‘Spotify Codes’ Introduce Easy Song and Playlist Sharing Through Scannable Artwork

Spotify this week has launched a new discovery tool called “Spotify Codes,” which gives users a way to easily share and find new music within the Spotify app on iOS and Android. The feature works by generating a unique code that users can take a picture of, guiding them directly to the piece of content that the code represents.

Users can generate a Spotify Code for any song, artist, album, or playlist available on Spotify by tapping the ellipses context menu, which will attach a Spotify Code to the bottom of the artwork in question. The Spotify Code can be saved to the Camera Roll to share on social media, or users can show the code to their friends nearby.

Scanning a Spotify Code is similar to any QR reader app, requiring users to take a picture of the code they want to scan, which will then direct them to the track, singer, album, or playlist that the code represents. Spotify has added in a quick-access camera button for this reason in the new update, located to the right of the search bar.

The music streaming company said that Spotify Codes won’t just be for easy playlist sharing among friends, but could open up a new way for brands to promote and engage with Spotify users through commercials, print ads, and billboards.

Scan a code on your friend’s phone to follow his or her party playlist, share your Spotify profile on your social channels, or take a screenshot and import a code posted by your favourite artist to hear their latest single. You can also scan a Spotify Code printed on a flyer, poster or even a billboard.

But Spotify Codes are not just great for sharing new music with friends and loved ones, they also present an innovative and exciting new way for artists, labels and brands to instantly engage with fans through Spotify. We’re excited to see the creative ways in which they are used.

Last month, rumors suggested that Spotify is in development on its first-ever hardware device that could result in a “category defining product akin to Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo, and Snap Spectacles.” The Apple Music rival has been long absent from the Apple Watch, but a new partnership with app developer Andrew Chang will see an official Spotify app make its way to Apple’s wearable device sometime in the future.

For Spotify Codes, the company said that the new feature is currently rolling out globally to all users on both the Spotify iOS app [Direct Link] and on Android.

Tag: Spotify
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Visual Design Student Reimagines Apple Music With Unified Artwork, Better Discovery, and More

When Apple Music launched in 2015, one of the biggest complaints from users and critics centered on the somewhat confusing user interface of Apple’s first foray into music streaming. Although the app was redesigned last year in iOS 10, concerns were then raised around the oversized nature of Apple Music’s new typography and artwork.

This week visual design student Jason Yuan, who studies at Northwestern University, has shared a new project that he’s been working on the past few months, which was sparked when Apple rejected him for a graphic design internship at Apple Music. Yuan decided to take Apple’s rejection, which referenced wanting to see “more growth and training,” and turn it into a new passion project focused on a visual overhaul of Apple Music (via The Next Web).

He said his redesign provides a few “potential solutions” to the service’s problems.

At first, I was frustrated — Northwestern University doesn’t offer any sort of undergraduate graphic design program, so whatever growth they were looking for would have to be self taught … but as soon as I came to this realization, I became inspired to embark on what became a a three-month long journey to the holy grail — the iOS app that Apple Music deserves.

For me, this was an opportunity to really dig my teeth into UX research and design, an excuse to spend way too much time on Sketch and Principle, a reason to bore everyone around me with my notebook of crudely drawn wireframes … My process was guided by qualitative user research, Apple’s official Design Principles, and my own designer intuition.

One of Yuan’s first ideas is called “The Sampler,” which he pitches as a replacement to “My New Music Mix.” The Sampler would be for users “reluctant to sit through an entire playlist full of new music,” and would present Apple Music subscribers with samples of songs in a Tinder-like UI that they could swipe up to reject or swipe down to add to their library. These samples would last around 15 seconds and present highlights from the songs in question so users would immediately know if they like the music or not.

Any music that is swiped down upon is then saved to Yuan’s equivalent of the My New Music Mix, taking out the automatic curation of content currently in place and making it more personalized in Yuan’s design. Yuan said that The Sampler was inspired by the idea of gamification, which he argued would allow the user to create “an immediate connection to the music they discover,” instead of just taking a shot at what Apple Music serves up to them now.

The visual designer also came up with more cohesive branding in Apple Music’s album and playlist artwork, which he argued is currently “kind of all over the place,” with a mix of collages, 3D typography, and more for various radio stations and activity playlists. To fix this, Yuan focused on the circular bubble art that Apple Music subscribers encounter when signing up for the service — which also references the iPod click wheel and iPhone contacts — while subtly altering colors and profile shots for the artist and playlist in question.

