The investment at hand will allow the organization known as code-name “Daisy” to spin off on its own as an independent group. Early in 2013 the Daisy project was announced to be headed by Ian Rogers (formerly of Topspin) as CEO and Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) taking command as Chief Creative Officer. Back in 2012, Beats acquired the digital music app and environment MOG for use by Daisy.

Using MOG as a foundation platform, Daisy will be taking off in late 2013. According to the official manifesto for the project:

“Daisy” is the internal code name for a new music service powered by Beats Electronics LLC. (Beats) that aims to solve the current digital music problem. Developed on the back of MOG, the premium subscription music service acquired by Beats in early 2012, “Daisy” will bring the emotion and cultural context back to music discovery for music lovers and provide a platform for artists to build a sustainable business.

We’re looking forward to seeing what musical forces such as those busting out in this project are capable of doing with already-established services like MOG and funding to that massive tune. If the Beats brand is any indicator, the project known as Daisy will be one to keep your eyes on – or ears, as it were.

Says the sources, the meeting took place last month in Los Angeles, with Cook being interested in learning more about Project Daisy. The Chief Executive, along with Apple’s Internet products head Cue, talked with Iovine about Daisy’s business model and how the service will be rolled out to consumers.

Project Daisy was announced back in January, but little is known about it in terms of details. This rumored conversation has taken place after reports that Apple is looking into starting its own music streaming service to complement iTunes, something that will put it in competition with the likes of Spotify and similar services.

Back on February 22, we reported that Google is allegedly looking into launching its own streaming service to complement its vast music offerings via Google Play. The information cropped up over at the Financial Times, which reports that the service will offer both free and subscription options, with free playback being ad-supported.

[via Reuters]

If the world is ready for another music sale service, this may very well be it – the Beats group have invested in Topspin, a group that makes music sales possible for the artists themselves. Artists use Topspin to sell music from their own website as well as through a variety of social media networks, making it a slightly more “universal” model for those who want to purchase music. Though not a whole lot of details have been revealed at the moment (as evidenced by the name “Project”), it could be a winner with such name-ties as Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame).

As Iovine notes, “what’s missing from the digital music landscape is a cultural context. We need to bring an emotional connection back to the act of music discovery. With Trent and now Ian we have the right team in place to do it.” Trent Reznor has been known for making his own music available in a variety of unique ways, being very vocally dissatisfied with the connections available to him as a giant artist to the fans of his music.

Here with Project Daisy and the additional brand recognition power of the entity known as Beats, a change may be made. As Rogers notes, “this is the opportunity I’ve been working toward my entire career.” Stick around here at SlashGear for more details as they flow inward – what do you think this team of music magicians will be able to accomplish? We shall see!

In a profile of Reznor in the most recent issue of The New Yorker, Reznor details plans on a new music-streaming service he’s working on in partnership with Beats by Dre. Dubbed “Daisy”, the service is planned to launch early next year and will be nothing like traditional music-streaming services that users are used to, according to Reznor.

Reznor says that Daisy will use “mathematics to offer suggestions to the listener” and it will also “present choices based partly on suggestions made by connoisseurs, making it a platform in which the machine and the human would collide more intimately.” It seems that the new service will rely on better ways to music discovery than just traditional algorithms.

Reznor even compared his upcoming service with Spotify, and said that while Spotify offers over 16 million songs, “you’re not stumbling into anything. What’s missing is a service that adds a layer of intelligent curation.” He says that services that have been using traditional alogrithms to match up users with music they might like have “begun to feel synthetic.” Reznor describes Daisy as “having your own guy when you go into the record store, who knows what you like but can also point you down some paths you wouldn’t necessarily have encountered.”

Reznor is the man behind the soundtrack for several films, including The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as well as video games such as Quake, and most recently Call of Duty Black Ops II. Of course, he’s also been around the music scene since the late 80s with his most well-known project, Nine Inch Nails.

[via Pitchfork]

We heard that there could be as many as 24 different iPad Mini models when Apple finally gets around to revealing the device, and we got to see the insides of the new iPod Nano thanks a teardown from iFixit. Excited for the Padfone 2? If you are, you’ll be pleased to know that its tablet dock can stand up to some abuse. We found out that Intel’s Q3 profits were negatively influenced by slowing demand for PCs, and heard that the average screen size is on the rise for all types of devices except for “mobile PCs.”

