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30 million to have music phones by end of year – JupiterResearch

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JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business, has found that although US consumers are continuing to acquire music-capable mobile phones, only few take advantage of those capabilities. According to a new report, “Mobile Music: Target Impulse Purchases and Purchasers for Over-The-Air Downloads,” only about five percent of consumers report sideloading songs onto their phone, and only two percent report downloading songs over the air. Thus, although some 27.9 million US consumers are expected to have music phones by the end of this year, the music functionality of the phone will remain significantly underutilized.

Even the long-anticipated release of Apple’s iPhone later this week will probably not serve as the catalyst for mass adoption of music phone capabilities.

Originally posted on June 25, 2007 @ 6:49 pm

Kaplan Test Prep now available in iTunes

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kaplan.jpgKaplan Test Prep and Admissions announced the availability of three interactive SAT prep programs that students can purchase and download from iTunes, enabling them to practice for the college entrance exam. Among the key features of the programs: students receive detailed analyses of each completed quiz they take, as well as feedback and an option for tracking quiz score progress. The $4.99 programs focus on the exam’s three graded sections: Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing.

“Students don’t go anywhere without their iPods and Kaplan has always sought to make test prep as convenient as possible for our students so it’s a natural fit to offer test prep on iTunes. As students have embraced new trends over the years, from new learning and entertainment channels to new technology, we’ve adapted our materials in ways that are relevant to their lifestyles,” said Mark Ward, president, Pre-College Programs, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.

The latest offerings come with the launch of Kaplan’s MySpace page.

Originally posted on June 21, 2007 @ 2:33 pm

iPhone to deliver eight hours of talk time

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Apple announced that iPhone will deliver significantly longer battery life when it ships on June 29 than was originally estimated when iPhone was unveiled in January. iPhone will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback. In addition, iPhone will feature up to 250 hours-more than 10 days-of standby time. Apple also announced that the entire top surface of iPhone, including its stunning 3.5-inch display, has been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity.

With 8 hours of talk time, and 24 hours of audio playback, iPhone’s battery life is longer than any other ‘Smartphone’ and even longer than most MP3 players,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve also upgraded iPhone’s entire top surface from plastic to optical-quality glass for superior scratch resistance and clarity. There has never been a phone like iPhone, and we can’t wait to get this truly magical product into the hands of customers starting just 11 days from today.”

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Originally posted on June 18, 2007 @ 8:51 am

PassAlong Networks to offer compromise between DRM and raw MP3s

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passalong.jpgPassAlong Networks, developer of digital media innovations and services, announced plans to launch version 2.0 of freedomMP3â„¢, an interoperability platform that offers online music stores the opportunity to provide raw MP3 digital music files that contain security features which honor creator and consumer rights. MP3 files offer true interoperability to consumers because they play on nearly all digital music players including iPodsâ„¢ and cell phones. Now consumers can enjoy the benefits of raw MP3 files and labels can protect their artists’ content with reasonable usage rules.

By balancing what consumers want with what artists and labels need, the freedomMP3 platform offers a solution to the current digital rights management (DRM) dilemma plaguing the music industry. A beta version of freedomMP3 was released in 2006, and, based on feedback from music labels, PassAlong added new protection features to version 2.0. [Read more…]

Originally posted on May 8, 2007 @ 9:19 am

DoubleTwist Wants to be the iTunes for Android

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When I got my Google Nexus One, one of the features that I missed which the iPhone gave me was the iTunes media management interface. Nothing beats the iPhone and iTunes interface when it comes to managing your phone’s media files as well as synching your iPhone to your Mac or PC.  Yes, the Nexus One comes with a USB cable that you can use or the Bluetooth feature but these are so 1990s if you have used, assimilated and embraced the iTunes life.

Enter DoubleTwist, a new media management software which aims to “create a unifying media platform that connects consumers with all their media and all their devices, regardless of whether they are online or offline.” It is very similar to iTunes but works with any devices. It lets you drag and drop songs to playlist, sync music, photos and videos to your devices as well as share your media with friends.

Although it was not designed specifically for Android phones, such as the Google Nexus One, DoubleTwist recently partnered with T-Mobile which could very well make it as the Nexus One’s closest choice for managing their media files and for synching their phone to their Mac or PC.

T-Mobile is set to promote DoubleTwist on all their retail stores as well on their online site. But the biggest break for DoubleTwist is the fact that it will soon be preloaded on some Android devices that T-Mobile is going to release.

I’ve downloaded DoubleTwist on my Mac and currently installing it. Will check it out to see how good it fares up with iTunes. If you want to give it a try, you may download if from here.

Originally posted on January 25, 2010 @ 5:28 pm