Spotify vs. Apple Music: Which service is the streaming king?

When it comes to subscribers, the undisputed king of on-demand streaming music is Spotify. The Swedish-born service helped pioneer the current market, and has tens of millions more paid users than the competition, not to mention millions more free users. But Apple Music, known for its high-level exclusive releases and full integration into Apple’s popular iOS system, is the hottest service on Spotify’s heels. Apple’s streamer has shown impressive growth in listenership since its inception, garnering about half the number of Spotify’s paying users since it went live in June of 2015 — nine years behind Spotify.

Related: Apple Music’s iOS 10 update includes new personalized playlists to compete with Spotify

It’s hardly surprising that Apple Music is so successful. Not only is it backed by one of the biggest brands in the world, it also gives users access to the entire iTunes library, a swath of curated playlists, and a 24-hour radio station helmed by BBC-alum Zane Lowe. Even the required subscription fee of $10 per month is no great barrier for entry, as Apple Music offers a three-month free trial and a discounted family plan.

Given that these two are the biggest streaming services on the market, we thought it important to take stock of how the two compare back to back. Follow us below to see if Apple has what it takes to steal Spotify’s crown, and find out which service is best for you.

Music library

Spotify first gained its dominant position on the strength of its impressive 30 million-plus song catalog. Couple this with the fact that it adds over 20,000 new songs each day, and the service offers more music than your ears even know what to do with. While several holes do exist in its library — Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Tool — Spotify’s catalog is extremely deep, and set the gold standard. Moreover, the Swedish streaming service brings all the latest record releases, exclusive live sessions, and various new singles right to its New Releases tab each Friday, providing a great way to hear the latest from established artists, and rising stars alike.

However, Apple’s service touts around 40 million songs, which is superior to Spotify’s “more than 30 million” figure (though we’re not sure by how much), and also outdoes newer contenders like Amazon’s paid streaming service and Jay Z’s Tidal. Moreover, Apple has taken steps to secure more exclusives than the competition, Taylor Swift’s oeuvre being a prime example. Spotify isn’t too happy with artists signing exclusivity deals with Apple, either. Reportedly, Spotify has a history of altering search rankings for artists who release their music through Apple first.

There’s another area where Apple Music has the leg up on its competition: Integration of the iTunes library. Any music you’ve got — whether previously purchased via the iTunes Store, ripped from a physical CD, or uploaded to iTunes Match — will appear in your Apple Music library, giving you the option to freely browse your own music alongside Apple’s standard catalog. Spotify offers a similar function, relegating your local music files to a separate tab, but you can’t access your local music via broad searches like you can with Apple Music.

Winner: Apple Music

If you’re looking forward to Dawn of War III, the PC requirements are finally here

Why it matters to you

You’ll need these minimum or recommended PC specs if you want to play Dawn of War III.

If you’re a Warhammer 40,000 fan, then you’re likely waiting impatiently for the next installment, Dawn of War III. The expansion promises to bring new action and a host of extra bonuses and unlockables to the popular franchise six long years after the last expansion, Dawn of War II, was released.

Dawn of War III is set to hit the market on April 27, meaning that there’s now less than two months to go before you can load up the title and start playing. That also means your window for making sure your PC can play the game at acceptable framerates is closing. Luckily, we now have a list of requirements to start planning around, as Tom’s Hardware reports.

More: ‘Dawn of War III’ to launch on April 27, pre-order bonuses now live

At the very least, you’ll need your PC to be equipped with an Intel Core i3 at 3.0GHz, or the AMD equivalent. An Nvidia Geforce GTX 360 or AMD Radeon HD 6950 is the bare minimum in terms of graphics processing power, and you’ll also want at least 4GB of RAM. The 64-bit version of Windows 10 and DirectX 11 round out the basic requirements.

If you want to play the game well, however, then you’ll want to be running with an Intel Core i5 3.GHz or higher, or with the equivalent AMD CPU. An Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 or AMD Radeon HD 7970 will provide a much better experience, with more detailed graphics and higher framerates, as will 8GB of RAM. The OS and DirectX requirements remain the same.

You’ll be able to pick up Dawn of War III at the Dawn of War store or via Steam. Again, it’s coming on April 27, leaving you just a little time to either upgrade your system or pick up a new one if your current machine doesn’t meet the minimum or recommended specifications.

