Apple will introduce a 3G version of the iPhone next year, according to AT&T Inc. Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson.

“You’ll have it next year,” said Stephenson. He said he didn’t know how much more the new version will cost than the existing model, which sells for $399. Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs “will dictate what the price of the phone is,” he said.

Jobs hopes to sell 10 million iPhones worldwide in 2008, which would give Cupertino, California-based Apple 1 percent of the mobile-phone market. Apple had sold 1.4 million handsets through the end of September.

If history is any example, the 3G iphone will be expensive, it will be awesome and we will upgrade.

via Bloomberg

If you’re breathing, you’re a winner at the Winnies Awards, an event to celebrate the world of indie Internet video, being held November 30, 2007 in Hollywood, baby.

Here are the details:

• WHO: Online Video creators, producers, compressors and STARS
• WHAT: The Winnies Awards Where The Winner is YOU
• WHERE: Cinespace, 6356 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, California
• WHEN: November 30, 2007 – 7pm
• WHY: Because you want to party and you want a trophy!
• HOW: Check the Rules page for details

There are dozens of promos for the event at vodpod.

Nero and TiVo today announced that they have entered into an agreement to integrate TiVo’s television UI with Nero’s next generation of PC software. Under the agreement, Nero will develop a software solution that will bring TiVo features to the personal computer.

“This agreement provides TiVo with an opportunity to deliver its interface and differentiated feature set globally via the PC, enabling TiVo to use all avenues of mass distribution — from consumer electronics, to cable and satellite boxes and soon, the PC,” said Tom Rogers, President and CEO, TiVo.

This is likely to make digitizing television shows more trivial than ever.

The video-sharing Web site YouTube has reportedly suspended the account of an Egyptian anti-torture activist and journalist who posted videos of police brutality.

The activist, Wael Abbas said that close to 100 images he had sent to YouTube were no longer accessible, including clips depicting purported police brutality, voting irregularities and anti-government demonstrations.

“They closed it (the account) and they sent me an e-mail saying that it will be suspended because there were lots of complaints about the content, especially the content of torture,” Abbas told Reuters.

“The goal is not showing the violence, it is showing police brutality. If his goal was just to focus on violence without any goal, that is a problem. But Wael is showing police brutality in Egypt,” said Gamal Eid, head of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information.

“I suspect they are doing it not under pressure from the Egyptian government but rather because it made American viewers squeamish,” said Elijah Zarwan, a prominent blogger and activist in Egypt. “But to shut them down because some people might find the truth disturbing is unconscionable.”

YouTube has recently removed music videos from its Taiwan and Korean sites that were considered by some to be degrading to women.

Sony is expanding its line of video projection systems a couple of new LCD models for larger-venues that, while not exactly impulse buys, are priced within the range of many organization.

The new VPL-FW300L (7,000 lumens) and the VPL-FH300L (6,000 lumens) projector models are ideal for smaller auditoriums, large classrooms and meeting rooms, museum exhibits, event centers, ballrooms and movie theaters for displaying pre-show content.

“There’s no ‘one size fits all’ option for large-venue projection needs,” said John Kaloukian, director of Sony Electronics’ professional display group. “For example, museums are featuring more full HD content in their exhibits and need HD capable projectors that show this footage quietly and effectively.

The VPL-FW300L projector has a WXGA+ resolution of 1366 x 800, while the VPL-FH300L unit delivers resolution of 2048 x 1080. Both models are housed in the same chassis, and share the same type of lenses, lamps, and filters as well as the same connections and network functions.

The VPL-FW300L and the VPL-FH300L projectors are planned to be available in January, at suggested list prices of $27,000 and $40,000, respectively.

At $27,000, we’re not going to be buying one of these anytime soon. But at that price, we can anticipate new types of theaters and performances based on digital video, computer graphics & Internet content developing.

It looks like natural selection is starting to weed through the dozens of video sites that have sprouted up in the last few years.Yesterday, we reported that video startup Brightcove was shuttering its user-generated video offerings to focus on video publishing services for corporate clients.

Now Compete has released its stats on the Top 10 Video Competitors for October and it looks like people’s attention is moving to the video sites owned by major search engines. MSN & Google/YouTube’s video traffic grew, while viewing at sites like MySpace, Heavy.com and veoh.com plummeted.

Here are the details….

In this episode of the New Media Update, Podcasting News’ Elisabeth McLaury Lewin talks with Mark Rotblat, one of the founders of TubeMogul.com, a web video distribution and analytics startup.

TubeMogul has developed an interesting tool for video producers. It lets you upload your video once, and TubeMogul distributes the video to whichever popular video sharing sites you choose. They provide tracking and analytics capabilities, too.

In this interview, Mark reveals how TubeMogul got started. He also explains how the site can be used to distribute video to multiple destinations, and why you might want to do that.

Read/WriteWeb reports that Internet video startup Brightcove has informed members of its Brightcove.TV site that it will no longer be accepting direct consumer uploads as of December 17, 2007. Instead, the company will be focusing on offering video publishing services for corporate clients.

The move is a sign of the maturation of Internet video. A year or two ago, YouTube wowed us with its wealth of video and the fact that you could even publish content to the Internet.

Now, mainstream content producers are working Internet video from every angle they can, user-generated video is proving to be difficult to monetize and serious indie video producers have lots of options for publishing their content on their own terms.

Verizon Wireless today announced that it will provide customers the option to use, on its nationwide wireless network, wireless devices, software and applications not offered by the company. Verizon plans to have this new choice available to customers throughout the country by the end of 2008.

“This is a transformation point in the 20-year history of mass market wireless devices ‚Äì one which we believe will set the table for the next level of innovation and growth,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer. “Verizon Wireless is not changing our successful retail model, but rather adding an additional retail option for customers looking for a different wireless experience.‚Äù

The company is responding, through today’s announcement, to a small but growing number of customers who want another choice without full service.

The Success Of The iPhone Forced Verizon’s Hand

The runaway success of the iPhone has to have played a part in Verizon’s decision to open itself to a broader array of devices. Apple’s smart and sexy device has proven to be so popular that about a quarter of the people buying iPhones are switching from other carriers.

AT&T has a five year deal with Apple for the iPhone. That’s a long time for Verizon and other carriers to be selling also-ran phones.

The best way for Verizon to compete against the iPhone – and four years of iPhone successors – is to open its network to any device, creating new competition and offering Verizon customers more selection than ever before.

In early 2008, the company will publish the technical standards the development community will need to design products to interface with the Verizon Wireless network. Any device that meets the minimum technical standard will be activated on the network. Devices will be tested and approved in a $20 million state-of-the-art testing lab which received an additional investment this year to gear up for the anticipated new demand. Any application the customer chooses will be allowed on these devices.

Following publication of technical standards, Verizon Wireless will host a conference to explain the standards and get input from the development community on how to achieve the company’s goals for network performance while making it easy for them to deliver devices.

The December issue of Wired has a profile of Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris that reveals why Universal has seemed to be aimless in its reaction to the growth of Internet music.

“There’s no one in the record industry that’s a technologist,” Morris explains. “That’s a misconception writers make all the time, that the record industry missed this. They didn’t.”

“They just didn’t know what to do,” says Morris. “It’s like if you were suddenly asked to operate on your dog to remove his kidney. What would you do?”

“We didn’t know who to hire,” he says. “I wouldn’t be able to recognize a good technology person ‚Äî anyone with a good bullshit story would have gotten past me.”

In the past, Morris has called iPod owners thieves, saying “These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it.”

via NewYorkMag