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Beats Music streaming service launching on iOS in the next few months

Jordan Kahn Oct 7 2013 - 9:36 am PT

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After a bit of restructuring and some acquisitions to help accelerate development of its Beats Music streaming service, an executive at the company confirmed to TNW today that the service will officially launch on iOS, as well as on the web and Android, in the next few months.

President and COO Luke Wood also shared some details on how the service will work compared with iTunes Radio and other competitive streaming services. Wood says the service will “focus really heavily on playlists,” but also utilize a “a perfect harmony between the algorithm and human curation”:

Wood emphasized that Beats Music would be different and based around “a very specific idea”. The service is focused on curation, rather than forcing users to search blindly for new tracks or artists that they might like.

“We’re talking about real depth of personalization and knowing who I am, who you are, what we’re listening to, what we like, what we’ve listened to before and then offering up music that is highly relevant to our taste profile,” he added… “You need to start with a great editorial team that has a point of view, but we want to have a situation where we can really scale to the depth of your appetite,” he said. “If you really love music, we want something that can go deep with you for a really long time. And that requires a perfect harmony between the algorithm and human curation. Between the man and the machine.”

The mix of curated playlists and algorithm doesn’t sound unlike Apple’s own iTunes Radio streaming service launched in the US last month alongside iOS 7. Apple announced 11 million unique listeners in just a few days following the service’s launch, and will likely soon expand into other markets.

Beats Music, like iTunes Radio, will first launch in the US.

• Apps
• Amazon
• iTunes
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• donations

Anti-bullying focused app, book donating sales to charity this month

Sarah Guarino Oct 6 2013 - 10:09 am PT

1 Comment

This month is National Bullying Prevention Month and creators of an anti-bullying Kindle e-book and an iOS app are hoping to raise $100,000 through their sales during October and donate the revenue to several anti-bullying charities. The charities include Bullying UK, Stomp out Bullying, the Pacer Center and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.

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• Apps
• iPhone 5c
• AirPort Time Capsule
• 9to5Toys
• Tips and Tricks

9to5Toys Last Call: iPhone 5c unlocked $535, Time Capsule from $170, deals on monitors up to 27″, more

Oct 4 2013 - 3:00 pm PT

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From 9to5Toys.com:

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+.

Today’s featured deals:

• Apple iPhone 5c 16GB (unlocked) in all colors $535 shipped – You can also grab a 5c on-contract for as low as $45 at Walmart stores.

• Apple Time Capsule 4th gen. 2TB $170, 3TB $229 and AirPort Extreme 5th gen. (Refurb.) $75

Discounted Displays: 20″ LED $75, 27″ LED $185, 27″ IPS $205

20% off Halloween Candy at Amazon http://t.co/QE1yqXN9KY

And some other stuff sponsored by Hersheys

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) October 4, 2013

Other great deals from today:

• New! LifeBox Water/Dust/Shockproof Case w/Bonus Armband for iPhone 5 (black or white) $33 shipped + more colors (Red, blue, green, etc) available for $50
  
• New! Logitech Wireless Mouse Refurb for PC, Mac & Linux w/ Nano Receiver $8 shipped (Reg. $25)
  
• New! Slingbox SOLO: stream live TV to your iPhone/iPad (Refurb.) $59 shipped
  
• New! Panasonic soundbar w/ wireless subwoofer & Bluetooth: $230 (Reg. $380)
  
• New! Game/App Deals: Bioshock Infinite: $15 (pre-played), Gears of War Judgment: $13, iOS freebies, more
• New! iGo Charger with 12 AA Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries $10 + $5 flat shipping

The best deals that are still alive:

• Logitech UE Air Speaker for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch with AirPlay $139 shipped (Reg. $200)
• OtterBox iPhone 5 Defender Series case in multiple colors $20 shipped (Reg. $50)
• Dualshock 4 $30 credit promo, The Cave now available on iOS: $5, iOS freebies, more
• The Boombot REX (Brushed Aluminum) tough Bluetooth speaker $100 – 9to5Mac review here
• Philips Twin Play portable iPhone, iPod, iPad video viewer w/ two 9″ LCD displays $80 shipped (Reg. $220)
• Worldwide Giveaway: Just-Mobile HeadStand precision-engineered aluminum headphone hanger ($50 value)
• The best Apple-certified (MFi) Lightning cables in various lengths, colors, and styles
• iPhone 5s for $549, 5c for $449 (both $100 off) unsubsidized at Virgin Mobile
• $25 for $50 worth of protective gear from Speck for your iPhone, iPad, Galaxy and more
• Apple online store now offers 128GB iPad starting at $679 (up to $140 off new)

