Spotiamp- Spotify's tribute to Winamp

Spotiamp: Spotify's tribute to Winamp
Last month, AOL announced the end of Winamp, a media player that took off with the rise of the MP3 in the late 1990s. Its popularity as a standalone player has since dwindled thanks to players like iTunes entering the market, but it still has a base of passionate users.The official Winamp player is still fully functional, but there will be no further development. It is still available to download from Winamp.com, despite having passed the official shutdown date of 20 December.Though no official announcement has been made, it has been reported by TechCrunch that AOL is in talks to sell Winamp and Shoutcast.In honour of Winamp, Spotify has made a tribute app available that is fully compatible with songs from the music-streaming service. The user interface is lifted directly from the classic Winamp skin, and the program lets you play all your Spotify playlists.To download the free app, head to spotiamp.com for the Windows installer. As an added bonus, the app is compatible with Winamp visualisation plugins, has the classic equalizer and a built-in Shoutcast server. Spotiamp will only work with a Spotify Premium account.

SpiralFrog DRM music to play 60 days, then vanish

SpiralFrog DRM music to play 60 days, then vanish
"(Protecting songs with DRM) was the only way that SpiralFrog could offer the model," Levy said. "The record labels refused to go to market without it. This was a very good business proposition for consumers. They received free music as long as they agreed to be bombarded by advertisements...I think it's hard to criticize the company...I think 60 days is very impressive."Levy, who owns the company BuyDRM, says consumers deal with DRM every day in ways they don't notice. The technology is improving and soon it will be even less obtrusive. The technology helps protects the rights of content creators, consumers, and technologists, he said. "When DRM is right in the middle of all three, that is where happiness is," Levy said. "Consumers are getting more comfortable with DRM and it isn't going away. It may need to change, but it's not going away."Antipiracy software is used by the film industry and by music subscription services, such as Napster and RealNetwork's Rhapsody. But in the past year, download sites like Apple's iTunes and Amazon have rejected copy-protection software with the blessing of the major record companies. The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday is hosting a conference on the use of DRM at the University of Washington School of Law, said Levy, who will speak at the gathering. According to an FTC press release, DRM "is expected to become increasingly prevalent in the U.S. marketplace in the coming years" and address "the need to improve disclosures to consumers about DRM limitations."

Source- MySpace to announce new music service on Thursday

Source: MySpace to announce new music service on Thursday
It's been well-reported that label honchos think Jobs and his ubiquitous iPod have amassed too much control. MySpace Music is apparently part of a strategy by the big music companies to find an iTunes competitor, even if they have to help create one. The music service enables MySpace to leap past competitors Imeem and Last.fm, which beat MySpace to the punch when they began providing free, streaming music to users. But now, MySpace can present everything those services do and much more. Facebook was reportedly also in talks with the major record labels, but the music industry source said that unless something dramatic happens, Facebook is months away from being where MySpace is now. MySpace Music will launch with songs from three of the top four record labels: Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The only label that hasn't agreed to the deal is EMI Music Group, said the source, who added that MySpace and EMI executives are working around the clock to close the deal and everyone involved is confident that EMI will eventually be part of the service.All the labels will receive a minority share in the company and a share of all the revenue generated from the site, according to the source, who spoke on condition on anonymity. Universal Music Group was thought to be holding up the service because of a copyright-infringement lawsuit that it filed against MySpace last year. MySpace has agreed to pay a "huge" settlement, according to Peter Kafka at Silicon Alley Insider.

Sounds like the Storm isn't much of a music phone

Sounds like the Storm isn't much of a music phone
But for a would-be iPhone killer, the reviews are remarkably light on the Storm's music features. It's true that BlackBerry users are traditionally e-mail junkies, and the phone's communications features (apart from the touchscreen weirdness) are expectedly top-notch. But if this is going to be a consumer phone--Verizon's attempt to make up for its epic fail in passing up first rights to the iPhone--music is critical. A big part of the appeal of the iPhone is that you don't have to carry around a separate cell phone and MP3 player anymore.Apparently, though, the Storm isn't much of an improvement over the nontouch BlackBerry Bold, which was announced in the summer and came out a couple weeks ago. The Storm's got an 8GB microSD card, as opposed to the Bold's 1GB, but otherwise, it uses the same media management program from Roxio (known for creating functional but not particularly user-pleasing software) and the same ability to sync your iTunes library, and that's about it. There's no on-board music store, although this Time review says a deal with Rhapsody is imminent. (No V Cast? That's no big loss.) And the BlackBerry app store isn't set to launch until March--the current iteration has only eight apps--which means you won't have any great musical add-ons like Shazam, Bloom, Finetune, OurStage, or JamBase. Of course, if you want a smartphone with a touch screen, and you insist on using Verizon, you're probably going to buy one of these. In fact, you probably already have. But if you're a music fan, don't count on replacing your MP3 player with this particular phone.

