The arrival of offline mode to YouTube Music may not seem like news, but the reality is that the "mixtape" option that was available was very limited. Now YouTube has made it possible to download playlists, songs and albums for offline listening.

As before, you need to be a YouTube Red member to take advantage of the feature, and the update means that users now have far more control over their offline listening rather than relying on YouTube to select tracks based on listening history.

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Let's get one thing out of the way: I hate earphones. I always have. This is not an irrational hatred, I've always liked the idea of in-ear buds -- I've just never been able to use them. The problem, it seems, lies with my right ear. To my knowledge it is a perfectly normally-formed ear, but it is singularly incompatible with earphones -- while the left will grip the bud nicely, the right vomits it out in next to no time.

So, I have long shied away from earphones, opting instead for either fully enclosed headphones, or the clip-on variety. At least that was the case until I tried the AUKEY EP-B40 Latitude Wireless Earbuds. While certainly not from a big name in the world of audio technology, they get off to a great start by featuring ear hooks that succeed in keeping the damned things in my ears -- win!

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YouTube's head of music, Lyor Cohen, has confirmed that Google Play Music and YouTube Red are going to merge. Speaking in New York at the New Music Seminar conference, Cohen said that a new streaming service would be created.

Rumors of the merger have been circulating for some time, and the move will see Google consolidating its services into something rather more manageable -- both for the company and for users.

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Summer is in full force, meaning many of you are hanging out with friends and family outside. Nothing beats having a good time outdoors with loved ones -- especially when listening to good music.

While playing your favorite tunes through your smartphone's speaker is passable, it doesn't make for a good party. That's why a Bluetooth speaker is a wise investment. Short on funds? Don't worry. We here at BetaNews are giving one away -- the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM (Blue/Red). Not only is the wireless speaker waterproof, but it actually floats on its own!

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Summer is finally here, and so far, I have been loving it. While I haven't gone to any fancy beach parties, I have had quite the good time relaxing in my backyard. Nothing beats soaking up the sun while laying in a chaise lounge. As the breeze blows by, I sip my favorite beverage -- Perrier sparkling mineral water.

While this scene sounds great, there is still something missing -- music. While listening to the songs from birds and sounds of lawnmowers can be enjoyable, I prefer to rock out to my favorite tunes. Ranging from 2 Chainz to Wings, I blast my favorite songs -- not so loud as to bother my neighbors, however. This year, the Bluetooth speaker that is serving up my jams is the wonderful JBL Flip 4. It is rugged, waterproof, and most importantly, it sounds phenomenal.

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Tesla, Inc. is reportedly in talks with music labels to come out with its own music streaming service that would supposedly compete with an already saturated market, and presumably focused only on the experience of listening to music in your car.

This comes from a report from Recode, which has quoted a Tesla spokesperson on record as saying, "We believe it’s important to have an exceptional in-car experience so our customers can listen to the music they want from whatever source they choose."

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SiriusXM is a really satisfying service. Not only is it great for commercial-free music, but it offers some great talk radio, such as Howard Stern. You can even listen to popular news programs from CNN, Fox News, and more. Let's not forget the great sports coverage too.

Unfortunately, many people only listen to SiriusXM in the car, as that is where their equipment is. Luckily, there is a new convenient way to listen to the satellite service in your home -- Alexa. Yes, Amazon's assistant has a new SiriusXM skill that allows an Echo device to play your favorite channels. I have been using it this morning and it is quite brilliant.

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When you need a Bluetooth speaker, there is no shortage of options. With that said, many of those options sound terrible. Quite often, these wireless speakers are designed more for portability and convenience -- sound quality be damned. I've heard many a Bluetooth speaker with such muddy sound that it was preferable to just use a phone's integrated speaker.