A mysterious Texas Instruments-made chip was found lurking inside Apple’s Lightning cable today, and Verizon is catching some heat for monitoring user activity. PlayMG revealed a dedicated Android gaming device called the MG, and AVADirect put a number of Windows 8 PCs up for pre-order today. We heard that T-Mobile might be getting the iPhone 5 early next year, and were told that LTE customers in the US pay 10 times more than LTE customers in Sweden. If you’re a hardcore gamer, you might be pleased to find out that the rechargeable battery in the Wii U Pro controller could potentially last up to 80 hours on a single charge, and you also might want to check out this snazzy Black Ops II launch trailer.

Bethesda might be working on a new piece of Skyrim DLC called Dragonborn, and controversial company Foxconn admitted to hiring underage workers today. The Xbox 360 was given a new dashboard update, Beats Audio unveiled a new portable speaker that has been aptly named “The Pill,” and Boxee announced a new service called Boxee TV. Finally tonight, we have a review of the LG Optimus G and the Motorola DROID RAZR HD, both by Chris Burns, and Vincent Nguyen talks with Microsoft to get the inside scoop on what makes the Surface such a game-changer. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night!

Beats says that the Pill is compatible with any Bluetooth-enabled device, and it sports a range of 30 feet, which means you can get pretty far away without your music cutting out. Beats promises “soaring highs and deep, booming bass,” with the Pill, even though you wouldn’t expect that kind of range from a portable speaker. Not digging the black color scheme? You’re in luck, because the Pill also comes in red and white.

The Pill comes packed with a USB 2.0 cable for charging and data, a 1.5-meter audio cable with 3.5mm jacks on both ends, an AC adapter for those times that you don’t need to go wireless, and a carry case that comes complete with a carabiner so you can attach it a bag easily. The whole unit comes in at 0.34kg in weight, with a height of 45.72mm and a length of 190.5mm. In other words, taking the Pill on the go shouldn’t be a problem at all.

The Pill also features an internal microphone, so you can use it to make calls (so long as your phone is connected through Bluetooth, of course). That will undoubtedly be a handy feature for some folks, but that dual-functionality naturally comes with a price. The Pill will set you back $200, so be prepared to plop down some cash if you want to take this guy home with you. Still, despite the relatively hefty price tag, we can’t help but find the Pill endearing. What about you?

Windows Phone 8X is a smartphone that reminds the world that HTC hasn’t given up on Beats Audio, it being the first ever Windows Phone to work with the audio technology. Beats Audio by Dry is what they maintain as studio-quality sound working with a unique audio amplifier attached to this device’s 3.5mm audio jack as well as the speaker. You’ll be blasting heavy sound for your music, video, and gaming experience.

This device has a rather similar look to Nokia’s offerings in the market, here though embodying what Microsoft notes is the “signature handset” of Windows Phone 8. You’ll have the operating system’s spirit “embodied” in your hand, complete with a possible collection of colors on the back. This device is both suitably bright up front and on back and will surprise you with is sleek body.

This HTC handset will be hitting AT&T in retail stores and online in November equipped with no less than AT&T 4G LTE connectivity onboard. At the moment we’ve not got final details on pricing, but you’ll know soon! Meanwhile have a peek at our early hands-on with the international edition of the Windows Phone 8X from just days ago – it’s pretty nice looking stuff!

Apparently, this Windows Phone 8 team up will start with the HTC Accord. If the rumors are to be believed, the Accord will be revealed alongside the Zenith and Rio during the third week in September. It’s then that HTC will supposedly reveal its Windows Phone 8 line up, and Beats Audio should be right there with these new WP8 devices.

The Verge’s sources, who are “close to HTC’s Windows Phone plans,” say that the Accord will come with a special Beats Audio Windows Phone app, which will allow users to control their phone’s audio output. HTC is also apparently considering Beats Audio implementation in the Zenith and Rio, which would make sense – especially in the case of the Zenith. After all, the Zenith is said to be HTC’s flagship WP8 device, so it seems unlikely that the Accord would get Beats Audio integration and the Zenith would be left without.

The Accord is also said to feature Beats Audio branding on the backside of the device (just like the HTC One X pictured above), which suggests that the folks at Beats had some say in the hardware that comprises the Accord. HTC obviously wants this Beats Audio integration to make its handsets stick out from those offered by other manufacturers, but will it work? That remains to be seen. Stay tuned, because we should hopefully be finding out if this latest rumor is true within the next few weeks.

This device will appear with 4GB of internal storage and 768 MB of RAM. You’ll also be getting 25GB of cloud storage free with Dropbox for two years. You’ll be able to expand your memory with this device’s included microSD card slot as well by 32GB. The HTC Desire X has a 3.5mm headphone jack with which you’ll be accessing Beats Audio high quality sound delivery.