SoundHound for iPhone channels iTunes, recommends beats

SoundHound for iPhone channels iTunes, recommends beats
Starting today, SoundHound Infinity for iPhone ($4.99) gets infinitely more useful. The latest version, SoundHound Infinity 3.6.1, includes a recommendations feature that suggests other songs you'll like based on the ditty you've just chosen to identify, either through recorded "tagging," text, humming, or singing the tune into the app.SoundHound uses a proprietary engine based on intelligence collected from a combination of users' tagging behavior, a database of artists, and a list of underplayed songs--the latter composed of songs that are popular within SoundHound but receive less radio attention, if any at all.Recommendations engines are all the rage, and for good reason, too. Discovering your next favorite songs based on beats you already like was the impetus behind Pandora and its ilk, after all, and also the guiding principle behind Apple's iTunes Genius feature, also a recommendations engine based on your music library.In addition to suggesting other songs you can view or buy on iTunes, the premium and free (ad-supported) SoundHound app also sees improvements to its social networking hooks. Sharing songs with Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail contacts has gotten more intuitive, and more useful now that you're able to ping multiple status updaters with minimal tapping.SoundHound users on Android will see these recommendation and sharing features soon.

Rumor Has It, Ep. 8- Google TV is a dead, dead horse (podcast)

Rumor Has It, Ep. 8: Google TV is a dead, dead horse (podcast)
On this week's show, we cry over CDs going the way of the dodo; we laugh about Staples selling the PlayBook for $199; Google Music is going to 11, whatever that means, at an event on Wednesday; and according to nobody, the iPad 3 will be able to fly. Things are heating up in the Twitter wars, too! Stephen, at the time of the show, had 899 Twitter followers, to Emily's 300 and something, and Karyne's paltry 276. Make that 275--she lost a follower by the end of the show over her Google TV remarks. Sorry!What do you guys think? Are CDs going to disappear in 2012? Is the PlayBook worth waiting in line for? Is Google TV a dead horse that's not actually dead? Let us know in the comments!Heard a tech rumor you think we should cover?E-mail us at Rumorhasit [at] cnet.com, or directly at karyne.levy [at] cnet.com or emily.dreyfuss [at] cnet.com. And call and leave us a voice mail at 1-800-750-CNET!And don't forget to follow us on Twitter! @EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, @RumorShow, @stephenbeacham.EPISODE 8This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlaySubscribe: RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) | iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360)PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Show notes:Will music CDs be dead in 14 months?PlayBook dropping to $199 in Staples Black Friday deal?Google said to be launching music service this weekThe dumbest iPad 3 rumor story in the worldLG may be looking to switch on Google TVMartika's "Toy Soldier"

Photos and reviews- Archos 405 & 605 WiFi

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iTunes 11 launch imminent, says music firm

iTunes 11 launch imminent, says music firm
Apple may be gearing up to launch the next-generation iTunes 11 software "within the next days," according to a report by MacRumors, citing a German music distribution service.Germany-based Feiyr emailed artists to submit high-resolution imagery for the music player's new layout, saying Apple will release iTunes 11 in the coming days. "Users have the possibility to view picture and galleries to every artist in iTunes," says the email.Related stories:iTunes 11 delayed into 'end of November'Apple reworks, simplifies iTunes While the email isn't a direct communiqué from Apple, it's possible that Apple is warning music distribution firms and artists to get their submissions complete ahead of the launch to avoid a sea of blank spaces in the software's new graphically-focused user interface. It follows an Apple statement late last month asking customers for more time to develop the software, pushing back the release date to the end of November.At an Apple media event in September, a spokesperson for the Cupertino, Calif.-based technology giant said: "The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right."iTunes will come with an entirely revamped user interface, Facebook and Twitter integration, and deeper iCloud support. iTunes 11 will remove failed music-focused social network Ping.

How to add colors back to iTunes 10 sidebar

How to add colors back to iTunes 10 sidebar
Locate the "iTunes.rsrc" file in the /Contents/Resources/ folder, and back it up by copying it to the Desktop or another safe location. Then copy the modified iTunes.rsrc file into the /Contents/Resources/ folder, replacing the one that you just moved.After this is done, launch iTunes and you should be good to go. You may want to run a permissions repair on your hard drive after doing this, but as long as the file is readable by your account and the system it should work.Keep in mind that when doing this you are tampering with iTunes' internal components, and there is no guarantee that it will work properly or work without any odd side-effects. Nevertheless, the edits being done are only for visual elements and not for any binary files, so it is highly unlikely this will result in problems. In my testing, the program runs just fine, and I have some color back in the sidebar.If you decide you want to undo this change, either copy the backed-up rsrc file into the iTunes package or remove the iTunes application and reinstall it from the iTunes Web site.Questions? Comments? Have a fix? Post them below or e-mail us!Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.

