Samsung on Tuesday announced the arrival of its new Music Hub service. The all-in-one mobile music service launched in various European markets with the Galaxy S III smartphone. Music Hub is based technology from mSpot, whom Samsung recently acquired, and allows users to store, purchase, and stream millions of songs in one place. Music Hub also has the ability to scan and match a users music in a method similar to iTunes Match. Not only will the service rival Apple’s iTunes, but it will also compete directly against Google Music. The premium features of Music Hub, which include streaming and matching, are available for €9.99 per month to Galaxy S III owners in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Samsung’s press release follows below.

Samsung Launches Music Hub, Offering the Ultimate Mobile Music Service

New service integrates all your music experiences in one place: Millions of songs, your own music stored in the Cloud, a music store and radio discovery

Initially launching on the Samsung Galaxy S III in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK

Open Mobile Summit, London, U.K., (May 29, 2012)- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the arrival of the much anticipated new Music Hub – the first completely integrated, all-in-one mobile music service. Initially available on the Samsung Galaxy S III and hitting European markets today, Music Hub vastly simplifies and enhances the everyday experience of listening to music. Whether you’re an avid collector wanting easy access to your own music collection, someone with ever-changing music tastes, someone who likes to sample a broad selection of music and genres or a passive listener who prefers radio, Music Hub provides a richer music experience for everyone.

Based on the technology services of mSpot, a leading mobile content service provider recently acquired by Samsung, the new Music Hub service will initially be available on the Samsung GALAXY S III and will soon be offered on a wider selection of devices.

“When you ask yourself, ‘what do I want to listen to?’ there is now one simple answer, for every mood, every place and everyone,” stated TJ Kang, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Media Solution Center. “With the new Music Hub, we’re bringing the joy back to music – listening, collecting and sharing.”

“We believe that today’s mobile market must have an open mobile music system – one that offers all kinds of services across different devices. Music Hub removes all the barriers to your music,” stated Daren Tsui, CEO of mSpot.

The new Music Hub service will be offered for free and also in a Premium version:

Music Hub Store: (free)

Offering a vast, 19 million song catalog provided by 7digital, Music Hub Store enables you to buy songs and albums, as well as listen to 30-second previews of all songs. Purchased music is stored in the cloud and automatically appears on all of your devices, while music can also be stored locally on devices for offline listening.

Music Hub Premium: (€/£9.99 per month)
For €/£9.99 per month, you can upload and access your entire music collection anywhere, enjoy unlimited streaming from the millions of songs in the Music Hub catalog and discover new songs with radio stations based on the artists you like.

Music Hub features include:

Scan & Match Cloud Locker: Upload your music to the cloud so you can play it anywhere. Music Hub utilizes scan & match technology to decrease upload time and ensure high-quality playback. Any unmatched songs are directly uploaded from your library so you can access rare or personal recordings (100 GB of storage for all unmatched songs). When you edit playlists or purchase music, your collection stays automatically updated across all authorized devices.

Catalog of millions of songs: Enjoy full access to our entire catalog to stream or purchase, with unlimited plays and no advertisements. Search for new music, create playlists, share songs with friends, and view lyrics and album information.

Radio: Relax and listen to the music you like with personal radio and programmed stations. Create personal stations based on songs and artists you love, or browse genre stations recommended and tailor-crafted by the Music Hub team. Hear a song you like? Tag it so you can find it later and play it again whenever you want.

Recommendations: Discover great new music all the time with customized recommendations for songs, artists, albums and radio stations. The more you listen, the better recommendations you’ll get.

Optimized for Mobile: Music Hub is optimized specifically for your Samsung device. Advanced streaming and downloading options let you save storage space, play music when offline, and cut down on cellular data usage. Audio settings are designed to prolong battery life and ensure smooth streaming even under spotty network coverage.

Web Player: In addition to the mobile app, users can access their music library and the Music Hub catalog/store online at www.musichub.com. The Web Player allows users the freedom to play their music easily on any PC.

N.B.: Users must initially register on a Galaxy S III phone using a Samsung account.