Yuan went on to address the basic UI complaints currently leveled at Apple Music, reducing the font size and white space of the app’s launch tab while also introducing a new “Watch” tab for the service’s upcoming slate of TV shows. He eliminated what he argued as extraneous UI additions, like the “Downloaded Music” front page menu option, and personalized For You so it introduces music based on location, time, and even recent social media activity.

The current Apple Music (left) compared with Yuan’s redesign (right)
Connect is gone for good in Yuan’s design as well.

Truth is, I didn’t see any data from my research that would justify keeping the Connect feed in the app as is. Users were more interested in connecting with friends and family through music (a la Spotify) instead of with artists through a watered-down Twitter.

I think Apple should focus on integrating existing social media with Apple Music instead of trying to push yet another one on its already overburdened consumers.

There are plenty of other highlights from Yuan’s list of redesign ideas, including tweaks to Now Playing, Browse, Search, and how users love or dislike a song. Yuan ended his article saying he’s happy with the knowledge he gained and progress he made redesigning Apple Music as a personal project, but never intended the tweaks to be taken seriously by Apple.

“I don’t expect the good folks at Apple Music to take anything from this case study,” Yuan mentioned. “In fact, I might actually have a heart attack if anyone working on Apple Music stumbles upon this article… but if you’re out there, I hope my work was able to give you some ideas and spark some conversations!”

Check out the rest of Yuan’s Apple Music changes in his Medium post right here.

Tag: Apple Music
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HP’s new Elite x2 is a 2-in-1 built to work from anywhere mobile data is available

Why it matters to you

Businesses no longer have to settle for nice-looking detachable tablets that lack the security and management they need.

The Windows PC ecosystem is stronger than it has ever been, with a host of new form factors making their way to market particularly in the mobile space. Windows 10 has features that work well with both touch-centric tablets and with the usual touchpad and keyboard, and so the 2-in-1 market, in particular, is full of excellent options.

Most Windows 10 2-in-1s, from detachable tablets to 360-degree convertibles, are aimed at the consumer market. HP hopes to change this with the second generation of its Elite x2 2-in-1, which offers the usual tablet plus keyboard form factor, plus all the company’s business-focused security and management features.

In terms of specifications, the Elite x2 1012 G2 offers a 12.3-inch WQXGA+ (2,736 x 1,824) resolution display that’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and 10-point multitouch sensor. HP’s Active Pen is supported with a reinforced pen tip, 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, and reduced palm sensitivity for an optimal Windows 10 Ink experience.

The tablet portion is .36 inches thick and weighs 1.77 pounds, which rises to .57 inches thick and up to 2.94 pounds, depending on which detachable keyboard is used. HP is offering two keyboard options, including the Collaboration Keyboard option that offers 1.5mm of key travel, and includes dedicated calendar, all end, present, and call answer buttons supporting Skype for Business functionality.

Processor options include seventh-generation Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7, maxing out at the Core i7-7600U. Up to 16GB of LPDDR3-1866 RAM can be configured, and a variety of storage options are available up to a 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD. A 47 watt-hour battery powers the machine via either a 45-watt or 65-watt USB Type-C AC adapter, with HP promising over 10 hours of battery life and a quick 30 minutes to charge the machine to 50 percent capacity.

A 5MP front-facing camera includes an infrared camera for Windows 10 authentication via facial recognition, and an 8MP rear camera is also included. A fingerprint reader is also on-hand for Windows 10 authentication.

Connectivity is provided by a USB Type-C 3.1 port with Thunderbolt 3, a USB Type-A 3.0 port, a microSD card reader, and a SIM slot for cellular connectivity. Wireless connectivity options are numerous, including Intel dual-band 801.11ac Wi-Fim Bluetooth 4.2, and various options for connecting to Global 4G LTE and WiGig mobile broadband networks.

