Hasta La Gadget!

Apple has just announced its long-awaited cloud-based music service: iTunes in the Cloud. While not a streaming music service as some had speculated, it will let you download any music you’ve purchased to all of your devices at no additional charge — something Steve Jobs notes is a first for the music industry. All new music you purchase can also automatically be downloaded and pushed to up to ten different devices — and, as with the other apps that make up the broader iCloud service, it’s completely free, with a beta version available today (in the US only, unfortunately).

What’s more, Apple has also announced a complementary iTunes Match service that will let you put your existing collection of ripped CDs in the cloud. That’s done by scanning your library and matching songs to the versions Apple already has (a DRM-free 256kbps AAC file), rather than uploading everything — a process Apple notes takes “minutes,” not “weeks” — although songs will be uploaded in cases where there is no match. It will run you $24.99 a year (for up to 25,000 songs, apparently), and promises to give you all of the “same benefits as music purchased from iTunes” when it launches sometime this fall.

Apple announces iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on August 04, 2008 by CyberNet.

Microsoft/Mac Monday

Today we’re taking a look at our Top 10 applications for the iPhone followed by a list of some of our other favorites. For those of you who have your own favorite apps, let us know what they are in the comments…

NetNewsWire (link)

NetNewsWire is an RSS reader for your iPhone and it’s a favorite because we have found it to be the fastest way to read feeds on the iPhone. You can synchronize it with FeedDemon on Windows and NetNewsWire on a Mac, or any other NewsGator product. It’s actively being developed so it’s only going to get better.

Twinkle (link)

There are a few different Twitter applications available for the iPhone but Twinkle seems to bring the best of all of them together, plus it’s free. Twinkle allows you to find other people who are twittering nearby and you can also attach images and update your location. Appearance-wise it has a fantastic interface that is easy on the eyes.

Pandora/AOL Radio (link)(link)

Pandora and AOL Radio are our two favorite music streaming applications. It’s tough to pick which one is better because they serve two different purposes. Pandora sits there and analyzes the music that you like and tries to provide more of the same, while AOL Radio is more your typical radio station providing playlists not customized to the user. Both are great!

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YP Mobile/Yelp (link)(link)

We decided to combine the YellowPages.com Mobile and Yelp together because when we were on vacation, both helped us find restaurants and attractions. Yelp was nice because you could read the reviews right from the iPhone of what people thought of the service listed. It would be great if people could add reviews right from the app, but they don’t at this point. Overall, both are helpful for when you are in unfamiliar areas and you are looking for restaurants or places to go.

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Super Monkey Ball (link)

Super Monkey Ball is one of the apps that you have to pay for to enjoy. The cost is $9.99 and it’s definitely one of the most talked about and most popular games for the iPhone. They have included 110 different stages which makes it worth the money. It’s not something you’ll beat in just a couple of hours, that’s for sure.

It took us a little while to get used to keeping our hand steady so that the monkey wouldn’t go falling off the edge. It’s extremely sensitive, but if it weren’t, it would make the game too easy and less fun to play.

Sudoku Unlimited (link)

The cost for Sudoku Unlimited is $2.99. It includes three different skins to choose from so that you have a variety of appearances to choose from, including a hand written one that really makes it look like you are writing your answers out on a piece of paper.

Sudoku Unlimited allows you to put notes in any of the cells which is really nice. I don’t know about you, but we tend to make notes all of the time on a Sudoku puzzle, especially the tricky ones, so this is a must-have feature.

With five difficulty settings, Sudoku Unlimited appeals to a wide-array of players. It automatically generates the puzzles so that you never run out, which is nice as well. Both Ryan and I really like Sudoku, so for $2.99, we couldn’t pass up Sudoku Unlimited!

Zenbe Lists (link)

Using Zenbe lists, you can create all of your lists (like grocery) online and then sync them to your iPhone. You can also share lists with others which is helpful. For example, I can share a list with Ryan and he can share one with me. The interface for both the online and iPhone portions are really intuitive. This is one of those applications that can help you become more productive and save you time.

WeatherBug (link)

The iPhone comes with a weather application, but the WeatherBug application is able to provide many more details like wind speed, severe weather alerts, detailed forecasts, and more. The radar makes use of the built-in Google maps so that you can really zoom in and get to your local area to see if a storm is close to you or not.

Exposure (link)

Exposure has both a free and paid version available, with the paid version costing $9.99. The free version pays for itself with unobtrusive advertisements, and this is the version we use. Exposure makes it really easy to show photos to people from Flickr and view images posted by your contacts. You can search for nearby geo-tagged photos and general searching of all photos on Flickr is available as well.

eBay Mobile (link)

eBay Mobile makes it easy to search and manage items from your eBay account. Users can view auctions they are watching, view items they are selling, and more. You can also bid on items right from the app.

