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Pandora Radio's HTML5 redesign hands-on
Earlier this week, Pandora announced that it would finally be dropping its longtime support for Flash in favor of HTML5. The move is one piece of a big redesign for the site, one which will begin rolling out to Pandora One (the $36 / year premium version) subscribers in pieces, as part of a limited testing period before being made available to the service's entire massive user base. The timing could have been more ideal, of course. A day after the announcement, Spotify quickly grabbed the attention of those following the online music industry by formally launching in the US. It's important to note right off the bat, however, that these two services are not really direct competitors, in spite of how some might spin it. Spotify is an all-you-can eat subscription service, making it more akin to the likes of a Rhapsody and Napster. Pandora, on the other hand, is built largely around passive music discovery. You log-in, you enter an artist, and you let the music come to you. This redesign takes that ease of use to a whole new level. Check out our impressions below.%Gallery-128497%
Pandora ditches Flash, opens up the HTML5 box for redesign
Looks like Adobe has lost yet another ally to the silky smooth allure of HTML5. Internet radio service Pandora has traded in the once ubiquitous Flash for the increasingly adopted web standard, citing, among other things, the ability to lop precious seconds off the site's load time. The upgrade is part of a major redesign for the service, said to have been inspired by the company's own iPad app. The old features are largely intact, but many, like Twitter and Facebook integration, have been revamped. The update will be rolled out to Pandora One subscribers soon, in something of a limited testing mode, with other users following later. Those with browsers that aren't fully HTML5-friendly will still be able to access Flash features as backup.
Spotify partners with Virgin Media to stream music to UK TVs, smartphones
Spotify, the Rhapsody of Europe, may still be an unfamiliar brand stateside, but the service just inked a deal with Virgin Media to bring streaming music to Virgin's broadband customers, set-top boxes, and mobile phones in the UK. The deal will bundle Unlimited (£4.99) or Premium (£9.99) monthly Spotify tiers, at to-be-determined discounted rates, allowing new and existing subscribers to access millions of tracks from any of their compatible home and mobile devices. Open (free) Spotify customers will reportedly need to upgrade to a paid version, but only to access the service on Virgin's set-top boxes, we presume -- don't expect to see a blanket ban on all devices. Until pricing is announced, the partnership appears to be more of a win for Spotify than for customers, who will still need to pay up before rockin' out, but set-top integration is likely to be a boon with digital TV subscribers, letting them bring those infamous Euro house music raves to an actual house.
Archos trots out Android-based DECT home phone, 35 Home Connect radio
They're hardly as exciting as the company's two new Android 3.1 tablets, but if you're looking for Android in even more places, look no further. Also being unveiled today is the 35 Home Connect, a self-proclaimed Android web radio that should do wonders by your bedside, or kickin' it on the beach. You heard right -- there's a built-in battery here, as well as WiFi access to over 50,000 web radio stations. You'll also find a touch panel, pre-loaded TuneIn application and an alarm clock function that brings together traffic, weather and whatever's happening in your neck of the woods. Finally, a video chatting app is tossed in for good measure, but it's only useful when your front-facing camera isn't handling baby monitoring duties (yeah, seriously!). Moving right along, there's the Archos 35 Smart Home Phone, an Android-based landline phone that brings users contact sharing with their Android smartphone, MP3 ringtones, caller photo display as well as access to your current stable of Android apps. In other words, this is likely the only home phone you'll find that can also video call, check your email, look up a topic on Wikipedia and satisfy gramps. The above-mentioned 35 Home Connect should ship this September for $149, while the 35 Smart Home Phone does likewise for $10 more. %Gallery-127008%
Slacker intros Premium Radio subscription service, makes Radio Plus look like Basic Radio
Internet radio provider Slacker is bulldozing the thin line dividing itself from subscription-based music services today, with the launch of Premium Radio. The new pricing tier joins the existing gratis Basic Radio and ad-free Radio Plus plans, adding an all-you-can-eat music model akin to services like Rhapsody and Rdio. Subscribers who shell out $9.99 a month receive all of the features of the $3.99 Radio Plus users, plus unlimited access to eight million songs, letting them listen to what they want, when the want, and generally play god with the site's existing radio services. Premium Radio also gives you on- and offline access to music on a number of mobile devices, including the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android, and BlackBerry handsets -- not to mention unlimited bragging rights to all of your broke friends who are still rocking the Basic Radio plan. Don't feel too bad for 'em, though -- at least they didn't get suckered into slotRadio.
