Full FeedMuxtape returns, legally
Last year, one of the neatest web apps available was Muxtape, a way for anybody to create a page with 12 of their favorite songs. People naturally took to uploading songs that are under the copyright of record labels, the RIAA intervened and shut the excellent Muxtape down.
Muxtape failed to gain the licensing required for the vast amount of songs being uploaded to the service, so it instead gravitated to the indie scene. Muxtape has returned, this time as a service for music artists to use to share their music with the world. As artists consent to having their music published on the site, users can make mixes out of the songs that are now legally available.
Google planning Web Drive?
A MacRumors forums poster recently found a curious right-click menu item in the Mac version of Google’s Picasa. As pictured, under the “Move to Collection” header is a selection entitled “Google Web Drive.” It may well have been Google who had kickstarted the realm of Internet storage when they launched Gmail back in 2004. This, for the first time, proved that a mass amount (1GB was very big at the time) of data could be stored online. Gmail users have been begging for a way to use the service to hoard their files, and numerous third party solutions have even been created.
Will this be Google’s Dropbox killer? Check back for more as it happens.
Read [MacRumors Forums]
RelatedPeek offering free service for life, one day only
The Peek, sort of a Blackberry-lite, has taken the gadget world by storm, as well as the mainstream world due to its simplicity. Allowing you to have your e-mail inbox on the go, without the need to pay for a hefty phone/data plan with your cell provider, has, surprisingly, led the Peek to sell extremely well.
However, what I truly dislike about the Peek is that one has to pay $19.95 per month in order to use the service. Well, no more! At least for today; that is. Peek is offering a one-day sale — for a flat $299.95, you can get the Peek device and service for life. This transforms the Peek from a niche device to one that many people would seriously consider purchasing in place of a cell phone data plan.
Roku to get HD Netflix streaming by year’s end
In the wake of the Xbox 360 receiving Netflix streaming High Definition, Roku has announced, on their own forums, that they will have HD streaming on Roku boxes before the end of the year. Roku boxes were, in fact, the first devices to offer the Netflix “Watch Now” functionality, straight to your TV.
On the Roku Labs Forums, “RokuTim” (Tim Twerdahl, VP of Consumer Products at Roku) told the masses that “Roku will be delivering Netflix in HD by the end of the year.” This is great news for everybody who hopped on the Roku bandwagon early, however he also mentioned that “Roku will be using Advanced Profile encodes which will deliver HD at substantially lower bit-rates than what Xbox is offering.” Uh oh. Looks like the Xbox 360 has the upper hand here, and that your Roku HD movies may be a tad on the choppy side.
More after the break.
Western Digital releases WD TV HD Media Player
Unlike most product releases today, Western Digital has released their TV HD media player with no extravagant advertising. The tiny device allows you to plug in external USB hard drives, up to two simultaneously, and play any video content stored on them, on your TV.
It outputs video to your TV in either plain old 480i format via the composite interface (and included cables) or in 1080p HD via HDMI. The TV HD Media Player ships with “media converter software” leaving it suspect as to what formats the device actually supports.
For $129.99, you can get an easy way to watch your movies on your gorgeous HD TV.
Buy [Best Buy]
RelatedGadgetell Review: Beats by Dr. Dre
Product: Beats by Dre.
Price and Availability: $350, available now online or at Apple Stores and Best Buy.
Pros: Loud, deep bass, great mid to high range sound.
Cons: Not proficient at noise canceling, sound leaks out of headphones.
Overall: Maybe not the best purchase at $350, but still very good.
During this past January’s CES, Monster, Jimmy Lovine and Dr. Dre announced their partnership and displayed the headphones they were set to release in August. When I received the Beats by Dre headphones a few weeks ago, I was ecstatic — both as a Dr. Dre fan and headphone enthusiast of sorts. The Beats, which retail for $350, look like a high-class product, from its packaging to the headphones themselves.
Read on for my full thoughts on the Beats by Dre and hands-on pics…
Rumor: Seagate to revise FreeAgent drives, add Mac-friendliness?
Rumor has it that Seagate is dropping the brown/orange colorway on its FreeAgent external hard drives and refining it to a more futuristic look (as pictured above). The bigger drive is most likely the FreeAgent Desktop, the standard desktop drive. To its right is probably the FreeAgent Go, or another iteration of Seagate’s portable drive line. From the picture, it is evident that there is the inclusion of a new docking station, which will help show off the eye candy element of the drive. Not only will the drives shed their brown exterior, they’ll be available in grey, black, silver and others, including red, green, gold, and pink. For Mac users, it is especially exciting to hear that at least one of the drives will be formatted for instant use in OS X, so lowly Windows users will have to format the drive in order to use it.
Look for a formal announcement for these external hard drives sometime next month.
Via [Engadget]
RelatedGadgetell Review: Bowers and Wilkins Music Club
Bowers and Wilkins, best known as the manufacturer of high quality speakers, has launched their subscription-based Music Club this summer. The service allows subscribers to download high quality music, recorded in (former lead singer of Genesis) Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studio, in Bath, Great Britain. Each month, a new album, from a selected artist, is released. Some of the past featured artists include, Gwyneth Herbert, Little Axe, and Brett Anderson. Subscriptions can be purchased in 6- or 12-month varieties, for $39.95 and $59.95, respectively. After using the service for a few weeks, I have some mixed feelings.
Nikon announces Coolpix S60 - touchscreens for all
Nikon has announced yet another point and shoot camera, this time the Coolpix S60. The S60 sports a massive 3.5-inch touchscreen, which controls almost the entire camera’s functionality; save for the power and shutter, both of which are controlled by dedicated buttons. The interface is optimized for easy use - a minimal amount of large icons on the screen, and so on. The 5X zoom is also controlled by onscreen buttons. The device is outfitted with numerous settings, like portrait zooming or auto scene selection, which all can be activated with one press to the screen, making the touchscreen truly easy to use.
On the hardware side of things, the camera sports a 10 megapixel CCD, an aforementioned 5X zoom, up to 3200 ISO and image stabilization. Expect this to drop in September for $350, in a few pretty colors.
Read [Nikon]
RelatedSamsung drops Series 7 Plasma HDTVs
Samsung has dropped their new Series 7 plasma screens, pushing their “functional art” idealism even further. The new HDTV’s sport Samsung’s trademark Touch of Color bezel, in which red is directly infused into the normally boring black bezel. Most people, those who aren’t watching a bezel for entertainment, will be joyed at the 1 million to 1 contrast ratio and Ultra Filter Bright anti-glare system which keeps the image clear even in bright environments. A night calibration system is also present for those who enjoy watching in a darker environment.
The entire Series 7 also includes the InfoLink RSS service, which serves up USA Today content. Additionally, the TVs have a USB 2.0 port and can recognize and play MP3, JPEG, XviD, and MPEG-4 files. The DLNA-certified devices sport four HDMI 1.3 inputs, and all utilize gorgeous 1080p screens.
Available in August, the Series 7 displays will come in a 50-inch ($2799.99), 58-inch ($4499.99), and 63-inch ($5499.99) varieties.
Read [Business Wire]
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