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iTunes extends song previews to 90 seconds
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music,
Is 30 seconds enough time to get a feel for a song? If you said no, Apple agrees with you — today the company is rolling out 90-second previews for some songs on iTunes.
Prior to today, song previews were limited to half a minute, and for many songs they still will be. The 90-second previews are limited to songs that are more than 2 minutes and 30 seconds in length. Songs shorter than that retain their 30-second samples.
For example, looking at iTunes' most recent high-profile addition, the Beatles catalog, "Let It Be" (4:03) and "Hey Jude" (7:11) both get the 90-second treatment while "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (2:26) and "Love Me Do" (2:21) give listeners just 30 seconds to decide if they want to make a purchase.
The extension has been expected for over a month. Reports in early November said that Apple had sent a letter to the music labels informing them of the move, and that it was incumbent on them to opt-out if they didn't support the move. A cursory sampling of music from artists on all four of the major labels indicates none opted out.
For now the 90-second previews appear limited to the U.S. iTunes store. In the letter to the labels, Apple said it was believed that longer previews for some songs would lead to more sales, an assertion supported by research from Robert Morris University.
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Report: Beatles Library Finally Coming to iTunes
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Industry News, Rumors, Rock, iTunes,
Imagine people across the universe being able to purchase music from The Beatles on iTunes. That could happen very soon if a report from the Wall Street Journal is correct.
According to the newspaper, a deal might have finally been struck between Apple Inc., parties representing the Fab Four and record label EMI.
Although the band members – creators of Apple Corps Ltd. – and the computer company have long disputed over the “Apple” name, “people familiar with the situation” claim an agreement has been reached over the Beatles’ catalogue.
These same people also warn that Apple Inc. “could change plans at the last minute.”
It’s believed the new deal will be formally announced at a press conference scheduled for Tuesday.
Read More 
| Wall Street Journal
iTunes 10.1 now available with Airplay and iOS 4.2 support
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Software,
Wanna finally get in on that AirPlay video action with the new Apple TV? iTunes 10.1 is what you need, and Apple just pushed the update out a little while ago. You can download it right now. Oh, and the release also includes iOS 4.2 support, which should be launching sometime within the next week or so.
Read More | iTunes
iTunes mislabels iOS
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Software,
Awkwaaaard. Looks like proper capitalization of iOS didn't make it onto the code redemption page in iTunes. All joking aside, it's just odd to see an error like this one from Apple.
Bleeding Edge TV 367: Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Cell Phones, Features, Microsoft, Podcasts, Software, Videocasts, Videos,
As we mentioned in our Windows Phone 7 review, Microsoft has given Mac users a way to sync their phones and Zune devices with their computers. Windows Phone 7 devices have no Zune client to sync with a Mac, which would have left Mac owners out in the cold. However, Microsoft is releasing the Windows Phone 7 Connector software for Mac, allowing Mac users to sync content from iTunes, iPhoto, and other areas of their Mac, directly to their Windows Phone 7 and Zune handhelds. Hey...it's better than nothing. We give you a look at how it all works in this episode.
Apple TV review (2010): 5 Things We Like
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Product Reviews,
We know you’ve been waiting for our Apple TV review, and we’ve been playing with Apple’s second try at a home theater set top box for about ten days now, and figured it was time to report back with our thoughts. The thing is, it really is a lot of the same in terms of usability and interface. There aren’t many changes (yet!) to that side of things, despite things being very different under the hood. The new Apple TV is a lot smaller, and runs iOS 4, and is priced at just $99. It’s centered around a focus on renting movies and TV shows rather than purchasing them. It’s also got Netflix integration and the new AirPlay functionality that allows you to fling video and audio content from your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch right to the Apple TV with ease.
Rather than go into this as a full review, we figured we’d focus instead on five aspects of the new Apple TV that we like, and five things about the Apple TV that we hate. So let’s jump into five things we like about the Apple TV:
Click to continue reading Apple TV review (2010): 5 Things We Like
Reuters: Apple finally readying subscription music service
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Rumors,
We’ve been waiting for Apple to launch some sort of iTunes subscription music service for years now. Seeing other companies like Rhapsody, Napster, and Microsoft’s Zune offer it while leaving Apple out has been pretty frustrating. However, today Reuters is reporting (alongside CNET and the New York Post) that Apple is in talks with all the major record execs to pitch a new subscription music service. Basically, for $10-15 per month, you’d get unlimited access to pretty much the entire iTunes music library. It’s definitely a move to ward off Spotify, since they are trying hard to get into the US, as well as the impending launch of Windows Phone 7 which will include a hyped up and renewed push of the Zune Pass. We’d love to see this one happen.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 release date
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Downloadable Content, PlayStation Network, Screenshots, SEGA, Xbox Live Arcade,
The long winded wait for the blue blur’s glorious return to form has been a grueling tale of teasers followed by long periods of nothingness. Finally, a light can be seen at the end of the tunnel, and for some that light is closer than it is for others.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be available first in the iTunes App Store beginning on October 7th. The next iteration will be available for download on the Wii Shop Channel October 11th, followed by the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade versions hitting October 12th and 13th respectively.
Wii owners can expect to relinquish 1500 Wii Points; PSN users - $14.99; and XBLA - 1200 Microsoft Points. The iPhone price will be specified later this week.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be the first of an unspecified number of episodes. Game play is similar to the original Sega Genesis titles, namely the original Sonic the Hedgehog, with a few new twists and graphical enhancements thrown in for the modern age.
Click to continue reading Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 release date
Read More | IGN
Apple updates Ping, still annoying and restrictive
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Software,
Over the weekend, Apple released iTunes 10.0.1, which mainly adds a sidebar to the music library for interaction with their Ping social network. The change makes it easier to “like” and “post” music that’s in your iTunes library to Ping, without having to actually go into the Ping area of the store. It’s obvious that the change is a way for Apple to spur more usage in Ping, which we are guessing has seen interest and usage drop since it was released at their last fall music event.
The problem with Ping is that Apple refuses to allow you to use it with any music that they don’t sell. Big Beatles fan? No way to show that in Ping, because Apple won’t let you post or like any Beatles tracks, since they don’t sell them. It’s almost asinine. Imagine if Facebook didn’t allow you to talk about anyone who didn’t have a Facebook account. Today I tried to “like” a track in my library that I was listening to, and I was greeted with the error message that you see above.
Until Apple makes Ping more of a social network, and less of a music selling tool, consider us uninterested.
Mix Tape: More Money for Eminem, More Football for Faith Hill
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Artist News, Performances, Rumors, Country, Hip-Hop & Rap, Rock,
-Eminem’s publishing company is owed money by Universal Music Group, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals. It was ruled that UMG needs to pay royalties for iTunes purchases and ringtone sales.
-Musical performers will help kick off the official start of football season. On September 9, Taylor Swift and the Dave Matthews Band will perform in New Orleans prior to the Minnesota Vikings/New Orleans Saints game. The pregame show will air on NBC and the NFL Network.
-Speaking of football, a familiar voice will sing us into the Sunday evening battles. Country star Faith Hill has been chosen to once again perform the “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” theme song. Faith has had that gig since 2007.
-The boys of New Jersey may soon take over Las Vegas. Bon Jovi is reportedly “excited” by a multimillion-dollar offer to take up residency at one of the area hotels.
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