| Apple reportedly planning major iTunes overhaul, better iCloud integration and sharing Jun 28th 2012, 16:54  While Google is beefing up its ecosystem, Apple is also planning some big changes to its iTunes platform according to Bloomberg. Sources inside the company claim, by the end of the year iTunes will undergo a major transformation seemingly designed to counter recent moves by Google. Key to the plans is iCloud. Cupertino's cloud storage solution will be much more tightly integrated, allowing easier access to and management of media collections across devices. Another part of the online offerings will be content discovery. As Netflix has already discovered, and Google is trying to master, making accurate suggestions for new music and films is key to keeping customers coming back to a media market. Deeper social network integration is also part of finding and sharing new music. Apple is supposedly in negotiations with the record labels to allow users to send songs to friends for free -- a feature both Spotify and Google Music already support. For a few more details check out the source. Apple reportedly planning major iTunes overhaul, better iCloud integration and sharing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Bloomberg | Email this | Comments | | Nexus 7 review: the best $200 tablet you can buy Jun 28th 2012, 16:00  In 2008, when the Eee PC was revolutionizing the computing world and driving every manufacturer to make cheaper and smaller laptops, Sony washed its hands of the whole thing. The "race to the bottom," the company said, would profoundly impact the industry, killing profit margins and flooding the market with cheap, terrible machines. Sony was wrong, its stance lasting about a year before joining the competition with its own VAIO W. Four years on we're buying better laptops than ever before and, with the netbook class now more or less dead, that downward competition seems to have shifted to the tablet front. A flood of cheap, truly awful slates preceded Amazon's Kindle Fire, the $200 tablet from a major brand that looks to have been the proper catalyst in plunging prices. The latest challenger to enter the competition is ASUS, partnering with Google to create the first Nexus tablet, a device that not only will amaze with its MSRP, but with its quality. It's called the Nexus 7, it too is $200, and it's better than Amazon's offering in every way but one. Continue reading Nexus 7 review: the best $200 tablet you can buy Filed under: Tablet PCs Nexus 7 review: the best $200 tablet you can buy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | HTC One V quietly pops up at Virgin Mobile USA for $200, iPhone tags along for online orders Jun 28th 2012, 15:47  HTC had broadcast its intentions to bring the One V to the US this summer, and that's exactly what it's doing, even if it's keeping the formalities to a minimum. Virgin Mobile has started selling the entry Android 4.0 phone without fanfare at a very tempting $200 contract-free -- certainly the lowest American price we've seen so far for joining the Sense 4.0 party. The hardware still won't floor anyone, but Virgin Mobile Live is tossed in to perk up the experience. Should Google's platform just not be your bag, you'll also be glad to know that Virgin has recently started taking online orders for its prepaid iPhones, which officially hit the shops on Friday. With their $550 and $650 no-contract prices, though, some may question just how Retina their displays really need to be.
[Thanks, Marcus] HTC One V quietly pops up at Virgin Mobile USA for $200, iPhone tags along for online orders originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Virgin Mobile (One V), (iPhone 4), (iPhone 4S) | Email this | Comments | | Control4 delivers home automation Starter Kit for under $1,000 including installation, we go hands-on Jun 28th 2012, 15:33  Replacing a house full of switches and dials with a single remote seems a desirable proposition, but less-than-intuitive setup processes and fees that run far into the thousands make a disconnected home the only option for some. Like other home automation system manufacturers, Control4 has a bounty of offerings that can run up pricing into that out-of-reach range, but if you're looking to adjust audio and video in a single room, the new Starter Kit should get you going for just shy of a grand, including installation. That price includes a HC-250 Controller, which delivers IR control for up to eight components (via splitters connected to the four IR ports on the rear), serial control for up to two receivers or other systems and IP control for an unlimited number of devices. There's also an SR-250 ZigBee remote in the box, which offers full control through a television interface (HDMI and component outputs can be found on the HC-250's rear). You can also have full access through a variety of add-ons, including a $999 7-inch in-wall touchscreen with camera, a portable version for the same price, or any Android, iOS or Mac device -- access licenses for smartphones, tablets and computers run $199 each, or $499 to cover the entire home. The Starter Kit can enable control of a single room, which may be fine for some users -- to add additional home theater setups you can bring on more HC-250s at $599 a pop. There's also an option to add ZigBee lighting controls ($129 per switch), ZigBee door locks ($150 to $350) or a door intercom unit with camera ($799). All-in, outfitting a large home can be quite pricey, and the Starter Kit is designed to get folks in the door, rather than to deliver a complete solution. We tested the controller with a TV, audio system, a pair of lights on two zones, the door intercom and a deadbolt, and all performed seamlessly without an hiccups. We also took a look at the intuitive drag-and-drop PC-based interface, which owners can use to change macros and add media. Introducing new components to the rig will require a dealer service call (or remote access, if you're just trying to loop in something like a NAS to serve up content). The Control4 Starter Kit is available through third-party dealers beginning today, including Magnolia Home Theater in select Best Buy stores (in that case, Geek Squad will handle the install). That sub-$1,000 figure factors in two hours of labor, and may climb a bit higher depending on dealer rates. Still, if you're just looking to get your feet wet, this seems to be a solid solution. Thumb through the gallery below for a closer look at the components and interface. Control4 delivers home automation Starter Kit for under $1,000 including installation, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
