Google is mapping the history of modern music

Engadget bit:

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/18/google-music-library-data/

Google research bit:
https://research.google.com/bigpicture/music/#

60 days instead of 30 of Spotify premium for free.

You need to give card details / paypal details. Just set a reminder to quit before the 60 days are up and it will cost you nothing!

Also gives to access to using the service on mobile devices.

Offer ends today!

http://goo.gl/d10YhC

Suggestion / ramble for Nokia & Microsoft

So Microsoft and Nokia have jumped into bed together. Its been a while coming but with Mr Elop being an ex-MS employee it was set in the stars. 

There is hope but it's still a fledgling platform in comparison to Android and iOS. The market share is growing but slowly.

Nokia have really carried the Windows Phone platform forward but I go get the feeling that HTC, Samsung and maybe even Dell seemed like they were left for dead a bit which is a shame. (I really liked how thin the HTX 8X was and the Ativ S really did no bad in my eyes either). i hope they continue with the OS and models. 

The platform has hardware restrictions... Thats a good thing in many respects. I means less variation which means more targeted software which in theory should mean less development time and better quality. 

Nokia have a  few headline features in their 41 megapixel camera and design. The iPhone 5c has clearly given a nod to the Lumia range. I think the ecosystem needs to keep current with hardware changes though against the competition. quad-cores, resolutions, AV format support are major features lacking here. 

Now here comes the kicker(s), they've struggled for developer support in a lot of areas. Namely Instagram being one of the biggies. At the moment the platform has some great alternatives but the average customer doesn't want or go exploring for alternative services that use the service they want via another app. 

So what can be done? Well MS and Nokia seem to like developing and maintaining apps for others (The Facebook app was an example of this). Thats good as it gives some assurance but surely getting a bigger market share will temp devs over when there is more to gain. 

Nokia are somewhat going in the right direction with their decently specced lower end devices targeting the younger, growing population. They have product placement in programs like HollyOaks and various others. I think this has been their main area of growth for the platform. Especially with the recent financial climate.

Then comes the release date: 25th September (UK)... The iPhone 5c and 5s come out on the 20th September. Thats going to gut Nokia's straight away... Next up... Specifications... generally more is better in peoples eyes... Stick a bloody quad-core chip in your phone, make it 64-bit... If not, make it a damn sight cheaper! 

Next, your competitors sell ecosystems..They combine into an experience but they all fair pretty well as stand alone separates. Now you may have seen on this blog that i'm a recent fan of the Xbox music service. In does well as a stand alone product on various platform and I like it because its like Spotify without the clutter. Push the ecosystem! Here maps is actually quite nice to use but I always think of google maps first when i go to type on my keyboard. 

Raise awareness of the product links as well as how well they work separately. I.e. I'll stick with your music service if I can still use it and change my phone! 

Next the bundles! Below is one you really need to get operators to subsidise and make. It'd be awesome. Hell, shove this on Vodafone in the UK with their 4G and Spotify deal and make a big deal of the headphones and that'd win a few customers. The camera is great but the specs sheet is lacking, you have a fight on your hands this time a round Nokia. Not sure your good looking but fat top ender will handle it without a helping hand. 

Also whats with the bloody red version being missing! That was the best one!   

I should point out I had a Lumia 920, I wanted to love it. It didn't love me. Dust kept getting in the earpiece and breaking the sensor so I couldn't get the screen back on during a call as the phone thought my ear was still pressed to the phone...I gave up after the 4th handset replacement and sold it. Also the OS need a bloody rotation lock! I now use a Samsung S4, it's not great and doesn't look as nice but it's big, thin and has swift key which I absolutely love! I do miss the Xbox live achievement games though! 

Xbox music trying to rival Spotify, goes multi platform

It's coming to Android and iOS so it looks like Microsoft are actually pushing this platform properly!

Pricing is slightly cheaper than Spotify's premium service in the UK which nice. The web player needs a few more social features for people who like that sort of thing.

Xbox Music is Microsoft's music streaming service. Until now, it's been limited to Microsoft's own hardware—Windows PCs, Xbox 360s and Windows Phones. Starting today, that's finally changing: Xbox Music is coming to iOS, Android and web browsers. P

Xbox Music is similar to Spotify and Rdio in a lot of ways: If you pay a monthly subscription, you can stream unlimited ad-free music, stream on your phone on the go, and download songs for offline play on your devices. You can also stream music without paying a subscription fee, though you'll have to listen to ads, and after six months the service will put a cap put on how many free songs you can stream per month. 

Update: Popped on some decent headphones and gave the service. Sounds good. Clean interface. I actually really like it if I have a specific desire in mind. The explorer section is a bit basic. This is only the web version though so the apps might be a different story. All in all I like what I see so far and the initial unlimited free usage will go down well with a lot of people I don't doubt.

http://music.xbox.com

http://kotaku.com/watch-out-spotify-xbox-music-is-finally-coming-to-ios-1270565026

Plantronics Backbeat Go2

These look like they could be a nice replacement for my old broken Sony HBH-IS800's 

http://www.plantronics.com/us/product/backbeat-go-2

Game music redone.

Found this through a Razer promotion. Some of their videos are really good so I thought i'd share!

Guild Wars 2:


Morrowind & Skyrim:

Awwww MinDisc format goes off to die quietly..

I LOVED the miniDisc format.
It was small. Had decent audio quality and had a protective casing. Everything I wanted.

I never felt like Sony pushed the media enough. Being the empire that they were at the time. They could have  killed off the CD if they were daring enough.

It has slight comparisons with Blu-ray in some respects. Obviously Sony has had better luck here with market penetration as their PlayStation 3's come with built in. They were very slow with movie industry support like they were with MiniDisc with the music industry.

Who remembers SACD ? Again, failed by their developers (although Phillips were part to blame there) even though its a much superior format to current CD's. Even worse so is Hybrid SACD which has a level of backwards compatibility with conventional CD players.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/01/sony-says-sayonara-to-minidisc-will-sell-its-last-players-in-ma/

oneTesla: a DIY Singing Tesla Coil

This Kickstarter project looks awesome!

connect this (or a few) up to some motion sensors and a select the right music and I can imagine some pretty intuitive in home intrusion projection systems.





http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/onetesla/onetesla-a-diy-singing-tesla-coil?ref=home_spotlight

Spotify brings radio feature to iOS, offers streaming to non-premium users

Engadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/19/spotify-brings-radio-feature-to-ios-offers-streaming-to-non-pre/

Game Of Thrones Theme on eight floppy drives

I didn't quite know what to expect when I clicked on the link but this scores some major geek points in my book: