Friday, September 7, 2012

Software : Report: Apple in talks to launch custom radio service

Software : Report: Apple in talks to launch custom radio service

Report: Apple in talks to launch custom radio service

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Report: Apple in talks to launch custom radio service

Apple is planning to enter the world of custom internet radio, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The company is said to be in talks with the major record labels to license tracks and allow users to create stations based on albums, songs, artists or playlists.

The WSJ says the service will rival the market-leading - and US only - Pandora service, while Spotify has also expanded into this area with some success.

The report claims that service will run on iOS devices and Mac computers, while it'd be fair to assume that any custom stations would be synced across your hardware through iCloud.

More user control?

Speculation that Apple may enter this market has blown hot and cold in the last couple of years.

This time, the Wall Street Journal says, Apple is negotiating slightly different licenses to those obtained by the likes of Pandora, Spotify, Rdio and Slacker.

The 'paper hints that Apple wants a greater level of user interactivity, which probably means more skips.

With talks said to be underway, it'll be interesting to see if Apple is able to announce any new service at next Tuesday's iPhone 5 launch event.

Facebook completes Instagram takeover

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Facebook completes Instagram takeover

Instagram is now officially a Facebook-owned company after the pair closed the long-pending deal.

The takeover, which was agreed in principle back in April, has been subject to probes from the Office of Fair Trading in the UK and the FTC in the United States, delaying official confirmation.

Neither regulatory body felt the deal would adversely affect competition and green-lit the acquisition, which has now been rubber stamped.

On Thursday, Instagram founder Kevin Systrom posted on Facebook: "Very excited to announce that we're now officially joining the Facebook family.

"I'm psyched for the next chapter of this long journey."

Not quite a billion dollar deal anymore....

Facebook stumped up $300m in cash for Instagram, while also offering 23 million shares.

Initially, the deal was worth around a billion dollars, but Facebook shares have been cut in half from $38 to $19 since then, which wipes around $350m off the original deal.

Facebook has vowed to continue running Instagram as a standalone company, while it is thought that the app will help Facebook develop its own mobile strategy.

Instagram already has 50 million users and that's sure to swell significantly as the tie-ins between the two companies become more visible.

New Amazon Kindles to come loaded with new software

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New Amazon Kindles to come loaded with new software

In case you somehow missed the news, Amazon announced a handful of new Kindle devices Thursday.

A new model of the popular Kindle Fire tablet will soon be joined by three versions its successor, the Kindle Fire HD.

Additionally, Amazon introduced a brand-new ereader, the Kindle Paperwhite.

As impressive as all of these new and revamped devices are, Amazon has gone above and beyond when it comes to the new features and software included with their amped up Kindle line-up.

Big upgrades coming to X-Ray

When the revamped Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD arrive, they'll be stocked with a bunch of Kindle-exclusive features.

Chief among the upgrades all Fire devices will get is a massive upgrade to the X-Ray software.

Previously introduced on the Kindle Touch, X-Ray will now be incorporated for movies, books, and textbooks.

With a simple tap, users can find out about any actor in a given scene with help from IMDb, or search a glossary of a text without ever leaving the page they're on.

Whispersync for audiobooks and games

Not to be outdone, Whispersync fans will also find the reach of that feature boosted quite a bit.

While you could already use Whispersync to keep your place in a book across multiple Kindle devices in the past, Amazon expanded the virtual bookmark to work with audiobooks and games as well.

When reading, Whispersync for Voice allows you to leave off wherever you want, and pick up from the same point in the narrated version, or even read along with the audiobook.

The gaming version of Whispersync works in a similar manner, allowing you to resume play from any device thanks to cloud saving.

The Kindle Fire devices will see the benefits of all the Whispersync improvements, while the Kindle Paperwhite will utilize Whispersync for Voice.

Add with that "Immersion Reading," a partnership between Amazon and Audible to sync sight and sound while perusing narratives, and you have an all encompassing reading experience. The feature highlights text as its "professionally read aloud.

Monitor your child's tablet time with Kindle FreeTime

Parents can now screen content for their children, as well as setting time limits on how long they'll be able to access the Kindle Fire tablets.

Each and every feature on the Kindle Fire can be limited separately, which allows you to put a stop to endless hours of gaming, but also lets you set the reading abilities to unlimited.

Multiple profiles can be set up for households with more than one child, and FreeTime won't allow kids to expand beyond the limitations you've set without a password.

Never lose touch with custom Skype

Skype has teamed with Amazon to create a customized version of their app for the Kindle Fire HD.

With its front-facing camera, the Kindle Fire HD is ideal for on-the-go video messaging right out of the box.

The service will of course remain free, which should come as no surprise to frequent Skype users, but as an added benefit for new users.

Check speed with Time to Read

Coming to the Kindle Paperwhite is a new built-in feature called Time to Read.

Time to Read will let you know how long it will take you to finish a chapter or a book based on its measurements of your previous reading habits.

The feature constantly updates alongside you, and will allow you to better estimate whether or not you have time to finish a chapter, or pick it back up later.

New hand-tuned fonts enhance Paperwhite typography

The Kindle Paperwhite's new display will not only be readable in all light, but it will also have hand-tuned fonts for even better reading.

Amazon has worked on the fonts the device will use down to the pixel level, which should give readers an unprecedented amount of clarity no matter where or what they're reading.

All the hard work on fine-tuning fonts has also allowed Amazon to include fancier fonts such as Baskerville and Palatino, which were so fine and thin, they were previously often hard to read legibly on an ereader.

Email upgrades

The new HD family comes fully loaded with an upgraded email system, Microsoft Exchange. Amazon's touting the fact the email service will sync newer emails before older ones, allowing for quicker access time.

Email support is available for Gmail, Exchange, Hotmail and, Amazon says, more.

There's also an enhanced calendar app.

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