Nash Tee Tech Vlog: iTunes

Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts

In a surprise move, Cupertino tech giant Apple has purchased audio equipment and service company Beats for a whopping US$3.2 billion. This is Apple's largest acquisition in history, and through Beats, Apples hopes it would help its iTunes service reclaim its spot. As part of the deal, Beats Music will now be under the iTunes division. Apple will also take over Beats's headphones and speakers division. This deal was confirmed by Dr. Dre and actor Tyrese Gibson through his Instagram page.

Image by GSMArena

Beats was co-founded in 2008 by music mogul Jimmy Iovine and rapper Dr. Dre, and initially only made headphones manufactured by Monster Cable. It later began producing its own hardware, including noise-cancelling headphones and its Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker. What do you guys think of this acquisition?

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Til then...

xoxo Nash

The Apple App Store, which remains the largest repository of mobile applications, will be crossing another milestone in a few days - that is a whopping 50 billion app downloads. Like before, Apple will be giving away a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to the person who will be making the 50 billionth app download.

Image by Apple

While this is a matter of luck, iOS users still must not fret as Apple will also be giving the next 50 app downloaders a $500 App Store Gift Card. Not bad at all! Although Apple calls these App Store Gift Cards, you could also use them to download other content such as music, movies, TV shows, and books.

Last year, when the App Store crossed the 20 billion downloads milestone, the winner was given a $10,000 gift card and received a phone call from Apple's CEO, Tim Cook. If you don't have an iOS device and would still want to participate in the said promo, you can fill out the form on their website and become part of a lucky draw to win a $500 gift card.

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Til then...

xoxo Nash

When Apple updated its iOS devices to iOS 6, native applications created by Google, such as the YouTube app and the Maps app, were removed. Despite Apple replacing the Google Maps app with its own Maps app, iOS users felt that it was not enough due to the latter's shortcomings. Finally, after a very long wait, Google has brought back the YouTube app for iPad and the Maps app for iPhone and iPod touch. Hopefully, a Maps app for the iPad is also in the works.

1. YouTube for iPad - Watch the world’s videos and keep up with your favorite YouTube channels with the official YouTube app for iOS. Sign in to access your subscriptions, playlists, uploads and more.

DOWNLOAD HERE

2. Google Maps for iPhone/iPod touch - Navigate your world with Google Maps, now available for iPhone. Get comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps with built-in Google local search, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, public transit directions, Street View and more. Use Google Maps to discover great places to eat, drink, shop and play, with ratings and reviews from people you trust. Sign in to save your favorite places and quickly access all your past searches and directions from your computer, right on your phone.

DOWNLOAD HERE

There you have it guys! I'm sure iOS users are rejoicing now.

Til then...

xoxo Nash

iTunes has undergone a major facelift and I think, it's about time. And unlike most of Apple's product debuts, this one came with no fanfare. So, what's new with iTunes 11? Is it worth the upgrade? Definitely! Moreover, it's free. Join me as I break down to you the changes that iTunes 11 has brought to the table.

So what is iTunes? For those who do not know, iTunes is a free app that lets you organize and play digital music and video on your computer. It’s also a store that has everything you need to be entertained. That makes it the perfect place to listen, watch, read, play, explore, and shop.

Image by Apple

The iTunes player keeps all your music, movies, and TV shows all in one place. Instead of going through stacks and stacks of CDs, you can import them into iTunes and quickly browse your whole collection. Organize it any way you want.

So what things have changed in iTunes 11? Well, first, the player has been redesigned. iTunes now features simplified views of exactly what you want. Looking for an album? Click Music and that’s all you’ll see. Do the same for movies, TV shows, apps, and everything else. It’s browsing made more intuitive.

Image by Apple

The iTunes player now features an Expanded View. Select one of your albums and now it will expand in place. That means you can see all the songs on the album, click Play, and keep right on browsing without having to click back to your library. You’ll also see In the Store recommendations for similar albums you’ll want to check out.

Image by Apple

Then we have the iTunes MiniPlayer, which I think has a pretty useful interface. Apple has managed to squeezed more features into an even smaller MiniPlayer. Now you can click the Up Next button to see which songs are playing next. And if what you see isn’t what you’re in the mood for, you can search your collection and choose a different song without having to open your library.

Image by Apple

Then you'll also get some bonus features. Good recommendations are easy to come by, thanks to In the Store picks. Just select an album, artist, or genre you like, and iTunes will suggest similar music you might never have found on your own. Already know what you want to hear? The new Up Next feature in iTunes lets you select a song and easily queue it to play next. Or last.

Image by Apple

It wasn't only the iTunes player that has been redesigned, the same goes for the iTunes Store. It has been redesigned for your Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, so it looks and works the same wherever you shop. Easy-to-browse shelves serve up popular music, movies, TV shows, and more. And all the features you know and love are even easier to get to.

Image by Apple

And now, iCloud does even more! With iCloud, you can access your content on all your devices. And now, when you buy an album, song, movie, or TV show on any device, it’s instantly accessible in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC. Just double‑click to play. Or if you’re going offline say, taking your notebook on a plane, click the new Download button and bring a copy with you.