Mac software bundles:

• Call of Duty Bundle: $40 (Reg. $130) – incl. Black Ops, Modern Warfare and COD 2
• Parallels is getting into the bundle game with its own “update bundle” which includes the Parallels 8->9 Update (which you need to run on Mavericks).  Included is a 6 month subscription to Parallels Access for iPad and the CleanMyMac 2.
• The Mac Freebie Bundle 2.0: 10 Apps To Enhance Your Design, Photography & Productivity

New product announcements & reviews:

• OtterBox begins shipping new Commuter Series Wallet case for iPhone 5/5s and Galaxy S4
• Belkin announces Express Dock for iOS devices w/ adjustable dial to accommodate cases
• GoPro’s new HERO3+ cameras are smaller, more capable, and ready for next-level action
• Valve announces Steam Machines hardware beta for SteamOS

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iOS
• iPad
• App Store
• update

NFL Mobile iOS app adds access to live content from NFL.com

Jordan Kahn Oct 4 2013 - 2:56 pm PT

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The official NFL Mobile app has been updated today to version 8.6 and with it comes the ability to access live content from the NFL.com/Live website. The feature, which is only available to premium subscribers, will provide the live content previously only streamed on the NFL website in addition to the LIVE NFL games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights for both preseason and regular season games offered as Premium features.

Premium features of the app are currently only available to Verizon customers and also offer live streams of NFL RedZone on Sunday afternoons and NFL Network 24/7. Unfortunately, it looks like the app still doesn’t include support for AirPlay.

@9to5mac @JordanKahn still no airplay support? Ah well

— Charles Raymond (@Whathechuck0819) October 4, 2013

What’s New in Version 8.6

– Added Fantasy Lineup Reminder alert
– Access to NFL.com/Live content for premium subscribers
– Fixed Fantasy login retention bug
– Performance enhancements and general bug fixes

• Apps
• iOS
• PlayStation
• PlayStation Official App
• Tokyo Game Show

Sony details new PlayStation app for iOS launching alongside PS4

Jordan Kahn Oct 4 2013 - 7:57 am PT

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While the company gave attendees of the Tokyo Game Show a sneak peek of its new PlayStation app coming to iOS devices alongside the release of the PlayStation 4 later this year, Sony has now provided more details on its blog with some high quality screenshots of the app (of the Android version, at least).

As noted by President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida, the app will let users send invites to multiplayer games, purchase and start downloading games PS4 games from the PlayStation network, as well as send voice and text messages to users on PS4:

“It’s an application that anyone can download for free on iOS and Android devices,” he explained…“There are a variety of things you can do with it. You can connect to your PlayStation profile, and send messages – even voice messages – to friends between your smartphone and PS4…“A friend on PS4 can also send out an invitation for a multiplayer game, which you can then check on the App, and you can also purchase PS4 games from PlayStation Store. Your game will immediately start downloading while you’re away.”

Sony’s blog post also notes that users will be able to “compare trophies, view friends’ activity (including recorded or live-streamed gameplay on PS4) and access all the latest PlayStation Blog news.” 

Perhaps the most notable feature of the upcoming PlayStation app, however, is the ability for developers to build in a second-screen experience for PS4 games:

PlayStation App will also offer ‘second screen’ gameplay features on enabled titles. For example, during the TGS presentation Yoshida-san showed how the app interacts with THE PLAYROOM – he drew a picture of Knack on his smartphone’s touch screen and then pushed it into the PS4 game on his TV, allowing the game’s bot characters to play with the item he’d created.“But smaller developers can use PlayStation App to connect to PS4 and load an application, like drawing software for example, so that you don’t have to download and install a specific app on your smartphone. It’s open to all PS4 developers to use.”

The app is expected to launch for both iOS and Android alongside the launch of the PS4 in November.

• Apps
• iTunes
• Mac App Store
• developers
• Education

Apple to promote Mac Apps for education and enterprise with new volume purchase program

Mark Gurman Oct 3 2013 - 3:05 pm PT

23 Comments

Apple’s current iOS-exclusive program

Apple has informed Mac developers that it is preparing to launch the ability for educational institutions and developers to purchase apps from the Mac App Store in volume for a discount. The upcoming feature was announced in an email:

We’re pleased to announce that Mac apps will soon be eligible to participate in the Volume Purchase Program for Business and Education. The Volume Purchase Program allows businesses or educational institutions to purchase multiple copies of your app at once.

