Microsoft Considering DRM-Free Music

It’s not quite official, but Microsoft seems poised to pair up its Zune digital music player with EMI’s catalog of music without digital-rights management, or DRM, technology. Even the consideration marks a shift in Microsoft’s attitude. In the past, Microsoft deemed DRM a necessary technology for companies selling digital media.”Microsoft has historically benefited from DRM,” said Richard Doherty, an analyst at Envisioneering and an electrophysicist with 12 U.S. patents and dozens of international patents. DRM drives the need for more computers, more infrastructure, and more upgrades, he explained, which generate more revenue for Redmond.

However, Microsoft might be changing its tune on the concept of ditching the technology on some of the music in its Zune store to compete with Apple.

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Add comment April 9th, 2007

Google Tests Local Voice-Search Technology

In a one-two punch against rival Microsoft and traditional directory-assistance providers, Google plans to let your fingers do the walking with a new experiment that taps in to voice search.On Friday, the Internet giant announced it would use speech-recognition technology to let consumers ask for local business information on their telephones. Dubbed Google Voice Local Search, consumers can dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone to test a voice-activated directory-assistance service free of charge.

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Add comment April 9th, 2007