Tag archive: Rob Glaser

Rob Glaser is mainly known as the founder of RealNetworks, but since stepping down from the CEO chair a year ago, the man has apparently been keeping busy: at the Demo conference this week in Palm Desert, California, Glaser has launched his latest project, dubbed SocialEyes. SocialEyes blenders Facebook's social graph with real-time video calling a la Skype and Apple's FaceTime technology to enable simple one-on-one and group video… Read More

Real Networks' founder Rob Glaser has stepped down as CEO of the company he founded back in 1994, just days after the departure of the company's COO John Giamatteo and after a federal judge dismissed Real Networks' antitrust case against movie studios over its DVD-ripping software RealDVD. “After nearly 16 years, I've decided it's time for me to step away from day-to-day operations,” Glaser said in a… Read More

Real Networks is upping the download ante. It’s just released a new version of its trademark free RealPlayer that will allow users to download video and burn it to CDs and DVDs. The beta is coming this month to the company’s web site. Users will be able to download video that doesn’t have digital rights management (DRM) protection. All you’ll need to do is click the “download this video” button as you watch… Read More

You'd think winning hundreds of millions of dollars from Microsoft in exchange for settling antitrust caims against the software giant would make RealNetworks bullish on Windows…maybe it is, but they also can't seem to live without their cell phones. Yesterday, RealNetworks announced it has acquired South Korea's mobile entertainment developer WiderThan for some $350 million; today, the company announced the launch… Read More

Google, Real Networks, and the Mozilla Corporation have signed onto a multi-year deal under which Real Networks will offer the Google Toolbarand Mozilla's Firefox Web browser with Real Network's RealPlayer media player application. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed; thearrangement builds on an existing two-year arrangement between Real Networks and Google in which Real Networks promoted the Google Toolbar. “Real… Read More

RealNetworks has announced a beta launch of a browser-based version of its Rhapsody music subscription service. Dubbed Rhapsody.com, the site lets customers access Rhapsody's music library-which includes more than 1.4 million tracks from all five major labels plus independents-and popular features of the Rhapsody service from a Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Apple's Safari) rather than from a Windows-only… Read More

From RealNetworks' press release: RealNetworks, Inc. today announced the biggest music sale in history to kick off the Freedom of Choice campaign. For a limited time only, every song in the RealPlayer Music Store — from a-ha to ZZ Top — costs just 49 cents, with most albums available for just $4.99. Consumers can take advantage of this offer by going to www.real.com/music. This limited time sale celebrates the… Read More

Apple has issued a statement in response to RealNetworks' announcement of its Harmony software, which allows consumers to transfer protected digital music to any device they choose, such as Apple's iPod. In a short and to the point news release, Apple Computer stated that they are “stunned” by RealNetworks' actions: “We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker… Read More

The new 'Harmony' technology found in RealPlayer 10.5 supposedly emulates the proprietary copy protection used in Apple's iTunes store. We can only assume that Apple is going to lash back with alawsuit over the controversial software. From the press release: Harmony Technology frees consumers from the limitation of being locked into a specific portable device when they buy digital music. Now consumers can build their… Read More

From the press release: RealNetworks, Inc. Starz Encore Group LLC (Starz) today announced the immediate availability of the first premium subscription movie service delivered over high-speed broadband connections to PCs. Offering major, recently released motion pictures, the service, called STARZ! Ticket on Real Movies, is available at http://movies.real.com or www.starz.com. STARZ! Ticket on Real Movies gives subscribers unlimited… Read More

RealNetworks, Inc. and Linksys today announced that the companies are working together to make it easy for consumers to access and enjoy online music on their high-fidelity home stereo systemsby making Linksys' devices and RealNetworks' Rhapsody Internet jukebox service work together seamlessly. “Linksys is a powerful partner whose innovative product designs, marketing expertise, and extensive retail presence… Read More

Seattle-based RealNetworks said Thursday that Apple chairman Steve Jobs had rebuffed an offer by RealNetworks' chief executive Rob Glaser to meet and discuss forming an online music alliance involving Apple's best-selling iPod portable players. “He's in the neighborhood, but whatever meeting Rob wanted with Steve isn't happening,” RealNetworks spokesman Greg Chiemingo said Thursday. “Steve just… Read More

The offer to create a “tactical alliance” was made Friday by Rob Glaser, chief executive of RealNetworks, the Seattle-based Internet music and video service, in an e-mail message to Steve Jobs, Apple's chairman. But if an alliance with Apple could not be struck, Glaser strongly hinted in the e-mail message that he might be forced to form a partnership with Microsoft to pursue “very interesting opportunities”… Read More

From RealNetworks' press release: RealNetworks, Inc. today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Seattle-based GameHouse, Inc. a top developer, publisher and distributor of downloadable PC games, in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $35.6 million. The acquisition strengthens RealNetworks' leadership position in the downloadable PC games market by bringing together RealArcade, the… Read More

The complaint was filed in federal court in San Jose, California and alleges that Microsoft has illegally used its monopoly power to restrict competition, limit consumer choice and attempt tomonopolize the growing field of digital media. The complaint alleges that Microsoft has pursued a broad course of predatory conduct over a period of years by abusing its monopoly power, resulting in substantial lost revenue and business for RealNetworks.… Read More