--- title: "Weekly Wrapup: Google Phone, MySpace Music, and More!" date: 2008-09-27 author: "Richard MacManus" categories: - name: "ReadWriteWeb" url: "/category/readwriteweb.md" tags: - name: "2008" url: "/tag/2008.md" --- # Weekly Wrapup: Google Phone, MySpace Music, and More! [![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/rww-logo-150.jpg)](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/)It’s time for our weekly summary of Web Technology news, products and trends. This week we had two big product launches: the Google Phone and MySpace Music. We also looked at Favtape, a new startup aiming to shake up the online music market. On the trends side, we had another great podcast this week – on Data Portability. We also analyzed Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere, checked out the world of barcode scanners, and investigated how some religious organizations are using the Web. Last but not least, we bring you the latest from our new Enterprise Channel. ## Web Products [**Google Phone Unveiled, Can it Beat the iPhone?**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_phone_unveiled_can_it_beat_iphone.php) ![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/google_g1_phone_sm.jpg)This week, Google, T-Mobile, and HTC came together to introduce the first phone running the Google mobile OS, Android. The overall message at launch was focused on openness. But will the future of the mobile internet be driven by open platforms? That’s what Google is betting on with Android, but more importantly, it’s what T-Mobile is hoping will stop the flood of customers leaving their service for AT&T;’s iPhone. To entice customers away from the iPhone, we now have the G1, a slick alternative with a touchscreen and an app store of its own. The companies want you to believe the G1 is just as good, if not better, thanks to the real QWERTY keyboard and the open nature of the Google OS. Now that we have all the facts, are you convinced? [**RWW Predictions: Google’s Android vs. Apple’s iPhone**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/rww_predictions_googles_android_vs_apples_iphone.php) ![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/prediction_android.jpg)This week we asked at [RWW Predictions](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://readwriteweb.predictify.com/auctionview.aspx?ID=5978): will T-mobile or AT&T; adjust their entry price point (either up or down) for the HTC Dream and the iPhone respectively in 2008? Nearly half of respondants said no, there won’t be a price adjustment in 2008. [**MySpace Music Launches**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/myspace_music_launches_tonight.php) ![myspacemusiclogo.jpg](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/myspacemusiclogo.jpg)The long awaited [MySpace Music](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://music.myspace.com/) service launched this week. We like what we see. It’s going to be a very big deal. Users will be able to assemble playlists from a huge catalog of songs from all four major labels and from independent distributor [The Orchard](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.theorchard.com/), full length songs are all streamable for free, users will be able to purchase DRM-free MP3s through a close integration with the AmazonMP3 service and developers will have a gradually increasing amount of access to user activity data from the Music section. Screen shots in the post. [**Muxtape Is Dead – Favtape Emerges as a Great Alternative**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/favtape_emerges_as_muxtape_alternative.php) ![favtape_logo_sep08.png](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/favtape_logo_sep08.png)While Muxtape’s Justin Ouellette posted a [dire story](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://muxtape.com/) about the [shutdown](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/riaa_takes_down_muxtape_will_f.php) of the popular mixtape service and his dealings with the music industry, [Favtape](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://favtape.com/) has updated its service dramatically. Muxtape will effectively remain closed for the general public and will only return as a music hosting service for bands. Favtape, on the other hand, now looks like Muxtape on steroids, with embeddable playlists, album art, integrated YouTube search, a shuffle mode, and the ability to create tapes based on your last.fm and Pandora bookmarks. ***SEE MORE WEB PRODUCTS COVERAGE IN OUR [PRODUCTS CATEGORY](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/products)*** ## A Word from Our Sponsors We’d like to thank ReadWriteWeb’s sponsors, without whom we couldn’t bring you all these stories every week! - [E.Factor](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1818__zoneid=235__cb=446f9b0afa__maxdest=http://efactor.com/) is an online community for entrepreneurs. - [Strands](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1767__zoneid=235__cb=f0f4e9c70c__maxdest=http://bizsolutions.strands.com/) provides real-time recommendations of products. - [Calais](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.opencalais.com/rww01) brings semantic functionality into your site. - [The Web 3.0 Conference](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1715__zoneid=242__cb=5f881bc514__maxdest=http://www.web3event.com/) is on October 16 – 17 in Santa Clara. - [Talklets](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1716__zoneid=237__cb=65d8176646__maxdest=http://www.talklets-secure.com/talklets/sign-up/Talklets-Sign-up.html) is a Text to Speech system for your site. - [Compete Search Analytics](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=375__zoneid=242__cb=62ddf2f580__maxdest=http://searchanalytics.compete.com/?src=rww001) is for search marketing campaigns. - [Direct Media Exchange](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=734__zoneid=244__cb=96048a63b3__maxdest=https://direct.rightmedia.com/?utm_source=readwriteweb&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=readwriteweb1) is a solution for managing ad networks. - [Rackspace](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1054__zoneid=238__cb=af8107a8ac__maxdest=http://www.rackspace.com/383/index.php?green=true&CMP=readwriteweb_ros_ban_125x125_smb_sept) provides dedicated server hosting. - The [Defrag](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1561__zoneid=243__cb=9852e05d77__maxdest=http://www.defragcon.com/) conference is on November 3-4 in Denver. - [EditMe](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1111__zoneid=244__cb=73469cae24__maxdest=http://www.editme.com/?affid=rww) lets