Similar to Apple’s iTunes program, Google Music only allows a certain number of devices to be connected to the service at one time. Google allows users to upload up to 20,000 song for free, which can then be accessed by up to 10 “authorized” devices. Once the limit is reached, a user can “deauthorize” a device to allow another a different phone or tablet to take its place. The problem, however, is that Google has limited device deauthorizations to just four per year. While Google’s limit may not affect the average Joe, rooters, ROMers, enthusiasts and even bloggers may run into some trouble. Custom ROM users in particular may run into trouble — Google Music often has difficulties handling custom ROMs and will occasionally de-register and re-register it as a completely new device. According to XDA-Developers, the change is relatively new, and was rolled out over the last 60 days. 

UPDATE: Google issued the following statement regarding the policy change. “We limit the number of times you can swap out new devices at the request of some of our music partners in an effort to limit abuse. We understand this has caused some issues for users who often deauthorize and reauthorize the same device, and we are currently re-implementing the solution in a way that works for our users and music partners.”

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Apple is reportedly preparing an upgrade to its iCloud service that includes new photo-sharing features, according The Wall Street Journal. The publication cites multiple anonymous sources who claim the Cupertino-based company will announce the new features at its Worldwide Developer Conference beginning on June 11th. Users can currently store and sync photos using iCloud, however the upgrades will allow users to share and comment on each other’s photos as well. The iPhone-maker is also said to be working on a new feature that will allow iCloud users to sync their personal videos to the cloud, and the update will reportedly also let users access “Notes” and “Reminders” through the iCloud web portal. Apple has not refreshed iCloud since it launched last October, and the service is currently home to more than 125 million users.

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Apple’s iCloud service allows users to access their Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Find My Phone and iWork apps through the Web. The Cupertino-based company may be planning to add more functionality to its cloud service suite, however. As spotted by Cult of Mac, Apple’s iCloud beta site features two apps that are currently unavailable to standard iCloud users. The beta website revealed Apple’s plans to allow its Notes and Reminders iOS apps to sync to the web-based service. Earlier reports suggested Apple is working to add banner notifications to iCloud.com as well.

[Via Cult of Mac]

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Facebook on Wednesday announced it will be launching a new App Center in the coming weeks on the Web, iOS and Android. The company hopes the center will give developers a way to more effectively distribute apps and create new opportunities for more types of apps to be successful. “The App Center is designed to grow mobile apps that use Facebook – whether they’re on iOS, Android or the mobile web,” the company said. “From the mobile App Center, users can browse apps that are compatible with their device, and if a mobile app requires installation, they will be sent to download the app from the App Store or Google Play.” The social networking site is more to more than 900 million users and seems like a natural fit for app developers looking for the maximum amount of exposure.

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According to CEO Joe Kennedy, Pandora has surpassed 150 million users in the United States and is the second most downloaded app in the history of Apple’s App Store, CNET reported on Wednesday. The Internet radio service has big plans for the future and is working with automakers to integrate the service into virtually all future vehicles. “We truly believe this is just the beginning,” Kennedy said at the CTIA Wireless trade show in New Orleans. Over the past year, the company has faced increased competition from streaming service Spotify, however it doesn’t seem to have affected Pandora’s continued growth.

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Apple’s MobileMe service will shut its doors forever on June 30th, 2012, and the Cupertino-based company is encouraging existing users to migrate to its iCloud service instead. To make the transition easier, MobileMe subscribers will be offered 20GB of free iCloud storage until September 30th. Apple plans to also offer MobileMe customers who purchased additional storage 50GB of extra iCloud space until September as well. “MobileMe members with 20GB of purchased storage receive a complimentary iCloud storage upgrade of 20GB, and accounts with additional purchased storage (40GB to 60GB) receive a complimentary upgrade of 50GB after moving to iCloud,” Apple posted on its website. “These free upgrades are good through September 30th, 2012. After that date, you can continue the upgrade at the regular price or let it expire and use the free 5GB plan.”