Insta360 Air is a golf ball-sized camera that turns a phone into a live 360 cam

Why it matters to you

Crowdfunded campaigns come with risks but the Android add-on Insta360 Air is now available from retailers.

After a successful Indiegogo launch, the 360 camera add-on for Android Insta360 Air is available at retailers in the U.S. and Europe and the company is expecting to add even more features.

The Insta360 Air is a golf ball-sized camera that records 360 images and video from an Android phone. Plugging into a micro USB port, the accessory shoots scrollable 360 or “Little Planet” type shots, as well more standard shots and a separate mode for viewing with virtual reality goggles later.

More: Watch hockey from the referee’s perspective, thanks to a 360 camera mount

Insta360 launched an iPhone-compatible 360 camera add-on in 2016, followed by an Indiegogo campaign for the Air in November. The campaign exceeded half its goal in a single day, but for the crowdfunding wary, the Air is now selling at retailers including B&H Photo Video and the manufacturer’s website.

Insta360 says the Air is a plug-and-play device with an intuitive design for simple 360. The Air uses two fisheye lenses and automatic stitching software to shoot 3K photos and 2.5K videos — though, like other consumer 360 cameras, those pixels are stretched through the entire 360 view. The live-capable camera can also double as a webcam with a USB attachment for desktop use.

More: Nine in ten believe videos are better in 360, new Nikon survey shows

While the Insta360 Air is the same camera that launched on Indiegogo, the company says they are currently developing additional features in the form of firmware updates, including image stabilization in real time. The stabilization is a software that corrects differences between frames to electronically create a smoother video. While electronic stabilization is common on affordable cameras, the company says the stabilization is expected to work for live streams as well.

The Air retails for $129 and is available in the U.S. as well as the U.K., Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, and Japan.

Keep your pace during walks with the Ruawalk music-guided wearable

Why it matters to you

Power walk often? If you have trouble staying focused and maintaining your pace, Ruawalk may be the wearable for you.

If you need motivation to keep your pace during a workout walk, try matching your steps to music beats with Ruawalk.

Ruawalk is a Kickstarter project that helps you keep a consistent pace during walks. The circular wearable first needs to pair with your smartphone, and then you can clip it to your shoe. The companion app features a collection of tracks that you can play when you start a workout. Like Guitar Hero and Dance, Dance Revolution, you get points and positive engagement when you match your pace with the beat of the song.

More: MWC 2017 Trends: Waterproof phones are in, wearables are out, and nostalgia is king

What’s neat is if you’re falling behind or not matching your pace with the song, a voice coach will audibly bring you back via your earbuds. There are seven different walking programs that range from 15 to 30 minutes long, each with a different types of songs and purpose. Unfortunately, you can’t use your own music, but the app will have more than 30 songs at launch.

The walking programs’ titles range from “I’m on a diet” and “Mood Booster,” to “Brain Walk” and “Lunchtime Stroll.” Presumably, programs like “I’m on a diet” will be more intensive, featuring fast-paced songs, compared to ones like “Lunchtime stroll. You can check out previews of what some of the music will be like on the company’s Kickstarter page.

The programs have different zones, starting with warm ups and ending with cool downs. “I’m on a diet,” for example, will have a 10-minute, high-intensity walking period in the middle followed by a 10-minute interval zone as well.

More: We tried (and ranked) every smartphone at MWC, the largest mobile show of the year

The battery will last three to five days of use, and you can charge it via a Micro USB port located on the device. It looks like the company may be on its way to being funded, as it’s only about $8,000 short of its $30,000 goal with 23 days to go.

You can buy the Ruawalk for $69 from Kickstarter now, and units are expected to ship — if successfully funded — by June.

Google is developing a series of AI-powered features for Android O

Why it matters to you

The next major release of Google’s Android operating system might use artificial intelligence to save you time.

Android 7.0 Nougat may be less than half a year old, but Google has already turned most of its development efforts toward its next version. On Tuesday, VentureBeat reported that the Mountain View, California-based company is working on three new features that will coincide with the release of Android O. They’re described as “intelligent,” and said to bring Android to parity with Apple’s AI-powered efforts on iOS.

