Apple Music in the UK: what you need to know
After months of waiting, Apple Music is finally upon us. The company is now ready to take the wraps off its new streaming service, which will deliver millions of tracks on demand, host a free 24-hour radio station with slots from some of the world’s biggest artists, and include a bevvy of social features. It’ll go live in over 100 countries today (June 30th), but as is often the case with new Apple services, there’s still some uncertainty around what you get and how much it’ll set you back. Fear not, for we’ve pieced together everything you need to know about Apple Music in the UK. Read on to find out.
What do I need and what time will it launch?
Thanks to Apple Music senior director Ian Rogers, we have a clear idea of when you can get streaming. The company will release the new iOS 8.4 update at 4pm UK time, which brings the Apple Music app with it. Once that necessary update has installed, you’ll be able to sign up for the three-month free trial and get to grips with all of the app’s features. As for Beats 1, Apple’s first foray into live radio: that will go on air one hour later.
Apple will also make its first ever Android app for Music. That won’t launch until the autumn, but you’ll be able to access the service on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch (via a paired phone) and on your Mac or PC via iTunes from day one.
How much will it cost?
When Apple unveiled Music, it only provided pricing for US customers. However, in the lead up to the launch, the company revealed the cost for Brits within iOS 9 beta updates. When you initially sign up, you’ll take advantage of a 90-day free trial, but after that you’ll have to pay £10 per month to continue streaming.
If you use Apple’s Family Sharing scheme for song, e-book and app purchases, there’s also a new option for Music that costs £15 each month and allows up to six family members to use individual Apple Music accounts. If you’ve had issues with Family Sharing in the past, this might not be the best option, but it definitely offers good value for money.
What will I get?
Apple already offers around 30 million tracks on iTunes and it’s very likely that the majority of them will be available to stream on day one. We don’t yet know what the bitrate will be, but reports suggest that Apple Music will mirror iTunes Match, which offers tracks at 256Kbps AAC quality.
While you’re free to stream your favourite artists, Apple Music will also offer curated playlists from “the most talented music experts around the world.” These will include mixtapes from Apple’s own curators, but there’ll also be playlists created by respected music publications like Rolling Stone, Q Magazine and Pitchfork. Apple says the more you listen to these playlists, the more relevant they’ll become. You’ll be able to find them in the “For You” section of the app, which will also suggest albums and new releases you might enjoy. If you want to create your own compilations, Apple will let you pull together (and share) playlists featuring tracks from the steaming service, and those you’ve purchased from iTunes or saved in Match.
If you’re one of those people who can never decide what to listen to and prefer the good old-fashioned radio experience, then Apple has you covered. With Beats 1, the company is launching a free, 24/7 global radio network with Zane Lowe fronting the show in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. Lowe’s first slate of programming will feature an interview with Eminem and there’ll also be appearances from Dr. Dre and model-cum-actress Cara Delevigne. Apple has also said it will offer a daily schedule, so you’ll know who will be featured and when.
With Apple Music’s Connect feature, the company hopes it can do a better job at social than it did with Ping. Connect has a tab of its own inside the Apple Music app, and will allow verified artists to, you know, connect with fans. Pharrell, for example, could fill his Connect feed with tracks, photos and video. You can then heart posts, add a comment or share the updates to Facebook or Twitter, giving musicians and Apple Music a chance to enjoy more social exposure.
Apple will likely share more details when Apple Music launches — we’ll make sure to notify you as soon as any new information becomes available.
Source: Apple Music
Ryan Seacrest’s iPad keyboard is surprisingly good, but expensive
It’s hard to expect much from Typo, a company that was co-founded by Ryan Seacrest and whose legal tango with BlackBerry has forced it to stop selling phone keyboards. But with its new iPad keyboard, Typo has at least proven it’s worth keeping an eye on. For $189, you get a Bluetooth keyboard that actually feels like a decent laptop keyboard, as well as a cover to protect your iPad. There’s no shortage of iPad keyboards on the market, but Typo’s offering might be compelling to anyone who wants a premium laptop-like experience with their iPad. The only problem? It’s far too expensive for what you get.