[Via AppleInsider]

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AT&T on Monday unveiled a new end-to-end suite of home automation and home security services ahead of the annual CTIA Wireless convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dubbed AT&T Digital Life, the carrier’s new offering is an IP-based solution that includes home security and automation features, professional installation and monitoring services, and software for PCs, tablets or smartphones that allows users to monitor and control system features remotely from anywhere in the world. “AT&T Digital Life will change the way people live, work and play — and meets a clear need in the market,” AT&T SVP of Digital Life said in a statement. “The service is smart, simple and customer centric– freeing homeowners to do the things they want to do without compromising on the things they need to do to care for family and home.” AT&T will begin trialing its new Digital Life service in Atlanta, Georgia and Dallas, Texas this summer. Digital Life subscribers will not be required to subscribe to AT&T’s wireless services. The carrier’s full press release follows below.

AT&T PLANS NATIONWIDE LAUNCH OF WIRELESS-CENTRIC 

HOME SECURITY AND AUTOMATION SERVICES 

New Group Created to Offer Portfolio of Digital Life Services

Trials Planned in Dallas and Atlanta This Summer

Easy-to-Use Platform Lets Consumers Bring Their Own Broadband

DALLAS, MAY 7, 2012 – Checking on the welfare of loved ones, protecting your home from intruders, fire or water damage,  unlocking a door for the repairman or changing the temperature setting on the thermostat – and doing it from wherever you happen to be, here or abroad  – can be as easy as if you were right at home.

AT&T today announced plans for a new portfolio of all-digital, IP-based home security monitoring and automation services.  Called AT&T Digital LifeTM, the services will give users unparalleled control and security of their homes using any web-enabled device, PCs, tablets and smartphones, regardless of wireless carrier.

AT&T plans to begin trials in Atlanta and Dallas this summer.

Managed by a newly created Digital Life group, the remote monitoring and automation portfolio will feature web-based access to automation, energy and water controls, as well as professionally monitored security services.

“The AT&T Digital Life service has the potential to take home monitoring and home security solutions to another level,” said Larry Hettick, Research Director, Consumer Services, for Current Analysis. “The service promises to be as robust as anything in the marketplace today backed by the trusted AT&T brand. I am particularly impressed with its IP-based wireless platform, plans for a nationwide offering, and a wide range of devices that can be monitored and viewed from any carrier’s wireless or wireline Internet connection. These consumer-friendly capabilities will help grow this industry.”

AT&T Digital Life will feature a robust lineup of connected devices like:

• Cameras
• Window/door sensors
• Smoke, carbon monoxide, motion and glass break sensors
• Door locks
• Thermostats
• Moisture detection
• Appliance power controls

The devices will be wirelessly enabled to connect to the IP-based AT&T Digital Life platform inside the home.

“AT&T Digital Life will change the way people live, work and play — and meets a clear need in the market,” said Kevin Petersen, senior vice president, Digital Life, AT&T Mobility.  “The service is smart, simple and customer centric– freeing homeowners to do the things they want to do without compromising on the things they need to do to care for family and home.”

Unique Digital Life Trial Features

AT&T Digital Life will include numerous unique features and benefits:

• Professional installation of the platform, sensors and other devices
• Integrated, wirelessly enabled platform that combines home security and automation capabilities
• AT&T owned and operated 24/7 security monitoring centers
• A state-of-the-art user interface application, which allows customers to customize a solution based on individual needs, and the ability to manage and control their services from the U.S. or while traveling abroad
• The option to experience and purchase the service in AT&T’s distribution channels, including AT&T company-owned retail stores. The service will also be made available for purchase on att.com when available commercially.
• The ability to add more features and services after the initial installation, hassle free
• The Digital Life platform includes built-in AT&T mobile internet service and will also be capable of
• Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and wired broadband connections. Trial subscribers can use their own wired broadband solution with the Digital Life system and can access the service and remotely control the products from smartphones, tablets and PCs, regardless of carrier.

“We’re planning a unique suite of services, from start to finish, that will give homeowners control of their property and their possessions through an easy to navigate user interface,” Petersen said.  “Our focus is on providing our customers with a comprehensive home security and automation solution that offers the best possible customer experience, and uses the most advanced mobile internet technology on the market to make their lives easier and keep their families and property safer.”

