MusicBeta
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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.
Google's Music Beta gives users two invites, keys to the cloud for their best mates
We probably all know at least one person who is bummed they missed out on the initial round of invites for Music Beta by Google. Well friends, you can be the bearer of good news for those troubled souls (who haven't moved on to other online music pursuits, of course), as we discovered through a fellow music enthusiast. Members of the cloud-based service are now the proud owners of two invites handed down from the Goog, to be passed out only through a thorough application and interview process. Ok, not really... but perhaps you do have the power to make two of your friends, or soon-to-be friends, pretty happy. That is, until they realize how long it will take them to upload that music library they've been curating since 8th grade. [Thanks, Ralph]
Google Music Beta invites start rock 'n rolling out
Been on pins and needles since Google unveiled its long awaited Music Beta service at I/O? Good news: it seems that the non-Xoom owners among us are finally getting a crack at the thing. We've received reports from numerous tipsters that El Goog has finally started delivering invites to those who signed up through the site, letting even more users upload 20,000 of their favorite jams to its cloud-based storage locker. If you're one of the lucky ones, please sound off in the comments below -- and if not, be sure to read our hands-on review of the service while you wait. [Thanks everyone who sent this in]
Music Beta invites now flying to Xoom owners, Google's server farms seen weeping in the distance
After 5000 music-lovin' I/O attendees warmed up Google's servers, it appears that the company has now finished its presumed installation of four zillion exabytes of new hard drive capacity. We're exaggerating, obviously, but probably not by much -- we've received a flood of tips today (as well as an invite amongst ourselves) noting that Music Beta is finally being opened up to Earthlings in the "real world." Specifically, Motorola Xoom owners. In case you've forgotten, that entitles you to free (for now) access to a cloud storage locker where 20,000 of your hits can be saved and streamed. Curious to know if it's worth the time to upload? Have a peek at our in-depth preview right here, and be sure to let us know if your invitation has come through in comments below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
BoxyTunes app streams music from your Dropbox music folder
There's a short but interesting analysis on Wired's Gadgetlab about Google's Music Beta service and how a simple US$2 app, BoxyTunes, does everything you hoped Google's service would do but doesn't. Music Beta was launched last week at Google's I/O Developer conference. It currently only works in web browsers and on Android devices. The web-based service does not work on iOS devices because it uses Flash. BoxyTunes, on the other hand, simply streams any music, podcasts or audiobooks it finds in your Dropbox folder to your iOS device. It allows you to set up playlists of tunes in your Dropbox, use your earbud controls as if you were listening to iTunes and listen to music in the background while performing other tasks. And if Music Beta does ever come to iOS devices, Wired author Charlie Sorrel points to a another potential advantage of BoxyTunes. Uploads may be faster as Dropbox creates an MD5 hash of every file you upload and won't upload a second copy if that file already exists on their servers.
Google I/O 2011 recap: Chromebooks, Music Beta, Movies and more
And that, as they say, is a wrap. We've departed a shockingly sunny San Francisco, but not without a huge helping of Google news to mull over on the long ride home. In typical Goog fashion, the outfit served up a double-dose of keynotes this year, both of which seemed to delight both developers and media alike. Sure, no new superphones used the show as a launching pad, but plenty of other nuggets were unearthed. From the reveal of Music Beta to the official introduction of the world's first commercial Chromebooks, the 2011 edition of Google I/O packed plenty of punch. If you missed even a second of our continuous coverage, we've got you covered -- the best of the best is recapped below. We'll see you next year, I/O... you bring the tiramisu, we'll bring the Ice Cream Sandwich. Keynotes / liveblogs: Day 1: Music Beta, Android 3.1, Ice Cream Sandwich, Open Accessory, ADK Day 2: Chrome, Angry Birds, Chrome OS, Chromebooks Editorials / previews: Google Music Beta walkthrough: what it is and how it works (video) Editorial: Engadget on Google Music and Movies for Android Google Music Beta versus the titans of the streaming music space: a chart Editorial: Google clarifies Chromebook subscriptions, might have just changed the industry Hands-ons: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition (white) hands-on from Google I/O! Samsung Series 5 Chrome OS laptop hands-on at Google I/O Fossil Meta Watch wrists-on at Google I/O (video) Hasbro's experimental Nexus-powered robot toy hands-on at Google I/O (video) Lighting Science demos Android @ Home bulbs, promises dead-simple home automation (hands-on) Google's Arduino-based ADK powers robots, home gardens and giant Labyrinth (video) LifeFitness exercise bike interfaces with Nexus S, makes fitness marginally enjoyable (video) iRobot Ava mobile robotics platform hands-on at Google I/O (video) Groupme's group messaging app demoed at Google I/O, complete with data / location (video) Head on past the break for more!
