Big Tech tests the waters of the music stream

Technology giants Apple, Google and Amazon are furiously maneuvering for position in the online music business and looking at ways to make streaming profitable, despite the fact that pioneer Pandora has never made a profit.

It has been more than a decade since the iPod heralded the revival of Apple and presaged the smartphone revolution, even as music-sharing site Napster was showing the disruptive power of the Internet in the music business.

Now Google , Amazon.com Inc and Apple are among the Silicon Valley powerhouses sounding out top recording industry executives, according to sources with knowledge of talks and media reports. Streaming service Pandora 

is spending freely and racking up losses to expand globally. Even social media stalwarts Facebook and Twitter are jumping on the bandwagon.

All of them see a viable music streaming and subscription service as crucial to growing their presence in an exploding mobile environment. For Google and Apple, it is critical in ensuring users remain loyal to their mobile products.

Music has been integral to the mobile experience since the early days of iTunes, which upended the old models with its 99-cent per song buying approach. Now, as smartphones and tablets supplant PCs and virtual storage replaces songs on devices, mobile players from handset makers to social networks realize they must stake out a place or risk ceding control of one of the largest components of mobile device usage.

About 48 percent of smartphone users listen to music on their device, making it the fourth most popular media-related activity after social networking, games and news, according to a ComScore survey of mobile behavior released in February. Users ranked a phone's music and video capability at 7.4 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most important purchase consideration factor, according to the study.

"Music is very strategic for the various electronic devices Samsung manufactures," said Daren Tsui, CEO and co-founder of streaming music service mSpot, which Samsung bought last year to create the Music Hub service now available on Galaxy smartphones in the United States and Europe.

"By owning it, we can absolutely customize the music experience and leverage the fact that it's not just a service but there's also a hardware component."

In January, Beats Electronics, the startup co-founded by recording supremo Jimmy Iovine and hip-hop performer-producer Dr. Dre, and backed by Universal and Warner Music, announced a new streaming-subscription service dubbed "Daisy" to take on Pandora and Spotify starting this summer.

Now, industry insiders expect Apple, Google and other technology titans to jump into the fray. Apple is talking with music labels about tacking a subscription service option onto iTunes, sources have said, while Google is said to be planning a YouTube subscription music service, according to media reports.

"There are some content creators that think they would benefit from a subscription revenue stream in addition to ads, so we're looking at that," a YouTube spokesperson said, but declined to comment on any specific negotiations.

Apple declined to comment.

Microsoft is already promoting its Xbox Music service. Their entry promises to catalyze an industry shake-up and propel music streaming further into the mainstream.

"ITunes was great but it needs a step forward," Iovine, chairman of Universal Music's Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records, told the AllThingsD conference in February. "There is an ocean of music out there that people want."

The £1000 iPod-style music player

There’s something big happening in digital music in 2013 - downloaded music that actually sounds better than CD.

Most digital music is stored in formats such as MP3 which compress music - making it sound worse.

Music bought from stores such as Apple's iTunes is compressed - but a new movement aims to improve digital sound quality, in some cases beyond what is offered by CDs.

'HD' music has been around for years, but this year has seen the launch of portable players capable of playing music that sounds better than compact discs.

The music is not stored on disc - instead, it's downloaded via the net, and often stored in the same quality as the 'studio master' recordings used to create CDs.

The AK100 player is capable of playing digital files that sound beter than CDs.Neil Young appeared on the David Letterman show last year to promote his Toblerone shaped Pono player, a high quality iPod style system due for release later this year.

Warner Music and Sony Music are interested in the technology.

Already on sale in the UK, the AK100 portable music player looks like a fusion of a BlackBerry and an iPod.

The £569 player can handle ‘24-bit 96Ghz FLAC’ files - sounding better than CD - which the iPhone 5 can’t handle.

There’s hi-fi tech inside which converts the digital files into high quality analogue audio in a superior way to Apple products too.

Naturally, you’ll need a decent pair of headphones to make the most of the AK100.

