The newest update to Spotify has a few more features added to the subscription tier for users that pay. Users of Spotify Premium will find a few features modified from past versions of the service, as well, and some features will come to some platforms before others. UPDATE: Initial updates to Spotify Premium will begin to roll out to Premium subscribers on both iOS and Android at the same time - welcome to 2018!
If you're one of the Spotify faithful and you own a Wear OS smartwatch, then today you're getting another option when it comes to controlling your music. Spotify has announced a standalone app for Wear OS, which means that you no longer need to rely on your phone when it comes to listening to your Spotify library. For those that use a smartwatch regularly, this will likely be a welcome launch.
Apple Music incorporated Genius lyrics this week as Genius added an Apple Music player for Apple Music subscribers. That's the lyrics encyclopedia website Genius, previously known as Rap Genius, now rolling with Apple. Users who visit Genius whilst logged in to Apple Music (with an Apple Music subscription) will be able to play any track for which they're reading lyrics. Just so long as that track is available on Apple Music.
There's word today from South Korean parts manufacturers that Samsung is considering removing a feature from their next wave of smartphones. Where many smartphone manufacturers moved to remove their smartphone headphone jacks over the past couple of years, Samsung's remained steadfast in their dedication to this essential piece of hardware. With today's report, it would seem that they've reached a point at which the positives outweigh the negatives.
Today Google launched the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL with a couple of pretty enticing freebies onboard. One was a half-year of YouTube Music Premium for free, the other was unlimited photo storage with Google Photos (including original size photos and video, etc). Let's talk about the limits to these enticing bits before you jump in headfirst!
Sony showed up to the Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest with a number of high-end audio products in tow. The new hardware and accessories include a two sets of in-ear monitors, a pair of over-the-ear headphones, and new top-of-the-line earbuds and a digital music player. Regardless of which product catches your eye, you're going to be paying a significant amount of money to take them home.
Apple's acquisition of Shazam has been completed, bringing the music-identifying service in-house and promising a pleasant treat for users in the process. The deal was announced back in December 2017, but for a while it looked like European regulators might step in and throw a wrench in the works.
Amazon is currently hosting an Alexa event in Seattle, and it's been revealing new products at a breakneck pace. Three of these new products were introduced as add-ons for your existing Alexa set-up: the Echo Link, Echo Link Amp, and the Echo Sub. These will all enhance your array of Echo speakers in one way or another, but they could prove to be costly additions depending on what you pick up.
3,333 songs might be a large number but for hardcore audiophiles, that can be rather suffocating. Especially if you’re limited to that number per three devices, bringing the total to 9,999. Finally giving into paying subscriber demands, Spotify is expanding its support for offline music, promising more tunes you might be able to consume before the next time you connect to the Internet.
With aptX Adaptive, Qualcomm just gave the otherwise semi-stagnant technology of Bluetooth audio a kick in the pants. Standard Bluetooth audio is encoded at one size, and delivered to speaker devices in the same manner, regardless of the application or situation. With aptX Adaptive, the device sending the sound can encode sound information in a bunch of different sizes, dependent on the environment and sonic requirements of the user.
This week the folks at Razer revealed the newest and most extravagant versions of three of their best-known peripherals. The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition, the BlackWidow Elite, and the Mamba Wireless were revealed at IFA 2018 in Germany and PAX West. This includes upgrades as well as completely new technologies never before offered in these products - including here the inclusion of THX Spatial Audio in a pair of BRIGHT GREEN gaming tournament-ready headphones (with a top-notch mic, of course).
Yamaha has a new turntable product for vinyl enthusiasts: the MusicCast VINYL 500. This new turntable supports both playing vinyl albums and streaming music to speakers throughout one's home from online services. Yamaha points toward the WiFi feature as the MusicCast VINYL 500's most unique feature, saying it can connect to up to a pair of speakers without a receiver.