Napster Mulls Putting Itself on The Block

By Geoff Duncan September 19, 2006

My, how the world turns. Former music-sharing badboy cum legitimate music download service Napster announced today that it has retained the services of UBS Investment Bank. The reason: to assist the board and company management in evaluating “recent third party interest” in acquiring the company and/or establishing strategic partnerships.

“Napster is in a strong position to continue aggressively building our business as an independent company and we are pleased to also have the opportunity to thoughtfully examine potential combinations that may further enhance Napster’s unique strategic and brand position in the center of digital media,” said Chris Gorog, Napster Chairman and CEO in a statement. “Our goal is to enhance shareholder value which could potentially lead to a new strategic partnership or the sale of the company but in any event our primary focus will remain on growing Napster.”

Recommended Videos

The company emphasized there are no timetables for its evaluation of possible offers, and it is not guaranteeing that the evaluation process will result in any transaction at all: Napster could well continue to go it alone. According to Napster CFO Nand Gangwani, the company has about $97 million in the bank as of the end of its first fiscal quarter and boasts annual revenues over $100 million. Long languishing on the subscriber front, the company now says its service have more than half a million subscribers (down from over 600,000 in the prior quarter), but is seeing significant growth in its mobile business. The company will be launching service shortly in Japan. However, its financial numbers and subscriber base make the former shooting star of the digital music scene distinctly toward the back of the pack of music services; of course, everyone is at the back of the pack compared to the success of Apple’s iTunes, and everyone’s also holding their breath to see what happens with Microsoft’s iPod-challenging Zune.

Potential suitors for Napster could include cable companies and mobile phone operators seeking at add or enhance digital music offerings via data services.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Deals

These 4 smart home products will put your home on autopilot this holiday season

Echo Show 5 on a nightstand showing the time.

The holiday season can be one of the most enjoyable times of the year, but it's also easily one of the most stressful. That's doubly true if you're concerned about home security, which is a very important consideration if you're traveling around this time, entertaining frequent guests, or simply ordering gifts online — but today's smart home technology can ease those worries a bit.

Modern smart home devices like smart locks, video doorbells, and smart lighting are an easy way to bring your living space into the 21st century while offering convenience and peace of mind. If you're looking to set up or add to your own smart home ecosystem (maybe you've already got a smart speaker and you want to unlock its full potential), then these four products are just what you need to put your home on autopilot before the holidays:
Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus + Amazon Echo Show 5
— $170, was $320

News

Yup, Ring’s Always Home Cam flies itself to patrol inside your home

ring always home cam autonomous flying camera news specs price alway connect 2 of 3

Ring has conquered the home inside and out with its line of security video cameras, but now the company is taking to the air with the announcement of the Ring Always Home Cam. You could say it’s an ambitious effort, especially when it’s billed as an autonomous flying indoor camera that can peek at just about any nook and cranny in the home. Considering that it’ll pilot itself, there are certainly bound to be new vantage points that you can’t get from its traditional line of cameras.
This is without a doubt one of the bigger surprises to come out from Amazon’s Devices Event, one that takes security to a totally different level. Basically, the Ring Always Home Cam looks as though a sizable propeller guard has been strapped onto the top of one of its video doorbells. The whole thing looks peculiar and will certainly attract a few glances (from people and pets) as it buzzes around the home inspecting for security threats.

Why buy this when Ring already has a solid portfolio of indoor security cameras? Well, the premise here is that instead of having to buy multiple cameras that need to be spread around the home, the Ring Always Home Cam can effectively replace them -- operating on predetermined paths set by the user. It’ll be able to fly on its own, without any supervision or intervention on the user’s part, so that it can provide eyes wherever you need inside of the home.

Smart Home

Skeptical about UV light sanitizers? We put one to the test

uv light sanitizer performance test 94128357 537119093643659 8054646096275701760 o

We’re living in strange times, and the few things we know we can do to protect ourselves involve washing our hands and sterilizing surfaces and objects regularly. But who wants to waste all that paper or sanitizing wipes to clean our phones and other objects? Enter the growing popularity of the UV-C sterilizer. How do we know it really works? Well, we brushed off our 6th-grade science skills and put the Coral UV Sterilizer and Dryer to the test.

While many people are turning to UV phone-sanitation boxes to keep their devices clean, there are limitations. For starters, they can only sanitize a phone. On a good day, a phone is a huge germ collector, (it has been cited repeatedly that a phone has more germs than a toilet) and should definitely be one of the first things you sanitize. In fact, all high-touch items (think: Glasses, earbuds, iPad, remote controls, keys, etc.) should be cleaned/sterilized frequently as well.
The hypothesis: UV-C machines can kill germs on our devices
The Coral UV has all the certifications you’d want including EPA testing and FDA approval. According to the company’s co-founder and CMO, Titus Tse, “The UV-C light emits a UV-C ray at the correct wavelength that actually disinfects and kills the bacteria, viruses, and germs.”