Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile  Two months after redesigning its Google Search app for iOS devices, Google is now updating it to make mobile search faster and easier to use. The updated app brings in new features based on those who liked the redesigned app and so the result is a better looking mobile search app with search results that are easier to read on the diminutive screen of the iPhone and iPod Touch as well as the large display of the iPad. Speed-wise, according to Google the updated Search app is 20% more responsive when you are typing search queries and interacting with the app. Google also turned off the “Just Talk” feature to improve the performance of the app. This feature in case you have not used it before lets you search via voice just by bringing your iPhone to your ear and speaking rather than tapping the microphone icon to conduct your search. This feature is turned on by default so Google has to turn it off. Additionally, Google has also made the font of search results bigger to make it easier to read on the small screen of iPhone and iPod Touch. The search result was also made as a tap target instead of just being links previously. The new Google Search app for iOS devices is available as a free download from the iTunes App Store. Via [Google Mobile Blog] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware  For our friends in Canada, you’ll soon have a taste of how it feels like using the LG Optimus Pad as LG is scheduled to bring this 8.9-inch tablet sooner than you can imagine. The LG Optimus Pad will be released under Rogers’ three-year data plans costing $449.99, month-to-month plan for $649.99 or as a stand-alone purchase for $699.99. Whatever plan you choose to get the LG Optimus Pad you’ll still be getting a nice tablet which as mentioned features an 8.9-inch display which is quite the norm among tablets today. In addition, the LG Optimus Pad is powered by Android 3.0 Honeycomb and NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor. But of course, what really makes the LG Optimus Pad a stand out is that it happens to be the first Android tablet equipped with a 3D camera. The tablet lets you capture vivid images and video compatible with viewing on a 3D TV through HDMI or YouTube 3D on the web. In addition, the LG Optimus Pad is also capable HD videocalling feature with full 1080p decoding. And for gamers, the LG Optimus Pad can hand the different console-quality games available through the Tegra Zone app. So, what do you think folks? Does the LG Optimus Pad has all the features you’ve been looking for in an Android tablet? Is it worthy of the price tag? Via [LG Canada]
Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Web In March Google announced that it would be bringing Google Fiber to Kansa City, Kansas. Now Google has announced that it will be crossing state lines into Kansa City, Missouri to bring 1Gbps fiber to that city as well. Bringing the fiber to Kansa City, Missouri means that instead of the originally planned 1,100 people, up to 2.2 million (assuming it goes to the whole metro area, numbers from Wikipedia). The belief seems to be that if Google rolls out Fiber in the larger city as well it would gain insight into how to lay the fiber across other areas of the US, particularly other cities. The fiber should light up sometime in 2012, providing residents of the city with 1Gpbs Internet connection. Google won’t be the ISP on the fiber, but it will let other companies use the network to provide the incredibly fast access, hopefully at reasonable prices. If Kansa City, Missouri works out well, maybe other areas will be able to get Google Fiber laid down. I’m sure Google would be able to find plenty of people in just about every town and city that would love to have 1Gbps connection speeds. That might take a while, though.  Read [Electronista] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Netbooks 
If you plan on doing any sort of traveling with your iPad, you’ll need some kind of sleeve or case to carry it in. That’s where Timbuk2’s Envelope Sleeve comes into play. Here’s my first impression: Timbuk2 has been outfitting bicycle messengers for years with a tough to destroy product; the Envelope Sleeve looks no different. Made from Timbuk2’s ballistic fabric, high density foam and a tricot liner, the envelope feels top notch. The classic three color panel design is reminiscent of their famous messenger bags. Three big pieces of velcro secure the flap - it’s not going to open prematurely. The fit, even without the Apple Smart Cover is snug, it’s not a one-size-fits-all arrangement - it’s dialed in for the iPad. Of course, the sleeve is compatible with the Smart Cover as well, for a very snug fit. It’s snug enough to give users the piece of mind that it fits well. Simple, classy, well-fitting are three words I’d describe this sleeve out of the box. At just $22, what’s not to love? Product page: [Timbuk2] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile There’s been rumors of T-Mobile changing up it’s plans for a little while now, and it looks like May 22 may be the day the changes are finally happening. It