Channel 9 - Entries tagged with Music Microsoft http://mschnlnine.vo.llnwd.net/d1/Dev/App_Themes/C9/images/feedimage.png Channel 9 - Entries tagged with Music http://channel9.msdn.com/Tags/music Channel 9 keeps you up to date with the latest news and behind the scenes info from Microsoft that developers love to keep up with. From LINQ to SilverLight – Watch videos and hear about all the cool technologies coming and the people behind them. http://channel9.msdn.com/Tags/music en Wed, 22 May 2013 20:45:03 GMT Wed, 22 May 2013 20:45:03 GMT Rev9 82 4 25 Ping 174: Build conference, Xbox music streams, Farewell XP, Microsoft in Utah It's a special treat this week and we actually had Paul IN the studio, just like old times. He was in Seattle anyway- it's not like he came to Seattle just to visit Ping. He likes us, but let's not go overboard.

Build has been built  [04:10]

Xbox music streams  [11:59]

XP going buh-bye   [07:48]

PARTY in Utah!   [14:11]

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/PingShow/Ping-174-BUILD-conference-Xbox-music-streams-Farewell-XP-Microsoft-in-Utah It's a special treat this week and we actually had Paul IN the studio, just like old times. He was in Seattle anyway- it's not like he came to Seattle just to visit Ping. He likes us, but let's not go overboard. Build has been built  [04:10] Xbox music streams  [11:59] XP going buh-bye   [07:48] PARTY in Utah!   [14:11] 1120 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/PingShow/Ping-174-BUILD-conference-Xbox-music-streams-Farewell-XP-Microsoft-in-Utah Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:44:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/PingShow/Ping-174-BUILD-conference-Xbox-music-streams-Farewell-XP-Microsoft-in-Utah Laura Foy Laura Foy 17 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/PingShow/Ping-174-BUILD-conference-Xbox-music-streams-Farewell-XP-Microsoft-in-Utah/RSS Conference Music PingShow Retail Windows XP Xbox Build Building a rich and extensible Media Platform Engaging with rich media—whether watching a movie, video chatting, or playing music—is one of the most prevalent and enjoyable things we do on our PCs today. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/06/08/building-a-rich-and-extensible-media-platform.aspx

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Building-a-rich-and-extensible-Media-Platform Engaging with rich media—whether watching a movie, video chatting, or playing music—is one of the most prevalent and enjoyable things we do on our PCs today. http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/06/08/building-a-rich-and-extensible-media-platform.aspx 485 http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Building-a-rich-and-extensible-Media-Platform Thu, 21 Jun 2012 21:09:26 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Building-a-rich-and-extensible-Media-Platform Roxanne Beaver Roxanne Beaver 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Building-a-rich-and-extensible-Media-Platform/rss Media Music Movies Windows 8 Banish the Generic Music Icon For Good With Album Art Downloader XUI The weekend is when you get your household jobs done. Whilst previous generations would spend their downtime fixing leaky taps, painting fences and completing all manner of small repairs around the house, nowadays we’ve added a plethora of digital jobs to the task list. My current favourite? Downloading album art for our digital music collection.

I’ve been spending my Sundays recently digging through our music library, filling in the blanks where we’re missing album art and where we do have album art, upgrading it to as high a resolution as possible. My mission is two-fold:

  1. Ban the generic music icon from our house. It will not be seen in 2011!
  2. Ensure album art looks great on every device we own.

The latter is actually a pretty big job. Sure, 300 x 300 pixel album art may look fine on a PC or smartphone, but scale it up to the large TV screen, and it doesn’t look that great. So, high resolution artwork is where it’s at!

So, I could sit down and try to Bing every album in my collection, but I may be some time. So, instead, I turned to a fantastic application called Album Art Downloader XUI – it’s a dedicated search engine for album art, with plugins for a growing list of artwork resources (currently clocking in at 30 resources). Enter an artist and album, and the app goes to work, bringing back thumbnails of the cover art from as many sources as it can find.

Search options allow you to filter results to bring back artwork of a minimum or maximum resolution, and once you’ve sorted results by size, you’ve got yourself the highest resolution artwork available on the net. Click once to preview, and click the disc icon to save locally to your hard drive. Lovely job for a rainy Sunday! 

 

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Banish-the-Generic-Music-Icon-For-Good-With-Album-Art-Downloader-XUI The weekend is when you get your household jobs done. Whilst previous generations would spend their downtime fixing leaky taps, painting fences and completing all manner of small repairs around the house, nowadays we’ve added a plethora of digital jobs to the task list. My current favourite? Downloading album art for our digital music collection. I’ve been spending my Sundays recently digging through our music library, filling in the blanks where we’re missing album art and where we do have album art, upgrading it to as high a resolution as possible. My mission is two-fold: Ban the generic music icon from our house. It will not be seen in 2011! Ensure album art looks great on every device we own. The latter is actually a pretty big job. Sure, 300 x 300 pixel album art may look fine on a PC or smartphone, but scale it up to the large TV screen, and it doesn’t look that great. So, high resolution artwork is where it’s at! So, I could sit down and try to Bing every album in my collection, but I may be some time. So, instead, I turned to a fantastic application called Album Art Downloader XUI – it’s a dedicated search engine for album art, with plugins for a growing list of artwork resources (currently clocking in at 30 resources). Enter an artist and album, and the app goes to work, bringing back thumbnails of the cover art from as many sources as it can find. Search options allow you to filter results to bring back artwork of a minimum or maximum resolution, and once you’ve sorted results by size, you’ve got yourself the highest resolution artwork available on the net. Click once to preview, and click the disc icon to save locally to your hard drive. Lovely job for a rainy Sunday!    http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Banish-the-Generic-Music-Icon-For-Good-With-Album-Art-Downloader-XUI Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:42:47 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Banish-the-Generic-Music-Icon-For-Good-With-Album-Art-Downloader-XUI Terry Walsh Terry Walsh 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Banish-the-Generic-Music-Icon-For-Good-With-Album-Art-Downloader-XUI/RSS Music Cloud Entertainment Comes to Windows Phone, Courtesy of Spotify Sometimes, it can be depressing to look through your music collection. Sure, you’ve built up a decent library of your favourites, but there’s so much music out there, you can never hope to listen to it all. Or indeed, afford to buy it all. 