In February, AT&T announced plans to launch an SDK for international providers to equip global service providers with capabilities to offer customizable, web-based home automation, energy and security services to their subscribers.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com/CTIA.  To learn more about Digital Life availability, visit www.att.com/digitallife.

LG on Monday announced the beta release of its own iCloud competitor, dubbed LG Cloud. The service allows users to manage and consume all types of content across Android smartphones, PCs and smart TVs. “Most companies today only see the cloud as a storage device or in the case of YouTube or Flickr, only for one type of content,” LG’s Home Entertainment President and CEO Havis Kwon said. “LG makes the devices that millions of people watch content on so we can set a new yardstick for ease of use by setting up our own cloud service. Tomorrow’s consumers don’t want to go to one cloud for music, another cloud for video, another location for photos and yet another cloud for their office files. In the end, our solution is about making life more convenient.” LG Smart TV or smartphone owners may be eligible to receive 50GB of free LG Cloud storage for six months. The company’s cloud service will be offered in both free and paid versions, with each member allotted 5GB of free storage. Read on for LG’s press release.

LG INTRODUCES THE FIRST REAL STREAMING MULTIMEDIA CLOUD FOR ALL THREE SCREENS

Unique Cloud Service Offers Content Consumption and Seamless Connectivity via TVs, Mobile Devices and PC

SEOUL, APR. 30, 2012 — LG Electronics (LG) announced the beta opening of LG Cloud service on May 1 with the aim of providing seamless connectivity and streaming access to all digital content across various electronic devices. Although cloud is today’s hottest IT buzzwords, LG Cloud is the first that allows users to manage and consume all types of content on “three screens” which includes Android smartphones, PCs and smart TVs (including but not limited to CINEMA 3D models) without a separate set-top box.To use the service, users need to download the LG Cloud app from Google Play or LG SmartWorld app store from their Android smartphones, LG SmartWorld store from their LG Smart TVs or the LG Cloud website (www.lgecloud.com) from their PCs or laptops.

LG’s Cloud service automatically synchronizes smartphone content with the cloud server and the user’s PC and TV. Photos and videos taken with the smartphone can be viewed and streamed to the PC or TV almost instantaneously. Videos edited on a PC can be uploaded to LG Cloud for viewing seconds later on a smartphone. Unlike other cloud services, there’s very little waiting or lag time since the content is streamed to the TV, PC or smartphone, not downloaded first.

The difference is in LG’s Real-time Streaming Transcoding technology. The conversion happens on the server in realtime, not on the device. There is no need to worry about installing codecs or converters, everything happens seamlessly and in the background with no involvement from the user. No other cloud service can make this same claim.The service also works perfectly with 3D content. Vacation videos taken with an LG 3D smartphone can be uploaded via 3G or Wi-Fi to the LG Cloud service. Back home in the comforts of the living room, the family can watch the vacation footage as it streams from LG Cloud to their LG CINEMA 3D Smart TV in superb three dimensions.

To better develop cloud services that prioritize convergence, LG created a new division called Smart Business Center to focus specifically on content and services. Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company, is also responsible for the new Smart Business Center.

“Most companies today only see the cloud as a storage device or in the case of YouTube or Flickr, only for one type of content,” said LG’s Mr. Kwon. “LG makes the devices that millions of people watch content on so we can set a new yardstick for ease of use by setting up our own cloud service. Tomorrow’s consumers don’t want to go to one cloud for music, another cloud for video, another location for photos and yet another cloud for their office files. In the end, our solution is about making life more convenient.”

LG Cloud will be offered as both a free and paid service. Free storage space and pricing will differ market to market and will be announced separately as the service becomes available in that country.

Web-based streaming music provider Spotify is reportedly preparing to launch a new service that will add new radio and content discovery elements to its portfolio. Citing multiple unnamed sources, Bloomberg on Thursday reported that Spotify is developing a new online radio service that will compete directly with Pandora. Due to launch by the end of this year, the ad-supported service will allow users to stream unlimited music through Spotify’s software, and the service may launch with new music content that is not currently available to Spotify customers. It is unclear exactly how the new offering will differ from Spotify Radio, which was unveiled late last year as an artist-based streaming radio service available for free to all Spotify users. The company’s current core product allows Spotify’s 10 million users to stream music from its online catalog in an iTunes-like player that also allows subscribers to search for content, create playlists and share content with friends.

