Trying to repeat the success of its Centrino brand for notebook computers, Intel said it will launch a set of technologies geared specifically for entertainment PCs.
Computers carrying an "Intel Viiv" sticker will feature the chipmaker's microprocessors along with other Intel (INTC) hardware and software. Viiv systems will ship early next year with a remote control. Intel recently introduced a computer "platform" for businesses, and its offering in the area of entertainment PCs had been expected.
Viiv-based computers are expected to be available in a variety of forms, ranging from the size of a stereo system component to a more traditional PC tower. All will run Microsoft's Windows Media Center operating system.
Intel said PC owners will be able to click their Viiv computers on and off, after the initial boot, with the press of a button. The machines also ship with 5.1 surround sound and will have a media server "engine" that reformats digital content for viewing on a variety of devices.
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Podstream: A California company is hoping to tap into the growing podcasting craze with software that enables mobile phone users to stream audio files directly from their home computer.
The software from Los Angeles-based Pod2Mob promises to enable mobile phone users to hear podcasts on their handsets, too.
Currently available for free as a beta test download, the software runs on Windows and Mac OS X computers. The software relays the audio to a mobile phone. An applet, or small computer program, that must be loaded on the handset allows users to control which podcasts they want to hear.
The company said the software should work on most internet-enabled handsets, though it has been tested only on handsets running on the Sprint and Cingular wireless networks.
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Album shmalbum: Warner Music Group is preparing to launch a record label that would develop and market new artists and distribute their music only over the internet.
The venture, tentatively referred to as an "e-label," is scheduled to be in operation by the end of this year.
Warner (WMG), home to artists like Madonna and Linkin Park, is hoping the label will enable the New York-based company to give emerging artists more time to develop without the traditional pressures of having to churn out a slate of hits.
The e-label would also spare Warner the expense of distributing music in physical formats like CDs, and instead of releasing a full album every couple of years, the e-label would release "clusters" of three or more songs by an artist every few months.
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Download Diddy: MTV's Video Music Awards are going broadband, expanding beyond television for a new take on the typically raucous ceremony along with "bonus" performances and other original online coverage.
MTV said its new broadband video channel, MTV Overdrive, will include the dedicated "My VMAs" channel to allow fans the chance "to relive and remix" highlights from Sunday's show along with additional coverage of arrivals, parties and interviews.
The broadband effort follows MTV's much criticized coverage of the international Live 8 charity concerts in July, which observers said suffered in comparison with the more comprehensive attention from America Online.
Between commercials, interviews and reports from correspondents, MTV often showed only a song or two from several of the performances. AOL visitors could choose from video feeds from London and other cities, and performances were shown in their entirety.
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Call for help: Providers of internet-based phone services may be forced next week to cut off tens of thousands of customers who haven't formally acknowledged that they understand the problems they may encounter dialing 911 in an emergency.
The FCC had set the Monday deadline as an interim safeguard while providers of internet calling, or VOIP, rush to comply with an FCC order requiring full emergency 911 capabilities by late November.
Vonage, the biggest VOIP carrier with more than 800,000 subscribers, said that 96 percent of its customer base have responded to the company's notices about 911 risks. But that still means as many as 31,000 accounts would need to be shut off.
The FCC issued its order in May after a series of highly publicized incidents in which VOIP users were unable to connect with a live emergency dispatch operator when calling 911.
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Crystal clear: Sony said it would expand its liquid crystal display partnership with Samsung to include joint work on improving quality and cutting production costs.
Sony (SNE) and Samsung formed a $2 billion joint venture in 2004 to mass-produce LCD panels. The venture, called S-LCD, began shipments of panels this April.
Sony currently procures panels from S-LCD, then adds its own semiconductors, backlights and other key components to assemble LCD TVs. A Sony spokeswoman said its engineers would start to play a larger role in the relationship, offering ideas on how to produce a higher-quality panel at a lower cost. But the basic panel technology would continue to come from Samsung.
Aiming to boost its TV sales, Sony also said it would introduce a new brand for its LCD TV sets called "Bravia" from this autumn. That would replace the "Wega" brand, which will continue to be used to sell its traditional cathode ray TVs.
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Compiled by Keith Axline. AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
