May 23
Back in February, Bem Wireless introduced a unique wearable, the Speaker Band. As its name suggests, the Speaker Band is a wrist band that, at first glance, appears to be … Continue reading
May 23
![Apples Acquisition Of Beats Delayed Again [Rumor]](https://i0.wp.com/cdn2.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/apple_beats_deal_question_mark_650-640x423.jpg?resize=640%2C423 "Apples Acquisition Of Beats Delayed Again [Rumor]")
A couple of weeks ago, the rumors suggested that Apple’s deal to acquire Beats could be finalized this week, but given that it’s already Friday and we still haven’t heard anything yet, it looks like there could be yet another delay. According to the folks at Billboard, they have heard several reasons as to why the deal has yet to be officially announced.
For starters, it seems that the deal is one of Apple’s biggest deals to date, and is also Tim Cook’s first major acquisition, making things a bit more complicated than it should be. Secondly, the rumors of the deal were leaked too early. When the rumors were first reported, it was suggested that the deal was close to being finalized. Apparently that is far from the truth as Apple was still in the middle of negotiations.
There was also the video featuring Dr. Dre and actor Tyrese Gibson that seemingly confirmed the deal, a move that Apple was not too pleased about, especially given how tight-lipped Apple is known to be. It also seems that Apple is still trying to figure out where Beats’ founders, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will fit into the company. We had previously heard that Apple could be interested in leveraging their industry connections to help make the company more culturally relevant.
Last but not least, with the purchase of Beats, it comes with Beats Music as well, and that Apple is trying to put a number of the worth of Beats Music. Given that the service is relatively new and does not have that big a user base, perhaps it might not be worth much to Apple, although the service is also backed up by major record labels, like the Warner Music Group who might beg to differ.
It seems that all of these “issues” are the reason why Apple has yet to finalize the deal. So when will the deal happen then? Well that’s pretty much anyone’s guess, but hopefully we will have more details to share come next week.
Apple’s Acquisition Of Beats Delayed Again [Rumor]
, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Audio, beats,
May 23
Speakers come in all shapes and sizes, and as we’ve seen in older iPhone compatible speakers is that they can double as a charger as well, allowing the user to charge their phone while enjoying some cranked out tunes. That being said, if you enjoy the idea of charging your phone while listening to some music but don’t want to be tethered physically, then the Glowdeck might be a set of speakers worth checking out.
The Glowdeck is essentially a Bluetooth speaker that comes with wireless charging. What this means is that if you have a phone or a case for your phone that will support wireless charging, all you’d have to do is set your device on top of the speaker and charge away! The speaker will use Qi wireless charging, which is more or less the standard at the moment, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility.
What makes the Glowdeck even cooler is that it can display your notifications in the screen in front of the speakers. So if you have any emails, messages, or missed calls, it will display it and you will know if you have something that needs your attention. Pretty cool, huh? This is courtesy of the Glowdeck’s own OS called Streams.
Unfortunately the Glowdeck is a bit pricey as far as speakers are concerned, but with the built-in wireless charging and notification display, perhaps some of you guys might be able to justify its price. The speakers are priced at $219.99 if you were hoping to get the Black Acrylic Edition, but if you wanted something a bit “warmer”, there is a Walnut Wood Edition that will set you back $249.9.
The Glowdeck Bluetooth Speakers Can Charge Your Phone Wirelessly
, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Audio, Bluetooth, speakers,
Apr 21
Beats Music launched earlier this year and given the Beats by Dre name and the fact that the people behind the service are some pretty big names in the music industry, not to mention veterans, you would think that the music streaming service would be pretty fast in gaining subscribers.
Unfortunately according to a report from Billboard, it seems that the popularity of Beats Music isn’t quite as high as many would have thought. While specific numbers were not given, the report claims that Beats Music’s subscription is apparently somewhere in the low six-figures, meaning that it has yet to break the 1 million mark.
One of the disadvantages to Beats Music is that unlike other music streaming services, they do not offer up a free-tier. Instead all they offer is a free 7-day trial, after which listeners will have to subscribe in order to continue using the service. Beats Music had initially reported that there were millions who signed up at the start, but we guess due to the limitations of the trial, many chose not to continue their subscription once the 7 days were up.
However recently Beats Music has added in-app subscriptions to their service, thus allowing iOS users to subscribe to the service via iTunes. Since pretty much all iOS users have an iTunes account setup, it’s more convenient compared to having to maintain two separate billing accounts. Will this help drive subscription? Maybe, maybe not, but what say you? Are any of our readers happy subscribers of Beats Music?
