'Chocolate' phone for tunes

Verizon's Chocolate is more for music tastes than the other kind, unfortunately for chocoholic communicators. But digital music fans may be happier. With this phone, Verizon is making the music-on-phone experience a better one for them, USATODAY reports. The big complaint has been that they couldn't upload their music collections onto their phones. They can upload them onto the Chocolate, USATODAY says. It comes with a USB cable to connect PC and phone for copying MP3 and Microsoft's (not Apple's) copy-protected formatted tunes onto the phone. The Chocolate, which – with a 2-GB storage card – can hold 2,000 songs, costs $149, according to USATODAY (the article includes a picture of the phone). Added 8/4: Later in the week, Wall Street Journal tech writer Walt Mossberg pretty much panned the Chocolate, saying not in this case, but he does believe that "someday, the merger of the cellphone and the music player will result in a great device for consumers."

MN game law thrown out

Minnesota's twist on anti-videogame law was struck down by a federal judge, the Associated Press reports. Unusual because it would have fined minors if they tried to rent or buy games rated "M" (Mature) or "AO" (Adults Only), the law was due to go into effect tomorrow. US District Judge James Rosenbaum agreed with videogame makers (who had sued to block the law) that it violated free-speech rights. He added that the stated "failed to show that the graphic videogames were harmful to children," according to the AP. A US Senate committee recently approved a major study to look into exactly that question (see my 3/10 issue). Minnesota's law was "one of several attempts across the country to prevent minors from getting gruesome or sexually explicit video." Among them, Michigan and Illinois have had game laws killed. See also "Dollhouses & other digital games."

Today's 'cave painters'

Now that the Web is 24x7 reality TV on which everyone's a "star," parents mystified by their kids' need to be so public online need only look at the media and social environment they live in – at society itself, even history, the Washington Post suggests in its very readable, thoroughly reported "See Me, Click Me." Entire lives and innermost thoughts exposed on profiles and blogs are like cave art on steroids, exponentially more public because of what technology allows, we hear from Post writer Linton Weeks. But what's the attraction to self-exposure? parents ask. Pls click to this week's issue of my newsletter for more.

New social networks

Niche social-networking sites, and some not-so-niche ones, continue to open. The latest big-brand one is MTV's "Flux." As with MySpace, users will be able to customize their pages and upload video and other media, but more along the lines of Cyworld (which plans to open an English-language version in the US), they can have avatars, or online personas, represent them. "They can select a basic avatar design and transform it into the image they want to represent them in the Flux community," TechNewsWorld reports. "The avatars were designed by Nexus and resemble Japanese animation - with the ability to walk, talk and show their emotions, giving more of a digital life to the real people they represent" (here's my earlier item on Cyworld). Wal-Mart's "The Hub" for 13-to-18-year-olds is a not-very-social-networking site, The Guardian reports. "Any teenagers wishing to sign up as 'hubsters' need their parents' consent, and entrants face the challenge of looking cool in Wal-Mart apparel: videos and web pages are banned from carrying trademarks, trade names, logos or copyrighted music" – except for Wal-Mart labels. Then there's Utherverse.com, ostensibly for adults only. But The Register reports that "purely in the cause of investigation, we checked out the sign up process for Utherverse. The [Terms of Service] link to a page which says you should be 18+ - and that's it," no other barriers. "Chief executive Brian Shuster said the firm would use credit card age verification for its paid services - although the social networking side of the site is free. He said the company employs site monitors who scour the site for posts from minors," which is what MySpace says too. For more on niche networks, see "Martha's social networking" and "Family social networking."

US House passes DOPA *quickly*

Controlling social networking appears to be high-priority for US lawmakers. They have fast-tracked the Delete Online Predators Act (DOPA). It was passed by the House of Representatives 410-15 yesterday (Thursday), and CNET reports that the Senate could vote on it as early as next week. DOPA "would effectively require [in schools and libraries receiving federal funding] that 'chat rooms' and 'social networking sites' be rendered inaccessible to minors, an age group that includes some of the Internet's most ardent users. Adults can ask for permission to access the sites." The problem with the law, critics say, is the way it's worded. "Even though politicians apparently meant to restrict access to MySpace, the definition of off-limits Web sites is so broad the bill would probably sweep in thousands of commercial Web sites that allow people to post profiles, include personal information and allow 'communication among users.' Details will be left up to the Federal Communications Commission," according to CNET. A pending close race for reelection for the bill's sponsor, Mike Fitzpatrick (R) of Pennsylvania is one reason cited by CNET for the Republican leadership arranging the quick vote on DOPA. Here, in pdf format, is the version of the bill the House approved, and the more tongue-in-cheek version of what happened in a San Jose Mercury News blog.

Teen videogame tutors

Now, here's a twist on summer jobs or ways for teens to add some "spare change" to their college funds. Some experienced videogamers are making up to $60/hour tutoring newbie gamers, the Wall Street Journal reports (in a story picked up by the Contra Costa Times). "Class" happens right in the game. One tutor is 18-year-old Tom Taylor, runs "Web site called Gaming-lessons.com, where players can book lessons in two games - Microsoft's Halo 2 and Nintendo Co.'s Super Smash Brothers Melee." Tom employs 12 instructors, the youngest 8 years old, who gets $25/hour and has used some of his income to buy a hamster.

Kazaa legalizes

There was a time (about 2.5 years ago) when you could've called it the MySpace of file-sharing, when 60 million file-sharers and millions of downloads a week seemed like mind-numbing figures. Kazaa was the king of 2nd-generation file-sharing (after Napster of the 1st generation), then was overtaken by 3rd-gen BitTorrent. But enough background! The news is, the Sydney-based company registered in Vanuatu is paying the recording industry more than $100 million in damages and going legal, "following a series of high-profile legal battles," the BBC reports. According to the Associated Press, Kazaa "will redesign its … program to block customers who try to find and download copyrighted music and movies. It also will offer licensed entertainment for a price." Here's the Washington Post on Kazaa's out-of-court settlement with the London-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and the New York Times's coverage.