Sonos has releases an update to its iPhone and iPod touch app bringing it in line with the new?Sonos Software 3.1?update released recently for the music systems dedicated controller and computer software.?

The new update, which is now available in the Apple app store allows?Sonos owners?to tweet what they are listening to, as well as tweaking the menu system with new icons and logos for the relevant music service.

It also brings in support for the company's new?Sonos S5 ZonePlayer, which includes a built in speaker. Handy, as the iPhone and the iPod touch app is the main way the company hopes to entice new users in to the streaming music system.

The Sonos controller iPhone app is available across the globe.

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Tags: Audio Sonos Phones Mobile phone apps Apple iPhone iPod

Sonos Controller iPhone/iPod app gets twitter update originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:08:22 +0000

Fancy being apart of one of the leading global gadget news and reviews sites in the world? Thought you did.?Pocket-lint is looking for positions to fill in?New York and?San Francisco.

We are looking for roving reporters to join the team based in New York and San Francisco to replace Stuart who is heading back to the UK.

Ideally you will be well connected within the gadget scene and be available to chase down briefings, meetings and attend events when needed.

You will have to be able to get into either New York city or San Francisco for meetings, come with your own computer and digital camera and of course be able to access the internet without excuses.

Work amount and schedule is based on your ability to generate original stories and we are looking for you to take the lead rather than be spoonfed ideas.

Salary etc will depends on work and experience.?

The ability to file quickly at events is also a must.

To apply email us via the feedback form with links to two examples of your work and the answer to the following two questions:

1. Why should we hire you?

2. If you were a product on a supermarket shelf what would you be and why?

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness

Pocket-lint is hiring in US originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:04:10 +0000

Q-Acoustics has announced its Q-TV2s, a novel speaker system for televisions that improves the sound experience from your flatscreen, while not requiring an external amplifier and saving considerable space. How? Well, it mounts on the back of your display.

It connects up via RCA or headphone jack and provides 2.1 stereo sound which it reckons is considerably better than what the TV will put out by default, offering better treble, more dynamics, and a whole lot more bass. Most impressively, it manages that while still being just 38mm deep.

For the more technical amongst you, the left and right channel sound comes from four?wide-dispersion balanced-mode radiator 25W speakers, with the subwoofer (which actually comprises of four individual subs) packing 50W of juice. The L and R are swivelable (if that's a word) and there's an option that works with wall-mounted TVs too.

It'll suit 30 to 42-inch televisions, and is available right now from Amazon UK for ?300.

Tags: Audio Home Cinema Speakers Q-Acoustics Video

VIDEO: Q-Acoustics Q-ATV2 speakers announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:03:55 +0000

Apple's first retail store in France - and its 277th across ten countries - will open in the centre of Paris at the Carrousel du Louvre on Saturday 7 November.

The two-story shop features an entire floor "dedicated to services that have become the hallmark of Apple retail stores around the world", including the Genius Bar, and boasts 150 employees overall.

The new store offers an entire floor of Macs, iPods and iPhones for customers to experience hands-on. There's also an entire room devoted to the iPhone.

"We are thrilled to bring the unique Apple retail experience to France", said Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice president of retail.

"This stunning new store sits just below the world famous Pyramid du Louvre in the Carrousel du Louvre and offers our customers in Paris a wonderful place to shop, learn and be inspired".

Tags: Hardware Audio Apple shopping Biz

Apple's first store in France opens this weekend originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:58:05 +0000

Spotify has announced on its blog that the previously-promised Spotify Phone is now available from 3 UK, in both its retail stores and online.

The deal comprises of an HTC Hero preloaded with the Spotify Android app, a 24-month subscription to Spotify Premium, 750 minutes and unlimited texts and data for ?35 per month over 24 months. The phone itself will require a ?100 initial outlay.

If you like the idea of the deal, but aren't keen on the phone, then there's a good chance that if this does well, more handsets will become available with similar offers, potentially from other operators. If and when that happens, we'll bring you the announcement.

It'll also be interesting to see what effect this has on services like Nokia's limited Comes with Music. In the meantime, is this a deal you like the look of? Or is the monthly fee and upfront payment a smidge too much over a 2-year contract? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phones Audio HTC Hero 3 Spotify Music

3's HTC Hero with Spotify now available originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:27:42 +0000

Yamaha has unveiled a more "wallet friendly" addition to the Tenori-On family - the Tenori-On "Orange".

The follow up to the original Tenori-On, launched back in 2007, it seems this version loses the expensive magnesium casing of the original, being replaced with a heavy duty and durable plastic casing.

Yamaha's Peter Peck explains: "We know everyone loves the concept and fresh approach of Tenori-On, however, as you'd expect, we have received thousands of requests for a more affordable version. We therefore looked at many ways of reducing the price without compromising the all-important product concept or creative operating system. By removing the battery option and the back panel LED's and changing the chassis construction from the magnesium found on the original to a more affordable material, we have achieved our goal of creating the more affordable Tenori-On 'Orange', bringing the full creative capability of Tenori-On to a much wider audience".

The Tenori-On "Orange" will be shipping from December 2009 with pricing to be revealed nearer the time.

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Tags: Audio Musical instruments Yamaha Tenori-On

Yamaha Tenori-On Orange announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:40:30 +0000

Memorex, yes, the people who made those see-through audio cassettes back in the day, have unleashed their latest iPod dock on the world in the form of the Memorex Sound System. But should this grab your attention?

The Memorex Sound System is conservatively designed and constructed from solid-feeling plastics, but lacks the premium looks that some docks give you. It stands approx 15cm high, is 35cm wide and 12cm deep, so is larger than some others too.

It does have an output of 30 Watts RMS, however, from stereo drivers and tweeter domes, which sit behind the front grill. The front also features a reasonably large display and a slot-loading CD drive.

The remainder of the controls can be found on the top of the Sound System and there are plenty of them. In the centre you have the iPod dock that also supports the iPhone, and your main power, mode and volume controls. To the left are five more controls that allow you to set the time, change the EQ and switch the the auxiliary input. Then there are a further four controls to select sleep, dim the display and set repeat and shuffle.

Across to the right you have 5 radio preset buttons, and then play/pause, stop and track forward and back controls. If you like buttons, you are well covered. This covers all the controls that you'll find on the remote, except those that you'd use to navigate the menus on your iPod.

With the controls clearly labelled, the Memorex Sound System is easy to use and we like the big iPod, CD and Radio buttons so you can just punch the button and listen to what you want. Several inserts are provided for the iPod dock at the top so that your iPhone will sit securely.

Navigating and controlling your iPod presents no problems at all, with an additional "B" button the remote to briefly but the iPod backlight on so you can see the menus. The remote is a little on the cheap side, with small buttons, particularly the volume controls which could have been more prominent.

In use and the sound quality is pretty good, with plenty of volume on offer and it remains relatively distortion even up at top higher volumes. The sound isn't perhaps as clear as some more expensive rivals, lacking the premium definition to your music that some docks offer. Bass is well represented with easy adjustment through the EQ settings so your tunes have a good meaty quality to them.

The FM tuner also performed well picking up local stations as expected. There is no auto scan feature, so you'll have to program in your 5 presents from the off and we would have preferred a DAB option to be included. The CD player takes a little time to get going after inserting a CD, but it isn't a major drawback.

Around the back of the Sound System you get an aux in, so you can hook up any other devices using a standard 3.5mm cable.

Verdict:

Unfortunately, despite the presence of a clock and a sleep timer, there is no alarm function, so as a single box solution for a bedroom or dorm room, you'll be missing this feature. However, you could always use the alarm on your iPod or iPhone. There is no headphone jack either which may deter those who on occasion want to keep their music to themselves.

Overall we were impressed with how easy to use the Memorex Sound System was. The audio performance was impressive without being exemplary, perfect for casual use.

There are a great number of iPod docks available and the Memorex is an inoffensive middle-of-the-road offering. You'll be able to get units that are cheaper or have a more interesting design, but there is little go wrong with here.

Tags: Audio iPod docks iPod speakers iPod iPhone Memorex Memorex Sound System

Memorex Sound System iPod dock originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Hank Risen, the owner of BlueBeat.com, which was found last week to be selling MP3s of the Beatles' catalogue for as little as 15p per track, has defiantly stated that he owns the copyrights in the songs that he's selling.

EMI filed a lawsuit against the company, and Hank Risen - the owner - has issued a bizarre defense filing that claims that he - not Apple Corps or EMI - owns the sound recordings. He says that because he's re-recorded them using "psycho-acoustic simulation" which "express the way [he] believe[s] a particular melody should be heard as a live performance", he owns the recording.

Risan told EMI in an email that he's got a successfully registered copyright on those recordings with the US Copyright Office, but a judge will now have to decide whether those recordings are sufficiently different to the originals to justify a new copyright. Legal precedent, particularly with regard to sampling, suggests he might be facing an uphill battle.

For now, though, BlueBeat.com still continues to offer free streams of the Beatles' catalogue, and 25-cent 160kbps MP3s. It'll be interesting to see how the judge in the case interprets the law. We'll keep you posted.

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Tags: Audio Music BlueBeat EMI Beatles Copyright Music downloads Lawsuits

BlueBeat claims it owns copyright in Beatles tracks originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:03:24 +0000

Deezer, a French music startup that rivals Spotify and We7 in providing ad-supported music streaming, has announced a couple of premium subscription options and a desktop client, so you can listen to the service without having a browser window open.

The Deezer site itself will remain free, but ad-supported and low quality. Users that want better audio bitrate and the removal of ads can pay 5 euros per month for a service called Deezer HQ. Alternatively, paying 10 euros per month will give access to a desktop app (built in Adobe Air) and a set of mobile clients that work on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry platforms.

The company says that 80% of its users wanted mobile access, and 40% wanted better sound quality - those users will presumably be buoyed by this announcement, and the company should get a bit more revenue as a result. Interestingly, the top end package has a 7-day free trial - something not offered by its competitors, but which will likely increase conversion rates.

But what the platform's success will rest on is its catalogue and ease-of-use. It remains to be seen whether it can conquer Spotify's current dominance in the space, and stay afloat when several other big names are launching similar offerings.

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Tags: Audio Music Deezer Spotify We7

Deezer launches premium desktop client originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:35:47 +0000

Rihanna will show off songs from her forthcoming album "Rated R" exclusively to a Nokia audience via a globally streamed live performance on 16 November.

Due to be performed live from "a secret London location", fans can sign up to watch the live stream now while those that are really excited about it can download a web widget counting down to the live performance.
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Nokia is also touting "an exclusive Rihanna mobile application" available from its Ovi Store while it will also offer of an exclusive version of the new Rated R album via the Nokia Music Store.
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Rihanna is quoted as saying: "I am so excited to partner up with Nokia. They are doing some really revolutionary things with this album, enabling me to reach more fans than ever before".
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The Rihanna event and content is as a result of "groundbreaking new global music partnership", "Nokia Play 2010" with the Island Def Jam Music Group and Universal Music Group International.

Those interested in the live stream can register at www.nokia.com/rihanna.

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Tags: Phones Nokia Audio Rihanna Media streaming Music downloads

Nokia announces Rihanna live stream event originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:35:14 +0000

No Doubt, Gwen Stefani's band who had a hit with the song "Don't Speak", have sued the publishers of Band Hero, Activision Blizzard, over their likeness in the game. The band complained that they were breaching their contract by allowing them to be turned into a virtual karaoke act.

In the game, it's possible to unlock Gwen Stefani as a playable character and get her to sing the Rolling Stones' Honky Tonk Woman. The lawsuit says that this: "results in an unauthorized performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice boasting about having sex with prostitutes".

The band are protesting "fraudulent inducement" and breach of contract, seeking unspecified damages and an injunction that would stop Activision from distributing the title. Back in September, Courtney Love declared that she was going to "sue the s**t out of" the company for similar reasons - allowing Kurt Cobain to sing Bon Jovi songs.

Meanwhile, rival franchise Rock Band has avoided similar problems by not featuring real rockers as avatars with the exception of the tightly controlled Beatles: Rock Band title.

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Tags: Gaming Audio Music Music games Band Hero Activision No Doubt

No Doubt sues Activision over Band Hero originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:12:59 +0000

Sony Creative Software has announced the launch of "1000 Ringtones", a DVD containing ringtones designed for the Apple iPhone.

As well as music, the ringtones include sound effects and spoken words and users can select tones for incoming calls, emails and text messages.

In a move that will see iPhone owners bypassing Apple iTunes Store's charges for ringtones, the files are in MP3 and M4R format and can be used straight away by syncing the selected files with iTunes.

The DVD includes a tutorial video that demonstrates how to get the tones loaded on the iPhone in "simple steps".

"iPhone devices are one of the most popular cell phones on the market. We invite users to add a personal touch to their device with 1000 Ringtones", said Dave Chaimson, Sony Creative Software vice president of global marketing.

"1000 Ringtones" is now available for $19.95 in the States and for ?12.95 here in the UK.

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Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Sony Music software Ringtones Audio Sony Creative Software iPhone Apple iTunes

Sony offers 1000 Ringtones for the iPhone originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:19:24 +0000

Pocket-lint has teamed up with SanDisk to bring you the chance of winning one of five SanDisk 4GB MP3 players, this is the? successor to the SanDisk Sansa Clip with that "+" coming in the form of a microSD memory card slot.

As the name might suggest, the player gets a clip on the back for trouble free listening whilst out and about, a 1-inch OLED display, an FM tuner with 40 presets, voice recorder, equaliser, and up to 15 hours of rechargeable battery life.

The player is certified to work with Windows 7 while file support comes in MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and Audible files with support for Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic and others.

To be in with a chance of winning one of five 4GB Clip+, courtesy of SanDisk, just click through on the link below, where you'll be whisked away to the competition page and asked to answer one simple question.

Related links:

• Competition - SanDisk Sansa Clip+

Tags: Audio MP3 players SanDisk SanDisk Sansa Clip+ Competitions

Win a SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:05:29 +0000

EMI has launched a subsidiary called Abbey Road Live to offer gig-goers the chance to walk out of the venue with a recording of the concert they just attended on their mobile phones. The service has been available previously at gigs, but only on CD-R.

The company will offer fans a choice of formats, including CD, DVD, digital devices, or even a secure digital delivery to your mobile or waiting for you when you get back home. The service will be initially launching in Europe and North America, but progressively rolling out across the rest of the world.

Artists working with the service include Blur, Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Nick Cave, the Pixies, Goldfrapp, Moby, Status Quo and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. All have sold recordings of gigs through Live Here Now, which was established in 2004 by Mute Records and was a precursor to Abbey Road Live.

But could this breed a new generation of offensive gig goers ruining people's recordings by shouting "Hello mum!" during quiet moments in the set? Only time will tell, let's hope not.

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Tags: Audio Music Abbey Road Live Mobile phones USB

Abbey Road Live offers instant gig recordings originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:38:02 +0000

Introducing the Wall of Sound iPod speaker from Brothers - "it looks frightening, and it IS frightening".

What scares us particularly about "the world's most powerful iPod speaker" is the price - from $4495 plus shipping.

We're also a little nervous about the 102 kilo weight, 125 Watt output and 950 x 1250 x 300mm dimensions.

If you're not scared then it's on pre-order now.

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Tags: Audio Speakers iPod speakers Brothers

Wall of Sound iPod speaker sold as world's most powerful originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:18:22 +0000

The Beatles have perennially refused to put their catalogue on any digital download sites, despite a little-known site called BlueBeat stocking the fab four's tracks at knock-down prices.

But if you want to get your hands on legitimate digital recordings of your Beatles tracks, you can now do so in the form of an apple-shaped 16GB USB stick stuffed with everything a Beatles' fan could possibly desire, short of Ringo's underwear.

