First 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2 RAID Arrays Now Shipping Ahead of Mac Pro Release
PROMISE Technology is now shipping its Thunderbolt 2 RAID systems ahead of the new Mac Pro’s promised December release. The arrays were first announced back in October but are now available through a number of retail channels.
The Pegasus2 line of RAID arrays allow for simultaneous transfer and display of 3D and 4K video files. They work with the new MacBook Pro with Retina display released in October, as well as the new Mac Pro when it launches later this month.
“Pegasus2 is truly one-of-a-kind, as there has never before been a storage solution that offered such an incredible combination of performance, mobility, and simplicity,” said James Lee, CEO, PROMISE Technology. “We are thrilled that Pegasus2 is the first storage solution available with Thunderbolt 2 — this further illustrates PROMISE’s position as a leader in Thunderbolt technology.”
The Pegasus 2 is available in 4-bay, 6-bay, and 8-bay configurations with 8TB, 12TB, 18TB, 24TB and 32TB capacities through the Apple Online Store and elsewhere. Pricing ranges from $1,499 to $4,599, though some retailers are offering modest discounts off PROMISE’s MSRP.
– Pegasus2 R4 (4-bay): Diskless $699, 4x2TB $1,499
– Pegasus2 R6 (6 bay): 6x2TB $2,299, 6x3TB $2,999
– Pegasus2 R8 (8-bay): 8x3TB $3,599, 8x4TB $4,599
The new Mac Pro, which will include six Thunderbolt 2 ports, is expected to begin shipping later this month.
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Spotify Announces New Free Listening Tiers for Mobile Devices [iOS Blog]
Spotify today announced the introduction of new free listening tiers for its mobile customers, with separate options available for both tablets and smartphones. Previously, Spotify limited its free listening to desktop users, requiring a $9.99 monthly subscription for music access on mobile devices beyond Spotify’s free radio streaming.
On the iPad, the Spotify app will function similarly to the current free desktop version of the app, permitting users to search for specific tracks, build playlists, and listen to content for free.
On the iPhone, Spotify’s service is built around shuffling, much like similar services from Pandora and iTunes Radio. Customers can search for a specific artist or song, but will be required to shuffle through an artist’s catalog to access the music. Pre-compiled playlists can also be accessed, but unlimited search and listen access is not available.
– Your music: Listen to all the playlists you’ve created and playlists from the people you follow. Spotify lets you discover new music, save, shuffle and share.
– Your favourite artists: Want to listen to a certain artist? Just hit shuffle play, sit back and listen to their entire catalogue. Don’t settle for something similar. Don’t settle for just one track from the artist you want to hear every 20 minutes.
– Discover great new playlists: Going for a jog or to the gym? We’ve got the playlist to help you go the extra mile. We know you just want the perfect music for a specific moment in time – and we’ve got you covered. There’s something for every mood, genre or moment.
The difference between the iPhone app and the iPad app comes from Spotify’s decision to treat the iPad as a PC. Subscribers who pay Spotify’s $9.99 per month fee will have exclusive access to offline playlists along with the ability to select specific songs for playback.
Along with new free listening options on mobile devices, Spotify today also announced that it has added the full catalog of Led Zeppelin albums and expanded to 20 new markets around the world.
Spotify’s free services will be available beginning today. The Spotify app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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Southwest Airlines Offering In-Flight iMessaging for $2 Per Day
Southwest Airlines is offering passengers the ability to send and receive iMessages from their iOS devices in-flight for $2 per day. In-flight Wi-Fi access for all applications is available for $8 per device per day.
It’s likely that the airline is opening up iMessage related ports to users who pay the $2, while users who pay more receive access to in-flight email, social networks and the like. The $8 per day service also includes access to 13 live television channels on laptops and iOS devices.
Beginning today, Southwest is enabling iMessage for $2 a day!
Any Apple user that has iOS 5 or later with the iMessage feature pre-loaded on their device can take advantage of this option. Now you can stay powered up and connected to friends and family like you never left the ground.