Beats Music Subscription Reportedly In The Low Six-Figures , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Audio, Beats Music,
Apr 21
Unlike software, hardware isn’t updated frequently. If an application has any bugs or security flaws, a patch will fix it in no time, but if a piece of hardware is made and released to the public and there are some glaring issues, a hardware recall might be necessary. That being said, wouldn’t it be nice if you had a piece of hardware that could evolve over time?
That’s what the folks being Binauric are trying to do with a speaker they are calling the Boom Boom. The speaker itself is pretty straightforward and will pair with your smartphone via Bluetooth, but the main difference is that the longer you’ve had the Boom Boom speakers, the more functionalities it will get.
How they are doing this is by adding pieces of hardware inside the speakers itself that would only activate after a certain period of time, such as accelerometers, light sensors, and microphones. According to its designer, Mathieu Lehanneur, “These are like sleeping components that are waiting to be woken up.”
If anything it sounds like Binauric have created a feature packed speaker that has a bunch of hardware inside that opens it up to various possibilities. Right now the company has given some Boom Boom speakers to students at the ECAL University and hopes that the students will take the device apart, hack into it, and create new ways to use the speakers beyond what speakers are meant to be used for.
It’s a very clever idea and it sounds very intriguing, but the question is will it catch on? With features constantly having the potential to evolve, it’s like the device will never get old, although do we really need speakers to come with that much functionality? What do you guys think?
Boom Boom Bluetooth Speakers Will Evolve Over Time , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Audio, speakers,
Apr 20
Forget about the audio visualizers that your eyes have seen during the days of Winamp – those were pretty trippy, but I would say that none were able to hold a candle (pun not intended) to the Rubens’ Tube Pyro Board that you can see in action for yourself in the video above. This two-dimensional Pyro Board depicts the unique standing wave patterns of sound within the box, where it is made possible thanks to the pressure variations created by the sound waves that affect the flow rate of flammable gas from the holes in the Pyro Board. This in turn would also see changes made to the height and color of flames. The Pyro Board itself is a 2D plane that comprises of 2,500 Bunsen burners.
One thing is for sure – if you were to have this in your home the next time you want to host a party, then you would not be able to go wrong with it. After all, it is guaranteed to wow anyone who sees it, especially when you have some pretty heavy hitting music. Just be careful not to barbecue stuff on it, simply because the flames are not going to be as controlled as you would like, so your skewers of meat might be overdone or undercooked, depending on the soundtrack that is being played at that moment.
Rubens’ Tube Pyro Board Is An Audio Visualizer For Our Times , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Audio, science,
Apr 20
Beats Music is a relatively new on-demand music streaming service. Due to its intelligent recommendation features the service has actually become quite popular over the past few months. While the app is free to download users must pay $9.99 per month after their 7-day free trial ends. Previously Beats Music circumvented Apple’s in-app purchase system to let potential subscribers pay through carrier billing or its own website, that way it wouldn’t have to give Cupertino a 30 percent cut. Now though Beats Music lets users subscribe to the service from straight within the iOS app through in-app purchases.
Its possible that Beats Music might not have been happy with the previous means of subscription simply because they might not have been driving a great number of new subscribers. For average users it is much easier to subscribe from within the app since they already have their payment methods setup with iTunes. The downside for Beats is that for every subscriber that comes through an in-app purchase, it has to give Apple $3 out of the $9.99 it earns.
A recent update to the Beats Music application brings an improved “The Sentence” feature, which is one of the pivotal recommendation features of this service. Other improvements include better offline playback and social features.
Beats Music Embraces In-App Subscriptions To Drive Subscriber Base
, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Audio, Cellphones, Beats Music, iOS,
Apr 19
On any given Tuesday in the 90s, I would hustle to the record store after school to gawk at the new releases. Occasionally, I would take a CD home, greedily tear it open, pop it into my boombox, and listen while I pretended to do my homework. This wonderful experience has no value any more. It’s obsolete.
Apr 18
Pandora has been swept up into another legal spat, this one over the golden oldies — music made before 1972, with record companies accusing the Internet radio service of state … Continue reading
Apr 18
Remember Winamp’s wonderful audio visualizers? They let you see your music through trippy ever-evolving patterns, but they couldn’t hold a flame to this Pyro Board, which trades animations for a glowing grid of flames produced by 2,500 gas burners. Awesome first, safety second.
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