Both Sony and Sennheiser have recently released £500 plus in-ear headphones designed for high definition players like the AK100.

We’ve tested he AK100 with several headphones and the difference compared to standard iPhone audio is huge. All tracks from Miles Davis to Paramore sound fresh, involving and really have a more detailed feel, closer to the original quality of high-end turntables.

There’s 32GB of storage inside the AK100, though you can add two 64GB MicroSD cards (around £60 each), meaning a total storage capacity of 160GB, over double the amount that the largest capacity £699 64GB iPhone 5 can manage.

An average album from iTunes is around 80MB while a high resolution FLAC file is around 10-12 times bigger, so there’s room for 32 albums off the shelf and 160 albums if you buy extra memory cards. You can also import your ripped CDs from iTunes or similar programs.

Hi-fi companies such as Naim and Linn have launched HD music download services. Naimlabel.com offers jazz, classical and ‘new’tracks under their Edge category, showcasing new bands and musicans as opposed to classic remasters and new mainstream artists.

Linn offer class albums as HD downloads for £18 per album via Linn Records.

Mark Knopfler is currently number 1 on the store. Island Records are ranked alongside independent musician Dawn Langstroth and videogame company Ubisoft who sell classical scores to their big budget adventure games such as Assassin’s Creed.

UK speaker specialists Bowers and Wilkins run Society of Sound, a HD music store which offers annual subscriptions for £33.95.

Best apps for students

You have survived freshers, worked out where your lectures are and found a cheap pub or two, but now it's time to hand in your first assignment. These five apps won't write your essays for you, but they will make the whole process a little more enjoyable. 


Dropbox
What does it do?
Dropbox synchronises your files between devices. Begin your assignment in the library and drop the file into your Dropbox account. Download the mobile app and check it on the bus home. Get back to your laptop and open the same file from your Dropbox folder. 

Why is it good?
If you're anything like me your university account will be full of old assignments, journals and notes. With Dropbox all these are accessible from your home computer, providing you drop it into your account first.

Any drawbacks?
Dropbox's slogan is 'simplify your life', staying true to this mantra the app is a little featureless. There is no editing features or ability to preview documents from the website. 

Foursquare
What does it do? Time for a study break? Check In on Foursquare and see who else is in the library. Foursquare uses your phone's location data to suggest nearby places for you to Check In to. Each Check In rewards you with points and achievements. Check In a couple of times and you can become mayor of a location. 

Why is it good?
Foursquare Check Ins also have real world rewards. Check Ins can earn you money off at House of Fraser, Banana Republic, Carphone Warehouse and Pizza Hut. 

Any drawbacks?
Foursquare's default settings will bombard you and your Facebook friends with notifications so remember to change them before going on a Check In spree. 

Evernote
What does it do? Evernote is the perfect companion to a messy student. Everything from notes, web clips, audio snippets and business cards can be organised in Evernote. Take a photo of some class notes and Evernote will digitise them, allowing you to search for specific words later on. Very handy close to a deadline. 

Why is it good?
Evernote works across devices and syncs all your data to your online account. Its add-ons allow you to sync sketches, recipes and directions. All of which can be annotated later from any device. 

Any drawbacks?
Evernote has expanded quickly over the last few years, assimilating a host of other apps. As a result its interface is somewhat complex. 

Just Eat
 
What does it do?
With looming deadlines, early lectures and all-nighters, cooking is never a priority. Just Eat should be a staple app for all students. With Just Eat you can order takeaway online without having to call the restaurant. 

Why is it good?
Just Eat compares nearby restaurants and shows the highest rated. Just Eat digitises menus allowing you to compare dishes and pick bargains. Ordering through Just Eat is simpler than using the phone. 

Any drawbacks?
Ordering online can be a bit of a lucky dip. Without physically seeing the takeaway it can be hard to judge the quality. Android users will be disappointed as this app is online available on Apple products. 

The Trainline
 
What does it do?
So you have used all of these apps to make your assignment flow smoothly, now it's is time for some hard earned rest back home. The Trainline app is the simplest way to look up travel information from your mobile.

