Intel is forming a new digital entertainment company focused on distributing premium movies directly to consumers over the Internet. The new ClickStar venture is partnership between Intel, actor Morgan Freeman and producer Lori McCreary. The service will let consumers access, pay for and download first-run, pre-DVD-release films and artist-created entertainment channels over the Internet to Intel�s digital home entertainment devices. ClickStar will be led by former Sony Pictures executive Nizar Allibhoy. The company said it is working with top artists, producers and distribution companies worldwide to build a compelling slate of exciting films that will be available in theaters as well as online. Freeman and McCreary's current venture describes itself as "Revelations Entertainment develops and produces commercially successful entertainment in all existing and emerging media that endeavors to enlighten, express heart and glorify the human experience." A creative compilation of actors including Gene Hackman, Danny Glover, Billy Bob Thornton, and Holly Hunter have been attracted to Revelations' productions, bringing both their talent and excitement to the work. Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Jane, and Monica Bellucci represent the company's ability to cross age brackets and appeal to younger audiences as well.
Every executive who has approved a connected product roadmap has made a quiet assumption: the network underneath it will still be there. That assumption is about to be tested at a scale the automotive industry has never faced. The global connected vehicle installed base is heading toward a billion units, and the cellular technology most of those vehicles depend on is scheduled to begin its retirement before the end of the decade. For automakers, fleet operators, insurers, and the telecom carriers that serve them, the question is whether the recurring revenue those services promise can survive a connectivity layer with a shorter life than the vehicle carrying it. How Scale Meets an Expiry Date Omdia research forecasts that the global connected vehicle installed base will surpass 1.05 billion units by 2035, up from 473.7 million in 2025. Few installed bases of any kind more than double in a decade, and this one signals that connectivity is moving from premium differentiator to baseline e...