The drives contain the 14 stereo Beatles albums in lossless FLAC 44.1Khz 24-bit, which will satisfy any audio purists, as well as 320kbps MP3s for those who care more about storage space and compatibility on their mp3 player. There's also a pile of liner notes, album art, photos and mini-documentary films about each album.

There's only 100 of the drives available to the UK, and they're up for pre-order now for the rather costly sum of ?200. They'll be available from 7 December.

Tags: Audio Music Beatles USB drives USB gadgets

Beatles offer 16GB apple-shaped USB drive originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:49:48 +0000

That's a headline you could read in the not too distant future thanks to a new technology that?is hoping to change the way we listen to music forever.

The concept, created by Zenph Studios and called "Re-Performance", works not by re-mastering music in the traditional sense but by capturing an artist's or instrument's musical essence or DNA and allowing it to be controlled and re-performed.

"It will be a sea change", claimed Jeff McIntyre, director, sales and marketing worldwide of Zenph Studios, when Pocket-lint sat down to experience the technology. "Everything you've known to be frozen will be free".

The best way to get your head around the new technology is to think of the movie "Jurassic Park". In the film Richard Attenborough's character extracts DNA from an insect trapped inside a piece of amber to re-create living dinosaurs.

The key here, is that Attenborough's character doesn't just re-master the dinosaurs, he re-creates them.

Instead of dinosaurs now think musicians.

Studying how artists like Rachmaninoff and jazz pianist Art Tatum performed, the company has created a software algorithm that allows them to re-perform, not just their original performances, but anything they want.

"We know what makes an artist sound like them", says McIntyre.

The company describes itself as a "software company that specialises in the algorithms and processes for understanding - and re-creating - precisely how musicians perform".

What that means in reality is that where currently producers can create remastered tracks by taking the original and doing their best to enhance, clean and improve the track they are still having to work with the original recording, which could be poor, based on when that track was originally recorded.

Zenph Studio's approach is to work out how the musician and the instrument acts and responds, then get a computer to play that track again as a real-time, real-life performance, which in turn can be recorded using modern techniques. The new track isn't a re-mastering, but a re-performance, as if the musician was actually playing it even though the artist may or may not be dead.

The technology works by ascertaining how an artist strikes a note and then recreating that note again. For the piano, the company takes into account everything from how an artist strikes a note to their hand movement, how they play when tired (yes, it can recreate fatigue) and even, as for the case of Jerry Lee Lewis, how they play with their feet. For the guitar there is even more to take into account, like pad placement, fingernails, and bending of the strings, the list goes on.

The result is that songs recorded 100 years ago can and will be able to be re-recorded with modern recording equipment, allowing old songs to be revitalised and enjoyed once more?"in surround sound or headphone listening".

An example:

These two files were made in 1926 and 2005: "before" and "after" recordings by legendary pianist Alfred Cortot. He's playing Chopin's third prelude, lasting 55 seconds. The recordings offer a glimpse into what is possible when a performance can be separated from its original acoustical setting.

The concept that Zenph Studios is pitching is a simple one.

"If we can recreate music rather than just re-master it, then music can be truly interactive", says McIntyre. "Who buys a paper map? The map is dead".

McIntyre believes that offering a more interactive music experience, just as consumers can with Google Maps over a paper map, will be the key to the success of music in a world that is quickly moving away from the "frozen" media we once knew.

"You will be able to change key, tone, make it sadder, happier as well as change the point of view or the location, making it sound like it is being played anywhere in the world".

In a move that will no doubt offer mind-boggling opportunities, the technology allows an array of options including the ability to record the music with different points of view as if you were in the audience, or even actually playing the instrument.

"Imagine if you wanted to hear the songs Norah Jones plays as if you were Norah Jones", says McIntyre. "We could re-record her performance with the microphone where her head is as she doesn't have to be sitting at the piano. Or how about if you want to hear what the song would sound like in the audience at a certain concert hall or venue. All is possible".

However, the one that is likely to really garner interest will be the ability to play "fantasy band".

"Re-performing artists that have been dead for years is one thing, but what about the ability for John Lennon to play in the Rolling Stones?"

According to MyIntyre the software Zenph has created will allow them not only to capture that musical essence, but also allow you to inject it into new tracks, which that artist has never played before.

"We've already proved it can be done. Earlier in the year violinist Joshua Bell played a duet with pianist Rachmaninoff. Working with Joshua we were able to produce a piece that was if the two artists had worked on the piece together. It was a completely new piece created by a living artist and one who had been dead for over 60 years".

But it's not just about bringing back the dead for wishful duet albums, (could you imagine Clapton and Hendrix, or Johnny Cash and Lennon?), but also re-creating music for video games.

"Beatles Rock Band was a defining moment in the music industry", claims McIntyre. "For the first time you could see execs acknowledging that music wasn't just for listening".

He is right, Rock Band: The Beatles and the Guitar Hero series have both enjoyed success in the video games charts as gamers clambered to play "musical instruments" in their living room.

But imagine if when you played the game you could sound like you were in the Cavern in Liverpool playing as one of the Beatles, in a recording that sounded like it was real thanks to point of view and location, rather than just a track being re-played.

McIntyre confirmed that Activision has already expressed an interest in the capabilities of the technology, hoping it will allow it to offer a product that has an edge over Harmonic's Rock Band offering.

"They want the technology like yesterday, unfortunately we just can't work that fast".

Zenph believes that there are so many uses for the technology that the possibilities are endless. How about repeat performances of an orchestra at a ballet or opera with the individual musicians captured so they play once and then get paid without having to turn up (the unions supposedly back the move, but it will be interesting to see it happening), or for teaching you how to play an instrument (why have Mrs Fairbottom from down the road when you can have Art Tatum?).

While Apple already offers the ability to download a select handful of music lesson videos given by artists such as Sting and Norah Jones via its GarageBand software package, McIntyre believes that a re-performance would allow the user to select hundreds of songs all at the press of a button.

So how far off is this technology?

It's here right now. There are already a couple of re-performance CDs available to listen to and we are currently touring with "Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff". The dead composer will be playing at Carnegie Hall on 6 November, 100 years after he first played in the US.

As for the "fantasy band" element, McIntyre believes it will take around 3 to 5 years before it hits the home, with consumers able to mix and match artists to create new bands, music and experiences.

The reason for the delay isn't the technology, it's there now, however it takes time to capture that "essence". So far Zenph Studios has captured just four artists; Glenn Gould, Rachmaninoff, Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson, all of whom are dead.

On the instrument side of things the company has done piano, with the bass guitar around 90% done with plans to capture all the instruments eventually.

"When we started it would cost us $14 a note to capture the musical DNA, now we are down to $2".

The biggest hurdle, however, is going to be legislation:

"We are breaking new ground here", states McIntyre. "There is nothing in the law about bringing back artists from the dead to play to a concert hall or stadium full of fans".

The concept is a licensing nightmare, who gets what, how is the pie divided, what happens about dead artists, is copyright re-enabled when it runs out? None as yet is accounted for.

With the music industry still reeling over the digital march and consumers wanting more interactivity and an enhanced experience, Zenph hopes that it can be the answer to their prayers allowing us a new array of options when it comes to listening to music in the future.

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Tags: Audio Software Zenph Interviews Features iTunes Music games Beatles

Beatles live performance coming to venue near you originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:45:02 +0000

Popular music streaming service Spotify has announced that Robbie Williams' new album will debut exclusively on the service in the UK.

From Friday 6 November, the comeback album, "Reality Killed The Video Star", will be available to listen to exclusively to all UK users in advance of the album's official launch on 9 November.

The new album features 12 brand new tracks (plus one reprise), including the singles "Bodies" and "You Know Me".

As an extra treat for Robbie fans, as part of the exclusive, Spotify says it has "had Robbie put together a playlist of some of his favourite tracks over his career and another playlist highlighting tracks from his musical heroes".

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Tags: Audio Media streaming Spotify Online Music downloads Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams' new album gets exclusive Spotify debut originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:04:13 +0000

A survey from London-based think-tank Demos has added weight to the position held by many that file sharers are the biggest music fans, revealing that those who admit downloading music illegally spend an average of ?77 per year on music, compared to ?44 for people who claim that they never download dishonestly.

The poll spoke to 1000, 16 to 50-year-olds with web access. One in ten admitted to downloading music illegally, though the real figure is suspected by many to be considerably higher. However, 61% of those downloaders said they would be put off downloading illegally if their connection was in jeopardy.

The government, led by Peter Mandelson, is trying very hard to push through plans to set up a ?"three-strikes" system that would disconnect file sharers from the Web. However, there's fierce opposition to the proposals from everyone from artists, to ISPs, to even MI5 and the police.

The report's authors say that the results of this survey suggest that Mandelson's plans could actually harm the music industry more than helping it, especially as there are other sources of entertainment - like video games - that are fighting for consumer attention. Will file sharers stop spending their cash on music entirely, if disconnected from their sources of content?

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Tags: Software Online Broadband Filesharing P2P Statistics Surveys Music downloads Music Audio

Survey claims illegal downloaders spend most on music originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:32:13 +0000

The Beatles' entire back catalogue has found itself online for streaming and downloads semi-legally thanks to music service BlueBeat Music.

The site, which will no doubt be pulled within hours is currently offering Beatles fans the chance to own songs for just a quarter (15p) as well as the chance to stream the tracks for free.

Although many expected Apple to be the first to offer the Beatles back catalogue digitally online, BlueBeat Music's approach has been to hope that rights holder EMI won't complain.

Buried deep in terms and conditions is the following:

"If you believe in good faith that materials hosted by BlueBeat infringe your copyright (for example, materials posted by BlueBeat on one of our Forums), you (or your agent) may send us a notice requesting that the material be removed, or access to it blocked".

According to The Telegraph, EMI told the newspaper that "the company had not given its permission for the tracks to be sold and was "looking into the situation".

EMI has been rumoured to be waiting for the right time to offer the songs digitally, with many speculating, wrongly, that it would have happened in September, the same days as Rock Band: The Beatles launched.

In 2014, the copyright for the first Beatles tracks begin to expire, suggesting an ever looming window for EMI and Apple Corps to maximise on sales is drawing closer.

UPDATE: EMI has confirmed that it's sueing BlueBeat over these tracks.

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Related links:

• Via - telegraph.co.uk

Tags: Audio Software Online Music downloads BlueBeat Beatles

Beatles go on sale online originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:20:43 +0000

Creative has announced it is to enter the e-book reader market with the forthcoming launch of what's dubbed the "MediaBook" which will run on the company's Zii Plaszma platform.

It seems the tablet-esque device may fall more into the PMP category but boast ebook reading capabilities as it won't offer an easy-on-the-eyes E-Ink-type display - rather a touchscreen - and will offer a "media-rich experience".

The MediaBook, revealed at Creative's recent AGM, will boast text-to-speech functionality, an SD memory card slot, internet connectivity, and will offer "videos, pictures, text and [other] services".

Creative is said to be in talks with publishers to provide content for the device with "fiction, newspaper, magazines, education materials and textbooks" said to be in the mix.

There's no further details at this stage about the MediaBook, but we'll keep you posted.

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Tags: Gadgets Creative eBook readers Zii PMPs Audio

Creative unveils plans for Zii MediaBook originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:16:35 +0000

Movember is upon us once more and that means plenty of talk about moustaches, moustache gadgets and of course not forgetting the main reason for the facial hair growth - helping raise awareness for?prostate Cancer.

Over the next 30 days the Pocket-lint team and others will be growing a moustache for charity. It's a tough job that from experience means we will be ridiculed, stared at, and worse still not get many kisses.

But fear not my hairless friends (that's you), it is not too late to join our hairy(ish) team.

We will be keeping a mo diary on the site so you can see our progress and expect plenty of related features exploring everything "Mo".

Men of tech! (that's you) join our brethren.

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Tags: Gadgets Bathroom gadgets Movember Comment Audio Car And GPS Dad Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness

Gentlemen start your Mo originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:35:49 +0000

After a mixed start at CES 2009, it's been an excellent year for music gadgets. Slowly the world is getting over its lust for hording mp3 downloads in favour of streaming and digital music, possibly a sign that it's maturing. Sound quality has become important once more rather than just access to one's collection on the move, and the natural pace of technology has meant better bit rates to back it up. At the same time, the high end audio has become more affordable under the pressure of a world recession, while the cheap tat at the other end that doesn't deliver is gradually disappearing. So, in light of such promise, just how were we taken from A to B and who best reflected the consumer's desire in audio gadget function and form?

Dock/Radios

It's hard to believe that the dock/radio market has expanded after what already seemed like saturated times in 2008. The usual suspects like Gear4, Altec Lansing, Pure, Roberts and Logitech are still churning them out both large and small at a steady rate but what we've seen is an increasing move of the high end brands in their embrace of the mp3 and that now ubiquitous 30-pin dock connector. Naturally, the audiophile-friendly manufacturers have admitted defeat in their own way and it's generally been a huge boost to the sector in both design and sound engineering.

Arcam's second foray into the field with the irDock cleans up RF interference, Yamaha has joined the fray with the company's first iPod products, even LEGO got involved as part of the range of 2009 tech products. On the design side, Bowers and Wilkens helped up the ante and many have followed producing almost a new branch of the market into style-led devices many of which have a distinctly 70s, 80s, futurist or retro feel. Revo, YBA and Grove Neo are all good examples, not forgetting an appearance from Phillippe Starck and some completely out the box styles from Bang & Olufsen that we probably should have all expected.

While style and audio quality marched on, so has the technology being driven by the theme of connectivity which has been the strongest throughout all gadgets this year. The dock/radio masters have been the ones pushing boundaries of functionality furthest with touchscreen interfaces and some even with their own app stores, widgets and native support for both Twitter and Facebook. Internet radio has been the add-on for most and with over a third of the world listening to it, it's small wonder. Between that, DAB, SD card slots, mp3 support and USB drives, this sector is fast catching up with the mini-systems and separates above them.

Mini-Systems & Hi-Fi

These gadgets have remained very much the preserve of the serious music fan and probably more so with the lower end of the market doing well in 2009. At the same time, the acceptance of the dock has meant most now have attachments, as well as USB ports and support for digital music as well. The likes of Marantz and Denon are still offering up the goods with perhaps more focus on aesthetics than ever before, but none typifies more the situation than the rare appearance of the NaimUniti system - the very first from this high end manufacturer in the new era.

Headphones

Quality has been the theme oozing from the headphones market in 2009. It all started rather frighteningly at CES with it seeming like we'd have to rob a bank in order to satisfy our aural delights. Denon and Sennheiser both came out with classy on-ear phones at around the ?1000 mark but with Sony's launch of the XB, we knew that on-ear style was making a comeback and that we could afford it as well. Sennheiser followed suit, as did many others in the field, but soon we were to find out where the real trend lay - the in-ear design.

Noise cancelling and isolating has been the story for headhones in 2009. Both technologies have, of course, been around for many years now but never before have we seen them come in such a large price range. Sony and Denon were the first to bring noise-cancelling to the small form, while many such as Logitech, with their purchase of Ultimate Ears, Klipsch and Shure chose to find ways to isolate the interference from the outside world. Etymotics went one stage further by offering custom ear-moulds with their range, including the service from ACS. And finally, Radiopaq took the altogether different approach of both specially tuning headphones for digital music and even creating an adaptor to do the same almost at source.

MP3 players/PMPs

One of the most exciting areas of gadgetry in 2009 has been PMPs. With the addition of HD screens, the support of all sorts of video codecs and the commonplace occurrence of touch technology, it's been one of the main focuses of convergence throughout the industry.

