I'm intrigued by Intel's investment in ClickStar Inc., a company co-founded by actor Morgan Freeman that aims to develop technology to deliver first-run movies on the Internet before they become available on P2P networks. It's a two-pronged move by Intel: it provides its VC arm with a little profile, and it will hopefully encourage computer users to buy more powerful machines to download and play movies. Freeman may be just one of many entrepreneurs trying to solve the online movie distribution issue but he's definitely among the most well-known. And maybe his status as a big Hollywood star will give ClickStar an edge in establishing relationships with the major studios. The news about Intel's investment in ClickStar coincides with a column by the Financial Times' John Gapper who suggests the "golden age of the DVD is coming to an end". His thesis is based on the notion that DVD sales aren't growing as quickly, and retailers are reducing the amount of time a DVD title gets to spend on the shelf. At the same time, box office sales are suffering as ticket prices climb - a trend that could become worse as the industry consolidates. Meanwhile, downloads of movies are rising as Bit Torrent technology makes the process even easier. So maybe Morgan Freeman will be Hollywood's salvation if ClickStar can figure out a way to deliver first-run movies efficiently, securely and, more importantly, at the right price. If ClickStar cracks this nut, Intel's investment could be very prescient and the movie industry will discover the Internet will give it a much-needed financial boost - much like the VCR and DVD did in the 1980s and 1990s.

Of Research in Motion's two co-CEOs, the talkative Jim Balsillie comes across as the more natural salesman. It's somewhat surprising, therefore, Amex Canada selected Mike Lazaridis to be part of a new ad campaign focusing on "fascinating" individuals. Lazaridis was selected - along with Robert De Niro, TV host Ellen DeGeneres and professional surfer Laird Hamilton - because of the Blackberry's success and his philanthropic and education activities. Amex's decision to feature Lazaridis is more evidence of how the Blackberry has become a cultural and business phenomena. Despite all the buzz about Blackberry-killers on the horizon, the Blackberry has what I call "default" status where consumers think of the Blackberry when it comes to mobile e-mail - much like eBay enjoys this status in the online auction market while the iPod has it for MP3 players. Once you achieve this position, it is very difficult to lose it. By selecting Lazaridis, Amex is not only recognizing the Blackberry's popularity but it is hoping to benefit from it as well.

Point Topic, which does research on broadband services, estimates more than 11 million people were using a retail VOIP service for at least some of their telephone calls at the end of March - compared with more five million in mid-2004. The largest market is Japan (7.2 million users) where Yahoo Softbank provides free VOIP service as part of a broadband bundle, while U.S. cablecos had 2.1 million VOIP customers. I'm leary about Point Topic's assessment of Yahoo Softbank's VOIP users because it's impossible to tell how many of the 7.2 million customers are actually using the service and, if so, how often they are doing it. That said, I'm intrigued by the concept of free VOIP with DSL, or free DSL with VOIP (hat trip to http://ricksegal.typepad.com/). With VOIP service providers battling it out on price (unless you're a Canadian cableco), the idea of selling VOIP and/or broadband services in new and different ways is intriguing. In a recent blog posting, O'Reilly recounted a story told at an Intel Capital CEO conference in Beijing about a Mexico ISP, MBS.net, that responded to lower DSL prices from Telmex by switching gear and selling VOIP as a service with DSL tossed into the mix for no cost. It's food for thought.

Not sure what to make of a deal that will see Opera launch a technical preview that integrates BitTorrent to support faster downloads. Of course, Opera says these would only be legal downloads such as "Linux software and computer game demos" rather than all those songs and movies that have driven the entertainment industry crazy. Opera said it twigged onto the benefits of Bit Torrent after the release of Opera 8 knocked out its servers due to high demand. There are a couple ways to look at this deal. It's either the beginning of the legitimization of Bit Torrent and torrent technology as a way to efficiently deliver digital content. This would give Opera a competitive advantage/head start over browser rivals such as Internet Explorer and Firefox. Then again, this could be an act of strategic desperation by Opera, which has lost its status as the "other" browser since Firefox exploded on the scene. Sure, Bit Torrent has cache and its become one of the tools to download movies, TV shows and music but it's a digital rebel - in other words, a modern-day Napster. The entertaiment industry has already pursued legal action against other Torrent sites so Opera shouldn't be surprised if it finds itself under the legal spotlight.