The ax is swinging at Rhapsody America. The subscription music service, a joint venture between RealNetworks and Viacom subsidiary MTV Networks, is sacking nine percent of its employees, mostly in editorial.

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So those reports that the Beatles’ Apple Corps was in talks with Rock Band developers MTV Networks and Harmonix over the creation of a Beatles-themed videogame? True.

According to a Beatles pun-riddled joint press release from Apple Corps Ltd., MTV and Harmonix this morning (what, no “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey”?), the companies have inked an exclusive agreement to develop what they exuberantly describe as “an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles.”

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Viacom has a new online advertising partner and–big surprise–it’s not Google. It’s Microsoft.

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Coming to a PDF Near You: Adobe announced today that it is teaming with Yahoo to put text-based ads in PDF files. … The new and improved version of Apple’s iPhone will be able to download from the Internet at a faster rate, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson announced last night. … For Facebook, Nothing’s Set in Concrete: Responding to criticism from MoveOn, Facebook execs are looking into changes to the recently launched Beacon advertising tool.

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Note: John Paczkowski is on vacation and won’t be writing or posting videos until he returns Monday. To keep you abreast of tech news while he’s away, we’re compiling a daily digest of 10 must-read tech stories. We’re calling it the Tech 10 and it appears below.

1. Getting to know you: Facebook is developing targeted ads based on the information users of the social-networking site reveal about themselves. Quoting anonymous sources at the company, The Wall Street Journal says the advertising system is at an early, changeable stage, but Facebook hopes to launch a basic version late this fall.
2. It looks like Apple will turbocharge its iPods with the Mac OS. According to AppleInsider, the upgraded digital music players will debut at a media event next month and are part of the computer maker’s master plan to create devices around its legendary operating-system software.

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Note: John Paczkowski is on vacation and won’t be writing or posting videos until he returns Monday. To keep you abreast of tech news while he’s away, we’re compiling a daily digest of 10 must-read tech stories. We’re calling it the Tech 10 and it appears here.

1. Retailing behemoth Wal-Mart will sell digital-music downloads on its Web site without copy protection, Reuters reports. The so-called digital-rights management software insisted on by some record labels can stymie where the average user plays the songs.
2. Taking on the juggernaut of iTunes, MTV and RealNetworks are forming an online digital music venture. According to The Wall Street Journal, Verizon Wireless has signed on as mobile distributor of the joint content.

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Note: John Paczkowski is on vacation and won’t be writing or posting videos until he returns Monday, Aug. 27.
To keep you abreast of tech news while he’s away, we’re compiling a daily digest of 10 must-read tech stories. We’re calling it the Tech 10 and it will appear in Digital Daily.

Dell says it will [...]

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