Filed under: Portable Audio

Yahoo! Music Unlimited (and its customers) is the latest victim of the digital media shakeout. However, unlike the shutdown of Sony’s Connect service which left customers stranded with DRM-laden tracks, Yahoo has struck a deal to send its existing subscription customers to the PlaysForSure-friendly Rhapsody music service from RealNetworks. The shift will occur sometime in “the first half” of 2008 and leave Yahoo Music Unlimited’s payment plans and music libraries in tact for customers “for a limited time.” Eventually, Yahoo’s legacy customers will be required to sign up at Rhapsody’s relatively higher rates of $12.99 per month (Yahoo charged $8.99 per month or as little as $5.99 per month for a year paid in full). So, do you still think that the subscription model is a good thing? Just wait, the shake-out has only begun.

Update: To be clear, Yahoo Music will continue to offer streaming audio, music videos, web radio and other advertising-supported music offerings and integrate Rhapsody into its online portal. Only the subscription service is being shut down.

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The Air only dropped onto our radar a couple of weeks back, but now it looks like Apple is readying another new laptop, this time an update of their top notch MacBook Pro.

According to the ultra-reliable MacRumors, US superstore giant Best Buy has got three new models sloshing about in its inventory tracking systems.

These new editions come in at the same price point as the current versions, suggesting that any changes would only be minor and not be cause for a big, Apple-style, fanfare.

We’re talking support for MultiTouch, already shown off in the Air, along with Intel’s Penryn. Considering the Pros got a refresh in the middle of last year, the lack of any major facelift is hardly surprising.

The story appears to be backed up by other dockets, specifically a battery log unearthed by our pals at Electric Pig, referring to a MacBook 4.1, rather than the current MacBook 3.1.

Date wise, Best Buy’s forms show a date of February 10th. That’s this Sunday. But with release dates aplenty flying about the blogosphere, we’re not expecting anything quite that soon.

As ever, we’ll bring you any news of any announcement as soon as it happens.

Filed under: Transportation

Sure, you’d think that major automakers would want to get in on the Automotive X-Prize challenge, a contest seeking to help create the first 100 MPG car, if only just to show off their engineering prowess and interest in future technologies. Of course, you’d be wrong. Not a single, big commercial carmaker has thrown its hat in the ring, and X-Prize organizer Donald Foley has a theory: fear of losing the game to a small start-up. Obviously, all the major players have an excuse when it comes to their lack of participation; Ford is busy with its EcoBoost program, GM is working with Carnegie Mellon University on similar technology. Unfortunately, the loser here is the consumer, who’d get another push towards more fuel efficient vehicles, resulting in less money spent at the increasingly pricey pump. It looks like another sign that the innovation which used to come from monolithic corporations is now emanating from the little guy. Can the Linux Car be far off?

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Filed under: Gaming

In hopes of reviving creating interest for its console in Japan, Microsoft just announced the March 6th launch of an entry-level Xbox 360 in the land of the rising sun. The Japanese equivalent of the Xbox 360 Arcade will sell for tax-inclusive ¥27,800 (about $260) and bundle an extra 256MB memory unit, wireless controller, and game pack. Hey Microsoft, that’s $20 cheaper than your Arcade sells domestically without factoring in the added tax. Discount please?

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Filed under: Cellphones

We already knew that the Android SDK was causing developers some frustration. So we’re not really surprised to hear Quang Nguyen, Android Developer Advocate, say that based on feedback, “we’ve made significant updates to the SDK that we’ll be releasing in several weeks.” As a result of the UI and API enhancements, the deadline for application submissions to the $10 million Android Developer Challenge has been extended to April 14th. First round winners will now be announced on May 5th with the grand prize announcement coming on July 21st. No handset delays have been announced (yet) — those are still expected to hit in the second half of 2008.

[Via MocoNews]

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