Apple Music adds exclusive DJ mixes from Steve Aoki and more

Spotify and Apple Music partnered up with Dubset, a rights-management and distribution platform for DJs and remixers, a couple of years ago. Sony Music and independent record company Merlin also partnered with the company to make sure samples in remixed songs are monetized, as well. Dubset’s MixBANK system makes sure both artists being sampled and those creating mixes get the royalties they deserve. Now, the company is bringing hundreds of DJ mixes to Apple Music, with three exclusive DJ sets from Steve Aoki, Sigala and DJ Suss One.

“How amazing is it to be able to quickly and freely throw together a mix of tracks with no clearances or paperwork required?” said Steve Aoki in a statement. “It’s the dawn of a new era. I can’t wait to see what aspiring DJs and Aoki fans do with my music in their own sets.”

Aoki’s DJ set is an hour and 40-minute retrospective with 27 songs he collaborated on (with artists like Gucci Mane, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty & Migos and Fall Out Boy) between 2011 and 2017. DJ Suss One turns in a 45 minute, 27 song mix called Hip Hop Classics, Pt. 1 and British-based Sigala’s DJ set contains nine songs for 31 minutes of House music. All three mix sets are only on Apple’s streaming service.

AT&T’s big DirecTV Now update arrives this spring

You now have a better idea of when AT&T’s next-gen TV platform will roll out to streamers on a larger scale. Alongside the telecom’s latest earnings, CEO Randall Stephenson has confirmed that the “next-gen” DirecTV Now will launch in spring 2018. The revamp will bring a cloud-based DVR, “3rd-stream” and interface upgrades, Stephenson said. Beta testers have had access since late 2017, but this would mark the formal launch.

The introduction could arrive at a critical time. AT&T added a net 161,000 American video subscribers in the fourth quarter of the year, but that’s only because DirecTV Now racked up 368,000 new subscribers to reach nearly 1.2 million. Do some back-of-the-napkin math and that means AT&T would have lost 207,000 US customers if Now’s numbers had been perfectly flat. The network doesn’t just benefit from internet-only viewers, it needs them.

We’d add that this still puts it ahead of at least some of its rivals. Sling TV is believed to be ahead with more than 2 million subscribers, but Hulu and YouTube TV have ‘just’ a few hundred thousand viewers each. The telecom still has an edge in the streaming TV wars — it’s just a question of whether or not it can keep that lead.

Source: AT&T, (PDF)

Hawaii officials fire officer who triggered false missile alarm

On January 13th, an officer of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) triggered a missile alert that plunged residents statewide into temporary chaos before the alarm was called off as a mistake. While news emerged yesterday that the employee actually believed the attack was real after misinterpreting a message, and therefore didn’t trip the alarm in error, that wasn’t a good enough reason to panic the nation. The officer has been fired and the emergency management leader responsible for the agency, Vern Miyagi, has resigned.

Another unnamed HI-EMA official has quit before facing disciplinary action and a fourth employee was suspended without pay, but it isn’t clear yet what either of their roles were in the fiasco. As state and FCC investigations into the vents of January 13th have revealed, the fired officer wasn’t required to check with a colleague or get managerial approval before sending the emergency blast to mobile phones, TV and radio stations across the state.

There weren’t safeguards in place to prevent one employee from erroneously warning the whole state on their own, an FCC staffer told Time. The test and real alerts used the exact same prompts and language, which ended up confusing the fired officer. Further, the state didn’t have procedures to correct mistaken alerts at all. The messaging disaster served as a grim dry run that revealed a widespread unpreparedness to handle if, and when, this emergency warning system went awry.

This was the sobering lesson the exiting HI-EMA administrator Miyagi left in a statement sent out by the agency on his behalf, which read in part:

“To the people of Hawaii, recent events have cast a bright light on our emergency preparedness, and caused many of you to consider whether you are ready for the emergencies we will surely face. Don’t let that feeling pass without taking action. Here it is from me one last time: Know where to go, what to do, and when to do it. Have a plan. Be safe, and know that whatever happens, good and courageous people will be there to help.”

Via: Gizmodo

Source: Time

Logitech’s HomeKit-Enabled Circle 2 Cameras Gain Notification Snapshots and Subscription Discounts

Logitech today announced the launch of new features for its HomeKit-compatible Circle 2 security cameras via an update to the Logi Circle app.

Notification Snapshots, a new in-app feature, are designed to provide a visual “snapshot” notification of an event whenever motion is detected by the Circle 2 camera.

With this option, you’ll get a visual representation of exactly what triggered the motion detection feature rather than a simple text-based notification that lets you know motion was detected. Snapshots will be sent via push notification and should let you react more quickly to incoming motion detection alerts.

For customers who also subscribe to Logitech’s Circle Safe premium service, Notification Snapshots offer up a zoomed-in view of the object or person that triggered the motion detection based on the Circle’s Person Detection feature.

Enabling Notification Snapshots on existing Circle 2 cameras will require you to download the updated Logi Circle app from the App Store and install a new firmware update from within the app.