How to add an iTunes Pass to Passbook on iOS

How to add an iTunes Pass to Passbook on iOS
Apple has made its iTunes Pass feature available in select countries, including the US and Australia. By adding an iTunes Pass to the Passbook app on your iPhone, you can quickly add money to your iTunes account without having to jump through hoops. Previously you would have to purchase a gift card, scan or enter it using your iPhone, then trash the gift card. There was nothing truly wrong with the process other than the excess waste of the gift cards (and we all know how much Apple likes to be green).So how do you add an iTunes Pass to your phone? Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETLaunch the App Store on your iPhone and scroll to the bottom of the Featured section where a you'll tap on the Redeem button. Enter your Apple ID password when prompted. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOn the next screen, tap on the Passbook icon located at the bottom of the screen. You will then see a screen offering a brief explanation of iTunes Pass, and provide you with a link to add the pass to your iPhone; tap on it. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETVerify the correct Apple ID is displayed and then tap on "Add" in the top-right corner. The next time you walk into an Apple store you can pull up this card, find an employee and ask for money to be added to your account. The employee will use their device to scan the barcode, and after accepting payment, the money will automagically appear in your iTunes account.

How to add variety to a Pandora station

How to add variety to a Pandora station
The first is the Add variety button. This button resides under the name of the station you are listening to. As the name suggests, it's a way to add variety to your station, beyond the artist or song used to create the station. Adding another artist or song to the station--a "seed," in Pandora's parlance--pulls in songs, according to Pandora's algorithm, that have similar qualities to the artist or song selected.Adding a second seed expands the types of songs you'll hear. That is, Pandora does not try to triangulate songs based on the two criteria. As Pandora explains on its FAQ page:The various seeds on a multi-seed station do not influence each other in any way. In other words, a station based on a rock artist and a jazz artist will play roughly half rock and half jazz, but the songs you hear won't tend toward a fusion of rock and jazz unless you pick artists known for that style of music.Telling Pandora you're tired of a song removes it from the playlist, but only for a while.Matt Elliott/CNETThe other tool you can use is the "I'm tired of this track" button, which you can access from the menu button located between the thumbs up and thumbs down button. As Pandora vaguely describes, it puts a "good song on the shelf for a while." And if you have any skips left, it will skip to the next track. Lastly, telling Pandora you have tired of a song removes it from all of your stations, which might be useful if you have a number of similarly styled station.One final note: these two features are available on the Web client but not on the mobile version of Pandora. On an iPhone and an iPad, you have only thumbs up and down and skip ability.

How to add colors back to iTunes 10 sidebar

How to add colors back to iTunes 10 sidebar
Locate the "iTunes.rsrc" file in the /Contents/Resources/ folder, and back it up by copying it to the Desktop or another safe location. Then copy the modified iTunes.rsrc file into the /Contents/Resources/ folder, replacing the one that you just moved.After this is done, launch iTunes and you should be good to go. You may want to run a permissions repair on your hard drive after doing this, but as long as the file is readable by your account and the system it should work.Keep in mind that when doing this you are tampering with iTunes' internal components, and there is no guarantee that it will work properly or work without any odd side-effects. Nevertheless, the edits being done are only for visual elements and not for any binary files, so it is highly unlikely this will result in problems. In my testing, the program runs just fine, and I have some color back in the sidebar.If you decide you want to undo this change, either copy the backed-up rsrc file into the iTunes package or remove the iTunes application and reinstall it from the iTunes Web site.Questions? Comments? Have a fix? Post them below or e-mail us!Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.How to add variety to a Pandora station
The first is the Add variety button. This button resides under the name of the station you are listening to. As the name suggests, it's a way to add variety to your station, beyond the artist or song used to create the station. Adding another artist or song to the station--a "seed," in Pandora's parlance--pulls in songs, according to Pandora's algorithm, that have similar qualities to the artist or song selected.Adding a second seed expands the types of songs you'll hear. That is, Pandora does not try to triangulate songs based on the two criteria. As Pandora explains on its FAQ page:The various seeds on a multi-seed station do not influence each other in any way. In other words, a station based on a rock artist and a jazz artist will play roughly half rock and half jazz, but the songs you hear won't tend toward a fusion of rock and jazz unless you pick artists known for that style of music.Telling Pandora you're tired of a song removes it from the playlist, but only for a while.Matt Elliott/CNETThe other tool you can use is the "I'm tired of this track" button, which you can access from the menu button located between the thumbs up and thumbs down button. As Pandora vaguely describes, it puts a "good song on the shelf for a while." And if you have any skips left, it will skip to the next track. Lastly, telling Pandora you have tired of a song removes it from all of your stations, which might be useful if you have a number of similarly styled station.One final note: these two features are available on the Web client but not on the mobile version of Pandora. On an iPhone and an iPad, you have only thumbs up and down and skip ability.