In-flight Wi-Fi is not yet available on all Southwest flights, but the airline has a Wi-Fi finder on its website so flyers can check if their aircraft will support the service.
Southwest Airlines flies within the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
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Google Play Books updated with notable new features
If you love reading books and you are also into technology, then I am sure you are familiar with Google Play Books -Google’s very own book store for Android. Google has now updated the application and the update 3.1.17 is slowly rolling out, and it brought some new features to the app.
The most exciting feature is that it will allow users to upload books directly from their devices. Have a look on all the features:
- Books open more quickly and smoothly.
- Upload EPUB or PDF files to your library from your phone or tablet. From email or Downloads, touch the file to open it and choose Upload to Play Books.
- Improved look and feel of highlights and notes.
- Lower brightness settings, for better reading in low light.
- Read any book in landscape view.
- Dismiss recommended books in Read Now.
- Additional improvements in performance, stability and accessibility.
Are you a Play Books fan? What are your thoughts about the new update? Tell us about it in the comment box below.
Source: Play Store via AndroidPolice
The post Google Play Books updated with notable new features appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Rovio celebrates 4th birthday of Angry Birds with 15 new ‘Birdday Party’ levels
Yes, as difficult as it may be to believe, Angry Birds is celebrating its fourth birthday. The series of games, which shows no signs of slowing, has evolved into cartoons, racing games, and even officially licensed Star Wars titles. Today, however, there’s an update to the one that started it all.
As part of the Birdday Party update, Angry Birds gets 15 new levels and is now hovering around the 500 level mark. We’ve been incorrect and premature in the past when we wondered if the franchise was ready to call it a day. Here, four years later, things are moving along better than ever. Props to the Rovio team for their continued efforts!
The post Rovio celebrates 4th birthday of Angry Birds with 15 new ‘Birdday Party’ levels appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple TV Roundup: Apple’s Plans for Television
Following last week’s addition of an iPhone 6 roundup, MacRumors today is publishing a new Apple TV roundup covering not only Apple’s current set-top box and rumors for future enhancements, but also long-running rumors of a dedicated Apple television set.
While Apple has been busy increasing the amount of content available through the current Apple TV, there is still uncertainty about timing for new television-related hardware from the company. A dedicated Apple television set has been rumored for a number of years, with Steve Jobs having been quoted in his 2011 biography as saying “I finally cracked it” with regard to a television interface concept, but signs continue to suggest that release is not yet imminent.
Apple has also been rumored to be working on Kinect-like motion control for the Apple TV, and Apple’s acquisition of PrimeSense, the company behind the original Microsoft Kinect motion control technology, last month has continued to fuel that speculation. But whether that technology will make its way into the next Apple TV as part of a radical revamp or if the next-generation box will primarily be an iterative update based on improved internals remains to be seen.
Continue reading our full Apple TV roundup…
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The Nokia Normandy is rumored to be an Android device
According to a recent report by The Verge, Nokia has an Android device nearly ready for consumer release.
What’s interesting is that Nokia has forked Android, similar to how Amazon uses it, to create a customized operating system. The move gives more control over the experience, differentiating it from other Android devices, while still allowing most Android apps to work on the device.
The photo above was originally leaked back in November by @evleaks. The Normandy name is only a codename for this low-end Android device.
All of the time and effort into creating an Android variant may be for nothing, as Microsoft is likely to axe the project once its purchase of Nokia’s handset division is complete.
What do you think, would you want to use a forked version of Android on some Nokia hardware?
The post The Nokia Normandy is rumored to be an Android device appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Spotify announces free mobile services and full Led Zeppelin catalog
It’s a big day for Spotify as the streaming music service on Wednesday announced a new free mobile experience. Available immediately, both smartphones and tablets can take advantage of a new streaming service that includes on-demand music.
The new mobile Spotify app experience allows users to:
- Your music: Listen to the playlists you create, and to those from the people you follow
- Your favorite artists: To listen to a specific artist, just hit shuffle play to listen to their entire catalogue – no settling for one track every 20 minutes from the artist you want
- Discover great new playlists: Listen to playlists for every mood, genre, or moment in time
As if that wasn’t enough, there are 20 new markets picking up Spotify availability, bringing the total to 55 markets around the globe.