In addition, HP touts the following business-specific features:

• The first commercial detachable to pass Skype for Business certification, with HP Noise Cancellation and HP Audio Boost providing excellent voice clarity.
• Class-leading serviceability that scored a 10 out of 10 from iFixit, compared to the iPad Pro’s three out of 10 and the Surface Pro 4’s four out of 10.
• HP multi-authentication technology that is hardened at the silicon level.
• HP Sure Start Gen3 self-healing BIOS that provides for automatic recovery.
• HP Manageability Integration Kit for deploying images, remote management, Microsoft SCCM plug-in, and Secure BIOS settings.
• HP Workwise smart office solution that offers a smartphone app for remote PC management, including locking/unlocking the PC, tamper detection, a PC Dashboard, and more.

We do not yet have pricing or availability on the HP Elite 1012 x2. When it does arrive, it promises to offer a unique blend of power, portability, flexibility, and manageability that should appeal to small businesses and enterprises alike.

New Solavore sport oven effectively cooks food using solar power

Why it matters to you

This tech will help cooks when camping, but it could also be used by those interested in getting off the grid.

Solar power has become an increasingly popular energy source around the globe — and it can now be utilized to cook entire backcountry meals. The new Solavore Sport Solar Oven is the most efficient design to date, using only the sun to heat food with the capacity to perform in varying weather conditions. 

Unique cookware company Solavore innovated a way to effectively convert light into heat, capture its energy, and use it as an mechanism in the preparation of regular food or gourmet sustenance — provided you’re a gourmet cook. This simple solar alchemy was first discovered by French-Swiss scientist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure in the late 1700s. Solavore company founder Anne Patterson introduced the idea on a commercial scale in 2015. The basic Solavore Sport Solar Oven serves as the first successful model of this solar-powered vision, providing everything you needed to cook a meal outdoors using only the power of the sun.

The Solavore Sport Solar Oven with the TR-86 Reflector is an upgraded version of the original. The kit comes with two 3-quart granite-ware pots with lids, an oven thermometer, water pasteurization indicator, user manual with a plethora of recipes, and the unique updated oven. The Solavore Sport Oven incorporates a recycled nylon plastic housing for increased durability and resistance to the elements, a double-layered lid that provides for enhanced insulation, and a one-inch closed cell foam that repels moisture absorption.

The oven measures 9 1/4 by 17 1/2 inches, and serves equally for baking and cooking purposes.

The product’s newest feature is the detachable reflector that decreases pre-heating times and allows food to reach higher maximum temperatures. The new reflector achieves 86-percent total reflectance, increasing your cooking abilities on days with limited sunlight, at higher latitudes, and in generally colder elements.

The reflector is detachable from the stove and folds flat, making for easy transport. The Solavore Sport Oven with TR-86 Reflector retails for $287 on the company’s website, and shipping is free.

Xiaomi brings the Redmi Note 4 and Redmi 4X to Mexico

Xiaomi brings its latest budgets phones to North America.

Xiaomi has made its foray into the North American market. The Chinese manufacturer is launching the Redmi Note 4 and Redmi 4X in Mexico, with sales kicking off by the end of May. The Redmi 4X will retail for the equivalent of $210 (3,999 MXN), and the Redmi Note 4 will be sold for $290 (5,499 MXN).

The Redmi Note 4 is one of the best budget phones available today, featuring a 5.5-inch Full HD display, 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625, microSD slot, 13MP camera with PDAF, LTE, IR blaster, and a 4100mAh battery. The phone will be offered in two variants: a model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage and a version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage.

As is evident by the price, the Redmi 4X is the less powerful of the two devices launching in Mexico, but it still delivers great value by way of a 5-inch 720p panel, 3GB of RAM, 32GB internal storage, 1.4GHz Snapdragon 435, microSD slot, dual SIM card slots, 13MP camera with PDAF, 5MP front shooter, LTE, and a 4100mAh battery.

Offline availability of the Redmi Note 4 will kick off at Coppel, Best Buy, and Sam’s Club by the end of May, and customers will be able to pick up the device online via Amazon, Best Buy, Soriana, Elektra, and Walmart. The Redmi 4X will be launching at a later date.

Xiaomi will be looking to its fan community to drum up interest in its products, and as a result the manufacturer is rolling out the Mi Community app in Mexico. The app allows fans to engage with the brand, share feedback, and get early access to the company’s launch events.

As for making its devices available north of the border, Xiaomi’s global VP Wang Xiang stated last month that it will be at least until 2019 before its products are sold in the U.S.

Moving from Windows Phone to Android? Here’s what you need to know

It might hurt a little, but if you’re a Windows 10 Mobile user thinking of jumping ship to Android, we’re here to help.