It was another mixed start in the field at CES with the Android-sporting GiiNii Movit proving one of the highlights of the show and yet it's failed to appear on our shelves. Sansa came up with a new approach with SlotRadio, which was later improved, and Samsung surprised us all with the challenger to the iPod touch in the shape of the P3. Since then, we've seen an entire new range from the Korean giant in Beat, and Sony has been working hard with the X, B and W series showing off both functionality and innovation of lifestyle design.

Philips, Creative and iRiver have all put in the time and just about everyone has made sure that they include Wi-Fi, DivX support and as much streaming capability as they can muster. Whether your PMP is big or small, just about all of them can play video now and even some can record it as we saw in the refresh of the iPod range with the 5th generation nano and notably not in the iPod touch, which now suffers even stronger competition from the Zune HD amongst others. Last, littlest but certainly not least, do spare a thought for the 3rd generation, lozenge of an iPod shuffle which thankfully has its own voice to help shout about it too.

Fortunately, all the PMPs have more memory stacked in them than ever before else they'd not be much use for storing video and the larger screen devices such as the Archos 5 are now almost indistinguishable from actual computers. Doubtless a flurry of internet tablets in the coming 12 months will permanently blur the divide. As for the likes of INQ's upcoming Spotify phone and the increase in the mobility service, we can save that confusion for next year's awards.

What do you think?

But these are just some of the fantastic choices our ears have had in 2009. What would you like to see held aloft as the winner of Pocket-lint Best Music Gadget 2009? Who have we missed out? Which are your unsung heroes and of those we've already mentioned, which would get your vote? Let us know in the comments below and you can help our panel decide which make the shortlist of nominees to be announced here on Pocket-lint on 16 November. We'll have all out coverage of the Vodafone Pocket-lint awards 2009 right here. Don't miss a minute of it.

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Related links:

• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 announced
• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards date confirmed and tickets on sale

Tags: Audio Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards MP3 players PMPs Headphones iPod docks Radios

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - music gadgets originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:38:56 +0000

A recently revealed patent from Apple shows the company is looking at producing a wireless headset that offers standalone media playing abilities, rather than relying on a Bluetooth streaming connection to get music piped into the ear.

Apple's latest vision is for times when "the external device with which it is wirelessly coupled is not being used" as during such downtime the headset could be used to play music.

Alternatively, the patent suggests, "if the external device is a telephone, the availability of a recording function could make it possible for the user to record all or part of a conversation. Similarly, voicemail messages received on the user's telephone could be uploaded into the headset for later off-line playback".

On one hand the patent could be seen as a wearable, voice-controlled iPod shuffle with wireless capabilities, and on the other the next-gen of Apple's iPhone headset - more of an iPhone companion device - offering advanced media playing functionality.

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Tags: Audio Apple Patents iPod iPod shuffle Headsets

Apple patent reveals headset-style iPod shuffle originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:32:40 +0000

Teufel has unveiled a pair of PC speakers, the Concept B 200. Intriguingly they connect via USB rather than through the typical 3.5mm jack, meaning that they include a sound card and amplifier, allowing the quality to be ramped up above the bog-standard sound devices that are usually found built into motherboards.

It's a 2.0 system, with four 30W power amplifiers in a metal case which supply juice to high and mid-low drivers in each speaker. That USB connection also powers the system, meaning that you won't have to plug them in, either. The amp also includes a USB hub for connecting other devices.

Teufel says that the speakers?"offer incredible sonic performance over a USB connection without a sky-high price tag". We'll let you be the judge of that. The Concept B 200 USB speakers cost ?184, and are available now.

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Tags: Audio Speakers PC speakers Teufel Teufel Concept B 200

Teufel unveils Concept B 200 speakers originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:36:59 +0000

Rock band Foo Fighters have announced that they'll be streaming a free gig on Facebook on 30 October. The show will come live from the band's Los Angeles HQ and the stream will begin at 7pm PST (that's 3AM GMT). It'll be powered by Livestream.

Fans can RSVP to the show from the event page and when it begins the stream will be available from an application. Fans are also being asked, during the show, to update their status messages to reflect what they think of the performance, which will hopefully then bring other viewers in.

MySpace has undertaken a few live gig streams, and YouTube has covered a few, but Facebook has stayed relatively clear of the action until now. Are you planning to watch the show? Or just grab a copy from a file sharing network the following morning? Let us know in the comments.

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Tags: Audio Music Online Foo Fighters Facebook

Foo Fighters stream gig over Facebook originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:16:50 +0000

The BBC has announced it has made a deal with Stitcher.com to make its BBC World Service content available to users of the mobile phone-based application across the globe.

As many of you will know, Stitcher is a free mobile phone "Smart Radio" app, available on a number of handsets, including the iPhone, the Palm Pre and BlackBerrys.

The BBC World Service programming joins a wide range of audio content available including news, sport, talk and entertainment which is streamed on-demand.

BBC World Service will "provide a selection of English language podcasts, with programming such as Global News, Digital Planet, Global Arts & Entertainment and Africa Today", says the corporation.

Tags: Audio Media streaming Internet radio Stitcher BBC BBC World Service Mobile phone apps BlackBerry iPhone Podcasts iPhone apps Phones

BBC World Service content available on Stitcher app originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:58:50 +0000

Alyce Santoro and Julio Cesar offer men's ties made from recycled cassette tapes. Rather than just offering retro - and eco - appeal, the ties have a very unusual feature.

Made from 50% tape cassette tape and 50% polyester thread, it seems the tape retains some audio information - at least enough to be played via a hand-made reader.

Hit play on the video above to see a walk-through of how to make such a device from an old Walkman (complete with creepy sounds) while the ties are available in various designs at Supermarket for $90 each.

Thanks to Chris for the tip.

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Related links:

• Shop - Supermarket

Tags: Audio Clothing Ties Supermarket Eco Video Sonic fabric Walkman Tape cassettes Retro

VIDEO: Ties made from tape cassettes still play audio originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:43:28 +0000

TalkTalk's Tiscali.co.uk has joined the ranks of UK ISPs providing music services with the launch of "Music for Life", said to be a "new" music download offering available to all Tiscali users.

www.tiscali.co.uk/downloads offers access to a catalogue of over 6.5 million MP3s in a service powered by eMusic.

The offering is the same as eMusic's standalone subscription models and can be seen as follows:

• eMusic Basic - 24 downloads for ?9.99 per month - then ?0.42 per song
• eMusic Plus - 35 downloads for ?13.99 per month - the ?0.40 per song
• eMusic Premium - 50 downloads for ?17.99 per month - then ?0.36 per song
• eMusic Connoisseur - 75 downloads for ?24.99 per month - then ?0.33 per song

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To promote the launch, Tiscali.co.uk will be giving users 50 free tracks when they sign up for a 14-day free trial of Music for Life.

Downloads are DRM-free, so compatible with all portable music players and can be burned to an unlimited number of CDs.

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Tags: Audio Software Online Music downloads Tiscali TalkTalk eMusic Music for Life ISPs

Tiscali offers "Music for Life" originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:36:13 +0000

In response to the millions of search queries about music that Google gets every day it has beefed up its music search service.

Users can now use Google to find tracks by searching artist, song title and even lyrics with links to online retailers to buy.

While the industry waits to see what this might mean long term, Google has now posted a demo vid showing how it will work - hit play now to see the official demo.

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Tags: Audio Software Online Google Search engines Video

VIDEO: Google demos Music Search originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:29:59 +0000

Marantz has unveiled a slimline AV amplifier that's aimed at the "entry-level" sector of the market. The NR1501 amp measures just 10cm from top to bottom - around half the size of normal surround sound designs. Despite this, Marantz claims that it still "packs a full size punch".

There's 50W of power across each of the seven channels, Dolby TrueHD dts HD Master Audio decoding, and four HDMI inputs that can feed a single HDMI output. Analogue sources from three component video inputs are automatically up-scaled to HDMI quality.

The unit comes with an MRAC auto setup for audio tuning which uses a microphone and on-screen display to match the sound to your room. It'll be available in November and cost ?450.

Tags: Audio Marantz AV receivers Amplifiers Marantz NR1501

Marantz offers slim NR1501 AV amp originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:46:32 +0000

So you've got an iPhone?(who hasn't) and you know that it's probably the worst device on the planet for actually lasting longer than a couple of hours without needing a charge.

In steps the Griffin Simplifi, an iPhone/iPod docking station that is designed for your desk rather than your night stand, the principle aim being to keep your Apple created device powered.

We say principle aim, because the Simplifi has more to it than just charging your favourite phone or MP3 player. Closer inspection actually reveals that the Simplifi is about "de-cluttering" your desk, well at least that's what the box says, so what is it exactly?

Put simply (get it) the Simplfi is a memory card reader, USB hub and iPod/iPhone docking station in one.

The square light grey solid lump of anodized aluminium and plastic sports two memory card slots at the front that support CompactFlash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, SD, and xD formats. Around the back you get two USB ports as well as a power-in so those two USB ports can in turn power devices like portable hard drives or keyboards without complaining.

The top of that lump sports the iPhone/iPod dock and there are, as you would expect a series of different "cups" to fit the device you have.

As you might imagine there isn't much to the operation of the Simplifi. Power is provided via the included power adapter, while PC or Mac connectivity is via the included USB cable. ?

Memory cards are automatically accepted once you connect them and the same goes for the iPhone/iPod too. Transfer speeds are based on your memory card capabilities, but they will be fast enough for most.

Grumbles? It would have been nice to have included a USB socket around the front, and just two seems a bit stingy. The design would have allowed, albeit a bit cramped, more sockets to make this a "Real" hub of merit.?

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Verdict:

If you are short of space on your desk, need a memory card reader for your camera and looking to expand your USB options (the MacBook and MacBook Pro only come with two remember), this is as good a solution as any.

This is Griffin doing what they do best, creating simple and easy to use products that don't necessarily break the mould, but just work.?

We just wish there were more USB sockets.

Tags: Audio iPod docks iPod accessories iPhone Phones Griffin Griffin Simplifi Memory card readers

Griffin Simplifi dock originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

You can now be a guitar hero away from the console with ThinkGeek's Electronic Guitar Shirt. $29.99 and four AAA batteries will see you rocking all over the world using just the shirt on your back.

Described as a "real instrument", the Electronic Guitar Shirt is said to be incredibly easy to play because each button on the neck is a major chord.

All major chords are recorded from a real electric guitar, and the included magnetic pick allows you to strum just like you would a real guitar.

The included mini amp clips to your belt and "gets plenty loud" while the tone knob on the amp lets you adjust the sound just like a real guitar.

If the ability to "play dozens of classic rock songs with very little skill" appeals, then hit play on the video above to see the shirt in action, while it's on sale over at the ThinkGeek site now.

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Related links:

• Shop - ThinkGeek

Tags: Gadgets Clothing T-shirts ThinkGeek Music games Audio Musical instruments GeekBooTeek Video

VIDEO: ThinkGeek's Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:52:12 +0000

Spotify, following a good deal of public experimentation with price points, has decided to lower the price of its premium subscriptions in a sponsorship deal with insurance company Swiftcover.

Billboard is reporting that until 2 November, you'll be able to get a Premium subscription for ?6.49 per month for 6 months. There's no minimum term, so you're free to cancel after that time if you want to. The company had also experimented with deals at ?5, ?8 and ?9 price points.

The move is clearly in response to the launch of Napster and Sky Songs' offerings, which cost ?5 and ?6.50 respectively, and bundle in MP3 downloads. They don't, however, include mobile access, higher bitrates or exclusive content, unlike Spotify. The main attraction of Spotify Premium for many people, though, is the removal of ads from the content.

The reduced rate offer is only available to new subscribers, though it's not clear if you can cancel your subscription and re-sign-up at the lower rate. Many people have said that the ?10 price point is too high, so does this make you want to sign up to the service? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Tags: Audio Software Music Online Spotify Swiftcover Media streaming

Spotify expands Premium discount programme originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:43:20 +0000

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards date confirmed and tickets on sale originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:03:36 +0000

When Spotify launched its API back in April with a great song and dance, much was made of the possibilities it could bring. Except that when it finally emerged, it turns out that you couldn't do very much with it. Many were disappointed, and Spotify's attentions turned to its mobile clients instead.

Now that the iPhone and Android apps are out in the wild, Spotify seems to have begun work on its APIs again. It's just released a Metadata API that'll allow programmers to query Spotify's vast library of music - just like searching in the client - but returning XML data that can then be output into a program or website.

It could be used for all kinds of applications, including a web interface for playing Spotify like the one run by We7, where you could search for artists or songs on a site and then get a Spotify link back. You could also build a script that automatically turns Spotify links on websites into artist and track titles.

There's a couple of limits, though - you can't query the API more than ten times per second, per IP address. And the terms and conditions have some pretty harsh language about what you call the tool you develop - it can't have the word "Spotify" in it, for starters.

You can grab the Metadata API from Spotify and start tinkering today. Let us know what you come up with.

Tags: Audio Spotify API Music Software Websites

Spotify launches Metadata API originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:55:06 +0000

Last.fm is reportedly preparing a push into video content, and the site is expanding into television, according to a report in Music Week. The online radio service, which was bought by US media giant CBS in 2007, is attempting to expand its brand globally.

The report claims that the initial offering is expected to launch in January and will be based around European music festival content. That could include partnering with existing festivals, or building bespoke events. We'd presume music videos would likely be involved somewhere along the line too, but it's not clear where.

Adding video to Last.fm's offering will both elevate it above its music-focused contemporaries, but also place it in competition with giants like YouTube and MySpace. However, whereas YouTube has often endured a rocky ride with the major labels, Last.fm has kept them onside so it remains to be seen whether the company can keep that special relationship intact once video content is in place too.

This is a breaking story, and we've asked Last.fm for comment and more detail. We'll update this post when we hear back.

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Tags: Home Cinema Audio Software Websites Online Lastfm Lasttv

Last.fm launches Last.tv originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:53:43 +0000

We brought you news this was incoming, and it's now been released as Sonos makes the Sonos Software 3.1 available to all Sonos users globally.

The free one-button update integrates Twitter into the Sonos Controller interface, which means Sonos users can send the name and artist of the track playing to their friends and followers.

The Twitter functionality is available on the Sonos Controller for iPhone, the Sonos Controller 200 and the Sonos Controller for Mac or PC.

Other features of Sonos Software 3.1 include full support for the new ZonePlayer S5 which means it will work "seamlessly" with all previous products.

The update also brings a graphical music menu featuring icons and logos on the Sonos Controller for iPhone and Sonos Controller 200.

Sonos says the Controller for iPhone 3.1 is currently awaiting approval from Apple.

Tags: Audio Sonos Software updates Twitter Media streaming

Sonos Software 3.1 with Twitter support released originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:25:58 +0000

Today's tech deal might just hit the right note with any petrol heads out there, or more accurately Porsche fans, as we have word that the Porsche Design Eton radio and iPod dock has been reduced in price from ?480 to ?299.

This new price perhaps gives a more accurate representation of what you're actually getting in terms of function, as despite the product being available for just over a year, the ?180 saving is still considerable and hints at what you were actually paying for - the logo.

The device gets three 1.5-inch drivers and a 3-inch, 15 Watt subwoofer which is housed in a double wall construction for apparently "superior acoustics". It also comes with 10 FM and 20 DAB memory presets, 12/24 hour clock, alarm battery back-up and a remote control complete with torch. If that wasn't enough the Eton P'9123 also gets an OLED display.

Measuring 130 x 141 x 229mm and weighing in at 2.8 kilograms, the P'9123 is available now at the lower price from the Porsche Design website.

Tags: Audio Radios iPod speakers Porsche Porsche Design Daily Tech Deal Eton

Daily Tech Deal: Porsche Design Eton radio and iPod dock originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Revo has announced the launch of the Heritage, a new multi-format digital radio.

