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Dashboard beta leaks new Xbox Music Pass: Cloud playlists and early pricing revealed
Appearing soon after Zune's end, we've been sent these images of what Microsoft's likely to offer in Xbox Music. Matching those early rumors, it looks like some cloud-linked features will make an appearance in the form of synchronized playlists, while the service will offer a free half-month trial alongside paid subscriptions. Prices are currently set at £8.99 ($15) for a month, while £89.90 ($146) will offer a year's unlimited access to "millions" of tracks, to stream and download across Xbox, Windows, and Windows Phone. The system's UI seems to borrow its looks from Windows' Metro tile-based style, with a very similar keyboard that appears to be navigable from your Xbox controller. Take a tour of the gallery below and expect to hear more specifics ahead of the big Windows 8 launch next month. [Thanks Anonymous]
Select Zune services being pulled, Xbox 360 largely unaffected
Microsoft is preparing its transition from Zune to Xbox Music, announcing today that select Zune functionality would go the way of the Dodo starting tomorrow, August 31. Xbox 360 users will find their experience pretty much the same for now – you can still stream unlimited music videos with your Zune Pass subscription.With the Windows 8 launch right around the corner on October 26, Microsoft is doing away with Zune HD apps and many aspects of using Zune on the PC, Engadget reports. Social Zune features such as sending messages, sharing playlists and viewing past play history have been axed, and users may no longer purchase or stream music videos on the PC, nor can Zune users re-download, re-activate or re-license music videos on new machines or if they upgrade to Windows 8.
Zune's last days: Microsoft pulling Zune HD apps, select features on August 31st
Microsoft's oddly named music service put its official resignation in earlier this summer, but the Zune brand isn't in its coffin just yet -- although Redmond is certainly driving in the nails. Zune Pass subscribers, for instance, are now receiving word that the service's Mixview playback and channel playlist features will be discontinued on August 31st, along with music video streaming from the Zune desktop software. User licenses to previously purchased music videos are being reworked as well, cutting off user access to old content on new machines. The service's once heavily touted social aspect seems to be making way for Xbox Music as well: users will no longer be able to send or receive messages, invite friends or share songs, playlists, and play history. Last, but not least, the company is dealing its old hardware one final blow by discontinuing Zune HD apps -- not that there were many to kill off. Microsoft has little else to say in the brief email, but promises to share more information about Xbox Music soon. Check it out for yourself after the break.
Windows 8's stock apps get pictured, tease its final build
Microsoft might be wavering on the well established Metro moniker that it ascribes to its flat, live tile design aesthetic, but that doesn't make it any less pervasive in Windows 8's final build. Care to see? Impatient Windows fans have pilfered a handful of screenshots from Google and Windows Store previews, revealing what appears to be the final look for several of Windows 8's apps. Gumshoes at the Neowin forums uncovered fresh previews of the Photos, Mail, Messaging, People, Calendar Xbox music, Xbox video and Xbox SmartGlass applications. Liveside followed up on the forum's findings with a peek at the OS' baked in Bing integration. The camera interface's crop and video playback features make an appearance too, as do the operating system's legacy time wasters: Solitaire, Minesweeper and Mahjong -- slacking off never looked so good. Check them out for yourself in the gallery below, and agonize over how far away October 26th suddenly seems. %Gallery-161692%
Windows Phone 8 SDK leaks show quiet upgrades to backup, media and the kitchen sink
The Windows Phone 8 SDK has escaped to the wild, and some sifting through the device emulator has dug up elements that Microsoft either skipped or only touched on lightly during the big unveiling in June. The most important addition may be the one customers see the least: backup. A WP7.hu search has the new OS replicating apps, settings and SMS messages in the cloud to prevent disaster, and that new SD card support will let WP8 owners shuffle photos from internal storage to the removable kind for safekeeping. There's also more work on Internet Explorer than we saw before, with MobileTechWorld noticing that DataSense provides an option for Opera-like remote compression to save that precious cellular bandwidth. Media fans might have the most to gain. If we go by The Verge, both the Music/Video and Xbox hubs are getting fresh coats of paint -- both to integrate new ventures like Xbox Music as well as to jive more closely with the SmartGlass visual theme. Shutterbugs will like the long-awaited options to crop and rotate their work, pick multiple photos, and unify third-party camera apps under a Lenses concept. There's even more clever features in store, such as a Maps update that finds nearby WiFi hotspots, so head on over to the sources to get a full sense of where Microsoft will be going.
