Pure Music looks to give Spotify a run for its money, but only in the UK

If you’re looking to save a little coin on your Adele streaming habits, Pure Music may be worth a look. Beginning in December, you can have millions of songs at your fingertips for £4.99 (about $8) a month — but only in the UK. Music on-demand, internet radio and other programs will be available for your laptop, iOS device or one of the company’s many WiFi capable devices, all for a monthly sum that’s slightly cheaper than Spotify. Should you make use of the Tag bookmarking system on one of Pure’s radios, you’ll be able to access those highlighted tracks on your smartphone or computer as well. Don’t worry Android faithful, an app tailored for you is in the works. Need a peek at the fine print? No worries, just hit the source link below and read away.

Pure Music looks to give Spotify a run for its money, but only in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourcePure Music  | Email this | Comments

Jawbone’s Up wristband warms up at AT&T store, wants you faster, stronger

Jawbone’s fitness-obsessed wristband appears to be closing in on the retail finish line. The Up pairs with what appears to be an iOS app, (no news on whether an Android version is in the pipeline), and will pile on the guilt about your disgustingly sedentary lifestyle. You can have the luxury of feeling like a weight loss reality show contestant by scheduling “get up and move” reminders when you’ve succumbed to watching back-to-back mediocre sitcoms with a Doritos family bag chaser. There’s also a sleep tracker and a challenge tab to plot your amazing weight loss journey (or descent to an early demise) against friends and family. It’ll monitor what you eat, and even tell you which foods “help you feel your best.” (We think it’s cake.) No word on price or arrival date just yet, so you’ll just have to put up with Autom until we hear more.

[Thanks, Luke]

Jawbone’s Up wristband warms up at AT&T store, wants you faster, stronger originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google+ app update welcomes iPhone users to Hangouts

Looking for someone to hang out with today? Grab your iPhone and slurp up the latest update to the Google+ app. Released on Friday, this refresh introduces Hangouts functionality to the iOS crowd, bringing them up to speed with Android users. The app’s Huddle feature, meanwhile, has been renamed as “Messenger,” and supports photos, as well. Plus, iPhone wielders can now +1 comments from their handsets, while using a slate of more granular controls to customize their notification settings. Intrigued parties can grab the update now, at the source link below.

Google+ app update welcomes iPhone users to Hangouts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW  |  sourceiTunes  | Email this | Comments

Instagram goes 2.0, gets even more filter-happy

Exceedingly popular iPhone photo app Instagram is celebrating its big (version) 2.0 with the addition of a number of new features. At the top of the list is Live Filters, which let you view images through effects in real-time, before taking a photo. Filters have been sped up post-picture taking as well, as has the tilt-shift function. The revamped app also introduces the Amaro, Rise, Hudson and Valencia filters and high-res photos at up to 1936 x 1936 on the iPhone 4. The app is getting a new icon and a few smaller tweaks like the ability to turn off borders. That long-awaited Android app is still conspicuously absent, however.

Instagram goes 2.0, gets even more filter-happy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceInstagram  | Email this | Comments

‘What Was There’ project adds a pinch of history to augmented reality

So, it works as such. You dig up ancient photos — a few generations prior, or even a few decades ago — scan ’em in, and tag them to their rightful place on Google Maps. Then, folks who visit the ‘What Was Here’ project website or download the iOS app (all linked below) will be able to see what kind of world they’d be living in if Uncle Rico’s time machine actually worked. ‘Course, the initiative needs you, you and you to participate if it’s to be dubbed a success, so we’d recommend using whatever’s left of your weekend to contribute. And then send your mum a “thinking of you” letter using the very map you’re improving. Who said retro had to be retro, anyway?

‘What Was There’ project adds a pinch of history to augmented reality originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceWhat Was There, iTunes  | Email this | Comments

Piictu survives Google’s Photovine, launches out of public beta


There’s been a fair amount of news on the Photovine front recently — none of it particularly flattering for Google, or its now shuttered Slide branch. But users of the mobile app-based photo service can now continue sharing their pics using Piictu — a slightly different, yet remarkably similar service that launched well before its Google counterpart. What initially began as a fun side project for co-founder Jon Slimak, Piictu has apparently gained quite a following, prompting its creators to add some polish to the service and push it out of beta. We’re not quite sure what to expect for its future, but Google’s involvement with its Piictu competitor appears to have helped the original service gain some traction, despite its indy status. Jump past the break for the announcement from Piictu, or hit up our source link to download the iOS app.

