Fusion: P2P use drops, DVR impact

3/25/2005

P2P USE DROPS

Use of peer-to-peer systems like Kazaa for sharing music and other files online has dropped as more Americans turn to such alternative methods as downloading files from a friend s iPod, a new study finds. The percentage of Internet users who share files online remains at about 24 percent, but fewer are using P2P systems.

• 21 percent of current music downloaders say they still use P2P systems, compared with 31 percent in February 2004, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

• Usage of paid services like iTunes has increased to 34 percent of music downloaders, compared with 17 percent last year.

• About half of the music or video downloaders say they have used sources other than P2P or paid services. E-mail and instant messages were popular, as was taking files from someone else s iPod or MP3 player.

DVR IMPACT

Six percent of Americans own a TiVo or other digital video recorder and another 6 percent plan to buy one in the next year, a study finds. The overwhelming majority of DVR owners 81 percent say they love or like them, according to the joint study from Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research.

• More than half say the DVRs have had a big impact on their lives.

• Among all recorders of television shows, including VCR owners, 29 percent cite the ability to skip ads as the primary reason for recording shows, while 52 percent want to watch shows at a more convenient time.

• One quarter of Americans have watched video on the Internet and a similar number have used pay-per-view or other on-demand services offered by their cable or satellite provider.

UTAH PORN BLOCK

Internet service providers that operate in Utah must offer customers a way to block porn sites under a law signed this week. ISPs complained that the law adds nothing to the fight against pornography, and said a legal challenge is likely. The law requires ISPs to offer customers free software for blocking porn sites on a list maintained by the attorney general. The Utah law also requires companies that build and maintain pornographic sites to label the content harmful to minors. Failure to comply is punishable by one year in prison and a $2,500 fine.

BOOT UP, TEE OFF

Most golfers would consider it imprudent to hit a 200-yard drive inside their office, but it can be done with Electric Spin s Golf Launchpad ($229), a gaming peripheral for the PC. Designed to work with the mouse-driven golf games Links and Tiger Woods PGA Tour (the 2004 version is included with the device), the pad plugs into the computer s USB port. Hit the golf ball tethered to the device, a piece of artificial turf a little larger than a computer keyboard, and the pad translates information from sensors measuring speed and direction into a mouse gesture that the game can understand.

electricspin.com

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