Tag: "iTunes"

Planetary: One Giant Leap in Music Player Visualization – iPad App Review

By Emily | May 5, 2011 | No comment yet

Ground control to iTunes: Planetary will change the way you see your music. Bloom Studio’s Planetary debuted in the App Store earlier this week, but we wanted to take a closer look at this intriguing music player. Planetary turns a user’s music library into a stunning and expansive music universe. Each artist has its own solar system where the artist is the sun, the albums are planets, and the songs are moons.

The app is full of tiny, clever details. For example, Planetary visualizes the iTunes play count, so a larger play count equals a larger moon. (Note to LastFm scrobblers: your plays in Planetary should count when you sync if you have scrobbling set up in iTunes). As a track plays the Planetary universe is constantly in motion. Planets spin on their axes, moons orbit at various rates of speed, while the whole system revolves around its artist sun. The app integrates customary gestures such as pinch-to-zoom, which makes navigation seamless, and it’s easy to hide all of the labels for a more stratospheric listening experience.

By Jillian | May 5, 2011 | No comment yet

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i.TV is a very handy app that allows you to manage your favorite shows in a very unique way. Missed an episode of your favorite show? No problem! i.TV helps you find it through Netflix, Hulu or iTunes. Want to see when your program next airs? No problem! i.TV displays a complete listing of program times and channels customized to you.

Enter your postal or zip code, or using location services on your device, you are able to look up providers so that your details will be customized whether you have cable, satellite or an antenna. I found my cable provider in their database without difficulty and was even able to select my channel package so it knew what I had available to me.

By dag | May 5, 2011 | No comment yet

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Hearst, the publisher behind magazines such as Esquire, Popular Mechanics and O, as well as a slew of newspapers, allegedly struck a deal with Apple in order to use the iTunes subscription model, to allow its subscribers to receive new issues as they are released, and be automatically billed.

By Juli | April 26, 2011 | No comment yet

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We recently reported about the imminent arrival of Apple’s cloud-based music service, but a new report released by CNET today reveals that it may not be free. According to music industry insiders, the service may be free of charge initially to attract users, but eventually, Apple is going to charge a fee.

Cloud music services from Apple and Google have been in the works since last year, with both companies discussing storage and uploading privileges with the four major record companies. This will allow users to upload music to the cloud service and access it from any Internet connected device.

By dag | April 20, 2011 | No comment yet

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Apple just released its financial results for the second quarter of its fiscal year, which ended on March 26. During the quarter, Apple managed to sell a whopping 4.7 million iPads, a figure in line with our earlier predictions.

During the quarter, Apple manage to sell almost $25 billion worth of Macs and iOS devices, and pocketed an impressive profit of about $6 billion, a new record for Apple.”With quarterly revenue growth of 83 percent and profit growth of 95 percent, we’re firing on all cylinders,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “We will continue to innovate on all fronts throughout the remainder of the year.”

By Roberto | April 18, 2011 | 1 comment

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This past weekend, Apple released a new version of iOS that fixed several bugs, including FaceTime issues and 3G connectivity problems with Verizon iPad models. The update, dubbed iOS 4.3.2, fixed frozen videos and random pictures displayed during FaceTime calls.

Today, Apple released iTunes 10.2.2 to address several important bug fixes that improve stability and performance with your iOS devices.

By Roberto | April 13, 2011 | No comment yet

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Several media outlets are reporting that Apple is likely working on a “cloud-based TV service” that would be compatible with its strong line of products – iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Macs.

The Business Insider (SAI) has reported that analyst Peter Misek claims Apple will soon launch a “new far reaching cloud-based service” focused on video. Ticonderoga Securities’ analyst, Brian White, says that the company now seems to be “moving down this pace at a faster pace than the market expected.”

By Roberto | April 4, 2011 | No comment yet

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Apple’s controversial iTunes subscription model has been running for several weeks now, however several publishers have openly criticized the company for taking a large cut of their direct revenues with its new model.