Report: Xbox Music to allow subscription streaming, a la carte purchasing
The recently announced Xbox Music service will feature both a subscription-based model and the ability to purchase individual tracks, according to a Bloomberg report. The service will reportedly allow users to stream music for a monthly or yearly subscription, in addition to traditional purchases.Furthermore, an "online locker" of sorts may allow customers to store their music collections online for a fee, with the really intriguing part being that the locker could store music purchased from other services as well. As previously announced, said music will be playable across a range of devices, notably those that run Windows 8.In other words, it sounds like Xbox Music will offer similar functionality to what is currently offered by the Zune service, with the added benefit of having a name that isn't associated with grim failure.
Xbox Music said to rival Spotify and iTunes, Microsoft to make a mark in music
Xbox Music is coming to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, that much we know. We also know that the Zune brand is dead. But whether the new service will be a simple rebadge or an entirely new beast remains a mystery. Bloomberg has it on good authority, however, that that Xbox Music will more than just a new face. Microsoft is allegedly combining all the most successful elements of its competitors -- streaming, online storage, and offline syncing -- into a product that will put iTunes, Spotify and Google Play squarely in its crosshairs. The company is allegedly in talks with the record labels to secure the necessary rights for a monthly subscription service and a market for purchasing tracks. It will also take a page from Google Music and allow customers to upload their own collections. If Microsoft can pull off a such a comprehensive service others in the field better watch out -- few companies have the reach or budget of Redmond.
Microsoft announces Xbox Music, coming to 360, PCs, tablets and phones
Say goodbye to Zune, folks. Microsoft has just announced its brand new Xbox Music service during its big E3 presentation. That brings with a library of more than 30 million tracks, which you'll be able to access across all of your Microsoft devices, including your PC, Windows 8 tablet and Windows Phone in addition to the Xbox 360 itself. Expectedly, that all comes wrapped in a Metro-style interface, but it appears to basically be a Zune rebrand beyond that, with few other surprises to be found (at least for now). Follow our liveblog of Microsoft's E3 keynote right here! %Gallery-156888%
Xbox Music coming with 30 million tracks
Microsoft has announced a new music service, branded Xbox Music. Calling it the music service Microsoft "always wanted" to develop, the new service will feature 30 million music tracks that'll be accessible on the Xbox 360, Windows 8 PCs, tablets and phones.Previously, Microsoft's musical efforts were focused on the Zune Marketplace, which may or not be a thing. No one at Joystiq seems to remember.
Ballmer: Microsoft will launch Xbox Music this fall (update: not true)
Steve Ballmer revealed a new service yesterday that should be, ahem, music to your ears when it starts spinning this fall. During Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, the Windows chief mentioned Xbox Music -- a MS-branded music streaming service, with over 11 million songs and Kinect compatibility. That last feature will let you shout your music selections across the room, and could result in some pretty gnarly sibling battles whenever music tastes don't match. Unlike the console's current last.fm offering, we can only hope that Music will support multitasking, allowing you to settle those musical differences in the virtual boxing ring as the beat goes on, rather than on the living room floor. Update: The Business Insider editor who reported the quote tweeted a correction and updated the article, explaining "No new Xbox Music service coming this fall. Just voice command to existing service. 'Xbox. Music.' Correction posted."
Microsoft states 'Xbox Music' launching in fall is 'inaccurate'
Update: Statement from Microsoft: "Reports that Microsoft is launching a new music service on Xbox this fall are inaccurate. A recent demonstration of upcoming Xbox features showcased what we will deliver later this fall on Xbox, including voice search with Bing on Xbox to locate and access entertainment content on the console. This includes Zune music which has a catalog of more than 11 million tracks." Business Insider has updated its story to clarify: "What's coming this fall is voice commands through Kinect, and the way to get that music is to say 'Xbox. Music.' So that's the command, not a new name service." Original: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer mentioned a service called "Xbox Music" at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles yesterday, according to Business Insider. Ballmer stated the service would be enabled this fall, contain over 11 million songs and be compatible with Kinect. With rumors of some Zune Marketplace subscription service coming to the console and the Zune brand having been on shaky ground for a bit, it's possible that Xbox Music is a new name or reimagining of Zune Pass for Xbox 360 -- or it could be like Sony's Qriocity. We've contacted Microsoft for any further details.