Beats Audio continues to be a part of the HTC experience with enhanced Bluetooth 4.0 stereo audio quality – APT-X CODEC for BT A2DP included. You’ve also got HD voice here (if your chosen mobile network allows it) and FM radio. Also under the hood is a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and G-sensor. The battery in this device is a lovely 1650 mAh unit that HTC says will bring you 10 hours of talk time in 3G or 20 hours in 2G, with 34 days of standby if you’re using 3G or 31 days using 2G – strange!

This device is also able to connect with a standard 5-pin microUSB cord – included in the box – and is DNLA compliant for sireless media streaming. You’ve got wi-fi connectivity in addition to 2G and 3G and Bluetooth 4.0 here allows you PBAP as well for phonebook access from your brand new car kit – we’ll see more about that situation soon.

Then there’s the camera – here with the HTC ImageChip, the same one included in the HTC One series for awesome media capturing abilities, you’ll be rolling hard with your 5 megapixel camera. Your camera also uses a F2.0 aperture, wide angle 28 mm lens, and an LED flash with SmartFlash. This SmartFlash functionality allows five level of flash that are automatically set by your camera detecting distance to the objects at hand.

Your camera also has a BSI sensor, one-press continuous shooting with up to two frames per second, face and smile detection, geo tagging, and WVGA video recording. This camera also has the ability to work with intelligent group shot mode, Video Pic (allowing photos while you’re capturing video), and Instant Capture. This device allows you to access your camera from the lockscreen and shoot quick so you never miss a shot!

Stay tuned as we check this device out up close and personal here on SlashGear soon – meanwhile check out the HTC One tag to see the history of that lineup, and compare it to the Desire X as you do so!

This may not be HP’s ultra high end, but the ENVY series has always been one of their better offerings. Back in May we got our first glace at this Ultrabook, and then late last month we were able to unbox it and dig in a bit deeper. To get you started off with full specs, details, and the unboxing you’ll want to start here.

Chassis

This aluminum wrapped machine hit the shelves last month for about $800 and today we’re going to give you a better look, as well as our review and impressions on the laptop. It certainly isn’t HP’s nicest wrapped device but the aluminum has a great feel. For some reason the tip on top has been replaced with plastic, and the aluminum doesn’t extend to the entire edge of the casing. This gives opening and closing it a rather cheap feel, because the plastic is indeed very cheap. Otherwise the entire body is well built, and feels like it too.

The top has that midnight black brushed aluminum look and the only change is the neat and small HP logo on the bottom corner. As you curve around the sides to the ports however, you’ll quickly notice the aluminum design ends for a soft-touch red matte texture instead. This makes it easy to hold, but causes an area that may separate in the future if it takes too much abuse. The entire sides and bottom are bright “Beats Audio red” and is soft to the touch. This makes it easy to hold, and comfortable to carry.

All in all the ENVY 4-1030us (that we have here) comes in under 4 lbs (3.86 to be exact) and only 0.78″ thick. We’ve seen thicker, but for $800 the package is quite sleek and decent. We’ll talk about ports more below so for now the star of the show is the TrueVision HD front camera for Skype and video chat, and of course Beats Audio.

HP’s integrated dual-stereo surround sound Beats Audio speakers, and they are actually quite decent. Obviously you won’t be getting the bass you’d like, but for music, videos, and even gaming I found them sufficient. Even near full volume the distortion levels are minimal, and I’d give them a solid thumbs up for the price, even if they still have that tin-can sound. Ultrabooks and laptops the speakers can always improve, but these didn’t leave me wanting too much more.

Specs

As far as the hardware specs of the device, if you didn’t catch the full breakdown in my video above here they are again. You’ll get a clear and vivid 14-inch Brightview LED 1366 x 768 display, 1.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (3317U), 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500GB HD (no SSD here) 3 USB ports, Ethernet, HDMI, SD slot for storage, then integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. There’s no dedicated GPU here, but Intel’s HD graphics were enough for the casual game here. You won’t be playing Battlefield 3, but then you shouldn’t expect to.

The 14-inch 1366 x 768 resolution display is rather decent, but obviously we’d always like a higher resolution. Like the Retina Display Macbook Pro for example — but then again this is only $800. The screen is still HD and playing YouTube videos was a breeze. I even used the HDMI-out on the side to stream some Olympics to my HDTV since NBC failed us on their coverage, and it worked wonderfully.

Keyboard and Trackpad

Now here’s one area that I wasn’t to pleased with the ENVY 4. The keys, while backlit, and chicklet style had a rather cheap feel to them. Being a 14 inch device I wasn’t expecting it to feel very compact and low on space, but I found myself struggling to get comfortable — but that will come in due time. The keys while still feeling cheap have a good firm click during use, but certain areas on the keyboard felt weaker than others. The back-light option has a simple on/off setting, but that was all. Being able to manually control this would be nice but for $800 we’ll gladly just accept the fact we have it.

My biggest concern however was the trackpad. I know HP’s been doing this circular diamond-cut like design for ages, but I find it extremely frustrating. You can see the lines all aim for the center from the image above, but I find this type of feedback to be rather difficult. It makes operation feel rather choppy and the “smooth” feel I wanted was certainly missing. The sensitivity was another minor issue. Nothing you can’t get used to, but even after changing it in settings I still found myself having to repeat my taps. Overall I’d take a few points off here, but nothing major as this is all subjective and depends on user preference.

Ports

As mentioned above, the ENVY 4 Ultrabook has 3 USB ports (two left, one right), Ethernet, HDMI, and full size SD slot for storage. Then off to the right side is your power port, 3rd USB, headphone and microphone ports. They all felt great and weren’t too tight, as I’ve had that issue with newer laptops in the past. Here’s a look at the ports:

Performance

This device runs an Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, which we should all know plenty about by now so I’ll stick to the results. Performance was rather decent, although I quickly replaced IE but that’s just me. Working with a 3rd Gen Ivy Bridge Core i5 dual-core processor and 4GB of DDR3 RAM performance was great, but I’d love to see 6GB for the price point. We have no SSD so hard drive results weren’t impressive, but that was expected.

All this equals a rather powerful mid-range Ultrabook all for a great price. It has a few compromises here and there, but this could still be the device for you. As usual here at SlashGear we’ve ran some Geekbench benchmark tests. You can see those results below and compare with previous Laptop Reviews.

Wrap-Up

All in all this is a rather great machine. It’s lightweight, portable, thin, powerful, sounds great, and has a bright and vivid screen. Oh and did we mention affordable. For everything you get this is certainly an affordable Ultrabook, I just wish it had USB 3.0 and possible slightly better build quality. If you’ve ever used a Macbook for an extended period of time you’ll surely notice the build quality differences. Compared to most others in the price range however, this ENVY 4 Ultrabook is impressive, and will leave many in the dust. Using the ENVY 4 for browsing and a few videos on NFL.com I barely managed 5 hours of battery life, so that is one other thing worth mentioning.

This isn’t quite as impressive as the Acer Aspire S5 we recently reviewed, but then it’s also much cheaper too. For the mid-range price and great “Ultrabook” specs this will surely make anyone happy for under $800. Overall the The Envy 4 is fairly named, and some others in this range will “envy” it. Featuring a premium design and attractive use of the color red certainly makes it an Ultrabook worth checking out. Enjoy the pictures and some of our other HP reviews below.

“Over the last year, HTC and Beats have made great progress in sound innovation, product integration and brand awareness with successes like the HTC One” the companies said in a statement this weekend. “HTC and Beats will continue to work closely, including a joint global marketing campaign later this year.”

As a result of the agreement, Beats Audio will have “more flexibility for global expansion” though HTC will continue to have a “major stake and commercial exclusivity in mobile.” That means no Samsung, LG or Motorola phones with Beats Audio tech inside.

Several HTC devices in recent months have included Beats technology, which usually comprises special tuning and/or EQ profiles along with bundled headphones that exceed the quality we’ve grown to expect from the usual in-box fare. However, HTC has yet to capitalize on the potential of Beats integration with a solid content sales strategy; as we’ve observed before, the company lacks a solid music store in the same manner as Apple’s on-device iTunes story.

Selling off some of the Beats stake will return some much-needed cash to HTC’s wallet; the deal to invest in 50-percent of the headphones company cost the smartphone firm $300m roughly a year ago. In the intervening months, however, HTC has seen sales struggle, though it has insisted that it remains committed to the Beats partnership.

The two companies have gone official with the announcement that Beats Electronics is acquiring MOG. Details are scant at this time with terms of the acquisition unannounced. MOG started in 2005 and has over 16 million songs that are available for free online and via a Facebook app with subscription versions of the service available. Portable devices can access the music on the go via a paid subscription.

At this point, the two companies are also remaining mum on exactly how the products will be cross promoted. It would be a no-brainer to assume that Beats Electronics will be selling its headphones via links on the MOG service. I can also see the premium Beats headphones coming with free subscriptions to the mobile music service.

[via USA Today]