You may also offer a discount to educational institutions for multiple purchases. If you choose to offer a volume discount for an app, institutions that purchase 20 or more copies of that app in a single order will receive a 50-percent discount.

Your existing Mac apps will not be automatically enrolled in the discount for educational institutions. If you would like to offer your existing Mac apps at a discount for the Educational Volume Purchase Program, check “Discount for Educational Institutions” in the Rights and Pricing section of the Manage Your Apps module on iTunes Connect.

For orders of 20 copies, a discount of 50% to the total order will be applied. This option will not be enabled for developers automatically, but the app sellers will need to enable the feature in iTunes Connect.

Apple launched volume purchase functionality for iOS applications in 2011. 

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• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• Facebook
• Instagram
• ads on Instagram
• Adverting

Instagram rolling out photo & video ads in the U.S. within a couple of months

Jordan Kahn Oct 3 2013 - 1:22 pm PT

1 Comment

While it previously announced plans to bring advertising to its mobile app sometime this year, Instagram officially announced today that it will be rolling out both photo and video ads from select brands in the coming months. The company said that the ads will begin showing up for users in the US initially and feature “a small number of beautiful, high-quality photos and videos from a handful of brands that are already great members of the Instagram community.”

Our aim is to make any advertisements you see feel as natural to Instagram as the photos and videos many of you already enjoy from your favorite brands. After all, our team doesn’t just build Instagram, we use it each and every day. We want these ads to be enjoyable and creative in much the same way you see engaging, high-quality ads when you flip through your favorite magazine.

Instagram noted in its announcement that it will allow users to hide ads that they don’t like and also provide feedback to help improve the experience over time.

Last month we reported that Facebook was beginning to test silent, auto-playing video ads in the News Feed, and since Instagram already auto-plays videos, it’s likely its ads will be similar to those being tested with a limited number of users on Facebook:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iCH9ReoH_I

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• Duolingo
• Spanish
• French
• designed for iOS 7

Duolingo, the fun language-learning app for iPhone and iPad, beautifully redesigned for iOS 7

Zac Hall Oct 3 2013 - 6:49 am PT

2 Comments

Duolingo for iPhone and iPad joined the collection of apps designed with iOS 7 in mind today with the release of Duolingo 3.

Duolingo is a free iOS app that makes learning a second language like Spanish or French easy and fun, and its redesign for iOS 7 is certainly delightful.

We don’t always redesign the app for iOS 7, but when we do, we prefer to go the whole way. From an entirely new look to exciting end screens showing your weekly progress, Duolingo has been completely redesigned for iOS 7. It’s faster, better, and more fun!

You can find Duolingo for free on the App Store.

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• Games
• iOS gaming
• Brütal Legend
• Double Fine Productions

Sega’s ‘The Cave’ adventure game from Monkey Island creator now available on iOS

Jordan Kahn Oct 3 2013 - 6:43 am PT

1 Comment

Originally released for consoles, PC, and Mac in January, Sega today released ‘The Cave’ for iOS, a unique platformer/puzzle adventure from the creator of the popular Monkey Island franchise. It also comes to us with help from Tim Schafer’s studio Double Fine Productions– the development team behind Brütal Legend, Psychonauts, etc– so there’s definitely good reason to have high hopes for the title.

The game has players assemble a team of three characters with unique skills in order to solve various underground puzzles that pop up while exploring The Cave:

Assemble your team of three from seven unlikely adventurers, each with their own unique personalities and stories, then descend into the mysterious depths to explore locations including a subterranean amusement park and a medieval castle, not to mention a fully armed and ready-to-launch nuclear tipped ICBM. The Cave awaits.

The Cave is available now on iPad and iPhone for $4.99 on the App Store.

• Apps
• iOS
• iPad
• iPhone
• Google

Oops – watch those ‘Incognito Mode’ web searches, Chrome’s latest iOS upgrade no longer forgets

Ben Lovejoy Oct 3 2013 - 6:09 am PT

2 Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61SzHpGGFRs

If you’ve been carrying out any dodgy searches in Incognito Mode in the iOS 7 version of Google Chrome, you may want to wander casually into settings to delete the search history (looking toward the sky and whistling helps): it appears that Incognito Mode currently isn’t. All searches performed in the private browsing mode are available in search history once you return to normal browsing.

The above video is rather swift, and has no commentary, but what it shows is erasing history to start with a clean slate, entering Incognito Mode, visiting a website, returning to normal browsing and then viewing search history at Google – where the supposed private web session shows up.