you make a web site in minutes. - [Quintura](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://affiliates.quintura.com/) is a visual-based search engine. - [Eurekster](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.eurekster.com/) is a custom social search portal. - [MediaTemple](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://d.openx.org/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=1491__zoneid=362__cb=4c0fc53e95__maxdest=http://www.mediatemple.net/?utm_campaign=rww&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=readwriteweb.com&utm_content=bluebug) provides hosting for RWW. - [SixApart](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.sixapart.com/) provides our publishing software MT4. ## Web Trends [**RWW Live: Data Portability**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/rww_live_data_portability.php) ![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/rww_live200.jpg)In this week’s episode of RWW Live, our podcast show, we discussed Data Portability – the ongoing campaign for open data across the Web. We had an amazing group of Data Portability leaders on the call: **Chris Saad** (Co-founder, [DataPortability.org](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://dataportability.org/)), **Daniela Barbosa** (Chair, DataPortability.org), **Eran Hammer-Lahav** (Open Standards Evangelist, Yahoo), and **Angus Logan** (Technical Product Manager for Windows Live Platform, Microsoft). Friend of RWW **Chris Messina** also popped into the call midway through. The discussion was very interesting, check out the recording here: Download [MP3](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwritetalk.com/episode/RWWLive-DataPortability.mp3) [**State of the Blogosphere 2008**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/state_of_the_blogosphere_2008.php) ![technoratilogo.jpg](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/technoratilogo.jpg)Blog search engine and ad network [Technorati](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://technorati.com/) released its [5th annual State of the Blogosphere report](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/) this week. Technorati says its findings indicate that blogging is now mainstream. We’re not so sure. Although *reading* blogs is becoming increasingly mainstream, is *writing* them? ![technoratiscreen1.jpg](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/technoratiscreen1.jpg)[**The Scannable World: Mobile Phones As Barcode Scanners**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_scannable_world_mobile_phones_as_barcode_scanners.php) ![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/google-barcode.jpg)One of the promises of the mobile web was the possibility of being able to integrate the internet with the real world. One of the ways to accomplish this task is through the use of barcodes. The idea is that you take a picture of the barcode with your camera phone and you’re then delivered to a mobile web site. This could effectively make anything – whether a poster, an ad, or an object – a virtual part of the world wide web. Although this technology [has been available for years](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/smartpox_bar_codes_for_web.php), it’s only now with the birth of the smartphone, or more precisely, the *next-gen* smartphone, that the potential for this type of integration may finally be realized. See also:[The Scannable World, Part 2: Scanning Your Web Printouts](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_scannable_world_part_2_scan_web_printouts.php)[The Scannable World, Part 3: Barcode Scanning In The Real World](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_scannable_world_barcodes_scanning_in_the_real_world.php) [**Religion and Web Technology**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/religion_and_web_technology_lifechurch.php) [![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/lifechurch_logo.jpg)](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.lifechurch.tv/)This week, as part of our ongoing [Mainstream Web Watch](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/mainstream-web-watch/) series, we looked into how religious groups are using Web technologies. In the first post we looked at [LifeChurch.tv](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.lifechurch.tv/), a sophisticated rich media site that aims to preach Christianity over the Internet. What was really great to see is how LifeChurch is using best-in-class web apps to create each different aspect of their online presence – Twitter for real-time communication, Wufoo to create their online forms, Blip.tv for video teaching, Mogulus for live broadcasting, and so on. It has also developed its own web apps. See also:[Religion and Web Technology, Part 2: Shalom Hartman Institute](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/religion_and_web_technology_hartman_institute.php)[Religion and Web Technology, Part 3: Inside Islam](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/religion_and_web_technology_islam.php) ***SEE MORE WEB TRENDS COVERAGE IN OUR [TRENDS CATEGORY](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/trends)*** ## RWW Enterprise Channel [**Zoho Part 2: The Cookbook**](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/zoho_part_2_the_cookbook.php) ![](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302im_/http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/rww_enterprise.jpg)Last week, we covered how [Zoho](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://zoho.com/) is [defying conventional wisdom](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/zoho_the_little_engine_that_could.php) in the Web Office market. But is being unconventional all it takes for a bootstrapped start-up to take on both Microsoft and Google, in head to head evaluations by giant enterprises such as GE? Far from it. Whenever you see a surprising ‘overnight sensation’, you will usually find years of hard work and careful execution. In Part 2 of this story, we revealed some of Zoho’s cookbook. [Email us](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/mailto:editor@readwriteweb.com) if you’re interested in writing for ReadWriteWeb’s Enterprise Channel. ***SEE MORE ENTERPRISE COVERAGE IN OUR [ENTERPRISE CHANNEL](https://web.archive.org/web/20090104150302/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/enterprise/)*** That’s a wrap for another week! Enjoy your weekend everyone. *Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/weekly_wrapup_google_phone.php))*