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eStories launches an alternative source for audiobooks
After ditching the major labels to go pure indie in 2014, digital music store eMusic and its new parent company TriPlay are now ready to take on Amazon and Audible's audiobook dominance. Today, TriPlay launched their eStories competitor with 80,000 titles and memberships starting at $11.95 per month.
Audible's Channels offer short-form content for $5 a month
We've known about Audible's original content plans for for a few months now, but it turns out there were much bigger plans for the service. Today, the Amazon-owned company formally launched Audible Channels: a $5 monthly subscription that gets you shows, original series, comedy and news. If you're already paying for Audible, you won't have to pay extra for the new Channels. It's basically a podcast-like option from the service where the main focus has been audiobooks in the past. There's topic-based content alongside shows from notable publishers like The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and The Onion and Audible's own originals.
Turtle Beach's glass speaker fires a focused 'beam' of audio
Turtle Beach's HyperSound Glass is one of the most impressive tech demos I've seen in years. The broad pitch used to sell the concept is pretty easy to grasp. With traditional speakers, sound travels out like light from a lamp: It's directed, for sure, but not focused. HyperSound is more like a flashlight: a concentrated "beam" of sound, which is only fully audible in front of the "speaker," a piece of glass.
Audible wants you to share audiobook passages like Vine clips
The next time you discover a notable passage in an audiobook, Audible wants you to share it among your friends like you would a meme or Vine clip. The audiobook company announced a Clips feature today, a tool that allows you to select a short passage or excerpt to download for future listening. The feature also lets you share the snippet of audio via social channels, email and text message. In the Audible app, just tap the Clips icon when you hear something you want to save or share. The software will then let you select up to 45 seconds of audio. And yes, you can make edits should the need arise.
Amazon's Audible stocks up on original radio programming
Amazon really wants you to listen to its podcast and audio-book service, Audible. And it's hoping to win you over by grabbing comedians like Maria Bamford and folks from the public radio and podcast world for original content, according to Bloomberg. Audible's also looking to fill some 100 jobs around the world (there's a recruiting fair in New Jersey next week), looking for software engineers, designers, lawyers and a slew of writers. In so many words, Jeff Bezos and Co. are working to separate Audible from the myriad other places you can find podcasts and audio books by creating exclusive programming for its a la carte and $14.95 per-month subscription service.
Amazon's Echo speaker plays music from multiple accounts
Amazon's Echo speaker has been fine for playing music and audiobooks so far... unless you live in a household with more than one Amazon user, at which point it just gets messy. That won't be a problem any longer, though: Amazon has added support for multiple accounts, making it easy to play solely from your own collection. You only have to tell it to switch profiles to get your tunes. Simply put, this could be a lifesaver if you're going to share an Echo with roommates or a significant other -- you don't have to create a shared account or risk having someone else pollute your song recommendations.
Amazon's voice-savvy Echo speaker now reads audiobooks to you
If you're the sort to wander around the house listening to audiobook versions of hot new novels, Amazon just made your day: it upgraded its voice-guided Echo speaker to handle Audible files. Much like a kid asking for a bedtime story, you only have to ask the Echo to read you a title. It'll even pick up where you left off without mentioning the book by name. Amazon's audio tube won't speak text (at least, not yet), but this is a big step forward if music playback alone just won't cut it.
Audible flaw lets you download free audiobooks using fake accounts (updated)
You expect subscription services to verify your details before granting you access to their content -- that's how they make their money, after all. However, it appears that Audible isn't quite so rigorous. Alan Joseph has revealed a flaw in Amazon's service (verified by Business Insider) that lets you download as many audiobooks as you like using both a fake email address and an equally bogus credit card. Audible only checks your payment details after you grab a book, and you just have to renew your ill-gotten membership to get more credits.