Note that you do need to visit Google to see the history: it doesn’t show up when simply using the combined URL/search bar.

Google updated the app last month. The company has not yet made any statement on the bug.

Thanks, Robin

• Apps
• Apple News
• Spotify
• iTunes
• Android

iTunes Radio gets new competition as Rdio iOS app offers free personalized stations

Ben Lovejoy Oct 3 2013 - 4:40 am PT

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Rdio has launched a free personalized radio stations option within its iOS and Android apps. This is a more controllable version of the You FM feature added back in August.

Like iTunes Radio, you can’t choose a specific artist or track, but you can create a radio station based on a song, artist or genre and then listen to the stream Rdio creates based on your selection. Unlike iTunes Radio, Rdio’s free streaming service is ad-free, at least for now.

New subscribers also get a 14-day free trial of the Rdio subscription service, allowing you to play specific tracks. Once the 14 days end, however, you’ll revert to radio stations only unless you sign-up at $9.99 a month to keep the paid service.

Rdio is a free download on iTunes.

• Apps
• Snapchat
• Photo-sharing
• Social Networking
• Snapchat Stories

Snapchat introduces “Stories”, a narrative built with snaps

Scott Buscemi Oct 3 2013 - 1:36 am PT

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/gPzZevSbgGk]

Snapchat, the popular photo messaging app that is used to share over 350M photos every day, has added a substantial feature in the latest version of their app: Snapchat Stories.

The Verge has a great piece on the new feature:

“Stories: a rolling compilation of snaps from the last 24 hours that your friends can see. You create your Story as you go about your day by tapping “My Story” above the friends you want to send a snap to. Or, you can tap a new shortcut button in the app’s camera screen to instantly post a snap to your Story. But unlike conventional snaps, Stories don’t disappear in a puff of ephemeral smoke after you’ve watched them. You can watch a friend’s (or your own) Story over and over.”

Each Story is the sum of all the snaps you’ve added over the last 24 hours, which means its size is always fluctuating. What doesn’t change is that every piece of the Story is less than a day old, so viewing one might be the fastest way to see what a friend’s been up to. Snapchat may not look much like Facebook, but with Stories, the company is taking its first steps toward competing with Facebook’s most important product: News Feed.

Rather than falling for pressure from users to add a “send all” button or allow for groups, the company appears to be pushing for the new Stories feature as a way to share moments with all of your friends.

Snapchat is free in the App Store.

• Apps
• AirPlay
• Netflix
• Netflix HD

Netflix 5.0 for iOS brings HD and AirPlay streaming to iOS 7 devices

Scott Buscemi Oct 3 2013 - 12:33 am PT

6 Comments

Netflix has just released version 5.0 of their iOS app, bringing Netflix HD and AirPlay streaming to iOS 7 users.

With AirPlay streaming, videos can be streamed from the device to an Apple TV while running the background. The feature no longer relies on AirPlay mirroring, so users aren’t tied to the app while watching videos on their TVs.

From my personal experience with version 5.0, the iPad app isn’t working with AirPlay streaming yet, but HD is available. On the iPhone, AirPlay streaming (in the background) is working as well as HD.

What’s New in Version 5.0

* Netflix HD for iOS 7
* AirPlay streaming for iOS 7 (requires disabling AirPlay mirroring)
* Playback optimizations
* Stability improvements

• AAPL Company
• Apps
• iPhone
• Apple News
• iCloud

iCloud Mail push notifications return in Germany as injunction gets lifted in Apple/Motorola dispute

Jordan Kahn Oct 2 2013 - 6:50 am PT

2 Comments

Since more than a year ago, Germans have not had access to push notifications for iCloud Mail services following a dispute between Apple and Motorola in the country that forced Apple to disable the feature. Now, as noted by German Apple blog iPhone-ticker.de, Apple has now confirmed that push notifications services have been switched back on in the country. The news comes following Apple’s success in getting the original injunction lifted after posting $132 million bond, according to FossPatents:

After the Federal Patent Court’s preliminary ruling, Apple filed with the Karlsruhe-based appeals court a motion to stay enforcement against Google’s will. In early September, the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court granted it. I published my own (obviously unofficial) English translation of the order. The order revealed that Apple had to post a 100 million euro ($132 million) bond to get the injunction actually lifted. The paperwork for all of this apparently took a few weeks and presumably Apple’s technical staff conducted some internal tests before finally reactivating the push notification feature for end users — which it did today.