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Friday 14 January 2011

Spotify Launching In The U.S. At Last? [ 14-01-2011 18:45 ]

Author: Serge Novikov Source: New York Post Translation by: Paul Smith

Despite almost constant speculation and various false starts there has been about as much chance of Spotify launching in the U.S. as there has been of the Pope writing the foreward to Richard Dawkins new book. However, we are maybe, and I do stress the word 'maybe' very strongly, on the cusp of the actual American Spotify launch.

The New York Post is reporting that Spotify have secured the backing of Sony in America and are just days away from signing a deal with them. The Post also reports that in addition to Sony Spotify has the support of another, unnamed, record label. An anonymous music industry executive told the Post "Spotify is launching in the US, for sure. They've got the deals now".

The main problem for Spotify has been the record labels so if they really have managed to get them onboard this time it should mean the way is clear for a full blown launch. The labels have been wary of models that essentially give away music for free through advertising support as similar projects have failed in the past. Spotify, however, seems to be doing pretty well across Europe and with America being the world's biggest market for music it's a vital market for Spotify to get involved in.

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LG: Win Phone 7 Not Doing As Well As We Hoped [ 14-01-2011 18:29 ]

Author: Serge Novikov Source: Pocket-lint Translation by: Paul Smith

In the aftermath of the Windows Phone 7 launch there was much speculation as to how well the platform was doing, speculation only heightened by the fact that Microsoft wasn't forthcoming with sales figures. In an interview with Pocket-lint LG have shed some light on the platform's prospects though and the result seems to be something of a mixed bag.

James Choi, LG's marketing stratgey and planning team director, started by saying that Windows Phone 7 hasn't been performing as well as had been hoped.

"From an industry perspective we had a high expectation, but from a consumer point of view the visibility is less than we expected"

Uh oh! That's not sounding too good. Choi explained his comments by saying that whilst Windows Phone 7 appealled to many customers who perhaps found Android 'too complicated' to use there was a problem with this approach because that ease of use is apparently leading some to label it boring:

"For tech guys like us it might be a little bit boring after a week or two, but there are certain segments that it really appeals to."

Choi did affirm that LG would continue to support Windows Phone 7 as it wanted a balanced portfolio with some networks and retailers saying there was too much Android in their line-up. Choi went on to say that Windows Phone 7 should start to see better growth once mid-range lower tier options become available, of course that would presumably mean Microsoft changing the minimum specs requirements for the platform.

So a bit of a mixed bag really. It looks like Windows Phone 7 isn't appealling to the techie crowd, not a great proposition when it's positioned as a high-end platform. LG seem optimisitc enough about its prospects to continue supporting it though. Microsoft would do well to listen to this sort of critique as the platform is probably their best shot at remaining relevant in the mobile space.

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Gingerbread Bringing Google Music Sync? [ 14-01-2011 18:26 ]

Author: Irina Turina Source: GizmoFusion Translation by: Paul Smith

Last year's Google I/O event titillated us with the possibility of some cloud based music action for Android, but sice then there's been next to no advancement on that prospect. Well GizmoFusion have gotten their paws on a screenshot of a music sync option in Android.

They claim the screenshot comes from a device running Gingerbread, presumably some updated version not publicly available yet, and it clearly shows a music sync option embedded within Android's settings alongside the likes of the more familiar Gmail and Contacts syncing options.

Obviously one screenshot does not a rumour confirm, but nevertheless this could be a feature of Android 2.4. If so it looks like music will be as much a part of Android as other Google services.