Oh, and then there’s little bit about a band called Led Zeppelin. Yes, Spotify now has the exclusive rights to the entire catalogue, spanning decades. Starting today, and rolling out over the next few days, Spotify listeners can come to expect the following albums.
- Wednesday, December 11 – Led Zeppelin (1969) and Led Zeppelin II (1969)
- Thursday, December 12 – Led Zeppelin III (1970) and Untitled fourth album (1971)
- Friday, December 13 – Houses Of The Holy (1973) and Physical Graffiti (1975)
- Saturday, December 14 – Presence (1976) and In Through The Out Door (1979)
- Sunday, December 15 – The Song Remains The Same (1976), Coda (1982), BBC Sessions (1997), How The West Was Won (2003), Mothership (2007), and Celebration Day (2012)
Not too shabby, eh?
Music for everyone
Spotify now free on mobile and tablet
The best free music experience in the history of the smartphone. Available now
Spotify now available in 55 markets
From today, Spotify gives you access to millions of songs across your mobile devices for free. Listen to all your playlists, discover new music, or simply sit back and dig into your favourite artist’s entire back catalogue. And with Spotify launching in 20 new markets today, it’s never been easier for more people across the world to discover and play more great music.
Available to all today – Spotify’s new free mobile experience lets you shuffle play:
- Your music: Listen to all the playlists you’ve created and playlists from the people you follow. Spotify lets you discover new music, save, shuffle and share.
- Your favourite artists: Want to listen to a certain artist? Just hit shuffle play, sit back and listen to their entire catalogue. Don’t settle for something similar. Don’t settle for just one track from the artist you want to hear every 20 minutes.
- Discover great new playlists: Going for a jog or to the gym? We’ve got the playlist to help you go the extra mile. We know you just want the perfect music for a specific moment in time – and we’ve got you covered. There’s something for every mood, genre or moment.
We also know how much our users love to use their tablets for music at home. Unlike mobile devices, it turns out that tablets are becoming the new desktops. Tablets are where people lean in, search and build playlists.
So, starting today, iOS and Android tablet users can enjoy the same great free Spotify experience that they’ve grown to love on their computer. Any song or album, on-demand at your fingertips.
“Today we’re giving people the best free music experience in the history of the smartphone and the tablet,” said Daniel Ek, CEO & Founder at Spotify. “Whether you’re going to the gym, or having a party with friends. Just sit back and let Spotify serve you great music for every moment of your life.”
Spotify Premium continues to offer the ultimate listening experience with on-demand, ad-free access to your music in high quality, offline mode and effortless control of your home audio with Spotify Connect. Spotify is also available in its ad-supported, free version on all devices.
Spotify is available to iOS and Android users right now, and can be downloaded in the App Store and Google Play.
Did we mention it’s free?
The post Spotify announces free mobile services and full Led Zeppelin catalog appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Led Zeppelin comes to Spotify
Now THIS is the news we were waiting for from Spotify. A little Coda to today’s Spotify event in New York City — one of the great rock bands of all time is coming to the streaming service. As CEO Daniel Ek put it, “I can’t wait to get the Led out.” Free is all well and good, but what’s a streaming service without a little Houses of the Holy? Dazed and confused about where to begin? The company’s created a handy little playlist. Though, for the record, old Led Zeppelin I isn’t a bad place to start.
Filed under: Software
Spotify adds 20 new markets
All right, all right, it’s no Zeppelin, but still another bit of good news from today’s Spotify event in NYC. The streaming service announced that it will be launching in an additional 20 markets, bringing the total number up to 55. The includes a number of countries in Europe and South and Central America. All of the aforementioned free offers will be available at launch. There are, as follows, in alphabetical order (it’s just easier that way): Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Malta, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Slovakia and Uruguay. Phew.
Filed under: Software
AIVAnet 