Consumerist
-
windows 7
Digital River: Easy To Download From, Impossible To Reach
Digital software downloads! Fast. Convenient. But sometimes, it can't compare with having a physical disc and a printed product key sitting in front of you. That's what Daniel's roommate learned when he tried to download Windows 7 from Digital River. More » -
internet
Here's What The New FCC Net Neutrality Rules Mean
Yesterday the FCC announced new, expanded rules enforcing net neutrality, and they've set aside the next 60 days for public debate. Get ready to hear all sorts of creative end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it arguments from opponents like AT&T. We've checked out the official document (pdf) and below we summarize the changes that are open to public discussion for the next two months. More » -
funny
"Don't Copy That 2" Might Scare You Straight, If You Have Never Heard Music Or Seen A Video
At first we thought this was a new Black Eyed Peas video, but then we watched from the beginning and realized that it's actually an attempt to convince you that you should not copy that. Our favorite bit starts at the 2:24 mark, when the little girl's criminal activity leads to government agents bashing down the door to her house and attacking her poor mama.
More »
-
Here's an affordable, non-piratey way to round out your music collection for half (or less) of what you'd pay to Amazon or iTunes. Pitchfok has published their selection of the top 500 tracks of the 2000s. Online music service Lala is offering most of them for 50 cents each for a limited time.
"P2K: The Decade In Music" [Lala]
MORE » -
online photo sites
Kodak Gallery Holds Photos Hostage, Then Deletes Them
A lot of people out there on the Interwebs apparently didn't read our article about Kodak Gallery, and their photos were deleted from Gallery starting two weeks ago if they didn't either pay up or make a photo print purchase. Many customers were fully aware of the deadline, but since Kodak provided no easy way to export full-size photos from the galleries, they were forced to download thousands of files one. at. a. time. More » -
lies
69 Cent Tracks Are Hard To Find On iTunes Music Store
MP3newswire.net browsed through not-quite-hits from past decades on the iTunes Music Store to see where these fabled 69 cent music tracks are hiding. He tried the Katydids, Camper Van Beethoven, the Lyres, Rock and Roll Trio, but found nothing below 99 cents. Then he went back to be-bop and blues recordings of the '40s—nope. Finally, he looked at songs from Ada Jones, a recording artist from 1893 to 1922. Everything was still 99 cents. More » -
price hikes
iTunes Raises Prices To $1.29 For Popular Music Tracks
Say what you will about Apple's dominion over the music industry, but for a while now they've maintained an artificially low market for music tracks by forcing labels to sell songs for 99 cents each. That era is over: in exchange for moving to a higher bitrate and going 100% DRM free (hooray) iTunes has officially introduced "variable pricing" (boo), which means each track may cost 69 cents, 99 cents, or $1.29—it all depends on the song and the label. It looks like Amazon has introduced variable pricing as well, although it's mostly holding to the 99 cents threshold for now. Amazon's tracks, by the way, have always been free of DRM. More » -
how to
Cancel Cable Without Losing Your Favorite Shows
Cable is one of the first things you should cut to keep expenses down, but that doesn't mean you should ditch your favorite shows. J.D. over at Get Rich Slowly cut his cable bill from $65.82 to $11.30 without missing a single harrowing plot twist. Here's how he did it... More » -
-
apple
Apple: Give Us Money And We'll Remove DRM From Your Music
Apple has dropped DRM from iTunes — and is offering to remove their DRM from music you already bought for the low, low fee of $0.30 per song. More » -
file sharing
RIAA To Stop Suing File Sharers
The Wall Street Journal and Ars Technica are reporting that the RIAA has announced a fairly dramatic change in its strategy to fight piracy. More » -
comcast
Comcast Officially Informs Customers Of The 250 GB Bandwidth Cap
Reader Michael forwarded Comcast's official warning about the new 250 GB download cap that they've added (or rather, that they've now admitted to) in their Acceptable Use Policy. The cap has been in place for some time, but Comcast is just now getting around to telling everyone about it. More » -
Cnet has rounded up a list of free bandwidth monitoring apps for Windows and Mac users who will be facing Comcast's new 250 GB download limit next month. They aren't perfect, but they "should tide you over until Verizon brings some Fios action to your hood." [download.com]
MORE »
-
download cap
Comcast: 250 GB Cap Coming October 1st?
Broadband Reports is saying that they've confirmed through several sources that Comcast is going to be instituting a 250GB cap on their high speed internet.
More » -
video wars
Does The World Need A Blockbuster Digital Download "ATM?"
At their shareholders meeting Wednesday, Blockbuster announced that they would soon begin testing a "ATM"-style machine that consumers could use to download movies "on the go." More » -
network management
Comcast: You're Paying More For The Ability To Reach The Download Cap Faster
Comcast, it seems, has a serious problem. They're selling "Unlimited Access," but again and again their customers tell us that they're being threatened with "termination" for using too much bandwidth. How much is too much? Comcast won't say. According to their Acceptable Use Policy, "too much" is defined as "where bandwidth consumption is not characteristic of a typical residential user of the Service as determined by the company in its sole discretion." Reader Peter is one such atypical customer. He wants to cooperate with Comcast, but he can't get a straight answer as to how much downloading he's allowed to do. He can't even get an estimate. Since he pays for the highest tier of access from Comcast, he figures that he should be able to download more than a "typical" user. Not true, says the Comcast "Abuse" department. Since his internet is "faster" he's simply paying more for the ability to reach the bandwidth limit sooner. More » -
Nine Inch Nails is offering their new album for download "one hundred percent free," on their website. They'll also release a CD and a vinyl version in July for those of you who like paying for stuff. "The music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE," says NIN. Will you buy a record that the band gives away? [NIN]
MORE »
-
Trent Reznor's "free sample" music marketing experiment is a success. [Ars Technica]
downloading
New York, 11:27 PM
Tue Nov 10
22 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip Your Editors:
tips@consumerist.com
tipline: 347-42C-ON95
Co-Managing Editor:
Ben Popken
Email | AIM | Twitter
Co-Managing Editor:
Meghann Marco
Email | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Chris Walters
Email | Twitter
Weekend Editor:
Laura Northrup
Email | AIM | Twitter
Associate Editor:
Alex Chasick | Email
Associate Editor:
Phil Villarreal
Email