One of Android’s most redeeming features is how open it is. You’re forced to have some Google involvement. But the truth is, you can make the switch and still be all about Microsoft if you want to. After all, why should you give up the services you love just because you change phone platforms?

The sad truth is Windows 10 Mobile just isn’t competing right now, and its future is unclear. Of course, we’d much prefer the opposite situation, but cold hard facts are impossible to ignore.

If you’re looking elsewhere and Android is where you’re headed, we have some tips to make the transition as painless as possible.

1. Sign up for a Google account first

The only absolute Google necessity you need on an Android phone is a Google Account. Without one, you can’t sign in to the phone or download apps. So if you don’t already have a Google Account, get one. It’s easier to do on your PC than on a phone, so it’s a good idea to do it in advance.

You’re not required to have a credit card on file to download apps or content from the Google Play Store, so you can literally just sign up for an account and use it to log into your phone. You don’t even have to use the Gmail app or any other forward-facing Google services. If you want to buy apps without using a credit card, you’ll need to pick up Google Play vouchers from a retailer and redeem the codes.

Sign up for a Google Account

2. Microsoft it all up

If you’re going to be keeping all your Microsoft services and accounts intact (why wouldn’t you?), you’ll be happy to know Android is your friend. Whether you just want to use Outlook, Office or Skype, or go nuts and install Microsoft’s own Android launcher and lockscreen, there’s a ton of Microsoft apps in the Play Store.

And they’re mostly pretty darn good.You won’t have to cancel Groove. You can still get the Xbox app. And your Outlook mail and calendars are safe. Better yet, Microsoft has a single app to help you find and download all of its other apps.

Download: Microsoft Apps
Best Microsoft apps for Android

3. Move your contacts to Google

While you may want to limit your Google involvement, if you’re moving to an Android phone it’s a good idea to sync your contacts to your Google Account. That way, it’s all easier to manage, and if you ever need to go back to Windows (or over to an iPhone), it’ll be simple to work with them.

The easiest way to do this is to go into Outlook on the web and export your entire contacts database as a CSV file. Here’s how:

Log in to Outlook.com.
Navigate to People.
Click the manage dropdown.

Select export contacts.

Click export.

All your Outlook contacts will be saved in a single file that you can import to your Google Account. This is another good reason to setup your Google Account before you get your new phone, because you’ll be able to just sign in and your contacts will be there.

Importing them into your Google Account is pretty straightforward.

Go to contacts.google.com.
Sign in with your Google Account.
Click more.
Click import and choose the CSV file you saved above.

Any new contacts you add to your Android phone can be synced with all of your existing contacts in one place on your Google Account. So even if you’re not using Gmail, it’s worth doing.

4. Use Cortana

Cortana can’t do quite as much on Android as on Windows, but it’s still pretty useful for more than just replacing the Google Assistant.

On Android, you can use Cortana to sync notifications to your PC, which is handy to have on any platform. But because you’re signed in with your Microsoft Account anyway, everything you already set up from Windows will be there, too.

We also happen to think that Cortana has a better personality than Google Assistant — and a better name!

Download: Cortana (free)

5. Install the Windows Central Android app!

Just because you’ve moved to Android doesn’t mean you can’t keep in touch with what’s happening in the world of Windows. Windows Central is committed to providing all the Microsoft content you want, and there’s an app in the Google Play Store so you can keep tabs from your new phone.

You’ll also want to keep checking out the Android Central, too. Then you’ll always have the best of both worlds.

Download: Windows Central app for Android (free

Your tips

These are some basic tips to help get started on an easy, Microsoft-filled life on Android. If you recently made the switch, help out your fellow readers by sharing your own tips and tricks in the comments below.

Google rolls out ‘Street View ready’ program for 360-degree cameras from Samsung, GoPro, and more

Google’s Street View certification program lets you easily publish 360-degree content.

Google has announced a “Street View ready” program that makes it easier for customers using 360-degree cameras to capture and upload imagery to Street View. 20 cameras will be available over the coming months, including products from Samsung, GoPro, 360Fly, Insta360, Xiaomi’s Yi Technology, and others.

