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Aether's music-streaming 'Cone' now lets you ditch the Rdio subscription
When I tested Aether's "Cone" music player I was intrigued, but cautious, about the idea. At $400 (plus a required Rdio subscription) it was a hard sell for many -- especially with strong competition. Today, Aether shows that it's working on making its "thinking" speaker a better deal. Starting today, the Cone will play Rdio's free/ad-supported service, meaning you don't need to shell out any cash every month if you don't mind commercials. The white/silver version is also now on sale (which might suit your pad that little bit more). Lastly, UK availability and a much needed web-setup option mean those without an iPhone/the wrong OS/wrong zip code are no longer left out. While many might wish for a broader range of supported music services (currently Rdio and Stitcher are the only ones), Aether is at least showing signs of intent to keep up with the likes of Sonos -- a company that's issued several usability updates recently. It's up to you whether it's now worth a "spin."
Aether's Cone speaker is a fresh spin on music streaming
The first HiFi I had all to myself was a hand-me-down Sony music center (something like this). It was a mix of faux-wood panels and brushed metal, with three media options: cassette, vinyl and radio. Then the '90s mainstay "all-in-one" HiFi (and CD!) became my main music hub for many years. These days, it's a very different game. If you're not running a networked system, connected to your favorite streaming services, then, frankly, you're doing it wrong. But, what if you don't want an all-encompassing solution from the likes of Sonos or Bang & Olufsen? You could go with Bluetooth speakers, but that's a whole different proposition altogether (and a bit of a minefield). Then there's the Cone by Aether. It's portable, networked and works with streaming services. At $400 (the same price as Sonos' Play:5 speaker), it's going to have to have a few tricks up it's sleeve to lure in potential buyers. I have a fairly large gap in my music room though -- can this fill it?
Cone is a speaker that always plays the right song
What if you could turn on a speaker and instantly listen to the perfect song for that moment? That's the idea behind Cone, a new web-connected music player that works like a radio of sorts -- but only for the music you want to hear. The device works with your tunes and multiple streaming radio services simultaneously, and starts pumping out the jams the moment you turn it on. If what comes out isn't quite what you want to hear, the front of Cone works as a dial you can turn to listen to something new. Want something totally different? A quick full spin of the front of the device will change up the type of music currently playing to something on the other end of the spectrum. You can also ask Cone to play a particular song, album or podcast by either by speaking to it or making a selection within the device's accompanying app. After setup, which currently requires a device running iOS 7 or Mavericks (and up), you can control Cone exclusively on the device with no need to pull out your computer or phone. The more you use Cone, the more it learns. Over time the device will figure out that you enjoy slow jams on Friday nights, but love to party come Saturday morning. The speaker has a built-in 8-hour battery, so you can take it out on the front porch or with you to the kitchen when you're making dinner. When you do move it, the device's built-in accelerometer tells the speaker it's changed locations, and customizes tunes for your new space. The streaming music services Cone works with will be announced a bit later on, but expect to see the names of some of your favorite players in the space. You can also expect Windows PC and Android support to be headed down the pipeline in the future.
Encrypted Text: Rogues do it from behind
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. The best way to improve your DPS is to attack more. I'm not talking about stacking haste so that your attacks are swift as lightning, but rather about not missing any opportunities. In order for a rogue to deal maximum damage, he needs to be in melee range of something that needs to die at all times. Staying in melee range can be difficult, as bosses are always tossing out pools of fire and knocking us back into the walls. Rogues need to be tenacious; we need to be vicious dogs that won't let go of our prey for any reason. We need to hustle between targets, minimizing the amount of time we see "Out of Range" at the top of our screen. In order to ensure that we're on our targets at all times, we need to learn about how melee mechanics work.