Is It true? Plants vs. Zombies 2 for Android arrives next month, says sources

Is It true? Sony and Viacom strike preliminary deal for Internet-based TV service, says sources

Is It true? Apple pushing for “premium” advertisement-skipping TV service, says sources

Earlier this month, Apple reportedly formed a deal with Time Warner Cable over Apple TV, which we’ll be hearing about towards the end of the year, if the sources are correct. Now word has surfaced that Apple is approaching cable networks with ideas of a “premium” service it would offer that allows the users to skip advertisements, something for which Apple would then pay the network.

The information comes from Jessica Lessin, who goes on to point out that in 2012 an Apple patent surfaced showcasing technology that allowed for a video stream to be played when a different one is being watched when a commercial comes on. As far as the actual claim goes, very little known, such as what kind of compensation Apple is offering for each skipped advertisement. Reportedly, according to the sources who provided the information, the talks are being kept very hush-hush, with the latest ones having taken place last week at an event by Allen & Co that media businesses participated in. Both Senior Vice President Eddy Cue and marketing head Phil Schiller are said to also be part of the talks. If all of this sounds familiar, it is not just because many DVRs already allow users to fast-forward through commercials. Dish Network allows for a similar feature, which is called Auto Hop and raised the ire of most of the industry. Fox, CBS, NBC, and others sued Dish over the feature, saying such a feature was an attack on the overall ecosystem. NBC was particularly vocal over the feature, and Dish Network’s chairman eventually responded with his own stance, talking about advertisements in general and Dish’s goal. In light of this, it will be interesting to see how networks respond to Apple’s plans, and what effects that could end up having in the grander scheme of things. SOURCE: Jessica Lessin VIA: Engadget Apple pushing for “premium” advertisement-skipping TV service, says sources is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear. © 2005 - 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Is It true? Verizon considering Vodafone stake buyout, says sources

As it stands right now, Verizon holds 55-percent of Verizon Wireless, with Vodafone holding the other 45-percent. According to some sources who spoke to Reuters, Verizon is looking at buying out Vodafone‘s stake to take full control of Verizon Wireless. Assuming Vodafone is approached by Verizon, nothing says it will need to sell, however, or that it will be interested in doing so.

Says the sources, Verizon has not yet approached Vodafone, but has instead hired advisers and are looking into the possibility. If the proposal is offered, it is said to involve $100 billion in a combination of cash and stocks ($50 billion from financing, the rest in shares), with Verizon being ready to “push aggressively” to have the deal go through. Back in 2004, Verizon almost scored Vodafone’s stake in Verizon Wireless when the company was trying to purchase AT&T Wireless, something that would have necessitated the sale of its stake. That purchase didn’t go through, however, and as a result Vodafone retained its Verizon Wireless stake. If the proposal is made, some analysts expect that Vodafone will demand more. One such reason is the large tax bill Vodafone could be faced with if it sells it stake, estimated to come in at about $20 billion, reducing the value of Verizon’s offer. The sources have a different take on that, however, saying that the way the proposal is made would reduce the tax burden to about $5 billion instead, possibly less. Nothing official has been said on the matter. [via Vodafone] Verizon considering Vodafone stake buyout, says sources is written by Brittany Hillen .

Is It true? Twitter to launch music app this weekend, says sources

In the latest Twitter news story to surface today, sources have told the folks over at AllThingsD that the rumored Twitter music app we’ve been hearing about will be launched this Friday, with another stating that it will be launched at Coachella some time this weekend. This follows an announcement on Thursday by We Are Hunted that it was acquired by the microblogging service.

Twitter still doesn’t have anything to say on the music app, but the sources say that it will be launched during Cachella, a giant music festival in California. Multiple sources provided the information, none of them named and all said to be familiar with the situation. Considering the timing of the alleged launch and the announcement a few hours ago that Twitter has, indeed, aquired the We Are Hunted music service points to the affirmative. The Twitter music platform is said to be a standalone app that will be available to both those with and without a Twitter account, although the former will have access to more features. Personalized recommendations will be offered to a user based on the artists they follow, as well as the artists followed by their followers. Songs and artists will be displayed with a grid design with an expanding panel with additional information. According to sources, the music app will contain four tabs, one being a “Suggested” songs tab of content it thinks you will enjoy, as well as a “#NowPlaying” tab with, as the name suggests, songs being tweeted by followers using that hashtag. The third tab will be “Popular,” containing trending songs, followed by an “Emerging” tab, which will feature the up-and-coming songs and artists. SoundCloud, iTunes, Vevo, and more will be integrated. [via AllThingsD] Twitter to launch music app this weekend, says sources is written by Brittany Hillen .

Is It true? Facebook to add hashtags, says sources

Hashtags have long been the domain of Twitter, where users utilize them alongside keywords to make searching and grouping easier. Over time, hashtags have become an embedded part of our vernacular, used as a part of speech to emphasize a particular aspect of the conversation, the speaker’s setting, and other such things. As such, it only makes sense that Facebook would add the hashtag to its own service.

The information comes from individuals who are said to be familiar with the matter, according to the Wall Street Journal. The hashtag feature, once incorporated, will allow events and trends to be aggregated together by their shared topic, with users being able to click on the hashtag to see a list of statuses with the same marker. While the hashtag is a staple of and most commonly associated with Twitter, it isn’t exclusive to that service, and can be found in use across the web, including on Facebook’s own Instagram, which makes it easier for photos to be sorted and discovered. As it currently stands, Facebook users can already tag certain things via “@.” This comes at a time when Facebook is making some big changes and is competing against Twitter in a spectrum of areas, not the least of which is getting more advertisement dollars flowing its way. Recently, the social network updated its search engine, stated that public statuses will be searchable, and has pushed users to post more content publicly rather than with just their friends. Says the sources, this feature won’t roll out for awhile, so don’t expect to see it with the updated news feed. [via Wall Street Journal] Story Timeline Facebook News Feed update's privacy changes: the one Facebook acquires Social-Blogging group Storylane Sharing is caring according to Facebook users Researchers predict IQ, age, and more using only Facebook Likes Facebook Mobile DevCon 2013 revealed: Android and iOS on tap Facebook reveals how the updated News Feed was developed Facebook introduces cleaner look to Timeline Facebook to add hashtags, says sources is written by Brittany Hillen .