Apple has just announced its long-awaited cloud-based music service: iTunes in the Cloud. While not a streaming music service as some had speculated, it will let you download any music you’ve purchased to all of your devices at no additional charge — something Steve Jobs notes is a first for the music industry. All new music you purchase can also automatically be downloaded and pushed to up to ten different devices — and, as with the other apps that make up the broader iCloud service, it’s completely free, with a beta version available today (in the US only, unfortunately). What’s more, Apple has also announced a complementary iTunes Match service that will let you put your existing collection of ripped CDs in the cloud. That’s done by scanning your library and matching songs to the versions Apple already has (a DRM-free 256kbps AAC file), rather than uploading everything — a process Apple notes takes “minutes,” not “weeks” — although songs will be uploaded in cases where there is no match. It will run you $24.99 a year (for up to 25,000 songs, apparently), and promises to give you all of the “same benefits as music purchased from iTunes” when it launches sometime this fall. Apple announces iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posts Tagged ‘drm’
Apple announces iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match
June 7th, 2011 
jedwan 
Posted in engadget 
Tags: available-today, breaking-news, cloud, completely-free, drm, engadget, entry, existing, icloud, music-purchased, streaming-music, tunes-match, wwdc 
No Comments »Netflix releases Android app for select HTC phones, Samsung Nexus S
May 13th, 2011 jedwan Well, it looks like the LG Revolution won’t be the first Android phone to get Netflix after all. The app has just hit the Android Market and is currently available for the HTC Incredible, Nexus One, Evo 4G, and G2, plus the Samsung Nexus S. As you might expect, there’s not a lot of surprises in terms of functionality — you can resume watching where you left off on your TV or computer, and the app will allow you to manage your instant queue in addition to letting you simply browse movies. On its official blog, Netflix explains that while the app is currently limited to phones with “requisite playback support,” it anticipates that many of the “technical challenges will be resolved in the coming months,” and that it will be able to “provide a Netflix application that will work on a large majority of Android phones.” That’s some curious wording, to be sure, and a notable change from earlier talk that suggested only certain Qualcomm processors would support the necessary DRM for Netflix. Also not supported at the moment: Canada. If none of that precludes you, however, you can hit up the Android Market link below to try it out for yourself. In other Netflix news, the company has also rolled out a little gift for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users — the iOS app now finally boasts support for subtitles. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Netflix releases Android app for select HTC phones, Samsung Nexus S originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget, htc, LG Tags: breaking-news, drm, engadget, entry, finally-boasts, large-majority, netflix, netflixapp, samsung No Comments »DirecTV’s iPad, iPhone, Android apps will also have HBO Go streaming May 2nd
April 23rd, 2011 jedwan Just like the web versions of HBO Go and Max Go are accessible both through their own sites and various provider portals , DirecTV has announced it will include access to them in its own apps on iPad , iPhone and “select Android devices” at the same time native Go apps launch . There’s no word on what restrictions may be placed on Android, if it’s just Froyo or higher hardware with Flash accessibility, then that’s one thing, but Netflix-style DRM tie ups could prove to be much more frustrating to our Game of Thrones streaming plans. The announcement came from DirecTV’s official Twitter account which indicated the apps would progress beyond mere remote control and DVR scheduling on the same May 2nd date previously teased in HBO’s YouTube trailer — we’ll wait and see how long it takes to be integrated into similar apps from competitors like Comcast and Verizon FiOS. DirecTV’s iPad, iPhone, Android apps will also have HBO Go streaming May 2nd originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget Tags: drm, engadget, entry, flash, froyo-or-higher, hbo go, hbogo, ipad, iphone, long-it-takes, maxgo, netflix, progress-beyond No Comments »Hulu for Android coming soon, destined for ‘select’ phones with Android 2.2?
March 13th, 2011 jedwan Since the dawn of Flash on Android — yes, that was just ten months ago — Google smartphone users been largely unable to access their favorite Hulu programs on the go. At CES 2011, we heard that Hulu would indeed come to Android , but not when or where. Today, we’re a step closer to the answer. An eagle-eyed Engadget reader spotted this image at the company’s website, depicting a most unusual combo: an image of a Samsung Nexus S (which comes with Android 2.3) and a suggestion that Hulu Plus will soon be available on a subset of devices running Android 2.2. We can’t say which devices quite yet, but we’ve heard this tune before , and suspect Hulu will only run on phones that have DRM baked into their hardware . Now how about that Google TV ? [Thanks, Raymond D.] Hulu for Android coming soon, destined for ‘select’ phones with Android 2.2? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget Tags: devices-running, drm, entry, flash, hulu plus, image, nexus s, reader-spotted, samsungnexuss No Comments »Time out of mind – Palm Pre Plus Phone (Verizon Wireless)
March 6th, 2011 jedwan Slide-out QWERTY keyboard for fast messaging; Amazon MP3 Store enables you to download stereo-quality non-DRM protected tracks instantly to your wireless phone . 3-megapixel camera with LED flash, extended depth of field, and geotagging. …
Posted in Wireless Phone Tags: amazon, download-stereo-quality, drm, extended-depth, fast-messaging, store, Wireless Phone No Comments »Netflix headed to ‘select Android devices’ early next year