Along with new notification features, Logitech is also introducing new Circle Safe Home subscription plans designed for customers with multiple cameras.

Circle Safe pricing starts at $3.99 per month for the basic subscription for a single camera and goes up to $9.99 per month (or $99.99 per year) for the premium subscription, but customers with multiple cameras can now get discounted prices.

For up to five cameras, Circle Safe Basic starts at $6.99 per month or $69 per year, while Circle Safe Premium starts at $17.99 per month or $179 per year.

Circle Safe Basic and Circle Safe Premium allow you to store video in the cloud for a longer period of time and access premium features. Logitech’s cameras, available from Logitech and Amazon for $180, can be used sans subscription, but only 24 hours of video footage is stored in the cloud.

Tags: HomeKit, Logitech, Circle 2
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Spotify Testing Free Pandora-Style ‘Stations’ App on Android Devices

Spotify is doubling down on free music and has begun testing a standalone app that offers a station-based streaming music experience similar to Pandora’s original music service, reports Variety.

“Stations,” available on Android devices in Australia, is designed to let users stream free music from curated radio-like stations. The app’s description says that Stations “is an experiment by Spotify that makes it easy for anyone to listen to great music.”

Stations is the easiest way to listen to the music you love. Totally free.

When you have access to all the music in the world, finding the right thing to play can feel like a challenge. With Stations, you can listen immediately, and switching stations is simple and seamless–no searching or typing needed. As you listen, it learns what you like and creates personalised stations that you’ll love.

Based on the app’s description, Stations is designed to make it quick and easy to find new music, with the app offering up personalized stations after it “learns what you like.” Spotify says there’s no searching or typing required to use the app.

It’s not clear what Spotify plans to do with Stations in the future, and it’s not known if the company plans to eventually release an iOS app, but Stations does fill a much-needed function – it provides more free listening options for customers on mobile devices.

Spotify’s main app also has a free ad-supported listening tier, but the on-demand service is limited to customers who use Spotify on the desktop. On mobile devices, listening options are far more limited.

Spotify’s main app boasts 140 million total active subscribers and 70 million paying subscribers, so the unpaid market is still huge for Spotify and one consumer group that Apple does not reach. Apple Music has no free listening tier, and Apple has no plans to implement one.

For now, Spotify’s new Stations app is limited to a select number of Android devices in Australia and it is supported via ads.

Tag: Spotify
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Slack Nixes its Standalone Apple Watch App

Over the course of the last few months, several companies have decided to end development on apps for the Apple Watch, focusing instead on Apple’s iOS platform. The latest company to nix its Apple Watch app is Slack. If you’re unfamiliar with Slack, it’s a team communication and collaboration platform for businesses.

In an update to its iOS app today, Slack eliminated its standalone Apple Watch app. Slack customers will, however, still be able to respond to incoming messages on their Apple Watch thanks to rich notifications.

Apple Watch users, there’s now one iOS app for all of your needs. We’ve removed the standalone Watch App, but rest assured, receiving and replying to messages from your wrist works the same as before. It’s like two for the price of one, but with apps.

Slack’s Apple Watch app, like many of the Apple Watch apps that have been abandoned, was never particularly useful, so it’s no surprise Slack has decided not to dedicate additional resources to it. The Slack Apple Watch app let users view unread mentions and view and respond to direct messages, but these features were not easy to use on a wrist-worn device. It also let users receive and interact with notifications, features that are still available through an iPhone.

When the Apple Watch was released, most companies developed an Apple Watch app for the device even if the app didn’t do anything useful, because it wasn’t yet clear how and when people would use apps on the wrist. As the Apple Watch has matured, though, it’s become clear that most dedicated apps offering anything beyond a quick interaction aren’t used often enough to be a worthwhile use of company resources.

For example, Twitter in September ended support for the Apple Watch, eliminating the standalone Twitter app on the device. At the time, Twitter said that it felt notifications were the most helpful part of the Apple Watch Twitter experience, which is also what Slack is now relying on.

Other companies that have stopped offering Apple Watch apps include Target, eBay, Whole Foods, Amazon, and Google (for Google Maps). eBay and Google have both said Apple Watch support might return in the future, but have not yet released new apps.

Tag: Slack
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Apple Stops Signing Older Versions of iOS 11

Following the release of iOS 11.2.5 on January 23, Apple stopped signing older versions of iOS 11, including iOS 11.2, iOS 11.2.1, and iOS 11.2.2.

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 11.2.5 will no longer be able to downgrade to earlier versions of iOS.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 11.2.5 is now the only version of iOS 11 that can be installed on iOS devices by the general public, but developers and public beta testers can download iOS 11.3, an update that is being beta tested ahead of a spring release.
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Square Cash now allows anyone to buy and sell bitcoin

Square’s Cash App has been helping people send and receive money without fees for a while now. Originally an money-by-email service, Cash App has grown into a more robust offering with its own prepaid Visa card. The company has been testing buying and selling Bitcoin via the app, as well, and has finally made it official.