But what if I told you that you could boost your available repertoire to not just hundreds of tracks, or thousands of tracks, but millions of tracks available on your Windows phone? From today, it’s possible, as Microsoft and Spotify have teamed up to launch a new music app for Widows Phone 6, and the forthcoming Windows Phone 7.

Spotify Premium subscribers will have instant access to the Swedish company’s massive library of tracks, all available to stream from the cloud via Wi-Fi, 2.5G or 3G connections. If you’ve previously built up Spotify playlists on PC, they’ll be waiting for you on your phone. Tracks can be skipped, with rewind, fast forward and shuffle controls available.

Spotify runs in the background, so you’ll be able to send texts, make calls and browse the web whilst enjoying your favourites and there’s a cool offline mode, which will allow you to download playlist tracks from the cloud to your device for those times when you know you won’t have a network connection. Sync features are also impressive – you can wirelessly sync your local files to your phone and any tracks you add to a playlist on one device will appear instantly both on your phone and PC.

Spotify for Windows Phone 6 is available now from the Windows Marketplace for mobile. Stay tuned for more on the Windows Phone 7 app.

 

 

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Cloud-Entertainment-Comes-to-Windows-Phone-Courtesy-of-Spotify Sometimes, it can be depressing to look through your music collection. Sure, you’ve built up a decent library of your favourites, but there’s so much music out there, you can never hope to listen to it all. Or indeed, afford to buy it all.  But what if I told you that you could boost your available repertoire to not just hundreds of tracks, or thousands of tracks, but millions of tracks available on your Windows phone? From today, it’s possible, as Microsoft and Spotify have teamed up to launch a new music app for Widows Phone 6, and the forthcoming Windows Phone 7. Spotify Premium subscribers will have instant access to the Swedish company’s massive library of tracks, all available to stream from the cloud via Wi-Fi, 2.5G or 3G connections. If you’ve previously built up Spotify playlists on PC, they’ll be waiting for you on your phone. Tracks can be skipped, with rewind, fast forward and shuffle controls available. Spotify runs in the background, so you’ll be able to send texts, make calls and browse the web whilst enjoying your favourites and there’s a cool offline mode, which will allow you to download playlist tracks from the cloud to your device for those times when you know you won’t have a network connection. Sync features are also impressive – you can wirelessly sync your local files to your phone and any tracks you add to a playlist on one device will appear instantly both on your phone and PC. Spotify for Windows Phone 6 is available now from the Windows Marketplace for mobile. Stay tuned for more on the Windows Phone 7 app.     http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Cloud-Entertainment-Comes-to-Windows-Phone-Courtesy-of-Spotify Tue, 05 Oct 2010 21:21:50 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Cloud-Entertainment-Comes-to-Windows-Phone-Courtesy-of-Spotify Terry Walsh Terry Walsh 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Cloud-Entertainment-Comes-to-Windows-Phone-Courtesy-of-Spotify/RSS Cloud Services Music Windows Phone Smartphone Get Discounted Concert Tickets at the New Windows Section 7 Microsoft has teamed up with concert promoter Live Nation to launch Sections 7, a website for finding discount concert tickets, select artist merchandise, and other offers. New users are prompted to register upon their first visit to the site in order to gain access to exclusively offered discounts, daily music deals, and even sweepstakes. Every day the site features new deals and discounts, so it’s worth revisiting on a regular basis.

There’s also a Twitter account, Facebook page, and MySpace page for the new venture if you would rather follow the news using one of those sites instead.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Get-Discounted-Concert-Tickets-at-the-New-Windows-Section-7 Microsoft has teamed up with concert promoter Live Nation to launch Sections 7, a website for finding discount concert tickets, select artist merchandise, and other offers. New users are prompted to register upon their first visit to the site in order to gain access to exclusively offered discounts, daily music deals, and even sweepstakes. Every day the site features new deals and discounts, so it’s worth revisiting on a regular basis. There’s also a Twitter account, Facebook page, and MySpace page for the new venture if you would rather follow the news using one of those sites instead. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Get-Discounted-Concert-Tickets-at-the-New-Windows-Section-7 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:11:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Get-Discounted-Concert-Tickets-at-the-New-Windows-Section-7 Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 1 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Get-Discounted-Concert-Tickets-at-the-New-Windows-Section-7/RSS Music concerts concert Shazam Debuts on Windows Mobile One of the all-time most popular mobile applications, Shazam, is coming to the new Windows Mobile app store, known as the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Already available on other platforms including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Symbian devices, the Windows Mobile version of Shazam offers the same features users have come to know and love. That is, it helps to identify songs, artists, and albums just by having you hold the phone next to the source of the music being played - like your radio or computer speakers, for example. 

The Windows Mobile version of the application will be what’s called a “freemium” app. That means the free version will include all the basic features, but a premium version called Shazam Encore gives you more, including unlimited searches (aka “tagging”) and recommendations. It will also provide access to popularity charts, artist and band bios, discographies, and album reviews. The premium app will be available for a one-time fee of $4.69. New users can try Shazam Encore for free for 7 days and then they can choose to purchase or revert to the basic, free version.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Shazam-Debuts-on-Windows-Mobile One of the all-time most popular mobile applications, Shazam, is coming to the new Windows Mobile app store, known as the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Already available on other platforms including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Symbian devices, the Windows Mobile version of Shazam offers the same features users have come to know and love. That is, it helps to identify songs, artists, and albums just by having you hold the phone next to the source of the music being played - like your radio or computer speakers, for example.  The Windows Mobile version of the application will be what’s called a “freemium” app. That means the free version will include all the basic features, but a premium version called Shazam Encore gives you more, including unlimited searches (aka “tagging”) and recommendations. It will also provide access to popularity charts, artist and band bios, discographies, and album reviews. The premium app will be available for a one-time fee of $4.69. New users can try Shazam Encore for free for 7 days and then they can choose to purchase or revert to the basic, free version. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Shazam-Debuts-on-Windows-Mobile Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:47:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Shazam-Debuts-on-Windows-Mobile Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 1 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Shazam-Debuts-on-Windows-Mobile/RSS Music Windows Mobile Windows Mobile 6.5 Marketplace Xbox 360 "The Beatles: Rock Band" Limited Console To celebrate the launch of The Beatles: Rock Band, the new game that brings the group’s music to a standalone edition of the popular Rock Band franchise, Microsoft is putting up a special edition Xbox 360 console up for auction. The case for this Xbox is covered with beautiful hand-painted illustrations rending the game’s opening cinematic and all the proceeds from the sale will go to benefit Doctors without Borders. The charity, which delivers emergency aid to people in more than 60 countries, was actually chosen by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with John Lennon and George Harrison's widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.

