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iPhone gets Auto Shazam update, now it's always listening
Song-identification app Shazam is already an App Store favorite, but today's update makes the iPhone version even more useful. Adding a feature called Auto Shazam (which has been available on the iPad edition for a short while already), the app can now be told to continuously monitor the sounds around you and identify songs before you even tell it to. When you activate Auto Shazam, you can leave the app open, close it down or even lock your phone and the app will still listen in for tunes. If you permit Shazam to push notifications to your lock screen, a list of songs that the app has ID'd will auto-populate, which is perfect for when you're driving and can't take the time (or risk) to pull out your iPhone and fiddle with it.
Shazam for iPhone can now listen for songs and shows in the background
Ever rush to identify a song with Shazam with your phone, only to be frustrated as the tune ends before you've even reached into your pocket? That won't be a concern with the latest update to Shazam's iPhone app. Much like on the iPad, the new audio recognition software can listen for music, live events and TV shows in the background, even if the device is locked; a night at the bar could leave you with a full playlist. There's still no corresponding Android update, but iPhone owners can start producing the soundtrack of their lives after a quick trip to the App Store.
Shazam app users can vote for X Factor acts starting November 6th
Shazam's TV syncing has largely been passive so far, but it's about to become more of a two-way street. App users who watch The X Factor from November 6th onwards will get to both vote for acts during the broadcast and submit those choices as soon as final voting begins. As you'd expect, viewers enraptured by the performances will also have plenty of chances to buy songs and browse supplementary content as well. Shazam's new level of interaction won't be especially deep, but it certainly beats picking winners through old-fashioned calls and text messages.
iOS 7 app update roundup: it's a flat, flat, flat world
Even if you don't feel like coughing up the cash for either the iPhone 5c or iPhone 5s, those eligible for an update (that's if you own an iPhone 4 or up, or an iPad 2 onward) can at least console themselves with iOS 7, which debuts today. Gone is the skeuomorphic design of the Forstall era, and in its place is a flatter interface that promises an entirely new experience for iOS devotees. As such, developers everywhere have been scrambling to get their apps redesigned to match the new mobile OS out of Cupertino. While we can't possibly cover every update, we've compiled a quick list after the break of the more substantial app revamps that have come our way.
Shazam updated with speed improvements and improved song-recognition ability
Shazam -- everyone's favorite music-recognition app for iPhone -- was updated this past Monday with several notable enhancements. Version 6.2 lets Twitter users preview songs from within Twitter when originally tweeted out from the app. Even better, the updated app now provides improved song recognition when operating in noisy environments. The full changelog reads: ○ Much faster recognition, especially on the iPhone 4 and 3GS. ○ Better recognition in difficult environments. ○ Now when you tweet, your followers can play previews right in Twitter through our Twitter Card. ○ Explore charts are more dynamic, showing you what's hot in the last seven days. ○ New TV experiences (US only). Shazam was an impressive app right from the beginning and it continues to improve. If you haven't yet experienced the magic that is Shazam, it's available as a free download from the App Store.
Shazam 4.0 for Android arrives with redesigned interface and faster sound scans
Shazam's Android app has needed a makeover for a while; even with tablet support, the sound identification tool has felt more at home in 2011 than 2013. The company is delivering that overdue redesign today with the launch of Shazam 4.0. The new app gives Android users a modern, Holo-inspired interface that scales to all Android devices, including a wider variety of tablets. It also brings the iOS version's faster sound scans and more dynamic listening screen. While there aren't many other changes, there's more than enough here to justify grabbing the update through Google Play.
Shazam for iOS updated with Pulse discovery feature, redesigned tab bar on iPhone
It's been a mere few weeks since Shazam introduced those new location-based and tagging features for the tablet version of its iOS app, but the music-driven service isn't stopping there. Reaching version 6.1 on Apple's platform, today Shazam's universal application is bringing a few more tidbits to both the iPhone and iPad. Handset users, for one, will notice speedier load times within the app and a rather fresh look that focuses on displaying more info on the tab bar -- such as friend tags and chart updates. On the bigger screen, Shazam says it's improved things by allowing users to more easily delete tags from Favorites and by adding under-the-hood tweaks which should make for a smoother experience while browsing the Friends feed. The bigger news, perhaps, is Shazam Pulse, a music discovery tool that's making its way to the iOS app, one which allows folks to quickly see and sample the music currently being tagged by people. It's worth noting that all these new features are available for Shazam and Shazam Encore, so fret not if you have one or the other.
