The reason they cite is for the purpose of tracking 911 calls. Whether or not that’s just a smokescreen depends on your personal level of paranoia and frequency of illegal activites. Currently, if a non-GPS enabled phone dials 911, the provider has to triangulate the location, which is annoying and inefficient, apparently. Straight up GPS is just much better for figuring out exactly where you are, however that makes you feel. FCC Rules All Cellphones Must Have GPS by 2018 | Geekosystem. While everyone is worried about Facebook, the government is making everyone easier to track. Wonder how long it will take for this to be on...

  It’s official, Verizon is teaming up with Microsoft to provide live TV on the Xbox, a first for the console. The rumors were accurate. It appears that the service will work like this: Verizon FIOS TV and Internet subscribers who have Xbox Live will be able to download a Verizon app designed specifically for the Xbox. Yes, it has Kinect functionality. The app will provide users with as-yet-ill-defined “collection” of content in HD right through their Xboxes. Verizon Partnering With Microsoft, Live TV on the Xbox 360 | Geekosystem. If this works like the ESPN3 setup (only needing a Verizon internet service provider) this is all kinds of win. If you still need FIOS Internet AND TV, it’s just another box to route things through. Time will...

Although a federal judge has refused to grant a temporary restraining order on Facebook at the request of Timelines.com, a small Chicago company that claimsFacebook’s new Timeline feature threatens its business, Facebook has promised to delay a full launch. Facebook Timeline, a feature that reorganizes users’ profiles into multimedia-rich scrapbooks of past updates, has been expected to go live any day. Some 1.1 million users havealready installed the feature on their profiles by enabling developer access. The judge in Timelines.com’s patent lawsuit declined the site’s request to disable users from signing on through the developer program. He did, however, order Facebook to report daily how many new developers were enabling the Timeline. Facebook Timeline Launch Delayed in Federal Court...

Aside from being able to attend the concert and share the experience with friends completely through the Facebook platform, Michael Jackson fans and viewers will also be able to easily purchase related music and event merchandise through a shopping cart application embedded within the event’s official Facebook page. Michael Forever: Behind the first live global PPV concert ever on Facebook. Very ambitious! This should be pretty interesting! Advance e-tickets are 40 Facebook credits ($3.99). Day of tickets are 50 Facebook credits ($4.99). I think I’ll check it...

For DVDs, Netflix’s rights are unlimited and its costs are constrained. For digital, its rights are constrained and its costs are unlimited. In the absence of the first-sale doctrine, Netflix must negotiate each and every title, and the price of the right to stream that digital title is up to the whim of the content owner. For many titiles, you cannot even obtain digital rights, because they can’t find all the people the need to release the rights to do so. What’s Really Behind The Netflix/Qwikster Split?. This explains a bit more about the Netfilx/Qwickster split and associated price jumps. That first sale doctrine should totally apply to streaming content as well…it even seems like it would be a cheaper option to not have to produce DVD’s really at all and have things available as digital copies. I suppose they keep them for people who like to have the physical media…and others who don’t have reliable internet...