BMW Connected hitting 1 Series cars first, lets you tweet your disregard for speed limits
The BMW Connected app has been available for a few months now, following in the footsteps of Mini Connected as it sits there, and taunting you from the App Store. We knew cars supporting the feature would be coming in March, and now we know which ones will be first: BMW's svelte little 1 Series. To enable the streaming radio and even streaming video (when the car is stationary) on the dash-mounted display you'll need to tick the box next to a €150 (about $205) option. In your suitably equipped car you can then get your Facebook and Twitter feeds read to you and even provide automated responses using "vehicle information such as current speed, outside temperature or navigation destination." We're hoping the car can apply some flowery language to such hard data, like "bat out of hell" for those particularly warm days in which you're driving at a high rate of speed from an unpleasant point of origin.
Archos Arnova is ready to exterminate your clock radio, your Squeezebox too
The consumer electronics company with the phlegmatic name has just dropped its latest device on us, and for once it isn't a tablet or some form of PMP. It's the Archos Arnova, a fancy clock radio, with a 3.5-inch touchscreen in the middle plus the ability to connect to 12,000 streaming radio stations and 1,500 "web TV" channels too. If that's not enough you can play media directly from an SD card or pull it over your local network via uPNP. Why, you can even view pictures on there, if you don't mind squinting. What you can't do is know how much money to save or when you'll need to save it by if you're looking to buy one, as Archos hasn't seen fit to tell us that just yet. %Gallery-117092% [Thanks, Joshua]
Grace Digital punts WiFi radio into a wireless bookshelf speaker system, can't escape Reciva's ghost
Just when we thought Grace Digital Audio had turned over a new, touch-friendly leaf, the company's back with another WiFi internet radio that uses the frustrating Reciva interface. We can't say we're pleased, but the firm's new $250 Wireless Stereo Micro System does have one new feature that might be worth checking out -- it comes with a pair of handsome bookshelf speakers that connect over the ether as well. This time, you can not only connect to your home wireless network (or auxiliary media player) and pull down loads of tunes from the typical array of services -- including Pandora, Live365 and Sirius XM -- but listen in stereo too, while hopefully hiding that ugly four-line LCD and its irksome nests of menus from ever disturbing your view.
Pure launches Contour, One Flow and i-20, also debuts FlowSongs cloud-based music service
It's a heavy day at CES, and it's also a big day for the folks at Pure. Not only have they provided an updated release time table for the Sensia ("later in 2011" for an unknown amount) and Sirocco 550 (March for $499), but it's also branching out with a few unexpected launches. In order to get even more tunes to the outfit's blossoming line of WiFi radios, Pure has revealed its FlowSongs cloud-based music service -- put simply, it enables consumers to buy music directly from their radio and Pure's Lounge iPhone app. Users are instructed to 'Like' songs on FM or internet radio, and then within the same interface, they're able to click 'Buy' while simultaneously scratching that Instant Gratification itch. Customers can download high-quality versions of the MP3 onto their Mac and PC, and it'll work on any Flow radio. Currently, the service is expected to launch as a public beta in North America this spring, with individual tracks priced between $0.99 and $1.49 depending on the publisher. Unfortunately, there's a $5.99 yearly subscription to actually use FlowSongs, which all but guarantees failure in a world where $1.49 tracks feel too pricey on their own. Moving on, the company is also dishing out a few hardware announcements. Up first is the Contour (shown above), an iPod / iPhone-friendly WiFi radio that touts a black crescent shape (not too unlike Meridian's M80), touch-sensitive controls and a trio of video outputs (composite, component and S-Video). The One Flow ($149) is about as basic as it gets, rocking a truly retro motif, a 3.5mm auxiliary input and a pair of alarms. Wrapping things up, there's the i-20, which is hailed as the only digital iPod dock available that supports component, S-Video and composite outputs. In a nutshell, it's a video output stand for your iPod or iPhone, which may or may not be worth the $99 asking price. Head on past the break for specifics on availability, and tap that source link once your credit card is ready. %Gallery-112399%
Grace Digital adds color displays on new Solo Touch, Bravado X, and Mondo WiFi radios
Can't say we had the best of times with Grace Digital's Allegro, but the dawning of a new year means the dawning of a new effort. Three efforts, in this case. Poised for an official unveiling next week at CES, the outfit's new trio of internet radios have all been upgraded with color displays. Up first is the Solo Touch, a $249.99 device with an expansive 4.3-inch touchpanel, bundled remote, Ethernet connection, RCA outputs and a headphone jack. Stepping down a notch, there's the Bravado X ($179.99), which offers a 2.7-inch color display, RCA in / out and a USB connector. Finally, the $169.99 Mondo packs a 3.5-inch color display, a full-on alarm clock (with snooze!) and a USB port of its own. The whole lot can be controlled via a free iPhone app, and they're each capable of tuning into iheartradio, Pandora, Sirius XM, WeatherBug, CBS Radio, MP3Tunes and more. Now, off to Vegas to see if those user interface quirks have been cleared up...