Image by Apple

iTunes Match is also here to stay. It still lets you store your entire music collection, even songs you’ve imported from CDs, in iCloud. From there, you can access your music from any of your devices and listen to your entire library, wherever you are. All for just $24.99 a year.

Image by Apple

iTunes 11 is also compatible with the Apple TV. Apple TV lets you choose from thousands of current and classic movies and TV shows from iTunes, many in stunning 1080p HD, on your widescreen TV. You can play your music collection, view your photos, and listen to podcasts right from the big screen, too. And if you’re an iTunes Match subscriber, just click Music to play your favorite tracks.

Image by Apple

And yes, there are the gift cards. iTunes Gift Cards let them choose anything on the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store. They are perfect for gifting this holiday season.

Image by Apple

iTunes is compatible with both Mac and Windows-powered devices. You may download them here.

Images and most of the text above taken from Apple's website unless stated otherwise.

Til then...

xoxo Nash

Just when you thought that this is actually a new generation of the iPod shuffle, think again! The iPod shuffle may have undergone change but it was very minor - a change in color to be exact.

Image by Apple

Voila! The iPod shuffle is now available in seven interesting colors! Slate, Silver, Purple, Pink, Yellow, Green, and Blue. There's also an eighth color, which is Red, provided you buy your new iPod shuffle from Apple Online Store.

Image by Apple

The iPod shuffle has retained its sleek anodized aluminum body and is still small, light, and wearable (unlike the new iPod nano, which has become bigger and could no longer be used as a wrist watch). You can still play music of various formats, audiobooks, and podcasts. Its playback time is up to 15 hours depending on usage. Just a side story: I usually use my iPod shuffle while working out and only when working out, so it lasts for about a week for me. Not bad!

Image by Apple

The iPod shuffle also has a few tricks up its sleeves. It does VoiceOver, which is basically reading out loud the title of the song and the name of the artist. You can activate this by pressing the VoiceOver button once. Press it twice and you'll hear the battery status of your iPod shuffle.

Image by Apple

Just like before, it only comes in a 2GB model, which is good enough for a dedicated music player as portable as the iPod shuffle. Did I mention that you can also create playlists on your iPod shuffle?

Image by Apple

In the US, it retails for US$49, which is really affordable and definitely worth your money! Unfortunately, with that price, it will not ship with the new Apple EarPods, which costs another US$29 on the Apple Online Store.

Image by Apple

So, there you have it!

Please check out my review on the iPhone 5, the new iPod touch, the new iPod nano, and iOS 6.

Images above taken from Apple's website unless stated otherwise.

Til then...

xoxo Nash

There are a lot of applications (that are free and for a fee) in both the Apple App Store (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android). What many of you may not know is that some of these apps become FREE for a limited time. So what are you waiting for? Go to your favorite app store now and get them while they're hot!

For iOS (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad), apps FREE for a limited time include:

1. Temple Run: BRAVE

Gameplay is essentially the same as the original Temple Run. The only difference would be the main character (Merida), her equipped bow-and-arrow for shooting targets, and Mordu the bear (the one who chases her). Coins can still be collected while running, which could then be used to buy power-ups and whatnot. If you don't feel like running, then you could just purchase the coins from the app itself as an in-app purchase. Temple Run: BRAVE is based on the animated film BRAVE by Disney and Pixar.

This will surely be your new favorite running game on your iOS device.

Price: ~~$0.99~~ FREE

DOWNLOAD

2. Smart Office 2

You can use this app to view, edit, and create Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. Controls are clever and user interface is neat. Plus, there's no other app like this on the App Store, which is available for free.

View, edit, create MS Office files anywhere you go!

Price: $9.99 (Update: Unfortunately, it is no longer FREE)

DOWNLOAD FOR A FEE

For Samsung Galaxy S III, through the Samsung App Market, apps FREE for a limited time include:

1. Asphalt 7: Heat

This is a much-improved version of its predecessor Asphalt 6, which was my then favorite car-racing game on my iPad. Asphalt 7 brings a lot of graphics improvements and more cars to choose from.

Race to the finish line with Asphalt 7: Heat

PRICE: ~~$0.99~~ FREE

DOWNLOAD

2. Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

This is the best, most realistic smartphone FPS series with higher intensity and an apocalyptic battle for the freedom of the United States, for one or more players.

A First-Person Shooter Game

PRICE: ~~$6.99~~ FREE

DOWNLOAD

3. Shadowgun: The Left Over

Shadowgun puts you into the role of John Slade, the galaxy's most infamous bounty hunter. Your mission is to hunt down Dr. Edgar Simon, maniacal genius and leader of his own mutant army, using state-of-the-art weaponry, ships, and the assistance of S.A.R.A. Shadowgun combines intense tactical combat with 3rd person action.

Get it while it's free!

PRICE: ~~$4.99~~ FREE

DOWNLOAD

NOTE: The Samsung Galaxy S III apps mentioned above take a lot of space. 2 of them are more than 1GB each. So be wary if you have low internal memory.

That's it guys!

Til then...

xoxo Nash