Typo’s keyboard is made up of two main components: a case that fits around your iPad Air or iPad Air 2 (there’s also one for the iPad Mini), and a keyboard unit. A magnetic latch hooks the two pieces together, and the kickstand on the iPad case stabilizes everything. They keyboard portion sports a comfortable soft plastic wrist rest and a matte bottom finish, while the iPad cover is made of tougher plastic, offering a decent amount of protection. Once everything’s put together, the Typo cover ends up making your iPad look like an ultra-thin laptop — at the expense of a bit more thickness and weight.
I didn’t have any trouble pairing the Typo keyboard with my iPad Air over Bluetooth, and, most importantly, reconnecting to the Typo after turning it off took just a few seconds. That’s been a source of frustration for me with other Bluetooth keyboards. The keyboard itself is reminiscent of Microsoft’s Surface Type Cover (which is a bit curious after Typo’s legal brawl with BlackBerry). The keys have a surprising amount of depth to them when pressed down, especially since the Typo is so thin. For the most part, it felt similar to typing on a mid-range chiclet laptop keyboard. Typo is rechargeable via USB, and it lasted me several days with intermittent usage.
When it came to typing, I saw around 80 to 90 percent of my typical touch-typing speed. That’s pretty similar to what I’ve seen from most other tablet keyboards, though it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as Microsoft’s larger Surface Pro 3 keyboard. Typo also takes some getting used to: It’s not truly full-sized, and plenty of lesser-used keys (like the colon/semi-colon key) have been shifted around to make up for the lack of space. The main thing that slowed me down with the Typo was figuring out where many of those keys were moved to.
Like many laptop keyboards today, Typo also includes several device-specific buttons along its top row, which also houses the traditional function keys. The very first of these keys on Typo replicates the iPad’s home button, and there are also keys for launching spotlight search, contacts, calendar and media controls. I also grew to enjoy having Siri instantly accessible on the F5 key, which was ever so slightly faster than holding down the home button.
I was able to type this entire article on the Typo keyboard in multiple orientations — on a desk, on a park bench and while sitting on my couch — without much fuss. Given its kickstand, Typo is best used on solid surfaces, but I was also surprised by how functional it was on my lap (as long as you keep your legs straight). Typo’s biggest issue is that the magnetic connection between the keyboard and case is incredibly weak. Simply holding up the iPad on its own is enough to disconnect the keyboard. My iPad screen also fell hard on my legs several times when I tried to readjust Typo (the metal kickstand was especially painful).
As useful as it is for typing, the Typo cover ends up being pretty cumbersome if you just want to read or play games on your iPad. It adds a noticeable amount of weight to the svelte iPad Air and Air 2, and the protruding kickstand hinge made the tablet harder to hold. I ended up just yanking the Typo cover off when I wanted to browse Twitter, read digital comics and do other typical iPad-y things. The company was clearly more focused on delivering a decent typing experience than anything else.
For the most part, Typo is going up against Logitech’s iPad keyboards, which offer similarly great typing and Bluetooth connectivity for almost half the price (Logitech’s latest Ultrathin keyboard is currently retailing for $100 or less). And if you don’t need a wireless keyboard, you can save a bit more and get Logitech’s wired keyboard for $60. While Typo’s offering feels a tad more premium than the competition, it’s definitely not enough of a difference to justify that high price.
The biggest issue for Typo? It’s betting pretty much everything on its iPad keyboards. And while that’s a potentially lucrative market, especially since iOS 9 will make iPads more PC-like, Typo’s keyboards are simply too expensive to compete with widely available competitors like Logitech. There are many people who might want an iPad keyboard, but I’d imagine there are fewer who would pay around half the price of their iPad for the privilege of physical keys.
Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile
Apple Music arrives June 30th at 11AM Eastern, Beats 1 an hour later
Determined to try Apple Music and its accompanying Beats 1 radio the very moment they’re available on June 30th? The streaming service’s senior director, Ian Rogers, is happy to help those early adopter impulses. He says that iOS 8.4 (and thus Apple Music) will be available at 11AM Eastern on that day, and Beats 1 will go on the air one hour later. It’s not clear what you’ll hear if you tune in to the station right away, but the first slate of programming will include an interview with Eminem as well as appearances from everyone from Cara Delevigne to (unsurprisingly) Beats brand co-founder Dr. Dre.
And no, Apple hasn’t forgotten about iTunes Match and streaming the songs you already have. Eddy Cue notes that Apple Music will not only share the feature, but expand on it — the company is aiming to match up to 100,000 songs in your library (versus today’s 25,000) by the time iOS 9 shows up this fall. Unless you have a mind-numbingly huge music collection, you can safely assume that it’ll be available in the cloud.
Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Apple
Via: MacRumors
Source: Fistfulayen, Beats 1 (Twitter), Zane Lowe (Twitter)
Ryan Seacrest’s iPad keyboard is surprisingly good, but expensive
It’s hard to expect much from Typo, a company that was co-founded by Ryan Seacrest and whose legal tango with BlackBerry has forced it to stop selling phone keyboards. But with its new iPad keyboard, Typo has at least proven it’s worth keeping an eye on. For $189, you get a Bluetooth keyboard that actually feels like a decent laptop keyboard, as well as a cover to protect your iPad. There’s no shortage of iPad keyboards on the market, but Typo’s offering might be compelling to anyone who wants a premium laptop-like experience with their iPad. The only problem? It’s far too expensive for what you get.
Typo’s keyboard is made up of two main components: a case that fits around your iPad Air or iPad Air 2 (there’s also one for the iPad Mini), and a keyboard unit. A magnetic latch hooks the two pieces together, and the kickstand on the iPad case stabilizes everything. They keyboard portion sports a comfortable soft plastic wrist rest and a matte bottom finish, while the iPad cover is made of tougher plastic, offering a decent amount of protection. Once everything’s put together, the Typo cover ends up making your iPad look like an ultra-thin laptop — at the expense of a bit more thickness and weight.
I didn’t have any trouble pairing the Typo keyboard with my iPad Air over Bluetooth, and, most importantly, reconnecting to the Typo after turning it off took just a few seconds. That’s been a source of frustration for me with other Bluetooth keyboards. The keyboard itself is reminiscent of Microsoft’s Surface Type Cover (which is a bit curious after Typo’s legal brawl with BlackBerry). The keys have a surprising amount of depth to them when pressed down, especially since the Typo is so thin. For the most part, it felt similar to typing on a mid-range chiclet laptop keyboard. Typo is rechargeable via USB, and it lasted me several days with intermittent usage.
When it came to typing, I saw around 80 to 90 percent of my typical touch-typing speed. That’s pretty similar to what I’ve seen from most other tablet keyboards, though it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as Microsoft’s larger Surface Pro 3 keyboard. Typo also takes some getting used to: It’s not truly full-sized, and plenty of lesser-used keys (like the colon/semi-colon key) have been shifted around to make up for the lack of space. The main thing that slowed me down with the Typo was figuring out where many of those keys were moved to.
Like many laptop keyboards today, Typo also includes several device-specific buttons along its top row, which also houses the traditional function keys. The very first of these keys on Typo replicates the iPad’s home button, and there are also keys for launching spotlight search, contacts, calendar and media controls. I also grew to enjoy having Siri instantly accessible on the F5 key, which was ever so slightly faster than holding down the home button.