Described as a "contemporary reinterpretation of classic European table radio designs from the 50s and 60s", the Heritage gets a walnut veneer and metal exterior.

Offering DAB, DAB+, FM and Wi-Fi internet radio - as well as wireless audio streaming - the Heritage also gets an iPod or iPhone dock.

Audio performance is delivered by a custom designed 3-inch neodymium speaker driver and a high fidelity 7W amplifier. There's also a graphical OLED display and a "joystick" control system.

The Heritage comes with a 30-day Last.fm trial subscription, which, if users want to continue to use costs ?3 a month.

The Heritage will go on sale in early November, priced at ?229.95, direct from Revo or from John Lewis.

Tags: Audio Revo DAB Radios Internet radio iPod speakers Lastfm Media streaming John Lewis Revo Heritage

Revo Heritage DAB and internet radio launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:44:01 +0000

Wannabe DJs take note - there's a nifty little gadget that's just been released which could make it easier to play off a couple of iPods. The Lecci Mini Mixer is basically a two-channel mixer that allows you to crossfade between a couple of audio sources.

Those sources could be iPods, CD players, laptops - anything that outputs to a 3.5mm jack. There's gain controls on both, a great big crossfader, and cue buttons so that you can check what a track sounds like before switching to it. Output is to either an audio-out jack or there's an internal speaker if you're DJing to a very tiny party.

The Lecci Mini Mixer is available now from the Gadget Shop, and costs ?20.

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Tags: Audio DJ iPod Bluw Lecci Mini Mixer

Lecci Mini Mixer launched by Bluw originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:25:34 +0000

Stuart Miles brings us his customary comment from NYC with a look at the talking points from this week in tech.

Under the spotlight in this instalment is Apple's Magic Mouse and whether this is the beginning of the end for the button and the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system.

Miles also muses the rise of real-time search with the news that Google and Bing are due to integrate Twitter content into their search results as well as offering thoughts on Google's Social Search.

The fact that Nokia is suing Apple for patent infringement is the final topic under consideration - is the Finnish giant protecting its patents or looking for a quick cash injection? Hit play for more...

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Comment Video

VIDEO: Tech Week in View: Magic Mouse, Social Search and Nokia sues Apple originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:05:00 +0000

Guitar Hero is the first console game franchise to surpass 1 million Facebook fans, says developer Activision.

As the number one best-selling third party video game franchise in America and Europe this year to date, since its release, more than 38 million games have been sold worldwide.

The most recent release "Guitar Hero 5" launched in September and is said to be the "most social and interactive Guitar Hero game ever".

The million-strong Facebook fans can get the latest info on Guitar Hero games and the artists in the games, as well as share their favourite artists, songs, and Guitar Hero experiences.

Tags: Gaming Guitar Hero Music games Facebook Statistics Activision Software Audio

Guitar Hero rocks 1 million Facebook fans originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:16:17 +0000

Teufel has announced the Omniton 202, an all-weather speaker that can be fitted in places like gyms, swimming pools and pub gardens. "Whatever the situation, the Omniton 202 is up to the task", says the company, perhaps a little smugly.

The 202 has a 130mm woofer and a 25mm cloth dome tweeter which can cope with an output of 102dB without distortion. They're enclosed in bass reflex housing that means that a subwoofer isn't necessary.?

It has a water-resistant housing that can tolerate shock, moisture and "anything else you can throw at it", says Teufel. It has rubber sealing so it can sit on a stand or shelf, or you can mount it - the rear cable connector is designed with that task in mind.

The Teufel Omniton 202 is available now, and costs ?140 per pair.

Related links:

• News - Teufel launches Theatre 80 home cinema system

Tags: Audio Speakers Teufel Teufel Omniton 202 Waterproof

Teufel Omniton 202 speaker appears originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:27:58 +0000

An online portal that will offer the entire output of the British radio industry could go live in the first half of next year.

While only 2% of radio listening in the UK is currently done online, the plan is hoped to offer a boost to the radio industry amid fears it could be left behind amid the digitalisation of media.

With involvement from both the BBC and the commercial sector it's reported the site could offer up to 500 networks streamed live online.

A prototype system could be ready for testing by Christmas if the Radio Council's plans get the go ahead.

Andrew Harrison, the Radio Council's chief executive has described the scheme as "quite a breakthrough project".

We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Audio Radio Internet radio BBC Online Media streaming

Internet radio portal planned for the UK originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:41:44 +0000

Spotify, the streaming music service which has captured plenty of users in the year it's been around, has launched its first "reklam", or TV advert, albeit in Swedish. You can see it above.?

Many have suggested that despite doing well with web users, Spotify is stuck in that "early adopter" market and is having trouble expanding out to the general public. This ad should, in theory, help with that.

We wonder if an English version will be rolled out to the UK, or even the US once the service launches in the States - as it's scheduled to - in 2010.

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Tags: Audio Software Online Music Spotify Advertising Adverts Video

VIDEO: Spotify launches first TV advert originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:38:32 +0000

MSI has announced the launch of new PC peripherals in the UK with the Syren Speaker Mini going on sale.

Available in black or white, MSI says they are "specifically designed to be used with laptops, netbooks, PCs and all in one machines".

The 2 Watt speakers have a built in Class D amplifier, LED lighting and hook up to a computer via USB.

Complete with a travel pouch, the MSI Syren Speaker Minis are priced at ?19.99 and are available from ebuyer.com.

Tags: Audio Speakers MSI PC speakers Ebuyer

MSI launches Syren Speaker Mini originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:23:57 +0000

Roberts has launched a new DAB/FM radio that offers CD playback and gets an iPod dock. The Sound 43 is also notable for being available in three "racy" colours - Ferrari red, Lamborghini yellow and Porsche white.

With a high gloss finish, the all-in-one system offers touch controls, an electric blue display, boasts 20 station presets, alarm clock, and comes complete with a remote control.

Boasting an acoustically tuned wooden cabinet with a 6 position equaliser and separate base and treble, Roberts claims "superb sound" for the new device, which goes on sale for ?230.

Tags: Audio Radios Roberts iPod speakers Alarm clocks DAB Radios CD

Roberts Sound 43 iPod docking radio launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:49:45 +0100

Klipsch has announced a couple of "affordable" speaker sets designed for home cinema use. There's the HD Theatre 500 and HD Theatre 300. Both provide 5.1 channels of dynamic audio that Klipsch claims will "enhance your entertainment experience".

The two sets both comprise five satellite speakers that each have a 2.5-inch IMG woofer and a MicroTractrix Horn-loaded 0.75-inch tweeter. In the 300 the tweeter is textile, whereas the 500 upgrades that to aluminium dome. The centre speaker has the same setup but with dual woofers in the 500 and magnetic shielding in both.

The subwoofer comes in a bass-reflex design with a rear-firing flared port. The driver is 8-inches in the HD Theatre 500, and 6.5-inches in the HD Theatre 300. The satellites come with wall brackets that have a 40-degree range of mounting, and the centre channel has a 45-degree cradle base.

The HD Theatre 300 costs ?400, and the HD Theatre 500 is ?500. Both are available now from klipsch.co.uk.

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Tags: Home Cinema Audio Klipsch Klipsch HD Theatre 500 Klipsch HD Theatre 300

Klipsch unveils HD Theatre 500 and 300 speakers originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:14:10 +0100

Headfunk has launched another set of its earbuds, this time customized for the?SNO!zone indoor ski slope in Milton Keynes, Castleford and Glasgow. They're basically a set of the company's "Badass Buds" but in blue and white.

They have silicon eartips that enhance the noise isolation and try to make sure that it's just you in there with your music - not the lady yapping on the phone next to you, too. Headfunk reckons it also helps with the fit - meaning that they shouldn't fall out during "active use".

?They have 8mm neodymium microdrivers that are apparently extra-sensitive, though the exact specs of that sensitivity aren't disclosed. There's an inline volume control, though, and 80cm of rubber cabling, complete with an extra 1m extension cable.

They're available now and cost ?50.

Tags: Audio Headphones Headfunk Headfunk Snozone

Headfunk launches SNO!zone earbuds originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:16:53 +0100

Let's be honest here - TV speakers are a bit weedy. Unless you've got a meaty pair of speakers hooked up to your television, odds are that you're not getting the best sound experience out of your games console, particularly when it comes to music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

So Altec Lansing has decided to do something about it and launch an amplified monitor speaker specifically designed for video games. It's not quite as weighty as it looks - it puts out 40W from a 6.5-inch woofer, but that'll still upset your neighbours quite considerably.

There's a great big volume knob, along with RCA outputs for hooking up even more speakers. It also has a "grab and go" handle to make life a little easier for your roadies. It's pricey for its specs - $100 - and it'll be available in early November in the US. No word on the UK release date yet.

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Tags: Gaming Audio Altec Lansing Altec-Lansing Stage-Gig Rock Band Guitar Hero

Altec Lansing launches Stage-Gig speaker originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:48:04 +0100

Men of this world, this is your calling, your calling to sign up to become a real man, the kind of man that can present the news (Ron Burgundy), the kind of man that can be a private dick (Magnum PI) and not laugh about it, the kind of man....

Okay you get the gist. Movember is now almost upon us, and that means you need to sign up and get your moustache thoughts in gear.

Once again Pocket-lint will be going Movember for November in aid of charity and we are asking for your help.

We aren't asking for money (although you can pledge if you want), we aren't asking you to run hundreds of miles, all we want from you is to join our TechMo team, grow a moustache in November and help rid the world of the disease that kills thousands of men each year.

What many people don't appreciate is that one man dies every hour of prostate cancer in the UK, more than 35,000 men will be diagnosed this year and that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK.

The more that join us, the more we can "change the face of men's health" through raising awareness and the money that will be raised.

Let's do this - register and grow a moustache as a Mo Bro, or sign on as a Mo Sista.

To join this Movember team go to http://uk.movember.com/register/7181 and follow the steps.

Once registered you'll be sent all the information you need to get growing.

Let's "Change the Face of Men's Health".

Stuart Miles and the Pocket-lint team.

P.S PR's of this world. Pledge money and we will give you a big shout out on the site for helping us in a good cause.

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Related links:

• Link - Movember TechMo team page

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Movember

Movember 2009: Join our TechMo team originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:45:19 +0100

With over 21 million iPhones sold and probably over 100 million iPods,?Arcam?is hoping to tap into the still growing number of Apple fans with a new dock it claims is the best yet.

The Arcam irDock is, as explained by a spokesman for the company, "a chunk?of cast-alloy from Arcam's award-winning industrial?design team, that delivers superb sonic results".

Costing ?150 and available in November, the irDock is the follow on from the Arcam rDock iPod docking station?from?the Cambridge based company. It promises to "draw on Arcam's decades of high-end design experience" to supposedly bring you the best sound in town.

Promising to work with anything that has an input, the new model will charge iPods and iPhones, prevents interference from "dirty" power, enhanced RF suppression, improved sound quality, video output and "intelligent" charging that doesn't charge the iPod when not needed.

Those looking for the lazy option will be disappointed. While the irDock is compatible with Arcam's standard remote control you won't get one in the box.

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Tags: Audio iPod docks iPod accessories Arcam arcam irDock

Arcam irDock promises clean sound originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:04:29 +0100

Whilst here in the UK Amazon is highlighting the pre-order sales success of American company Microsoft's Windows 7 OS, in the States, Amazon.com has announced that Brit Susan Boyle's upcoming album, "I Dreamed a Dream," has become the biggest ever CD pre-order in the history of the Amazon.com music store.

The $9.99 album, "I Dreamed a Dream," will not be released from Sony Music Entertainment until 23 November, but has already beaten the likes of U2, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen to get the pre-order top slot.

Boyle became a reality star here in the UK, and an internet star globally, after her appearance in April on "Britain's Got Talent," which quickly became a YouTube hit and subsequently the fifth most viewed video online.

To see who Boyle beat to the US top slot, here's the list of the top 10 CD pre-orders of all time in the Amazon.com music store:

1. Susan Boyle, "I Dreamed a Dream" (2009)
2. Norah Jones, "Not Too Late" (2007)
3. U2, "No Line on the Horizon" (2009)
4. Bruce Springsteen, "Magic" (2007)
5. Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way" (2006)
6. Coldplay, "Viva La Vida" (2008)
7. U2, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" (2004)
8. David Cook, "David Cook" (2008)
9. Diana Krall, "Quiet Nights" (2009)
10. Clay Aiken, "A Thousand Different Ways" (2006)

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Tags: Audio CD Amazon Statistics Susan Boyle YouTube

Susan Boyle album becomes biggest ever CD pre-order on Amazon.com originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:07:59 +0100

Let's face it, your laptop or netbook speakers are pretty drab aren't they? Unless you've opted for one of those Toshiba Qosmio's with the Hardon Karmen sound systems, chances are the noise you get isn't going to make it beyond your desk let alone give you a chance to party in your hotel room.

That's where Altec Lansing is hoping to step in with an update to its Orbit range to allow you to plug it in to your laptop rather than just an MP3 player. Rather than a 3.5mm jack socket as found on the virtually identically named and spec-ed iMT237, it plugs in via USB giving you a digital connection rather than an analogue one.

Looks wise, the speaker is, as we've said, virtually the same in design and performance. You get the same hockey puck styled speaker, but this time it comes with a kick-out stand giving you the chance to aim it in your general direction. The stand certainly aids the speaker's performance over the sound just rising from the desk as before and it means you won't have to have it so loud. ?

When not in use the kickstand can be folded away and the in-built USB cable folded away out of sight for travelling.

Other notable differences over the previous model include the loss of the AAA battery in favour of taking a charge from your computer and a more stylish black and gold colour scheme over the previous silver offering.

The power option will save you having to worry about AAA batteries but it does mean that it will be draining power from your laptop or netbook and it's something to bear in mind if you are worried about power usage.

What about sound performance? As you might expect the Orbit iML237 isn't going to blow you away and audiophiles should probably stop reading now. While at loud volumes the performance is dubious for the price, but for what Altec Lansing set out to do the Orbit iML237 isn't too bad. It is all about giving you volume and the chance to share your music at your hotel bedroom desk rather than being a replacement for your home PC stereo system.

Verdict:

We tested it on a range of music from The Presets to Rolling Stones and while the speaker coped well enough, we wouldn't recommend them for every day listening if you are really into your music.

Of course it lacks any real bass element or depth, but then that's not really the point. This is a way of enhancing your laptop's speakers on the cheap rather than making your tunes sound the best they possibly could.

With that in mind, it's not too shabby.

Tags: Audio Speakers Altec Lansing Altec Lansing Orbit iM237 PC speakers Altec Lansing Orbit iM237

Altec Lansing Orbit iM237 USB speaker originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100

Spotify might be finding it tough to shift subscriptions, because the music streaming service is already offering a discount on the ?10 per month cost of stripping out ads and getting access to the mobile apps.

The Swedish company sent out an email offering its subscribers a limited-time chance to get a quid off the monthly cost for six months "thanks to our good friends over at Swiftcover". Swiftcover has been heavily advertising on Spotify, so it looks like this is some kind of sponsorship deal.

We're also hearing rumblings that some other customers are being offered even greater discounts from Swiftcover, so we've contacted Spotify for verification of exactly what's going on. We'll update this post when we hear more.

Either way, between this deal (which apparently only lasts until 2 November, so get in there quick - it can be applied to existing accounts) and phone network 3 offering HTC Hero handsets bundled with a free 2-year subscription, it's cheaper than ever to get Spotify in higher quality, without ads and onto your mobile phone.

