Sony Rivals Pandora, Rhapsody With Cloud Music App - PC Magazine

Sony Network Entertainment has launched a cloud-based digital music app for Android users, rivaling similar services like Rhapsody, Slacker, and the newly listed Pandora.

"Music Unlimited (powered by Qriocity)" lets you instantly stream songs, sync your current music library, and create personalized playlists from a catalog of "over seven million songs" from the Big Four music labels: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Music, as well as independent labels and publishers. Sony will also make song and artist recommendations based on your listening habits.

Subscriptions start at $3.99 per month for a basic plan and $9.99 per month for a premium, unlimited-streaming plan. Commitment-phobic? Sony is offering a 30-day free trial to new users. It is also letting U.S. PlayStation users try the application for free for the next 180 days.

The app is initially available to Android users running Android 2.1 and above in the U.S., France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

Music Unlimited launched in 2010 and has been available as a desktop, Bravia, PSP Portable, and PS3 application. The Qriocity Network, along with the PlayStation Network and other Sony online services, were subjects of a massive breach in April and May that compromised the data of millions of Sony users.

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Enjoy Galatta Cinema on iPad and Android via Magzter - Galatta.com

Galatta Cinema available on iPad and Android devices globally via Magzter ? the Global Mobile Magazine Store.

India is a country of 1.1 billion people of which 300 million read magazines in English and 15 other National languages. The 5 million Indian diaspora are always looking to connect back to their roots in India and to know the latest news and events as they happen from countries far and wide. This is the reason Galatta Cinema chose Magzter to publish their top magazines to global audiences
Magzter Inc., based in New York, has created a global digital magazine store called MagzterTM which allows publishers to easily publish to Apple and Android devices in addition to allowing readers to check out the magazines online for those who don?t have these devices. It is a boon to readers and publishers alike and allows readers to easily buy new magazines, subscribe to them and view multimedia links and video content among other cool content that may not be available on the print versions. 
The Magzter platform was launched for the iPad on June 16, 2011 and within a day has become the #2 Top Grossing App in the News Category in India surpassing the big and established magazine apps of National Geographic, Time, Newsweek and others! The app has also surpassed the Wired magazine?s app in India for the number of downloads of the app itself!
The Android version of Magzter which was launched on June 20, 2011 works on all Android 2.2 and 3.0 devices like Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, Dell Streak, LG Optimus, among many others who use the Android OS.
With this initial success and cool user features like Facebook login, in-app purchasing, etc. Magzter is now on its way to the rest of the world to enable magazines worldwide to be able to easily publish their magazines and for users to find a plethora of magazines to choose from and to enjoy reading and archiving.
Galatta Cinema has added video content to its latest issue on Magzter! Readers can see their favourite magazine for a price less than the street price for subscriptions and they also get cool videos as well at no additional cost!

Readers can also read old issues by paying for them individually. Magzter also lets you subscribe to magazines, buy old issues, download and read magazines in off line mode so that you can read on the move where there is no Internet.

Through Magzter, Galatta Cinema will make their magazines available across all major mobile platforms starting with Apple and Android and looking to soon launch Magzter for Blackberry Playbook, Windows Mobile, Symbian and Samsung?s new BADA platforms.

Publishers looking to increase revenue can turn to Magzter for an effective digital distribution channel, getting their publications in front of potential buyers without the hassle of printing and physical distribution. One of the most attractive features is the low time-to-market capability and the ability to gain global distribution at almost zero additional cost. The Magzter platform also provides publishers with sales reports so you can track your progress and success and also add on to your circulation numbers in order to earn more from advertisers.
?With the launch of MagzterTM, we've released a game-changing technology that recreates the way magazines are published and read. Magzter completely reproduces the comfort of the traditional reading experience, while still bringing the modern benefits of the digital platform" said Girish Ramdas, Co-founder and CEO.
?As a technology intensive application, MagzterTM is built in a way that enables publishers to manage their magazines in a seamless manner across multiple devices. It operates a simple self-serve online uploading platform where publishers can handle pricing, issue release, sales reports and much more in a quick and efficient way? said Vijayakumar Radhakrishnan, Co-founder and CTO.
?This will redefine way people read and subscribe to magazines. It will also be a great tool for advertisers to reach new customers with rich media and video ads? said C.R. Venkatesh, Co-founder.
?The top publishers in the Indian market readily understood the value and potential of Magzter to bring them more revenues and reach globally and signed up but this is only the beginning, we are in advanced discussions with many more publishing groups in India and South East Asia who will be signing up with us over the next few weeks? said the Head of Marketing and Sales for India and SE Asia, Srikanth Rajagopalan.

