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DoubleTwist's CloudPlayer can stream to Android Wear and Auto
DoubleTwist's CloudPlayer can already pull and stream media from Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive accounts, but now it works on AllPlay speakers, Android smartwatches and Auto. Yep, you'll be able to stream your tunes in your car, on your wrist and in your home or office... depending on where you store your non-smartphone Android hardware. With AllPlay support it also means you can now use CloudPlayer on Chromecast Audio, Apple TV or an AllPlay speaker. These are all great reasons to give doubleTwist's media player a shot -- unless you're already busy with one of the (many) other options available.
Qualcomm brings Bluetooth support to AllPlay audio streaming
Qualcomm just announced additional ways to input audio into its AllPlay WiFi streaming platform. The feature now supports Bluetooth and analog audio input on supported devices. Once the Bluetooth-streamed audio hits the "master" device, the audio is then distributed via WiFi to satellite speakers that don't necessarily have to be from the same manufacturers. Bluetooth has become the de facto method of wirelessly streaming music to speakers and it makes sense for Qualcomm to start supporting the protocol. Analog inputs expand the reach of AllPlay to devices like turntables and home stereo systems without wireless support.
Qualcomm's universal media streaming comes to SoundCloud
Qualcomm's AllPlay universal media streaming hasn't had quite as much traction as technologies like DLNA or Apple's AirPlay, but it's definitely gaining some momentum in the new year. The mobile chip maker has unveiled a new round of both hardware and service partners that will let you use AllPlay, some of which you'll definitely recognize. Both SoundCloud and Tidal plan to offer support later this year, making sure that you can hear remixes, podcasts and pristine-sounding songs on a wide range of networked speakers and stereos. Chinese and Korean listeners, meanwhile, will be happy to know that QQ Music and KT Music are also on deck.
Qualcomm's universal AllPlay streaming now works with Spotify
Qualcomm's AllPlay is supposed to deliver a world of simple, universal media streaming, and it just came a lot closer to realizing that vision by both landing a raft of new partners and widening its app program. You can now stream to AllPlay devices using several additional music services, including Spotify; if you want to blast that new album on every system in the house, you can. Appropriately, both Fon's Gramofon media hub and Monster's SoundStage speakers will now take your AllPlay tunes.
Qualcomm's AllPlay wireless streaming adds iHeartRadio, Panasonic and Altec Lansing to its list of partners
Though Qualcomm introduced the AllPlay wireless streaming technology at its Uplinq conference in San Diego four months ago, it wasn't ready for OEMs and app developers to start incorporating into their products. That ends today, however, with the official commercial availability of the AllPlay smart media platform. Several companies have already committed themselves to the standard, like Grooveshark, Tune-In, Rhapsody, iHeartRadio, Panasonic and Altec Lansing, with more on the way. A key factor in AllPlay's platform is Qualcomm's new smart audio module -- which has an Atheros 2x2 dual-band WiFi SoC -- that manufacturers can simply pop in their existing offerings and have it instantly be AllPlay-friendly. Today's announcement also includes the release of AllPlay's Click SDK so that developers can start integrating AllPlay functionality into their Android and iOS apps. As a brief reminder, AllPlay is an audio-streaming solution based on Qualcomm's AllJoyn connectivity framework. It's thus designed to be open source, promising universal interoperability among software and hardware that adhere to the AllPlay protocol. That means AllPlay devices should play well with compatible apps and vice versa. Thanks to a Party mode feature, you can play different songs on different speakers throughout the house and have separate volume controls for each. Other goodies include support for a variety of different audio codecs (MP3, AAC, AAC+, FLAC and WAV just to name a few) and DLNA support. "We prefer the analog approach of interoperability," says Sy Choudhury, senior director of product management for Qualcomm. Either consumers have to buy into a single company, or they have to settle for something like stereo Bluetooth, which Choudhury says doesn't offer high enough audio quality. "Snapdragon allowed a lot more interoperability and smaller OEMs to join the mobile market ... we're trying to do the same with the home audio industry." As for just when we'll see the first consumer device with AllPlay, that remains to be seen, but it seems like we should expect a few by the end of 2014.
Qualcomm takes on AirPlay with AllPlay wireless streaming
Looks like the Toq smartwatch isn't Qualcomm's only announcement today. At the chipmaker's Uplinq conference in San Diego, CEO Paul Jacobs also announced AllPlay, a wireless audio streaming tech based on Qualcomm's Alljoyn software framework. Like Apple's AirPlay, the technology lets the user stream music from apps to compatible speakers, receivers or other devices. One of AllPlay's first partners is Rhapsody, and Jon Irwin, president of the music service company, came on stage with Jacobs to demonstrate streaming Rhapsody tunes to several different speakers in the room. Other AllPlay features include the ability to play different songs on different speakers and you can even have separate volume controls for each. According to Jacobs, AllPlay-compatible audio equipment is coming and an AllPlay SDK should be out before the end of the year. There's no word yet on which hardware maker is on board. Nevertheless, it does seem like the media streaming space just got a lot more competitive. [Image source: GigaOm]