Shazam launches on Windows Phone 8 with links to Xbox Music and free unlimited tagging
Shazam might claim over 300 million song-checkers already, but it's all about increasing that audience, and from today, that includes Windows Phone 8. The app has launched free on Microsoft's mobile OS, with the ability to tag directly from the home screen. Once it's recognized the track, Shazam can connect to both Xbox Music and Nokia Music services to pick up the full track for playback. Shazam also promises to recognize TV shows and ads through audio and offer up an "interactive second-screen experience," although there's scant detail on what that might involve. While the app is free, like its iOS and Android counterparts, it arrives with unlimited tagging, which should make it perfect for anyone that really can't remember who did that song. (It was probably Prince.)
Shazam gives Infinite Crisis lineup a jolt
Even as a mere mortal, Billy Batson stood up to injustice. And now, thanks to the powers granted him by the ancient wizard Shazam, Billy can turn into a mighty lightning-infused warrior to fight against injustice, evil... and whatever opponents happen to queue against him! Joining the pool of available champions in Turbine's upcoming MOBA Infinite Crisis, the superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel (name officially changed to Shazam in 2010) hails from the Prime Universe and brings the power of lightning front-and-center as a melee enforcer. Want to catch of glimpse of Shazam's powers and abilities like Speed of Mercury, Power of Zeus, Lightning Field, and Mystic Power/Defense? Then watch the champion reveal video after the break. [Source: Turbine press release]
Shazam app goes universal, adds mapping features, more
The uber-popular live-music-recognition app Shazam has received a major update today. The most noticeable change is a new mapping feature. Now users can explore a map and see what songs are being tagged in what areas of the world. Another major change is that Shazam is now a universal app. Previously there was Shazam for iPhone and Shazam for iPad, but now both apps have been rolled into one. The iPad side of the new Shazam app has seen significant upgrades as well. Users are now greeted with a beautiful new home screen that allows them to flip through recently tagged songs. Another new feature is Auto Tagging, which tags any audio from TV shows or music playing around you without you having to tap a button. Shazam will even continue to run in the background and continue tagging songs when you leave the app. When you launch it again, everything that was tagged when you were outside the app appears on the new home screen. Shazam is a free download.
Shazam for iPad gets auto-tagging, trending charts, local maps, Spotify and Rdio integration (updated)
If you've ever sighed in frustration at not being able to leap straight from discovering a song to playing it ad-nauseum on Spotify or Rdio, here's a heads-up. Shazam's iPad-focused iOS update integrates both streaming services with its discovery software in addition to a new look home screen and an auto-tagging mode that'll passively observe any music in the background. The mapping service has also been tweaked, letting you search and see what songs are being tagged in your neighborhood (or anyone else's, for that matter) and if you'd like to see it in action, head on past the break. Update: Shazam's been in touch to clarify that Rdio is available for all users, but if you want Spotify integration, you'll have to upgrade to the paid version.
Injustice: Gods Among Us adds Black Adam to character roster
As if any superhero could exist in a fighting game without his or her perennial antagonist to become embattled against, Shazam's ancient Egyptian arch-enemy, Black Adam, has been revealed as a playable character in Injustice: Gods Among Us.As seen in the solitary screenshot above, Black Adam shares Shazam's lightning-bolt motif, which makes sense considering that they were both given their powers by the same wizard, who was also named "Shazam." Additionally, Black Adam has to say "Shazam!" in order to activate his magical powers, which embody aspects of the Egyptian gods Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton and Mehen, or S.H.A.Z.A.M. Comic books, everybody.