looks like both Individual and Family Plans will be changed next week, with Even More Plus seemingly being dropped by the carrier. According to TMoNews, the Individual Plan will have three tiers fro voice: 500, 100 and Unlimited. There’ll also be for tiers for data plans: 200MB, 2GB, 5GB and 10GB. With the new plans, the cheapest Individual Plan will cost $39.99 for 500 minutes, $49.99 with unlimited messaging added, and $59.99 with the minimum 200MB data plan. That plan will top out at $109.99, with 10G. of data while. The highest priced plan with Unlimited talk and text with 10GB of data will top out at $10 more for $119.99. If you’re an individual with need for more than 500 minutes you can go for the 1000 minute plan for $49.99. But, that the only option, if you want messages with that, you have to go up to the $59.99 Unlimited talk and text plan. The Family Plans, on the other hand, will have tiers of 1000, 2000 and Unlimited for voice. The same tiers for data will apply. The Family Plan starts at 1000 minutes and nothing else for $59.99, adding texting brings that up to $79.99 a month. If you want to add just 200MB of data, it’s $99.99, with the lower-tier voice plan topping out at $199.99 with 10GB of data each month. To add a line it’s $10 for shared minutes or 500 minutes, or $30 with unlimited minutes. You’ll also be able to play anywhere from $10 to $60 depending on how much data those other phones need. The leaked documents point out that the plans are generally cheaper that similar plans on other carriers. The numbers are close to that of Sprint, with the same price usually getting at east a few more minutes per month. Overall they seem like good changes, even if Even More Plus will be gone. Read [TMoNews] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Computers, Networking 
Joining iPhone and Android versions, Splashtop for webOS was just announced and it brings the same one-click access to your desktop machine available on the other mobile OS. Working with Windows and Mac, Spashtop looks more like a precursor for the HP TouchPad tablet rather than a smartphone focused product. Splashtop can pass through games, Flash support, editing files such as Word and Excel. “We created Splashtop Remote Desktop with the vision of bridging the billions of devices throughout the world,” said Mark Lee, CEO and co-founder of Splashtop. “Our support for HP’s webOS is an important milestone in that direction.” Currently, Spashtop is compatible with the Pre2 and Pre Plus running webOS 2.1. The software costs just $4.99 and is available now in the HP App Store. Product page: [Splashtop]  Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks Tired of hearing rumors about the next Nook from Barnes & Noble? Well, too bad, you’ll have another week of speculation as Barnes & Noble has sent out invitation to a special event in New York City on May 24. The announcement probably has something to do with the Nook that was named in an SEC filing not too long ago. Given the popularity of the Nook Color, a new Android-based eReader tablet would make the most sense. The current Nook Color could deal with a slight spec bump, and a 3G radio of some sort, to make it even more useful as a tablet. Of course there could be a complete redesign for the next version, but that doesn’t seem likely given the success of the current model. Or, it could be an update to the original Nook, which hasn’t seen any new versions since launch (discounting the WiFi-only version). The Nook certainly can’t stay the same while the Nook Color keeps changing. Not to mention the improvements made to Amazon’s Kindles since the launch of the Nook. It’s all just speculation for now. For anything rea we’ll have to wait until May 24. Read [CrunchGear] and [Teleread] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks It looks like Pandigital is getting ready to roll-out another ereader. The latest is the Planet ereader, which will arrive with a 7 inch TFT LCD display and running Android. That said, the Pandigital Planet seems more closely related to a tablet as the feature set includes front and rear facing cameras, a microphone, HDMI and apps. The Planet is expected to ship with Facebook as well as a Dictionary, Antivirus and OfficeSuite Viewer apps. Sadly though, while there was a mention of those pre-installed apps, it does not appears as if it will have support for the Android Market. With that, while we have gotten a decent look, we are still unsure when the Planet ereader will arrive and how much it will end up selling for once it does. Via [FCC] and [WirelessGoodness] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Gaming, Mobile  Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play (also known as the PlayStation Phone) will find be available in the United States on May 26. It will only be offered on Verizon and will cost $199 with a two-year contract. The Xperia Play was leaked way before it was officially revealed and there isn’t much we don’t already know about this phone. If you’re more into mobile gaming with buttons and less interested in ground-breaking technical specs, this is the smartphone for you.
