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Amazon’s Alphabet Projects, including 3D smartphone screen, could be sign of major hardware push

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by Jeff Causey on
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Sources in a WSJ article indicate Amazon has several hardware projects in the works that are collectively referred to as the Alphabet Projects. Perhaps most intriguing among them is a smartphone that reportedly will have a screen that can produce 3D images without the use of special glasses. Combined with complex eye-tracking software, the phone’s screen will produce the 3D images at almost any angle, producing a holographic image effect with items seeming to float above the screen. Another benefit of the technology will be the ability for users to navigate content on their phone using just their eyes. The high-end phone is just one of several devices that may signal a new strategy for Amazon in getting content into the hands of consumers. » Read the rest

iHeartRadio update adds “Perfect For” and alarm clock functions

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by Jeff Causey on
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Fans of online music and radio streaming service iHeartRadio may have noticed an update was available this week. Clear Channel Radio added a couple new features to help keep pace with other popular music service apps. The first of these is a “Perfect For” function that lets users pick a mood or activity and get suggestions from a list of curated stations. iHeartRadio will provide four stations to select from based on choices like “A Traffic Jam” or “Drinking Coffee” or “Chilling Out.” » Read the rest

Google looks to launch a full music streaming service

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by Jared Peters on
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Google Music is one of our favorite music applications for Android, and Google is aiming to make it just a little bit better. According to reports, Google is in talks with major music companies to launch a music service similar to Spotify, which would allow you to listen to any song you wanted, on-demand, without needing to buy and store all of your music somewhere. Personally, I think the service would integrate nicely into Google Music, similar to what Samsung does with their Music Hub application.

It’s expected that this music streaming service would launch with a free and paid subscription option, and it would give Google the leg up on Amazon and Apple, the two closest competitors who haven’t moved into music streaming yet. It would put Google in competition with companies like Spotify, who have a strong grip on the market already. It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out. Hit the source below to find out a few more details.

source: FT.com

Samsung to release Music Hub service to other devices and countries

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by Jared Peters on
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After Samsung acquired mSpot in 2012, they revamped the music locker service and released it as Music Hub on the Galaxy S III. Up to this point, Music Hub has been exclusive to the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II, but Samsung is reportedly planning to release the application to more devices, as well as to devices outside of the US. Older Samsung devices will get the honors of being first in line, and other non-Samsung devices will receive it afterwards. No word on exactly when this is happening, but with the success Samsung is having, I can’t imagine it’s going to take too much longer.

source: Sammy Hub

Rhapsody teams up with Metro PCS to offer $5/month unlimited music streaming

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by Alexon Enfiedjian on
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Metro PCS is continually working to improve its services and add new users to its customer base. Recently, Metro released “Simpler” plans, a set of off-contract plans that give you access to some blistering 4G data speeds. Now, for $5 more per month you can use your newfound 4G data speeds to stream as much music as you want from Rhapsody’s impressive song database. Yesterday, Metro PCS announced in an official press release that they are teaming up with online music pioneer Rhapsody to offer their users a very affordable online streaming solution. In order to take advantage of this great deal, you must be using one of Metro’s “Simpler” plans. $5 a month is a pretty good deal for legal music consumption. If you want more details, check out the press release below.

» Read the rest

A hitchhiker’s guide to the best free and paid Android music streaming apps

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by Jared Peters on
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Most people that own a smartphone also use their phone to double as an mp3 player. It might not be the primary use of the phone, but it’s a popular feature nonetheless. If you only listen to just a little bit of music, storing all of your music locally on internal storage or an SD card is usually a quick, simple solution. But if you have a large music collection or perhaps your device lacks storage or an SD card slot, storing it all locally may not be an option. Like with all things Android, though, there’s always an alternative! In this case, most heavy music listeners opt for music streaming. The market for music streaming is pretty crowded, however, so the point of this guide is to walk you through some of the more popular options and choose which streaming service is the right option for you. Hit the break to find out more. » Read the rest

Media streaming AudioGalaxy bought up by DropBox

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by Jared Peters on
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Hopefully there aren’t too many diehard AudioGalaxy fans out there, as it looks like Dropbox has bought up the music streaming service and has closed it to new subscribers. Existing users will be able to use the music streaming until sometime next year, but that’s not going to be around forever. Since AudioGalaxy isn’t a direct competitor to Dropbox, hopefully we’ll see this great music streaming service given new life as a new Dropbox feature. Music streaming is extremely popular, and cloud storage is extremely popular. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the popular Dropbox team try to tackle combining the two.

source: Android Police

Pioneer AV receivers get update to support HTC Connect wireless music streaming

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by Colton Kaiser on
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If you’re rocking one of Pioneer’s recent audio video receivers, you’ll be excited to know that the company has just released a firmware update that allows owners to take advantage of HTC’s Connect technology. This means users can now use their HTC One X, One X+, One VX or Droid DNA smartphones to wireless stream music directly to their receivers via DLNA. The news comes just a few months following the initial introduction of Pioneer’s HTC Connect-compatible SMA wireless speakers.

» Read the rest

Microsoft Launches Xbox Music Subscription Service With App Coming To Android Sometime In The Near Future

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by Roy Alugbue on
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As the Xbox grows beyond a gaming system and more of an entertainment system, owners of the system like yours truly are itching to utilize our Xbox experience to a new level. Microsoft has announced its new Xbox Music service, which allows users to stream internet music, subscribe to music services and upload music from their own personal collection into the cloud— all in one effective package. The new service modeled as a one-stop-shop, Xbox Music will allow folks to not just enjoy music from their favorite artists, but it will also give music lovers a new means of discovering new and cutting-edge artists and music as well— all for a $10 monthly fee.

Microsoft doesn’t want to stop there either. Not only does it plan on unveiling the service on its new Windows 8 and Xbox platforms, it plans on launching on other mobile platforms as well. As such, Microsoft has heard our cries and it has confirmed it will launch for iOS and Android devices… “eventually”. When eventually is exactly is anyone’s guess, but hey— the more music options for Android fans, the better, right?

source: Microsoft

 

Grooveshark “Mysteriously” Pulled From The Play Store Yet Again

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by Roy Alugbue on
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Now you see it… and now you don’t! After seeing Grooveshark make its way back to the Play Store a few days ago, it’s mysteriously been pulled  and is currently unavailable. The mysterious thing is that there is no explanation given on either Grooveshark’s blog site or in the Play Store. Instead, folks interested in downloading the app via the Play Store link are greeted by the lovely message below:

The likely reality is Google may have seen something it didn’t quite like with the newest iteration of the app, so it quickly pulled the app with no answers given. Hopefully the app will be back with its corrected issues sooner than later.

source: Android Police

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