Rdio will be changing the way it offers listeners music, by not using The Echo Nest in the future, the company has revealed. Following the purchase of the music intelligence company by Spotify, Rdio is keen to not help its chief competition by providing it with more data about its user's listening habits, instead relying on other methods to offer music discovery and curation.
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Ting has started to support the iPhone 5 over its Sprint-based network, as rumored last month. The MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) already provides support for compatible iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S handsets, with the iPhone 5 bringing it closer to current generation devices, but not by much. A blog post advises that, since the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c reached Sprint in late September last year, support for the devices is expected to occur at "about the same time this year."
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Days after the final judgements were rendered in the post-trial matters related to the first Apple-Samsung US patent trial from 2012, Samsung filed an appeal of the jury's decision. Now Apple has done the same, filing an appeal on selected decisions made during the trial -- including some of Judge Lucy Koh's orders (specifically her two decisions refusing to implement product bans on 23 violating Samsung devices) and the limited damages retrial.
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Audio-Visual products manufacturer Creative Technology, through their ZiiLabs (formerly 3D Labs) subsidiary, is suing Samsung and accusing the Galaxy maker of infringing on 10 patents used in graphics system-on-chip designs for mobile and desktop devices. Both Apple and Samsung are named in the suit, as Samsung provides or formerly provided some of its own SoC components to some of Apple's devices.
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9 hours ago | Posted in: gaming
On the eve of the highly-anticipated Titanfall first-person shooter release, Microsoft's Xbox Live service is experiencing issues with the login process for some users. According to Larry Hyrb, Microsoft's "Major Nelson," the problems are not directly related to Titanfall, but some other connectivity issue related to "core services." Other Microsoft services, including Titanfall matchmaking, were still working during the outage. After three hours of downtime, at 11:00 EST, the problem was reported as resolved by Microsoft, and preliminary testing by Electronista confirmed Microsoft's report.
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Weather prediction and reporting app AccuWeather has launched its new MinuteCast feature. Now available for its web version as well as its iOS 7-optimized app for iPhone and iPod touch, MinuteCast gives users a continually updated forecast, ideal for making decisions based on weather. MinuteCast predicts start and end times for precipitation on a by-the-minute basis for the next two hours, specific to a user's exact street address. Precipitation is tracked at approximately a half square mile, and refreshed every five minutes to provide users with the most relevant and accurate forecast available.
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A new report on Tuesday highlights a potential new approach for Apple in India -- a market where the smartphone giant has been struggling -- by combining its usual high-end approach in premium stores and resellers with a new "neighborhood shop" franchise of stores that would focus on selling "entry-level" devices -- the iPhone 4 (still available in India), the iPhone 4S, the iPad mini and the full-size iPad 2.
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14 hours ago | Posted in: software, Apple
One day after Apple released its latest update to iOS, the latest version is now running on more than six percent of active iOS devices in North America, an analysis from mobile ad aggregator Chitika finds. While iOS 7.1 also contained security fixes, its major focus was adding a few new or enhanced features and squashing bugs, whereas the rapid adoption of the previous update -- 7.0.6 -- was credited to a major security patch.
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Yesterday's iOS 7.1 update also made changes to the way iBeacons work, reports say. Previously, an iPhone could only pick up notifications from an iBeacon if it had a supporting app open or running in the background; now those messages will appear even if the app has been completely closed (assuming the user has granted permission for push notifications). Alerts are also said to be more responsive, for instance reacting instantly on leaving an iBeacon's broadcast area by ceasing any notifications.
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The BBC is rolling out a new version of its iPlayer today, available for use online, with consoles and connected TVs for UK citizens. The changes to iPlayer have been made in an attempt to move away from being a static service, and aims to offer a more interactive experience. When an episode of a series finishes playing, iPlayer now automatically lines up the next episode in sequence, while suggesting other content that may be relevant to the viewer.
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A new edition of Office for Mac will ship later this year, says Microsoft Business Group Lead Thorsten Hübschen. The executive made the comment at this week's CeBIT expo in Hannover, Germany. No details about planned upgrades are available, but development teams are said to be at work, and more news is due to be announced in the second quarter of the year. iOS and Android tablet versions of Office are described as possibilities; an Office for iPad has been rumored for years.
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17 hours ago | Posted in: iPod, iPhone, iPad
All of the video streaming at this week's iTunes Festival SXSW in Austin, Texas is being handled by Vevo, the online music service has announced. Live streaming starts tonight and runs through March 15th. To view a concert, people must have a Mac, an Apple TV, or an iOS device with the Vevo or iTunes Festival apps. Mac owners must visit vevo.com/itunesfestival using Safari.
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This week saw the introduction of iOS 7.1, and yesterday Moderator "P" took to the MacNN forums to get the conversation started, saying that he hopes this fixes the issues some iPad owners have had with iOS 7 Safari. "Will Apple release a 4K Thunderbolt Cinema Display soon?" asks one Fresh-Faced Recruit who is wanting to replace their 10-year-old Apple Cinema Display.
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At Apple's online store today, save up to 22 percent off refurbished iMacs. At the low end of the pricing scale is the refurbished 21.5-inch iMac with a 2.7GHz Intel quad-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive, which has been cut by $250 to $1,049. A $300 discount lowers the cost of the 21.5-inch iMac with a 2.9GHz Intel quad-core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive down to $1,199.
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At MacMall's St. Patrick's Day blowout sale, save $449 on a 15.4-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which has been cut from $2,199 down to $1,750. That beats the next lowest price by $330. This MBP features a 2.4GHz Intel quad-core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage, with both Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics and the Intel HD Graphics 4000 chipset. It is backed by a one-year warranty on parts and labor from Apple.
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18 hours ago | Posted in: gaming
Perfect World Entertainment, Cryptic Studios and TransGaming have announced that Star Trek Online is now available for Mac users. Players can play as Federation, Klingon or Romulan factions, and explore the galaxy, captain a starship, and engage in space and ground battles, including iconic locations as seen in the franchise's movies and TV episodes. The MMORPG has been available for PC users since 2010, and is free to play. Its Mac client can be downloaded through Star Trek Online's site.
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