I was able to type this entire article on the Typo keyboard in multiple orientations — on a desk, on a park bench and while sitting on my couch — without much fuss. Given its kickstand, Typo is best used on solid surfaces, but I was also surprised by how functional it was on my lap (as long as you keep your legs straight). Typo’s biggest issue is that the magnetic connection between the keyboard and case is incredibly weak. Simply holding up the iPad on its own is enough to disconnect the keyboard. My iPad screen also fell hard on my legs several times when I tried to readjust Typo (the metal kickstand was especially painful).
As useful as it is for typing, the Typo cover ends up being pretty cumbersome if you just want to read or play games on your iPad. It adds a noticeable amount of weight to the svelte iPad Air and Air 2, and the protruding kickstand hinge made the tablet harder to hold. I ended up just yanking the Typo cover off when I wanted to browse Twitter, read digital comics and do other typical iPad-y things. The company was clearly more focused on delivering a decent typing experience than anything else.
For the most part, Typo is going up against Logitech’s iPad keyboards, which offer similarly great typing and Bluetooth connectivity for almost half the price (Logitech’s latest Ultrathin keyboard is currently retailing for $100 or less). And if you don’t need a wireless keyboard, you can save a bit more and get Logitech’s wired keyboard for $60. While Typo’s offering feels a tad more premium than the competition, it’s definitely not enough of a difference to justify that high price.
The biggest issue for Typo? It’s betting pretty much everything on its iPad keyboards. And while that’s a potentially lucrative market, especially since iOS 9 will make iPads more PC-like, Typo’s keyboards are simply too expensive to compete with widely available competitors like Logitech. There are many people who might want an iPad keyboard, but I’d imagine there are fewer who would pay around half the price of their iPad for the privilege of physical keys.
Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile
Apple invented a material that hides your iPhone’s antenna lines
Not a fan of the iPhone 6’s less-than-flattering antenna lines? Neither is Apple, apparently. The company has filed for a patent on a composite material that looks like anodized metal, but still allows wireless signals to get through. You’d get a cleaner-looking phone (or computer, or tablet) without watching your reception take a nosedive. It could be used to blend other surfaces into a device, too, such as the trackpad on a laptop.
As with most patents, there’s no telling whether or not the folks at 1 Infinite Loop will use the invention in shipping devices. It often has clever workarounds, after all — look at the new MacBook, which is nearly entirely metal despite depending almost entirely on wireless connections. However, you shouldn’t be surprised if future Apple gadgets use this to incorporate wireless technology (such as NFC, a key factor in the iPhone 6’s design) without creating eyesores.
Photo by Will Lipman.
Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Via: Business Insider, iClarified
Source: USPTO
Shoot RAW photos on your iPhone with this tiny camera
Apple’s keen to remind the world how great the camera on the iPhone 6 is with its new “Shot on iPhone 6″ billboards. But, some mobile photographers want more. That’s where the new DxO One comes in. It’s tiny camera that attaches to the iPhone’s Lightning port. It shoots RAW images with a 20.2 MP one-inch CMOS BSI sensor behind an f/1.8 32mm equivalent lens. The One can shoot independent of the iPhone, but when attached with the companion app launched, it turns the iPhone into a large viewfinder with the same manual controls found on a DSLR. The camera is available for pre-order now in the US for $599 and will ship in September.
When attached to an iPhone or iPad with a lightning port, the camera rotates plus or minus 60 degrees and when flipped over, takes the most important photo of all, the selfie. While the camera stores RAW photos on a microSD, it sends JPEGs to the attached iOS device so you can post them to your favorite social network. For low-light situations, the Super RAW feature shoots four RAW photos of varying exposures and merges them. It’s a fancy name for high resolution in-camera HDR.
Frankly, it’s a fancy little camera for someone that wants better photos without lugging around another camera. The One fits easily in your pocket and will finally let you take those photos in the club without everything looking all grainy. That’s what Instagram filters are for.
