releases

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

XCOM shooter rebranded as The Bureau, arrives in August

We first got a taste of the XCOM shooter back in 2010 and even got to see it in action at E3 2011. Unfortunately, the game got delayed numerous times and eventually went dark. In fact, it got lapped by XCOM: Enemy Unknown -- its turn-based-strategy counterpart -- which turned out to be one of 2012's best titles of the year.

2K Games is ready to lift the curtain on XCOM once again, complete with a live-action trailer, a trio of screenshots, and best of all a release date. Newly titled and packaged, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is set … Read more

AT&T confirms April 25 release for Galaxy S4 pre-orders

AT&T subscribers who pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy S4 could have the hotly-anticipated smartphone in hand by Thursday.

When AT&T began taking orders for the Galaxy S4 last week, it promised delivery of Samsung's new flagship smartphone by the end of the month. Now, the mobile provider is rushing to get to the finish line ahead of its rival carriers.

A spokesperson for AT&T confirmed to CNET Monday that all customers who pre-ordered their 16 GB Galaxy S4 before 9 a.m. ET Monday could receive the smartphone as soon as April 25.

And, … Read more

Where and when to buy the Samsung Galaxy S4

The release of Samsung's next super smartphone, the Galaxy S4, is just days away. Sporting an improved design over the Galaxy S3 and packed with a ton of high-end features and specialized software, the Galaxy S4 already is an Android powerhouse. And even better, it will land at all major U.S. carriers plus a few smaller, regional providers.

Note, however, that the carriers aren't following the same release schedule. T-Mobile, for example, will begin selling the phone this week, but U.S. Cellular customers will have to wait until next month. Meanwhile, C Spire and Cricket have … Read more

Use either volume button as a shutter release on BlackBerry 10

One of the smaller features I have appreciated in the iPhone's camera app has been the volume up key acting as a shutter release. Instead of tapping on a digital button, pressing the volume up key will snap a pic.

When I first launched the Camera app on the BlackBerry Z10, I instinctively pressed the volume up button and to my surprise it snapped a pic. The normal method for taking a picture on BlackBerry 10 requires you to tap anywhere on the screen. But with either volume key acting as a shutter release, you can avoid tapping on … Read more

Summer iPhone debut in Apple's plans?

The last time Apple held a summer iPhone introduction, it was 2010's iPhone 4. The company now may be returning to that calendar timetable as The Wall Street Journal has reported that "a possible summer launch" is in the cards for the next version of its flagship device.

The unit is described as being "similar in size and shape" to Apple's current iPhone. Meanwhile, the Journal says that the company continues to work on a less expensive unit that could see the light of day sometime during the second half of the year.

Apple … Read more

Microsoft's Surface Pro has room to grow

Wednesday's CNET Update wants the best of both worlds:

We're all hunting for the one device to rule them all: the perfect tablet-laptop hybrid. Microsoft's Surface Pro aims to do just that, but it's not quite a laptop-killer yet. Read CNET's full review here, and be sure to compare how the Pro measures up to the competition.

Also in today's tech news roundup:

- Rumor site SamMobile says the Galaxy S4 could be announced in March for an April release.

- BlackBerry's CEO says the Q10 may not hit the U.S. until May or June. … Read more

Receive reminders, watch trailers with Movie Cron

Ah, I remember going to the movies. I recall those years fondly, before I had kids and an HDTV and a Whirley Pop.

If, unlike me, you go to a theater to consume movies and popcorn, you might want to check out Movie Cron. At this site, you can watch trailers and should you provide an e-mail and create an account, you can have the site e-mail or text you reminders for movie premieres. The site needs a little work, but the important tool of transmitting reminders does work.

The site lets you browse by Top Movies (for the week, … Read more

Steve Jobs biopic 'jOBS' to arrive in theaters in April

The first film about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs since his death in 2011 will be released in theaters in April, the movie's creators said today.

Open Road Films and Five Star Feature Films today said the two companies reached a distribution deal for "jOBS."

The film, which is not to be confused with a separate production penned by "The Social Network" and "The West Wing" writer Aaron Sorkin, stars Ashton Kutcher as Jobs. The movie will cover the years 1971 through 2000. That bit of Jobs' history includes the founding of Apple, as … Read more