November 13th, 2010 admin Netflix has always been something of a fickle beast, lavishing treats upon just one platform at a time, but now that iOS , Windows Phone 7 and every game console under the sun are streaming its video, the firm’s finally turned its gaze on Android. Come early 2011, Netflix will appear on “select Android devices,” according to the company’s official blog, which also promises a “standard, platform-wide solution” for Android in the unspecified future. What took so long, and why will Netflix be limited to particular handsets when it first rolls out? “The hurdle has been the lack of a generic and complete platform security and content protection mechanism available for Android,” says the blog, stating piracy concerns. Apparently content holders aren’t too keen on making movies available unless devices have DRM baked right in, so the solution is equip new phones with padlocks one at a time. Expect next year’s high-end Android devices to have “Netflix” as a nice big bullet point. [Thanks, Connor B.] Netflix headed to ‘select Android devices’ early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Nov 2010 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget Tags: content-holders, drm, entry, netflixforandroid, streaming-video, streamingvideo, the-unspecified, under-the-sun, unspecified, vod, watch-instantly, windows-phone No Comments »Palm Pre Plus Phone (Verizon Wireless) | Technology News & Reviews …
October 31st, 2010 jedwan Slide-out QWERTY keyboard fοr qυісk messaging; Amazon MP3 Pile enables уου tο download stereo-feature non-DRM protected tracks instantly tο уουr wireless phone . 3-megapixel camera wіth LED flash, extended depth οf field, аnd geotagging. …
Posted in Wireless Phone Tags: amazon, download-stereo-feature, drm, eth, extended-depth, led, protected-tracks, Wireless Phone No Comments »Amazon sends ‘welcome packet’ to prospective app store devs
October 8th, 2010 jedwan There’s now little doubt that Amazon — for reasons that may or may not be borne of sound mind — is hard at work setting up its own app store ecosystem for Android devices. We’ve got a tiny bit more evidence of that today in the form of the complete welcome kit being sent out to prospective developers; there’s not anything too mind-boggling in here, but let’s break down some of the key points: From the wording, there’s no question that the system is exclusive to Android — at least initially. Amazon is already accepting submissions, but only of promotional materials and other non-app assets; presumably, they’re trying to make sure they’ve got critical mass before deploying. Oh, and here’s another reason they’re only taking non-app assets right now: the “App Packaging Tool” that binaries will need to be run through prior to submission isn’t yet ready. The nuts and bolts of the tool aren’t yet clear, but Amazon says that it will “ensure that the apps will install properly on customers’ devices and… enable the digital rights management (DRM) policies outlined in the developer agreement.” Speaking of DRM, turns out it’s not required. It’s up to the developer whether to enable it. Developer-submitted videos will be supported in the app product pages, which is kind of nice — neither the Android Market nor the iOS App Store support that. Naturally, it’s at Amazon’s sole discretion what will be allowed and disallowed in the store; “offensive content” won’t be permitted, and the company says that “what [it deems] offensive is probably about what you would expect.” Neither pornography nor “hard-core material” are cool. So there you have it — Amazon is expecting to ingest actual app binaries “in a few weeks,” so it looks like this will be ready in time for the holidays. App store fragmentation seems like the last thing any mobile platform needs right now, but we’re sure that these guys — with the huge opportunity for showcasing apps on a site network that gets tens of millions of views per day — would just love a slice of that multi-billion dollar pie. [Thanks, anonymous tipster] Amazon sends ‘welcome packet’ to prospective app store devs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 02:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget Tags: amazon, app store, developer, digital, drm, engadget, entry, exclusive, holidays, mobile platform, packaging-tool, pornography, sole-discretion, tool No Comments »Amazon launching its own Android app store?
September 28th, 2010 admin This sounds like madness to us, but take it for what you will: TechCrunch is reporting via some tipsters that Amazon is preparing to launch its own Android app store, of all things. Revenue split is rumored to be “the greater of 70 percent of the purchase price or 20 percent of the List Price as of the purchase date,” which is pretty strange wording — this “List Price” concept is apparently designed to prevent you from undercutting pricing with other services — and there’ll be a $99 fee to gain entry, which is pretty standard. Apps will be required to use Amazon DRM and could be featured on Amazon’s site, which is potentially a pretty big upside considering the kind of traffic that bad boy gets. As TechCrunch notes, a particularly interesting blurb in the alleged terms states that “[Amazon has] sole discretion to determine all features and operations of [programs] and to set the retail price and other terms on which [they] sell Apps,” implying that pricing is their call — not yours — and they’ve got some say in how your app’s going to work and what it’s going to do. Clearly we’re missing something here, since they’re starting with zero market share, the Android Market is the obvious choice for consumers, and there are some really odd terms — and Bezos isn’t a dummy — so we’ll hold out and see where this goes. After all, with Google apparently actively reigning in devices by lording Market access over manufacturers’ heads, there might actually be some room for third parties to get some traction here over the long term. Amazon launching its own Android app store? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Posted in engadget Tags: amazon, app store, drm, engadget, entry, other-services, over-the-long, purchase, retail, rumor, services, sole-discretion, terms-on-which No Comments »Palm Pre Plus Phone (Verizon Wireless) | Info Gadget
September 24th, 2010 jedwan Slide-out QWERTY keyboard for fast messaging; Amazon MP3 Store enables you to download stereo-quality non-DRM protected tracks instantly to your wireless phone . 3-megapixel camera with LED flash, extended depth of field, and geotagging. …
Posted in Wireless Phone Tags: amazon, download-stereo-quality, drm, extended-depth, fast-messaging, led, protected-tracks, store, Wireless Phone No Comments »
