Slacker will stop building its only hardware digital streaming music player, the G2 in the second half of 2010, according to a Wednesday WSJ report. The 2GB device was launched in 2007 and grew to include 4GB and 8GB capacities. Slacker is still selling a 4GB version for $129, while Best Buy has some 8GB models in stock, priced at $249.
Continuing its home theater launches for CEDIA, Sony tonight added its first truly network-aware Blu-ray player. Although earlier players have had BD-Live features, the BDP-N460 can stream videos from Netflix and YouTube as well as get music streams from Slacker, regardless of the attached TV. In a unique touch, the movie player is specifically optimized for Linksys' (Cisco's) WET610N Ethernet-to-Wi-Fi bridge and improves the stability of streaming over the wireless connection.
Sony used its turn at CEDIA to launch a raft of new home theater equipment headlined by the BRAVIA XBR10. An Americanized version of the Japanese ZX5, they have a new 60GHz Wireless HD media box that lets the TV sit completely separately from most video inputs while still playing them at full quality. It can play a 1080p picture at a full 60 frames per second without dropping frames or otherwise showing differences between this and a wired signal.
Spotify tonight quietly saw the release of both the iPhone (1.7MB) and Android versions of its promised mobile app. On both platforms, the free app lets those with a Spotify Premium subscription (roughly $14 per month) stream the service's entire catalog, including music from all the major labels. They also have access to an offline mode that caches whole playlists for use when Internet access over 3G or Wi-Fi isn't available.
Apple today said it has approved Spotify's iPhone app. A spokesperson for the company made the rare statement ahead of the app's appearance for paidContent in what's seen as a bid to prevent accusations of anti-competitive behavior regarding the app, which will need a 10 Euro (roughly $14) monthly premium subscription but which will give unlimited streaming of music over both Wi-Fi and on iPhones using 3G. It's unclear when the app will actually appear but is expected only in countries where Spotify is already available on computers, such as the UK or Spain.
Verizon announced on Thursday that it will soon update its subscribers' BlackBerry Storm handsets with the Slacker Radio application. The over-the-air push update will happen during the next few days, and give Storm users access to Slacker's free, limited-control service. When users hear a song they like, they can purchase it without disrupting their listening session, provided the track exists in Verizon's V CAST Music service.
Sony today said its Internet-aware BRAVIA TVs now have access to Netflix. Both newer sets with support built-in, as well as older sets using the add-on Internet Video Link, can access (but not add to) the Watch Instantly queue and stream movies or TV shows directly to the set. Whether or not it's capable of HD footage isn't clear.
Sony today finally launched its first competition against the iPod touch in the US with the shipment of its Walkman X1000 series and the addition of a new, last-minute feature. In addition to a web browser and YouTube streaming video, the touchscreen Walkman now has a built-in Slacker Radio app; similar to Slacker's own device, the X1000 subscribes to music channels that automatically cache whenever the player is connected to Wi-Fi, supplying it with enough music to continue playing offline. It works with Slacker's free, three-channel service as well as its paid service, which gives more more control and lyrics while removing ads.
Slacker today kicked off the start of its Radio Plus service. The feature aims to solve some of the problems of traditional Internet radio by letting users make an unlimited number of "requests" for the radio station and thus pick the songs they want rather than depend on Slacker's own team. It also lets users skip as many songs as they like and comes ad free versus the sponsored segments from some competitors.
Sony today added support for Slacker radio to its BRAVIA Internet Video Link for its HDTVs. The addition lets users tie an existing Slacker account to the link and stream their customized radio channels; Sony doesn't say whether users have access to the full favorite, ban or skip controls from the web or the Slacker G2 but implies users will have to configure stations away from the TV.
Pioneer today officially took the wraps from the XMp3, the company's first portable satellite radio since the long out-of-sale Inno. The new handheld is unique in its ability to record five separate XM stations at once, guaranteeing that listeners can preserve more than one show at the same time. It also takes a cue from Slacker in an automatic buffering mode that holds as much as 30 hours of programming at any given time to keep radio going when a subway tunnel or other interference cuts out the satellite signal.
Slacker on Tuesday revamped its Internet radio concept with the G2 Personal Radio Player. The device continues to embrace the notion of caching Internet radio stations over Wi-Fi but makes a number of significant improvements to the design itself: the device is a full 40 percent smaller than its predecessor without sacrificing a large screen. It also produces better audio quality, helped partly by new EQ features and a new set of earbuds, while also carrying a new and reportedly more intuitive interface. Battery life should also be longer by about 25 percent, the company estimates.
Research in Motion continued a string of announcements today by revealing that the BlackBerry would get extra media and Internet features through a trio of new deals. In addition to the earlier TiVo deal, RIM today said that Internet radio outlet Slacker would release an app that streams audio from both its free, limited-control service and its paid Premium subscription service. Users will have the ability to favorite or turn down tracks and skip a varying number of times depending on their service level. The download itself should be free and will appear in October.
Logitech on Thursday turned its attention to wireless audio courtesy of both a wholly independent Internet radio and speakers built just for notebooks. One of the first fruits of Logitech's buyout of Squeezebox, the Squeezebox Boom can pull and play unprotected music from any recent Mac or Windows PC on a local 802.11g Wi-Fi network but also picks up Internet streaming radio services entirely on its own, including largely free services such as Last.FM, Pandora or Slacker as well as a user's memberships to primarily for-pay services such as Rhapsody and Sirius' Internet streams.
Slacker is developing a smaller, upgraded version of its unique Wi-Fi media player, according to an FCC filing. Dubbed the G2 Personal Portable Radio, the device is visibly smaller and more rounded than the original but also adds wireless links that aren't present in the original, including 802.11a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 for short-range peripherals, and an FM radio to complement Slacker's existing technique of automatically downloading songs from the Internet.
A source close to the internet radio service Slacker alleges that the mobile audio device manufacturer is exploring the iPhone and BlackBerry as viable platforms, with an app "about ready to launch" on the devices. Laptop Magazine writes that the app supposedly will allow users to both stream and cache content for offline playback. The service functions similar to those of Pandora and Last.fm, in that users can hear recommendations based on their interests.
Slacker, the creator of its namesake Portable Radio Player, has announced a deal for the support of all four major record labels: Warner, Universal, EMI and Sony BMG. The Portable is an unusual "radio" device in that it does not stream live music, but rather syncs with the Slacker service via USB or Wi-Fi, and copies up to 40 "stations" for listening offline as well as on. As music plays listeners can rate their tracks, and ban ones they do not want to hear again.
Slacker today ended months of delays with news that it began shipping the Slacker Portable. True to the original concept, the company's inaugural player is built around the notion of the device as both an online and offline radio station. Although users can still load their own content, the player is built to automatically download and play preset or user-made content channels over Wi-Fi; while users have less control, it provides an effectively unlimited stream of new, relevant music which is still accessible for hours while offline, Slacker says. Each track is accompanied by extended details about the artist.
Slacker's self-titled Portable Player has seen its release pushed back to January 31st, according to a small notice on the company's website. The player, which is intended to automatically load itself with "channels" of music over USB and Wi-Fi rather than purchases, was originally scheduled to ship by December 13th. The delay is necessary to "deliver the best possible player," Slacker claims, hinting that last-minute issues with the jukebox have stalled out the release.