Filed under: Cameras, Handhelds
Source: DxO
Apple nixes Monster’s licensing over Beats lawsuit
Monster’s lawsuit against Beats Electronics last January has come back to bite it now that Beats is an Apple subsidiary. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has killed Monster’s official licensing agreement deader than that reported Beats WiFi speaker. Monster has been producing licensed accessories (lightning cables, headphones and whatnot) since 2005. Plus, it’s reportedly paid more than $12 million in licensing fees since 2008 for the honor of selling “Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad” devices, some of which retailed in Apple stores.
Chief counsel for Monster, David Tognotti, told the Wall Street Journal that Apple terminated the companies’ agreement on May 5th citing it no longer being “mutually beneficial” due to the lawsuit. The lawsuit itself stemmed from Monster CEO Noel Lee accusing Beats’ co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre of fraud regarding the potential proceeds of its sale to Apple. The lawsuit is ongoing. Monster will continue to sell of its remaining stock of products until September. “It shows a side of Apple that consumers don’t see very often,” Tognotti told the WSJ. “Apple can be a bully.”
[Image Credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Apple
Source: Wall Street Journal
Alternate iOS 9 keyboard hints at larger iPad
Whenever someone talks about the 12.9-inch iPad, we pull the same nervous, hopeful gaze that we do when Half-life 2: Episode Three is mentioned. Deep down, we know in our hearts that neither are very likely to happen, but no matter what, they’ll never be able to take the hope from us. Now, iOS expert and friend of the site Steve Troughton-Smith believes he’s found a nugget of proof that the iPad “Pro” exists. Oh, put your tongues in your cheek and grab a handful of salt, because we’re venturing into tangent territory, here.
Also new in iOS 9 – UIKeyboard seems to scale to a much larger heretofore unseen iPad screen size 😛 #ipadproconfirmed pic.twitter.com/Q9eN9CLCKQ
– Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) June 15, 2015
While digging deep into the details of iOS 9 preview, the developer has found a new larger on-screen keyboard. One that’s sufficiently big to scale beyond the 9.7-inches you’ll find on Apple’s full-size tablet, at the very least. The biggest tweak is to add a new row of symbols above the keycaps, as well as the inclusion of tab and caps lock keys on the left hand side. As 9to5Mac points out, the overall effect is to reduce the number of different screens you need to switch through for characters from three to two, since all of the symbols now fit in the second pane. Now, as we probably need to remind you, this is a tiny piece of software from a preview build and doesn’t guarantee anything — but we can’t stop you from lighting a candle in the tallest tower of your heart.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Steve Troughton-Smith (Twitter)
‘Transistor’ takes its sci-fi swordplay to iPhone and iPad
Dig Transistor‘s blend of hack-and-slash action, role-playing elements, and sci-fi storytelling? You no longer have to sit down in front of your console or PC to give a shot. Supergiant Games has released Transistor as a universal app for both iPhones and iPads, so you can carry on the adventures of Red and her giant, intelligent sword when you’re on the move. The mobile title has a new touch-oriented control scheme, although there’s also an optional “Classic Controls” option if you’d prefer gamepad-like input. There’s no mention of an Android version, but we wouldn’t count on one when Bastion hasn’t received an Android port so far.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Mobile
Via: iMore
Source: Supergiant Games, App Store
PlayStation’s Vue TV streaming app hits iPad in limited release
We’ve known that PlayStation Vue would hit iPad sooner or later and now Sony’s TV streaming service finally has. PlayStation Vue Mobile’s available in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia (the same cities the service launched in earlier this year) at the moment, and it’s basically the same as what’s on your PS4 in terms of functionality. So, video on demand, live TV and access to your favorite shows and channels as long as you’re in one of the three aforementioned cities. You still need a PS4 to sign up, of course, and blackout restrictions can occasionally block streaming, just like we’ve seen with Sling TV. Usually, that means sporting events blacked out for various reasons, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Of course, Vue’s availability could be expanded upon during E3 next week and we’ll be there to tell you about it. For full details on the application, hit the source link and for our video walkthrough of the service check the clip below.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile, Sony
Source: iTunes
AIVAnet 