The Street View certification covers four categories:

• Street View mobile ready: 360 cameras that can publish Street View directly from a mobile app—without requiring a desktop workflow

• Street View auto ready: 360 cameras tailored for vehicle-based collection with the highest accuracy

• Street View vr ready: 360 cameras or systems that collect geometry in addition to generating sets of connected 360 photos

• Street View workflow ready: Publishing tools (sometimes bundled with cameras) that can upload to Street View accounts

By launching the certification program, Google is making it easier to publish content to Street View, while also driving up interest in 360-degree cameras. We should get a look at some of the products later this week at the Street View Summit, so stay tuned.

BlackBerry KEYone one-week challenge: Can it be a daily driver?

The KEYone isn’t just another Android phone; it’s a BlackBerry lover’s dream phone and, for many younger people, a completely new way to input text on a phone. That’s why we tasked our newest reviewer, Jacklyn Dallas, with using the KEYone for a week as her daily driver to see how it stacked up. Her results were… interesting.

Follow Jacklyn as she explores the BlackBerry KEYone from unboxing to uncovering all of its nuances! And then go say hi and welcome her in the comments!

• BlackBerry KEYone review
• Android Central on YouTube
• Jacklyn’s personal YouTube channel
• Everything you need to know about the BlackBerry KEYone

40 per cent of all console games sold will be digital downloads within months, says EA

Electronic Arts firmly believes that the shift to digital downloads over physical copies of games is gathering pace. It has claimed that, by the end of 2017, digital downloads will account for at least 40 per cent of all sales.

During a financial call held yesterday, EA’s chief financial officer, Blake Jorgensen, cited sales of Battlefield 1 as past of the company’s reasoning. He said that 33 per cent of Battlefield 1 full game sales were made through online stores, such as PlayStation Store or Xbox Store.

That was four per cent higher than forecast and, if at the current rate of growth, means the next batch of releases will do better digitally.

It might come as something of a surprise to many. Disc copies of games are traditionally cheaper, easier to find on discount and have resale value. Games on Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo’s online stores are usually priced at the full RRP and rarely deviate.

However, with the rise in broadband speeds across the country and larger capacity hard drives installed in consoles (with the exception of the Nintendo Switch, which really requires an option microSD card to expand its storage to useful levels) many gamers are clearly opting for the convenience of purchasing games online.

One exception to EA’s estimations is expected to be FIFA 18, the latest in a franchise which sells in bucketloads in markets that can’t get the broadband speeds to download games at more than a snail’s pace.

HP Elite x2 is the Surface Pro 4-trumping laptop hybrid your business deserves

HP has introduced the latest version of its Elite X2 1012 G2, a tablet with a detachable keyboard, that’s targeted at businesses and IT professionals, and will go head to head with the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.

• HP and Acer announce budget laptops running Windows 10 S

This latest version has received numerous upgrades under its incredibly slim hood – it’s 0.36-inches thick, thinner than a Surface Pro 4 – most notably in the form of the latest seventh-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, coupled with Intel HD graphics 620, and up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB solid-state drives.

The keyboard has received its fair share of updates too, and is now more focussed on being a genuinely useful collaborative tool. While some keyboards have keys to changing music tracks or adjusting brightness, the Elite X2’s detachable keyboard has quick-access keys to launch a presentation, answer/end calls and launch the calendar application.

HP

The new keyboard attaches to a 12.3-inch tablet screen, which has had a bump in resolution to 2,736 x 1,824, with 450 nits peak brightness. Both the front and rear cameras have been upgraded too, and are now 5- and 8-megapixels respectively, a boost from the 2- and 5-megapixel cameras found on the Elite X2’s predecessor.

• HP EliteBook x360 preview: Thin with all the win
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The HP Elite X2 can also be used with a digital stylus and uses Wacom AES technology to provide highly accurate capture of your notes and doodles. The latest version of the Elite X2 can support 2014 different levels of pressure. HP has fitted the Elite x2 with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and an IR scanner on the front for facial recognition to keep all your documents and files under tight lock and key.

Connecting peripherals and accessories shouldn’t be a problem, as the Elite x2 has a USB Type-C 3.1 Thunderbolt port, a full-sized USB 3.0 port, SIM card and microSD card slots, and a 3.5mm headphone port. 

HP

Finally, the built-in rechargeable battery promises to last up to 10 hours on a single charge, and employs fast charge technology to reach 50 per cent of juice in one hour. 

Pricing and availability has yet to be announced.