does with its bolding and highlighting options.
  • Court Ruling May Not Hinder Music Theft
    Even if entertainment companies win their Supreme Court battle for new authority to protect movies and music on the Internet, lawyers say it won't be easy to shut down the decentralized computer links used to trade songs and films.
  • Google to Buy Web Analytics Company
    Google has inked a deal that will let it buy Urchin Software for an undisclosed sum, the company said Monday. San Diego-based Urchin makes Web analytics software and provides on demand services that let customers track marketing performance. Urchin tools are available as a hosted service, a software product and through large Web hosting providers.
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