Software : EXCLUSIVE: Spotify hints it could monitor your heart to give you the right beat

EXCLUSIVE: Spotify hints it could monitor your heart to give you the right beat
Nintendo to finally embrace smartphones and tablets as hope fades for Wii U?
Looks like Google's Chrome remote desktop app will come to iOS, too
HTC M8 release pinned on late March, twin-sensor rear camera in tow

EXCLUSIVE: Spotify hints it could monitor your heart to give you the right beat

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Spotify has hinted that metrics like the listener's heart rate, speed of motion and sleep patterns could someday be used to improve recommendation tools, as smartphone technology improves.

In an exclusive interview with TechRadar, the streaming giant's product manager for discovery and recommendations, Donovan Sung, said deeper integration with mobile devices could better inform what its algorithms serve up.

In depth: How Spotify, Netflix and Amazon control your online habits

When asked about the possibility of creating the perfect recommendations tool, Sung said: "The more the engine knows about the user, the easier it is for it to make interesting recommendations.

"Maybe with motion sensors in phones, we can start guessing things whether users are running, biking or driving? Maybe it the phone has a temperature sensor, or a heart rate sensor, we could guess whether the user is tense..."

If paired with a heart rate monitor, the company could possibly provide workout playlists with limited user input or could provide a driving playlist (preferably with plenty of The Eagles' hits) if it detects users are moving at higher speeds.

Sees you when you're sleeping

He also hinted the company would benefit from integrations with other apps and services, such as those that analyse the user's sleeping patterns, for example the popular Sleep Cycle app.

Sung added: "Maybe it connects to some other services? For example if we know more about your sleeping habits through mobile tracking apps, this could help.

"We would know what time you're likely to go to sleep or what time you wake up and recommendations could be tailored [to the time of day]."

Of course, this seems to be mostly conjecture regarding the future of the company's already-exhaustive editorial, algorithmic and social recommendations tools. However it's interesting that Spotify is at least thinking of taking recommendations in this direction.

You can see what else Spotify has to say about the current and future state of music recommendations here.

Nintendo to finally embrace smartphones and tablets as hope fades for Wii U?

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Nintendo boss Saturo Iwata has admitted the company is considering "a new business structure," which may involve branching out into the mobile arena it has shunned for so long.

After the company revised its 2014 Wii U sales forecast from 9 million to an unspectacular 2.9 million, the CEO suggested that it may be time for a change.

With Wii U games sales new predicted to hit just 19 million units, rather than the previously estimated 38 million, Iwata seemed to indicate that change could be on the horizon.

"We are thinking about a new business structure," Iwata told a news conference in Japan, while hinting the company is exploring the possibility of touchscreen handheld devices.

Studying...

Nintendo has long dismissed the possibility of launching versions of popular franchises like Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong on smartphones and tablets, largely through fears of watering down its top earners.

Now, with the company expected to post an annual lost of 35bn yen ($335m / £205m), Nintendo may finally ready to relent and answer the clamour for Mario and Link on iPhone, judging by Iwata's forlorn comments

"Given the expansion of smart devices, we are naturally studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business. It's not as simple as enabling Mario to move on a smartphone," he said.

Could sharing Mario with a wider audience put Nintendo back in the spotlight? Or would opening up it's famous franchises beyond Nintendo hardware be an admission that Nintendo's on the way to becoming the next Sega? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Mario on iPhone? Not on my watch, said Iwata back in June last year. Has his tune changed?

Looks like Google's Chrome remote desktop app will come to iOS, too

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A recently spotted message has revealed that Google is working on a "Chromoting" remote desktop app for iOS.

Chromoting is essentially a remote desktop client that will allow users to control their computers from their Android and, now it would seem, iOS devices.

The message popped up on Google's developer site for Chromium, the open-source browser that's at the heart of Google Chrome.

It appears to be from one developer to another, discussing the iOS and Android versions of the Chromoting app.

Self-Chromotion

The Chromoting app is related to the Chrome browser's own remote desktop and screen sharing features, which as TechCrunch points out graduated from beta in 2012.

There are plenty of similar services, like LogMeIn and TeamViewer, but Google's is free and works natively with Chrome.

However, according to the developer post, the iOS and Android apps are in need of an aesthetic overhaul.

"As noted, the iOS version is very unpolished at this stage," developer Hannah S. wrote. Icons, toolbars and more apparently need to be re-designed and re-organized.

In addition the iOS version is reportedly further behind than the Android version. It will ship first, though no time frame was given.

When TechRadar asked Google for more details, a company spokesperson replied that, "We're always experimenting with new features in Chrome, especially in the dev channel, but have nothing to announce at this time."

Here's 21 brilliant iOS 7 tips and tricks.

HTC M8 release pinned on late March, twin-sensor rear camera in tow

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Will it be called the HTC M8? Or the HTC One Two? Monikers aside, it seems certain more than ever that HTC is planning a follow-up to the HTC One for release early this year.

Bloomberg has the word that there will be a new version of the HTC One released at the end of March (a release time frame we've heard before). The phone will retain the first One's well-received design, but offer some changes both inside and out.

One of the more notable transformations will be a screen said to measure "at least five inches," according to the unnamed tipster who posses direct knowledge of the Taiwanese manufacturer's plans.

Powered by a more recent flavor of Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor, the new HTC One's screen will be slightly larger than the current flagship's 4.7-inch display but smaller than the HTC One Max's 5.9-inches.

Wonder twins

Another area HTC appears to be targeting for improvement is the One's Ultrapixel camera, which is designed to take higher resolution images with a lower megapixel count.

Bloomberg's source claimed HTC is planning to use twin sensors on the rear-facing camera for better focus, depth of field and image quality.

Despite critical acclaim for last year's HTC One, the smartphone maker has floundered in the market against the might of South Korean rival Samsung, currently the 300-pound gorilla of Android handsets.

HTC may need more than just a refreshed One handset to stave off the competition, as the big-screen HTC One Max failed to stem the tide of losses in the company's second quarter earnings.

Is Apple's new Mac Pro right for you? Find out in our comprehensive review!

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Saturday, January 18, 2014