Google has really been trying to improve their music subscribing game. Lately we’ve heard of every proposal and plan under the sun, from background audio to offline playback. Now the picture may be drawing a little clearer.
Google’s You Tube is launching You Tube Music Key. Their tempting offers include ad-free music, audio-only playback and offline playback. If you want to sign up for You Tube Music Key, then your first month will be a free trial. If you like what you hear, then you will pay $9.99. This price includes Google Play Music Key. Google boasts of over 20 million songs to choose from, coming from all genres imaginable and probably some you didn’t think existed. But when you get Music Key, you just don’t get your favorite songs from your favorite artist. They offer goodies from concert performances to remixes. It will even make suggestions of what artist you should listen to, sort of like how You Tube suggests videos to watch according to your viewing history, likes and subscriptions.
Don’t go rushing to Google or You Tube looking for Music Key. It’s not out yet and there’s yet to be a release date. I’m sorry if this sounds like a promotion of You Tube Music Key, but I’m looking forward to where this going. I doubt Indie records are going to be so quick to get on board with this. And all the music you can handle for less than $10 a month , plus other goodies, I think this is a good deal. I know what some of you might be thinking. If I do this, I’m supporting Google, a mega-corporation. Keep in mind if you subscribed to Music Key, think of all the rising artist you would be supporting. Many of them are striving to get their talent out, and can’t get a major record deal or go on reality talent show to get it. But couldn’t Google/You Tube just come up with a better name?
Today in the grandest city of them all, New York City, HTC showed us all its new Windows Phone, the HTC One M8 For Windows Phone! From Customizing your own home screen, to linking with your Xbox One, this phone looks killer. Now this is not a new phone that you haven’t seen, it actually came out earlier this year running the latest and greatest of Android OS. But for those of us who don’t really like the Android OS, and are more used to our Windows 8.1 PC and XboxOne consloe, the?HTC One M8 For Windows will perfectly sync with everything.
From the great aluminum design, to the use of Microsoft’s live tiles to the Epic Audio, HTC Boomsound, the?HTC One M8 For Windows Phone brings it. Cortana is Microsoft’s answer for Siri, and is faster and smarter, and able to help you with anything from finding a restaurant to scheduling your whole life. Which is great if ?you are a busy person, like a lawyer or restaurant owner who is always on the go, and having a reliable personal assistant in your pocket comes in handy.
My favorite part of the HTC One M8 for Windows Phone is how easily it syncs with my XboxOne which already syncs with my entire home. I no longer have to worry where my kids put the remote, or get up off the couch to turn off the lights or fix my thermostat (I have fully integrated my home with my XboxOne) now my phone will do it all for me. My entire home in the palm of my hand. This is the future we were told about when watching cartoons as kids, and now it’s easier.
Price-point for this phone is set at $99.99 with a 2 year contract and is available through Verizon Wireless only. As always if you would like some help syncing your new HTC One M8 for Windows Phone with your PC at home or at work, Computer Geeks is a full service residential and business IT service that can help you do it all!
?Below are some of the specs for the?HTC One M8 for Windows Phone:
General
Size: 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm
Weight: 160 grams
Display: 5.0 inch, Full HD 1080p
CPU Speed
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU
Platform
Windows Phone 8.1.1 with Cortana
HTC BlinkFeed
Memory
2GB of RAM
32 GB of onboard storage
Expansion card slot support for microSD cars up to 128 GB
Sensors
Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Gyro sensor
Barometer sensor
Connectivity
3.5 mm stereo audio jack
NFC
Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX enabled
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
DLNA for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer
Micro-USB 2.0
Microsoft Project My Screen
Miracast
Support consumer infrared remote control
Sound
HTC BoomSound
Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
Best Buy has finally announced the price point for the new Moto 360 Smartwatch. It is now listed for pre-order on their site for $249.99. The Moto 360 is a highly anticipated wearable device that looks like an ordinary wristwatch at first, but when you start to look closer, you realize it is so much more.
Let’s be honest, we were all fans of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers?growing up. And we all wanted one of Billy’s wrist communicators, and although this watch doesn’t let you teleport to the Command Center to see Zordon and Alpha 5, it does let you do a lot of the functions of your smartphone.?Including sending and receiving messages from a friend, checking the weather, a pedometer and heart rate monitor, for you runners. And of course the whole thing is voice activated!
Moto 360 Device Specifications
As for specs, the Moto 360 will sport a 1.5-inch backlit LCD touchscreen display with 320 x 290 resolution (205 pixel per inch ratio) and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The device apparently measures 1.8 x 1.8 x 0.4 inches, weighing 2.1oz.