White Noise HQ brings you customized focus and relaxation
There are a lot of white noise apps available in the App Store, but this one is by far the most robust. Available in both a free and a paid version for the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, White Noise HQ is packed with sounds and customization features. In general, most free apps come with extremely limited features. Even paid versions of similar apps contain only different variations of the same sounds, such as water, crickets, etc... White Noise isn't like that. The free version has 25 sounds that include everything from nature to household sounds and industrial machinery. There are also three different "noise" sounds: white, pink and brown. You can create custom mixes of up to six sounds. Create different mixes for meditation, relaxation and motivation. Another thing, Phase4 Mobile didn't just design White Noise to help you sleep. It's also built to free you from distracts and improve your productivity. There's a timer with very specific preset intervals. If you use the Pomodoro method of productivity, you'll love this for timing your tasks. Those of you who want the timer for sleep will be happy to hear that the audio fades out before shutting off. There's no sudden stopping of the noise to wake you up. My favorite feature is when you mix the white noise sounds with other apps, like Audible. Flip over to the settings panel and enable "mix with other apps." This lets White Noise run in the background while other audio apps are active. I spent some time this weekend listening to the new Lev Grossman novel with the sounds of a train in the background. Audiobooks themselves don't do much to drown out noise. Pairing Audible with White Noise helps. There is a caveat here, your audiobook and White Noise play at the same volume. You have to choose your sounds carefully. For instance, the indoor fan noise is quite loud and made it impossible for me to hear the narrator. Surprisingly, the Russian passenger train (yes, that's really a sound on here) was the perfect background for the book. Have a little fun experimenting and see which sounds compliment the mood of the book to which you are listening. Another nice thing about the free app: It's gorgeous. The high-resolution images of beautiful locations are enough to relax you. It does have ads, but they are relatively unobtrusive. If you are annoyed by the ads, you can spend the US$0.99 for the upgrade, which is labeled White Noise HQ. In addition to being ad-free, you'll get 75 sounds, instead of the 25 that come with the free version. Most of these sounds are redundant, which makes the paid version a lot more like all of its competitors. Does a creek in Texas really sound that different from a creek in a forest? Not to me. Still, there is some variety here, like the vacuum cleaner and industrial heat pump options. The best sound is the virtual space wind. The blizzard one is not bad either. Despite the lack of ads and the wider sound choices, I'm not sure that the upgrade is worth it. Yes, you are only spending $0.99, but the free app gives you plenty of options. Plus, the paid version only comes with six sounds installed. You have to manually download any other sounds that you want. It only takes seconds per sound, but it was enough to annoy me. For those of you who cannot stand ads or really need a wider selection of sounds, then spring for the paid version, otherwise, stick with the free app.
Hands on with Voice Dream's ebook narration
As the school year heads back into session, many students have a lot of new reading on their plate. Parents whose children struggle with assigned books might be considering ways to augment that material. Over the summer, Amazon regularly offered to add Audible narrations to assigned reading titles for my kids. For example, I purchased E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime for US$9.99 (pre-tax) and picked up its companion audio track for just $4.99. The normal price is $9.95 on iTunes. The audio cassettes, incidentally, sell from $138.45, not including shipping. I needed to lend her my iPad 2 to access the Kindle app/voice integration (it is not available for releases that run on the original iPad), but on the whole it was a successful experiment. With that experience in mind, I decided to investigate more automated solutions. Voice Dream Reader ($9.99, additional voices available with in-app purchases) represents one of the better-reviewed text-to-speech apps currently available in the App Store. I obtained a promo copy and tested out excerpts from several books. At the suggestion of the developer, I tried both the default built-in voice and a purchased upgrade, the $4.99 Salli voice from Ivona. The upgraded voice was clearly superior to the default, with better intonation and inflection. And yet, despite that, each of the testers had difficulty listening to long-form reading material. No matter how excellent the synthesis, a lack of human performance really impacted the comprehension and enjoyment of text. I suspect this is a learning process, and one that our short testing framework could not accommodate, as visually impaired readers do quite well with synthesized material. However, for augmenting reading for learning, my real-world trials had me more focused on the synthesis of the speech than its content. My testers agreed. For them, the mechanical dictation became a distraction rather than a supplement. I found the app very well made. It easily imported the non-DRM ebooks I downloaded from Safari and added through Dropbox integration. Support for each book's table of contents made it simple to navigate to the portion I wanted to read, and word-by-word highlighting helped reinforce the content / audio integration. I suspect Voice Dream would work best for short material and for those who have trained themselves to efficiently process automated speech. As for my commute and my children's reading, the Audible tracks remain the winners, but I'm glad I was able to give the app a good try. For those who can best take advantage of automated text-to-voice, it seems to offer a solid choice.
Amazon's updated Kindle apps let you seamlessly switch between text and audiobooks
It's a hulking behemoth now, but let's not forget that Amazon got its start peddling books. It never really forgot those roots, either: somewhere along the way it built its own e-reading platform and snapped up a pricey purveyor of audiobooks. Now the e-commerce titan is trying to blur the lines between those two properties even more thanks to a new update to its iOS and Android Kindle apps. The changelog is a pretty lengthy one, but the addition of Whispersync for Voice is the real standout here -- now book buffs can leap between words on a digital page and a professional audio recording without having to leave the Kindle app proper. The upside for Amazon is clear: if it can make it easier for you to jump back and forth between reading and listening, it's got a decent shot at selling more audio recordings. Synergy, folks! If that somehow improves your reading experience along the way, well, that's just peachy too. Just be warned that not every book available from Amazon's virtual shelves has an Audible equivalent -- the company has said there are about 45,000 book/recording matches out there.
