High Tech Lounge » Radio

Last.fm radio free on Microsoft, pay-only on iOS and Android

adina — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:36:11 +0000

Last.fm radio has announced it was shifting to a pay-only model for the Internet radio on iPhone and Android devices on the 15th of February. The strategy is dropping the free service, supported by advertising, and is instead requiring $3 per month in the United States to have the stream on mobile devices, ad-free. Media hubs like the Sonos ZonePlayer line and Logitech Squeezebox will need a subscription too, immediately or by the middle of next summer.

However, the company is exempting all Microsoft’s platforms from limitations for the near future. Subscribers of Xbox Live Gold in the United Kingdom and United States will still continue to benefit from free access on the Xbox 360. Users of Windows Phone 7 also get free use through the rest of this year in the United States and United Kingdom but will be required to subscribe. It is not known whether Microsoft has paid for special access, but it is true that the yearly Xbox Live fee normally contributes to covering the cost.

Scrobbling (play tracking) and recommendations remain free regardless of the platform and country.

Product vice president Michael Hawn explained that the switch was necessary as running a free, ad-based service proved to be “not practical”. Hawn justified the change as bringing Last.fm “in line” with its rivals, even if few of them ever had any free component. There is still a free option at Pandora but it has been limited to the United States in order to reduce royalty fees.

iLuv clock radio vibrates to wake iPhone users up

adina — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:12:06 +0000

On March 1st, 2010, iLuv has released the latest generation of the company’s iPhone- and iPod-ready clock radios. Unlike other alarm clocks, the iMM178 benefits from a “bed shaker” pod, which vibrates, in order to wake those who don’t react to the sound or need to keep the alarm quiet. The shaker is less risky than the headphones in bed, thanks to its own speaker dedicated to listening environment.

It seems that the system benefits from one of the widest-ranging alarm configurations. It can wake or sleep using any Apple device, shaker or radio. It also offers seven different alarm sounds. These alarms can be set to start automatically every day, only in weekdays or only at weekends.

iLuv offers support for most 2004 or later dockable iPhones and iPods, being able to use the iPhone’s/iPod’s time to automatically update its own time, if a power loss intervenes.

The iMM178 will only be available in black and has an official $90 price.

Sirius XM Begins Shipping of SkyDock for iPod and iPhone

adina — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:17:13 +0000

The Sirius XM SkyDock for iPod touch and iPhone promised by Sirius XM is a satellite radio receiver with an iPod connector, playing all the channels available at XM, including the Best of Sirius and other packages not present in the Internet streams. There is an XM SkyDock free application in the Applications Store that provides the main interface and also support for song tagging on iTunes. The SkyDock allows devices to be charged from the car’s 12V port and gets its reception through the existing car antenna. Installation is very easy. The XM SkyDock has a built-in jack for a wired connection too.

The Sirius XM dock will be available for shipping in retail shops, as well as online, e.g. through the Apple Store, and will cost $120.

Radio feature coming to iPhone and iPod Touch?

adina — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:12:40 +0000

Most of us have been disappointed because of the lack of the radio in our Apple mobile devices. This problem seems to have come to a solution. Some sources were gossiping today that Apple is ready to unlock FM radio in certain types of iPhone and iPod Touch. The new software will probably have the same features as the iPod Nano, with little difference. For example, you could buy songs directly from iTunes, using your mobile Internet connection, instead of having to do a computer sync. Another new entry could be the DVR-like live pause mode, but with no confirmation from the source.

The radio application could be either an independent one, either a component of the current iPod application in iPhone OS. Both solutions will allow listening to the radio while using other applications.

Current owners of Apple touchscreen devices can benefit as well from this feature. Most of the latest gadgets use mixed-format wireless chipsets, offered, most often, by Broadcom. The chipsets carry FM, as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This is why Apple resolved the Bluetooth existing problem in iPod touch only by releasing the new iPhone OS 3.0. Furthermore, the radio addition could be also resolved by the issue of a new software version.

It is known that Apple has included an 802.11n-capable chip into third-generation devices, such as the 32GB and 64GB iPod touch models. The chip could be capable of transmitting audio wirelessly to the car stereo. No source has confirmed this rumor.