One feature, Copy Less, will combine machine learning — software that self-improves without human intervention — and computer vision — software that extracts and analyzes data from images — into a labor-saving feature. According to VentureBeat, it aims to cut down on the number of times users have to copy text from one app to another.

More: How to root your Android phone or tablet in 2017 (and unroot it)

Take food, for example. If you’re having a Facebook Messenger conversation with a friend about where to have dinner and switch to Yelp for recommendations, Copy Less will recognize the context — it will “know,” so to speak, that you’re looking for a nearby place to eat, and use that information to save you time. Once you’ve settled on a spot and switched back to the chat interface, Copy Less will suggest relevant replies to your friend’s questions. If he or she asks for the restaurant’s address, it will serve it up.

Another contextualization feature reportedly in tow is address recognition. When you receive a message with a street address, it will recognize the text as an address — tapping it will show the address in Google Maps.

According to VentureBeat, the implementation will be similar to Gmail’s web app. When a date or time appears in the body of an email, it’s automatically underlined, and when you hover over the text, a pop-up menu offers the option to add the event to your calendar.

Google has already experimented with context recognition in the form of Now on Tap (now Screen Search), an Android feature that launched with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Screen Search, once activated, suggests relevant links and shortcuts based on what you’re browsing. If you’re searching a Spanish web page, it will automatically translate sentences. If you’re on a band’s Facebook page, it will serve up quick links to concert tickets.

Google’s final major accessibility feature involves gestures. If you draw a letter C anywhere in Android, for example, a short list of contacts will appear onscreen.

More: 25 awesome Android games you need to try

Google has toyed with the idea of gestures before. The Gesture Search app for Android provides gesture-based access to contacts, apps, and settings. And Google launched a gesture option on the web that lets you perform searches by scribbling in your phone’s browser. VentureBeat notes, however, that the gestures feature could be delayed or canceled.

Google is expected to unveil Android O at its I/O developer conference in May. If history is any guide, the search giant will release a series of work-in-progress developer previews ahead of a public launch in the fall.

Lip reading will soon offer another novel way to unlock your smartphone

Why it matters to you

Using a lip pattern as a password is harder to imitate than a regular code, tougher to trick than face recognition, and unlike fingerprints, could require little or no contact with the device.

Between fingerprints, face recognition, audio commands, and good old PIN numbers, passwords, and patterns, there is no shortage of ways to unlock your smartphone. Now, a team of researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University have added yet another way: Lip reading.

At first blush, using lip movement to authenticate a device might just seem like another frivolous method to accomplish something we already do on our devices every day easily enough, but there is actually a very strong case to be made for the idea, as the project’s leader Cheung Yiu-ming explained to the South China Morning Post.

“You can use English, Cantonese, or Putonghua,” the computer science engineer explained. “You can even mimic a bird chirping.”

More: Researchers find a way to hack your phone with hidden voice commands

Many forms of authentication rely on language, or numbers, or a complex software interface. What makes lip reading different is that anyone, anywhere can say a word or make a motion with their mouth. What makes it even more ingenious is that no two people will speak or move in exactly the same way.

“An imposter reading the same phrase would still be rejected by the system,” Cheung said, adding that, like other biometrics technologies, the user will have to demonstrate the triggering action multiple times so that the system can build a number of accepted responses on which to base a tolerance.

Right now, Cheung says his team of three has achieved a level of 90 percent accuracy and one of the major roadblocks to wide-scale implementation would be guaranteeing functionality in a variety of different lighting conditions. While the system should be harder to fool with a video recording than the way in which facial recognition prompts can be breached with a photograph, Cheung did not address that potential exploit.

The university has reportedly patented the technology and is exploring options for commercialization. Cheung says he hopes it could be ready for public use with another year of development.

Android O may introduce finger gestures and more… but also maybe not

Android’s next set of feature additions may include finger gestures, better copy and paste, and more robust messaging.

Good news comes to those who wait, and those who’ve been waiting for something as menial as the native ability to use finger gestures to come to Android should feel very jovial. An anonymous source from Google told VentureBeat that Android will soon support this specific feature, in addition to several others. Apparently, these features will be confirmed later this year at the company’s annual developer’s conference:

The features might or might not make their debut in the next version of Android, a source familiar with the matter told VentureBeat. Google is expected to unveil Android O at its I/O developer conference in May and then release it in the fall following multiple developer previews.

