Apple Music pops up in the Google Home app, hinting at launch
Despite not being active yet, there's now an entry for Apple Music inside the music services tab of the Google Home app, which surely means it won't be long before Apple's music service is on every major smart speaker platform. The question now is whether Apple reciprocates by adding other services to its HomePod.
Lenovo’s new Yoga and ThinkPad ANC headphones are built for business
Watch out Bose, Lenovo is the latest company to take aim at your noise-canceling supremacy. The company just launched a pair of hybrid ANC Bluetooth headphones under the ThinkPad and Yoga brands, that are competitively priced, and feature sound that's been tuned by Dolby Labs.
Apple may be making noise-canceling headphones safer to use on the streets
Big, over-the-ear headphones have been massively popular ever since the Beats brand launched in 2007. Since then, the number of headphone-related accidents has also gone up. A new Apple patent looks to partially address this problem by making headphones acoustically invisible to the wearer by letting more sounds in.
Charter’s Spectrum TV Essentials offers 60 live TV channels for $15 a month
With cable customers cutting the cord at an accelerating rate, companies are looking at all of the options to keep them on the monthly invoice. Charter Communication's answer is Spectrum TV Essentials, a package of 60 live TV channels for $15 per month. But with no sports or major broadcasters, is it enough?
Amazon ups the ante with Netflix, aims to release up to 30 movies a year
Netflix has a seemingly endless appetite for spending money on both licensed and original content alike. But Amazon Studios isn't far behind. A recent interview with studio chief Jennifer Salke revealed an annual budget in excess of $50 million and up to 30 theatrical and direct-to-Amazon Prime titles.
Apple Music encourages subscribers to give friends a free 1-month pass
It's no secret that Apple has its sights set squarely on Spotify's enviable subscriber count, but how will Apple Music grow its base? Apparently by using existing customers as a recruitment service. Subscribers are encouraged to send friends a one-month free pass to the streaming service.
Samsung will stop releasing new Blu-ray players in the U.S.
Samsung has confirmed reports that it is now exiting the Blu-ray market entirely in the U.S. The move comes after Oppo Digital exited the market last year. The news may be a sign of things to come in when it comes to the future of 4K Blu-ray and the physical disc movie format.
Hi-res streaming audio service Qobuz arrives in U.S., threatens Tidal’s monopoly
For several years, Tidal has enjoyed a monopoly on hi-res music streaming in the U.S. with its available Masters MQA tracks. Now, French company Qobuz has debuted in the U.S. to offer some competition with a variety of monthly plans starting at $10 a month and a very big catalog of content.
Bose’s technology patents could save an earbud’s battery life
Possibly taking a cue from Apple's popular AirPods, Bose has filed a patent application for infrared technology which it would build into various models of earbuds, including fully wireless models. The tech could save battery life, improve sound quality, and possibly help people locate lost earbuds.
Apple will reportedly launch its new video-streaming service at March 25 event
The rumors about what Apple will or won't announce at an upcoming March 25 event continue to swirl, and now a new report from Bloomberg suggests that the company will debut its much anticipated video-streaming service, which will compete with Netflix and Amazon's Prime Video.
Can a slew of high-tech new features save the HomePod from extinction?
Though well-received by Apple fans, the HomePod hasn't exactly met expectations as far as sales go. But a newly discovered patent suggests that Apple might be about to dramatically overhaul the smart speaker with everything from facial recognition to a high-res touchscreen. Will it be enough?
Netflix brings its data-saving smart downloads feature to iOS
Having a binge-watching addiction to Netflix can create a host of challenges on mobile devices, like remembering to delete old episodes, and remembering to download new ones. So it's going to be welcome news to iOS users that the service has made its smart downloads feature available to them, at last.
Using an ad blocker with Spotify? Prepare to be terminated
Ad blocking has been used by over two million of Spotify's customers, the company revealed last year. Now, it's going to try to eliminate these accounts permanently. Changes to its terms of service have made it officially unacceptable to use any technology that circumvents ads, under the threat of termination.
Apple’s new patent describes the grand TV experience Steve Jobs wanted
Ever since Steve Jobs gave a tantalizing hint of a perfect TV experience, designed by Apple, we've been waiting to see what that might look like. If a recent patent is any indication, that day may be here soon, and the consequences for traditional cable and satellite companies could be significant.
Apple gives sports fans a live TV option with the addition of FuboTV
Until late last year, Apple's TV app for iOS and tvOS had no live TV streaming partners. Then PlayStation Vue joined in. Now, users of the app have a second choice: The sports-centric FuboTV service. FuboTV was the first live TV streaming service to support 4K HDR, making it a good fit for Apple's 4K box.
Streaming numbers were the only super thing about Super Bowl 2019
By now, it's a well-known fact: This year's Super Bowl was hardly must-see TV. But the numbers show just how poorly received the game was -- there hasn't been a smaller audience since 2008. Streaming numbers, on the other hand, were huge. We've got a breakdown of all the stats.
