Microsoft is introducing a new online music service that uses the company’s Xbox brand, replacing the previous Zune branding. It’ll appear as part of an update to Xbox games consoles from Tuesday and will also be available on Windows 8 devices when the new OS launches.

Xbox Music will include a free music streaming service, a subscription service and an online music shop.

LG Electronics is launching a beta version of its LG Cloud service, enabling users to enjoy photos and videos across the ‘three screens’ of Android smartphones, PCs and smart TVs.

Content is streamed in real time without the need to download it to the device.

Video-on-demand service provider Voddler has announced the world’s first movie streaming service for smartphones using Dolby Digital Plus audio. It’s currently available for a number of Nokia Symbian devices and is initially being offered in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Dolby Digital Plus audio offers cinematic surround sound with Voddler’s streamed films.

Film and TV streaming service Netflix has launched in the UK and Ireland. It offers online access to television programmes and films via a wide range of devices, including tablets and mobile phones as well as computers, games consoles and internet-connected TVs.

The service currently costs £5.99 a month with a one-month free trial.

Mark Bridge writes:

As 2011 draws to a close, many of us start looking towards 2012 and wondering what’ll be happening in the mobile phone industry. Here at The Fonecast we’ve invited a handful of industry experts and business leaders to offer us their thoughts about the coming year.

Today’s podcast contains analysis and insight from Hans Eriksson, Steve Litchfield, Dr Windsor Holden, Dr Mark Smith and Jack Wraith MBE.

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

We start this week's podcast with Ofcom's announcement that it's clarifying the rules for fixed-term mobile phone contracts.

There's also a new curved smartphone from LG, accusations about a mobile security company, information about mobile phone thefts, a report into the UK's communications infrastructure and some quarterly results figures.

M-commerce and mobile payments are terms that can mean several different things.

In this special podcast we learn more about the subject by talking to Tim Green, editor-in-chief of Mobile Money Revolution.

HTML5 is often described as the shape of things to come; sometimes as the future of the web and sometimes as the nemesis of native mobile applications.

But exactly what is 'HTML 5' - and what does it mean to the mobile industry?

There's plenty of product news in this week's podcast, with a new Apple iPad and new tablets from Nokia and Argos as well.

We also talk about HMV's battle with the Apple App Store, new 4G tariffs from Tesco Mobile, Samsung's patent proposals and a complaint about coverage maps.

If you've created a mobile application, you'll want people to download it, use it and tell their friends. But how can you ensure that as many people as possible know about your app?

Today's podcast is designed to help with some of the answers. It was recorded in London at the very first App Promotion Summit earlier this year.