Nokia Music app launched for Windows 8 and RT hardware (video)

Nokia Music app launched for Windows 8 and RT hardware

You may know Nokia Music as the resident DJ on many WP8 handsets, and now the app’s looking to play sets at some larger venues. It’s popped up on the Windows Store for Windows 8 or RT hardware, and looks pretty similar to the WP8 version, albeit formatted for bigger screens. It doesn’t just serve as a front-end for accessing your personal music library — you’ll also find artist info, genre-specific mixes for online streaming and offline listening, as well as the option to create mixes of your own. The software will push tunes to compatible smart TVs or DLNA-equipped kit, and you can plug in your Nokia Music+ subscription details or check out the free seven-day trial for some extra features: better quality songs, unlimited skips and offline mixes, as well as synced lyrics where available. Currently, the app is only available in Australia, the US, the UK and Ireland, but will be coming to everywhere Music+ has launched over the “coming weeks.” Windows 8 or RT users can head to the source link for the download. If you need us, we’ll be off memorizing Bieber lyrics.

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Via: My Nokia Blog

Source: Windows Store, Nokia

Chrome 27 beta wrings out more speed, streamlines HTML5 input

Google Chrome logo

It’s like clockwork, really. Chrome 26 has barely hit the stable track, and Google is already posting a Chrome 27 beta for desktops and Android devices to show what’s next. Apparently, that future centers mostly on raw efficiency: Google has eked out an average 5 percent speed boost through a more aggressive resource scheduler. It also has a simpler interface for date and time forms on HTML5 pages. Most of the other upgrades coddle developers, such as the introduction of live audio input for the Web Audio API and an offline storage API for Chrome Web Store apps. There’s no mention of Blink, so those who were expecting rapid adoption of the web engine beyond Chromium will be disappointed — even so, it’s good enough that we could see internet Guinea pigs giving the release a try.

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Via: Chromium Blog

Source: Google Chrome Beta

iHeartRadio keeps Android users in mind, boosts app with ‘Perfect for’ and alarm clock features

iHeartRadio keeps Android users in mind, boosts app with 'Perfect for' and alarm clock features

This year’s CES is well behind us now, but that was back when iHeartRadio first introduced some extensive alarm clock functions and its handy “Perfect for” feature. And while these have been available on iOS and PC since, a recent update to the Android application will now see them present in Mountain View’s mobile platform as well. To give you a quick refresh, “Perfect for” provides listeners with the option to choose from more than 1,500 curated stations that are based on current moods and activities, while the alarm clock simply allows reminders / alerts to be customized to launch with any music or radio stations. So, Android users, fret not, as iHeartRadio hasn’t forgotten about you; perhaps it was just making sure the new tidbits were — you guessed it — perfect for you.

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Source: Google Play

MLB stamps partnership with Qualcomm, hopes it leads to improved connectivity at ballparks

MLB stamps partnership with Qualcomm, hopes it leads to improved connectivity at ballparks

Companies like Cisco have tried lending Major League Baseball a hand in its quest to serve better internet connectivity to game attendees, but Bud Selig & Co. know that a little more has to be done if the proper results are to be achieved. Now, through its own MLB Advanced Media branch, the league is teaming up with Qualcomm Technologies (a subsidiary of the chip-maker) to launch a collaboration that’ll “survey, plan and optimize network connectivity for fans at supported MLB parks.” According to the terms of the partnership, Qualcomm engineers will provide a detailed plan and assessment on how to improve wireless access at baseball fields, and that’s taking into consideration 3G, 4G and, of course, WiFi. Here’s to hoping the MLB / Qualcomm alliance plays out well for the sake of those who enjoy an IRL version of America’s national pastime — because we all know how important it is to be able to quickly share that “I can see Rudy Giulani from where I’m sitting” tweet.

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Major League Baseball

Facebook Home hands-on (video)

Facebook Home handson video

We’ve taken a closer look at the HTC First hardware, so let’s dig into the firmware side — namely, the Facebook Home user interface featured on the First. As we heard prior to the event, Home is essentially a skinned version of Android OS that unsurprisingly offers a deeper amount of integration with the social network. As the name of the phone implies, this isn’t going to be the same one-and-done deal that we’ve seen on other devices bearing the unofficial title of “Facebook Phone”; Home is likely here for the foreseeable future, so we’ll go more in-depth on the UI and our first impressions.

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Qualcomm bringing WiFi improvements to MLB stadiums

The 2013 MLB season is officially in full swing (pun intended), and thousands upon thousands of spectators will flock to MLB stadiums all around the country every day for the next few months. However, these spectators will be wielding smartphones, so providing a great WiFi experience is a priority for stadiums across the country, and Qualcomm is partnering up with the MLB to make such improvements.

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Qualcomm announced that it’ll be working with the MLB over the next two years to implement WiFi improvements to each of the 30 MLB stadiums to assess the level of WiFi coverage. The company said that select stadium reviews are underway as we speak, with the rest of fleet getting improvements over the next two years.

