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Sirius XM Creates App
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Music,
Sirius XM, in a valiant effort to stay afloat, is launching an app for iPhone and iPod touch users to access the satellite radio service. Expected out in Q2, no extra equipment is needed to access the content for new subscribers. Although no specific price was mentioned, the company said it would be available to their 19 million regular subscribers as well as the 7 million U.S. iPhone users. This is good news for the beleaguered company since it has lost sales from automobiles and those who just cannot afford the luxury of the music service.
Read More | Reuters
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AT&T CruiseCast to Include Satellite Stations
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Music, Transportation,
Now you can watch 22 TV and 20 radio satellite channels in your car with AT&T CruiseCast. Watch or listen to kids, entertainment, documentary, music, comedy, news and sports channels. Working with RaySat, the system features a receiver and compact antenna for trucks, cars and SUVs that they claim overcomes out-of-sight obstacles like tunnels or trees. CruiseCast works with any existing rear seat entertainment system and will be available this spring for $1,299.00 plus ~$28.00 monthly subscription fee.
Read More | CruiseCast
Internet Beats Newspapers
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Misc. Tech,
A report from PEW says that the Internet is second in use as a source for news. About 40% reported that they get their news there. That’s up from 24% in September 2007. The survey also stated that 70% still get their news from TV while only 35% read newspapers. (Yes, we know that is more than 100%, but some had multiple responses.) This diagram certainly reflects a change in those 18 to 29. We expect that the figure will keep going up. A couple of weeks ago both the Detroit Free Press and News were the first to end daily home delivery.
Read More | PEW
Can We Expect a Return of the Fairness Doctrine?
Posted by Cynthia Guenthner Categories: Media,
Following the Democrats’ capturing the White House and gaining 6 seats in the Senate and 19 in the House, there’s a good possibility we’ll see a revival of the so-called “Fairness Doctrine.” Sal alluded to this in one of his blogs, and I’d like to further elaborate.
From 1949-1987, the Fairness Doctrine ruled the broadcast industry. It was originally designed to ensure a “balance” of opinions over the airwaves when only three or four major networks dominated radio and the medium of television was still in its infancy. By the time the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), during the Reagan administration, abolished the Doctrine, cable and satellite TV had offered competitive alternatives to the big broadcast networks.
Click to continue reading Can We Expect a Return of the Fairness Doctrine?
Sonos Controller for iPhone hits App Store
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Music, Software,
If you thought we were done with today’s Sonos news, think again - they’re on a roll, having just announced the availability of Sonos Controller for iPhone and iPod touch, for free. If you’re a Sonos fan, then you immediately understand what this means. If you own an iPhone or iPod touch, you get a touchscreen Sonos controller, at no extra cost. Seriously, that rocks. The new app gives you access to all the new Sonos 2.7 features we told you about earlier as well, like Rhapsody, Sirius, Last.fm, and tons of radio from across the globe. In fact, with the Sonos Controller for iPhone, you can access music from any computer on your network, a NAS drive, or even a Time Capsule. When you realize that one of the standard Sonos Controller remote costs $400, you begin to see how big a deal this is. Releasing this as a free download makes Sonos instantly easier to use, especially in a multi-zone, multi-iPhone household, like mine.
Be sure to check out our Sonos Controller for iPhone gallery for some high resolution stills of the app, which is available now on the App Store.
Click to continue reading Sonos Controller for iPhone hits App Store
Gallery:
Sonos 2.7 goes live: Multi-room Last.fm, Pandora, Sirius, 15,000 radio stations, more
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet, Music, Wireless / WiFi,
We are big fans of Sonos here at Gear Live, which is why we are super excited about the new Sonos 2.7 update that is launching today. This one truly fits in with the whole goal of filling your home with music from anywhere on the planet. Let’s jump into this. The new update provides computer-free access to services like Last.fm, Pandora, and more than 15,000 radio stations from around the globe, all at no additional fee. If you subscribe to a subscription service like Napster, Rhapsody, or Sirius, they’ve got you covered there too. They’ll all stream directly to your Sonos system, with no need for a computer or server running in the background. That’s some slick stuff.
Even better, the Last.fm integration is fantastic. Every song you listen to through a subscription service, or your music library, is scrobbled and added to your Last.fm profile. A few other new features in Sonos System Software 2.7:
- Rhapsody now streams at 192 kbps MP3 as opposed to 128 kbps WMA
- RTSP streaming protocol now supported, allowing for greater Internet radio coverage
- Better language support
The update is free to all Sonos owners.
Slacker Offers Halloween Radio
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Portable Audio / Video,
The jocks at Slacker have created a new Halloween Radio Station with classics, film scores and effects that they feel will put you in the holiday mood. There are over 120 artists including, Black Sabbath, MIA, Neil Young, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and, of course, Ozzie Osbourne. Download their free Slacker G2 Player or send to your PMP and enjoy their various genres with CD quality. Slacker is offering a free
7-day trial of their Premium Package which allows you to request tunes, save them, and get unlimited skips with no ads. If you like what you hear, subscription is only $7.50 a month. If you happen to pick up a Slacker G2 portable unit, you get 30 days to decide if you like it. If not, you can send it back to them for a full refund.
As a side note, we’ve played with Slacker, and we think it’s fantastic.
Read More | Slacker
Tantrum Throwing Alarm Clock
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
If you know someone who is nasty in the morning, what better way to get back at him/her than with the Tantrum Throwing Alarm Clock? When the alarm goes off, it lightly taps its arm, but if you don’t hit its snooze sensor within a minute, it will go slightly ballistic. If you sleep through that or ignore it, it will finally shut down after an hour. The clock can also dance to music from its built-in radio or your PMP, flash its lights, and swing its arms. Tap its head’s sensor and you get it to smile and tap its fists. When its eyes flash in red, it is time to change the TTAC’s 4 AA batteries or plug it into an AC outlet. At a size of 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 5-inches and a weight of 2 1/4 lbs., the naughty timepiece can be yours for $49.99.
Read More | Hammacher Schlemmer
Nomad Portable Speaker
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
Based on a 1930 vintage design, the Nomad Portable Speaker is lightweight and very mod looking with its wood cabinet, leatherette handle, and tweed vinyl accents. The 11.25 x 7.5 x 5.25-inch device has a dedicated aux input for your MP3 player/iPod, a telescopic antenna, and on/off/volume and tuning knobs. With its electronic tuner, you can choose AM/FM/Aux input with a simple switch. An iPod/MP3 cord and AC adapter are included, but not the 4AA batteries it requires. The speaker can be pre-ordered for $72.00.
Read More | Urban Outfitters
XM Radio’s portable XMp3 device appears in Popular Science
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video,
It’s rare that things like this get covered in print before they do online, but XM‘s upcoming XMp3 device is one of the exceptions. Appearing in the latest issue of Popular Science, the XMp3 has yet to receive an official release date or price. What we do know is that it can decode, and record, up to five XM stations at one time. That’s kind of cool, we guess, although radio recording isn’t really our thing (although, some of that O&A stuff can get pretty hilarious.) Once we know more, you’ll know more. For now, just know it’s on its way.
Read More | OrbitCast
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