At the time of writing, the current bid stands at $7400 but Beatles fans still have plenty of time to place a bid themselves – the auction will continue for a week.

In addition to the console, Microsoft has also released the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” as a downloadable song through Xbox LIVE for 160 Microsoft Points. Proceeds from the song also go to the same charity and your purchase will register you to win one of the limited edition Beatles Xbox 360 consoles (yes, there are more than one!) and a Rickenbacker 325 replica guitar controller.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Xbox-360-The-Beatles-Rock-Band-Limited-Console To celebrate the launch of The Beatles: Rock Band, the new game that brings the group’s music to a standalone edition of the popular Rock Band franchise, Microsoft is putting up a special edition Xbox 360 console up for auction. The case for this Xbox is covered with beautiful hand-painted illustrations rending the game’s opening cinematic and all the proceeds from the sale will go to benefit Doctors without Borders. The charity, which delivers emergency aid to people in more than 60 countries, was actually chosen by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with John Lennon and George Harrison's widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. At the time of writing, the current bid stands at $7400 but Beatles fans still have plenty of time to place a bid themselves – the auction will continue for a week. In addition to the console, Microsoft has also released the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” as a downloadable song through Xbox LIVE for 160 Microsoft Points. Proceeds from the song also go to the same charity and your purchase will register you to win one of the limited edition Beatles Xbox 360 consoles (yes, there are more than one!) and a Rickenbacker 325 replica guitar controller. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Xbox-360-The-Beatles-Rock-Band-Limited-Console Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:37:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Xbox-360-The-Beatles-Rock-Band-Limited-Console Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 1 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Xbox-360-The-Beatles-Rock-Band-Limited-Console/RSS Music Xbox 360 Xbox Live Contests Contest Rock Band Echo: A Gorgeous Desktop Radio Player Nice! Steve Clayton recently pointed us to a new desktop radio player application called Echo from Thirteen23. The company, known for their beautifully-designed interfaces that make heavy use of WPF technology, is also the maker of the Netflix desktop client called Drama which we previously reviewed here.

With Echo, you can stream music over the internet just by typing in your favorite artist or musical genre. The app then begins playing the music in a way that’s similar to how Last.fm’s online player operates -it plays a never-ending stream of songs based on your input. The app can also suggest artists who are related to what you’re currently listening to. Since the app remembers what you’ve listened to in the past, you can also easily revisit what you’ve just heard. You can save stations as favorites, too. Other features include a mini-mode and an all-in-one volume control.

echo_right_04

Echo is available as a free download here. The site says that it’s for Windows Vista, but it should work fine on Windows 7 too.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Echo-A-Gorgeous-Desktop-Radio-Player Nice! Steve Clayton recently pointed us to a new desktop radio player application called Echo from Thirteen23. The company, known for their beautifully-designed interfaces that make heavy use of WPF technology, is also the maker of the Netflix desktop client called Drama which we previously reviewed here. With Echo, you can stream music over the internet just by typing in your favorite artist or musical genre. The app then begins playing the music in a way that’s similar to how Last.fm’s online player operates -it plays a never-ending stream of songs based on your input. The app can also suggest artists who are related to what you’re currently listening to. Since the app remembers what you’ve listened to in the past, you can also easily revisit what you’ve just heard. You can save stations as favorites, too. Other features include a mini-mode and an all-in-one volume control. Echo is available as a free download here. The site says that it’s for Windows Vista, but it should work fine on Windows 7 too. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Echo-A-Gorgeous-Desktop-Radio-Player Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:07:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Echo-A-Gorgeous-Desktop-Radio-Player Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Echo-A-Gorgeous-Desktop-Radio-Player/RSS Music WPF radio Streaming Streaming Media Desktop Application Customized Versions of IE8 for Music Fans Although you personally may or may not be a fan of the rock group Nickelback, the concept behind their customized, branded version of Internet Explorer 8 is pretty cool. And if you happen to be a fan of the band, then you’ll definitely love it. When you install Nickelback’s new, specialized edition of IE8, you’ll receive an exclusive, unreleased live version of the band’s single "Something in Your Mouth," as well as access to Nickelback webisodes and other online content.

If Nickelback’s not your thing, then you may prefer the Bamboozle version of IE instead. This customized browser provides you with exclusive footage of your favorite bands from The Bamboozle Music Festival. In addition to concert footage, you’ll also get behind-the-scenes interviews with over 50 bands including All Time Low, 3OH!3 and We the Kings.

Using IE8 features like web slices and accelerators, both custom browsers will also help music fans find local on-sale dates and show times for the concerts.

The custom browsers have been released thanks to Microsoft’s sponsorship of Live Nation, the concert promoter and record label known for putting on music concerts, theatrical shows, and other events around the world. 