Online pre-orders for the Xperia Play will open up on May 19. The Xperia Play will ship with Android 2.3, a 1Ghz Snapdragon II processor, 4-inch screen and two cameras on the front and rear. Since the Xperia Play’s greatest asset is its gaming abilities, it’s only natural that is comes pre-loaded with games. There are seven games to play right out of the box. They are Madden NFL 11, The Sims 3, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Tetris, Crash Bandicoot, Star Battalion and Asphalt 6: Adrenaline. More games will be available through V Cast apps. The Xperia Play is also the first PlayStation Certified mobile device. This means that any game offered through PlayStation Suite has to be approved by Sony before it’s allowed to operate on Android devices. Read [PR Newswire] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile We had expected T-Mobile to launch their unlimited Wi-Fi calling back on May 11th and then saw it delayed. Well, the good news is that delay has officially come to an end and T-Mobile has confirmed that unlimited Wi-Fi calling is now available for those with a supported handset. According to the statement that was provided to GigaOm, it looks like those interested will need to add the “Free Wi-Fi Calling” plan to their account. But the good news, that is free to add, and then also free to use. “T-Mobile is excited to expand our Wi-Fi Calling feature, a unique and valuable service T-Mobile has been offering customers for over three years. Starting today, T-Mobile customers can add Free Wi-Fi Calling to their rate plan – at no additional charge – to place calls over Wi-Fi without deducting from their allotment of minutes. This new feature is available at T-Mobile retail stores to all customers on Even More and Even More Plus Postpaid rate plans who have Wi-Fi Calling capable handsets.”
Via [GigaOm] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile It looks like T-Mobile is planning to launch the Samsung “Hawk” on June 8th. The handset is expected to launch as the Samsung Exhibit 4G and will come available with a $50 mail-in-rebate and require the $10 per month data add-on plan. In terms of pricing, the customer price has not been revealed just yet, however we can tell you that dealers will be paying $325. That said, TmoNews has suggested that the Exhibit 4G could be priced at $150 after the rebate. Otherwise, the Exhibit 4G will bring features to include support for the 21 Mbps HSPA + network as well as a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 3 megapixel rear facing camera, VGA quality front facing camera and pre-installed games to include Bejeweled 2, Scrabble and Doodle Jump. Via [TmoNews] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones If you want to purchase a new smartphone these days on contract, chances are you’ll be out $200 before you can call the phone yours. Some people snatch up new phones all the time before their two-year contract is up, but that is a very expensive habit to keep up. To alleviate some of the cost, T-Mobile announced a retail trade-in program. As the name suggests, T-Mobile customers will be able to take their old phones to a T-Mobile store and get it appraised. The value of the phone can be used towards the purchase of a new phone. T-Mobile said in a press release that new phones prices can be offset “by up to $300” when trading in a phone. The trade-in phones don’t have to originate from T-Mobile either. T-Mobile is taking phones regardless of what carrier it was on. In order for a phone to be eligible, it has to be in perfect working order. T-Mobile’s criteria for accepting a phone depends on whether it’s “fully functional, having an intact and working display, and being free of liquid damage or corrosion.” Here’s how the whole process will work. When you take a phone into T-Mobile, someone will look at it and determine its value. After you get quote, you’ll have to mail the phone to The Wireless Source using packaging materials provided by T-Mobile. Once the phone is received by TWS, you’ll get a check in the mail. As stated above, the exact value of the phone depends on a number of factors. However, T-Mobile’s trade-in site lists the HTC Evo as being worth up to $155, the Droid 2 is worth $110 and the iPhone 3GS 32GB is worth up to $170.00. Site [T-Mobile Trade-In Center] Read [Tmo News] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile It looks like the Motorola support website has confirmed some of the specs for the yet-to-be-officially-announced Droid X2 smartphone. In addition, they have posted the complete user manual for your reading pleasure. The handset, which we have already seen a fair bit of in terms of leaks is heading to Verizon but we are still left wondering when it will arrive and how much it will end up selling for. That aside though, in the meantime we can tell you that the Droid X2 is going to arrive sporting a 4.3 inch qHD display along with a dual-core 1GHz processor. Of course, the other goodies are also included such as GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a microSD card slot and HDMI. And with that, while we are waiting for the official announcement, we have that support site and user manual to keep us busy… Via [Droid X2 User Guide] and [Motorola] and [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware For our dear readers based in the UK who have been waiting for the arrival of the BlackBerry PlayBook, we have some good news. RIM’s flagship tablet now has a confirmed release date in the UK and that’s going to be this coming June 16th. Both Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy (as well as several others) have confirmed the PlayBook’s selling price point £399 for the 16GB model. In case you’ve been eyeing the iPad 2 but was a bit hesistant because of its price, well the thing is, the PlayBook’s price happens to be almost the same as the PlayBook. This is going to be a bit difficult to decide now as to whether you should go for the upcoming PlayBook or get the the iPad 2 right now. If you opt for the PlayBook, you better place your pre-order now as both mentioned retailers are reported to have started accepting pre-orders. Other models of the BlackBerry PlayBook are priced as follow in the UK - 32GB PlayBook for £479 and 64GB PlayBook for £559. Both models are Wi-Fi only and no words yet on when the 3G version of the PlayBook is coming out. In this case, you’ll be better off with a BlackBerry smartphone to serve as your Wi-Fi hotspot for the PlayBook. So, are you getting the BlackBerry PlayBook on June 16 or getting the iPad 2 right now, instead? Product [Carphone Warehouse] and [Best Buy UK] Via [Slashgear] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware, Software / Applications  If you’re a developer currently working on an application which will specifically run on any of the various Samsung mobile platforms, you might want to join the just announced Samsung Android Developer Forum. This forum was created to provide Android app developers a venue where they could get technical support. It supplements the existing Samsung Developers website which can be found at http://developer.samsung.com, and is aimed at becoming the single destination for developers who are working with any Samsung devices. It shall also serve as a repository for news, updates and feature-rich content about technical advices and supports. Said forum will also house the latest Samsung SDK’s, tutorial videos, and hardware and software updates. You can also get access to useful development tools to help you with complex projects such as the SDK plug-ins that can assist you with Augmented Reality (AR) or personalized LBS (location based services), dynamic theme tool, sensor simulator and remote test lab (RTL). The last item lets you test your apps remotely using a real device. More information about the Samsung Android Developer Forum can be found by hitting the product link below.. Via [Samsung Android Developer Forum] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Computers, Mobile Computers  Amazon has all but announced the existence of its own tablet. Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos recently told everyone to “stay tuned” when asked about an Amazon-branded tablet. Bezos didn’t reveal any specific details, but he did mention how Amazon will always have a device that’s dedicated to reading. That’s what the Kindle is for. Bezos also said he “shouldn't answer” in regards to some other kind of relatable product. To me, those quotes suggest that Bezos can’t wait to formally introduce the Amazon tablet. If leaks continue to emerge, the thunder may get taken from him.
