iTunes Match Gets Dev Release, Video Preview
Posted in: Apple, itunes, Software and Operating Systems, Today's Chili
Updated below at 4 p.m. EDT with additional information
The wait for an Apple-centric solution to cloud-based music streaming is almost over.
Apple has released iTunes Match to those enrolled in its developer program. Tuesday’s announcement included a short video tour of the service, which is available only to those who are running iOS 10.5 Beta 6.1 and were quick enough to grab one of few beta subscriptions Apple offered.
Match works in conjunction with Apple iCloud, which allows users to store iTunes playlists remotely. With iTunes Match, you don’t have to store music files on your iDevice: They’re simply streamed from the cloud. You do have the option to download tracks, as the video shows.
We haven’t heard much about iTunes Match since it was revealed at WWDC 2011. The service costs $25 a year and allows a maximum of 25,000 songs or as much as 250 gigs of space, assuming songs are four minutes long and compressed at 320 kbps.
Of course, iTunes Match isn’t the first streaming-music option. Ten bucks a month gets you a subscription to Rdio, which offers an iPhone and iPad app. Rdio also features a great playlist collaborating-and-sharing feature. Spotify, also available for $10 a month for the premium version, offers convenient offline syncing in its iOS and Android apps.
At $25 a year, iTunes Match is a significantly cheaper option, though.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with iTunes Match and similar services is that the demise of unlimited data plans means streaming your tunes takes a big bite out of monthly data usage. If you want to stream freely, make sure you’re connected to a good Wi-Fi connection.
If you’re hoping to score a beta version of iTunes Match, keep checking back over the next few days, as Apple will continue to expand its beta-testing pool.
Update:
According to AllThingsD, Apple’s iTunes Match service does not stream from iCloud, it requires you to download songs from your virtual, cloud-based “locker” onto whatever device you are listening on. This applies to any music title, whether it was purchased from iTunes or acquired from another source.
The “stream” in the video below is actually a simultaneous download and listen. This means Apple’s service is probably not technically a true streaming platform, since a copy of the song is needed on your iDevice in order to play. However, iTunes Match would still provide on-demand access to the music in your locker, so if you switch devices, you still have immediate access to all of your music.
Wired has asked Apple to comment.
Image: Jim Merithew/Wired
Samsung Galaxy S II LTE heads to Rogers for 4G fall debut
Posted in: 4G, dual-core, DualCore, lte, mobilepostcross, phone, Phones, samsung, smartphone, Smartphones, Today's Chili
Our neighbors to the north just got a one-two punch of wireless awesome delivered courtesy of Rogers. The operator announced today that its variant of Samsung’s heavily lusted after Galaxy S II will be launching with baked-in LTE functionality on its nascent 4G network. Most of the handset’s specs have remained the same, aside from a newly beefed-up 1.5GHz dual-core processor, NFC functionality and Hercules-sized 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. If you’re proud to call yourself Canadian and “download speeds of up to 100Mbps” get your blood pumping, then expect to snag Sammy’s beast phone when it goes on sale before Autumn’s end.
Update: Interestingly, the Rogers site lists the Galaxy S II LTE as featuring a 1.2GHz CPU instead of the 1.5GHz slice of silicon that was announced only days ago. It may be a typo, or the Canadian carrier may have its version underclocked for a longer battery life. We’ve reached out for clarification and will update when we hear back.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung Galaxy S II LTE heads to Rogers for 4G fall debut originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTunes Celebrates the Wrong Kind of Labor Day
Posted in: Apple, itunes, Movies, Today's Chili, top
For Halloween, the iTunes storefront highlights scary movies. For Christmas, flicks about Santa Claus. For Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day. And for this Labor Day? Babies! Because hey, ’tis the season. For… pregnancy? More »
Strong enough for an enterprise user but with enough features to appeal to almost anyone, the Motorola Pro+ arrives for European and Asian markets in October.
Originally posted at Android Atlas
The Toyota Motorsport group set a lap time of 7 minutes 47.79 seconds with its purpose built TMG EV P001 on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, a record for an electric vehicle.
Originally posted at The Car Tech blog
OnStar’s latest app integrates Microsoft Bing and Google Maps to add seamless send-to-car functionality.
Originally posted at The Car Tech blog
The world’s most expensive 3G iPad 2 is up for purchase on eBay with a “Buy it Now” price of $620,000…and it comes with a 1:1 replica of the Batmobile featured in the original Tim Burton movies.
(Credit:
eBay)
On today’s episode of The 404 podcast, we’ll about the original Batmobile design and get to more stories, including Beyonce setting Twitter records with her pregnancy announcement at this weekend’s VMAs, 260 mph paintballs causing problems for plastic surgeons, and a Dominos pizza location on the moon. We also choose sides in the Chris Brown vs. Jay-Z feud!
The 404 Digest for Episode 893
Ep. 893: Where we never rub another man’s rhubarb
- Beyonce’s VMA fallout sets record at 8,868 Tweets per second.
- Beyonce and Jay-Z’s baby already has a Twitter page.
- The original Tim Burton Batmobile is up for sale on eBay.
- Paintball shot ruptures woman’s silicone breast implant.
- Dominos to open first generic pizza store on the moon.
Episode 893
Listen now:
Download today’s podcast
Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video
Originally posted at The 404 Podcast
Ramping up to launch a new phone, the company could produce as many as 22 million iPhones in the fourth quarter, though many of those will still be the iPhone 4, analyst Ashok Kumar predicts.
Originally posted at News – Apple
Samsung Conquer 4G review
Posted in: 4G, Android, gingerbread, Google, mobilepostcross, review, samsung, Sprint, Today's Chili, video, WiMAX
It’s peculiar how a simple number and letter can cause the price to skyrocket when added to the end of a phone’s name. But that’s exactly what the term “4G” does — ultimately, making a phone or tablet compatible with a carrier’s next-generation network seems to add value (and cost) in unthinkable ways. There’s a growing concern in the mobile industry; Sprint’s WiMAX 4G coverage, once a novelty in the United States, is now just one of the boys. It faces direct competition against its two (much larger) LTE brethren in Verizon and AT&T, and the Now Network is searching for other methods of utilizing its high-speed offerings. In doing so, the carrier wants to keep the value high without escalating the expense.
Enter the Samsung Conquer 4G, the latest addition to Sprint’s blazing-fast lineup. Rather than going head-to-head with giants like the Photon 4G and EVO 3D, the company’s strategy is to offer a WiMAX-enabled handset that’s light on the wallet. It’s not the least expensive of the bunch these days — the Samsung Nexus S 4G takes the cake there — but it’s another option to toss into the network’s growing lineup. So does this mid-range handset have a shot at living up to its namesake? Keep on reading to find out.
Gallery: Samsung Conquer 4G
Continue reading Samsung Conquer 4G review
Samsung Conquer 4G review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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New USB vibrator generates buzz
Posted in: Today's ChiliA crowd-funded project raises more than $47,000 to create the Crave Duet USB vibrator, which allegedly brings storage and enjoyment in one discreet, easy-to-carry package.
Originally posted at Technically Incorrect
