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Google acquires music streaming service Songza

To add even more to its already burgeoning acquisition profile, Google has announced they have bought music streaming service Songza. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but Google announced that the main features of the service, particularly its expertly curated playlists, will remain the same. Further integrations into other Google products like Google Play Music will be explored in the next few months.

Just like its competitors Spotify and Pandora, Songza, which has been around since 2007, relies on information about the user and the context to determine the algorithm in creating a specific playlist for you. But what it says is a distinct advantage they have over competitors is that these playlists were curated by music experts, like DJs, musicians, music magazine writers, etc. It says it will bring you “the right music at the right time.”

Google said that what service users currently enjoy with Songza will remain intact for now. But they are also already exploring how it can be integrated into other Google services like YouTube and Google Play Music. However, there has been no announcement regarding how this will affect all of Songza’s existing employees who are holding office at their Long Island City establishment. Eventually they will of course move to the NYC HQ of Google, but will all the personnel be absorbed as well?

The official statement from Songza said that there are no immediate changes planned as they join the “inspiring company” that will help improve the service. Songza boasts of around 5.5 million active users, but it is not known how many of these subscribe to the $.99 a week ad-free service.

Download Songza from the Google Play Store

SOURCE: Google

VIA: TechCrunch

FTC accuses T-Mobile of billing unwanted charges on customers

The Federal Trade Commission has filed an official complaint against mobile carrier T-Mobile over the unwanted placing of extra charges on several subscribers’ bills. They are accusing the telco giant of profiting in millions of dollars by not removing these extra charges which the customers were not aware they were subscribed to. T-Mobile denies the charges and have responded strongly against the complaint.

According to the FTC, around 35-40% of what they charge several subscribers, which amounts to around $9.99, comes from extra third-party services like horoscope, gossip items, practical tips, most of which are from scam services. The FTC believes that even after T-Mobile has received numerous complaints from their customers, they failed to act on it and to refund them on these fraudulent charges. Most of the services had a refund rate of 40% in a single month, but they allege that the carrier did not do anything to facilitate that refund. They are accusing the company of making their billing statements too complicated for consumers to realise they are being billed for these unwanted services.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere responded strongly to the complaint, emphasising that it is “unfounded and without merit.” He says that upon discovery of the problems with the premium SMS services last year, they have done whatever they could to stop the overbilling, including establishing a proactive program to refund the customers. He also expressed disappointment that the FTC has chosen to pursue filing this kind of action against them, as he believes they are at the forefront of taking action for the sake of the customer.

FTC Chairperson Edith Ramirez says they are going after T-Mobile because a big company like them should not “profit from these scams.” They are looking at getting a court order to stop the carrier from practicing mobile "cramming", the term used to describe the act of placing charges on the bill without the consumer's consent, and also to get the appropriate refunds for the customers on the unauthorised billing.

SOURCE: FTC, T-Mobile

Telltale Games ‘The Wolf Among US’ arrives for Android through Amazon

Telltale Games is fairly well known for the Walking Dead game, however that isn't the only title in their game lineup. And in fact, a new Telltale Games title has been released for Android users. The game is The Wolf Among Us and for now it can be found in the Amazon Appstore.

We suspect some will be disappointed by the lack of a Play Store release. And for now there hasn't been anything said in terms of when that will be happening. But on the positive side -- the Amazon Appstore does have The Wolf Among Us available for free. Naturally, you'll need to first have the Appstore installed on your device.

Assuming that is taken care of, you can find the game using this Amazon Appstore link. For those not as familiar with this title -- it is based on the Eisner Award-winning Fables comic book series.

"Fairytale characters are being murdered in this hard-boiled, violent and mature thriller based on the award-winning Fables comic book series (DC Comics/Vertigo) by Bill Willingham. As Bigby Wolf - THE big bad wolf - you will discover that a brutal, bloody murder is just a taste of things to come in a game series where your every decision can have enormous consequences."

Similar to The Walking Dead game -- this one is also broken up into five episodes. The game download will give you episode one, and then episodes two through five will be available by way of an in-app purchase. Bottom line here, based on what we've seen with The Walking Dead on Android -- we are looking forward to spending some time playing The Wolf Among Us. We just wish it was also available in the Play Store.

Denny’s Atari Remix app brings Hashteroids, Centipup and Take-Out

Denny's, as in "America's iconic family diner" has entered the Android app world. Except while many would expect a Denny's app to be focused on the restaurant and maybe the menu -- this one is about retro gaming. Specifically, the app offers a bit of an Atari remix.

The app is called Denny's Atari Remix and it brings remixed versions of Asteroids, Centipede and Breakout. The games are called Hashteroids, Centipup and Take-Out. And here is where the menu connection comes into play -- Denny's has released the Atari Remix app in an effort to help promote the new "Greatest Hits Remixed" menu.

Hashteroids – You’re aboard the SS Denny’s Condiment Transport ship and the mission is clear: deliver 40 tons of condiments to the 4th planet in sector 7d.