The Moto 360 packs a Texas Instruments processor, 512MB of RAM, Wi-Fi 802.11n support, Bluetooth 4.0, a heart rate sensor and an ambient light sensor. Battery life details for the Moto 360 have not been revealed, other than the fact the wearable device will have a lithium-ion battery pack ready to provide ?long-lasting operation.?
The watch is also water-resistant (up to 3.3 feet for up to 30 minutes), has a stainless steel case, plastic back and leather band.
It is said that Motorola is supposed to unveil their new Moto 360 at a special media event which should be held sometime in the first couple weeks of September, so stay tuned for more!
I for one cannot wait for this device to come out, and I’m going to dig out my Green Ranger costume like the Geek that I am, and try to save the world when I get my hands on one!
According to the BBC, the Premier League is warning fans about posting goals and other plays online. They claim it’s illegal and it violates copyright policy.? The thing is, with apps like Vines, recording these plays are easier to do than ever, and more people are copying and uploading them then ever. The Premier League has a legal point: It’s legally a copyright breach. But fans have been doing this for years. Why are they clamping down now?
Recently, BT, a top cable company in the United Kingdom, and BSkyB (ESPN2 of UK)? bought copyrights to Premier League games for approximately three billion pounds. That’s around $5 billion US dollars. British newspaper media The Sun and The Times? have a lot at stake too. It cost $13 a month to subscribe to Sun+. One of their main sale points: Premier League goals. They’re not even being subtle about why that want to crackdown on Tweeting goals. A senior Sun newspaper writer named Dean Scoggins said, “…we’ve obviously signed a very big deal with the Premier League to be a rights holder and to show it…”. Why are they surprised at this? Welcome to the 2010s, guys! Many people have access to smartphones and social media these days. You don’t think someone’s going to record a nice goal? Maybe they should have taken this into consideration before throwing billions of British pounds around. The fans taking these pictures don’t have billions of pounds to throw around. And are these Tweets violating the soccer stars’ copyright laws, too? I think not. I think this is another example of the very wealthy trying to cover their own hides from the regular fans. Do you think this ban is a good idea or a modern day witch hunt?
I had a feeling this day would come. A popular magazine asked young people ages 13-18 who are their favorite celebrities today.
Over 1,500 teens were asked to choose their favorite celebrities based on approachability, authenticity, and positive influence, among other qualities. Of the top 20 celebs that made the list, the top five were You Tube personalities. In fact, half of those who made the list were YouTube stars. That’s Right folks YouTube Outshines Hollywood! The top 5 You Tube celebs include Smosh (who took the #1 spot), The Fine Bros,? and Ryan Higa. Top Hollywood celebs on the list include the late Paul Walker, Jennifer Lawrence and Katy Perry. According to the many teens surveyed, YouTube stars are more engaging and extraordinary.
But the magazine article says there is a danger if YouTube stars go to Hollywood. They could lose their credibility. But that’s the danger of anyone who wants to get in the entertainment business and remain in good standing with your fans. I think a lot of entertainers today forget that. That’s one reason half this list is made of YouTube stars. I testify myself there are some days and nights I don’t even turn on the TV. I just keep my computer or device on You Tube and other social media aspects. Often times, the entertainment is even better. I don’t know about you, but YouTube celebs just feel more…human.? Think about this: who is more likely to sign your autograph, Smosh or Madonna?
Netfix is obviously a household name, and with blockbusters shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black going viral, they’ll only get bigger. Amazon’s Prime Instant Video is taking off. Now CBS wants some.
CBS is producing and backing shows that will be streaming online only, as well as selling reruns to Netflix and other entertainment streamers. A CBS spokesperson says talks are in the works to sell shows to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others. These streaming services commission studios like CBS to make new series for them, and buy exclusive rights to air them for a certain amount of time.
So what kind of shows will CBS produce for these online streamers? I can see news and talk shows being peddled. I can definitely see reality trash…I meant reality TV being sold. America can’t seem to get enough. Or maybe more franchises of CSI or NCIS will be sold. Those have been going strong. Needless to say, television is changing. Gone are the days of three, four or five networks competing for our viewership. Gone are the days of thirty, forty or fifty networks competing for us. Instead of watching TV around on a big screen, we can watch it on our phones. This moves proves CBS understands that, and they’re not afraid to branch out into this new order. Will NBC, ABC, Fox, and others join them?