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American Airlines replaces in-flight entertainment with Android tablets - Fiercemobilecontent

American Airlines will deploy the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to premium class travelers, replacing its existing personal entertainment devices. Beginning later this year, American will offer 6,000 Galaxy Tab 10.1 units across selected domestic and international flights, promising a series of applications designed to enhance the travel experience.

American Airlines will deploy the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to premium class travelers.

American is the first North American airline to offer a branded tablet as the onboard entertainment option.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs Android 3.1, which boasts faster, smoother transitions between applications as well as broader support for gamepads, joysticks, USB accessories and external keyboards. The tablet goes on sale nationwide on June 17. Samsung said it will customize all devices offered on American flights, adding expanded memory.

Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android Market now exceeds 200,000 applications--consumers have now installed more than 4.5 billion Android apps, averaging 1 billion app downloads every 60 days. Developers, however, have been slow to write Android apps tailored for the tablet form factor, with Android Market offering roughly 100 tablet-optimized apps at last count.

For more:
- read this release

Related articles:
American Airlines intros mobile boarding passes
Nielsen: Android trumps iOS on mobile data consumption
Nielsen: Android passes iPhone as most desired smartphone in U.S.

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Google Acquires SageTV, Set To Bolster Google TV, Android With DVR? - ReelSEO Online Video News

Let’s face it, while those of you with Google TV love it, it’s not the most popular platform and certainly isn’t living up to Google’s own expectations. So it should be no surprise when they make this kind of move. Google has acquired a new company, and the company in question is SageTV. Their product is home theater software (previously available for $40 or so). The downside of the acquisition is that consumers can no longer get the SageTV software (I’ll give you some other options at the bottom on this article).

While the company stated that they accepted the Google offer because they share a vision of open technology, they almost ironically, pulled down their store and just about everything else once they signed the deal. I guess it’s not open anymore.

Here’s some info on the no-longer-available SageTV software I dug up today:

Watch online video on your TV with integrated Google Video support. SageTV Media Extender lets you connect all your TVs to Google Video.

SageTV Media Extender DVD playback lets you play all your hard disk based DVDs with DVD menus and 5.1 audio. Now see thumbnails for all your TV show recordings. Powerful file conversion and compression – SageTV can convert any of your files to almost any format you need:

Pushbutton conversion to video iPod, portable video player or cell phone formatsSave space by converting your TV recordings to higher compression video formatsConvert your HDTV recordings to MPEG4 with surround sound to save space

SageTV supports more formats than ever before including:

WMA, AAC (iTunes), FLAC, Ogg/Vorbis music files now supported for playback with full tag parsingMOV (Quicktime), 3GP, MP4, H.264 Playback

New DVB support with EPG data direct from broadcaster. Now see EPG data from ATSC broadcasts for DTV subchannels.

Enhanced EPG Data for US/Canadian customers includes Series Information and TV Editorials.

New Music, Photo and Video library support:

Rotate and flip photos with full qualityView music by GenreFind your favorite musc of the 80s, 70s and moreVideo and DVD library with more detailed media informationAspect ratio correction available for all media types

I also found out they had a hardware media extender called the SageTV HD Theater 300

Enjoy online video, music, photos and your DVD/BluRay library all over your home in Full HD for only $149.95 each. You can also watch live or recorded HDTV from your PC or Mac with SageTV Media Center software. Our fastest HD Theater ever!

Now with HDMI 1.3 and support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD/MA. All your favorite online video from YouTube, Google Video and major TV networks on your TV at the press of a button on your remote control!

Easy to setup, just connect your SageTV HD Theater to your TV, setup your wired or optional wireless network connection and you are ready to go. (Wireless adapter sold separately)

Enjoy your home video library, music and photosMovie Trailers, music videos, TV shows and more on demand onlineEasy to setup, connect your TV, home network and goNo fan, no noiseWith optional SageTV Media Center software for PC or Mac and an HD TV tuner you can watch and pause live HDTV and record a whole season of shows

SageTV’s main bailiwick (so I hear) is in fact DVR, so that sure sounds like what Google would like to add into the next version of Android and Google TV doesn’t it? Then those set-top boxes you’ve got might be able to get a firmware update which allows recording of shows to an external USB device. That could mean instant bonus for pre-existing Google TV users.