A Boy Genius Report source says that Amazon has two tablets in the making. They are codenamed “Hollywood” and “Coyote.” Coyote is apparently a tablet with a NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor which will put it on the same playing field as many tablets that are currently available. The Hollywood model is unlike anything available. It is supposedly packing a quad-core processor that is known as Kal-El. Amazon has all the pieces to create its own ecosystem. Amazon has the Amazon Appstore, Amazon MP3, Cloud Drive, Amazon Video and the Kindle Store at its disposal. The big question is what these tablets will cost. A tablet with a quad-core processor certainly doesn’t sound like it will be budget priced. Amazon has to try to not get lost in the growing sea of $500+ tablets. Via [BGR] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  USA Today has just launched its mobile app for Windows phone, sporting a custom look and design made specifically for said devices. If you’re a Windows Phone user and a USA Today reader, you’ll be better off getting this app now as it contains eye catching photos and graphics together with of course news as culled by USA Today. The app features the latest news, sports scores, weather, photos and snapshots when available. Scrolling through the different news content is also a breeze with the app’s glanceable format and the app’s overall interface suits well the screen sizes of different Windows phone available in the market today. Here’s a quick rundown of what each of the sections of the USA Today Windows Phone app has to offer:
- Headlines - lets you browse and read stories from USA Today’s section on News, Money, Sports, Life, Tech and Travel; you can also share via email, text message, Twitter or Facebook
- Scores - lets you review the latest NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, college football and college basketball scores as well as filter these to your favorite conferences
- Weather - lets you see live weather conditions featuring up-to-the minute personal radar as well as five day forecast for your current location.
- Pictures - lets you browse the best news, sports, celebrities, science, travel and weather photos through a nice slideshow interface
- USA Today Snapshopts - lets you scan through USA Today Snapshots and also vote on the poll question for each of these snapshots
USA Today is available as a free download from the Windows Phone Marketplace. Via [USA Today] Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking Bing has officially teamed up with Facebook in a move which will give the social networking site deeply rooted integration into the search engine’s results and algorithms. Here’s what Microsoft had to say about the recent team up: "The best decisions are not just fueled by facts, they require the opinions and emotions of your friends. Search is now more than a fact finder — [In this update] we're marrying fact-based search results with your friends' street smarts to combine the best data on the Web with the opinions of the people you trust the most and the collective IQ of the Web."
This strikes me as odd. I thought the reason we sought information on the web was to find unbiased perspectives that would in turn provide us with unfamiliar insight on a given topic. This sort of idealism reminds me a lot of what Eli Pariser had to say during his TED speech on online filter bubbles. And what exactly does Microsoft mean by “best?” If anything, this sort of filtering will simply narrow the information people search for on the internet. Why would I want my search results reinforcing what my friends and other like-minded people already think? I digress. Here’s the list that Bing and Facebook have come up with: - Trusted Friends: People say seeing their friends' "likes" within search results could help them make better decisions.
- Improved "Liked" Results, Answers and Sites: Instantly see which stories, content and sites your Facebook friends have "liked," from news stories, celebrities, movies, bands, brands and more. Bing shows the faces of up to three of your friends that like a search result, offering a visual, virtual seal of approval from your trusted social network.
- Personalized Results: Bing surfaces content your friends have "liked" from deep within search results to appear higher in the results. Because most people don't go beyond page one of the results, they might be missing the best and most "socially relevant" information.
- Collective IQ: It's not just your friends that can help you out. There's also value in the larger brain trust of the Web. Bing is tapping into the Collective IQ of people for online decision making aiding scenarios like when your friends don't have the right expertise, or you may not even know exactly what you're looking for. Because people trust people – and if your friends can't help you decide, the rest of the Web can.
- Popular Sites: Bing shows collective "like" results related to trending topics, articles, and Facebook fan pages to find the most popular content. When you search for a recipe site, for example, you'll see specific articles people have liked on that site to help you cut through the clutter and find recommendations from others – both your friends and the broader Facebook community.
- Social Messages: Bing not only shows you what your friends like and share online, but also what major brands and companies are saying.
- Conversational Search: Many decisions require a discussion with your friends. By combining Facebook's communication tools with Bing, search can become conversational – taking decision-making on Bing from a passive experience to an active dialogue.
- Expanded Facebook Profile Search: Now when searching for a specific person, Bing will provide a more in-depth bio snapshot, such as location, education, and employment details to help you find who you're looking for more quickly.
- Bing Travel Wish List: You can compare trips with friends on Facebook, get their input, suggest new destinations for friends, and learn more about a destination on Bing Travel.
- Friends Who Live Here: Bing will show you which of your Facebook friends live or have lived in the city you're traveling to, so you know exactly who to go to for travel tips.
