ie8 fix
Ad: The Best of Both Phone, and Tablet
ie8 fix

The Digital Home

An interview with the misguided RIAA

Now that you had the chance to read

You'll notice that none of the quotes from the previous column were taken out of context because, well, first and foremost, I didn't need to--this organization speaks for itself. You'll also notice that the RIAA really is all of those things most people believe they are. Of course, don't necessarily tell them that, because they won't believe it.

Regardless, this interview depicts the RIAA exactly how they want to be perceived--a group that relies on (and enjoys) lawsuits. It's an organization that has little idea of what we truly want as consumers and, for some reason, has a severe distaste for college students.

In response to my column, one RIAA representative told me that it's easy "to sit on the sidelines and take potshots. It's less easy when you actually have a dog in the fight."

Is it really? Personally, I think it's a sad day when an organization needs to call upon its high-powered lawyers just because it has "a dog in the fight." Along with that, what is that dog in the fight? The artists or the record labels? My guess is the latter.

But without further ado, here is the unabridged transcript of my interview with the RIAA.

more

The RIAA speaks--and it gets worse

UPDATE: You can now read the full transcript of the RIAA interview

The

Although this has been going on for quite some time now, I recently read a

The press release tells us that the RIAA (on behalf of the music industry) has sent out "a new wave of 407 pre-litigation settlement letters to 18 universities nationwide as part of an ongoing campaign against online music theft. The letters reflect evidence of significant abuse of campus computer networks for the purpose of copyright infringement."

Once those students receive the pre-litigation settlement letters, they have the opportunity to surf over to the

Of course, the story doesn't quite end there.

To get a feeling for why the RIAA has implemented this strategy and has seemingly ignored the piracy cartels all over the world, choosing the soft target instead, I got in touch with the organization and asked a representative 10 questions to clear the air. This transcript will be made available tomorrow on

Unfortunately, the answers given proved even more damning to an organization that is already sitting on a powder keg.

more

What Apple should (and shouldn't) announce at Macworld

With all the rumors surrounding Macworld, it's difficult to sift through those possibilities that could actually come true and those that are pure rubbish. And while I don't think I have all the answers, it seems more and more likely that some of the expectations some of us have for Steve next week may not come true.

As it stands, most people are saying that iTunes movie rentals will become a reality next week and an ultraportable Mac is in the works. Still others believe Jobs will revamp the Apple TV and some people believe he'll refresh the entire MacBook line. As for me? I'll tell you what he should (and shouldn't) do when he takes the stage next week.

more

LionsGate: Piracy a major deciding factor for Blu-ray support

At CES on Monday, I was invited over to the Blu-ray booth to speak with top executives at the major Hollywood studios supporting Blu-ray. And while I didn't have the chance to speak with every studio, I did get to speak with the president and chief operating officer at LionsGate,

And while Beeks seemed like he had solid command over the finer points of the movie industry, I was interested to see why his studio chose Blu-ray over the alternative.

Expecting the canned answer like, "Well, we thought it was the superior format and I'm happy to say that we were right," you could imagine my surprise when the very first reason he gave was Blu-ray's piracy controls.

For those of you who don't know, Blu-ray's piracy controls--largely based on AACS, BD+, and BD-ROM Mark--are easily the most stringent format to date and have only partially been circumvented to this point.

Regardless, I was utterly appalled at the thought that with all of its benefits--high-capacity, interesting new features to employ while playing movies, major industry backing--Beeks chose piracy as the first talking point.

Of course, I had to find out more.

more

I agree with Bill -- there should never be a Microsoft phone

In a

"No, we won't do that. In the so-called smart phone business we will concentrate solely on software with our Windows Mobile program," Gates said.

"We have partnerships with a lot of device manufacturers from Samsung to Motorola and this variety brings us significantly more than if we would make our own mobile phone," he added.

And with one fell swoop, the founder of Microsoft finally told the world that a Zune Phone or some other Microsoft toy won't be coming to fruition. And while I can't say that I know the exact reason why Bill and company doesn't want to compete with the iPhone, I can see about three reasons why he has decided against it.

more

Three reasons why CES is a waste of time

For those of you who have made it to CES at least once in your life, you probably know all about the amount walking and waiting in line and shoving that goes in to any good trip to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show.

For those of you who haven't been lucky enough to enjoy the horror that is CES, allow me to fill you in on why it's an utter waste of time. Is it a nice networking opportunity? Sure. But beyond that, the world of CES is marked by pure crap.

Here's why.

more

So the high-def format war is over and I don't care

Do you remember earlier this week

Is this the most significant development of the entire high-def format war? Sure. But now that we know Warner is backing Sony, I can't imagine Toshiba is feeling good about itself. Not only did it cancel the big HD DVD party here at CES, but we have yet to hear any true official response. If you ask me, the company is in crisis mode right now and desperately trying to justify itself to Paramount.

And while all this is going on, I can't help but not care.

more

Why Nintendo can do no wrong with the DS

In a recent

According to the report, the Wii and DS will work much closer with each other in the New Year. Nintendo contends that complete or demo DS games will be made available for download on the Wii and can then be transferred to the DS wirelessly.

And while this sounds somewhat like Sony's ill-conceived idea of PSP integration with the PS3, Nintendo's idea is not only a far more important step forward, it's the epitome of what the company is doing right -- bringing a convenient and all-around superior experience to its mobile platform. And as long as it continues to do that, Nintendo will have a system on its hands that will last as long as it wants it to.

more
ie8 fix
  • Recently Viewed Products
  • My Lists
  • My Software Updates
  • Promo
  • Log In | Join CNET