It could also mean an all-in-one solution for Google Android users who have got tablets and smartphones. If SageTV is rolled into the next version of Android, then a server/client setup is no stretch of the imagination at all. That would mean instant streaming server for all your home-based entertainment straight to your portable Android devices.

If you’re in the market for a SageTV-like product, there are a ton of options already available (here’s that part where I tell you where else to go). My father, TechnoDad, really digs My Movies while I’m currently testing out Remote Potato. I’ve also got Orb installed which works quite well when compared to Remote Potato which has some issues. For a while there we were both testing TVersity but in the end it just wasn’t what we were looking for.

This is not meant to be any kind of exhaustive list, just some places to start looking round. Feel free to drop your favorite in comments.

I have to be honest with you, I’ve never heard of SageTV until today. Though, I imagine there are plenty of pissed off people right about now. I mean from a developer community standpoint, you help SageTV build up an app full of customizations and extras along with a community that uses the tool, and then they shut it all down and sell it off to Google. That could certainly be frustrating, especially if development on the application goes totally in-house at Google and is no longer available to the public. All that time and effort, and any code you might have submitted in good faith, suddenly falls into corporate hands and disappears? Yeah, I’d be sort of pissed off as well.

Then again, Google might not do that at all. The closing of SageTV’s site (aside from forums) could simply be to enable a swift and clean changeover of control. After all, SageTV shouldn’t need to focus on their own web development anymore since they’ve got the resources of Google at their disposal.

For Google it’s definitely win-win. They probably got a good deal and got a key piece of software that they need if they want to continue expanding the multimedia streaming capabilities of Google TV and Android.

Here’s a video from YouTube showing the features of the latest version 7 of SageTV. Too bad we can’t see it in the ‘flesh’ anymore.

If development does turn into Google Android only, I hope that Google releases SageTV version 7 to the public. That’s the minimum good faith gesture they could do on their part and then any further development of the software could be ‘theirs.’

About the Author - Christophor Rick
Christophor Rick is a freelance writer specializing in technology, new media and consumer electronics. He is the CEO at Gamers Daily News (http://www.gamersdailynews.com) and his past work has included press releases, copy-writing, travel writing and journalism. Feel free to contact Christophor here. - View All Posts By Christophor Rick

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G5 Entertainment bringing their games to Android starting June 30th - DroidGamers

G5 Entertainment have been making casual games for quite a few platforms over the last little while including PC, Mac, and iOS devices. Well they are gearing up to start their casual game invasion onto Android now with a total of 5 titles that will start making it onto the android Market beginning June 30th, 2011.

Two of their upcoming titles are puzzle games called Mahjongg Artifacts and Mahjong Artifacts: Chapter 2 while the remaining three are more casual time management games called Stand O'Food, Supermarket Mania and Success Story. All three time management games are themed around food. Android gamers who really like casual games will be drawn towards the last three for sure. Here is the official rundown of each game:

Mahjongg Artifacts: Escape from the rush of modern life into immersive ancient atmosphere of Mahjong Artifacts! Three game play modes will take you through five exotic cultures as you enjoy music tracks inspired by ancient melodies.

Mahjongg Artifacts - Chapter 2: Takes tile-matching games in an exciting new direction! Pair up tiles to dismantle hundreds of layouts. Gather pearls for purchasing special powers, utilize a selection of ground-breaking powerups, earn trophies, and enjoy the game's beautiful graphics and rich audio.

Supermarket Mania: Is a highly addictive casual time management game with millions of players on iOS, PC and other platforms. Running a grocery store can be a lot of fun! Help Nikki keep five stores stocked to the rafters with the provisions customers want, and show your adversary what a little hometown pluck can do!

Stand O'Food: Is an original, fast-paced restaurant challenge. Feed a host of hungry patrons before they leave in a huff! Slap together burgers and cook up some bacon as quickly as you can!

Success Story: Slap together burgers for hungry customers, serve French fries and desserts, and keep the line moving in this arcade time management game!

Every one of these games has seen some decent level of success on each platform they have been released on so far so their Android versions should be equally popular. However, all of these games won't be available June 30th, that is just the date that we should see them start rolling out onto the Android Market. All games will be Freemium based games which means you will get the actual game for free with content and items that can be unlocked through in-game purchases. You can check out the trailer for all 5 games below as well as see some more video footage of Supermarket Mania over on our YouTube Channel.