- Flight Deals: Bing will send you great deals on flights directly to your Facebook feed, for cities you've liked on Bing Travel.
- Shared Shopping Lists: You can build a shopping list and share, compare and discuss it with your friends on Facebook.
- Updated Bing Bar: The Bing Bar now includes a universal "like" button enabling you to like any site you visit.
I really hope this trend doesn’t catch on any time soon. The last thing the world needs is a search engine that promotes the segregation of information. And who knows, maybe some people don’t want to hear the other side(s) of the story. Here’s hoping that this “filter bubble” will only be an opt-in feature and not affect the entire Bing user base. Via [TheNextWeb] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers, Web, Online Music/Video In addition to the Premium Radio announcement, Slacker has also updated their iOS app and added support for the iPad. The app is now universal with support for the iPhone and iPod touch as well as the iPad and has gone up to version 3.0. The app is available as a free download and can be used with a Slacker Free, Slacker Radio Plus or Slacker Premium Radio subscription. Though, the latter two plans come at a price—$4.99 or $9.99 per month. Bottom line, Slacker users with an iPad now have a nice app to use as opposed to having to run the iPhone version in 1x or 2x mode. Via [Slacker Radio (App Store link)] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Computers, Mobile Computers If you’re looking to pick up a capable tablet offered in Canada that won’t break the bank, then you may want to consider the Dell Streak 7, which begins shipping in Canada today. For $399, the Dell Streak 7 tablet includes a 7 inch touch screen (as suggested by its name), a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 5MP rear facing camera, 1.3MP front facing camera, 16GB of onboard memory, WiFi, and operates on Android 2.2. No word on whether or not Dell plans to upgrade the tablet to Android 3.0. The Dell Streak 7 features impressive hardware at an affordable price, but it is disappointing that it ships with Froyo as opposed to Honeycomb. Via [MobileSyrup] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Business News, Communications, Smartphones The next major update to the Windows Phone operating system currently known as Mango will have a few more enhanced features that haven’t been officially revealed by Microsoft just yet. Much like the previous unofficial announcement, this news is also coming from the Windows Phone Dev Podcast. We can expect some substantial changes to the Windows Phone 7 operating system including support for Facebook Chat that’s built right in. The messaging hub of Windows 7.5 will make space for services such as AIM, Facebook Chat and Windows Live Messenger. Also, users will be able to create specific groups for contacts. If someone has one group of persons it sends the same email to, Windows Phone 7.5 will make it easy. Gaming was a selling point for Windows Phone 7. The Xbox Live integration was supposed to be a big deal, but we don’t hear too much about it these days. Once the update hits, Microsoft will place an even greater emphasis on Xbox Live connectivity. Though it hasn’t been confirmed, Microsoft is believed to be including syncing options for games. Users are expected to be greeted with different versions of Xbox Live for Windows Phone depending on whether they have Gold or Free memberships. Other new features include support for SkyDrive and Office 365 and a lock screen that shows album art when a song is playing. Read [WinRumors] Also Read [MSNBC] Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Audio, Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Mobile Computers, Web, Online Music/Video Slacker has launched their long awaited Premium Radio subscription service, which brings the available account levels up to three. Moving forward those looking to Slacker can choose between the free account, the Radio Plus account for $4.99 per month or the Premium Radio account for $9.99 per month. The launch of the Slacker Premium Radio service comes with an updated app for iOS, Android and the BlackBerry, which means that those who sign up for and/or upgrade to the Premium service will get on-demand listening with off-life support on any of those devices. In terms of features, Slacker Premium Radio offers everything that Radio Plus users get which includes the ability to skip an unlimited amount of songs, cache stations for offline playback, news radio, complete song lyrics and no ads. In addition, the Premium Radio users will be able to play songs, albums and artists on-demand and more. The full list of Premium Radio features include; - Search, play and replay specific songs or entire albums
- Create specific playlists on mobile and on the web
- Off-line playback of stations, playlists and albums on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, Android and BlackBerry smartphones
- Replay specific songs on programmed and custom stations
- Browse and play “Favorite” songs, now collected in one location
