After bringing American Idol to Fox, Simon Cowell announced that he will leave the show at the end of the season. While Cowell won't be a judge on Idol, he will continue judging young performers on The X Factor. Cowell will bring the popular British show to Fox beginning in 2011, and many suspect that Paula Abdul may join her old partner on the new version of the show.
As mobile data use becomes more popular, Verizon CTO Dick Lynch noted that all-inclusive, unlimited data plans were are not "long term sustainable" for the provider. Lynch's comment suggests that Verizon could begin to offer tiered data packages in the near future. The move by Verizon's head of technology, reiterates AT&T's sentiments, and also the FCC's opinion that the current amount of wireless bandwidth available is not enough for the amount of smart phones currently in use.
As the Super Bowl nears, it's being reported that ad prices during the big game have dropped for only the second time in its 44 year history. Despite becoming nearly as popular as the NFL Championship itself, companies like Pepsi and GM, who have often used to the Super Bowl to highlight their products, opted out of advertising during the game. While traditional advertisers are bailing, audiences are hoping that companies like Cash4Gold.com and Vizio spice up the commercial breaks with creative spots that dazzle.
A British Reverend blessed cell phones and other devices at a recent service. Reverend Canon David Parrott said that "It's the technology that is our daily working tool, and it's a technology we should bless." The Reverend conducted the blessing in accordance with an old British holiday called Plow Monday, during which parishoners would traditionally bring a plow to be blessed, a symbol that God was with them at work.
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV. Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net For information about Get Digital Classes, visit www.shellypalmer.com/seminars