Centipup – Once upon a time, a young boy named Danny came across a bottle of syrup and with just a slight squeeze the bottle’s sticky contents had the power to turn anyone or anything into a fried egg.

Take-out – A wall made entirely of delicious Denny’s breakfast items appears blocking all the take-out orders from their rightful owners. The only way to feed customers is to break down that wall!

Interestingly, the app icon is even a bit of a remix on the Atari logo. If you look, that is the shape of the logo, but done with bacon. Bottom line here, if you are looking for a bit of a twist on a few retro Atari games -- hit up the Denny's Atari Remix app for a few minutes of fun.

The Denny's Atari Remix app is free and can be found using this Google Play Store link.

Along with the game app, Denny's also has what we would consider a more traditional restaurant app. This other app is simply called Denny's and allows the user to see the full menu (including breakdowns of the meals) and also find the closest location.

SOURCE: Atari

CyanogenMod team talks Android L and the wait for final code

Google did something new at I/O this year. They released the next version of Android as a developer preview. As many are familiar with, that release is called Android L, and so far there has only been speculation in terms of what the next Android dessert will be. Some have referred to it as lollipop, and it looks like the Cyanogen team is currently calling it Later.

The Android L as in Later designation from the CyanogenMod team comes in regards to how they will not be starting work on CM12 with Android L. A recent update on the CyanogenMod Blog mentioned how this developer preview release is "exciting to see happen." But just as quick as they were to say that, there was also the reminder about how "the code, being a preview, is non-final and likely going to change."

Basically, now that the Android L developer code is available in the AOSP trees -- we could begin seeing some ROM releases based on the code. It is just that none of those releases will be from Cyanogen. But that isn't to say the CyanogenMod team will completely ignore the release. They are planning to start checking the code in an effort to spots any gaps, and then to find possible solutions for those gaps.

The team also mentioned how they are using the current developer preview code to "figure out what CM features can go, and run preliminary assessments on how badly device support will break." And on the positive side of all this, this early prep work should speed up a CyanogenMod release once the final Android L source code is released.

Having said all that, next up from CyanogenMod will be the CM11 M8 (Android 4.4.4) release, which is set to drop after the July 4th weekend.

SOURCE: CyanogenMod

New Vine update includes loop counts, app redesign

Vines are slowly creeping (pun intended) onto the social media landscape, and the latest update to the video sharing app allows you to see just how popular the videos really are. As of July 1, the Vine Android mobile app will feature loop counts, a redesigned home feed and a better activity feed for your viewing pleasure.

The updated app now reflects a more simple view of the likes and comments on your Vine videos, which is the lifeline of any social media practitioner, be it a brand or even just for personal reasons. The Activity Feed has also gotten a revamp as it is now easier for you to navigate through all the people you follow as well as your own personal videos uploaded. You’ll be able to see the old activity from the newer ones and once you’ve reached certain milestones on the videos you uploaded.

But what’s most important with this update is that it now shows you loop counts or how many times the Vine video has already been watched by people around the world. The number being updated on the app is in real-time and so you know whether or not the video you’re about to view has struck a cord (funny or otherwise) with the rest of the world.

They have actually started counting the loops since April 3 of this year, but only the views on or after that date will be counted for the video. So if you see a video that has a + sign next to the loop count, it just means that the current count is probably higher than what is reflected on the counter.

Download Vine from the Google Play Store.

SOURCE: Vine

Massive updates for Google Docs, Sheets arrive

With the announcement last week during the I/O Conference that the Google Office Suite would be able to create and edit Microsoft Office within their apps, we were expecting that the roll-out would be done in the next few months. But surprise, surprise! Google Docs and Sheets have started releasing updates today and the changes in the two are significant and very much welcome.

Aside from the ability to create and edit Word documents within Google Docs, the update has a bunch of new features that would make using the app easier than opening and editing files on Word on your desktop or laptop. There is a floating new document button that will make it easier to make new files, plus the UI for editing existing files is now totally different. The file list can now also differentiate between Word and Doc files and can send finished documents as either PDF or Word. You can also now open files from storage devices, like a flash drive or hard drive. For a more minimalistic look, there are now fewer icons that are steady on the status bar.

Google Sheets has the same new features as Docs in the updates, except of course that this is more related to Microsoft Excel. You can now create and edit charts on Sheets, which will bring a sigh of relief to those who still didn’t totally want to turn to Google Apps because of this previous limitation. Formulas are also now integrated into the app, instead of just entering them manually. Another crucial new feature is the auto-fill option, where you can choose from the cells previously filled-in, just like in Excel.

Google also announced last week that they were removing Quickoffice from the Play Store as they integrate it into the Google Office Suite. With these new updates, you can see why there’s no need for a separate app suite as it gets easier to work on documents within the Google Drive and apps like Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Download Google Docs and Google Sheets from the Google Play Store.