- Unlimited song skipping
- Ad-free listening
- Complete song lyrics
- Browse Top Charts on all Slacker genre stations
- “Peek Ahead” artist, album and song preview
- Ability to skip forward and backward
Via [Slacker on Facebook] Keep reading to check out the full press release… Slacker Radio Launches Slacker Premium with On-Demand Access to Slacker Music Library SAN DIEGO – May, 17 2011 – Slacker, Inc. today launched Slacker Premium Radio,
a new tier of service that provides music lovers with on-demand access to the Slacker music library including individual songs, albums, top charts, station playlists, single- artist radio stations and more. Slacker Premium takes the power, functionality and music discovery that Slacker Radio provides and combines it with the flexibility of integrated on-demand access for a new tier of service that provides the best of all worlds. Slacker Premium is available today on the web, and as new applications for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android and BlackBerry smartphones. The new applications deliver features for all listeners, including free listeners, subscribers to Slacker Radio Plus and now subscribers to Slacker Premium Radio. With the launch of Slacker Premium Radio, Slacker becomes the first music service to deliver three complementary tiers. From the entirely free Slacker Basic Radio service, to the ad-free and feature-rich Slacker Radio Plus and now on-demand access with Slacker Premium Radio, Slacker meets the needs of all music fans. Whether listeners prefer a superior free personal radio experience or the power of a fully-loaded music subscription service, Slacker is the only offering to provide the full suite of options. Slacker Premium Radio enables listeners to search, play and replay specific songs and entire albums from the Slacker library, which features over 8 million songs, as well as easy access to top songs and artists from each of the 150+ expert-programmed Slacker genre stations. Listeners also have the ability to create specific playlists both on mobile and on the web, and even experience off-line playback through the ability to cache stations, playlists and entire albums. A new Slacker station creator provides all listeners the ability to quickly and easily create multi-artist stations, with custom fine-tuning features for the perfect radio experience. All Slacker listeners also have the ability to create a radio experience ranging from stations based on a single artist to stations created by entering hundreds of hand-picked artists. In addition, Slacker Premium listeners can create and enjoy stations that will only play songs from a single chosen artist or band. In addition to the ability to search the entire Slacker catalog, the new Slacker Premium Radio service gives listeners more ways to browse stations than ever before, allowing an even deeper music discovery experience. Listeners can now browse expert hand- programmed genre stations to search and play top artists, view and play top songs and albums, allowing behind the scenes access to the “Top 50” charts for every station. The Slacker Premium Radio interface also includes all-new artist pages, featuring the artist biography, all songs by the artist, discography and related artists in addition to displaying on which Slacker stations each artist is programmed, for the ultimate artist access. “Up until this point there has been an array of ‘Internet radio’ and ‘on-demand’
services with much debate about which is better from a content, experience and
technology perspective,” said Jonathan Sasse, senior vice president of marketing
at Slacker. “Slacker Premium Radio provides music lovers with the best of both. We
believe the combination of a world class radio service providing music discovery up front with on-demand access to any song and entire albums is the winning combo.” Slacker Radio offers a fully customizable and personal online radio experience that
includes the most varied and compelling range of content offered by any Internet radio service. The Slacker Radio experience includes over 150 expert-programmed music stations, ABC news, comedy, custom artist-hosted showcase stations and leading music festival stations along with personalized ESPN Sports content integration coming soon. With a music catalog that is over ten times larger than the leading radio competitor, Slacker Radio gives listeners the ultimate music discovery resource. Slacker Premium Radio:
• Search, play and replay specific songs or entire albums
• Create specific playlists on mobile and on the web
• Off-line playback of stations, playlists and albums on the iPad, iPhone and iPod
touch, Android and BlackBerry smartphones
• Replay specific songs on programmed and custom stations
• Browse and play “Favorite” songs, now collected in one location
• Unlimited song skipping
• Ad-free listening
• Complete song lyrics†
• Browse Top Charts on all Slacker genre stations
• “Peek Ahead” artist, album and song preview
• Ability to skip forward and backward
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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