Continue reading Piictu survives Google’s Photovine, launches out of public beta

Piictu survives Google’s Photovine, launches out of public beta originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePiictu (iTunes), Piictu  | Email this | Comments

Photovine grows out of private beta, begins sprouting on iPhones everywhere


It popped up in private beta earlier this summer, but Slide’s Photovine is now open to the public, available as a free download on Apple’s iOS App Store. Surprisingly there’s no Android app yet — a curious move considering Google (Slide’s parent company) isn’t known to exclude its own mobile platform with new product rollouts. Huff Post went hands-on with the app, summing it up as “Instagram meets Piictu,” also noting the bizarre exclusion of an option to add your Gmail contacts — though you can import your friends from Twitter and Facebook. It’s probably safe to say that an Android app will be coming soon — or perhaps some other indication that Google and Slide do in fact share the same roof — but for now, iPhone owners can slide on down to the source link to get their photo sharing fix.

Photovine grows out of private beta, begins sprouting on iPhones everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Huffington Post  |  sourceiTunes  | Email this | Comments

‘Kraftwerk Who?’ Pioneering ’50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn

So there Dr. Mick Grierson was, wandering around a French barn, minding his own business when all of a sudden he happened upon an antique: one of the earliest modern synthesizers. Grierson, a professor at Goldsmiths University in London did what any expert in the field of electronic music would do, and whisked it back to the motherland for restoration. The Oram “Oramics” Synthesiser (sic) was built by Daphne Oram in 1957, a year before she co-founded the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to research and develop electronic music. Political wrangling within the corporation forced her to leave in 1959, and she retreated to a farm in nearby Kent to tinker with her invention. After her departure, the Workshop shot to fame for creating the original electronic theme to Doctor Who. In order to create music on the Oram, a composer painted waveforms directly onto 35mm film strips which were fed into the machine. Inside, photo-electronic cells read the light pattern and interpreted it as sound. Check out the video to see the arrival of the machinery back into England where it’ll be on display all the way through December 2012. If you’re really interested you can tap Dr Grierson’s homebrewed Oramics iPhone app (linked below for your downloading pleasure) to create your own futuristic theme songs, ’57-style.

Continue reading ‘Kraftwerk Who?’ Pioneering ’50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn

‘Kraftwerk Who?’ Pioneering ’50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink New Scientist  |  sourceBoing Boing, Oramics (iTunes App Store)  | Email this | Comments

Scosche myTrek sends workout vitals to your iPhone, starts shipping now for $130 (video)


With a variety of portable power accessories, most Scosche products are designed to keep gadgets up and running, not to get our own blood flowing. The company’s new Bluetooth myTrek pulse monitor pairs with an iPhone or iPod touch to motivate you to keep going and going, however, pumping “inspiring” audio alerts through your headphones during a workout, while also tracking pulse, distance, speed, pace, and calories burned. The arm-strap uses a pair of LEDs, along with a photo sensor and accelerometer to capture vitals as it rests strapped to your forearm, providing five hours of continuous feedback before needing its own boost using the included USB cable. You’ll need to have your iOS device within 33 feet of the device to record your workout, so the myTrek may be better suited for trips to the gym than, say, a run through the park in the rain. It’s also rather pricey, at $130, but if you’re already dropping a grand or two for your gym membership each year, a gadget that lets you elegantly track your progress may be within reach.

Continue reading Scosche myTrek sends workout vitals to your iPhone, starts shipping now for $130 (video)

Scosche myTrek sends workout vitals to your iPhone, starts shipping now for $130 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceScosche myTrek  | Email this | Comments

FBI’s Child ID app helps iPhone users find their missing children

The FBI has just released its very first mobile app, aimed at helping parents deal with their worst nightmare — a missing child. Known as Child ID, the application allows users to store their kid’s photos and identifying information directly on their handsets, making it easier to provide authorities with vital data whenever the little one disappears. Parents can also use the tool to dial 911 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with the tap of a button, and can instantly e-mail their child’s details to law enforcement officials, thanks to a dedicated tab. Of course, some may feel uncomfortable with keeping such personal information stored on a smartphone, but the Bureau insists that none of the data will be collected or shared without authorization — and they’re pretty good at keeping secrets. For now, Child ID is available only for iPhone, though the FBI plans to expand it to other mobile devices in the near future. Interested iOS users can download it for themselves, at the iTunes link below.

FBI’s Child ID app helps iPhone users find their missing children originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW  |  sourceFBI  | Email this | Comments