SAN FRANCISCO TO EXPAND INTERNET ACCESS PROGRAM

San Francisco to expandInternet access program
SAN FRANCISCO -- The mayor says San Francisco plans to rapidly expand its free wireless Internet access program and will soon make free computers available at housing projects and community centers.
Earlier this year, the city set up a public Wi-Fi center in Union Square, a prime shopping area. Next: An area near City Hall, a waterfront commuter hub and the entrance to Chinatown.
"We will not stop until every San Franciscan has access to free wireless Internet service," Mayor Gavin Newsom declared in his first State of the City address.
The 37-year-old Democrat, who has made using technology to improve government services one of his goals, said his administration is dedicated to eliminating the so-called digital divide.
The city plans to work with One Economy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides computers to people living in subsidized housing, to network some housing projects and community centers, the mayor's office said.
Other major cities, including Philadelphia, have announced even more ambitious wireless hot zones.
Cellular companies to offerconnection to any service
NEW YORK -- The nation's cellular companies have agreed on a common standard for multimedia messaging that should enable mobile-phone users to exchange photos, video and audio clips just as they do e-mail, regardless of their wireless carrier. The technical standards, announced this week, were developed by an industry group that began meeting in May.
Since the wireless companies still need to implement the new standard and negotiate terms to deliver "outside" messages to their customers, the disparate services aren't yet interoperable.
Until then, multimedia services will remain more like instant messaging, where users of services from AOL, Yahoo! and MSN still cannot chat directly.
The lack of interoperability is seen as a key stumbling block toward wider usage of each individual carrier's multimedia offerings -- and increased wireless data revenues for the companies.
For example, while digital cameras are now a commonplace feature on cell phones, many users do not share their pictures because their friends and family do not use the same wireless service.
The impact of interoperability was immediate when a common standard was adopted for wireless text messages, better known as short messaging services, or SMS.
In less than a year after SMS became interoperable in Australia, monthly usage jumped from about 50 messages per user to 500, according to the research firm Strategy Analytics. In Britain, usage rose from about 50 SMS messages a month to 180 in just six months.
DualDisc features CD audioon one side, DVD on other
LOS ANGELES -- A new hybrid CD format that offers standard CD audio on one side and the enhanced media capabilities of a DVD on the other made its nationwide debut this week. The first new albums in the DualDisc format were released Tuesday by Warner Music Group rock bands The Donnas and Simple Plan.
Several DualDisc versions of existing albums were issued as part of a test in two cities earlier this year.
The DualDisc was designed to be compatible with most devices, including game consoles and personal computers.
Simple Plan's "Still Not Getting Any ..." features 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage of the band recording the album, photos of the band, lyrics and other content.
The DVD side of The Donnas' "Gold Medal" also includes a music video, behind the scenes footage and lyrics.
Retailers are generally offering the new hybrid formats at prices comparable to standard audio CDs.
Both Simple Plan and The Donnas' DualDisc versions were selling as low as $9.99.
Billboard to begin rankingtop cell-phone ringtones
LOS ANGELES -- Back at No. 1 for the 29th straight week, it's everybody's favorite ringtone.
The music market tracker Billboard will begin ranking the customized mobile-phone sound snippets beginning next week -- another sign that ringtones are fast becoming a staple of recording industry sales,
As it does with other music sales data, Billboard will publish the top 20 ringtones purchased for each week.
Included in the chart will be the song title, artist, previous week's ranking and number of weeks on the chart.
The sales data will be tabulated from ringtone distributors and wireless firms representing more than 90 percent of the market, including Zingy, AG Interactive and Dwango Wireless.
The inclusion of ringtones in Billboard reflects the growing impact sales of wireless content are having on the music industry, particularly song publishers, artists, who often own rights to the songs on which many ringtones are based.
Record companies, who typically own rights to original song recordings, are also benefiting as more powerful handsets enter the market and demand for CD-quality "truetones" increases.
The global mobile entertainment market is estimated to be worth around $3.1 billion, with the United States accounting for more than $300 million, according to mobile market research firm Consect.
Most of the revenues are generated by ringtone sales.
Associated Press
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