How to add an iTunes Pass to Passbook on iOS

How to add an iTunes Pass to Passbook on iOS
Apple has made its iTunes Pass feature available in select countries, including the US and Australia. By adding an iTunes Pass to the Passbook app on your iPhone, you can quickly add money to your iTunes account without having to jump through hoops. Previously you would have to purchase a gift card, scan or enter it using your iPhone, then trash the gift card. There was nothing truly wrong with the process other than the excess waste of the gift cards (and we all know how much Apple likes to be green).So how do you add an iTunes Pass to your phone? Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETLaunch the App Store on your iPhone and scroll to the bottom of the Featured section where a you'll tap on the Redeem button. Enter your Apple ID password when prompted. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOn the next screen, tap on the Passbook icon located at the bottom of the screen. You will then see a screen offering a brief explanation of iTunes Pass, and provide you with a link to add the pass to your iPhone; tap on it. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETVerify the correct Apple ID is displayed and then tap on "Add" in the top-right corner. The next time you walk into an Apple store you can pull up this card, find an employee and ask for money to be added to your account. The employee will use their device to scan the barcode, and after accepting payment, the money will automagically appear in your iTunes account.

How to add an equalizer to Spotify

Spotify is many things to many people, but one thing it lacks is an equalization feature for letting you adjust bands of bass, midrange, and treble.Enter Equalify.me, a Spotify plug-in that nestles a 10-band equalizer neatly into the Spotify interface on Windows computers. It's free (donations accepted), and it works, as we know from putting it through its paces on bretberg101's public kraut/spacerock playlist (which, shockingly, lacks both Neu and Faust). In addition to the 10 EQ bands, you get a gain adjuster, which offers another way to control volume, and a toggle control that lets you switch the EQ on or off.Audio purists generally turn away from this sort of thing, because their $10,000 speakers sound perfect. The rest of us occasionally have the need to compensate for sub-par speakers or headphones, and equalization can come in handy for that--sometimes to add bass, or more often given today's designs, to roll some of those bass frequencies off.That's about all there is to say about Equalify. If you use Spotify but miss the ability to equalize the sound that's present in other players (like iTunes), the decision to download Equalify for Windows is an easy one to make.

How much will you pay for open-source Radiohead?

I just pre-paid $20 for the newest Radiohead album (available on October 10).Radiohead, now without a label/ball and chain, has decided to let its fans choose how much to pay the company.I'm actually feeling cheap right now, even though I'd pay $10.00 or less on iTunes (if Radiohead sold through iTunes, which it doesn't, because of a somewhat silly "artistic integrity" argument).How much will you pay?It's nice to think of all the money going to Thom and crew, rather than to a Larry in a lounge suit somewhere in Los Angeles.Just as I'd prefer to pay Marten Mickos for my database than Larry Ellison.:-)But that's not the only open-source analog here.This model arguably works much better for an established brand like Radiohead.It's not too dissimilar from how open source has fared in software: traditional markets are much more susceptible to open source than new markets because it becomes much cheaper to market an open-source application, for example, when everyone already knows what the product does.At any rate, download and/or pay here.Just as if it were open-source software.Except that this will sound a lot better.

Homeless man learns to code, launches app

losing his job at insurance provider MetLife and being priced out of his home when a high-rise apartment block was built nearby -- didn't have to think for long. Coding lessons it was. After furnishing Grand with a refurbished Chromebook and three books on coding, McConlogue met with him every weekday morning for an hour-long lesson. Now, Grand has released his very first app: Trees for Cars, available for iOS and Android. The idea behind the app, Grand said, is to decrease the number of cars on the roads with a eye toward reducing CO2 emissions. Users sign up and specify whether they want to catch a ride or offer one, and the app will connect them with like-minded carpoolers nearby. The app will then track how much CO2 was saved by all the passengers. Grand wrote every line of code, and all proceeds from the AU$0.99 app sales will go directly to him. You can check out the course McConlogue taught Grand here, read the story of this remarkable journey here, and pick up the app for 99 cents on iTunes and Google Play. (Source: CNET Australia)