Google Music Ready to Take on iTunes With Warner Agreement

Google is gearing up to go toe-to-toe with Apple and Amazon in MP3 sales.
The company announced Monday that Warner Music Group agreed to begin selling its catalog of songs through Google Play. All four major U.S. record labels have now signed on to Google’s music, video and app retailing platform.

Google launched its music offering, which allows users to upload and play their existing library to the cloud as well as purchase music, last November. The service was hampered by its lack of selection, however, making Amazon’s Cloud Player the superior option for Android users. (iTunes is not available on Android devices.)
Google also said it would begin selling movies in Canada, the UK, France, Spain and Australia on Monday, as well as music in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain on Nov. 13.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the unveiling of Google’s new line of Nexus devices: a Nexus 4 smartphone, a 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet and a 10-inch Nexus 10 tablet.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, ShaneKato

iOS 6 Is Out Now: Here’s What to Do First

Apple is starting to roll out iOS 6 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
The new version of the OS brings lots of new features — including Apple’s brand new Maps app, deep integration with Facebook and enhancements to Siri.
As with iOS 5, Apple is making the the update available as an over-the-air (OTA) download. If you don’t have access to the download now, check again in a few minutes.
Users will also have the option of upgrading from within iTunes, if you prefer that method.

Before downloading and installing the update, there are a few housekeeping items you might want to take care of first.

• Download the latest version of iTunes 10.7 — This will add iOS 6 compatibility to your software
• Back up your photos and important files. Even if you use iCloud, consider doing a full backup in iTunes, just in case.
• If you don’t already have a copy of your contacts and calendars on your Mac or PC, go ahead and back those up too.
• Find your power. Apple won’t let you update your device if you don’t have a minimum amount of power. The updates are fairly large, at over 500MB per device — so go ahead and plug into some power before starting the update.

Apple tends to do fairly well with OTA updates but problems can happen. If you don’t need to have iOS 6 right this second, waiting a few hours for the update isn’t a bad idea.
Are you able to download iOS 6? Let us know how your upgrade is progressing!

New iPod Touch Has Siri, Larger Screen

Playing up the camera angle, Apple has even made it easy to attach a camera strap to the back of the device.

As for video, users can now record in 1080p on the iPod touch. The device will share the iPhone 5′s dual-band 802.11n network, as well as Bluetooth 4.0.

For Apple TV owners, it will also now support AirPlay mirroring.

Siri is also coming to the iPod touch — another first for the device.

It gets better. The iPod touch will now be available in multiple colors and each color comes with a matching camera loop. The colors include, black, white, blue, yellow and red.

We’ve been hearing for years that the iPod touch is particularly popular with kids. The addition of colors and camera features certainly makes it clear that Apple understands that market.

The new iPod touch will be available in October. A 32GB version will sell for $299, a 64GB for $399.

Are you interested in buying a new iPod touch? Let us know in the comments.