According to an article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription), Blockbuster is introducing a holiday promotion that will let Netflix subscribers rent Blockbuster movies for free. Netflix members can exchange the tear-off flaps from red Netflix envelopes for free rentals at any Blockbuster store. Blockbuster is using the promotion to boost exposure of its Total [...]

Apple is reported to be hiring video game designers, suggesting that better gaming will be coming to the iPod and Mac platforms, and even a possible Apple-branded gaming system. “We think the video game market represents a distinct possibility for Apple, especially considering that it recently announced the availability of video games for its iPod [...]

According to initial reviews of the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, Apple won’t have to worry about Microsoft’s iTunes Store-killer for the near future. The Microsoft movie download service is apparently struggling under the weight of all that high-definition content. Some people are reporting extraordinarily long download times, and others report being charged for videos they [...]

Microsoft has announced that the XBox Live Video Marketplace is now open. “Xbox Live Marketplace will now provide gamers with easy access to hundreds of full-length TV shows for download to own and movies for download to rent from CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and [...]

The Zune launch is starting to look more and more like an unmitigated disaster. PC Magazine’s John Dvorak has joined other analysts saying the Zune Zucks. In his latest article, Dvorak writes that “Microsoft’s music player has no future.” “If anything is doomed to failure, it is the Microsoft Zune,” writes Dvorak. “I have no [...]

While Microsoft’s soon-to-be-released Zune portable media player has generated a lot more hype, it looks like the Xbox 360 may prove to be an even bigger threat to Apple’s iPod/iTunes juggernaut. The move promises to put digital video downloads where people want them most – on their TV’s. Microsoft today announced agreements with CBS, MTV [...]