[September 30, 2008]

AP Technology NewsBrief at 11:18 a.m. EDT

(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) NPR boosts online offerings, seeks larger audienceNEW YORK (AP) _ National Public Radio, already strong online with free downloads from many of its shows, is boosting its digital ambitions with Monday's introduction of social-networking features akin to Facebook. NPR also plans to overhaul its Web site and expand the tools for sharing its programs elsewhere over the next few months. And it is working to increase the flexibility of its popular "podcasts," audio downloads that have tripled in usage over the past two years.

Congress poised to pass Internet radio legislationWASHINGTON (AP) _ Congress is close to passing legislation that would buy extra time to finalize an agreement intended to save the emerging Internet radio market from a crippling hike in copyright royalty rates. The House on Saturday unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., that would greenlight an anticipated agreement between Webcasters and SoundExchange, a nonprofit that collects royalties on behalf of recording copyright owners and artists from Internet radio stations and other digital radio services.

New software turns PC into TiVo TV recorderNEW YORK (AP) _ TiVo Inc. and Nero AG of Germany were set to announce Monday that they will be launching a package that turns a Windows PC into a TV recorder, just like a TiVo set-top box. The kit will cost $199 when it goes on sale Oct. 15, and includes a remote and a TV tuner that plugs into the PC. The interface on the computer screen looks just like the one on a TV equipped with a TiVo box.

Sprint begins mobile WiMax network in BaltimoreSprint Nextel Corp. opened its new wireless network to customers in Baltimore on Monday, offering Internet service for laptops for $45 per month. It's the first commercial network in the U.S. to use so-called WiMax technology for mobile customers. Compared to more mainstream cellular broadband technology, WiMax provides fast downloads and is cheap to deploy. Sprint is betting on the technology, championed by Intel Corp., to give it a few years' head start before cellular broadband catches up.

Apple faces iTunes test case in NorwayOSLO, Norway (AP) _ Norway's top consumer advocate said Monday he is taking Apple Inc. to the government's Market Council in a test case seeking to force the American company to open its iTunes music store to digital players other than its own iPod. Norway is leading a European campaign that began two years ago to get Apple to make its iTunes online store compatible with rivals' digital music players.

Japan's online social scene isn't so socialTOKYO (AP) _ Like a lot of 20-year-olds, Kae Takahashi has a page on U.S.-based MySpace, and there is no mistaking it for anyone else's. It's got pictures of the funky Tokyoite modeling the clothes she designs in her spare time, along with her name, plus personal details and ramblings in slightly awkward English about her love life.

Unlocked iPhone 3G on sale in Hong KongHONG KONG (AP) _ Apple Inc. is putting on sale unlocked iPhone 3G in Hong Kong, allowing people to use it with any mobile phone carrier. The move seems to depart from its previous strategy of introducing the popular device capable of 3G, or third-generation, through specific service providers in 22 nations.

MySpace songs launch irks independent music groupNEW YORK (AP) _ MySpace's new music service managed to bring major record labels together, but a group that licenses song rights for thousands of independent labels feels left out and angry, partly because indie musicians were a big reason the social networking site rose to prominence in the first place. News Corp.-owned MySpace opened the much-anticipated MySpace Music on Thursday, giving its roughly 120 million users free access to hundreds of thousands of songs from the biggest recording labels.

RIM 2Q earnings up 72 percent but outlook softNEW YORK (AP) _ The stock of Research in Motion Ltd. plunged in extended trading Thursday after the BlackBerry maker said the cost of launching new smart phones would eat into near-term profits. The company is launching three major new models in the current quarter, and the cost of ramping up production will trim the company's gross profit margin, co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said.

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