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Customized-Versions-of-IE8-for-Music-Fans Although you personally may or may not be a fan of the rock group Nickelback, the concept behind their customized, branded version of Internet Explorer 8 is pretty cool. And if you happen to be a fan of the band, then you’ll definitely love it. When you install Nickelback’s new, specialized edition of IE8, you’ll receive an exclusive, unreleased live version of the band’s single "Something in Your Mouth," as well as access to Nickelback webisodes and other online content. If Nickelback’s not your thing, then you may prefer the Bamboozle version of IE instead. This customized browser provides you with exclusive footage of your favorite bands from The Bamboozle Music Festival. In addition to concert footage, you’ll also get behind-the-scenes interviews with over 50 bands including All Time Low, 3OH!3 and We the Kings. Using IE8 features like web slices and accelerators, both custom browsers will also help music fans find local on-sale dates and show times for the concerts. The custom browsers have been released thanks to Microsoft’s sponsorship of Live Nation, the concert promoter and record label known for putting on music concerts, theatrical shows, and other events around the world.  http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Customized-Versions-of-IE8-for-Music-Fans Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:22:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Customized-Versions-of-IE8-for-Music-Fans Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Customized-Versions-of-IE8-for-Music-Fans/RSS Internet Explorer 8 Internet Explorer 8 Music Artist Explorer - a Silverlight 2 Mashup South by Southwest Interactive Conferece in Austin, Texas this past week, Mashery hosted a contest, Circus Mashimus to encourage people to create mashup applications using their customers' web services.  I learned about it a week before and decided to create an entry using web services from Best Buy, The New York Times, Billboard, and Intelepeer (not a Mashery customer but one of our partners).  The mashup is an artist explorer that lets you research musical artists using the services and then lets you send an SMS message about your findings to anyone's mobile phone.
I will be releasing Silverlight kits with source code for each of the APIs (Best Buy, The New York Times, Billboard, and Intelepeer) shortly - watch my blog for more info on the kits.  With these Silverlight kits, developers and designers can access these companys' services and build cool applications with little to no coding - just Expression Blend. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Communicating/Artist-Explorer-a-Silverlight-2-Mashup At the South by Southwest Interactive Conferece in Austin, Texas this past week, Mashery hosted a contest, Circus Mashimus to encourage people to create mashup applications using their customers' web services.  I learned about it a week before and decided to create an entry using web services from Best Buy, The New York Times, Billboard, and Intelepeer (not a Mashery customer but one of our partners).  The mashup is an artist explorer that lets you research musical artists using the services and then lets you send an SMS message about your findings to anyone's mobile phone. I will be releasing Silverlight kits with source code for each of the APIs (Best Buy, The New York Times, Billboard, and Intelepeer) shortly - watch my blog for more info on the kits.  With these Silverlight kits, developers and designers can access these companys' services and build cool applications with little to no coding - just Expression Blend. 359 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Communicating/Artist-Explorer-a-Silverlight-2-Mashup Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:12:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Communicating/Artist-Explorer-a-Silverlight-2-Mashup Michael S. Scherotter Michael S. Scherotter 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Communicating/Artist-Explorer-a-Silverlight-2-Mashup/RSS mashup Music Silverlight 2 Wunder Radio Now Available for Windows Mobile Wunder Radio, an already popular mobile application, became available to users of Windows Mobile phones just last week. The service provides access to nearly 36,000 radio stations delivered by Radio Time. With this app, you can access over 400 different genres including music, talk, sports, entertainment, and more. In addition to providing streaming radio services, the application can also help you tune into local stations with ease. By using your phone’s GPS capabilities, Wunder Radio can generate a list of all the local stations in your area, which you could then save for later access.

The Windows Mobile application features a today screen plugin which lets you view “now playing” program and song information and lets you select from your favorite presets all from your phone’s main screen with no need to open the app itself.

The only drawback (for some) regarding the Wunder Radio app may be its price. After the currently running 30-day promotion ends, the app will be sold for $14.99 (it’s $10 now). So although mobile apps like Pandora can’t compete when it comes to sheer quantity of stations available (that’s also not quite what they do), the price for Pandora (free) may make it still seem like a winner.

You can download Wunder Radio from here.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Wunder-Radio-Now-Available-for-Windows-Mobile Wunder Radio, an already popular mobile application, became available to users of Windows Mobile phones just last week. The service provides access to nearly 36,000 radio stations delivered by Radio Time. With this app, you can access over 400 different genres including music, talk, sports, entertainment, and more. In addition to providing streaming radio services, the application can also help you tune into local stations with ease. By using your phone’s GPS capabilities, Wunder Radio can generate a list of all the local stations in your area, which you could then save for later access. The Windows Mobile application features a today screen plugin which lets you view “now playing” program and song information and lets you select from your favorite presets all from your phone’s main screen with no need to open the app itself. The only drawback (for some) regarding the Wunder Radio app may be its price. After the currently running 30-day promotion ends, the app will be sold for $14.99 (it’s $10 now). So although mobile apps like Pandora can’t compete when it comes to sheer quantity of stations available (that’s also not quite what they do), the price for Pandora (free) may make it still seem like a winner. You can download Wunder Radio from here. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Wunder-Radio-Now-Available-for-Windows-Mobile Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:59:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Wunder-Radio-Now-Available-for-Windows-Mobile Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 1 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Wunder-Radio-Now-Available-for-Windows-Mobile/RSS Music Windows Mobile radio Mobile Application What the Recession Sounds Like with Songsmith We’ve already seen Microsoft Research’s Songsmith tool being used to create some rather hilarious mashups of music – in fact, those sorts of crazy mixed-up tracks have become their own genre on YouTube it seems (Loving the metal Rick Astley, by the way!).

But now, a German composer by the name of Johannes Kreidler has figured out a way to do something completely different with the Songsmith software. He has derived music from stock-price charts belonging to “Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, GM and other major global companies and market indexes, as well as unemployment rates and other indicators,” reports the Seattle Times.

Kreidler first created the melodies for the charts by hand by drawing points on the graphs and then interpreting them as pitches to write the melodies. The creation is a work of art/political statement called “Charts Music”…and it just goes to show you that Songsmith can certainly be used for something beyond just silly mashups.

 

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/What-the-Recession-Sounds-Like-with-Songsmith We’ve already seen Microsoft Research’s Songsmith tool being used to create some rather hilarious mashups of music – in fact, those sorts of crazy mixed-up tracks have become their own genre on YouTube it seems (Loving the metal Rick Astley, by the way!). But now, a German composer by the name of Johannes Kreidler has figured out a way to do something completely different with the Songsmith software. He has derived music from stock-price charts belonging to “Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, GM and other major global companies and market indexes, as well as unemployment rates and other indicators,” reports the Seattle Times. Kreidler first created the melodies for the charts by hand by drawing points on the graphs and then interpreting them as pitches to write the melodies. The creation is a work of art/political statement called “Charts Music”…and it just goes to show you that Songsmith can certainly be used for something beyond just silly mashups.   http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/What-the-Recession-Sounds-Like-with-Songsmith Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:28:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/What-the-Recession-Sounds-Like-with-Songsmith Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 3 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/What-the-Recession-Sounds-Like-with-Songsmith/RSS Microsoft Research Music Songsmith MSN UK Launches Mobile Music Service MSN UK has just launched a new music service that lets visitors download tracks from the web to their mobile phones. Mobile users need only point their phone’s browser to www.msn.co.uk and select the music service from the options. Tracks are available for download in three different formats: full track, music video, or RealTone (ringtones) and can be paid for either on the customer’s monthly bill from the network operator or pre-paid in sums of 1.50, £2 or £3 respectively.

