Music

Dear Apple, is wearing a watch really natural?

Most of us spend our lives sliding on a scale between impossible and gullible.

We're sometimes persuaded so easily, yet, at others, even the most accepted pieces of information can't penetrate our obstinacy.

No, I'm not thinking about global warming, Sharon Stone, or the New York Yankees. I'm musing on this supposed iWatch that Apple may or may not ever create, produce, market or give away as a free gift at Christmas with the purchase of two pink iPhones.

In his epically stoic performance at D11, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered that while Google Glass was &… Read more

Apple reaches iRadio deal with Warner Music, suggesting WWDC launch

Apple struck a licensing deal Sunday with both Warner Music Group and its publishing arm, Warner Chappell, bringing Apple's free Internet radio product that much closer to launching, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

The deal suggests that Apple is working hard to unveil what's been dubbed iRadio at its Worldwide Developers Conference, which begins June 10.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr declined to comment.

Warner is the first of the major labels to reach deals for both recorded music and publishing, sources say.

Apple last month reached a deal to license music from Universal Music, the world'… Read more

Woz: Apple's tax practices are stinky

Steve Wozniak thinks like Mitt Romney.

Well, a little. It's not that he quite believes corporations are people too. It's more that he thinks corporations should be taxed like people too.

Corporations like Apple, for example.

At a conference in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Woz told Sky News on Thursday: "Criticism of Apple's tax policies is extremely warranted, in my mind, but my explanation is rather long and difficult."

It's a pity he wasn't asked to testify before the Senate last week. Its members seemed to have all day to listen to Tim Cook. … Read more

Music discovery app Shazam launches for Windows Phone 8

Windows Phone 8 users can now add more music to their lives, courtesy of Shazam.

Officially unveiled Thursday in the Windows Phone store, the Shazam app works its musical magic by identifying the song currently being played in proximity to your phone. You can then buy the song through Microsoft's Xbox Music service or through Nokia Music if you're using a Nokia Lumia phone.

Shazam adds a social aspect as well. You can share and comment on your musical discoveries with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. You can also tag any song so that other people can … Read more

Sonos 4.1 update improves Spotify, playlist support

Now that Logitech's Squeezebox is out of the picture, Sonos is one of the best streaming devices you can buy, but it hasn't been without its niggles. One of the previous criticisms of the Sonos software was that playlist support was limited and couldn't incorporate songs from Spotify; the newest software update promises to remedy this.

The Sonos 4.1 update allows users to not only manage their Spotify playlists and playlist folders but also to create new Sonos playlists from multiple music sources.

Sonos says you can now select tracks from any music source and add … Read more

Micromega MyZic: Ooh la la, a French-made headphone amplifier

The Micromega MyZic is the first headphone amp I've tested that's made in France. The amp shares its chassis and design with the Micromega My Series of components: a phono preamp, wireless streamer, and an integrated amplifier that will come out later this year. The MyZic's street price runs $269.

MyZic sounds like a bona-fide high-end component, but some buyers may quibble with the ABS plastic construction. It seems rugged enough, and it's certainly lightweight. Connectivity is limited to just the basics: a high quality Neutrik 6.3mm headphone jack on the front panel, and stereo … Read more

TuneIn hits 1 billion hours of listening in 2013, gets funding

As consumers are buying more smartphones, their listening of digital radio stations and other live programming is growing fast, says TuneIn.

The Internet radio service on Wednesday announced that its 40 million monthly active users have listened to more than a billion hours of programming in the first four months this year. That works out to about 6.25 hours per user, per month. How this compares to the same period last year the company won't say, though it noted it's a new record.

TuneIn's also got a new $25 million round of funding led by Institutional … Read more

Spotify's latest feature makes discovering new music easier

Making good on its promise to make new music easier to discover, Spotify announced Tuesday that it has rolled out its Discover page to the public.

With this new feature, Spotify users can get personalized recommendations, see related music, find touring dates for favorite artists, and more.

"We've made your listening experience more personal, more social, and more current," Spotify Chief Product Officer Gustav Soderstrom said in a statement.

The Discover page originally was announced in December and has been in beta until now. In addition to giving users personalized recommendations based on listening history, the streaming … Read more

Meet the new champ of desktop speakers: Adam Audio F5

My first encounter with one of Adam Audio's smallest speakers, the ARTist 3, took me by surprise last year. That little speaker is still in the line, but when I learned Adam just introduced a less expensive, but slightly larger desktop speaker, the F5, I was eager to get it in for review. The ARTist 3 has a better tweeter, bigger amps, a more robustly designed cabinet, and it's a lot nicer looking. The F5's black vinyl-covered cabinet is strictly business, and at $499 a pair it lists for $300 less than the ARTist 3.… Read more