The reason ReadWriteWeb has made this decision is to focus on building and extending our core ReadWriteWeb brand. The first fruits of this strategy were the Enterprise Channel (launched in August) and our new Jobwire product (launched last week). We have more channels and products in the pipeline.

A note about ReadWriteTalk, our podcast show. As it was not a network blog, but an extension of ReadWriteWeb, it will continue to be part of our business. Sean Ammirati will continue to host the show.

Stay tuned for more channels and products under the ReadWriteWeb brand.

Hat-tip to Quintura Blog, Center Networks and The Inquisitr for their posts today. Also see Charles' post at AltSearchEngines.

Last week, CBC released an official DRM-free BitTorrent of a prime time show -- a first for a major north American broadcaster (see last100 coverage). Since then we’ve been getting hundreds of emails of support and one clear resounding message: give us more. This begs the question, why aren’t broadcasters doing more? Why in the year 2008, seven years after BitTorrent’s birth and a lifetime in Internet years is this a groundbreaking thing? Let’s break down what it takes to get a legal torrent going and maybe we’ll get some answers.

The post is worth a read, and be sure to subscribe to the Last100 RSS feed to keep up to date on all the latest digital lifestyle news and commentary.

Securing Nokia’s support marks a major coup for Microsoft. Having already committed to developing a version of Silverlight for all three major desktop Operating Systems (Windows, Mac OS and Linux), gaining access to Nokia’s millions of mobile users brings Microsoft one step closer to fulfilling the promise of a Rich Internet Application (RIA) framework with genuine ‘write once, run anywhere’ capabilities — the holy grail of software development.

However, notes last100 editor Steve O'Hear, while scoring a partnership with Nokia is a huge win for Microsoft, it hardly means that Silverlight will be the de facto mobile RIA platform. RIM, Apple, Adobe, and Google each have their own platforms for mobile RIA development.

For the full scoop, check out the post at last100 and be sure to subscribe to last100's RSS feed to keep up on all the latest digital lifestyle news.

If Apple can't persuade all four majors to license their catalogs for DRM-free paid-for downloads, and even Amazon, seen as the company most likely to rescue the music industry away from the grip of Apple, is only able to do so on a trial basis (with regards to Universal and Sony BMG at least), then what chance does Qtrax have with an almost completely new and unproven model.

To put this into even greater perspective, both SpiralFrog (see last100's review) and We7, two services that have offered ad-supported music downloads for significantly longer, are only able to offer a catalog of around half a million tracks each of a million and a half million tracks, respectively. Why? Because the labels are far from convinced that advertising dollars can ever replace revenue from paid-for downloads or CD sales.

In a followup post today, last100 scored an exclusive interesting Q&A with We7 CEO Steve Purdham. UK-based We7, backed by Peter Gabriel, enables users to download free MP3s that have a short (and targeted) audio advert embedded at the start of each track. The ads then auto-expire after four weeks of listening, allowing users to re-download the same tracks ad-free.

Purdham talks on a range of issues including the company's mission, DRM, resistance by the major labels, new business models and We7's competitors.

On the major labels reluctance to embrace ad-supported music downloads, Purdham says the reason is "simple:"

"They are worried that if they leave the iTunes model, the revenues they get will be diminished. So out of 79p they get, say, 46p and they are worried that ad [supported models] will net a lot less. However, there is a realization that in a world where for every track sold by iTunes... 10 tracks are downloaded illegally with no payment, so the real track revenue is 4.6p. Ad funded models need to show they are additive on the whole or scale to make the total cash available higher than before."

And asked whether Qtrax's service is too good to be true, Purdham comments:

"Well let's just say the reports seem to suggest so, which is a shame as I want to see more ad models appear and then the winners are the ones that execute well. The strange situation with Qtrax, and Spiralfrog last year, do nothing for the cause. There are many big questions that are hanging over Qtrax which needn't have been there but I hope they don't destroy the opportunity for the rest of us."

You can read the rest of the interview over at last100, and don't forget to subscribe to the RSS feed to get the latest digital lifestyle news and analysis.

"Overall, pricing on iTunes is inline with traditional DVD rentals from bricks-and-mortar stores such as Blockbuster, as well as directly comparable online offerings. Movie rentals are priced at $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases, with High Definition versions costing one dollar more. However, when compared to subscription packages such as the eat-all-you-want service from Netflix, Apple’s prices soon add up, for all but the most casual movie watcher. Not offering a subscription option seems like a missed opportunity by Apple."

iPhone, iPod touch updates are incremental, welcomed, and point to future

"Today’s software updates for the iPhone and iPod touch are welcomed refinements from Apple. Are they earth-shattering? No. They’re incremental, carefully thought out, and point to what we can expect in the future.

"It’s a platform that competitors are no where near duplicating. By the time competing manufacturers introduce their versions of the iPhone (many of which may use Google’s open mobile operating system Android), Apple will unveil even more refinements as well as introduce iPhone 2.0."

AppleTV 2 breaks free from the PC, remains under Apple’s lock and key

"With AppleTV "take 2," the chains are off so to speak. No longer does the device require the use of a computer to download and manage content (although it can still access media stored on a PC), and is instead capable of fetching content directly from the Internet -- movie rentals; film, TV and music purchases; podcasts; and photos.

"But aside from Apple-sanctioned access: the company’s own iTunes Store and .Mac service, podcasts, Flickr and YouTube -- the AppleTV remains under lock and key, closed to third-party developers and web services, and subsequently unable to pull in additional content from elsewhere on the net."

Reading between the lines of Jobs’ comments on Kindle, Android

"What does Steve-o really mean when he says, "It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore"? And: "The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t ready anymore"?"

BBC tech chief: iPlayer on iTunes now a possibility

"Movie rentals on iTunes could pave the way for content from the BBC’s catch-up service, iPlayer, being offered on Apple’s platform, according to the broadcaster’s Future Media and Technology Director, Ashley Highfield."

Be sure to check out more great digital life coverage every day at last100.

Hulu is a joint venture between News Corp. and NBC Universal that puts popular television content from those companies online. It's ad supported (via pre and mid-roll ads) and the videos are quite high quality. Popular shows include 24, The Simpsons, Family Guy, 30 Rock, The Office, House, and my favorite, Psych.

We called the launch "umpressive," but now it's your turn to decide for yourself.

Invites are on a first come basis and are available at this link.