Qualcomm noted that WiFi traffic has been on the rise at MLB ballparks, and the company will not only figure out ways to improve WiFi coverage in stadiums, but also figure out new ways to deliver helpful and interesting content to spectators during the game. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed, and it’s not said how much upgrades will cost.

Qualcomm will also be working with carriers to improve 3G and 4G coverage in and around MLB stadiums. Frankly, improved wireless coverage is becoming more of a must at high-traffic areas like sports stadiums. With the growing amount of connected smartphones making their way into the hands of sports fans, stadiums will need to compensate by offering better WiFi coverage during the games.


Qualcomm bringing WiFi improvements to MLB stadiums is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

UK’s online music royalties generate more cash than radio for the first time

UKs online music royalties generate more cash than radio for the first time

The UK’s Performing Right Society has announced that the cash generated from online music licensing has surpassed that of radio for the first time. The society’s 2012 report reveals that digital royalties brought in £51 million ($76.7 million) from stores, ringtones and subscription services, compared to the £47 million ($70.6 million) generated by folks listening to the wireless. The rest of the motherland’s music industry, however, has less to celebrate, thanks to big drops in physical media sales, people shunning pubs and clubs as well as big falls in live music events. You know, it’s almost as if it won’t be long before you’ll only be able to buy music online.

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Via: The Guardian

Source: PRS (.PDF)

Google Is Forking WebKit to Create a New Rendering Engine For Chrome and Opera

Google announced last night that it’s going to stop using WebKit—the rendering engine currently used by the likes of Safari and Chrome to display web pages—in favor of its own solution which will be called Blink. More »

Lawsuit attempts to use six-strikes copyright system in case against Verizon subscriber

Verizon, which just recently finished its acquisition of Mohave Wireless, has been pulled into a copyright legal spat, with a studio that produces adult films having subpoenaed the ISP for copies of its six-strike alerts against the individual being sued. That’s not all the information the studio wants, however, with it prying farther into the subscriber’s Internet usage.

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We knew the six-strikes system was coming for quite some time, with it suffering a delay before its targeted roll-out date last year, finally going into effect on February 25 of this year. The system is being utilized by the big-name ISPs – Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, and Cablevision – to curbstomp piracy via education using a variety of punitive methods often decried as draconian in nature.

While leaked memos and such had revealed ahead of time the various punishments subscribers would face under the six-strikes system, they were officially revealed a couple days after the system went live. You can read a detailed write-up of each ISP’s six-strike system here, but the basic idea is that when a copyright alert is triggered, the subscriber will face throttled speeds, an educational session, limited website access, or other similar effects.

Now, a little over a month after the system went into effect, a Verizon subscriber is facing legal action from Malibu Media, producer of adult entertainment, over alleged sharing of copyrighted materials. Malibu Media has subpoenaed Verizon for copies of the six-strike notices the subscriber received under the new system, as well as information on how much bandwidth he used and a list of viewed pay-per-view films he watched.

The twist in the case is that Verizon said “No.” It says that in addition to Malibu having harassed it in the past, the ISP wishes to protect its subscribers from “shakedown tactics against Doe defendants.” The studio has pushed back and is trying to force Verizon’s hand, but that issue aside, there’s a larger one at play: will the six-strikes system, which was designed and intended to serve merely as an educational tool on the realities of copyright and infringement, be used as a weapon against the browsing public?

[via Torrent Freak]


Lawsuit attempts to use six-strikes copyright system in case against Verizon subscriber is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Chromium announces new open source rendering engine project Blink

WebKit makes the web go ’round, and yet it is soon to be joined by a new kid on the block: Blink, which was announced on Chromium’s blog earlier today. Says Chromium, the decision to create a new rendering engine “was not an easy” one, but ultimately good will come from it. Developers don’t need to worry, as the announcement reassures that little will change for them during the initial rounds of work.

Chromium

As pointed out by Chromium software engineer Adam Barth, Chromium utilizes a multi-process architecture that differs from that of other WebKit browsers, with the multi-architecture support leading to a slurry of ever-increasing complexity that serves as a sort of ball-and-chain on the ankle of innovation. Blink, which will be open source, aims to solve this issue and provide, by proxy, a boost in innovation.

Aside from that, optimistic attitudes tout the upcoming rendering engine as a possible boost to the “open web ecosystem” as a whole, although it is acknowledged that introducing a new rendering system has the potential to significantly impact the Internet, and developers could eventually have more work on the coding end of things.

According to Barth, the initial work will concentrate on getting rid of digital clutter, including the removal of about 7,000 files and 7 build systems, which will total in excess of 4.5 million lines of code. This will result in vast internal architectural improvements, but won’t bring much change to web developers. Guidelines have already been posted regarding interoperability, standards, and other such related items.

[via Chromium]


Chromium announces new open source rendering engine project Blink is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.