UPDATE: We've successfully verified the existence of ?5, ?8 and ?9 subscription deals, all from Swiftcover. Spotify has also confirmed that this is a sponsorship deal, so get your hands on a code if you can find one.

We're trying to establish the reason for all the different price points - perhaps it's research for a subscription price cut in the future, now that Spotify is facing competition from Napster and Sky Songs?

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Tags: Audio Online Music Spotify Swiftcover

Spotify offers Premium subscription discount originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:20:06 +0100

MySpace has announced what it says is "the next phase" of its music offering with a wave of new products and tools now available to artists and fans.

As well as allowing users to buy music on iTunes in addition to Amazon MP3, the global rollout of a new "MySpace Music Video" experience has begun, while the "MySpace Artist Dashboard" - a free data and analytics tool for artists - has hit beta.

MySpace Music Videos launches with the boast of being one of the most comprehensive online collections of music videos available anywhere.

The MySpace Artist Dashboard offers detailed analytics about artist's content within the MySpace community offering trending data and info on song plays, profile views, friend count, and profile visitors.

Tags: Software Online Websites MySpace Social networking Audio Video on demand iTunes Amazon MP3

MySpace hits next phase of music offering originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:38:35 +0100

American artist John Mayer has launched an augmented reality music video to accompany the song Heartbreak Warfare.

As with similar PC-based augmented reality offerings fans hold an image - either as a print-out or on a mobile phone screen - up to a webcam which triggers the video to begin playing.

Hit play on the video above to see YouTube user Jeff Ramos' results from his viewing which demonstrates how moving the icon around moves the camera angle around the 3D set.

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Tags: Audio Augmented Reality John Mayer Video 3D

VIDEO: John Mayer offers augmented reality music vid originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:28:03 +0100

Sonos has hinted that it could make more dedicated all-in-one speaker systems for different situations in a "fire side chat" with Pocket-lint.

"It is possible", said Thomas Cullen, one of the co-founders of the company, when Pocket-lint asked him about the possibility of making a Soundbar for under the TV.

"Everything that is under the speaker is clutter", said Cullen pointing to a TV stand with the?Sonos ZonePlayer S5, and two Hi-Fi separates underneath echoing previous conversations with us.

"Or what about putting them in the ceiling?" Cullen questioned pointing to a speaker in the ceiling in the hotel suite we were in. "You could power it via Ethernet and let the mesh network do the rest".

That "mesh" network is at the core of how the system works with each ZonePlayer connecting to the system at the press of a button. Users can then get individual control over the system via a remote control that works on the same network.

"We are trying to simplify the process to two actions; your finger and your ear", says Cullen. "Your finger to control the music and your ear to listen".

The news comes off the back of the official launch of the company's new offering, the Sonos ZonePlayer S5, a 5-driver speaker system, including two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a built-in single subwoofer.

Internet-connected, the system works in exactly the same way as the current Sonos system with control provided by a desktop application (in the box) although users can buy a dedicated controller or download the free iPod touch or iPhone app.

"The iPhone killed the speaker dock", states Cullen. "Here users don't have to lose the music if a phone call comes in."

The ZonePlayer S5 will cost ?349 in the UK and $399 in the US. Users will have to either cite the S5 next to their router or buy a ZoneBridge adapter that means they can then put their new speaker anywhere in the house.

Current Sonos system owners can connect the S5 to their system at the press of a button.?

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Related links:

• link - Sonos

Tags: Audio Sonos Networking Sonos Zoneplayer S5

Sonos hints at more speakers beyond S5 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:05:12 +0100

Pure has announced that its new Siesta Flow will hit shop shelves in the UK in time for Christmas.

The company's first internet connected bedside radio, it boasts an alarm tone for every day of the year via Pure's online portal, including sleigh bells, a grandfather clock, a fog horn and police sirens.

The DAB and FM radio uses a Wi-Fi connection to access internet radio, podcasts, listen again content and can also stream music direct from a Wi-Fi enabled computers.

Siesta Flow gets the Pure "PowerPort" which provides power to any USB accessory as well as an auto-dimming display, touch sensitive controls, four quick-set alarms, sleep and snooze timers, 30 DAB/FM presets and an input for an iPod/MP3 player.

Pure's most affordable internet-connected radio to date, the Siesta Flow will cost ?99.99.

Tags: Audio Radios Pure Pure Siesta Flow Alarm clocks Internet radios Networking Wi-Fi

Pure Siesta Flow will hit shops in time for Christmas originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:26:59 +0100

It's being reported that Google is planning to launch a music service imminently. A number of sources quoted by TechCrunch are saying that the company is securing content from major labels, and one source has named the offering "Google Audio".

At a time when the whole world and its dog are launching music services, it's unclear whether the music platform will be download-based like iTunes, streaming-based like Spotify and Pandora, or a hybrid of the two like Napster and Sky Songs. It'll be available to "at least" the US, but we'd predict that it'd be limited to the States for the time being - licensing of tracks in multiple territories is a real headache.

Google already has a music service in China that allows users to download tracks for free, and it has a music search engine that can be accessed by putting "music:" before a query in the search box. Songs accessed that way aren't available to listen to, however.

This is a breaking story and we'll bring you more news as it arrives.

Thanks to Alan for the tip.

Update: A little trawling has revealed that Google Audio popped up in 2006 on the company's job search boards. There were talks at the time with major labels, but nothing came of it. Could it be that Google decided the industry wasn't ready back then, and it is now?

Update II: TechCrunch is now reporting that iLike and Lala will be partnering with Google on this one, and it'll allow users to stream songs from search results. There'll also be the option to buy downloads. Seems like an odd move to us, especially as current streaming options from both iLike and Lala are very limited, but perhaps there's more to it. We'll keep you posted.

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Tags: Audio Music Online Google Music downloads Google Audio Rumours Spotify Napster Pandora Sky Microsoft

Google launching music service? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:03:09 +0100

Apple has placed the final piece of the "touch" puzzle today with the launch of a new mouse, called the Magic mouse, that has no buttons.

In a move that to many has gone unnoticed, Apple has over the last 6 years slowly been educating its faithful to embrace touch and ditch buttons once and for all.

The beginnings of touch

The move started some time ago of course with an iPod. While the first models had buttons, Apple was quick to ditch them in 2003. In came a touch sensitive wheel and buttons that saw you whizz around in circles scrolling through your music collection. It might have been clickable, but there was no d-pad element to it.

The big feel

2007 saw the launch of the iPhone and the?Apple iPod touch, two small touchscreen-only devices that ditched the buttons in favour of gestures on a screen. For the iPhone there had been touchscreen phones before, but virtually all of them focused on using a pen or a stylus to navigate around the screen rather than your finger. The finger was now the most important part of controlling your phone and what better way for Apple to show their intentions than naming a product with the buzz word - touch.

Smaller but equally important strokes

Now that people had grasped the idea of using their finger to control elements on their phone or MP3 player, Apple started making "touch" a focus point on its software and laptops.

The Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) launch saw certain controls within the OS, like Time Machine, get bigger buttons that emulated the iPhone operating system. The OS also added controls for using Apple-based software like iPhoto, allowing you to rotate images, zoom in, and use multiple fingers on the company's laptops thanks to the laptop's built-in touchpad.

New hardware

With touch firmly embedded in our minds Apple then ditched the dedicated click button from the laptop all together, replacing it with a single touchpad sheet. Now every new Mac is asking its user to embrace the finger, but the desktop machines and their users were missing out.

A cute "strokable" cat

If you've upgraded to?Apple OS X Snow Leopard?it's clear to see what Apple's direction is. There is a reason clicking (or should we say touching) on an icon in the dock launches Expose for that app. Or that Expose even exists in the first place. Snow Leopard is the most touchy feely of all the OSes to date.

Magic mouse

Confident that Apple users now grasp touch controls either by using a MacBook or MacBook Pro and/or an iPhone or iPod touch, Apple releases a touch-based mouse with no buttons or scroll wheel, pushing a new operating method on those who sign-up. It's the company's biggest and boldest move in the story so far as it's a completely new way to interact with your computer.

The strokable future

Yep, we know the Apple Tablet is just a rumour, but it is the next logical step in the "touch" story. Having spent the last 6 years educating its users to embrace the finger, a shift to hardware-less computing could replace the regular PC in the home, wipe out the need for multiple laptops and create a new industry completely for Apple.

You've graduated

Congratulations, you may not have realised it, but Apple has been educating you in the way of "touch" without you even realising it. For Apple, touch devices are cheaper to make, easier to design and are overall more "lifestyle" in their approach.

Get ready to show your computer the finger even more in the future.

Tags: Hardware Audio Software Features Apple iPhone iPod iPod Touch Mac software Snow Leopard Internet tablets Magic Mouse

Apple's been showing you the finger longer than you think originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:03:13 +0100

After a brief summer break, Megawhat is back on Pocket-lint with a brand new Tech Week in View episode for your viewing pleasure.

Pocket-lint's Stuart Miles talks tourists on Segways and tells us why he thinks the new Sonos S5 is a tidy bit of kit.

Miles also considers the Amazon Kindle's UK launch (was it a bit of a rush job?) and looks at what the? T-Mobile Sidekick data loss might mean for the cloud computing industry.

Watch the video above now to see it all play out, and stay tuned for more comment from Pocket-lint soon.

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness events Comment Video

Tech week in view: Tourists on Segways, the Kindle in the UK and trouble in the cloud originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:42:19 +0100

Fans of U2 will be able to watch the band's upcoming performance from the Rose Bowl in LA live on U2's YouTube channel.

Described as the first global concert webcast, those in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, the UK and US will be able to tune in live online on Sunday 25 October at 8.30pm PT.

There's also the option to join in with the "global listening party" via a Twitter gadget embedded on U2's YouTube channel.

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Tags: Audio U2 Media streaming YouTube Twitter Software Home Cinema Video

U2 concert to be broadcast live on YouTube originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:46:07 +0100

Eton has announced the availability of the G8 Traveller II world band radio, aimed at the globe-trotter, or those with a preference for a classic bit of kit.

Offering coverage on long wave, medium wave, VHF FM and short wave, features include a flip down world chart along with world time zones settings.

With an LCD display, the new G8 boasts alarm clock functionality and snooze control and gets a digital tuner for auto or manual tuning, with a 500-plus memory capacity for stations across the wave bands.

Complete with a pouch and AC adapter/charger, the Eton G8 Traveller II is available from www.etoncorp.co.uk for ?45.

Tags: Audio Radios Eton

Eton G8 Traveller II radio launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:08:14 +0100

Teufel has announced the launch of the iTeufel Radio, a retro-styled radio, alarm clock and iPod docking station. ?

Angled, rather optimistically as the "ideal solution to grumpy mornings", the iTeufel offers an AM/FM radio and can charge the docked iPod.

The new docking clock comes complete with an "all-command" remote control and is priced at around ?138.

Tags: Audio iPod speakers Teufel Alarm clocks Radios

iTeufel Radio iPod alarm clock launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:37:31 +0100

The GrooveNeo iPod alarm clock's big USP is that big display, which is designed to save the user from squinting bleary-eyed across the bed trying to work out if it's ten past 5, or 8.

The "jumbo" display means such squints will be a thing of the past, while the 2.75-inch full-range stereo speakers mean you'll know when it's time to get up.

The GrooveNeo offers the options or waking to AM/FAm radio, music from an iPod or iPhone or a buzzer alarm.

With touch-sensitive buttons, plus a remote control, the device charges iPods while docked, offers snooze and sleep functions and is mains-powered with a battery back-up.

Firebox is offering the GrooveNeo iPod alarm clock now for ?49.99.

Related links:

• Shop - Firebox

Tags: Audio iPod speakers Alarm clocks Firebox Radios

GrooveNeo iPod alarm clock launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:02:21 +0100

Parisian audio co YBA has announced it is to offer the iDW1 - an iPod docking station boasting full aluminium construction.

Part of YBA's "Design series", said to be "products that combine YBA's ethos of great design, advanced technology and outstanding sound performance" the new component is available to be shipped to the UK now.

With an Apple universal connector, the iDW1 works with the iPods and iPhones, offers composite video output, and a remote control that can also be used to control some functions of the 'pod.

With an RRP of ?149, the dock can now be ordered via the YBA site.

Tags: Audio iPod speakers iPhone accessories YBA

YBA iDW1 iPod dock launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:36:43 +0100

The world might be struggling following on from the fall out of the economic downturn that then became the worldwide recession, but that hasn't stopped Apple boasting its most "profitable quarter ever" suggesting they are charging customers too much for the latest must have gadgets.

According to the company's latest results it the company posted revenue of $9.87 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.67 billion. Gross margin was 36.6 percent, up from 34.7 percent in the year-ago quarter.

In the three months running up to the end of the quarter Apple sold 3.05 million Macs, no doubt spurred on by the launch of Snow Leopard, which experienced more than double the sales the company was expecting and therefore representing a 17% unit increase over the year-ago quarter. As for the iPhone, Apple says that it sold over 7.4 million iPhones - a 7% unit growth over the year-ago quarter bringing the total of iPhones sold to over 21 million handsets.

"We are thrilled to have sold more Macs and iPhones than in any previous quarter," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO before promising "some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010."

However it's not all good news. Although Apple sold 10.2 million iPods during the quarter it was an 8% decline in sales on the previous year. The results follow a a similar decline in Q3 where iPod sales were down 7% on the year previously.

Apple also used the results call to confirm that it would be launching the iPhone in China at the end of October (30th).

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Tags: Biz Results Apple iPhone Hardware Audio

Apple: Most profitable quarter ever originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:28:11 +0100

Firebox has put together an interesting little product for wannabe DJs. The Urban DJ Mixer is a gold-painted cassette-shaped gadget that will let you crossfade between a pair of audio inputs.

And that's all. It won't let you change the pitch of those inputs - which could be a mobile phone, laptop, CD player, stereo, or iPod - or trigger them - you'll have to do that on the device itself. It does have a headphone monitor socket, though, to let you cue tracks up without hearing them in the master-out.

It's powered by two AAA batteries, and doesn't appear to come with 3.5mm jack cables, so you'll probably have to buy some of them too - at least three. Once you're there, though, this could be useful for houseparties where no-one brought any decks and a mix CD or collaborative Spotify playlist just won't cut it.

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Tags: Audio Gadgets Firebox Urban DJ Mixer iPod

Firebox offers Urban DJ Mixer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:04:03 +0100

Napster has had a tough time since "going legit". While it was the foremost filesharing network of its day, and arguably the original source of the explosion in P2P antics over this decade, it's had trouble transferring that brand power into a legitimate service.

Until recently, Napster offered two tiers of subscription: ?10 per month would get you unlimited streaming, and ?15 would get you DRMed downloads that wouldn't work on iPod and would be unlistenable if you let your subscription lapse. But recently the company withdrew these offerings and launched a new service which is cheaper and offers more than both of those options.

For ?5 per month, you can now get a Napster subscription which offers you streaming and five non-DRMed MP3 downloads each month. The idea is that you listen to loads of different music and then download the best tracks so you can burn them to CD or put them on your MP3 player.

The company is undercutting rival streaming service Spotify by offering what appears on paper to be a more generous deal for half price, but how does it really stack up in reality? Can Napster grab a piece of the digital music pie by making its subscription options finally worth the cash?

Napster has two interfaces for playing music - a website and a desktop app. The two resemble each other very closely, and a number of times while testing them both we got confused as to which we were in and had to double-check. Why? Because it all runs at the speed of the website.

And that's not quick. From double-clicking a song to hearing it come out of your speakers means buffering for 4-7 seconds on a connection that can play uncached tracks out of Spotify in less than a second. This is likely because Napster streams all its music itself, whereas Spotify relies on P2P - pulling tracks off other users nearby who've listened to that song recently and have it cached.