The gesture feature would enable you to bring up a list of recent contacts with the simple outline of the letter C on the screen, for instance, which would be faster than calling out the command to Assistant and waiting for it to respond. It’s possible, however, that Google’s gesture triggers “could get delayed or might not ever ship,” according to the source.

We also don’t know if Google will implement a feature called Copy Less, which could help cut down on the finicky process of copying text from one app and pasting it into another. However, this particular ability could come implemented in a future update of the GBoard virtual keyboard.

The source could also not confirm whether the next version of Android would have more robust messaging features, like the ability to tap on an address in a text message in Android Messages and start navigating in Google Maps.

None of these claims have been publicly confirmed by Google. For now, we can merely speculate what’s to come in Android O. And if you’re not entirely ready for that sort of rumor mongering, you can start smaller by guessing which dessert is the inspiration for the next version of Android.

Android 7.0 Nougat coming to Moto Z Play Droid Edition

Your days of waiting are over — multi-window multitasking, direct replies in the notification shade, and data saver functionality are now available for your modular device.

Faithful Moto Z Play Droid Edition users — say that in one breath! — your loyalty has been rewarded. Verizon has revealed that it’s seeded the update for Android 7.0 Nougat to your modular devices.

The Moto Z Play Droid can now take advantage of features like multi-window multitasking in both portrait and landscape modes, direct reply in the notifications shade, customizable quick settings, and all of the emojis your heart desires. There’s also a helpful Data Saver feature that comes built into the operating system, which you’ll definitely want to use if you’re not subscribed to Verizon’s unlimited data plan.

Ready for the update? If your phone is waiting on an update, you should have a notification waiting for your approval. If not, check to see if there’s an update available in the Settings panel. You can read more on the update at Verizon’s page.

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Google Pixel 2 might copy iPhone 7 and ditch the headphone jack

A new rumour about Google’s next Pixel flagship is floating around, and it suggests the 2017 phone will drop the headphone jack.Taking a page from Apple’s playbook, the second-generation Pixel (also called Pixel 2) may not offer a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. This news comes from 9to5Google, which cites one source that it hasn’t been able to confirm. The site didn’t even publish a news story but rather made an announcement in its comments section. So, who knows how credible this is, but 9to5Google does have a good track record.

Until the iPhone 7, all phones had headphone jacks. Now, with iPhone sparking this new trend, many have wondered what’s the point. In a nutshell: getting rid of the jack is literally like plugging a whole and therefore makes waterproofing easier for companies; getting rid of the jack allows a phone to be either smaller or incorporate a larger battery; and getting rid of the jack enables a phone to go completely wireless.

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Think about it. Without a headphone jack, you have to use wireless headphones (or you have to use an adapter with wired headphones). So those are the positives, but in terms of negatives, it will seem like Google is copying Apple. Plus, let’s not forget that Apple has faced a lot of criticism for ditching the headphone jack. Either way, we’re sure Google will spin its own marketing angle if it does indeed drop the jack.

Check out Pocket-lint’s Pixel 2 guide for more information about what we’d like the upcoming phone to feature.

Apple could unveil three new iPads in April at new spaceship campus

Will Apple hold a special event this spring? At least one report says yes.

Apple is rumoured to be developing three new iPad models that will release in 2017, including a refreshed 9.7-inch iPad model, a refreshed 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and an entirely new 10.5-inch iPad model with an edgeless display. Now, based on previous release patterns, we can expect Apple to hold a “special event” sometime around March, and at that event, we should see these new iPads debut. 

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Right on cue, a report from from Steve Sande of Apple World Today has arrived, suggesting the rumoured event will be held on 4 April. Sande has based his prediction after looking at various availability dates for the iPad Pro, and he noticed a pattern that pointed to 4 April. Sande also predicted the event will take place at the 1,000-seat Steve Jobs theatre in Apple’s new spaceship campus that’ll open around April.

All this evidence is circumstantial, of course, and there’s a whole lot of guess work applied here. It’s okay to be skeptical. Still, an April event does seem conceivable. Guess we’ll know more in the coming weeks. Check out Pocket-lint’s rumour round-up for more leaks and rumours about Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro refresh.