Developer Website: G5 Entertainment

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Andrew Huff, otherwise known as ExtremeT on this site, is the Founder and Chief Editor here at DroidGamers. When not writing and editing articles on DG, testing games and new Android devices, geeking out on general mobile gadget news, and writing for AndroidPolice.com as well you can find him spending time with his wife and 1yr old son.

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Outfit7 signs with WME to develop film, TV and book brands - VentureBeat

After almost a year since the birth of Talking Tom in July 2010, the Outfit7 Talking Friends are ready to graduate from their smart phones and head for bigger screens. The company has signed with Ari Emanuel, co-chief executive of talent agency William Morris Entertainment. WME will help the brand extend into books, movies and television.

Apps aren’t just for iOS and Android anymore. They are becoming increasingly influential in youth entertainment and developers are starting to see the value in expanding from their dev roots.

Outfit7 isn’t the only company with expansion intentions; Rovio also has its eyes on new branding opportunities. Peter Vesterbacka announced an Angry Birds cookbook at Open Mobile Summit this month. The company has also teamed up with Roku to bring Angry Birds to television this summer.

This isn’t Outfit7’s first foray into traditional media. “[Talking Tom] has already had a cameo appearance on ABC’s Modern Family.  He’s a character that people want to see in new entertainment mediums,” said Andrej Nabergoj, Outfit7's CEO. The friends have also been seen on NBC’s Today Show.

There is a lot to play with here. The brand has 11 interactive characters that users can tickle, poke, feed and make belch or fart, in addition to using the popular voice-control feature. They have defined personalities, which Paul Baldwin, chief marketing officer at Outfit7, says will play into future books, TV and films.

To Baldwin, Tom and Ben are the app equivalent of Pixar’s Buzz and Woody – roommates who keep each other in check. Outfit7 will be featuring some of their “stars” more prominently in their initiatives with WME, but hopes to include all of the Talking Friends in the same way Toy Story has Rex and Mr. Potato Head.

Outfit7 hopes to release a book initially, to set the stage for its characters. Some books will be targeted at 2 to 4 year olds and others at 4 to 12 year olds. TV and movies will take on Pixar’s “for all ages” model.

Outfit7’s characters reached 100 million downloads this past April and have bumped up to around 135 million downloads today. Their most recent release, Talking Tom 2 grabbed the number one spot in the App Store in less than two days; much faster than the 13 days it took the original Tom.

Outfit7 CEO, Andrej Nabergoj is a speaker at GamesBeat 2011.

We’ll be exploring the most disruptive game technologies and business models at our third annual GamesBeat 2011 conference, on July 12-13 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. It will focus on the disruptive trends in the mobile games market. GamesBeat is co-located with our MobileBeat 2011 conference this year. To register, click on this link. Sponsors can message us at sponsors@venturebeat.com. To pitch a startup at the Who’s Got Game contest at GamesBeat 2011, click here.

Next Story: Cloud-based systems management provider ScaleXtreme raises $11M
Previous Story: Apple discreetly updates AirPort Extreme base station

Tags: apps, gaming, movies

Companies: Outfit7, Rovio, William Morris Entertainment

People: Andrej Nabergoj, Ari Emanuel, Paul Baldwin, Peter Vesterbacka

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Huawei MediaPad revealed: world's first 7-inch Android 3.2 tablet, dual-core ... - Engadget

By Darren Murph It's here folks -- the planet's first Android 3.2 tablet. Huawei just introduced a downright luscious new slate over in Singapore, with CommunicAsia being the launchpad for the 7-inch MediaPad. It's the first high-profile 7-inch tablet we've seen in quite some time, and somehow or another, it's managed to leapfrog most of the currently shipping Honeycomb tablets with a build of Android we've only ever joked about. Huawei tells us that Honeycomb 3.2 is essentially the same as 3.1, but specifically tailored to 7-inch tablets as opposed to 10-inch. Packed within the MediaPad's 10.5mm shell, there's a 217 pixels-per-inch IPS capacitive touchpanel, GPS, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, 802.11n WiFi, a battery good for around six hours of life and a bona fide racehorse as a processor: a dual-core 1.2GHz chip from Qualcomm. If all goes well, it'll ship in the United States in Q3 2011.