Pure's Evoke Flow, Oasis Flow and Siesta Flow internet radios finally on sale in America
Um, misfire? That's exactly what has happened with Pure's lineup of internet radios, which were supposed to ship to the US of A way back in July. Turns out, the crew hit a few snags along the way, but it looks as if the Evoke Flow, Oasis Flow and Siesta Flow will still be making it in time for the holidays. The company just announced that the aforesaid trio really, truly is on sale now in America, with all three shipping to eager radio zealots right now. Better still (and possibly to make up for lost time), the outfit is offering a 15 percent discount and free shipping for all orders placed before next Monday. Candidly speaking, we'd expect to see a cadre of successors in just a few weeks as CES kicks off, but if you've got an empty box that needs filled and wrapped...
The Daily Grind: What's in your ears while you play?
When it's time to sit down and play an MMO, very few of us do so in total silence. Even neglecting the occasional burst of profanity at the game, there's usually a wide selection of game audio to be heard, ranging from environmental noises like rustling leaves to simple and evocative music that stays with you even if you leave the game behind. But for all the care put into it, the in-game music can eventually get boring to many players. Maybe you still have the game soundtrack turned on, and you occasionally just stop and listen to one of your favorite melodies. Perhaps you've moved on to listening to a favorite playlist on iTunes or Pandora while you play, or you might turn off the sound altogether to focus on the business of voice chat. There's even a chance you've decided to be charmingly meta and listen to another game's soundtrack altogether. What are you listening to while you play your favorite game? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Grace debuts GDI-IR2550p WiFi radio with built-in Pandora controls
It may not exactly be one of the biggest "firsts" around, but Grace Digital Audio's new GDI-IR2550p WiFi radio is apparently the first such radio to pack built-in Pandora controls on the radio itself -- the company's earlier Digital Allegro only had controls on the remote and accompanying iPhone app. Unfortunately, Grace has paired that somewhat unique feature with a radio that seems to have confused retro good looks with bland and dated -- that same four-line LCD used on every other Grace radio doesn't help things either. If that's not your primary concern, however, you will get a decent range of features from the radio, including support for a slew of other internet content besides Pandora, streaming music from your Mac or PC, the aforementioned iPhone app, and all the usual alarm clock functionality you'd expect from a desktop radio. Look for this one to set you back $169.99. Update: Looks like this is just Grace's first of the sort -- this here Livio device did the same thing last year. For shame. Thanks, Brandon! Update 2: Livio CEO Jake Sigal has now weighed in on the matter on his blog. For its part, a rep for Grace Digital Audio tells us that while the Livio radio was indeed the first with thumbs up and thumbs down buttons for Pandora, the Grace radio is the first "that has thumbs up/down plus the play/pause function on the front panel, iPhone app, and remote control."
The Altaz 3.5-inch Internet Clock Radio tells you the weather, 'provides endless entertainment'
"Endless entertainment from a clock radio?" you say, cynically sipping on your tea. "Yes, that's what I said!" desperately cries the Altaz press release embedded below, pledging that its new 3.5-inch touchscreen'd Internet Clock Radio will keep you smiling until the end of time. The device will naturally tell you when exactly that is and wake you up before you get there, also showing the weather, streaming internet radio, and sucking down photos from Picasa. You know, pretty much all the stuff a Chumby One can do. But, can it walk? Unlikely, though the built-in battery, SD card reader, and 802.11g wireless do conspire to make it reasonably independent. All yours for a $99 MSRP, though a little Googling will save you 15 bucks or so.
TUAW Tips: Play internet radio in background on your iPad
Those of us who love to stream internet radio on our iPads can quickly turn into ogres when we switch to another app and the music stops. Until the iPad supports iOS 4 (soon) we're stuck with no background capability, which makes background streaming impossible.The folks over at FairerPlatform have come up with an easy way to listen to many of your favorite streams without a need to jailbreak your iPad or wait fruitlessly for Flash to make an appearance on the platform. While this trick won't work for every streaming Internet radio station -- Pandora is a perfect example of this -- it does work with others like Live365. What you need to do is find a radio-only stream that is playable in Safari, start playing the stream, and then go on to those other apps while listening to your music. As an example, FairerPlatform cites Soma FM, a San Francisco-based, user-supported internet radio station. Their music is available in the pls multimedia playlist format, which the iPad's Safari plays without a hitch. Once you've started the stream, you can do any other work you need to and the stream plays on in the background. If you're a fan of any of the live shows on the TWIT network, you can listen to those shows in background as well. Just point Safari to live.twit.tv, tap "Live Audio Stream," and then you can listen to their shows while doing real work instead of looking at Leo's face. TWIT AM uses the m3u format, which also loves Mobile Safari. It seems that most of the internet radio streams using pls or m3u work beautifully with Safari. Of course, this doesn't work with every radio station, internet or otherwise. I tried to see if a local radio station's coverage of the Colorado Rockies would stream -- nope, they use a Flash player. But this is a good trick to know until we're able to run the native streaming players as a background process on the iPad in a few days or months.
