SAN JOSE, Calif., March 27 (UPI) -- Two Scandinavian computer programmers say what their software did for phone calls and music swapping Joost will do for internet-based television viewing.
Skype, a voice-over-Internet phone service, made Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis very rich men. And their music-swapping program, Kazaa, made the pair wanted by the U.S. music industry seeking to stop the illegal file swapping.
They didn't visit the United States for years to avoid Kazaa-related lawsuits. But thanks to a multimillion-dollar settlement, the two can attend net-focused conferences such as one in San Jose, Calif., recently, the Los Angeles Times said Tuesday.
Zennstrom said Joost seeks to mix together the best of television and the best of the Internet. The system is smart and can learn a user's likes and dislikes -- and base recommendations on what to watch on those preferences.
Joost's objective is to get "lots of great quality content" through agreements with content owners, Zennstrom said.
Zennstrom said he and Friis wanted to develop something simple and appealing to lots of users, then develop the business model.
"We're liberating people from time schedules," he said of Joost. "There is a level of activity on the Internet that we want to bring to Joost."