Once things are going, transfer is fine. Streams are at just 128kbps, which is rather on the too-low side, but we didn't get a single dropout or buffering experience during our testing. So far, so okay. You can right-click tracks to buy them in 256kbps MP3 format, and once you do, they'll play in the desktop app at the higher quality.

That desktop app also doubles as a music library organiser. Unlike Spotify's client which is stripped-down and just does streaming and playlists, Napster takes a leaf out of iTunes' book. It lets you rip and burn CDs, control your MP3 collection, generate "Genius"-style autoplaylists and access preprepared playlists from Napster, albeit with bizarre and terrifying titles like "A special compilation of tracks about mum", "Songs about being crazy" and "Tony Blair's 10 years in power".

That last bit reflects in a nutshell what permeates the design of Napster. It doesn't feel like it's designed for music fans. It gets in the way of what you want to do - constantly asking if you want an auto-generated playlist of a band, rather than letting you get access to that band's catalogue for you to choose yourself. It takes two clicks to start playing the current top 10 singles in the UK, but five actions to get up a list of songs by a band.

Then there's other strange hoops that the software demands you jump through. It demands that you download and install a plugin as an EXE file downloaded off a website, then restart the software, before you can rip a CD in 320kbps MP3 format - the default WMA encoding (which won't work on iPods) will only go up to 128kbps, bizarrely.

And media buttons on your keyboard, if you have them, will only work if the application has the focus on your screen. If you're writing a word document and you want to skip tracks, you'll need to swap to Napster, then hit the "skip forward" button - completely negating the usefulness of such features.

But let's go back to the original question - is it worth ?5 per month? The answer is "yes". A fiver for an unlimited amount of listening whatever you like in a big catalogue (no real complaints in that department) is worth the asking price, even if it's in low quality on irritatingly slow software. The free MP3s are great, but amount to little more than a conscience boost - they won't win over anyone who's ever used a filesharing network.

But don't click that subscribe button just yet. If you're a music lover and want a tool to listen to the songs that you want, in great quality, on fast software without getting a computer-generated playlist constantly in the way, then Napster isn't as good an experience as its competitors. Spotify gives you far more for the extra that it costs - Napster has said that it has absolutely no plans for mobile streaming, for example.

Spotify has also been undercut by Sky's "Sky Songs" offering, which will give you ten songs per month for ?6.50 or 15 for ?8. Seems better value on paper, but we haven't seen the catalogue or the usability of the service yet.

Verdict:

If you love music and know what you want the listen to the majority of the time, Napster is a little irritating and a pain. If you're a more casual fan, then it's a decent budget option to get more music into your life.

Tags: Audio Software Media streaming Napster Music downloads

Napster UK subscription service originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:23 +0100

Sky's "Sky Songs" music subscription service, which we've dissected in detail previously, has now gone live and is available to consumers. It costs ?6.49 each month, and that'll get you ad-free unlimited streaming and ten MP3s. There's also an ?8 tier that gets you 15 songs.

The catalogue size is 4 millions, and it's managed to license the four major labels and most independents too. Beggars, The Orchard and PIAS are all present and correct. If you want to buy more music than your subscription allows then it starts at 65p and goes up from there.

You can sign up right now at songs.sky.com (which, intriguingly, pictures a Zune under the "Download" header). Similar services are also available from Napster and - of course - Spotify. There's a whole lot more, too, all covered in our Music Services Roundup feature.

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Tags: Audio Sky Songs Music downloads Music Sky

Sky Songs is now live originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:25:21 +0100

While the first Zune was just another MP3 player to many, the same can't be said about the Zune HD, the follow-up player from Microsoft. Could the Windows maker finally have a device that will give a new impetuous to the MP3 player market? We've been living with one for the last month to work it whether the hype is justified.

Coming in two sizes - 16GB and 32GB - the Zune HD is sleek, solid, and well-made, with plenty of wow factor. It is light years ahead of the original model: it's Schwarzenegger to Danny DeVito in Twins. It really is that different.

Now you get a thin player, dominated by the 3.3-inch OLED screen with a single button underneath. The screen, which is capacitive, multi-touch and gesture-enabled is crisp, bright and clean in its performance. It will make your video and images come alive to an extent that we haven't seen on a PMP before. It's impressive.

The rest of the design is equally minimalist. The single button is rectangular as not to be confused with another more popular MP3 player on the market, while the power button can be found at the top. A 3.5mm headphone jack can be found next to the dock connector at the bottom, which is used for charging and plugging into accessories. Placing it at the bottom means its ready to use when you pull it out of your pocket - a nice touch. For those who like buttons there is a further side button that gives you direct access to the player controls.

The metal casing, which is held down by four mean looking screws is tough and all in all this is one good looking device.

Power it up and you'll quickly find that it's made by Microsoft. Why do we say that? Well because before you go anywhere you have to sync it with your PC. Once synced, you've then got to update it with the latest firmware version and that's after you've downloaded the Zune software to get the thing working in the first place. It's not the end of the world, but you expect gadgets these days to just work, not to have to be updated from day one.

Mac users with the urge to sign up, take heed: the Zune software isn't Mac compatible and therefore you'll either have to find a friend to install the software or invest in virtualisation software to run on your Mac. If you don't it's a charming looking paperweight. Microsoft has teased with the promise of Mac software, but don't hold your breath.

So you've updated the software and you're up and running. The Zune's interface is stunning: graphically luscious and very fast thanks to the Nvidia Tegra chip inside. That means rather than a 2D menu interface that sees you scrolling from left to right, things pop, slide, shizzle and generally pazzam their way around the screen.

The touch interface only helps in the day-to-day control of the player and we found it incredibly responsive to use, Apple responsive to use.

The Zune HD offers two menu systems to get to your music, pictures, videos and apps quickly. The main menu gives you an overview of what is happening now with a "Now Playing" box starting proceedings. Then there is something Microsoft has called "Pins" that allow you to Pin something to the menu.

The idea, and it's one that works, is if you have a favourite album or video you can "pin" it to the menu for quick access. After "Pins" comes "History" so you can see what you've been listening or watching and then "New" which lists the latest tracks you added to the player - handy if you are wanting to go straight to that new funky track you just bought.

While the system works incredibly well it does look complicated if you don't have all the album art in place - you just get placeholders.

A more traditional menu system, and the one you are more likely to use on a day-to-day basis is the list menu that lists the core functions and features of the player. Here you get access to music, video, pictures, radio, Marketplace to buy apps, social aspects of the player, the Internet browser, apps, and settings.

The main focus here is the music, although it's not the only focus. Pressing the music button whizzes you into the your music collection and you can, as you would expect, list songs as Playlists, Songs, Genres, Albums, and Artists.?

If you don't have your own music collection, or are just bored with it, then you can sign up to get a Zune Pass. Think Napster or Spotify for your MP3 player. For $14.99 you can access thousands of songs to download them on to your Zune HD and swap them out when you are bored. It's not a new idea, but it is a great way to get unlimited music with minimum of fuss, if you are happy to pay the price of two new albums a month. Within the deal you also get to keep 10 tracks a month, so when you exit the programme you at least have something to show for it.

With your Zune Pass sorted (you get a 14 day free trial in the box) you can then go about creating Smart DJ lists. Basically they are like Genius lists from Apple, created in the accompanying PC software rather than on the player itself.

When you think you're just about done on the music front, the player then smacks you with what Microsoft call HD radio. In reality it's a standard FM radio, but the reception is excellent (we tested it in New York). If the radio station provides track details then you get that information on the screen, and the player allows you to seamlessly pause the radio so you don't miss the best bit, be it a song or documentary.?

Better still if you really like the song, and it is recognised, you can add it to your "cart" to buy the track from Marketplace. Clever.

Marketplace is where you spend your money. With a music and apps store, the offering isn't massive at the moment from the player itself. It's more of a "glance" rather than a compressive offering on the go, and you get access to top songs, top albums, new releases.

Apps are a combination of games, productivity tools and bits and bobs. So far there are just 10 available, eight of which are games. The other two are a weather app and a calculator app.

Of course this will grow in size and scope as Marketplace gains momentum. At the moment you can only search via New, Update and All. If you had 85,000 apps in there it would get very complicated to find relevant apps.

With a multi-touch gesture-based screen and a Tegra graphics chip, this should, if the Marketplace can get momentum, have huge potential. But for now it is a bit of a damp squib. Why Microsoft didn't allow developers to port games from Windows Mobile is beyond us. Apps is definitely one to watch, but for the moment not something you would base your purchase on.

Something else you shouldn't base your purchase on is the browser. It might say internet browser on the box, but it is very basic experience. Utilising the on-board wireless connectivity you get a very simple browser based on Internet Explorer. On the plus side it's quick and you can zip around the Internet checking out your favourite websites like Pocket-lint.

There is an on-screen keyboard (portrait and landscape) so you can enter the URL, there is a favourite button so you can access your favourite sites, and finally a Bing search button so you can search the web. There isn’t multiple tab browsing, history, and any navigation elements apart from refresh and back. There is no Flash support for watching video, YouTube or not.

As for the software, the interactive interface is easy to use allowing you to manage your syncing options, and follows the same flow based interface found on the device. It owes more to Microsoft's work with the Xbox 360 rather than PowerPoint.

Verdict:

As a music player this is a pretty compelling offer. The player is small, well priced, and sexy enough to impress. The music, HD Radio, video and image playback on that OLED screen is very cool, and the Zune Pass if that's what you want, is great. However that's where it stops. The Internet browser is pretty worthless for anything other than checking the odd web page and the app's offering at the moment is heavily unrepresentative of what it could be.

So where does that leave you? If you are anti-Apple and just want a decent MP3 player that will grow over time then this is a great choice. If Microsoft had released this as the first Zune it's market share would be very different. Compared to the competition, other than Apple, we would put this in second place.

However just as Microsoft catches up with Apple and it's iPod touch, Apple moves the focus towards gaming and being a device that's more than just music. If you are looking for something more than just a music player and more along the lines of a games console, come internet browser, come app device, come music player, then while the Zune tries, it falls drastically short.

It's a shame, because combined with the Zune Pass, the Tegra 3D chip, and OLED screen the Zune HD has the potential to be so much more than it currently is. The good news for Microsoft is that its a lack of software that's the problem, not something lacking with the device itself.

Lots of potential, but at the moment very much a wait and see unless that Zune Pass really is what you are after.

Sadly, it's only available in the US, starting at $219.99 for the 16GB version.

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Tags: Audio MP3 players Microsoft Zune HD Microsoft Zune HD

Microsoft Zune HD MP3 player originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:05:43 +0100

In order to reach out to the "tech savvy", it's been revealed the Conservatives will campaign via Spotify, the popular music streaming service.

PC Pro reports that the 40-second ads will feature the voice of the Tory party chairman, Eric Pickles, apparently criticising Labour's attempts to handle the economic crisis and urging a Conservative vote at the next General Election.

"We are always looking for new and relevant ways of engaging with people, and I think this Spotify advert adds to an already strong track record of being early adopters when it comes to online communication", says the shadow culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

"The growth of Spotify in the UK has been phenomenal. We were particularly impressed with its advertising model and its potential for political campaigning".

It's unknown if David Cameron uses the music streaming service. He made headline news in July for his comment on Twitter stating that "too many twits make a twat" although it's unlikely the micro-blogging service will be exempt from the Tory's election campaign.

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Tags: Audio Spotify Conservatives Advertising General Election

Tories to advertise on Spotify originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:10:09 +0100

If Nokia wasn't already reeling from a poor Q3 earnings report, then news leaked out to Music Ally probably won't help lift their mood either.

According to documents shown to the music industry website, Nokia has managed to sign up just 107,000 customers to its Comes with Music offering.

Broken down further and the UK takes the lion's share with 32,728 customers since its launch in October 2008.

Nokia, who has spent big to promote the service that gives users access to unlimited music, will no doubt have hoped for better performance.

"While the offering is a great one, trying to explain it to consumers is a tough sell. What do you get? What happens to the tracks? Do you have to keep paying?" an industry expert told us. "It's been the core problem."?

Nokia, according to the site, wouldn't be drawn on the numbers.

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Tags: Phones Nokia Comes with music Audio

Nokia Comes with Music struggling to gain users originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:16:18 +0100

Roberts has announced the launch of the ZoomBox with the seemingly unique feature of a zoom display, "so you can zoom right into the text on the screen for easier navigation".

Presumably aimed at the older generation that might appreciate such eye-friendly functionality, it's a portable DAB and FM radio, as well as CD player.

However, with what Roberts calls a "futuristic and lightweight" design, the ZoomBox also offers an SD card slot for playback of MP3 and WMA music files stored to such a format.

Specs include 40 station presets, a headphone socket and mains or battery operation. It goes on sale for ?100.

Tags: Audio Radios DAB Radios Roberts CD

Roberts ZoomBox announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:55:33 +0100

Logitech launched its Squeezebox Radio at the end of September with the promise that Queen's "Absolute Greatest" best-of best-ofs album would be available exclusively to streaming on the player before it hit the shops. The company demonstrated the device to us, and we grabbed a few photos for you.

There's red and black editions of the Radio available, and it allows you to play internet radio, or stream digital music over a home network. It can also work with Napster, and Last.fm, as well as Pandora, Sirius and Rhapsody in the States. Flickr works too, for viewing slideshows of your, and your friends', photos.

It has an all-in-one design and can be plugged straight into a power source. For networking purposes, there's the option of an ethernet cable or 802.11g Wi-Fi. There are 6 preset buttons available that you can hook up favourite stations and playlists to. It costs ?160 and it's available now.

Tags: Audio Logitech Logitech Squeezebox Radio Queen Photos

PHOTOS: Logitech Squeezebox Radio originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:13:31 +0100

It is rare that you find an Apple product associated with any kind of discount or offer. However, Currys appears to be doing just that with the offer of a free iTunes gift card and charger with the 8GB iPod touch.

Currys are suggesting that the free charger and ?15 iTunes gift card total a saving of ?40.99, which, if we are to believe, means in effect you'll be getting an iPod 8GB for just ?108 and a penny - well, we can sort of see that that's the case.

The iPod itself gets a 3.5-inch multi-touch widescreen, will store up to 1750 songs or 10 hours of video, whilst battery life will come in at around 36 hours of music or 6 hours of video. Wi-Fi is, of course, also included.

The offer, however, is only available in-store, but you can use the reserve and collect option when ordering on the Currys website.

Tags: Audio iPod iTunes Apple Currys Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: iPod touch with £15 iTunes credit and charger originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0100

Logitech invited us along to an event to take a look at its winter 2009 range, and we grabbed a few photos of the company's latest iPod docks - the S125i and the S315i.

The S125i is the rounded, smaller model. It can play and charge any iPod model and also has an 3.5mm auxiliary input if you want to plug in something else. It has a bass boosting button, and runs on AC or battery power. Those batteries are 4 x AA, and aren't supplied, though an AC adaptor obviously is.

The S315i is the squarer one, and features a rechargeable battery that'll give you 20 hours of juice in power-saving mode before it conks out. It also will work with any iPod and adds iPhone compatibility too, as well as coming with a 3.5mm jack input like its little brother.

The S125i costs ?70 and the S325i costs ?100. Both are available now.

Tags: Audio iPod docks Logitech Logitech S125i Logitech S315i

PHOTOS: Logitech S125i and S315i originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:52:41 +0100

The UK division of online video service Joost has gone into liquidation.

Founded by the creators of Skype and Kazaa, Joost, although attracting big media investors with funding said to top $45 million, failed to sign agreements with major content providers.

The UK arm of the Netherlands-based company is said to have now been dissolved following a month on the market with no buyers interested in snapping up the service after a revamp in July.