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Microsoft is reportedly preparing to unveil a new streaming music service at the annual E3 conference later this year. Citing unnamed sources, The Verge reports that the new streaming service will work across several platforms including Xbox, Windows 8, Windows Phone, iOS and Android, accessible through a native app or a web browser. Code-named “Woodstock,” the service is reportedly comparable to Spotify, potentially allowing users to stream unlimited music. The service will also seemingly feature deep Facebook integration and a “scan and match” cloud locker feature similar to iTunes Match. According to The Verge, the service will be part of a larger effort to shift away from Microsoft’s Zune brand.

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The first video ever uploaded to YouTube recently celebrated its seventh anniversary. The video, called “Me at the zoo,” was uploaded by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim at 8:27 pm on April 23rd, 2005. In the video, Karim stands in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo and comments about their “really, really long trunks.” While the clip runs for only 19 seconds and the quality is terrible, it marks a crucial moment during the launch of a service that would to change the Internet forever.

Since the video’s debut, YouTube has seen enormous growth, amassing over 1 trillion views — equal to almost 140 views for every person on Earth. More than 4 billion videos are viewed each day, while 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute.

The site receives over 800 million unique visitors each month who watch over 3 billion hours of videos. More videos are uploaded to YouTube in one month than the three major television networks in the United States have created in 60 years. The site is even more popular overseas, with 70% of its visitors coming from outside the United States. YouTube is also localized in 39 countries and across 54 languages.

Without YouTube there would be no Justin Bieber, no Chocolate Rain and no Rebecca Black — although that may have been a good thing. The work of thousands of aspiring singers, songwriters, filmmakers and artists would have gone unnoticed however, as would thousands of videos of cute kids and cuter animals.

YouTube has not only changed the way the world consumes entertainment, but also how it consumes news and information. Jawed Karim’s video follows below.

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Google on Tuesday unveiled its new “Google Drive” cloud storage solution, taking direct aim at Microsoft’s SkyDrive, Dropbox and other similar services. The new offering includes 5GB of free cloud-based storage and allows users to store, collaborate on, and share documents and other files. At the same time as its new Google Drive service was rolling out across the Web, Google also quietly gave Gmail users a capacity boost of more than 35% according to reports. Gmail launched in 2004 with 1GB of free storage and that figure has been increasing steadily to just over 7GB as of earlier this week. On Tuesday, Gmail’s free storage climbed to 10GB according to a report from Engadget. We haven’t seen the storage boost hit our inboxes yet, but a number of users reportedly have. Google has not formally announced the update.

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Following a series rumors and leaks, Google on Tuesday unveiled a new cloud storage service being billed as the next step in the evolution of Google Docs. Dubbed Google Drive and built to compete directly with Microsoft’s SkyDrive and other similar services, Google’s new cloud storage solution features 5GB of free space and deep Google Docs integration that allows users to collaborate and share all of their documents. The enterprise-focused service can be upgraded to expand the amount of available storage, and packages start at 25GB for $2.49 per month. Microsoft SkyDrive features 25GB of free storage with the option to add 20GB for $10 per year, 50GB for $25 per year or 100GB for $50 per year. Google guarantees 99.9% uptime with its new Google Drive service, and it will launch Windows, Mac and Android Google Drive apps immediately with an iOS app to be made available in the coming weeks.

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Samsung’s iCloud competitor, dubbed S-Cloud, may be unveiled at next month’s Galaxy S III announcement in London on May 3rd, a South Korean newspaper reported on Friday. The service is similar to Apple’s offering but without any limitations on the type of content users can upload. The service is also expected to have access to popular TV shows, movies and music with free and paid content that will be available across a range of Samsung devices. The amount of storage allotted to users is rumored to be “more than 5GB,” although it isn’t clear if that will be free or is there is an associated charge. Earlier rumors suggested Samsung would delay the service after having trouble developing a suitable infrastructure for the global market. According to Maeil Business, however, the company has partnered with Microsoft to support its S-Cloud service.

[Via The Verge]

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