HMV Canada Sold To Hilko UK
HMV Canada has been sold to British restructuring company Hilko UK.
HMV Canada is expected to expand their online presence with streaming content according to today’s press release, whilst retaining their CD and DVD stores.
“The management team of HMV Canada has built a plan that will extend the period over which the residual hard-copy music and film market can be maintained. The new product categories it is introducing to the business will help sustain sales levels during the transition of entertainment sales into the digital realm.” – Paul McGowan, Hilco UK Chief Executive
HMV Canada is expected to recieve $25 million from Hilco UK to continue their transition plan and additional details will be made available shortly.
Best Buy Music Cloud Online
Best Buy‘s Musiccloud service is now online in the states. The cloud service is provided by Catch Media‘s Play Anywhere system, which is compatible with Apple, Blackberry and Android devices.
I have yet to find information related to a Canadian service but the terms and conditions of this service don’t include limitations in regards to use by American residents. I will change this information if I recieve confirmation that Canadians are ineligible for the service.
More Clouds In Forecast
Another online music retailer has decided to create a Cloud service.
American subscription service eMusic are hoping to launch their own Cloud service in the fall or winter.
This company had just recently secured the rights to EMI‘s older catalog, enabling members access to EMI recordings that are over 12 months old.
Hewlett-Packard Cloud Service
It appears that HP might unviel a new cloud service for their new Touchpad, according to Billboard, who confirmed the labels were in negotiations with this company.
The new Touchpad will be released on July 1st in the United States and July 15th in Canada. It will be available for pre-order from HP Canada on June 19.
Gouging Canadians – Mobile Data Roaming
So the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has confirmed what every Canadian cell phone and mobile data user has suspected for years, and more so. Canadians are being gouged when it comes to mobile data roaming charges.
According to their May 30th study, Canadians that download and upload whilst roaming are charged some of the highest fees in the world, at up to US$24.61 per 1 MB transfer on a laptop.
These rates are of course prohibitive when it comes to the viewing and uploading of digital photographs and videos. But the use of cloud services whilst roaming are also subject to these enormous fees, as are music downloads.
I personally believe that though somewhat inconvenient at times, WI-FI is the preferable option for any traveler that wishes to transfer files to and from their devices.
Free WI-FI is available in many hotels, motels, campgrounds, airports and chains like Starbucks and McDonalds though-out Canada and the United States. And some hotels also offer faster wired connections, in select rooms of course.
Personally i’ve saved quite alot of money using Skype in hotel rooms and campgrounds in the past, using these free connections. And there is an option to limit transfers to wi-fi on the new iCloud service, so there are ways to avoid these fees altogether.