Beats Music Launches Jan. 21 For $10 Per Month

Beats Music today announced the pending launch of an online and mobile streaming music service. Beats Music will be available to Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices for $9.99 per month. The subscription fee grants users unlimited access to 20 million tracks, including streaming and downloads for offline playback. Beats Music will offer dozens of curated music stations, as well as allow consumers to create their own. The service will offer a Just for You function which offers a personalized selection of albums and playlists based on user tastes.

Right Now, which is a continuous playlist made from the user's location, preferences, surroundings, and mood.

 Highlights, which is made from current and culturally aware playlists; and Find It, a search function that pulls out playlists and songs. 

According to Beats, it is paying all artists the same royalties for their music. The service runs on the platform built by MOG, which was bought by Beats Audio in 2012. Single lines can test the service for free for one month, after which the monthly subscription kicks in. Beats Music also announced a collaboration with AT&T. 

Beats Music for AT&T customers will cost $15 per month and targets families or other groups that use Mobile Share plans. Beats Music for AT&T gives up to five people unlimited streaming and song downloads per month. AT&T is offering families a free 90-day trial, but there is no free version of Beats Music it's all or nothing. Potential customers do not need to have Beats headphones in order to subscribe to Beats Music. Beats Music will become available January 21.

Source: Beats Music

HP Rumored To Be Prepping Affordable Android Phone

Report's form 9to5Google claims that HP is prepping a new low cost Android smartphone that could be introduced as soon as next week.

This handset is described as being similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and is expected to target prepaid and emerging markets with a $200 price point.

HP hasn't released a new smartphone since the company purchased Palm and its webOS mobile operating system in 2010 and subsequently released a few devices that ran the software, including the HP Veer and HP TouchPad. It discontinued operations on webOS hardware in late 2011, and recently sold webOS to LG.

Source: 9to5Google

Moto G Now Available Online At Verizon for $99

Motorola’s most affordable prepaid phone, the Moto G, is now available online at Verizon for $99.99 without a contract. Keep in mind the Moto G only works on Verizon’s 3G network, not 4G LTE, and also can’t be taken to another network. 

Source: Verizon Wireless

Yahoo Acquires Beta Launcher Aviate, Offers 25,000 Beta Spots

Yahoo announced today at the company’s CES press conference that it has acquired Aviate, the contextually-aware launcher replacement for Android devices.

Aviate, which raised a $1.8 million round of funding last year from venture capital firms, has generated a lot of buzz for evoking Google Now in the way it adjusts home screens depending on location and time of day. While at a workplace, for example, Aviate provides shortcuts to apps for business, but at a local attraction, the widgets and icons may change to a check-in service like Foursquare. Such “activities” are customizable, but limited by the types of apps installed; no OpenTable, for instance, means restaurant reservations won’t be displayed. To remedy this and monetize, Aviate intended to offer app recommendations in the future, although it’s unclear if Yahoo has other plans.

How Yahoo intends to leverage Aviate’s technology, the company didn’t elaborate. However, Yahoo is clearly in a celebratory mood, because it’s offering beta spots to 25,000 new users (Use the code “YAHOO” when signing up).

Redesigned TouchWiz UI Shown In Leaked Screenshots

Samsung introduced its new Galaxy Pro lineup of tablets, it also showed a redesigned TouchWiz tablet interface. This morning, notorious leaker @evleaks has post some images of a redesigned TouchWiz interface for smartphones. 

At this point it’s unclear which version of Android this skin is meant to run on. We will be sure to release an update when more details are made official. 

Sprint Introduces New “Framily” Plans

Sprint announced a new offer that allows up to ten “framily” (that’s friends+family) members to share a common plan. The “framily” plan (yes, they’re really calling it that) offers unlimited talk and text for up to ten people, even if they don’t live in the same household, as required by many previous family plans. Each member of the “framily” will also get 1 GB of data each as long as they don’t roam onto another network.

Unlike old family plans, “framily” plans allow everyone to get a separate bill sent to their homes. As you add more people to your group, the bill drops by $5 for everyone, and goes as low as $25 per month if you have seven or more “framily” members. The plans will be available in Sprint retail stores starting on January 10th.

Leaked Images Of Nokia’s Normandy Android UI

Nokia's project to get Android on low cost smartphones got real today with yet another leak of the phones, this time with some OS shots. If what we’re seeing is legit, as most evleaks are, this one has two SIM card slots and a thick customized overlay.

Follow Our Google+ Communities Page

We have just launched our very own Google+ communities page, please be sure to join our community and start talking.

Don't forget pass on the word to your family and friend as well... "The Phone Ninja" has a Google+ communities page.

Source: "The Phone Ninja" Google+ Communities link

Google Acquires Bitspin, The Company Behind Timely

Bitspin has announced that it has been acquired by Google. Bitspin is the company behind the popular Timely alarm clock app, which has become one of the most popular and well designed apps on the Google Play Store. It has received an overall rating of 4.4 stars out of 5.

As for the future of Timely, Bitspin says it will remain on the Play Store, though it shouldn’t receive any major feature updates. Also, all content that was once behind an in-app purchase is now free, such as sounds, themes, and challenges.

We assume Google went after Bitspin for their excellent design taste, which happens to fit right in with Google’s vision. We can only imagine that the Bitspin developers will spend some time tweaking the design of various aspects of Android’s interface in the future.

Source: Google Play Store

Win A Motorola Moto X And One Year Of Free Service Courtesy Of Republic Wireless

Republic is offering a specially designed Motorola Moto X for $299. The phone is made to handle hybrid calling. For $99, you can buy a beta version of the Motorola DEFY XT that is water, dust, and scratch resistant.

Now to the contest. There are three ways to enter... On Twitter, follow Republic Wireless and send a tweet to @RepublicWirelss. Make sure you use the hashtag #MotoXGiveaway and tweet the reason why you want to win the phone and the service. Those who members of the Republic Wireless community can send an email to contest@republicwireless.com, and include your community username. Or go to Republic's Facebook page to enter.

Entries are accepted until 11:59pm EST on January 12th. Each method of entering (email, Facebook or Twitter) will have one winner who will receive the phone and the service. Now here is the thing about the free service. The winner will get 12 months of the $10 a month service which gives you unlimited talk and text over a cell network and Wi-Fi, and unlimited data over Wi-Fi only.

#MotoXGiveaway


Source: Republic Wireless entry page