It's a fair bit chunkier than the newfangled Galaxy Tab 10.1 (8.6mm), but still slimmer than the original Tab, which clocked in at 11.98mm. It weighs in at 390g (0.86 pounds), supports full 1080p playback, includes HSPA+ (14.4Mbps) 3G support, offers 8GB of internal storage (as well as a microSD slot) and comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Twitter, Let's Golf and Documents To Go. There's also a Bluetooth module, an HDMI output for catching those high-def flicks on the go, and the Flash 10.3 player ensures that those websites won't be a problem. Unfortunately, the company's left a great deal to the imagination -- like pricing, which is being "sorted with retail partners and providers" -- and all we've got for system RAM is a promise that it's "working with partners on specifics." Oddly enough, the company has "no current plans" to produce a WiFi-only model, which definitely puts a damper on those who aren't interested in ponying for carrier data. You can bet we'll be digging for more, but even with the surrounding mystery, calling us "excited" would be a severe understatement.

Update: There's a demo vid just after the break, and the first eyes-on shots have emerged from the conference.

Huawei Unveils MediaPad –
World's first 7-inch Android 3.2 Honeycomb Dual-Core Tablet

MediaPad set to transform consumers' entertainment experience

Singapore, 20 June 2011: Huawei, a leading telecom solutions provider, today launched the Huawei MediaPad, the world's first 7-inch Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet. The MediaPad is a complete entertainment powerhouse driven by Qualcomm's dual-core 1.2GHz processor and supported by Huawei Device's Hispace cloud solution. The MediaPad provides the fabulous user experience in a stylish, high-performing and ultra-portable package.

The MediaPad is Huawei Device's smartest, slimmest and lightest tablet yet, measuring just 10.5mm (0.4 inches) deep and weighing around 390g (0.86 pounds). It supports 1080P full HD video playback and features a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera and 5 megapixel auto focus rear facing camera with HD video recording capabilities. With HSPA+ 14.4Mbps and high-speed WiFi 11n Internet connectivity, the MediaPad doesn't just entertain – it keeps you connected.

"With the Huawei MediaPad, we are demonstrating yet again that design, functionality and performance is within anyone's reach," said Victor Xu, Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei Device. "The MediaPad opens up new worlds of entertainment for consumers by removing the barriers to tablet ownership, increasing access to a truly high-quality mobile entertainment experience fully integrated with cloud-based internet content."

An Out-of-this-World Entertainment Experience
The MediaPad supports HSPA+ data services, Flash 10.3 videos and comes preinstalled with applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Let's Golf and Documents to Go. With the 7-inch IPS touch screen, the MediaPad offers a standout visual experience for photos, movies and applications. Entertainment and gaming experience are taken to the next level with the MediaPad's 1.2GHz Dual-Core processor, high definition playback and HDMI port.

Expansion of Huawei Device's Smart Offerings
The MediaPad builds on the global success of the IDEOS S7 Slim tablet and cements Huawei Device's ability to cater to the explosive demand for tablets. According to the International Data Corporation, sales in the tablet market are expected to increase more than fourfold in the next two years. The MediaPad will be showcased at Huawei's "Smart for Transformation" booth at CommunicAsia 2011 in Singapore. Along with Huawei's latest range of smart devices, the MediaPad is a prime example of Huawei Device's focus on the power of practical innovation.

About Huawei
Huawei Device is a global leader in providing smart devices that connect you with the world, simply. Huawei Device partners with 500 operators, including the world's top 50 operators, across 140 countries. Huawei's products and solutions have been deployed in over 100 countries and support the communications needs of one third of the world's population. The company is committed to providing innovative and customized products, services and solutions to create long-term value and growth potential for its customers.

For more information, visit Huawei Device online: www.huaweidevice.com

For regular updates on Huawei Device, follow us on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/huaweidevice
Twitter: www.twitter.com/huaweipress
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HuaweiPress

Technical Specs
• Android Honeycomb 3.2 OS
• 7-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen
• 10.5mm (0.4 inches) slim, ~390g weight (0.86 pounds)
• 1.3 MP front-facing camera, 5 MP auto focus rear facing camera with HD video recording capabilities
• HSPA+ 14.4 Mbps, WiFi 11n
• Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor
• Over 6 hours battery life
• 1080P full HD playback and HDMI port
• Flash 10.3

Pre-installed Apps
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Let's Golf
• Document to go

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