Daily Update for February 25, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Shazam passes 300 million users, new iOS version coming soon
Shazam announced today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain that its media-engagement app now has over 300 million users worldwide. The big news, however, wasn't just about how many users the app has snagged, but that a significant update to the app is forthcoming in the next few weeks. The new update will include a home screen showing what TV shows and music people are tagging, a mapping feature that shows what the most popular music is by country, state, city and town, improved tagging that can identify a show or song in as little as one second, and more sharing features. Shazam notes that the company has seen triple-digit growth in downloads of the iPad app, primarily for use as a second screen while watching TV. The next version of Shazam for iOS will be universal, and will include the interactive mapping feature on the smaller screens of the iPhone and iPod touch as well.
Shazam conjures iPad and Android tablet versions, zips past 300 million users
If you've finally caught up to the curve with the latest tablet but are still hopelessly behind on the latest tunes or TV programs, Shazam now has a slate-friendly flavor of its media-discovery software for iPad and Android. The update includes new touches like a refreshed home page, improved tag result layout, a new way to browse your friends' tagging and interactive mapping that shows users' taste in cities around the world, as shown above. The outfit says the interface is enhanced for the slate environment and that it just passed 300 million users worldwide, giving you plenty of sources to find the latest thing. It'll arrive for free at the App Store and Google Play in a few weeks, according to Shazam -- hit the PR after the break for more.
Latest Injustice footage shows Joker, Flash, Shazam, whams, bams
The next round of Injustice: Gods Among Us combat footage has been released into the wild, now that round 2 of NetherRealm Studio's ongoing character popularity contest has come to an end. The resulting bouts pit Joker against Lex Luthor (above) and Flash against Shazam (below), who up until the New 52 relaunch was known by his original, proper name, Captain Marvel.As was the case with the last round of videos, very subtle similarities to Mortal Kombat are apparent to anyone looking for them: Captain Marvel Shazam's moves invoke a sense of Raiden, Joker's various gadgets remind of Cyrax/Sektor and Flash's kicks have a Kung Lao look to them.
Shazam mention, blackout at Super Bowl drives mobile engagement
Velti is a firm that runs advertising on mobile platforms like iOS and Android, and they were paying close attention during last Sunday's Super Bowl game to how and when mobile users were on their phones. The company has released a few tidbits about mobile usage during the big showdown, and they reveal quite a bit about when we picked up our phones during the game. Velti says that while the Ravens may have won the game, Jack in the Box was the biggest win on the mobile side: The company's "Hot Mess" commercial (which featured a big plug for Shazam, who we spoke with about exactly this situation at CES) was the most active mobile engagement driver during the entire show. Viewers saw the bug, and immediately picked up their phones, presumably to either check out Shazam or use the app on the commercial spot (though it was only 30 seconds, so they had to hurry). Mobile engagement also spiked, says Velti, during the brief blackout delay that the stadium experienced. In that same vein, the halftime show was actually the point at which viewers were least engaged in their phones, suggesting that Beyonce's song and dance distracted them back away from the smaller screens. And the game itself distracted viewers from their phones as well -- the relatively boring first half had more mobile usage, while the second half of the game, when the 49ers staged a comeback against the Ravens, saw mobile usage drop. There's a lot of very interesting insight in there about exactly how mobile users make use of their second screen devices. The Jack in the Box / Shazam spike is no mistake, and we can likely expect to see even more moves like that in the future. Our mobile phones are nearly always with us these days, and other screens, including television, have lots of opportunities to use Apple's platforms for even more engagement.
