Omio

Play.com Offers DRM-Free iTunes Alternative, Backing From The Big Four Labels

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (565)

With the major record labels of Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner finally secured, Play.com’s digital download service is set to be the first to truly challenge iTunes - but with the added allure of no DRM.

PlayDigital offers over 3 million tracks to download, spanning the gamut of new releases as well as a bulging back catalogue of tunes, free to play on any MP3 compatible device - including mobiles - with no fear of licencing restriction.

Wendy Snowdon, Head of PlayDigital states: “It was only a matter of time before the other three major labels came on board and we now have an offer to rival that of iTunes, yet in a format that gives the consumer choice and at a more appealing price.”

Despite the existence of alternatives like HMV and Amazon’s online MP3 store, none have had the variety of music that iTunes had offered. With singles priced from 65p and albums a clear quid cheaper than iTunes at £4.99, seems like Play.com can deliver a lot more than mobile phone release dates!

Source: WebUser

iPhone Phones Home?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (565)

Clever hacker types have managed to burrow deep into the new iPhone 2.0 firmware, and have discovered a URL currently lying dormant inside which links back to apple.com…

What they found there was a file called “unauthorisedApps”, meaning that iPhones could well be checking back to Apple HQ to ensure everything is working correctly, and more scarily that nothing is installed on the machine that isn’t supposed to be.

And if it does find something amiss? Seems like they are fully capable of pulling the plug on something they do not agree with, even if you managed to grab it off iTunes before they saw the error of their ways like ‘I Am Rich’ or must-soon-be-removed stabbing emulator ‘Slasher’.

The functionality may not be working just jet, but it’s already in there waiting for Apple to flip the switch! And with the unprecedented fequency of phone firmware updates via iTunes, you can’t delay it but not avoid it entirely!

What if they decide to turn off jailbroken handsets? Uh-oh….

Source: The Register

iPhone To Change Its Tune?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (565)

Who genuinely likes the ‘marimba’ ringtone on the iPhone? Who even knows what a marimba is, or whether they exist at all? We don’t. And yet it’s a statistical fact (from an Omio office poll) that 100% of iPhone users have it as their ringtone due to the fact that – unbelievably – it is the least offensive noise their mobile can make. Thankfully all that could be about to change, with the announcement that Apple are in negotiations with the major music labels to improve one of the phone’s few shortcomings. According to the New York Times, Apple are looking to offer much needed alternatives to both ringtones and ‘ringback’ tones, the latter being a more melodic replacement for the noise heard before a call is answered. Despite methods existing to create free ringtones for the iPhone, these new ones will cost you. Apple would be fond of selling more of these, as taking a tiny part of a 99¢ song and turning it into a ringtone costs…99¢. However, the exciting part is the Zune Pass-style subscription service that Universal Music seems eager to convince Apple to integrate, just in time for the 3G iteration. This, combined with the new generation iPhone using technology allowing anytime/anywhere music streaming, could mean a phone with an immense selection of tunes wherever you are, at a much more reasonable cost than even iTunes. Good times!

Source: New York Times

Bold move for the new BlackBerry…

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (565)

It seems that RIM are not playing nice when it comes to taking Apple on this time around. Distinctly unimpressed with their arch-nemesis taking a healthy slice of the PDA pie with the iPhone, the new Bold (née 9000) is going to take the fight to their opponent’s home turf with “Blackberry Media Sync”. Yup, it lets you hook up with iTunes, allowing playback of your music whilst reading fiscal reports, or whatever it is important folk are always scrolling through on the train. Our guess? It’ll work for about as long as it will take Apple to cook up the next iTunes update. Apple’s love for DRM definitely makes for an end of term report which reads “does not play well with others.” However, it’s one more (much needed) plus point for RIM’s newest smartphone, and the Bold’s powerful internal speaker does provide the salary man with ammunition against the street urchins playing ‘Umbrella’ full blast on public transport.

Source : CNET