Apps

What's New

Tuning in to the Rdio iPad App

The most social of the subscription music services is set to be first in the App Store
- By Michael Berk
- Posted July 28, 2011
While Spotify and MOG have been getting the lion's share of the press, Rdio has been running a perfectly useful little subscription streaming music service for almost a year now. Overlooked by many (admittedly, even by S+V) in the glare surrounding the arrival of Spotify in the U.S., Rdio is now poised to be the first streaming service to release an iPad app.

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Android on Wheels

With Harman's announcement of dashboard support, Google takes their show on the road.
- By Ken C. Pohlmann
- Posted July 21, 2011
Attention all you iPhone weenies: Brace yourself for a dose of reality.

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Streaming Deathmatch: Spotify Premium vs. MOG

The reigning champ takes on the greatest thing since Wasa bread
- By Al Griffin
- Posted July 19, 2011
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Sometimes the mere fact of something being inaccessible can enhance its value — a lot. Take Spotify, for example. For years we’ve wondered when music labels would finally allow the European online music service to make its supposed 15 million-track library available here. That day has finally arrived.

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Road Gear

Car electronics let you do it all on the street.
- By Ken C. Pohlmann
- Posted July 14, 2011
I have two cars but only a one-car garage. As you might expect, my favorite car (a red 1968 Porsche 911 Targa) gets the garage. Plus, since it’s vintage, it deserves indoor parking. From a performance standpoint, that car is still impressive. It’s lightweight, with lots of horsepower, and since the laws of physics haven’t changed in the last 4 decades, it can blow away most modern cars.

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iControl Your Life

Remote contact via iPad is a beautiful thing indeed.
- By John Sciacca
- Posted July 13, 2011
Some people immediately get that the iPad can become the controller for an automation system, allowing them to control not only their audio/video gear but also their lights, HVAC, security, and irrigation systems.

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AudioTool — the Ultimate Audio App for Android

$6.99 and worth every penny
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted July 11, 2011
I haven’t tried every audio-oriented app for Android phones, but I’ve tried a bunch. Not surprisingly, the one I like best by far costs $6.99, which for an Android app is a truly Rolls Royce price. Yet it’s also the most insane deal of all time for DIY audio measurement software.

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OpEd: Ownership in the Age of the Cloud

Is convenience just another word for nothing left to lose?
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted July 6, 2011
I am not a luddite. In fact, barring cybernetic augmentations (bring 'em on), I'd say I'm about as far from a luddite as one could be. I love technology. Thanks to my job, I'm often the first of my circle to have the latest gadget. I've got tons of Apple iStuff, a beloved Android phone, an oversized HDTV, 18MP DSLR, and yadda yadda.
Yet, I still buy CDs.

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"Golden Years" Remixed — for your turntable and your iPhone

Bowie's classic track, revisited by KCRW DJs and app developers iKlax
- By Michael Berk
- Posted June 7, 2011
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Review: Sonos S5 ZonePlayer and 3.4 System Update

AirPlay support and an Android app keep the wireless pioneer current
- By Michael Berk
- Posted May 23, 2011
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Pioneer's New Receivers Really Love Apple

The new line is very iFriendly, makes AirPlay a little more accessible.
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted March 8, 2011
DVD, say your prayers. Blu-ray Disc, better get your affairs in order. Judging from the new A/V receivers Pioneer introduced on Monday at the W Hotel in San Francisco, one could easily conclude that the old "hard" media formats have pretty much played out.

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Comcast XFINITY TV APP Streams onto the iPad

This download is a no-brainer for iPad-toting Comcast subscribers, but it's not perfect.
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted February 16, 2011
If you're a Comcast subscriber and an iPad user, make sure you download the XFINITY TV app. While not the streaming app widely hoped for, it's at least partially there. The killer feature is that it lets Comcast subscribers stream TV to their iPad from anywhere there's a WiFi signal. No 3G streaming yet. Before you get too excited, there's some limitations.

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Death of the Remote

Will it be outsmarted by the smartphone?
- By Ken C. Pohlmann
- Posted January 26, 2011
Ah, the remote control. The gizmo that gets no respect. Lost under the sofa cushions, berated when its batteries are dead, made into a chew toy by the dog, cursed at for having too many buttons, cursed at for having too few. And now the poor thing seems destined to become yet another fine piece of technological roadkill.

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