The music catalog isn’t too bad either as major labels like Sony, EMI, and Warner are on board. There are currently 1 million tracks, 25,000 Realtones, and 10,000 music videos available.

Although MSN Mobile is already the largest commercial non-operator mobile portal, this move is sure to make the site even more popular among UK users.

Only one question: when can the rest of us have this service?

(Via TechRadar UK)

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/MSN-UK-Launches-Mobile-Music-Service MSN UK has just launched a new music service that lets visitors download tracks from the web to their mobile phones. Mobile users need only point their phone’s browser to www.msn.co.uk and select the music service from the options. Tracks are available for download in three different formats: full track, music video, or RealTone (ringtones) and can be paid for either on the customer’s monthly bill from the network operator or pre-paid in sums of 1.50, £2 or £3 respectively. The music catalog isn’t too bad either as major labels like Sony, EMI, and Warner are on board. There are currently 1 million tracks, 25,000 Realtones, and 10,000 music videos available. Although MSN Mobile is already the largest commercial non-operator mobile portal, this move is sure to make the site even more popular among UK users. Only one question: when can the rest of us have this service? (Via TechRadar UK) http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/MSN-UK-Launches-Mobile-Music-Service Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:07:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/MSN-UK-Launches-Mobile-Music-Service Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 6 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/MSN-UK-Launches-Mobile-Music-Service/RSS Mobile MSN Music mobile web Stream Your Music Library to Your Windows Mobile Phone Didiom has just released new software for Windows Mobile users that lets you stream your PC’s music collection over the internet to your phone. The software, which works with both Windows Mobile and Blackberry, lets you stream MP3 tracks stored on your computer to over 200 phone models, for free. In addition to streaming, Didiom offers a marketplace where you can shop for music from a selection of over 1 million songs, also available in MP3 format. What’s different about their service is that it lets you name your own price when purchasing the songs. After buying, tracks can be downloaded to both phone and PC. You can also share music previews with friends, either via email or from cell phone to cell phone. There are no extra fees to use Didiom – the service is completely free (at least for now)…but make sure you have a data plan with your wireless carrier before using. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Stream-Your-Music-Library-to-Your-Windows-Mobile-Phone Didiom has just released new software for Windows Mobile users that lets you stream your PC’s music collection over the internet to your phone. The software, which works with both Windows Mobile and Blackberry, lets you stream MP3 tracks stored on your computer to over 200 phone models, for free. In addition to streaming, Didiom offers a marketplace where you can shop for music from a selection of over 1 million songs, also available in MP3 format. What’s different about their service is that it lets you name your own price when purchasing the songs. After buying, tracks can be downloaded to both phone and PC. You can also share music previews with friends, either via email or from cell phone to cell phone. There are no extra fees to use Didiom – the service is completely free (at least for now)…but make sure you have a data plan with your wireless carrier before using. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Stream-Your-Music-Library-to-Your-Windows-Mobile-Phone Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:20:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Stream-Your-Music-Library-to-Your-Windows-Mobile-Phone Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Stream-Your-Music-Library-to-Your-Windows-Mobile-Phone/RSS Music Windows Mobile MP3 Hilarious Songsmith Mashup MetaFilter’s Music page, someone posted a link to an MP3 created using Microsoft Research’s Songsmith– a new tool which lets anyone write and record music. Although Songsmith was designed to allow non-musicians a way to create music of their own, some other people are apparently discovering some pretty silly uses for it instead. The hilarious mashup on MeFi Music features the vocal track from David Lee Roth’s “Runnin’ with the Devil” overlaid on top of, well let’s be honest, pretty poorly composed synth music. With Roth’s screeching and yeeaaaahhh’s, the end result is quite frankly the most ridiculous thing we’ve seen in a long time. Just try not to laugh when you hear it. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Hilarious-Songsmith-Mashup On MetaFilter’s Music page, someone posted a link to an MP3 created using Microsoft Research’s Songsmith– a new tool which lets anyone write and record music. Although Songsmith was designed to allow non-musicians a way to create music of their own, some other people are apparently discovering some pretty silly uses for it instead. The hilarious mashup on MeFi Music features the vocal track from David Lee Roth’s “Runnin’ with the Devil” overlaid on top of, well let’s be honest, pretty poorly composed synth music. With Roth’s screeching and yeeaaaahhh’s, the end result is quite frankly the most ridiculous thing we’ve seen in a long time. Just try not to laugh when you hear it. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Hilarious-Songsmith-Mashup Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:24:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Hilarious-Songsmith-Mashup Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Hilarious-Songsmith-Mashup/RSS Microsoft Research Music humor funny Songsmith SeeqPod Releases Windows Mobile App The mp3 search engine SeeqPod have just announced their plans to release a Windows Mobile application due to arrive on Wednesday, December 17th. The new application will lets Windows Mobile users search and stream music over the web on their mobile phones and devices. According to the company, this new app makes “any Windows Mobile device…essentially an iPod, but streaming,” they were quoted as saying.

The SeeqPod app will be available for $10 and will include Wikipedia articles about artists in addition to the music discovery, streaming, and playlist creation tools. The app will also be skinnable, offering a number of changeable skins in a range of styles. To interact with the application, you can use one-handed controls, touch, a stylus, or gestures, depending on your device.

According to the company announcement, you’ll also be able to purchase music, but there are no details yet on how much songs will cost or how that process will work.