Joost "failed to sustain a significant share of the internet video industry and was unable to address this effectively through a re-positioning of its services", says the liquidators.

Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, Joost's founders, are said to be busy setting up the typically vowel-light Rdio, an online music streaming subscription service for sharing and listening to music online or via mobiles due in early 2010.

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Tags: Software Online Joost Video on demand Biz Rdio Audio Media streaming

Joost goes into liquidation in the UK originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:42:31 +0100

Pure has let us know that its Chronos iDock Series 2, which it launched at IFA, is now available in the UK. The unit combines a number of functions into its shell, as well as support for both iPod and iPhone docking. While your device is docked, you can play music from it and control it via remote control.

Also in the iDock is a DAB, DAB+ and FM clock radio and a powered USB port so that you can connect up a phone charger, reading light, mini fan, cup warmer, or even a chainsaw. There's also a set of front-panel connectors so that you can connect up a pair of headphones or an MP3 player.

There are four on-board alarms that can be set to wake you up with the radio, a docked iPod or iPhone, or just a beep. There's also adjustable sleep and snooze timers and a dimmable display so that your bleary eyes don't get overwhelmed by photons first thing in the morning.

The Chronos iDock Series II is in shops now, and it'll cost you ?100.

Tags: Audio Radios Pure Pure Chronos iDock Series II DAB Radios Siesta Flow Speakers Alarm clocks iPod docks

Pure's Chronos iDock Series II now on sale originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:35:35 +0100

Spotify will shortly be launching an improved MP3 purchasing experience for tracks on its streaming service. It's always been possible to buy MP3s through a right-click menu, but clicking that just opened a browser window that took you to 7digital's website.

From now onward, every single track and album in Spotify's catalogue will have a great big stonking "buy" button next to it. Clicking that button will open up a floating window in the Spotify application which lets you put in your card details to buy an MP3. Once you've done that, tracks download to a "Spotify" folder in your music directory.

There's also now a "purchases" button in the sidebar from which you can play any MP3s that you've downloaded through the service. You can redownload a file that you've bought 3 to 5 times, and the download quality differs between tracks but are mostly 256 or 320kbps.

Is this Spotify trying to add short-term referral cash to its incoming revenue streams, or providing a feature that users have been clamouring for? The company says the latter - what do you think?

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Tags: Audio Software Spotify Music software Music downloads Music 7digital Video

VIDEO: Spotify debuts improved MP3 purchases originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:17:18 +0100

The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards are back letting you know what the best products of 2009 really are.

Now in its 6th year, the Pocket-lint Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year from around the world.

Pocket-lint's vigorous vetting process means that all the gadgets up for nomination have to have been seen by a member of the Pocket-lint team (so far over 600) and have to have been available somewhere in the world between December 2008 and December 2009.

The awards, voted by a panel of leading gadget journalists from around the world, including the staff from the Pocket-lint team, will decide the real must-have gadgets of the year, rather than those simply deemed cool or anticipated, being the definitive guide for consumers looking to buy gadgets.

Better still, because we don't have a print publication to worry about, we haven't had to call the decision early meaning the best gadgets of 2009 get a chance to win rather than those just announced in the first half of the year.

This year's categories are:?

• Best music gadget
• Best car gadget
• Best digital camera
• Best laptop
• Best software/service/app
• Best game
• Best gaming hardware
• Best home cinema device
• Best mobile phone
• Best gadget
• Product of the Year 2009

Nominations for the award categories are being taken now and the final list of nominations (five per category)?will be announced on Monday 16 November with the winners being announced at an awards party at the beginning of December.?

What do you think are the best gadgets of 2009? What should be included for nomination? Let us know in the comments below:

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Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:42:59 +0100

Sony has often pushed the boat out for its advertising campaigns and its new Soundville short film is no exception.

Directed by Juan Cabral, the chap behind the colourful Bravia "Balls" ad, this documents 3 days in the life of the Icelandic town of Seydisfjordur, after it's been transformed into a giant soundspeaker system.

The footage is of ordinary Seydisfjordur villagers, around 400 of which live in the village during winter when this was shot.

Some of the music has been composed especially for the project, while Cabral says the best bit was that, "every morning I had to choose a track to wake people up... not just people but a whole village".

Read

Related links:

• VIDEO - Sony's strange PS3 Slim adverts
• Via - urlesque

Tags: Audio Sony Speakers Advertising Video Soundville

VIDEO: Sony loudspeakers entire Icelandic town for Soundville spot originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:36:35 +0100

It's no great secret that Spotify is expanding sideways at a rate of knots. Now that it's got its core desktop music-streaming experience locked down, it wants more little added benefits that it can turn over to premium subscribers to convince them to shell out an tenner a month.

Among those little added benefits are the removal of ads, higher audio quality, mobile applications, exclusive content, and they could soon be joined by the ability to stream music through your games console - specifically the PS3.

MusicAlly has spotted that during a presentation showing distribution strategies for the music service, a slide titled "Consumer Electronics" mentioned?games consoles, media extenders and TVs. Some of those emerged the other day in a deal with Telia, but as MusicAlly points out - we've not heard anything on the console front and the slide was illustrated with a shot of a PS3.

Meanwhile the same article also shares a rumour about a Spotify Facebook app being on the cards. It will initially revolve around expanding the Facebook sharing functionality to get more info out of Spotify (rather than just an URL and a green logo, as it currently is) but could eventually expand into a Facebook app that can play music.

We'll bring you more news of both rumours as we get it, but neither seem out of the realms of possibility.

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Tags: Audio Spotify Music Rumours Facebook PS3

Is Spotify coming to the PS3? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:58:37 +0100

MOG has announced that it'll shortly be launching a music streaming service. The website, which since 2006 has offered a music-oriented community and blogging platform will be rolling out the subscription-funded "All Access" scheme by the end of November.

It'll cost $5 per month for access to a catalogue of 5 million tracks from all four major labels and a host of independents. There'll also be a free trial offer, but unlike Spotify there's no ad-supported free option. A desktop version will be arriving "some time before Thanksgiving", and there will be iPhone and BlackBerry apps in time, too.

Bloggers who're signed up with MOG will get free access to the service to help promote it, and there's also talk of social features - users will be able to see what other people are streaming. Like other services, there'll be playlist creation and the ability to discover music that you don't already know.

What's not clear is how the service will differentiate itself from Napster, Rhapsody, and the soon-to-launch-in-the-US Spotify. Perhaps it'll be the network's ability to pull in content from its contributor blogs, but whether the content from those blogs will be strong enough remains to be seen.

When the service launches we'll bring you a full low-down.

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Tags: Audio MOG Websites Media streaming Online Music

MOG readies $5 music subscription originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:32:06 +0100

3 has been announced as the first UK mobile operator partner for Spotify, following negotiations earlier in the year, and will be pushing out the music subscription service bundled with handsets before Christmas. The HTC Hero will be the first phone to come with the app pre-installed, and it'll be followed by three further handsets.

It's already possible to get Spotify on the HTC Hero (and other Android handsets) from other operators, as well as on the iPhone, but this will be the first time in the UK that the subscription service will be bundled in with your monthly mobile phone bill. It's unclear so far how much it'll cost - we reckon it won't be the full ?10 that the subscription normally costs.

The move puts Spotify in an interesting position - directly competing with fellow Scandinavians Nokia and its much-derided Comes with Music service. It'll also help Spotify break out of early-adopter circles and into less tech-savvy markets, making it more mainstream.

It's unclear yet what the other handsets on offer will be, though the lineup will almost certainly include the not-yet-detailed Spotify handset from INQ. We'll bring you more on this story as we hear it.

UPDATE: A 3 spokesperson has told Pocket-lint to "watch this space". Sounds like there'll be more news shortly.

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Tags: Phones Audio 3 Spotify HTC Hero Inq Nokia Comes with music

3 to launch Spotify phones in the UK originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:18:31 +0100

We spotted it at IFA, but it's now official - Pure has announced the Elan II for the UK with a launch due in time for Christmas.

The Elan II is a portable stereo DAB, DAB+, FM radio with "ReVu" tech that lets users pause and rewind live DAB radio.

Pure is angling the successor to the Elan as a stylish option, with a black satin-touch finish, anodised aluminium fascia, turned aluminium controls and chromed handle with rubberised grip.

Features-wise, there's intellitext and textSCAN, an input for an iPod/MP3 player, an alarm and kitchen timer and 30 DAB and FM presets.

With "EcoPlus" credentials, the Elan II will go on sale for ?99.99.

Tags: Audio Radios DAB Radios Pure Pure Elan II

Pure Elan II announced in time for Christmas originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:48:29 +0100

Shazam, the music discovery service, has revealed that more than 50 million people around the world have now used the Shazam service.

This is an increase of 15 million users since February of this year, while Shazam is now available, across various platforms in over 150 countries.

The Shazam iPhone app has been downloaded more than 10 million times via the App Store. It's also racked up some high-up rankings on BlackBerry App World, Nokia's Ovi Store and the Android Market.

As well as the milestone, Shazam is also celebrating KPCB investment from the iFund that will see the app developed for more mobile platforms and in multiple languages.

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Shazam Audio iPhone apps BlackBerry App World Ovi Store Android Market KPCB iFund Statistics Biz

Shazam tops 50 million global users originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:21:01 +0100

We make no qualms about Sonos here at Pocket-lint. We think it's an excellent system that allows you to listen to your music from a single source in multiple locations around the house. It's expensive, yes, but then the experience is such a nice one that works first time (over the various different models we've tested over the years) that we really can vouch for the fact that even your Grandma should be able to do it.

Adding a new ZoneBridge as they are called, is as simple as pressing a button and as long as you are sensible in your locating of the devices, i.e., not at opposite ends of the house with nothing in-between, the wireless Mesh network that it creates is effective in delivering you music wherever you are.

So why are we reviewing it again if we've already reviewed numerous iterations of the same device before? After all the main elements of the 250 Bundle haven't really changed. You get two Sonos ZonePlayers - the ZP120 and the ZP90. The ZP120 comes with a 55W per channel built-in amplifier so all you have to do is add speakers. The ZP90 is a smaller box-like unit that connects to an amp you already have. It's a simple way to connect it into your home cinema system for example.

Of course you can add more and more of this units till the cows come home: 42 is the limit at the moment, which means you've got to have a fairly big house before you run out of options.

No, the reason that we've chosen to review the 250 Bundle is the inclusion of a new remote control - the Sonos Controller 200.

Moving with the times, Sonos has ditched the click wheel interface that aped the original Apple iPod to one that now imitates the Apple iPod touch. What that means is you get a full touchscreen remote control that looks like an iPod touch that's just eaten too much, way too much.

You can of course get a Sonos App for the iPhone and the iPod touch, so why bother with the dedicated remote? Well purely for that reason. The reason it is considerably thicker is because it has a battery that can last over a week and a dedication to performing the tasks at hand rather than being asked to play games or make phone calls. The result is a remote control that works on the Mesh network so you don't need line of sight, as well as giving you full functionality over your system wherever you are.

As for the interface, it's virtually identical to the iPod touch offering, after all why wouldn't it be? There are dedicated hardware buttons for quick access back to the home menu, volume and muting. A press of the home button zips you to the Zone selection page where you can select the Zones you want the music to be played in. Once selected you can control, at the press of a finger, whether or not to access your music library, radio, line-in or services like Last.fm, Napster, Pandora Radio or Rhapsody. The list of online music services does change depending on where in the world you are (it's a licensing thing) but you are given options in all cases. Spotify fans will be disappointed though, there isn't any support currently (it's an API thing).

Press a couple of buttons and you're streaming your music to that location, be it the bedroom or the living room. Names can be assigned to any Zone you create, and all can be managed via the remote quickly. There is even a pop-up keyboard for text input and searching. You can of course choose to link Zones or choose to listen to different music in different Zones from the same music source.

Music can be queued, played straightaway or played next with the option to view and manage the queue at any point.? On the Internet radio front you can search for stations around the globe and create favourite presets. A clock allows the system to be turned into an alarm clock and yes you can have it so the kids bedroom Zone goes off at a set time.

Imagine this is a really easy-to-use iPhone app, but with a ?800/$1000 piece of equipment at the back end doing all the work and you get the picture. It really is simple and functional.

Away from the controller everything can be organised via the accompanying PC or Mac software and unlike most streaming systems where the software is an after thought, Sonos continue to create a very clever solution here too. Scanning your music collection really is just a couple of clicks. Awesome.

Verdict:

Okay so we've heaped more than enough praise on the Sonos Bundle and accompanying controller. There must be something wrong? Well there are two gripes, both of which are us clutching at straws to be honest.

The first is that we found the remote control was constantly firing into action, almost to say hello. It didn't make anything happen, but on a coffee table or desk out of the corner of your eye its something you notice and therefore becomes annoying.

Then there is the other gripe. You don't actually need it - the controller that is. If ever there was a device that was a pure luxury element this is it. The iPhone or iPod touch app will do what you need to do and if you aren't bothered about freedom then you can do it all via the PC or Mac.

Of course we don't all have an iPod touch or iPhone and the longer battery and faster processor do make a difference, but if your already stretching yourself to afford the system then you could cut out the controller and survive on the cheap getting yourself a games console (yes the iPod touch we are talking to you) at the same time.

That said, if you are about to pay out almost ?700 for the basic system, chances are adding in the controller at another ?121 isn't going to be an issue, in which case it will be ?121 well spent.

Related links:

• Pictures - Sonos CR200 remote control

Tags: Audio Connected Hi-Fi systems Networking Remote controls Sonos Sonos Controller CR200 Sonos Bundle 250 with Sonos Controller CR200

Sonos Bundle 250 with Sonos Controller CR200 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0100

Apple is expected to launch a radio app for its iPhone and iPod touch, allowing users to tune into their favourite radio stations on the Internet.

The rumour, which this time comes from sources talking to 9to5mac.com, will be a radio app that "will be allowed to operate in the background like iPod.app and will offer the same functionality as the FM radio in the new Apple iPod nano (5th Gen)".

The article goes on to suggest that the application would also allow you to by music from the mobile iTunes store once you hear it, no doubt massively increasing sales in iTunes.

Apple has so far shied away from offering a radio on its iPod line, however with Microsoft's Zune HD offering the feature, some believe that Apple is making the move as to not play second fiddle to the OLED packing MP3 player.

It is also expected that the radio app would offer the same Live Pause functionality that the Nanos currently enjoy.

We will keep you posted.

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Tags: Audio MP3 players Apple iPod Radios Internet radios iPod nano iPod Touch iPhone Phones Mobile phones

Apple rumoured to be working on radio app originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:56:47 +0100

Sonos, the company that lets you to stream music around your house via a range of audio devices with the same name, has announced a new member of the family, the Sonos Zoneplayer S5.

The new model, which has a kitchen radio look and feel, will come with a built-in speaker, cost ?349 and fit into current Sonos networks at the press of button or alternatively be the starting point to the system.

Featuring a 5-driver speaker system, including two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a built-in single subwoofer, Sonos is hoping that the considerably lower price point for the system will bring more people to the music system.

"Our customers tell us they listen to twice as much music after bringing Sonos into their homes", said John MacFarlane, CEO of Sonos. "The new S5 is our latest effort to simplify the Sonos experience so more people can enjoy more music than ever before".

Internet-connected, the system works in exactly the same way as the current Sonos system with control provided by a desktop application (in the box) although users can buy a dedicated controller or download the free iPod touch or iPhone app.

Like other Sonos Zoneplayers, users will be able to access up to 25,000 internet radio stations and music, connected to the system via a NAS drive or computer and via music streaming services like Last.fm and Napster.

The S5’s analogue audio input lets you connect to an external audio source (such as an iPod, CD player, TV, DVD, VCR, or radio) and play music or audio on all ZonePlayers in the system.