Why is it good?
The Trainline app remembers your journeys and preferences. It is easy to buy tickets within the app. The app even uses your location data to suggest the next train home. 

Any drawbacks?
The only way this little app could be improved would be if it incorporated Tube and bus times into its service.

Apps to help your children enjoy iPad safely

Many parents rely on iPad as a helping hand with children - whether to pass the time in a car, as an educational tool to support school work or just to deliver an episode of CBeebies on a Sunday morning.

But with over 300,000 iPad apps in the Apple App Store, finding good apps can be overwhelming - our list below highlights some fun, educational choices.

If you're shopping, it's worth checking age ratings - but any parent of young children should try apps themselves first.

The suitability of tablets for children has become a hot topic lately following news that 5-year old Danny Kitchen from Bristol ran up a bill for £1700 on in-app purchases while playing a free app.

If you are a parent with young children who share an iPad it’s worth heeding the experience of the Kitchen family.

Many apps don’t cost anything to download, but developers make money from extra in-app purchases like coins, lives and accessories, which can be bought with a couple of taps.

Apple recommends not divulging your Apple ID password to your child and instead entering your password each time it’s needed. Children over 13 are advised to create their own Apple ID, to which you can add iTunes gift certificates.

Apple includes safeguards on the iPad to help prevent unwanted in-app purchases. Go to the Settings menu and select General - Restrictions - Enable Restrictions. Pick a password and there’s an option to turn off In-App Purchases.

Alternatively Require Password  lets you determine whether a password for app purchases is needed instantly or within 15 minutes. Selecting the former means there’s no chance of your children buying anything in the immediate time period after you’ve entered your password.

The Restrictions menu also lets you temporarily remove selected features altogether such as Safari, Camera, iTunes, Facetime and (crucially) Installing Apps. To restore the iPad to normal settings head to Settings - General - Enable Restrictions and enter your password again.

Fix-it Felix Jr.
Free
Thanks to its 8-bit graphics this game will evoke feelings of nostalgia in old-time gamers and recognition in young children who’ve seen Wreck it Ralph. There’s very little educational value here - as Fix-it Felix Jr use your magical hammer to fix what Ralph destroys. But it’s great fun for big and small kids
 
Itsy Bitsy Spider HD
£1.49
This colourful app brings the classic children’s nursery rhyme alive with a spider that moves around interacting with the environment as your child taps the screen and learns about the environment. Studio Duck Duck Moose creates some of the most innovative apps for young children, so it’s well-working checking out its other apps.

Magic Piano
Free
An app for budding musicians, your child plays along to tunes by tapping the notes as they fall using one, two, three or four fingers. Songs span all genres from Twinkle Twinkle too Gangham Style, some are free, some cost points and others are unlocked. Budding composers can even try some freestyling.

Magic Town
Free
Magic Town is a beautifully animated world packed with interactive stories and games. There are 80 stories, from classics like Rumpelstiltskin to Aliens Love Underpants, while Watch, Play, Learn and Read modes cater for different ages and reading abilities. Magic Town is free to join, with a free download every day or £2.49 a month.

Pocket Phonics
£1.99
Pocket Phonics aims to teach preschoolers how to read and write using phonics. Letters appear on screen as the sound is read out, encouraging children to say the letter before writing it. Designed and tested by teachers, if you’ve got children aged between 3-6 it’s well checking out and there’s a free Lite version.
 
Toca Train
£1.99
If your son (or daughter) is train fanatic they’ll love train-simulator Toca Train. They can drive the train around the track, tapping interactive levers and controls stopping at stations to load and unload passengers, sounding the siren and changing the camera angle.

Toy Story Read-Along
Free
Toy Story comes to iPad in this interactive book. Following the adventures of Woody and Buzz children can flick through the pages, listening to the story or recording their own voice. Extra activities such as finger painting, music, videos and games help bring the reading experience alive.
 
