Shazam: eight million songs of the eternal Now
It's a huge hit on the iPhone, and though we experienced a few quirks during testing, the Shazam music-ID service seems to have gained nothing but goodness by adding 2 million tracks to its knowledge base. We do, however, wish it took a broader view of music history.
The idea is appealing -- let your phone help identify a song you're hearing by transmitting it to a database that can ID it for you. It's a tricky task and there are a lot of services that think they have an angle on it: Midomi lets you sing or hum your track, the Open Music Encyclopedia has a variety of searches for the musically adept, Unknown Track awaits for those quick enough to record a sample, and SongTapper keeps time for those who can only manage percussion.
PeopleBrowsr herds the passing throng
Social butterflies who like the Tweetdeck columns-and-groups model for keeping track of one's connections but need FriendFeed's ability to keep an eye on on other social networks will enjoy PeopleBrowsr, currently in open alpha.
The goal, as PeopleBrowsr's FAQ says, is to bring all one's online identities to one place. When we visited, that meant Twitter, Digg, LinkedIn, Flickr, FriendFeed, Identi.ca, Photobucket, Seesmic, and YouTube. FaceBook support is explicitly mentioned in the QuickTour but wasn't available for our purposes.
Mufin music finder enters public beta, adds widgets
The labs that brought you the MP3 codec have moved their Mufin music-finder project into the public-beta phase, adding two widgets options to its collection.
The Mufin service, which makes tracks-like-this suggestions via algorithm, has worked on usability and bug-hunting since the last time we visited. The drawn-out process of lining up the licenses to play clips of the music seems to be progressing, though slowly; a number of tracks had clips available, but a sizable minority did not.
Bejeweled Twist a gameplay gem for PopCap
After nearly four years, you'd think the PopCap crew would feel good about kicking up their heels at the release of Bejeweled Twist, the third version of their iconic casual game.
But CEO Dave Roberts seemed a bit abashed Monday night, even as a flock of spangled trapeze artists prepared to loft themselves high above a launch-party crowd.
Tab Mix Plus for Firefox 3 stacks up a new version
For those of us who not only need to keep dozens of Firefox tabs open at once but need to see them to remember they exist, Tab Mix Plus' upgrade to Firefox 3 compatibility is some of the week's best news.
Tabs are a great way of managing the multiple threads one follows in the course of a day, but if you operate on an "out of sight, out of mind" basis, Firefox's current horizontal scroll tends to lead to confusion (and, often, resource-wasting tab duplications).
Lala whistles a happy, DRM-free tune
The new Lala music service's great leap forward isn't in offering DRM-free tracks -- it's the acknowledgment that really, 30 seconds isn't enough to know whether you like a song enough to buy it.
Granted, Lala's offering of DRM-free music tracks is clearly another nail in the coffin of the sale of deliberately damaged downloads. But maybe even more importantly, Lala is acknowledging that, really, 30 seconds isn't enough to know whether you like a song -- and it's sure not enough to convince your friends.
Social types Flock to Firefox-based browser
It lacks access to Firefox's vast collection of add-ons, but if your time online centers around social networking, Flock's browser may already have precisely the features you need.
The Flock browser is designed to manage one's ever-expanding presence on social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, and Twitter, along with more traditional online conduits such as Yahoo Mail and Gmail. The software's available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux; for now only English users have a 2.0 version available for download, but there are currently 15 international versions of the previous 1.2.6 edition.
Mufin upends musical expectations for curious listeners
Sign up for the Mufin beta using this special BetaNews invite code now.
Got ears? Willing to roam outside your musical comfort zone? Then you should know the Mufin, man, and we can introduce you.
First look at latest OpenOffice merits a second
World Golf Tour goes a fair way toward great play
Stock market news got you down? Perhaps smacking small round objects in a beautiful setting would soothe your nerves.
World Golf Tour, which enters beta today, is so well-behaved that this reviewer felt like breaking her clubs over her abominable skills rather than the gameplay, and the high-def graphics made me appreciate that she was not on lovely Kiawah Island stinking up a course that gorgeous.
Review: The first Google Chrome beta
Review: Adobe CS3 a Worthy Successor
Adobe’s Creative Suite has reached its third iteration, and CS3 brings with it quite a few changes - some minor and some remarkable. This review will cover the new editions of both Photoshop and Illustrator, the two programs I use the most frequently.
I (Karl Kwasny) am the lead designer for BetaNews (new site is coming soon!) and primarily an illustrator by trade, so I hope that my somewhat unconventional perspective (that is to say, I am not a photographer) might give a fresh angle to the reviews already out there.
Review: Delphi XM MyFi Shows Promise
REVIEW With satellite radio entering the mainstream, it was only a matter of time before we'd see units that would allow the customer to break free from the automobile and home and enjoy their music just about anywhere.
Enter the $350 Delphi XM MyFi. The first radio based on XM Satellite Radio's "xm2go" philosophy, the unit brings a full-featured satellite radio into the size of a cassette walkman. With recording features as well, MyFi is also first device capable of archiving satellite radio programming for later use.
Review: Apple's 17-Inch iMac
Apple has a knack for churning out computers many people wish they could buy. The flat-panel iMac is no exception. The all-in-one computer is an eye-popping spectacle of tasteful but trendy computer design.
But sticker shock sometimes singes the interests of would-be Mac buyers. The entry-level iMac, for example, appears overly priced at $1,199 compared to, say, a Gateway 300S Plus PC for $699 after $100 mail-in rebate.
Review: Gateway Profile 4 vs. Apple iMac
Gateway launched the battle of the all-in-ones in late August, with the debut of a new TV commercial making fun of Apple Computer's iMac. Gateway executives should definitely give their ad agency a bonus. Someone carefully reviewed all the footage created by Apple's ad agency or Pixar Studios in developing a crafty lampoon of the flat-panel iMac. But I have to complain of false advertising on the part of both companies. Despite TV ads showing the Profile 4 doing back flips over the iMac or the iMac dancing about in imitation of an onlooker, my models are motionless. I prodded and poked, but they certainly don't move around. Anyone have the e-mail address for filing complaints with the Federal Trade Commission? Just kidding, of course.
Still, Gateway's ads raise an interesting question about which computer is better for consumers. Both computers incorporate 15-inch or 17-inch LCD monitors into stylish designs that are compact and fit easily into places where space is a premium. Both look good, too, making them great pieces of eye candy for offices or that prominent place in the home, apartment or dorm room. I'll cut right to the chase and pick the winner: neither. More on that later.
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