cloud

Software
June 28, 2011
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Microsoft launches cloud-based Office 365

By on June 28, 2011 at 11:00 AM.

Microsoft launches cloud-based Office 365

Moments ago, Microsoft officially released its new cloud-based Office product, Office 365, which will compete directly with Google Docs. The Office 365 suite, which has been in public beta for awhile now, is being targeted at the enterprise market and plans for the entire suite cost between $10 and $27 each month depending on the feature set chosen. Small and medium-sized businesses can also choose a more cost effective $6 option that only includes Office Web Apps and Microsoft Exchange. Those options, however, are all more expensive than the $50 annual fee that Google charges corporate users for access to its Google Docs suite. Microsoft’s full press release follows below. More →

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Business
June 21, 2011
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Apple’s iCloud senior manager quits to join startup

By on June 21, 2011 at 9:55 PM.

Apple’s iCloud senior manager quits to join startup

Apple’s senior manager in charge of its new iCloud solution has left the company to join online healthcare startup HealthTeacher. John Herbold held senior positions on the iCloud team and the MobileMe team before that, and he worked on a number of other projects while at Apple. Herbold joins HealthTeacher as Vice President of Product, focusing on digital engagement. “John has a proven background of engaging audiences across the devices we use to learn,play, socialize and be entertained,” said Scott McQuigg, CEO of HealthTeacher, in a statement. “Applying his experience developing world-class interactive products, John will lead our efforts tobroaden digital engagement with kids, their families and their teachers, all focused on measurably improving youth health.” HealthTeacher, according to the company’s website, is a service for school teachers that helps them provide health promotion, disease prevention, social/emotional wellness and safety resources to students. HealthTeacher’s full press release follows below. More →

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mobile
June 10, 2011
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Apple’s iCloud service not launching in U.K. until 2012

By on June 10, 2011 at 8:58 AM.

Apple’s iCloud service not launching in U.K. until 2012

Apple’s new iCloud service — announced during Steve Jobs’ WWDC keynote on Monday — will not launch in the United Kingdom until at least the first quarter of 2012. A representative from the Performing Right Society (PRS), an association of songwriters, music publishers, and composers in the United Kingdom told The Telegraph that negotiations with Apple are still at a “very early stage.”

The licensing team at the PRS have started talks with Apple, but are a long way off from any deals being signed … It is very much the early stages of the negotiations and is similar to the launch of iTunes – which began in the US and took a while to roll out to other countries

iCloud will launch in tandem with iOS 5 in the United States this fall. More →

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Live Coverage
June 6, 2011
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Live from Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote with Steve Jobs!

By on June 6, 2011 at 12:20 PM.

Live from Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote with Steve Jobs!

Welcome one and all to BGR’s live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote! Apple CEO Steve Jobs is on hand to unveil the latest Apple has to offer, and we’re expecting a huge event despite the fact that Apple is not expected to reveal a new iPhone model at the show this year. Instead, Apple will focus on software, with the big addition being the company’s new iCloud service. Apple will also show off more OS X Lion details during the keynote, but we have to admit: we’re much more anxious to see Apple show off iOS 5 for the first time. We think iOS 5 is going to be the most significant update to the platform since Apple introduced the App Store alongside iOS 2.0. A completely rebuilt notification system, basic widget functionality, a new automatic app update delivery mechanism and deep social integration are among the changes we’ll be looking for, but we’re certain that Apple has a few surprises up its sleeve as well. Hit the break for our live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote for the latest updates! More →

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Featured
June 6, 2011
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We’re live from WWDC 2011!

By on June 6, 2011 at 10:00 AM.

We’re live from WWDC 2011!

BGR has landed on the left coast to bring you live coverage of one of the most anticipated tech events of the year: Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference 2011 keynote. Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be on hand with the usual suspects at his side to give the world its first look at the future of Apple software. In uncharacteristic fashion, Apple let the cat out of the bag ahead of the show this year — well, part of the cat, at least — so we know we’re in store for some goodies surrounding iOS 5, Mac OS X Lion and of course, iCloud. We’re sure the crew from Cupertino has a few surprises up its sleeve, of course, so be sure to tune in for all the latest news as it breaks.

Bookmark this link and make sure to head there for our live coverage of Steve Jobs’ keynote! Coverage starts at or around 12:30 p.m. EDT / 9:30 a.m. PDT.

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Events
June 3, 2011
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Tune in to our WWDC 2011 live coverage from San Francisco on Monday at 9:30AM PDT

By on June 3, 2011 at 6:37 PM.

Tune in to our WWDC 2011 live coverage from San Francisco on Monday at 9:30AM PDT

That’s right, we’ll be at Moscone in downtown San Francisco on Monday covering Apple’s annual WWDC conference live! Apple already tipped its hat as to what Steve Jobs and co. will be speaking on, but let’s not kid ourselves… it’s sure to be the biggest WWDC keynote in recent years. Mac OS X Lion 10.7 will be shown, iOS 5 will be revealed for the first time — most likely with major, major changes — and Apple’s iCloud service will make its debut among other announcements. Make sure to follow along with our liveblog starting around 9:30 a.m. PDT / 12:30 p.m. EDT on Monday at the address below (it won’t be live until then!).

Live from Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote with Steve Jobs!

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Breaking
May 31, 2011
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Steve Jobs to unveil iOS 5, iCloud, OS X Lion at WWDC next week

By on May 31, 2011 at 8:54 AM.