Tozzle HD
£1.49
Tozzle comprises of 39 puzzles, which your child solves by dragging and dropping pieces onto the screen. Designed to improve shape recognition and motor activity, on completion some of the puzzles come to life with sound effects and motion. A free Lite version is also available.

Canon EOS 100D launches as smallest and lightest DLSR

Canon has announced a new, smaller, DSLR camera in its EOS line, the Canon EOS 100D.

It is Canon's smallest and lightest APS-C digital SLR yet, with the company looking to compete with smaller and lighter models from rival interchangeable lens systems.

The Canon EOS 100D positions itself between Canon's smallest EOS model, the EOS M and looks like it upgrades the Japanese company's entry-level DLSR, the EOS 1100D, pulling some of the EOS M characteristics into a more conventional DSLR design.

More conventional it might be, but the EOS 100D does carry that badge of being the smallest and lightest camera in its class. Canon isn't highlighting this by accident, it's fully aware of the fierce competition from the likes of Sony NEX line, Samsung NX and Panasonic and Olympus's Micro-Four Thirds systems.

The EOS 100D measures 116.8 x 90.7 x 69.4mm and it weighs 407g, but of course you have to add the size and weight of the lens to these figures, which might be about 200g.

However, unlike the slimmer and lighter EOS M, it sticks to Canon's existing EOS lens mounting system, meaning it's compatible with the EF or EF-S lenses both new and old.

Sitting at the heart of the camera is an 18-megapixel sensor backed by the DIGIC 5 processor. It offers manually selectable sensitivity up to ISO 12,800, with a 25,600 if you really need that picture in low light, and a capture speed of 4fps.

Like the EOS M, the EOS 100D has a 3-inch touchscreen on the back, expanding your control options over those on the body itself. But not only do you get that display, but there's a conventional optical viewfinder in place too, giving you 95 per cent field of view, typical of an entry-level DSLR.

The controls on the body look pretty conventional too, with a top-mounted mode dial giving you quick access to the major shooting modes, and the body buttons letting you access the most pertinent shooting settings.

You'll get creative functions with a range of filters, an in-camera guide to help budding photographers start, as well as Full HD video capture, all bundled together in a package that will cost you £569.99 (body only) or £699 with EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens.

We'll bring you more on the Canon EOS 100D when we get our hands on the new compact DSLR model.

How to shoot better films using your phone

As smartphone features and capabilities have improved, one function that has enjoyed a boon in quality and upgrades is the camera. But while many concentrate on the still image aspect, video camera quality has also improved remarkably – to the point where shooting decent quality films on your phone is now entirely achievable.

Alongside ever increasing megapixel ratings, most smartphone cameras like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Apple iPhone 5 can now shoot Full HD 1080p moving images (as well as the lesser HD quality 720p and standard definition) good enough to make home movies look almost professional.

It’s also much easier nowadays to share and show off your filmic masterpiece. As well as hugely popular and free to use online resources like YouTube and Vimeo, phone specific features like the iPhone ’s AirPlay, which lets you stream your phone content to your TV via Apple TV, make it quick and easy to review and showcase your films on the big (ish) screen.

Then there are the apps. From Twitter’s blisteringly simple  app, that let’s you create and quickly upload six-second looping videos of whatever you shoot, to the Instagram-style Viddy that extends the time frame to 15 seconds and introduces en vogue retro filters to the videos you share online, there are myriad ways of getting your films out there.

Simple tips for better results

Whether you’re shooting on your phone or a high-end video camera, there are some basics any would-be filmmaker should begin with.

If you’re making a ‘proper’ staged film, plan and storyboard what you want to shoot, and research locations and the best times to film there. Research successful examples of smartphone films – some classics to look at are the stop-motion masterpiece Dot shot on a Nokia N8, and Apple of My Eye shot on the Apple iPhone 4. 

Before you start, make sure your phone’s lens is spotlessly clean (sounds simple, but imagine reviewing your footage on the big screen only to find a fingerprint or blob of dust ruining every shot) and the battery charged. A good idea is to turn on Airplane mode (or even remove your SIM) so you aren’t rudely interrupted in a crucial shot by your mum calling to ask how filming is coming along.

