At least outwardly, Google TV is not being positioned as a cable killer, according to Video Nuze. Without citing sources, the Broadband Directions-owned news source says Google is taking a 'friend of the industry' approach, "telling [multi-channel video programming distributors'] that it's briefing that it is looking to complement their businesses by bringing the full Internet to the TV." Still, "Whether it's genuine or really just a Trojan Horse game plan is another whole matter," Video Nuze admits. VN goes on to suggest that Google plans to bring the entire Internet -- along with a totally open …

European music streaming service Spotify has finally set a date for its long-awaited U.S. debut -- sort of. Without providing more specifics, the "virtual jukebox" aims to establish U.S. operations in the third quarter of this year. Still, Spotify SVP Paul Brown tells Bloomberg that the company is still "in talks" with unidentified U.S. Internet and mobile-phone service providers about partnerships. The company is also in discussions to start an application on Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry and Palm Inc. smartphones, Brown said. The service, which debuted in 2008, now has 320,000 paying subscribers, and about 7 …

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone just told CNBC that "later this month [we'll be) revealing exactly how we plan to make a sustainable source of income so we can build a business." "He likely means next month -- since that's when Twitter has scheduled its Chirp conference, which includes 'monetization' on its agenda," suggests paidContent. If you'll recall, the microblogging service left many disappointed after failing to debut its ad platform at the South by Southwest conference earlier this month. Added Stone on CNBC: "We're going to roll out something that we think is appropriate for …

Slowly but surely, the Web is becoming a more costly place for news consumers everywhere. As The New York Times' "metered" pay wall fast approaches, The Times (UK) and Sunday Times of London have announced plans to begin charging readers by June. For domestic and international readers alike, the News Corp.-owned papers will soon charge about $1.50 for a day's access, and about $3.00 for a weeklong subscription. Rebekah Brooks, chief executive News Corp.'s News International unit, tells the BBC that the move was "a crucial step towards making the business of …

Time Warner Cable is launching Wi-Fi hotspots for customers of its NYC RoadRunner broadband service, reports GigaOm. "Through a partnership with Cablevision, Time Warner Cable customers will also have access to thousands of free Optimum WiFi locations throughout Cablevision's service area," the company said in a statement issued Thursday morning. "Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi is now available at several Wi-Fi zones in Manhattan and Queens, including several parks and some Long Island Railroad platforms and their respective parking lots in the company's service area." As GigaOm notes, "Many are using Wi-Fi to connect their iPhones." Meanwhile, "Time …

Google has introduced a real-time Twitter feed on its search results pages -- "in effect, lifting a nine-month blackout of the microblogging service in China," writes The Los Angeles Times. The feed appears alongside search results on Google's Hong Kong-based Web site, google.com.hk. Users in China have been redirected there since earlier this week when Google closed its China-based search engine. According to The LA Times, the tweets don't show up for all searches, "but only for terms that appear to be popular on Twitter." On Thursday, that included such touchy matters are as how to circumvent …

Led by the iPhone, smartphone usage is up 193% year-over-year (in absolute terms), according to a new report from mobile ad network AdMob (which was purchased by Google this fall, though the sale is pending FTC review). As a result, AdMob reports that its traffic grew from 35% to 48% from February 2009 to February 2010. Meanwhile, use of "feature phones" -- like most Samsung, Nokia and LG phones -- was up 31% during the same time period, yet their share of AdMob's traffic fell from 58% to 35%, according to CNNMoney.com's Apple 2.0 blog. Also of …

Bing is rolling out what BoomTown calls "another significant upgrade to the user interface seen by consumers." As a separate app, Bing maker Microsoft also announced plans to integrate status data from location-based social network Foursquare into Bing maps. "The foursquare map app is a powerful combination of the spatial canvas that Bing Maps provides, combined with foursquare's user reputation service ability to see who has unlocked specific badges ... making it easier to explore any city in the world as if you were a local," Bing's Tod Schwartz writes in a blog post. To date, Bing …

Newspaper and magazine publishers aren't the only ones finalizing their iPad strategies. As first reported by The Other Mac Blog, CBS.com's Web site began displaying "a couple of strange 'iPad -- test' video links," notes MacRumors. After investigating further, MacRumors found that clicking on these 'iPad' labeled links in one's normal desktop browser brings you to the usual Flash versions of these videos. The iPad would't support these files because Apple doesn't support Flash. "However, if you visit CBS.com using the iPad SDK Simulator or spoofing your browser's User-Agent to impersonate an iPad, you are sent to …

As the iPad's April 3rd launch looms, top publishers and advertisers are unveiling what can only be described as highly experimental revenue models. Citing "people familiar with the matter," The Wall Street Journal is reporting that The Wall Street Journal plans to charge subscribers $17.99 a month for iPad subscriptions. By contrast, the print version of the WSJ costs $349 for 52 weeks -- or about $29 per month. Meanwhile, six advertisers -- including Coca-Cola and FedEx -- have agreed to advertise with the Journal, and a four-month ad package costs …