Fluance’s Fi20 is a furniture-grade Bluetooth speaker you can take anywhere
Bluetooth speakers are not only a dime a dozen these days, they also look like they cost about that much. So it's refreshing to see that Fluance's Fi20 is offering all the conveniences of a portable Bluetooth speaker in a design that looks like it belongs in a boutique hotel. Not bad for $150.
Sonos’ first wired speakers are all designed to be paired with the Amp
Although whole-home wireless audio company Sonos has let you power your own wired speakers through its products in the past, it has never sold its own wired products. With the launch of its Architectural by Sonance line, the company now has three wired models to choose from.
Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV updated with X-ray feature
X-ray has been a feature of Amazon Prime since the service's earliest days, and has been supported on virtually all of the platforms that let you access it. One very prominent hold-out has been Apple TV. That changed last week when Amazon quietly added the feature to its tvOS Prime Video app.
Not interested in football? Tivo lets you watch the ads and skip the Super Bowl
Hey, some people just don't like football. For these folks, the big draw to the Super Bowl is the multi-million dollar production that happens between downs, namely, the ads. Tivo subscribers who prefer these ads over the game can now skip the boring football parts and go straight to the commercials.
Cloud-based movie storage service Ultraviolet shutting down July 31
What was once thought to be the future of digital movie ownership will soon be no more: Ultraviolet is shutting down on July 31, leaving owners of movie digital rights wondering what will become of their online libraries. Though solutions exist, it may not be a smooth transition for everyone.
DirecTV Now sheds more than 250,000 subscribers in a single quarter
DirecTV Now's parent company, AT&T, released its subscriber numbers for the fourth quarter of 2018, and the news isn't good. The streaming service has seen a loss of more than a quarter of a million subscribers, raising questions about its ability to compete in the new world of over-the-air services.
Need a Coke? Hulu to start showing small, static ads when you pause your show
The next place you'll see ads on Hulu is when you're not watching video at all. The streaming service has announced it plans to show ads when viewers pause their shows using a new static format that the company hopes its customers won't find as intrusive as typical video ads.
Criterion Collection’s stand-alone movie streaming service to launch April 8
Rumors of a standalone streaming service powered by the Criterion Collection have been swirling for months, ever since its partnership with FilmStruck fell victim to that service's collapse. Now we have confirmation: The Criterion Channel will be launching April 8, starting at $10 per month.
Apple Music subscribers can listen and watch for free on American Airlines
An Apple Music subscription is a great way to listen to your tunes when on Wi-Fi or if you have a generous data plan. But on a plane? Forget about it. That is unless you fly domestically with American Airlines. Apple Music access will be free for subscribers starting February 1.
Tivo’s streaming apps will be limited to lower-quality video at launch
Tivo announced that it would be adding streaming apps for major platforms like Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, and Fire TV, but now we have news that these apps will face video quality limitations when they arrive. At launch, and for the foreseeable future, only 720p at 30 frames per second will be supported.
Reelgood’s universal streaming guide is coming to millions of smart TVs
By this time next year, it's expected that almost half of the smart TVs in the U.S. will have the Reelgood app installed on their home screens. With a truly universal content discovery engine that includes major services like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and HBO, it could become the de-facto content guide for these viewers.
Samsung’s new 8K display chip could shrink bezel sizes to nothing
As the 8K revolution gets underway, Samsung is looking to a new display chip to improve the way 8K TVs perform, and how they can be built. By reducing the number of components needed, the new 8K chip could result in 8K TVs that have virtually no bezel, bringing the super high-res displays in line with 4K TVs.
Vizio opens beta sign-ups for SmartCast 3.0 with AirPlay 2
At CES 2019, we learned that several major TV manufacturers would be adding AirPlay 2 compatibility to their lineups. Vizio was among this small list, and now appears it will be the first to launch it. The company has opened sign-ups for the beta of SmartCast 3.0, which will enable AirPlay 2 later this year.
Roku adds premium subscription options to its Roku Channel
The Roku Channel has been offering Roku users a big collection of ad-supported content for over a year. Now, that service is being augmented through the availability of add-on premium subscriptions to services such as Starz, Showtime, and Epix. The service is expected to be available on all Roku devices within weeks.
Speaker specialist Sonos reportedly plans to launch its own line of headphones
Could it be that Sonos, a company that has only made speaker and speaker-powering products since its inception, is finally ready to build it own headphones? That's the rumor that's circulating, and if true, it would signify a new chapter in the Sonos story, one that would take it outside the home for the first time.
Spotify adds artist-blocking feature, despite its denials
Though it continues to claim you can't do it, there's lots of evidence that Spotify has added an artist-blocking feature to its platform, making it easy for users to never hear a specific musician or band on any of the company's playlists, collections, or radio stations. But what does this mean for artists?
Report: Spotify preparing to launch $100 in-car streaming device
According to a report, people familiar with Spotify's plans say the company is readying a dedicated in-car music streamer that will cost $100. The device will work with any Bluetooth-enabled audio system and can be controlled by voice. No word on when such a device will launch.
Plex is the latest player to contemplate the subscription streaming game
With massive reach thanks to its client app being supported virtually every media device on the planet, Plex is now looking at the future of its media curation platform. That future likely involves more partnerships with subscription services like Tidal, but a free, ad-supported option could come, too.