Google opens Music service to everyone

Google announced that it is opening its Music service to everyone for free for up to 20,000 songs. In addition, the company is adding a music marketplace through the Android Market, adding a catalog of millions of songs.

The company announced content partners including Universal, EMI and Sony Music. In addition to big labels, Google has also signed on with smaller, independent labels. Warner Music was not listed as a launch partner. The service launches with access to around 13 million tracks, with more to come, Google executive Zahavah Levine said at a news conference.

The company also announced that it will be offering free tracks from artists such as the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Busta Rhymes, Shakira, Pearl Jam and the Dave Matthews Band. The Rolling Stones will be pushing six unreleased live concerts to the site from now to 2012. A single from Busta Rhymes is free to download immediately.

Users will be able to put iTunes music into their music lockers, and the Music Manager is even supposed to retain users’ playlists and ratings.

For independent artists, Google will let musicians create their own profiles for $25, upload their own music and set their own pricing. Artists will keep 70 percent of revenue generated from the service.

Amazon Prepping Smartphone to Rival iPhone, Android?

Citigroup analysts Mark Mahaney and Kevin Chang believe that Amazon will release a smartphone some time next year.

“With the clear success of the Kindle e-Reader over the past 3 years, and Kindle Fire possibly succeeding in the low-priced Tablet market, we view this as the next logical step for Amazon," wrote Mahaney and Chang. "We continue to believe Amazon has now set its eyes on the Mobile (and Tablet) Media and Product.”

This would raise the stakes yet again in the Amazon-Apple-Google rivalry.

Also Read: Why Google Thinks It Can Challenge Apple's iTunes

Apple's iPhone and Google's Android are already fighting for mobile users, and the platform is seen as the key battleground for the two companies moving forward.

Qi: Charging Your Cellphone Without Wires

Smartphones and other portable devices now occupy a central role in many of our lives. According to NPD's Mobile Phone Track, smartphones accounted for 59 percent of all handset sales to U.S. consumers in the third quarter of 2011. These devices can communicate wirelessly using cellular networks, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.

But ultimately, their hungry batteries must seek out the regenerative respite of a cord connected to a power source. Indeed, many consumers buy extra chargers to keep their devices juiced up in the office or the car, making chargers the second most popular mobile phone accessory, according to NPD's Retail Tracking Service.

For years, brands such as Powermat, Energizer, and Duracell have offered ways to cut -- or at least bridge -- the power cord by using a charging pad on which you simply place a portable device such as a cellphone. The device starts charging as soon as you place it on the pad.

Nokia Says Windows Phones Get ‘Remarkably Positive’ Response

 Nokia Oyj Chief Executive Officer Stephen Elop said there has been a promising early response for the company’s Windows Phones and predicts demand will be boosted by Microsoft Corp. spreading the tiled interface to personal computers and tablets.

“The reaction is remarkably positive,” Elop said in Barcelona at a conference organized by Morgan Stanley yesterday. “We need to introduce the experience to consumers to get them to try it because we know once they try it they will like it.” Nokia starts selling the Lumia 800, which Elop calls “the first real Windows Phone device,” in six European markets this month.

Google Music debuts, adding competition for iTunes

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., the world’s largest Internet-search company, introduced a music service that lets people buy songs through the Android Market, stepping up competition with Apple Inc.’s iTunes store.

Users will be able to store and stream as many as 20,000 songs on Google Music, the company said yesterday at an event in Los Angeles. Google has forged partnerships with 1,000 record labels, including Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group, Sony Corp.’s music unit and EMI Group Ltd., letting it offer a total of 13 million songs.

Google has expanded into music, television and movies to help promote its Android smartphone operating system and marketplace. The company, based in Mountain View, California, also will let users share music on its Google+ social network. The challenge will be weaning away users from Apple’s music products and services, which generated $6.3 billion in the last fiscal year.

The Apple iCloud Promises To Satisfy Apple Fans

The Apple iCloud is Apple's new revolutionary cloud service that allows you to store photos, videos, files, and contacts over the cloud. This means you can access your files on any Apple device. This is great news for any of us who own multiple Apple devices as we can easily upload our pictures and videos to the cloud and be able to access it on any Apple device. This includes the Mac too.

As an example, say you took a photo of your kids on your iPhone. If its synced and uploaded to the cloud that means you can see the same photo on your iMac and iPad too. This can particularly useful for families as you can easily share family photos on the cloud.

Apple currently has MobileMe, which is its current cloud service. However, MobileMe has not gained much of a following so Apple is introducing iCloud as a completely new service. It comes free with iOS 5 and you get an initial 5 GB allowance. If you require more space you can buy it on a yearly basis. You can buy additional storage of 10 GB for 20$ a year, and 20 GB for 40$ a year. If you really are in need of space you can buy 50 GB of space for 100$ a year.

The cloud market is rapidly seeing many competitors, with Amazon and Apple two major ones. Google Music is currently in beta and it looks like it could be Apple's main competitor. We're rapidly seeing a bifurcation between Apple and Google, more so than Apple and Microsoft (which is a rivalry based on OS only). Apple's OS is completely synced with Apple's phones and tablets. Google is moving towards the same and there are rumors of a Google operating system that may come out soon.

The interesting thing is that once a user chooses Google or Apple they're unlikely to switch because all their files will be on the cloud with either the Google or Apple service. Devices are no longer separate but are part of a larger ecosystem of devices from the same company. One of Google's advantages is Gmail, which syncs contacts and email with every Android device and is easily accessible on any computer. Apple's MobileMe email service is not free. I could go anywhere in the world and very easily pull up my contact information on any computer with Gmail. Apple's system is a more closed method of doing things. We'll have to see if Apple's iCloud breaks that paradigm and allows more flexibility like Google or whether it keeps Apple's customary rigid structure.

If you enjoyed reading about the Apple iCloud, check out my website for more Apple iCloud tips and suggestions.

www.theicloudblog.com

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