The curious case of Amazon.com's iOS apps
There has been a lot of conversation about changes that Amazon has made to the Comixology app. Specifically, the company removed the customer's ability to buy comics through the app. On this week's Back to Work, Dan and Merlin talked about how the App Store rules make the it so that Comixology cannot even link to its own store from Comixology comics. Before now, if you finished one issue of a comic, the last panel would ask if you wanted to buy the next issue (if available) or other related content. Now it's just blank. Similarly, Kindle books cannot be purchased through the Kindle app, nor can a book in a series suggest that you might want to read the next one. Turns out that's not the weirdest thing that Amazon has done when it comes to dealing with the iOS App Store restrictions. That hönor goes to the Audible.com app for iOS. It has an entire tab called "More Books" that leads to...nothing. Well, there's the text you see above: More Books Audible is home to a vast catalog - you'll find bestsellers, sci-fi, romance, classics, human, and more. Five navigation tabs at the bottom of the app, and one of them is basically empty. It was obvious to me that this was empty because of the same App Store restrictions, but I was curious to see what Audible support would say about this, so I emailed them and asked them about the purpose of the "More Books" tab. Here's the reply I received (emphasis mine): The "More Books" feature is just a placeholder for now, as the option to purchase a book through the app is currently not available. To be able to get new books within the Audible app, you have to purchase them on the Audible website. You can purchase Audible titles by opening the mobile web browser on your iPhone/iPad and going to audible.com. To access our Mobile Store on your device: 1) Please tap the Safari icon on your iPad. 2) Please tap the address bar and enter www.audible.com. 3) Tap "GO" and you're off to the Audible Store If Amazon had made this decision strictly for the purposes of making Apple look bad, a customer email would have been the perfect opportunity to say something like "the option to purchase a book through the app is currently not available due to Apple's restrictive policies" or something like that. If Amazon had made this decision to hurt iOS and make Android look better, this would have been the perfect opportunity to say "Well, you can't do this on iOS because of Apple, but if you bought a Kindle Fire or Android tablet, then you could!" Instead, all I got was "the option to purchase a book through the app is currently not available" which is about as generic and bland of a response as you could get. If you know the history and the policies behind this situation, then you'll understand why, but leaving that mostly-blank tab in the Audible.com app still seems like a really weird decision to me. Episode 63 of the Accidental Tech Podcast also had an extended discussion of the Comixology/in-app purchasing situation. John Siracusa argued that Apple needs to try to make a deal with Amazon because the experience of buying Kindle and Comixology (and Audible, although it wasn't mentioned explicitly) is worse on iOS and reduces customer satisfaction with the platform. Marco Arment made a counter-argument that Apple doesn't need to address this because people are angry at Amazon/Comixology, not Apple. The episode was a good overview of the various issues around this topic.
Siri requests that make you want to fist-bump your iPhone
We love Siri. We love its constantly evolving snark and growing repertoire of silly responses. It's never the wrong time to highlight its interactions and introduce ones you may not yet be aware of. Today, we were in a Siri mood. Here are six fresh instances of Siri hilarity and utility. 6. Request Poetry Siri is the mistress of creativity, whether you ask it to tell you a story, sing you a song or recite poetry. As with all things Siri and silly, make sure you're persistent. Siri may try to blow you off a few times. If you keep asking, you'll eventually be rewarded by one of several poems in its repertoire. In fact, if you persist at this long enough, Siri will eventually reward you with some authentic material from Hitchhiker's. 5. Ask Siri to Read A Book Siri offers some pretty hilarious replies in response to any request for it to read books out loud. We're pretty sure this has to do with licensing agreements and issues with other providers like Audible, but Siri's responses are amusing in and of themselves. 4. Play a dice-based board game Siri recently added some game features that include dice rolls and picking numbers. Just ask it to "Roll the dice," and you'll get a new random result each time. You can also ask it to pick a random number, e.g., "Pick a number between 1 and 10." 3. Ask those life-affirming important questions It all comes down to the basics, and Siri's got you, ahem, covered. Not to mention... And... 2. Pass the time Siri is a surprisingly adaptable conversationalist when you ask it the right kind of question. Or even the wrong kind of question. When you've got nothing better to do, why not indulge in the "Guess What" game? 1. Establish your Geek Street Cred And at our No. 1 slot for this edition of Siri responses, we give you the following without any further editorial comment. Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
Audible for Android gets design overhaul, improved library management and more
Amazon knows that although a number people prefer (or need, in some cases ) audio over visuals to absorb published works, it's still very important to provide a pleasant experience on the design front. In light of this, the Audible Android app has now been updated with a completely redesigned user interface, bringing along an enhanced navigating experience and an easier, more simplified way to manage your library. Audible listeners will also see a new "chapter-level" progress bar within the player, while other under-the-hood tweaks were made to improve the general performance and stability of the application. You don't have to wait to download version 1.5, as it's available as we speak from the Google Play store.
