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'Up Next' is an Apple Music series highlighting new artists
Apparently Apple's Clive Davis documentary isn't the only music-related news from the tech juggernaut today. Apple Music has a new monthly feature series called Up Next as well. As the name suggests, it focuses on up-and-coming artists. The first installment looks at Atlanta rapper 6LACK (pronounced "black") with a mini-documentary, a spotlight on his latest album, a live performance and an interview with Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe (above) in addition to a few playlists. Like 9to5Mac noticed, the performance being named "Up Next Sessions" suggests we might see more of the live videos.
Amazon reportedly acquires UpNext, 3D map wars begin in earnest (update: value might vary)
We might as well call 2012 the year of the 3D map. We've seen both Apple and Google show their cards, but GigaOM now hears that Amazon has jumped in by acquiring newcomer UpNext. The details are scant, but the approximately $2.5 million deal would give Amazon the startup's 3D, Android-native maps of 50 US cities, complete with navigation and extra information about notable buildings. The online reseller hasn't confirmed whether or not the acquisition is happening, which leaves it very much in rumor territory for now. That said, it's not hard to imagine Amazon taking that leap. The Kindle Fire is cut out of the official Android ecosystem and won't get built-in 3D maps without effort on its creator's part -- a buyout would certainly put that mapping on the fast track. Update: As reader James points out, the value of the deal is likely to be higher: unless the $500,000 investment let the investors control all of the company and the sale price wasn't higher, talk of a fivefold return on investment could represent considerably more than $2.5 million. Without any official response from Amazon, though, it's probable that the acquisition was small enough that it didn't have to publicly report the details.
Daily iPad App: UpNext 3D delivers free maps
I love maps. I've had printed atlases for years, I have globes all over the house, and I had some of the early mapping applications for the Mac like DeLorme Street Atlas. Sadly, DeLorme abandoned the Mac years ago. Suffice it to say that any new mapping application will get my attention right away. Let me direct your attention to UpNext HD Maps. It's a free app for the iPad that gives you searchable, zoomable maps with 50 of the cities rendered in 3D, and 23 with extremely enhanced details. You can click on a building and see what businesses are inside. You can search for recreation, dining, shopping and more. The app is connected to Yelp so you can often find reviews of places that might interest you. There is also a deal finder which will show you any discounts at nearby locations. The app requires an Internet connection, but can pre-cache recent places you've been when you're offline. In terms of performance the app was pretty peppy on a Wi-Fi connection, but frankly it would be very slow on most 3G connections. The data needed to render buildings realistically in 3D is not small. You can find maps of everywhere in the United States, but you will only get the detailed 3D renderings in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Paul, and Washington DC. I did have a few crashes when using the app, and I noticed that once you venture outside the center city area, you quickly lose the 3D display. There are big gaps in information, so don't expect detailed info everywhere you click. Even so, this is a worthwhile app to play around with, and the price is exactly right. I'm hopeful that the app will get more stable, add more information, and include more cities. The app works with any iPad and requires IOS 4.0 or later. It's a 16 MB download. I've grabbed some screen shots which you can browse below. %Gallery-145339%
Mobile Miscellany: week of October 31, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of October 31, 2011: If you have a Verizon tablet and a strong aversion for Google Maps, try UpNext HD Maps. Released by the carrier this week, it's interactive and offers 3D, and uses quick tabs to help you find restaurants, nightlife, businesses and so on. [Droid-Life] Motorola Droid RAZR release rumor: how does November 11th, 2011 at 11:11AM sound? [AndroidCentral] Apparently it's Verizon week, because here's another one from Big Red. This rumor's about the LG Spectrum, which is being regarded as the Revolution 2. It's apparently showing up in some Verizon database, according to screenshots; the images don't really give away a whole lot, other than the fact it appears to have LTE -- not really a shocker for the sequel to the Revolution. [Droid-Life] The BlackBerry 9790 Bellagio got a bit of hands-on time, and has a bunch of images to prove it. [N4BB] Let's face it -- not everyone is enamored by the look of the Motorola RAZR. Y'know, the new one. This week, a version of the device with a different design, dubbed the MT917, was spotted en route to China. It has a lot of similar specs inside, but it has rounded corners and includes a TD-SCDMA radio. [Unwired View] The Google Reader and Google Docs apps on Android have been given refreshes, both of which having been inspired by Ice Cream Sandwich. Head to the Market and check them out. [Droid-Life]