Apple cloud music will be better than Google or Amazon says industry source
A music insider told CNET that Apple's cloud music service will be better than Google's recently announced Music Beta or Amazon's Cloud Player. The source did not elaborate on the differences between the music services, but did say the two competing services would not have the "same range of options" as Apple's iCloud service. Apple is reportedly working with music labels to secure licensing deals for its streaming service, while Amazon and Google launched without the backing of the recording industry. Apple may already have an agreement in place with Warner Music, and it's in talks with several other labels. Presumably, these deals could let Apple stream content from a large online library rather than rely on user uploaded tracks. Users could also share their favorite songs and playlists in an online version of Ping. The music streaming service could be introduced as early as WWDC in June.
Google Music Beta walkthrough: what it is and how it works (video)
We made a few predictions about Google's (then-presumed) music service in our streaming roundup last week, and thanks to the inability of an undisclosed amount of labels to take a whiff of whatever El Goog was cooking, it looks as if we've been left with something less robust, but nevertheless intriguing. It's worth taking a glance at our team editorial on Music Beta by Android to get a feel of what could've been, but the reality is this: what was launched today is what we've been dealt, and now it's time to break things down and see how it actually functions in practice. Care to have a look at a full installation walkthrough, problem reports and two more pennies on how the service stacks up? That, along with tips on fulfilling your hopes and dreams, are tucked away just after the break. %Gallery-123283%
Google Music Beta versus the titans of the streaming music space: a chart
It feels like just yesterday we charted the streaming music landscape, but it's already changed in a big way -- Google is muscling in on the likes of Rhapsody, Pandora and particularly Amazon with its Google Music Beta. Being able to take 20,000 of your personal tunes, stream them over the web and cache them locally on your device isn't functionality to sneeze at, so it's time we updated our charts. After the break, see how the big streaming services stack up.
Google Music Beta to stream 20,000 songs for free, official! (updated)
It's not quite official but there's little doubt that Google will launch its Google Music service at its big I/O event later today. While the Wall Street Journal couldn't get a Google spokesman to admit it, Peter Kafka over at All Things D got Jamie Rosenberg, Director of Android Product Management, to spill the details a bit early. Google's service will essentially mimic the music locker functionality of Amazon's Cloud service, albeit without the ability to sell songs direct to consumers. Ouch. Unfortunately, Google's plans to launch a more feature-complete service were derailed when discussions with the labels broke down. According to Rosenberg, "A couple of the major labels were less focused on the innovative vision that we put forward, and more interested in an unreasonable and unsustainable set of business terms." So, rather than putting the service on hold, Google will launch its music service with the ability to store up to 20,000 of your own uploaded songs for free which you can then stream over the web to your desktop or Android phone or tablet -- any device that supports Flash (don't worry iOS users, your time will come). Amazon's service, by comparison, offers just 5GB of free storage for about 1,200 songs stored at a mediocre bitrate. Google will also best Amazon with a feature that automatically creates playlists. Google expects to roll out the service to its US users within "weeks" with Music Beta invites going out later today to Verizon Xoom owners (others will be able to sign up at music.google.com). Keep it right here because we'll be bringing you the announcement live. Update: And it's officially official, called "Music Beta by Google" at this point. There's a simple presentation with artists, albums, and easy playlist creation. You can manually create them, or there's a feature called "Instant Mix" that will make you a playlist based on any single song. It'll automagically pick 25 different tracks to build a "truly ingenious mix." You know, kind of like another, similarly intelligent service. All of this syncs to the cloud, which means no wires needed to download anything. But, more importantly, songs can be cached locally. You can pick any song, album, or playlist to download onto storage, at an unknown quality. It's the same pinning idea that's in the new movies feature. That and more is demonstrated in the video below. The service is launching in beta today, allowing 20,000 songs, and it'll be free -- "at least while it's in beta." Also, the updated music app is available now, which will work with any music on your phone and any phone running Android 2.2 or above. To get full-featured you can request a beta and get in line, but if you happen to be reading this from I/O you're in the beta. Congrats, you lucky bums! %Gallery-123222%