If you’re interested in trying out the mobile application when it becomes available, you can sign up to be alerted on this page.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/SeeqPod-Releases-Windows-Mobile-App The mp3 search engine SeeqPod have just announced their plans to release a Windows Mobile application due to arrive on Wednesday, December 17th. The new application will lets Windows Mobile users search and stream music over the web on their mobile phones and devices. According to the company, this new app makes “any Windows Mobile device…essentially an iPod, but streaming,” they were quoted as saying. The SeeqPod app will be available for $10 and will include Wikipedia articles about artists in addition to the music discovery, streaming, and playlist creation tools. The app will also be skinnable, offering a number of changeable skins in a range of styles. To interact with the application, you can use one-handed controls, touch, a stylus, or gestures, depending on your device. According to the company announcement, you’ll also be able to purchase music, but there are no details yet on how much songs will cost or how that process will work. If you’re interested in trying out the mobile application when it becomes available, you can sign up to be alerted on this page. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/SeeqPod-Releases-Windows-Mobile-App Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:33:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/SeeqPod-Releases-Windows-Mobile-App Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/SeeqPod-Releases-Windows-Mobile-App/RSS Music Windows Mobile Windows Mobile 6 Pandora Comes To Windows Mobile www.pandora.com from your mobile browser. If you’ve never used Pandora before, all you have to do to get started with the app is enter in the name of one of your favorite artists, songs, or - if you like to kick it really old-school - you can enter in the name of a classical composer instead. The app will then create your own personalized radio station based on that entry. The station will play songs from that same artist as well as similar music. If you’re already a Pandora user, all you have to do is sign in to access all of your existing stations from the app. Unfortunately, the only Windows Mobile device the Pandora application currently works on is the Motorola Q9c. Hopefully, they will support more in the future. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Pandora-Comes-To-Windows-Mobile The popular music streaming service from Pandora is now available as a Windows Mobile application. With this new app, you can stream free music on your Windows Mobile handset – just go to www.pandora.com from your mobile browser. If you’ve never used Pandora before, all you have to do to get started with the app is enter in the name of one of your favorite artists, songs, or - if you like to kick it really old-school - you can enter in the name of a classical composer instead. The app will then create your own personalized radio station based on that entry. The station will play songs from that same artist as well as similar music. If you’re already a Pandora user, all you have to do is sign in to access all of your existing stations from the app. Unfortunately, the only Windows Mobile device the Pandora application currently works on is the Motorola Q9c. Hopefully, they will support more in the future. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Pandora-Comes-To-Windows-Mobile Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:54:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Pandora-Comes-To-Windows-Mobile Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Pandora-Comes-To-Windows-Mobile/RSS Music Recommender Windows Mobile recommendations Pandora MSN To Host Launch Of (RED)Wire MSN will host the launch of a new digital music service, (RED)Wire, which will help raise money for HIV/AIDS in Africa. The site, hosted at http://red.msn.com will include world premieres from Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Dixie Chicks, Jay-Z, John Legend, U2, and others. Subscribers will get exclusive songs and artwork from these and other top artists each week for only $5 per month. A portion of the proceeds from the subscriptions will go to Global Fund, an organization which funds programs to fight AIDS. This won't be the first time Microsoft teamed up with (RED) - there's also a line of Dell (RED) edition Vista Ultimate computers whose sales also help fund the (RED) efforts in Africa. $0 ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/MSN-To-Host-Launch-Of-REDWire On December 1st, MSN will host the launch of a new digital music service, (RED)Wire, which will help raise money for HIV/AIDS in Africa. The site, hosted at http://red.msn.com will include world premieres from Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Dixie Chicks, Jay-Z, John Legend, U2, and others. Subscribers will get exclusive songs and artwork from these and other top artists each week for only $5 per month. A portion of the proceeds from the subscriptions will go to Global Fund, an organization which funds programs to fight AIDS. This won't be the first time Microsoft teamed up with (RED) - there's also a line of Dell (RED) edition Vista Ultimate computers whose sales also help fund the (RED) efforts in Africa. $0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/MSN-To-Host-Launch-Of-REDWire Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:21:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/MSN-To-Host-Launch-Of-REDWire Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/MSN-To-Host-Launch-Of-REDWire/RSS Music charity (RED) Zune’s New Subscription Service Lets You OWN Your Music The subscription service model is one that appeals to a niche crowd of music aficionados as it allows for all-you-can eat access to huge catalogs of music for one low monthly fee. The only problem with this model is that when it comes to favorite songs, people will often want to “keep” them - that is own them forever and ever. Before today, you couldn’t have it both ways – you both couldn’t own music and rent it; you had to choose one or the other. That dilemma is now no more thanks to the new Zune Pass.

The Zune Pass subscription service has been modified so that you still have the opportunity for the unlimited sampling that a subscription music service provides, but you can now also keep your ten favorite songs, too.

Ten songs – I think that equates to about a CD’s worth of music every month, give or take.

This service is $14.99 per month – a pretty decent offering for ten free songs plus unlimited streaming for up to 3 PCs and 3 Zunes.

Getting together an offer like this was no easy feat. Agreements between Microsoft and the record labels EMI, Song BMG, Universal Music, and Warner Music, had to first be signed and put into place along with agreements with independent distributors of digital music like INgrooves, Independent Online Distribution Alliance and The Orchard.

In addition to this new model, Zune owners have access to unique features not found elsewhere, like buy-from-FM, an option that allows for immediate download of songs heard on the built-in FM tuner. There’s also a Wi-Fi store, a recommendation engine that learns what you like and suggests tracks you might enjoy, themed channels for discovering music by genre, and a dynamic visual mosiac called Mixview which lets you discover music by clicking around a visual display of related albums and artists.

Oh, and did I mention that the majority of the music in the Zune Marketplace is DRM-free?

To learn more about the Zune Pass or to sign up, visit the Zune.net site.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Zunersquos-New-Subscription-Service-Lets-You-OWN-Your-Music The subscription service model is one that appeals to a niche crowd of music aficionados as it allows for all-you-can eat access to huge catalogs of music for one low monthly fee. The only problem with this model is that when it comes to favorite songs, people will often want to “keep” them - that is own them forever and ever. Before today, you couldn’t have it both ways – you both couldn’t own music and rent it; you had to choose one or the other. That dilemma is now no more thanks to the new Zune Pass. The Zune Pass subscription service has been modified so that you still have the opportunity for the unlimited sampling that a subscription music service provides, but you can now also keep your ten favorite songs, too. Ten songs – I think that equates to about a CD’s worth of music every month, give or take. This service is $14.99 per month – a pretty decent offering for ten free songs plus unlimited streaming for up to 3 PCs and 3 Zunes. Getting together an offer like this was no easy feat. Agreements between Microsoft and the record labels EMI, Song BMG, Universal Music, and Warner Music, had to first be signed and put into place along with agreements with independent distributors of digital music like INgrooves, Independent Online Distribution Alliance and The Orchard. In addition to this new model, Zune owners have access to unique features not found elsewhere, like buy-from-FM, an option that allows for immediate download of songs heard on the built-in FM tuner. There’s also a Wi-Fi store, a recommendation engine that learns what you like and suggests tracks you might enjoy, themed channels for discovering music by genre, and a dynamic visual mosiac called Mixview which lets you discover music by clicking around a visual display of related albums and artists. Oh, and did I mention that the majority of the music in the Zune Marketplace is DRM-free? To learn more about the Zune Pass or to sign up, visit the Zune.net site. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Zunersquos-New-Subscription-Service-Lets-You-OWN-Your-Music Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:12:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Zunersquos-New-Subscription-Service-Lets-You-OWN-Your-Music Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 4 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Zunersquos-New-Subscription-Service-Lets-You-OWN-Your-Music/RSS free Music Zune Zune Social Subscription zune 3 Surface beats with Vectorform Vectorform was one of my favorite applications shown at PDC.  Not only does it involve Multi-touch, Surface and music; but it is an example of a new form of collaborative application.  Joe Engalan and Markus Sheldon build up the music, keep it alive and then break it down in real-time while working together at the Surface table.  I want one!

