Mobile Update For September 30, 2008

Did you know there's a Copyright Royalty Board?  They will make a ruling on Thursday whether to grant a request by the National Music Publishers' Association to increase royalty rates by 66% - from 9 cents to 15 cents.


Understandably, no one, the studios to Apple and other retailers, want to bear the financial increase.  Here's what we know based on Fortune , Apple had previous indicated it would rather shut down the iTunes Music Store than to pass along the increase to its customers.


Incidentally, this will be the first digital music decision by the board and will be good for a 5-year term.


Now, it may be posturing by Apple and others involved but it's something mobile warriors will want to keep an eye on since 80% of the market owns some kind of Apple device or another.


Mobile Device Update:

• Gimzodo on new multi-touch trackpad for laptops!  Must Read!  Synaptics makes G1' screen.  What does it mean for G1?  Nothing but here's hoping a simple driver update will make G1's screen multi-touch.  
• Onxo on laptops for students.  G1G1 to start on November 17th to be managed by Amazon.
  
• Onxo reports a 128GB SSD drive is now a more affordable option at $299. 
• Ubergizmo on new fast Toshiba batteries.  More at Wired.
• PC World shows iPhone owners very happy.  Rejected developers are another story.
• Phone Arena shows Best Buy willing Bold at close to $700.  We're talking about a $500 subsidy by RIM if it wants to compete at $200 with the iPhone and G1.
• Blackberry Sync says Best Buy to start selling Bold on October 26th.  BGR expects $600 a pop.  This is why RIMM expects expenses to go up in the coming financial quarters.
  
• Gizmodo reports Flash for the iPHone is almost ready - pending Apple's rejection to be officially unavailable - okay, we kid.   We don't know that for sure but Jobs hates Flash.  The fact that Adobe talked 'bout Flash being available is a violaton of the NDA, right?
• Macsimum News reports Macbooks account for $1 of every $3 spent on laptops.
• Macsimum News reports 2nd-class American citizens finally get iPhone.  What give, Apple?!

Mobile Issues:

• Onxo on Microsoft's slipping ship date for Window Mobile (now 2010).  Seriously, Android was announced and shipped in about a year.
  
• PC Magazine -  What you need to know about XOHM
  
• Onxo on Sprint's WiMax launch and evilness.
• Onxo on state of mobile computing - netbooks versus laptops
• Onxo's musing includes Moto's Android team.  One of these days, we'll talk about Android and it'll really be about the likes of Commander Data than a mobile platform.  Don't know when but that day'll come.
  
• Mobility Today on firms working together on "Mobile Broadband".  Think of it as "Intel Inside" stickers.  It's all about stickers and getting manufacturers to pay to put it on your laptop or mobile devices.  Guilty parties include: Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, 3 Group, ECS, Ericsson, Gemalto, Orange, Qualcomm, Telefonica Europe, Telecom Italia, TeliaSonera, T-Mobile, and Vodafone, Asus.
• Reuters reports Microsoft's Balmer said economic slowdown to impact Microsoft.
• RCR Wireless reports handsets and mobile devices are important to the people.  Not worried about wholesale cancellations.
  
• RCR Wireless reports wireless providers confident they'll survive economic turbulence.