BMW announces compatibility with four new iOS apps, removable in-car LTE router, we go hands-on
At this year's New York International Auto Show BMW is expanding its portfolio of connected apps -- by four. The company announced iOS integration for Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn Radio and we couldn't help but swing by to check them all out. This integration (which also will work on Connected Minis) entails an update to those existing iOS apps. In other words, you won't need a dedicated BMW app nor second versions of these individual apps. You can use the ones you already know and love. Join us below for a little more information on how that works, and a look at the company's in-car LTE router that's also on display.%Gallery-184397%
BMW integrating more iOS apps into driving experience
BMW is moving aggressively to bring the iOS app experience to drivers through its BMW Apps option. Today, the company announced tie-ins with four iOS apps, including Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn. Plug your iOS device into the console USB connection of any BMW Apps-enabled car, and you're cooking. You can also connect through the BMW snap-in adapter if your car is so equipped. The four app developers are busy making changes needed for complete integration with BMW Apps, and it could take some weeks before the apps are available for download. All of the app controls will appear on the BMW iDrive infotainment screen. One of the most useful applications is Glympse, which has always been a favorite around here. With the BMW Apps-enabled version of Glympse, location information will be populated with options to share, pause or cancel a Glympse through the iDrive controller and screen. Drivers can opt to send the Glympse to other users via the app using the iPhone contact list, or via Facebook or Twitter. %Gallery-184004% Audible will provide on-screen controls as well, and BMW customers will access their audiobook library using the iDrive controller and menu display. Rhapsody and TuneIn will also be controllable via iDrive, providing in-car streaming music. The BMW Apps option is available for model year 2011 and later vehicles. BMW already offers apps for things like remote car locking and unlocking, locating your parked car and finding locations via Google Maps and sending them directly to the car navigation system.
BMW and Mini cars add iOS integration for Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn
BMW hasn't been quite as aggressive in pushing smartphone app integration as American counterparts like Ford or GM, but it certainly knows how to make up for lost time: the Munich automaker just greenlit tie-ins with the iOS apps from Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn. Plug in a device and it will be possible to wield the apps' respective audiobook, location sharing, subscription music and live streaming radio services from a BMW Apps-capable BMW or Mini, with an interface optimized for the center stack. Each of the developers will need to update their app to make everything click, which we're told may take weeks. There still shouldn't be much wait before fans of Teutonic (and British) rides can get lost while streaming favorite songs -- and tell everyone just how far they went off-course.
Audible 2.0 for iOS brings long-expected iPad support and a UI overhaul
When the iPad is seemingly tailor-made for books of all kinds, you'd think Audible would leap on the opportunity to produce an optimized audiobook app -- it wasn't quite so eager, as customers have since discovered. Apple tablet owners won't have to perpetually lean on the stock music app for their fix, though, as Audible 2.0 at last brings an iPad-friendly form. The better use of screen real estate is the most obvious improvement, although there's a fresher, simpler interface for every iOS device. A few helpful extras reside under the surface, if the new layout isn't enough. It's easier to both sign in and hide finished books, while listeners who didn't replenish their libraries at home can grab as much as 3 hours' worth of audiobook over a cellular connection. Existing Audible subscribers just need to snag the latest app for free at the download link.
Audible updates its iOS app, adds support for the iPad
Amazon is on a roll updating both its IMDb app and its Audible app within hours of each other. The latest version of Audible is a universal app and now includes a native iPad version. Huzzah! Besides support for all iPad models, the updated Audible app also includes the following improvements: Improved Navigation: easier to user while on the go Simplified start up: sign-in with your Amazon account New Library filter: hide your finished titles from view Downloads on the go: download up to three hours of audio over 3G/4G As always, the Audible app is available for free from the iOS App Store. To listen to your audiobooks, you can subscribe to Audible or sideload your audiobooks using iTunes. H/T to Ben Pike.
Alcatel One Touch Shockwave reaches US Cellular, takes your bumps and scrapes for $50
Those of us picking budget smartphones in the US seldom have the choice of a toughened smartphone, and it's even more of a challenge when we're not signed on to one of the top four carriers. US Cellular is offering the cost-conscious a (hardened) olive branch by shipping the Alcatel One Touch Shockwave. Skip past the creaky Android 2.3, 800MHz processor, 3.2-megapixel camera and 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 display -- a shock- and water-resistant shell as well as Dragontrail-based glass should keep the smartphone working through most forms of casual abuse. We also don't mind having preloaded Amazon Appstore and media apps, although the frugal 2GB microSD card in the box won't leave much room for any downloading. We'd at least keep the Shockwave on the short list when the $50 price and long-lasting design will leave ample funds for just about everything else.