CES 2013: Shazam adds TV (and TV ads) to its music finding service
Shazam's Executive Vice President of Marketing, David Jones, kindly found some time to meet up with me during CES 2013 today, and we chatted about what the company has been up to lately. You probably remember Shazam from their very early days on the iPhone as a music-finding app (you can use the app to "listen" to any music you hear, and it will tell you the artist and title of the song), but in the past few years the company has grown to be a lot more than that. Specifically, instead of just finding music, Jones says the big push for the company lately is in recognizing television shows and television ads. The company's two biggest news stories out of CES have nothing to do with iOS: The Shazam app is going to come pre-installed on a series of Android phones, and the service is also joining the QNX car audio architecture. But both of those new developments are really signals that Shazam has grown way beyond its now humble iOS roots. The app can now be used to identify any television broadcast, and the company has joined up with over 200 brands, and more all the time, to try and make every TV ad "Shazam-able" as well. Jones said that Shazam not only fingerprints every broadcast, but even the specific time of every broadcast, so the company can know exactly when and where you set the app to listen in. "We can make TV ads, for the first time ever, interactive," Jones told me. Shazam's monetization strategy is a patchwork quilt of different deals and techniques: Generally, the company will make content "Shazamable" for free, but will then ask the broadcaster to somehow mention (either via a quick explanation or just a logo on the bottom of the screen) that Shazam is enabled. As a result, says Jones, Shazam has picked up about 10 billion impressions from TV in the last year, which not only drives users back to the iOS app, but also just raises awareness among users that they can "Shazam" shows and ads. Shazam also deals in sponsorships and advertising, and will sometimes make money off of referral links directly into iTunes or other marketplaces. As Shazam has opened up into tracking more and more content, the company's technology has gotten better as well. Right around this time last year, the company started doing "live ingestion" which means that as soon as something was broadcast, it could be identified by the app. And better search and find algorithms mean that identifying a broadcast is faster than ever. When Shazam actually finds your program, it provides you with a list of options and content related to it. For TV shows, it can pull up cast information, or, Jones says, a very popular option that lists music heard in the show. Sportscasts are one of the most Shazam-ed forms of content, and when those shows are brought up, Shazam can show sports scores around the league, and can even time them out to the exact point in the broadcast that Shazam was listening in (if a user happened to be watching a game on DVR, for example, and didn't want the results of other games spoiled). Live music shows are another popular choice for Shazamed content, and awards shows are big as well: Jones expects a lot of traffic for the upcoming Golden Globes show. Of course the Super Bowl is a big win for Shazam, and Jones says we can expect the app to show up in the worldwide broadcast at some point (though he said details on exactly what that will entail are still being kept secret for now). Jones says there's still plenty of room to grow for Shazam. The company has done all of this pushing on TV and ads even while keeping its music-finding business going (and growing), so that part of the app is still very important. 2013, said Jones, will likely be dedicated to continuing to grow the TV ads business, but there are plenty of other places for Shazam to go, including radio, and even inside retail stores (so you could hold a phone up in a retail store, and automatically get information about not only the music playing, but any current sales or promotions on what you're shopping for). Shazam started out early on the iPhone with its music history, but there's a lot more left for this company to do.
Shazam for iOS gets a new UI, shares our lack of music knowledge with Google+
Some Shazam users run the app to discover new music; for us, it's an all-too-frequent admission that we're out of touch with the kids' music these days. We can at least take comfort in the 5.5 update for iOS giving us a friendlier interface for catching up on our culture. Along with a new listening screen that reacts to the tunes, there's bigger album artwork as well as automatic resubmissions if the connection gets sketchy. Those of us unafraid to reveal our tastes in music can also share to Google+, and listeners with visual impairments now just have to double-tap to start sampling tracks whenever VoiceOver is turned on. We have yet to see a matching Android update, but any iPhone or iPod touch owner who can live with a little musical humility can hit the source for the new release.
Shazam now rides shotgun with any TV show in the US, gets cozier with Facebook
Shazam doesn't want to let GetGlue control all our couch potato time -- it just rolled out an upgrade to its TV component that lets the mobile app provide social sharing, soundtrack and trivia details for nearly any TV show in the US, not just those deemed worthy of special attention. The app mirrors the program it's looking at -- we'll see stats instead of IMDb if we're watching hockey, for example. Whether or not attention is locked on the bigger screen in the living room, Shazam's little screen is making Facebook more a centerpiece of the experience. Media mavens can comment on friends' tagging habits and post their own tags to their Facebook timelines for all to see. The wider universe of TV shows should be available today, although we'll have to wait for an update in the "coming weeks" to broadcast our tastes in media with the rest of the world.