Luckily, not all Bluetooth speakers are bad. In fact, some are damn good. One such brand that always delivers in this regard is Ultimate Ears. Regardless of price point, you can count on its products for an excellent music-listening experience. Two of the company's top Bluetooth speakers -- the BOOM 2 and MEGABOOM are getting limited-edition makeovers. There are eight new styles from which to choose, and Ultimate Ears calls this collection "Second Street." Best of all, pricing remains the same -- there is no limited-edition premium.

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Samsung has released a new app which is designed to give users more control over the audio on their Galaxy devices. It's called SoundAssistant and it is compatible with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S7 lines as well as other handsets running the latest version of Android.

There are three main features in SoundAssistant that are worth your attention. First is the option to change the behavior of the volume keys which, by default, will raise or decrease the volume for the ringtone.

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MStream Express is an open-source Chrome-based music server. The program is built for simplicity and can be set up in seconds, without having to install anything.

Basic configuration is as easy as selecting your music folder, and entering a user name and password. Click "Boot Server" and you’re done. To test the program locally, type localhost:3000 in a browser and enter the credentials you’ve just created. MStream Express displays your files and folders and you’re able to select and play whatever you like.

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Fedora is a wonderful Linux distribution, as it is both stable and modern. One of the biggest selling points of the operating system is that is relies on truly free open source software. This means it won't have patented or closed-source non-free packages by default. Of course, in-the-know Fedora users often added these needed packages after the fact by using third-party repositories, such as RPM Fusion.

Over the years, one of the biggest pain points for Fedora was a lack of MP3 playback due to its FOSS focus. For someone switching from Windows or Mac, it could be very surprising and upsetting that they couldn't do something as simple as play a song, or rip/convert a CD to MP3. This will soon become a thing of the past, as both MP3 decoding and encoding are coming to the operating system by default. Unfortunately, this is a case of "too little too late," as the concept of storing music locally is becoming obsolete.

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When it comes to privacy concerns, the mind naturally drifts to the likes of Facebook, Microsoft and Google. But in reality, there is the potential for privacy issues with any connected device -- and that includes Bluetooth headphones from Bose.

Illustrating this is a man from Illinois who has filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts-based audio company for "secretly collecting, transmitting, and disclosing its customers' private music selections to third parties, including a data mining company." Kyle Zak alleges that his Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless Bluetooth headphones and the associated Bose Connect app gathered information about him, and sold it on to third parties including Segment.io.

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While camping is all about getting in touch with nature, technology certainly has a place. For instance, you could build a fire by rubbing some sticks together, but matches or a lighter will make things far easier. Navigating by the stars or with a compass are legitimate ways to get around, but GPS can be much better.

For many, music is a necessary part of the camping experience -- playing their favorite tunes while sitting by the fire. Many Bluetooth speakers will meet that need, but today, ECOXGEAR announces an impressive durable model made for the outdoors. Called the "EcoSlate," it also serves as a 200 lumen lantern and USB battery pack. It charges using micro USB and it features a 3.5mm audio jack for devices without Bluetooth.

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At Facebook's F8 conference yesterday, much of the attention was focused on virtual reality, augmented reality -- anything that breaks out of vanilla reality. But there were other things of arguably greater interest, and for music fans there was news of the Spotify bot for Facebook Messenger.

Facebook has been throwing a lot at bots recently, and it's little surprise that big names like Spotify are getting in on the action. For the music streaming service, the bot serves a dual purpose: giving useful functionality to Messenger users, while simultaneously pushing people into taking up a subscription.

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Now that the weather is getting better, many people will start spending more time in their backyard. One of the most rewarding spring or summer activities is having a barbecue with friends and family -- food can really bring people together. One aspect of a successful outdoor party is good music. If you don't have some decent sounding audio equipment, your guests may not have a good time.

Today, Bose announces some new speakers that are well-designed for outdoor parties, relaxing near the pool, or trips to the beach. The SoundLink Revolve and Revolve+ Bluetooth speakers feature 360 degree sound, so you do not have to worry about the position to satisfy all of your guests. The larger plus model even has a really cool built-in carry handle. While they are a bit pricey, the cost is surprisingly reasonable given the Bose branding.

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