IT'S THURSDAY, APRIL 14. I'M NATALI MORRIS, AND IT'S TIME TO GET LOADED.
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SPOTIFY MAY BE DIALING BACK ITS SERVICE, LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF FREE
MUSIC IT ALLOWS USERS TO ACCESS. SPOTIFY IS A EUROPEAN SERVICE THAT
LETS USERS STREAM OVER 10 MILLION SONGS FOR FREE. THE AD-SUPPORTED
SERVICE IS FREE FOR UP TO 20 HOURS PER USER. YOU CAN OF COURSE PAY TO
GET MORE. SOURCES ARE REPORTING THAT SPOTIFY HAS BEEN IN TALKS WITH
THE MUSIC LABELS AND HAS AGREED TO CUT DOWN THE FREE ACCESS, PUSHING
USERS TOWARDS THE PAID MODEL.
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WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT GOOGLE MUSIC FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND IT
HAS ALL BEEN RUMORS. WE HAVE NEW RUMORS. THEY SAY THAT GOOGLE MAY
WANT TO LAUNCH A CLOUD MUSIC SERVICE LIKE THE NEW AMAZON CLOUD
DRIVE AND THAT THEY ARE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE MUSIC LABELS. THOSE
TALKS, HOWEVER, ARE REPORTEDLY NOT GOING ALL THAT WELL. OF COURSE
THE POINT OF CONTENTION IS PRICING. THIS IS ALL SPECULATION UNTIL WE
ACTUALLY GET TO SEE GOOGLE MUSIC.
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CAPCOM HAS CONFIRMED THAT STREET FIGHTER 4 COMES OUT IN JUNE. THE
NEW GAME IS CALLED SUPER STREET FIGHTER 4, ARCADE EDITION. YOU CAN
UPDATE THE 2010 VERSION FOR $15. THE NEW GAME BRINGS FOUR NEW
FIGHTERS AND A REVAMPED REPLAY CHANNEL. IT COMES OUT JUNE 28 ON PC,
PLAYSTATION, AND XBOX.
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AT&T LAUNCHED ITS FIRST PREPAID PHONE. THE LG THRIVE IS AN ANDROID
PHONE WITH A 3.2-INCH TOUCHSCREEN, EXCHANGE SUPPORT, WI-FI, AND A 3.2
MEGAPIXEL CAMERA. DATA PLANS START AT JUST $5 AND THE PHONE COMES
OUT APRIL 17.
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SPEAKING OF AT&T PHONES, REMEMBER HOW THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A
WHITE IPHONE 4. WASN'T THAT FUNNY? WELL RUMOR HAS IT THAT THAT
WHITE IPHONE MAY ACTUALLY COME OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH ON
BOTH AT&T AND VERIZON. JUST 10 MONTHS LATER.
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MICROSOFT HAS ENTERED THE DAILY DEAL BUSINESS, MOST LIKELY INSPIRED
BY THE SUCCESS OF GROUPON. MICROSOFT'S OFFERING IS IN SWEDEN,
HOWEVER. THE COMPANY PARTNERED WITH A SWEDISH COMPANY TO LAUNCH
LOKAL-DEALEN, WHICH MEANS THE DEAL SHRINE. IT OFFERS UP TIME-LIMITED
DEALS ON THINGS LIKE FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT.
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AND FINALLY, HOW IS THIS FOR HIGH TECH? A PAIR OF JEANS THAT YOU CAN
PLAY THE DRUMS ON. A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN ENGLAND INVENTED THESE
BEAUTIES AND WON $1000 POUNDS FOR THEM. THEY HAVE SPEAKERS AND 8
PAPER-THIN SENSORS THAT MAKE THE PANTS A FULLY-FUNCTIONAL MOBILE
DRUM KID, COMPLETE WITH SNARES, CYBALS, AND...WHATEVER ELSE COMES IN
A DRUM SET.
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THAT'S YOUR NEWS OF THE DAY. I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW. I'M NATALI MORRIS
WITH CNET AND YOU'VE JUST BEEN LOADED.