Check out Vectorform's Surface blog to see some of their other Surface applications. Yes, they are the ones behind NBC's Electoral application. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Continuum/SurfaceBeatsVectorform SurfaceDJ from Vectorform was one of my favorite applications shown at PDC.  Not only does it involve Multi-touch, Surface and music; but it is an example of a new form of collaborative application.  Joe Engalan and Markus Sheldon build up the music, keep it alive and then break it down in real-time while working together at the Surface table.  I want one! Check out Vectorform's Surface blog to see some of their other Surface applications. Yes, they are the ones behind NBC's Electoral application. 302 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Continuum/SurfaceBeatsVectorform Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:23:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Continuum/SurfaceBeatsVectorform Adam Kinney Adam Kinney 9 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Continuum/SurfaceBeatsVectorform/RSS Multi-touch Music Surface Vectorform WPF JamBase.com - Go See Live Music JamBase.com, a San Francisco-based website that is all about finding and going to live music performances.  I met Andy and his colleauges at the Bandwidth Conference this summer and after hearing about their new API, I just had to try doing a mashup with it using Popfly - I wrote about it on my blog here. Because their site runs on ASP.net with SQL Server, I wanted to sit down with Andy Gadiel, the founder to have a chat. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Communicating/JamBasecom-Go-See-Live-Music Last week I visited JamBase.com, a San Francisco-based website that is all about finding and going to live music performances.  I met Andy and his colleauges at the Bandwidth Conference this summer and after hearing about their new API, I just had to try doing a mashup with it using Popfly - I wrote about it on my blog here. Because their site runs on ASP.net with SQL Server, I wanted to sit down with Andy Gadiel, the founder to have a chat. 884 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Communicating/JamBasecom-Go-See-Live-Music Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:30:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Communicating/JamBasecom-Go-See-Live-Music Michael S. Scherotter Michael S. Scherotter 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Communicating/JamBasecom-Go-See-Live-Music/RSS ASP.NET Music SQL Server IE8 Web Accelerator for Zune In the new version of Internet Explorer, IE8 (still in beta), there’s a new feature called “accelerators.” With accelerators, you can get easy access to online services like email, search, maps, eBay, Encarta, facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon, and so much more all from the web page you’re on – no need to open another tab or window and navigate elsewhere. Now, in addition to the accelerators currently available from the IE8 accelerator gallery, other developers are creating their own accelerators and posting them to their blogs.

One new accelerator that I recently came across is the Zune accelerator created by Sean Alexander. This particular accelerator lets you look up music-related info like Artist or Song info in the Zune Marketplace, all from the right-click menu. He mentions there are other accelerators that do similar things, but they are broken out to look up Artist separately from Song; this one combines both into one. Nice! To install Sean’s Zune accelerator click here.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/IE8-Web-Accelerator-for-Zune In the new version of Internet Explorer, IE8 (still in beta), there’s a new feature called “accelerators.” With accelerators, you can get easy access to online services like email, search, maps, eBay, Encarta, facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon, and so much more all from the web page you’re on – no need to open another tab or window and navigate elsewhere. Now, in addition to the accelerators currently available from the IE8 accelerator gallery, other developers are creating their own accelerators and posting them to their blogs. One new accelerator that I recently came across is the Zune accelerator created by Sean Alexander. This particular accelerator lets you look up music-related info like Artist or Song info in the Zune Marketplace, all from the right-click menu. He mentions there are other accelerators that do similar things, but they are broken out to look up Artist separately from Song; this one combines both into one. Nice! To install Sean’s Zune accelerator click here. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/IE8-Web-Accelerator-for-Zune Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:50:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/IE8-Web-Accelerator-for-Zune Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/IE8-Web-Accelerator-for-Zune/RSS Accelerators Internet Explorer 8 Internet Explorer 8 Music Zune accelerator MixViews and Genius Lists
How do they work? What makes them different? What are the strengths and weaknesses of either? We'll let Katherine Boehret on Uncle Walt's blog give you a third party independent look at the two and what each are capable of. ]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/MixViews-and-Genius-Lists No doubt you've heard that both Apple and Zune have come out with some new players and new client software. Both include some interesting features to help you find new music that you'll probably like using various methods of smart logic and social networking. How do they work? What makes them different? What are the strengths and weaknesses of either? We'll let Katherine Boehret on Uncle Walt's blog give you a third party independent look at the two and what each are capable of. http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/MixViews-and-Genius-Lists Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:04:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/MixViews-and-Genius-Lists Larry Larsen Larry Larsen 2 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/LarryLarsen/MixViews-and-Genius-Lists/RSS Music Zune Zune 3 News Beginning September 16th, Zune owners will be able to access the latest firmware update: Zune 3. This update will be available to all Zune devices...even all the way back to the original Zune! This unexpected (but seriously cool) feature is sure to please the Zune early adopter crowd. However, the real excitement for Zune owners involves what the Zune 3 update will offer: some amazing features you won’t find on any other mp3 player today.