Steve Jobs to unveil iOS 5, iCloud, OS X Lion at WWDC next week

Apple confirmed on Tuesday that CEO Steve Jobs will be on hand at the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference next week to unveil Apple’s next-generation software. Jobs and other Apple executives will finally take the wraps off iOS 5, the highly anticipated software update iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users around the world have been clamoring for. Among the enhancements expected to be revealed are widgets and a completely revamped notification system. Apple will also detail its new iCloud offering, and while the company did not elaborate on the offering, it is expected to be a suite of cloud-based services that will include a streaming music service backed by major record labels in the U.S. Finally, Apple said it will provide new details surrounding Lion, the eighth major release of the Mac OS X operating system. Hit the break for Apple’s full press release.

More →

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General
May 27, 2011
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Apple’s ‘iCloud’ music service gets detailed

By on May 27, 2011 at 4:29 PM.

Apple’s ‘iCloud’ music service gets detailed

Apple is expected to finally unveil its cloud-based music service next month at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. Unlike similar products recently introduced by Google and Amazon that feature limited utility, Apple is thought to have deals in place with major record labels that will allow it to offer a paid service and a simplified library building process. The service has been rumored to be in development for years, and now Bloomberg Businessweek has supposedly spilled the beans, detailing exactly how the offering will work. Citing anonymous sources who were briefed on Apple’s talks with record labels, Apple’s cloud music service will constantly scan a user’s iTunes library and mirror the songs on Apple servers. The user will then be able to stream the music to any PC, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and some day, even to a car. While the appeal of such a service might be questionable due to the ever-increasing storage capacity of Apple’s portable iOS devices, it is believed that Apple plans to charge a monthly fee for the service. More →

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mobile
May 26, 2011
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Google Music for Android updated

By on May 26, 2011 at 7:10 PM.

Google Music for Android updated

Google has updated its brand new Google Music application for Android application with one change that will be welcome to many users. It’s now possible to delete songs directly from your microSD card — an option that was frustratingly missing from the original launch — and it should include bug fixes as well. The search engine announced Google Music in tandem with its new Music Beta cloud storage platform earlier this month, and if you haven’t given it a try yet we highly suggest that you do. The app’s user interface is a large improvement over the default Android music player. The update is free and is available in the Android Market now.

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mobile
May 26, 2011
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mSpot launches Radio Spotter Beta music service, complimentary Android app

By on May 26, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

mSpot launches Radio Spotter Beta music service, complimentary Android app

mSpot just took the wraps off of its new Radio Spotter Beta app for Android, which will allow users to listen to their own cloud-based music, as well as tunes from streaming radio stations. It works like this: you can match any song you’re playing from your own collection to a radio station to continue playing similar music, or you can select a specific radio station based on genre directly from the application itself. There’s even a new mSpot Music Android application with the built-in Radio Spotter support, so you can take your stations on the go, too. mSpot provides 5GB of space free to new users, but you can sign up for 40GB for $3.99 per month if you have a larger music collection. The company says an iPhone version of the application with Radio Spotter support will launch later this year. Hit the jump for the full release from mSpot. More →

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General
May 20, 2011
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Apple strikes deal with Sony for cloud music service, report claims

By on May 20, 2011 at 9:21 AM.

Apple strikes deal with Sony for cloud music service, report claims

Apple has now reportedly signed three of four major U.S. record labels as it prepares to launch a new cloud-based streaming music service in the near future. According to Bloomberg, Apple has inked a deal with Sony that will allow the label’s massive catalog to be used alongside a forthcoming streaming product Apple will likely unveil next month. The news comes just one day after Apple is said to have finalized a similar deal with EMI. Google recently unveiled its Music Beta by Google service and before that, Amazon launched its Cloud Drive and Cloud Player products. Neither service is accompanied by deals with record labels, however, so their utility is reduced to providing users with a means to upload music they have purchased elsewhere and then stream it to a variety of devices. With the support of major labels, Apple will be able to introduce a paid service with a great deal of added functionality. “Streaming iTunes” has been rumored to be in development for years, and it looks like Apple is finally ready to make it a reality. More →

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Services
May 19, 2011
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Apple inks cloud-music deal with EMI; Sony, Universal in the works

By on May 19, 2011 at 7:23 AM.

Apple inks cloud-music deal with EMI; Sony, Universal in the works

Apple has completed a cloud-music streaming deal with record label EMI, according to a report filed by CNET. Citing multiple industry sources, the publication notes that Apple, Sony Music Entertainment and the Universal Music Group are working on agreements as well; a previous report claims that Warner Music Group and Apple already signed a cloud service agreement sometime last month. “Apple will finish behind Google and Amazon in the race to the cloud, but Apple now has the freedom to offer a range of features that rivals are prevented from rolling out because of the licensing restrictions,” continues the article. Rumors state that Apple will use a technology acquired from Lala called “scan and match.” Instead of uploading a subscribers music library to Apple’s cloud-music service, the company would scan a music collection and provide access to the master track it has a license to. Apple and the music labels in question declined to comment on the report when contacted by CNET. More →

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mobile
May 13, 2011
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Amazon planning ‘entire family’ of Android devices, possibly a smartphone

By on May 13, 2011 at 6:39 PM.

Amazon planning ‘entire family’ of Android devices, possibly a smartphone

Android is planning to release an “entire family” of Android-powered devices, not just one tablet as originally thought, according to Android and Me. The rumor hasn’t specified whether or not Amazon is planning multiple sized tablets, or a tablet and a new Android-powered eReader, although there’s some speculation that a smartphone could be in the works too. It’s no secret that the company is working on at least one tablet. Earlier this week Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, said “stay tuned” for more information on the product, which is rumored to have been manufactured by Samsung and could launch as early as this summer. However, Android and Me disputes those claims and believes the devices will land closer to the holiday season. Either way, it certainly makes sense for at least one Amazon tablet to exist: the firm has already launched its Unbox movie and TV streaming service, Amazon’s Cloud Player and Cloud Drive for music and data storage, and Kindle for books, all of which fit perfectly on a tablet. More →

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