Sotheby’s teams up with eBay to stream luxury auctions worldwide
Sotheby’s auctions can be prohibitively expensive, but part of the problem is getting there in the first place; not everyone can send people to bid on their behalf. Distance shouldn’t be an issue in the near future, though. The company has struck a deal that will have eBay launch a special section for “rare, unique and premium” (i.e. costly) goods where Sotheby’s will stream live auctions worldwide, complete with real-time bidding. The section will be limited to New York auctions when it launches in the fall, and it won’t include the biggest sales. In short, you won’t be scoring a Monet from the comfort of your couch. Sotheby’s will eventually expand to other locations, however, so you might not be stuck if some valuable antique goes up for grabs in Hong Kong.
This isn’t the first time that upscale auctions have gone online, or even the first time that Sotheby’s and eBay have worked together; they briefly tried a partnership in 2002. Nonetheless, the new arrangement might be vital to Sotheby’s future. Christie’s has already had success selling items for millions of dollars online, and Sotheby’s risks missing out if it doesn’t expand its online presence — especially in an era when young technology executives can quickly join the ranks of the nouveau riche. The move also widens the kinds of objects that the company can sell. Instead of focusing so many of its efforts on super-exotic items, it can auction off family heirlooms, old wines and other items that are just rare enough to merit more than the usual eBay sale.
[Image credit: Robert Orion Martin, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: New York Times
Source: Sotheby’s (PDF)
Shazam streams full tracks from Rdio without leaving the app
Shazam has linked out to Rdio for a while now, but the tune identification app would boot you out to access a full track. With a recent update though, the software now streams songs it identifies from Rdio’s library from within, so long as you have a subscription. Those who have yet to pay up will still get a preview, but selecting the aforementioned repository from the listening options will only prompt you to download its app. Those who do shell out the monthly fee need only to link the two apps in order to take advantage. Shazamed tracks are automatically sorted inside their own playlist for later access while a “Add to Playlist” button lets you chose more appropriate destinations. While the iOS version is available now, folks who carry Android devices can expect it to arrive “in the next few days.”
Source: Shazam
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