Buy From FM

One of the new features of the Zune 3 firmware will let you wirelessly stream and download millions of songs on the go any time you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot. This feature, called “Buy From FM”  is designed to take advantage of the built-in FM tuner in the Zune. You’ll be able to tag and purchase songs you hear on FM radio and download them directly to your Zune. If you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot, the download will be immediate. If Wi-Fi isn’t available, the songs will queue up to be downloaded the next time it is or the next time you connect your Zune to your PC.

Wi-Fi Store

You’ll also be able to connect to the Zune Marketplace music store whenever your Zune is in a Wi-Fi hotspot or on your home wireless network. On the device itself, you can browse through new releases, top songs, top albums, or type on an on-screen keyboard to type in the song of your choice.

Recommendations & Channels

Another feature included in the Zune 3 update is the new recommendation feature. Using the combination of recommendations from the Zune service, the online music community, and your own play data, you’ll be recommended personal suggestions as the Zune software learns what you like. You’ll see these recommendations in a new area of the Zune Marketplace called “Picks.”

Zune Pass subscribers can also discover new music through Channels. These Channels are created by experts in the music community. Here’s you’ll find channels like the Billboard Top 100, the FADER magazine channel, the KEXP radio channel, and even channels designed for listening to while you workout. You’ll also see personalized channels that are based on your favorite artists and genres. Zune owners who don’t have a Zune pass can purchase new Channels a la carte.

Zune Cards

For Zune Pass customers, the new firmware will also offer an updated way to use the Zune Card functionality. Zune Pass subscribers can share Zune Cards with each other wirelessly when on-the-go. All Zune owners will be able to share the Cards with friends when they’re on the web.

Cool Software!

Also included in the update are some new visual effects: Mixview and Now Playing. In Mixview, you can select an artist, album, or Zune Card and see a visual mosaic of related music and listeners. As you click on the mosaic, you’ll be taken in new directions, allowing you to discover music in a visually appealing way.

client_mixview_white2

Image credit: Wired

 

The “Now Playing” view has also been improved to display artist imagery, colorful effects, artist bio info, and data from the Zune community in a full-screen view.

Games & Audiobooks

The firmware update will offer two free games - “Hexic” and “Texas Hold ‘Em.” It will also feature audiobook support from both Audible.com and OverDriver.com.  

New Zunes

Of course, the Zune lineup is being expanded, too. The lineup will feature 16GB and 120GB Zunes and new blue-on-silver and all-black color schemes.

Here’s the pricing info:

120 GB: $249.99

80 GB: $229.99 (3)

16 GB: $199.00

8 GB: $149.99

4 GB: $129.99 (3)

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Pictures-amp-Videos-of-Zune-3 Beginning September 16th, Zune owners will be able to access the latest firmware update: Zune 3. This update will be available to all Zune devices...even all the way back to the original Zune! This unexpected (but seriously cool) feature is sure to please the Zune early adopter crowd. However, the real excitement for Zune owners involves what the Zune 3 update will offer: some amazing features you won’t find on any other mp3 player today. Buy From FM One of the new features of the Zune 3 firmware will let you wirelessly stream and download millions of songs on the go any time you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot. This feature, called “Buy From FM”  is designed to take advantage of the built-in FM tuner in the Zune. You’ll be able to tag and purchase songs you hear on FM radio and download them directly to your Zune. If you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot, the download will be immediate. If Wi-Fi isn’t available, the songs will queue up to be downloaded the next time it is or the next time you connect your Zune to your PC. Wi-Fi Store You’ll also be able to connect to the Zune Marketplace music store whenever your Zune is in a Wi-Fi hotspot or on your home wireless network. On the device itself, you can browse through new releases, top songs, top albums, or type on an on-screen keyboard to type in the song of your choice. Recommendations & Channels Another feature included in the Zune 3 update is the new recommendation feature. Using the combination of recommendations from the Zune service, the online music community, and your own play data, you’ll be recommended personal suggestions as the Zune software learns what you like. You’ll see these recommendations in a new area of the Zune Marketplace called “Picks.” Zune Pass subscribers can also discover new music through Channels. These Channels are created by experts in the music community. Here’s you’ll find channels like the Billboard Top 100, the FADER magazine channel, the KEXP radio channel, and even channels designed http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Pictures-amp-Videos-of-Zune-3 Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:10:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Pictures-amp-Videos-of-Zune-3 Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/Pictures-amp-Videos-of-Zune-3/RSS Music Zune MP3 zune 3 CrowdFire: The First Crowdsourced Digital Concert Experience At the upcoming Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival that takes place in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco on August 22nd through 24th, concert goers will be able to participate in an online community where they can share photos, videos, and interact with each other via text message. Thanks to a number of CrowdFire kiosks that will be installed at the event, the participants will have easy access to content creation and social networking tools so they can upload media mashups in real time and have those creations displays on screens at the festival as well as on the CrowdFire website.

Microsoft is sponsoring the CrowdFire pavilion, which will feature next gen PCs, an Xbox 360 gaming contest area, a Zune-interactive area featuring songs from the performing artists, as well as many other things. Additionally, Windows Live Alerts will keep the participants up-to-date with news and info about Outside Lands and Windows Live Spaces will be set up to feature detailed info on the festivals artists.

You can check out the action online during the festival at www.crowdfire.net. 

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/CrowdFire-The-First-Crowdsourced-Digital-Concert-Experience At the upcoming Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival that takes place in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco on August 22nd through 24th, concert goers will be able to participate in an online community where they can share photos, videos, and interact with each other via text message. Thanks to a number of CrowdFire kiosks that will be installed at the event, the participants will have easy access to content creation and social networking tools so they can upload media mashups in real time and have those creations displays on screens at the festival as well as on the CrowdFire website. Microsoft is sponsoring the CrowdFire pavilion, which will feature next gen PCs, an Xbox 360 gaming contest area, a Zune-interactive area featuring songs from the performing artists, as well as many other things. Additionally, Windows Live Alerts will keep the participants up-to-date with news and info about Outside Lands and Windows Live Spaces will be set up to feature detailed info on the festivals artists. You can check out the action online during the festival at www.crowdfire.net.  http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/CrowdFire-The-First-Crowdsourced-Digital-Concert-Experience Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:38:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/CrowdFire-The-First-Crowdsourced-Digital-Concert-Experience Sarah Perez Sarah Perez 0 http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/coolstuff/CrowdFire-The-First-Crowdsourced-Digital-Concert-Experience/RSS Music digital media musician