The Financial Times is the latest major publisher to openly share its frustration with the new iTunes subscription rule.

The ﬁnancial paper has had a great relationship with Apple for years, but according to its managing director Rob Grimshaw, the company has considered looking for other distribution channels like Android or other platforms if revenue sharing negotiations don’t go well with Apple.

By Roberto | March 28, 2011 | 2 comments

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The last 3 days have been full of rumors about the upcoming MobileMe media locker service from Apple. One of the biggest questions has been whether or not Apple will offer the service for free, or charge $20 per year as rumored.

While Apple keeps working on their big announcement, Amazon and Google have been working relentlessly to launch their very own cloud-based solutions.

By Bill | March 25, 2011 | No comment yet

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Apple has just released iOS 4.3.1 which brings a number of minor fixes to Apple’s mobile device lineup. The update comes just 14 days after iOS 4.3 was released on March 11 with the launch of the new iPad 2.

The update doesn’t include any major new features but does fix several customer issues including:

• Fixes an occasional graphics glitch on iPod touch (4th generation)
• Resolves bugs related to activating and connecting to some cellular networks
• Fixes image flicker when using Apple Digital AV Adapter with some TVs
• Resolves an issue authenticating with some enterprise web services

By dag | March 23, 2011 | No comment yet

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As we’ve mentioned earlier this year, 2011 will be a big year for Airplay devices. After speakers, receivers, and even docks specially designed to support wireless streaming from your iOS devices and computers, HDTVs are next.

According to report from Bloomberg, AirPlay might make its way into HDTVs, as Apple is allegedly in talks with major HDTV makers, to allow them to use the technology, and allow users to stream movies and TV shows directly to their TVs.

By Cristi | March 23, 2011 | No comment yet

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Civil War buffs will be excited to learn the award-winning Ken Burns documentary The Civil War will be re-broadcast on PBS beginning Sunday, April 3rd. If you have the PBS app installed on your iPad, iPad 2, iPhone or iPod Touch, you’ll be able to get a jump start on the experience.

Starting March 24th, ten days before the TV broadcast, PBS will make the first episode of The Civil War available for streaming with the PBS app and as a free download from iTunes. “The Civil War remains the highest rated series for PBS, and it was a milestone in the history of documentary film and television,” said John F. Wilson, SVP & Chief TV Programming Executive at PBS. “Twenty-one years after its premiere, the re-mastered film continues to be relevant and gripping. We’re thrilled to present this 19th century story, so riveting and critical to our country’s history, by using 21st century technology.”

By Roberto | March 9, 2011 | No comment yet

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The iOS 4.3 update could potentially be released today. This is according to a report from MacRumors, and a reader that asked an Apple representative. Also, in case you didn’t notice, a new iTunes 10.2.1 update has appeared superseding the iTunes 10.2 update that was released last week.

In addition, on the heels of the upcoming iOS 4.3 release, a new rumor has surfaced indicating that Apple may be planning an April media event to introduce iOS 5 and a new MobileMe service.

By Roberto | March 8, 2011 | 1 comment

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Just a few days ago, Apple released the final version of iOS 4.3 (Gold Master) to its network of iOS developers.

The company released the Gold Master copy in final preparation for the iPad 2 launch, and to release additional features for its family of iOS devices. Now, Boy Genius Report (BGR) is reporting that an official public release for iOS 4.3 could be available today!

By Cristi | March 2, 2011 | No comment yet

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We followed Apple’s announcements closely today and were excited about the new products they unveiled during their big media event. The day began on a positive note with Steve Jobs making a surprise appearance to present many of the items. From iOS 4.3 to the new iPad 2, March 11th promises to be a busy day with several new products hitting store shelves.

If you’re interested in watching all the details of today’s event firsthand, you can stream the QuickTime video of the entire keynote address from the Apple website or you can download a video podcast from iTunes.