Always film in landscape mode by holding your phone horizontally – it’s easier to hold and aligns your footage orientation for viewing on a TV or cinema screen (if you’re thinking really big).

A critical part of any film is lighting. Where possible, always shoot in bright natural light with the sun behind you so your subject is clear. If you have to shoot into the light, film from above with the sky out of shot to lessen the contrast between high and low light – which your phone will inevitably struggle with and which can cast your subject into shadow. Use simple tools like white sheets to mask glare and reflections or to bounce light into darker areas. Shooting indoors can be tough, as phones still struggle with quick effective transitions between high and low light. You can get around this with artificial spotlighting, but remember that this can often affect colour reproduction and make your movie look inconsistent if you’re shooting indoors and out.

Some phone cameras like the Nokia Lumia 920 will have an optical image stabiliser to reduce camera shake, but where possible use a tripod or shoot from a solid surface (we’re fans of the particularly versatile Joby Gorilla tripods). Yes, the shaky camera classic has been popular in films over recent years, but it’s almost always more distracting than complementary. Along the same steady shot theme, avoid unnecessary zooms and pans, as these inevitably add shake and wobble to your shots. That handy image stabilisation technology is not yet effective when zooming and panning, so instead try moving the camera closer to the action, albeit nice and slowly.

Being close to the action is no bad thing either, as it will help with your framing (which can be tricky on a small screen), and also benefits the sound quality, which is a weak point when filming on a phone. Without a directional microphone, your footage can be compromised by background noise and strong wind so try to shade your phone from unwanted sounds.

Other things to consider

Think about where and how you’re going to show your film. If you’re hoping for online infamy, shorter is sweeter. Try to keep videos less than three minutes in length, as they’re more likely to be watched by online browsers with a few moments to spare at work.

If you’re shooting simply to share on social feeds, Full HD 1080p may be a little over the top and will use more phone memory and take longer to upload. If you do go all out High Definition, make sure there’s enough memory on your phone to hold what you shoot – running out of storage space halfway through a shot is not conducive to a good day’s filming.

Finally, if you’re intending to really get into shooting films on your phone, there’s a huge accessories market offering everything from add-on lenses like the Photojojo series to clip on microphones like the weatherproof i-Microphone. And once in the editing room, apps like Apple’s iMovie (£2.99) and the free multi-platform Magisto let you splice, trim frames, alternate transitions, stabilise images and add music and titles to your cinematic epic.

Britons watching TV in the toilet

Nearly one in five people uses a smartphone to watch television in the toilet, a report has revealed.

The study found Britons spend more than one day a week enjoying programmes and movies. They factor around 24.3 hours of viewing into their weekly routines, increasingly watching programmes on the go, the study showed.

It found 16% of consumers use their smartphones in the bathroom and 10% of people watch shows on a tablet in the toilet.

The study of global viewing habits across 17 countries showed the average viewer watches 19 hours of television and six hours of film content a week.

These figures are highest in the US - where consumers spend about 29 hours watching programmes and movies - and lowest in Sweden and Japan, with around 17 hours on average.

Further findings suggest almost a third (29%) of weekly TV viewing is recorded content. However, almost a third of recorded content is never watched.

Live viewing still dominates, particularly when it comes to news programmes, the study showed. Some 73% of people watch shows as they air, the report found.

The study - which questioned 9,500 people in December - also pointed towards a shift in household viewing habits. It found more consumers watch content on their smartphones or tablets than on a television in their bedrooms while 79% of consumers are frustrated with a lack of storage space on their devices, according to the report.

John Burke, of Motorola Mobility which conducted the study, said: "This year's study shows us that consumers take their viewing experiences very seriously.

"They want to be firmly in control of the way they experience their videos but they're frustrated. Increasingly, they're using tablets and smartphones to view their content, and they expect this experience to transition seamlessly across their favourite programmes, whenever and wherever they like."