Blockchaiiiiinnnnn! You can now buy and sell Bitcoin instantly with the Cash App!

Still unsure what Bitcoin is? https://t.co/5fH7YEolnN 👀 pic.twitter.com/XvYknaEzBl

— Cash App (@CashApp) January 31, 2018

The feature is available to most everyone who uses Cash App, unless they’re in New York, Georgia, Hawaii or Wyoming. The company promises that it’s working on it. This does seem to be a pretty simple way to get into owning Bitcoin, though Square warns that the cryptocurrency’s price is “volatile and unpredictable.” While the company won’t add additional fees when you purchase Bitcoin through its app, it calculates the price when buying based on a quoted mid-market price and margin, which could be different when selling. You’ll also be limited to up to $10,000 worth of Bitcoin per week, so be sure to plan accordingly.

We aren’t yet rolled out in New York, Georgia, Hawaii, or Wyoming – but we’re working on it! Stay tuned.

— Cash App (@CashApp) January 31, 2018

Via: Reuters/Twitter

Source: Cash App/Twitter

How to share Amazon Prime with friends and family

Willing to share some of that free quick shipping and streaming video with your crew? It’s probably easier than you think.

Your Amazon Prime account is set up with a feature called Amazon Household that allows you to share a large handful your benefits with friends and family. Add another adult to your digital household and enjoy easy features including parental controls for the kids, unlimited storage for photos, and a family library to share books, apps, and games. Here’s how to get started!

• How to add members to your Household in Amazon Prime
• How to manage your content in Amazon Prime
• What are other shareable benefits with Amazon Prime?

How to add members to your Household in Amazon Prime

Click Your Account from the drop-down menu located at the top-right side of your screen.

Scroll down to your Account Settings and click the Manage your Household option.

On the Household homepage, click to Add an Adult.

Have the adult enter their Log in Information, whether they’re a trial member or Prime member.

Add up to 4 children to your household by clicking Add a Child.
Each child’s profile can be modified by clicking Edit underneath their avatar.

Once you’ve added everyone to your household — adults, teens and kids — you’re all set to share content! Keep in mind that each adult will be sharing their payment information under the same account, so it’s important to ensure the appropriate credit or debit card is selected at checkout when purchasing products or content.

How to Manage your Content in Amazon Prime

Select Your Account from the drop-down menu located at the top-right side of your screen.

Scroll down to your Account Settings and select the Manage your Household option.

Under your household homepage, click Manage Your Family Library in the middle of your screen.

Select whether or not you wish to share apps/games, audiobooks, or eBooks by clicking their Sharing Buttons.

Underneath your Family Library, select Manage your Content and Devices.

Select Show Instant Video under the Content Tab.

Click Show FreeTime located next to the sort menu under Your Content.

Choose from your Instant Videos and select Add to FreeTime.

Choose between videos and Select a Child to allow viewing access.
Click OK when finished.

That’s the basics for managing your content under your Household account!

What are other shareable benefits with Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime is more than just sharing content. For your annual subscription charge you get access to a great number of perks, including reduced expedited shipping on orders:

• Free 2-day, same-day, and discounted one-day shipping
• Prime Video access to thousands of movies and TV shows
• Early access to Amazon Lightning Deals
• Unlimited storage for photos
• Free Kindle books through the Lending Library
• 20% off diapers subscriptions
• 15% off Baby Registry completion discount
• Prime Fresh benefits

That’s all there is to setting up your Amazon Prime account to share its benefits with your friends and family! There’s always the option to remove members as needed, but if you choose to leave your household, there’s a 180-day period where neither adult can add members or join other households. Setup is quick and easy, and it’s a great perk for Prime members that love to share.

Sign up for Amazon Prime

Updated Jan. 30, 2018: Added new info on teen accounts.

Motorola releases 5 new Style Shell Moto Mods made out of Gorilla Glass

The new Style Shells are the most expensive at $29.99 a pop.

Although they may not be the best phones on the market, you’ve got to give Motorola credit where credit is due for trying something new with its Moto Z devices. The ability to change up both the look and function of your phone on the fly with Moto Mods is still a lot of fun, and Motorola has five new Style Shell Moto Mods to spruce up the look of your Moto Z.

The new Style Shells are the most expensive we’ve ever seen at $29.99 each (previous ones have cost $19.99), but that’s because these are also the first Style Shell Moto Mods to be made out of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Motorola says the new backs are “damage resistant”, but since these are still made out of glass at the end of the day, I’d recommend avoiding as many falls and drops as possible.

You’ve got five new designs to choose from, and while most of them aren’t something I’d use, they’re some of the most visually-interesting Motorola has kicked out so far.

This comes shortly after Motorola released a new folio case Moto Mod, and while these most recent Moto Mods haven’t been as crazy as ones we saw at CES 2018, I actually prefer these simpler offerings. Having a projector or Polaroid printer on the back of your phone is cool, but things like this are what I like most about the whole Moto Mod system.

If you’re interested in giving these new Style Shells a shot, you can pick them up for yourself with a click/tap of the button below.

See at Motorola