We’ve found this app to be the most handy when we were out at a store and wanted to see if something was a good deal or not. All it took was a quick search using this app to get eBay results. You really get a full eBay experience using this application.

Other Apps we like:

These are free unless otherwise noted.

• AccuFuel ($0.99)- helps you monitor your vehicle’s fuel efficiency
• Box Office – read reviews of movies, locate theaters and show times, and purchase tickets
• Carrie’s Dots – (free version is 2 player only) – this is the classic game of filling in the squares by drawing a line
• Cube Runner – a good free example of using the iPhone’s accelerometer in a game
• Facebook – Facebook fans will love Facebook on their iPhone!
• iChoose – indecisive? This app provides with with a random yes/no, coin toss, dice roll and card choice to make decisions for you
• Mobile News Network – this app is brought to you by the Associated Press and helps you keep up with the latest news around the globe.
• Morocco – the classic game of Othello
• myLite – flashlight app (free, and one of the best)
• PegJump – the classic wooden peg game
• Remote – by Apple, for remotely controlling iTunes
• Scribble – draw a design and then shake to erase
• Shazam – helps you identify a song when you don’t know what it is
• SportsTap – gets all of your sports scores
• WordPress – create and edit content on your WordPress blog

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Want to download the latest Engadget Show from the iTunes Store on your Mac or PC? Well, you probably can’t — right now, at least. That section appears to be down for most of us at the moment, with the Podcasts tab presenting a “not enough memory available” error message on each click. We’ve confirmed the error on iTunes 10.2.1 and 10.2.2.12 — the latest version — and aren’t able to get past the home page. We’re sure Cupertino is working on a fix, but you may need to put your podcast obsession on hold, or jump on your iOS device for all that tech talk in the meantime.

Update: We’re also unable to download apps from both the Mac and iOS App Stores. After clicking to download an app in iOS, it appears on the home screen briefly, then disappears. We’re also prompted to re-enter passwords with each attempt, so this may be related to an authentication issue. Jump past the break for the App Store error.

Update 2: The outage extends to all iTunes Store content, including music, movies, TV shows — the works. Time to go out and enjoy the sunshine?

Update 3: As of 3:15pm ET things look to be up and operational again. You may now recommence stuffing your devices with datas.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Continue reading Podcasts down in iTunes desktop store (update: it’s back!)

Podcasts down in iTunes desktop store (update: it’s back!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A cloud. Photo: Karen Ka Ying Wong/Flickr

Apple has confirmed maybe the worst kept secret in Silicon Valley: It’s been working on a cloud service, and will announce it at the June 6 Worldwide Developers Conference.

So now we know annual developer’s conference will unveil “iCloud®, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering,” but we don’t know yet what it is, or what exactly will reside at the domain name it may have bought for $4.5 million in April.

iCloud could be the mythical iTunes streaming service, a possibility that is looking increasingly likely now that Apple has most of the major record labels signed up for it, in a space pioneered by Amazon and Google, which has no such deals. Or it could be Apple’s version of DropBox, the amazing sync and storage service that currently glues together the whole iOS ecosystem along with its desktop service.

Or it could be yet another abortion of an internet service, like Mobile Me, iDisk and Ping before it.

Whatever it is, it’ll have to be good. DropBox is already the default file system for iOS, and can be used by any developer, on almost any other OS. If iCloud is to succeed, it needs to be just as available to developers. ITunes streaming, too, needs to be something special. A “cloud locker” service like Amazon and Google’s is almost pointless, and we already have amazing streaming services like Spotify and Rdio.

Still, this won’t stop endless speculation during the next week, as pundits work up theories like a shaving brush works up a lather from a tiny, almost nonexistent nubbin of soap. And then on Monday — boom — we’ll know for sure.

Apple also said the keynote will be delivered by Steve Jobs, who is currently on medical leave, and that the WWDC will also focus on the new version of OS X 10.7 Lion, and the upcoming iOS 5.

Apple to Unveil Next Generation Software at Keynote Address on Monday, June 6 [Apple PR]

See Also:

• Apple’s Purchase of Lala Could Signal Cheaper, Streaming iTunes
• Why Apple Might Be Your Best Bet for This ‘Cloud Music’ Thing
• Apple Rumor Watch Part Infinity: Cloud-Based iTunes on June 7

The free WatchESPN app that lets users tune into the family sports channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com) has been upgraded to version 1.1 on iOS (also available for Android) and in the process added a new UI designed just for the iPad. It sports a new tablet friendly UI, but the key restriction is still that you need to subscribe to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV to make use of the service. If you don’t have one of those and need a quick hit of sports TV without your TV, there is an account preview option that gives a few hours of viewing, no authentication necessary. You can download it yourself at the iTunes link below or check out the commercial embedded after the break.

Continue reading WatchESPN app upgraded for iPad, still restricted to just a few TV providers

WatchESPN app upgraded for iPad, still restricted to just a few TV providers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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