The S5 will be available in the UK for ?349 from 10 November and in the US slightly earlier at the end of October.

Tags: Audio Sonos Networking Sonos Zoneplayer S5

Sonos S5 brings all-in-one unit to Sonos music system party originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0100

With Sky's announcement of the company's upcoming service, Sky Songs, we finally have proof that every man and his dog is getting in on the music scene. As a consumer, though, the picture just gets that little bit more complicated.

If you want all the music in the world for free, then that's still possible - just not necessarily legal. So, if you've a conscience and you're looking to listen to whatever you want and even keep it, then here's a run down of a few of the options open to you.

Sky Songs

Year launched

2009

Catalogue

4 million

Streaming

?6.49/month for ad-free, unlimited service

Downloads

Same ?6.49/?7.49 buys 10/15 tracks/month

DRM

No

Music Quality

Unknown

File available

MP3

Announced just today, the Sky service seems to have simplicity at its heart for a subscription model. There are just two options both of which provide an advert free unlimited stream of whatever music you choose plus the bonus of either 10 or 15 tracks to download and keep as MP3s each month. No mention of the level of quality but expect it to be around 256kbps with no choice on the matter.

Verdict - With all four majors on board and a low monthly payment, it's a very good option. If the catalogue can back it up, the "free" downloads act as a very nice bonus.

Spotify

Year launched

2008

Catalogue

8 million

Streaming

Free, ad-funded streaming or ?9.99/month for non-ad premium service

Downloads

courtesy of 7digital

DRM

n/a

Music Quality

160kbps (free service) 320 kbps (premium)

File available

n/a

The current people's champion, Spotify is both social and free which massive pluses to the public. Yes, the ads can be annoying, yes the catalogue does have a few gaping holes and yes, the audio quality of the basic stream is relatively low, but then you can always sign up for the ?10 per month and get it on your smartphone too.

Verdict - Still the best offering for the majority of people. Perhaps not for those looking to build a library of tracks.

eMusic

Year launched

1998

Catalogue

6 million

Streaming

No

Downloads

24/35/50 tracks for ?9.99/?13.99/?17.99 per month

DRM

No

Music Quality

192kbps on average

File available

MP3

At the other end of the spectrum eMusic provides a series of subscription packages and no music for free whatsoever. The structure is fairly rigid and unlike all good mobile phone plans of days gone by, the unused credits do not roll over to the next month. That said, it's one of the oldest, most successful services out there, has built up an excellent catalogue of independent labels and more obscure, hard to find tracks.

Verdict - Great option for collectors but the audio quality can vary quite a lot.

We7

Year launched

2007

Catalogue

3.5 million

Streaming

free, ad-funded streaming

Downloads

pay-per-track & free ad funded versions

DRM

No

Music Quality

256 & 320kbps paid; 192kbps free

File available

MP3

The most interesting thing about We7 as opposed to the others is that they do offer tracks to download and keep for free. The downside to this is that each contains a small piece of advertising, known as ablipvert, which plays every time with the track. You can pay to remove it and also for a higher bit-rate version too. A free streaming service is also available, so overall users get a lot of choice here.

Verdict - Good universal platform. Not such a large catalogue and slightly on the ad-heavy side.

7digital

Year launched

2004

Catalogue

8 million

Streaming

No

Downloads

pay-per-track

DRM

No

Music Quality

192, 256, 320kbps

File available

MP3/AAC/WMA/FLAC

7digital is a simple one on the outside - no streaming, no subscriptions, all downloads and all paid for. However, there's an excellent degree of flexibility once you start shopping. As with all the pay-per-track services, the songs are reasonably priced but what you get with 7digital is the option of how you'd like them downloaded. It's the only service which allows users to select both the audio quality and the file-type they'd like as well with the lossless FLAC, a noticeable intrigue.

Verdict - Good flexibility, good choice but could do with a few more tracks and some kind of free option too.

Amazon MP3

Year launched

2008

Catalogue

9 million

Streaming

No

Downloads

pay-per-track from 29p

DRM

No

Music Quality

256kbps

File available

MP3

With downloads starting at just 29p, a catalogue of over 9 million songs and each of them at an excellent level of audio quality, it's hard to ignore Amazon's recent step into the music world - especially as it's somewhere many of us do our online shopping in the first place.

Verdict - Very good value pick and chose option.

iTunes Store

Year launched

2003

Catalogue

10 million

Streaming

No

Downloads

pay-per-track: $0.69, $0.99, or $1.29

DRM

No

Music Quality

256kbps

File available

AAC

If AAC files are your thing, then the iTunes Store is the place to be. Over the air access via iPhones and iPod touches play a large part in its success as well as iTunes being the default music player for anyone with any kind of Apple PMP. Certainly not the cheapest but it's a tidy piece of software with a great catalogue and so much more palatable ever since they ditched the DRM.

Verdict - Expensive but very convenient.

Napster

Year launched

2003

Catalogue

8 million

Streaming

Unlimited, ad-free for ?5/month to PC or ?14.95 to portables too

Downloads

pay-per-track

DRM

No

Music Quality

128kbps streamed, 256kbps downloads

File available

MP3/WMA

So many years and so many changes, Napster will always be associated with the hay day of the Web and the way this place has changed over all these years. The new version of the service is slightly over-complicated compared to all the others, but once people get over the bitter taste that still surrounds the original site's shutdown, they might discover that the streaming service is wonderfully cheap - just not free.

Verdict - Great value streaming from a broad catalogue. Portable version much pricier.

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Related links:

• News - Sky Songs music service officially announced

Tags: Audio Software Napster Media streaming Music downloads eMusic Spotify Amazon MP3 iTunes 7digital Sky Songs We7 Features

Which is the best online music service? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:50:20 +0100

Advanced MP3 Players has announced the launch of the Mintpass Mintpad, describing the tiny device as an "all-in-one pocket wonder".

Angled as much more than simply a digital audio player, the 2.8-inch touchscreen Mintpad gets a full-featured web-browser and an integrated video-capable 1.2-megapixel camera.

Running Windows CE there's support for some Microsoft programs, such as Word, while features include Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Mintpad supports Flash, boasts MSN Messenger, 4GB built-in memory (expandable up to 16GB via microSD) and boasts a battery life of 30 hours for audio and 6 hours video.

The Mintpad is available now for ?139, while a 20GB model is also available for ?169.

Related links:

• Shop - Advanced MP3 Players

Tags: Audio PMPs Mintpad Advanced MP3 players Mintpass MP3 players Tablet PCs

Mintpad launches in the UK originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:53:05 +0100

Following the news we brought you that the service was coming soon, Sky has officially announced it is to launch its Sky Songs online music streaming and download service in the UK.

4 million tracks are available via unlimited, ad-free online streaming, while DRM-free MP3 files can be downloaded and stored forever, for use on any MP3 compatible device.

There's music from the four major music labels (EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner) plus content from a range of indies including the Beggars Group, The Orchard and PIAS Entertainment Group.

Similar to how Microsoft's Zune Pass system works in the States, as well as the revamped Napster offerings (which is cheaper, but you get less) the Sky Songs service starts at ?6.49 a month, which will get users the unlimited streaming and then either a ?6.49 album or 10 songs to download and keep.

Paying ?7.99 a month will let users download either a ?7.99 album or 15 songs as well as the streaming while additional music can be bought on a per-track or per-album basis from 65p and ?6.49.

The service will launch on the 19 October at http://songs.sky.com/ and is available to any consumer in the UK with internet access and means to pay.

Tags: Audio Sky Sky Songs Media streaming Music downloads

Sky Songs music service officially announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:39:53 +0100

HP is to release a limited edition version of its new HP Envy 15 laptop in the US, the company has confirmed.

Called the HP ENVY 15 Beats limited edition notebook PC, the new model will be a collaboration with rapper Dr Dre, his Beats Electronics company and HP engineers.

"We found that most PCs downgrade sound to unacceptable levels and when you reduce it further to a limited platform, like an mp3, the music doesn’t stand a chance. If music is an emotion, if it sounds better, then the emotion is better" said Jimmy Iovine from Beats on the announcement.

The HP ENVY 15 Beats limited edition notebook PC will feature a Beats sound system and sport a piano black, high-gloss finish rather than the silver finish of the original model (photos), and come with a signature Beats design as found in the Beats by Dr. Dre line of headphones.

It also comes with Native Instrument's Traktor LE software and Audio 2 DJ Traktor LE software with Audio 2 DJ multichannel splitter so you can get mixing out of the box.

Those who sign up for the deal will also get a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre Studio High-Definition Headphones thrown in.

The HP ENVY 15 Beats limited edition is expected to be available in the United States on 22 October with a starting price of $2299.

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Tags: Hardware Laptops HP Envy 15 HP Beats HP ENVY 15 Beats Limited Edition Audio

Groove is in the laptop: HP ENVY 15 Beats limited edition model announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:41:41 +0100

Despite what the name suggests, Mobi Headphonies are not headphones. Nor are they tipping their hat the wonderful Simpsons episode about the Apple generation. No, a headphony – which I assume is the singular of Headphonies, is around 3-inches high and in the shape of a dumpy middle aged man wearing what looks more like a pair of ear muffs than headphones. It's not dissimilar to a Telly Tubby. Our particular model came in a rather boring matte black, but looking at the website it is available in various interesting decorations with obvious scope for expansion.

The back of the head is grilled, and a dead give away as to what it actually is – a portable speaker. With it being at the back, it means to get the best sound, you'll want it facing away from you – perhaps going against the point of having a fancy design.

There is a power switch on the base of the foot with a notification LED on the front. This will apparently last for 4 hours of playback. There is no volume control – this is instead done on the input device itself. Annoyingly, it's not smart enough to detect a null input and so it's very easy to leave it switched on with nothing playing and drain the battery.

At the rear of the device, where a tail would normally be, is a 3.5mm jack. Supplied is a male-to-male cable of around 30cm for connecting to your audio device – MP3 player, laptop, etc. This port also doubles up as a charging port, using a USB cable that adapts to 3.5mm. Because the charging port is the same as playback – there is no option to charge while you play – annoying if you happen to have left it switched on.

The natural option is to leave the cable permanently plugged into the device. But this sticks out at 90 degrees from the device, so being carried in a bag it gets damaged very quickly and you'll soon find the sound cutting in and out. Disconnect it and you run the risk of losing the cable – either way, you'll get screwed in due course.

This isn't the sort of thing you'd buy if you were worried about sound quality – realistically, it's a toy. However, we were quite surprised with the sound quality, being generally quite balanced and able to produce a fair amount of volume. It was significantly better than the inbuilt speakers on the N97, which we've always been quite impressed with.

There's no denying that the sound is impressive for its size – but having to keep charging it is a real pain. We'd have sooner taken the minor hit in sound quality to have had it un-amplified, as so many external speakers are.?

Verdict:

The Mobi Headphonies have a few design flaws, but once you get used to this – it does what it's meant to. It's a portable speaker that stands out from the crowd. But the question is – when will it get used and who will use it? We've all been on trains where people are blaring out music on their mobile phones – it's annoying and we do all we can to discourage it. We can't help but feel that this attempts to encourage exactly this, with groups of kids sat around tables, showing off their cool speakers and music taste. God help us.

At ?19.99, this is about double the price we'd expect it to sell for. It's not something we'd recommend buying, but it's not a bad product and if it floats your boat – then go for it.

Tags: Audio Speakers Headphonies Audio accessories Toys Mobi Mobi Headphonies

Mobi Headphonies portable speakers originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0100

Creative has announced a set of wireless speakers for your PC - the Creative Inspire S2 Wireless. The set comprises of a subwoofer and two satellites, as well as a tiny Bluetooth dongle which you plug into a USB port on your computer to bring the noise.

Each satellite measures 7.4 x 7.3 x 10.3cm, which Creative reckons is small enough to make them most useful for laptops. They have a range of about 10 metres, and contain dynamic 2-inch drivers which apparently emit "well-balanced audio". The subwoofer contains a front driver and rear-firing port tube that should mean that more bass reaches you - rather than getting lost in the floor or walls.

If you're finding your neighbours complaining, then there's a control knob on the subwoofer that should allow you to turn it down (or up, if they've been stealing plastic flamingos from your front garden). There's a remote control on the right speaker which has an aux-in input, a headphone-out connection and a LED that displays speaker status.

The Inspire S2s are available now and cost ?130. A wired version is also available, for ?70.

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Tags: Audio Speakers Creative Creative Inspire S2 PC speakers

Creative introduces Inspire S2 speakers originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:48:08 +0100

Following the news that in Sweden, music streaming service du jour Spotify is to team up with operator Telia on mobile phones and more, more info on the hardware we can expect has now been revealed.

The work-in-progress dedicated Spotify phone revealed to Pocket-lint by Telia's head of mobility services, Erik Hallberg, is to be produced by Hutchison-Whampoa-owned INQ.

So reports TechCrunch, stating "a source with knowledge of the deal tells us that London, UK based INQ is developing the Spotify-branded phone".

It's a logical step - INQ already makes handsets tailored to various Web 2.0 services, with its "Facebook phone", Skype phones and now a Twitter handset from the company that prides itself on integrating such services into phones.

Although a Telia launch seems logical as a first step, "the phone is in the design stage right now, and there are plans, we're told, to roll it out to all markets via partnerships with various carriers", says TechCrunch.

Here in the UK, INQ's press office has no comment on the news.

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Tags: Phones Inq Spotify Mobile phones Rumours Telia Audio

INQ to make Spotify phone originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:19:05 +0100

Spotify is continuing celebrations of its 1-year anniversary and as part of the jamboree, the company's founder and CEO, Daniel Ek, has taken some time out to pen a blog post about the future of Spotify, and his thoughts on the state of the global Music industry. In it, he concedes that ads "devalue" music, but says that they're earning his company "millions of euros" in revenues each month.

He said: "I first considered writing about the state of ad-supported music, and given that I care more than most about figuring out a revenue model that doesn’t devalue music, it probably wouldn’t praise wholeheartedly (as some may have expected it to do) the ad-supported space. Especially since Spotify’s business model is, and has been since launch, more about the mix of subscription and ad supported".

He went on to answer critics of Spotify's business model by pointing out that iTunes missed its revenue targets by 30% in its first year, saying that he's in it for the "long haul" - "We aren’t interested in just trying to hype the company and then "flipping it", he said, then adding: "The product has been our core and our main marketing message, and perhaps now is the time to modify that message".

He says that the music industry has the potential of becoming a $40 to $50 billion industry, and reckons that he's the man for the job. Spotify has repeatedly pointed to a survey that says that 80% of Spotify users file share considerably less after getting the software. Ek says that by increasing the amount of people with access to the music streams, setting a target of "trillions", piracy can be cut by "big chunks".

Ek says that the focus for Spotify in the coming months will be better library handling, making Spotify socially capable and improving the portability of the software - i.e. releasing more editions of the mobile version of the client.

Finally, Ek said that his biggest mistake with Spotify was to make it so dependant on its partners - the labels, composers, artists, etc. He said: "If we’re asking the industry to change, we need to be transparent and honest about the end goal - especially since we’re asking everyone to make a huge leap of faith to an unknown place where you could potentially argue that the industry risks its most profitable customers. We haven’t been as open as we could have been up until now, and that’s been an oversight on my behalf".

Many have said that Spotify could do with a little more openness, so it's refreshing to see Ek agree. He now needs to turn those words into action, and we'll keep you posted of what happens on that front.

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Related links:

• News - Spotify has 2.7 million users in the UK
• News - Spotify phones coming soon?

Tags: Audio Spotify Music software Music Biz

Spotify CEO: Advertising devalues music originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:55:17 +0100