Pure's FlowSongs to rival iTunes tagging, won't be limited to select stations
For whatever reason, iTunes tagging never really has taken off. One could chalk it up to soft marketing or just a limited number of supported devices and stations, but either way, it seems that consumers have far more efficient ways to find music they like than to hear 'em on the radio, tag 'em, and download 'em later. Over in the UK, though, Pure is going ahead with a full-on competitor, as FlowSongs offers select Pure Digital radios (Avanti Flow, the Evoke Flow, the Oasis Flow, the Siesta Flow and the Sensia) to connect with the 7digital network in order to mark songs, purchase them for around £1 each and then have them streamed via one's Lounge account and to as many compatible Pure radios as you'd like. Songs that are found via DAB, FM or internet stations can be tagged, and all downloads are completely free of DRM. Better still, the "vast majority" of tracks will be encoded at 320kbps, though you will have to stomach a minor £2.99 yearly fee in order to pay for the Shazam portion of the service. It's all slated to go live on Monday across the pond, and you can give those links below a visit if you're thirsty for more.
Sony Dash update brings Shoutcast, app shortcuts and the true meaning of life
Got yourself a Sony Dash, did you? If so, right about now would be a beautiful time to unplug it and plug it back in, as that'll trigger a minty fresh update to download and apply. This newfangled software build will not only add Shoutcast as an available internet radio station, but it also brings app shortcuts and a hastened add / delete app process. It ain't much, but it ain't costly, either. Let us know in comments how it all works out for you, cool? [Thanks, Dave]
Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player adds internet radio to existing stereos
So, we've two main issues here. One, who in their right mind would pay $219.99 for a device that still requires a dedicated stereo in order to play back the internet radio streams that Grace Digital's Tuner Wireless Radio & Media Player delivers? And secondly, who would want to put up with Grace Digital's thoroughly lackluster UI? If you can't grok the grumbling, the aforementioned company now has a slender new component it'd love to stick on your shelf, with the device shown above able to stream WiFi radio content from 30,000 stations, Pandora, iheartradio, Sirius, Live365, MP3tunes and a smattering of other sources. It can be wired up via Ethernet or used over 802.11g, with composite, Toslink and coaxial digital audio outputs around back. There's a 4-line backlit LCD for displaying not nearly enough metadata at once, and there's even a remote thrown in for those looking to build out their collection. It's available now if you're feeling the itch, though we'd suggest you get that checked out before blindly indulging.
Brite-View launches CinemaGo BV-5005HD Mini CG HD media player
Brite-View's CinemaTube may have sufficed just fine for your home entertainment needs last year, but there's nothing like a little "Special Edition" to really get the gears turning in 2010. Launched today, the CinemaGo BV-5005HD Mini CG is mostly a revamped version of the CinemaTube BV-5005HD, boasting an eSATA interface, USB 2.0 socket, inbuilt WiFi, a BitTorrent manager and access to MUZEE internet radio channels. As you'd expect, the box is built to handle 1080p output and a cornucopia of file formats including MOV, WMV, MKV, AVI, VOB, DIVX, FLV and RMVB, and content can be delivered via locally attached hard drives or a home network / web connection. Best of all, the $149.99 MSRP is being trumped by a $109.99 pre-order price if you get in now, so really, you should probably get in now. Unless you hate saving money.
Grace Digital Allegro review
Dedicated internet radios have always been niche products; when you can get all the same content on your desktop, laptop or even smartphone, it's hard to see the point of relying on WiFi. Without a traditional FM antenna, they're many are chained to your network -- if not your wall -- and the lack of keyboard input for setup and channel search furthers their plight. Even so, there must be something to it, as this gadget category refuses to die, so we thought we'd give one promising newcomer a good, thorough try. The Grace Digital Allegro caught our attention with a packed feature list (including Pandora) and a clean, mobile design. Did it enthrall or disappoint? Find out after the break.%Gallery-92306%
