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Google's Android 'These Go To Eleven' liveblog from Los Angeles!
This is it! You've arrived! But it's a little early. Fret not, though, as you can bookmark this very page and return at the time shown below in order to join in on the liveblogging mayhem. We'll be bringing you every last point as it's unveiled in Los Angeles this evening (or afternoon, whatever), with Google Music firmly in our heart and T-Mobile looming over everything. It's going to be loony. %Gallery-139636% November 16, 2011 5:00:00 PM EST
Google's 'These Go To Eleven' Android event starts at 5PM ET, get your liveblog here!
It's just about that time, kids. And by "that time," we mean "time for Google to pull some kind of LA-themed rabbit out of an LA-based hat." The Mountain View monster has rolled down I-5 today in order to throw a "These Go To Eleven" event, presumably in conjunction with T-Mobile. What's on the docket? A Google Music that actually sells stuff? A Galaxy Nexus for T-Mobile? A Google Music store that only runs on T-Mobile's Galaxy Nexus while positioned in the greater Los Angeles area? Feel free to let your imagination run (a little) wild in comments below, and check back right here at the time listed below (2PM local time, for the Californicators) for our blow-by-blow liveblog coverage. Wed Nov 16 05:00:00 PM EST 2011
Google to launch MP3 store in coming weeks?
Details are still scarce here, but the New York Times is reporting that Google is about to launch a new MP3 store, as part of its ongoing foray into the music business. According to sources within the industry, the platform, not surprisingly, would be directly linked to Google Music Beta and may launch within the next few weeks -- perhaps even before Apple unveils iTunes Match, at the end of this month. It remains to be seen, however, whether Big G will be able to finalize negotiations with record labels and publishers before launching the initiative in earnest -- a potentially major hurdle, considering Google's recent track record. As you may recall, previous negotiations over a proposed locker-type storage service ultimately broke down earlier this year, amid concerns over licensing and illegal file-sharing. As one label executive told the Times, the recording industry desperately wants to "make sure the locker doesn't become a bastion of piracy." An MP3 store, of course, isn't exactly a radical proposal, but its future will likely hinge upon Google's ability to mend relations with a sector it recently characterized as "unreasonable and unsustainable."
Google Music Beta crosses the aisle, launches for iOS via web app (hands-on)
We know, we know -- you're anxiously awaiting the public launch of iTunes Match, but what if you're one of those people? You know, the crowd that dips their toes into both Google and Apple offerings. It's clearly not as blasphemous as you may have been led to believe, as the fine folks in Google's mobile department have just produced an iOS-specific web app for Google Music Beta. For those who've forgotten, Music Beta was launched a few months back at Google I/O, giving audio archivists the chance to upload 20,000 of their favorite jams into the cloud; now, as you might imagine, it ain't just Android users tapping into those libraries. Predictably, the Music Beta iOS web app enables iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users to login to their accounts and stream at will, and if you're down to give it a go, the download link is just below -- you'll need to have been accepted previously into the beta, though. We gave it a quick whirl on the iPad here at Engadget HQ, and it works beautifully. As you'd expect, the actual graphical elements are a bit lacking compared to the Android app, but all of the core functionality is there. Swiping left / right cruises through Artists, Albums, Songs, Playlists and Genres, and the track currently playing remains in a top bar regardless of what main window you're in. The search function works as advertised, and on a basic cable connection our results populated within two seconds of getting the third letter down. All in all, it's a fairly nice spread (see for yourself in the gallery below), but not quite as nice as we're envisioning a dedicated app to be. Still holding out for one? Heh... we never said Google was that generous. %Gallery-133011%
Google Magnifier curates Music Beta tracks, has nothing to do with burning ants
At school, Tim Quirk's friend had an English cousin who sent over new records from the motherland. Now he's paying the favor forward as head of Magnifier, a blog informing Google Music Beta members about new, interesting bands with free, exclusive tracks. One click adds the exclusive content to your Music Beta library. Google is calling Magnifier a "music discovery" site, making a big deal that only artists the editorial team thinks are "pretty great" will be featured. Sadly if your taste is more esoteric than My Morning Jacket, it may not be for you. Somehow we doubt Magnifier will get around to releasing exclusive Adriano Celentano tracks any time soon.
Apple's iCloud music service will automatically mirror your iTunes library using 'high-quality' tracks?
There's been so much chatter about Apple iCloud that you'd think the streaming music service had already been announced and the deals inked. But it's still just a rumor until an Apple executive takes the stage and unleashes the Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music competitor in a spate of superlatives. That hasn't stopped Businessweek from stepping up with a good summary of all that is "known" thus far, while giving us some insight into the particulars of how the service will work and the motivations to make it happen. One revelation, sourced from three people in the know, claims that Apple will scan customers' iTunes libraries (hello, LaLa) and quickly mirror the contents on Apple's own servers -- no massive DSL-choking upload required. And Apple will do you the solid of "replacing" any low bitrate tracks with the "high-quality" versions it stores in its fully licensed music locker for streaming to your connected devices. Of course, this value-add won't come free and will certainly require a subscription fee. The cost to the consumer, though, is still very much unclear as is the service's integration with Apple's $99 per year MobileMe sham. And you know those rumors about MobileMe being offered as a free service? We wouldn't be surprised if it stays at $99 with iCloud being announced as a "free" feature update; aka, an $8.25 per month music subscription that also provides web access to your synced bookmarks, contacts, email, and calendar. Regardless, it's this subscription model that has the major labels so enthusiastic as it will finally allow them to extort fees for all that pirated audio you may have stumbled upon since Napster was loosed on an unprepared music industry a decade ago. All signs point to WWDC for this to get official but we're sure to hear more -- much more -- before the event kicks off on June 6th.
