Sunday, December 23, 2012

Get your karaoke on with the new SongBooth iPhone app and you could net a record deal

songbooth screen shot

SongBooth, a music video recording app, wants to prove that a mobile platform can be the next YouTube of Myspace for up-and-coming artists.

The Internet and digital boom has led to many a star being born. YouTube was responsible for facilitating Justin Bieber’s discovery and metoric rise, while Myspace had a helping hand in jump starting Katy Perry’s singing career. Now, SongBooth wants to discover the next musical sensation by providing a social-mobile platform for collaboration and engagement among musicians.

The design of SongBooth’s mobile app echoes its musician-minded attitude. You could say that SongBooth, which launched to iPhone and iPod Touch devices earlier this month, sort of looks like a portable stage for impromptu concerts. 

There isn’t much here for the listeners — the, ahem, less-than-musically-gifted — among us. You might enjoy browsing through clips of performances published to SongBooth, but otherwise there isn’t much for you here. But if you’re a musician, SongBooth can be a haven away from YouTube, where audiences typically don’t take kindly to anything less than perfect performances. 

The app is still in its infancy so its community is tight-knit and willing to dish constructive criticism. Or if they’re appreciated, users can engage with musicians through feedback features that come in the form of likes and comments. And in-line with these features is the option to share a video through Facebook, SMS, or email. Twitter has yet to be integrated.

SongBooth’s videos run surprisingly fluidly without much interruptive buffering. Navigation is also easy to manage, and there are five simple buttons to help you dive into the app. The first two labeled, “Home” and “Popular” are for now filters that surface different types of user-uploaded content. The far right button labeled “Profile” is your personal profile page where you can view your own published videos, and see who is following you or liked your content. Next to this button is an “Activities” button which acts as a sort of news feed for Songbooth.

The central button, which looks like a mic, is what differentiates SongBooth from other video sharing apps. Users aren’t just uploading videos of themselves, they’re singing or playing an instrument with the expectation that the community will be judging them for better or for worse.

songbooth music track

When you click on the mic, a page opens up where you can select tracks. This is where you would tinker around with the instrumentals or pre-set songs that you’d like to accompany you. Right now you can only pull in a preexisting track from your iOS device, SongBooth CEO Gregory Lowe has every intention of adding additional instrumentals in a future update as an in-app purchase. Free music will also be offered.

There are a couple of incentives for musicians to pick up this app and start practicing their vocals. For starters, SongBooth is backed by YouTube singing sensation Ryan Beatty and renowned R&B singer Miguel, so there are at least a few industry leaders watching these videos. More importantly, SongBooth says that a yearly contest will be hosted, from which the most popular musician using the app could win a recording contract.

One piece of advice from us is that since SongBooth may be a sticky app among singers, we’d recommend that if you’re going to invest some time in it, go out and buy a mic for your iPhone. While the iPhone’s sound quality isn’t terrible, it’s far from the studio quality that makes a considerable difference — and if you’re trying to net a record deal with an app, any advantage can’t hurt. 


Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/songbooth/

Kickstarter project integrates game controller into Bluetooth iPhone case

Kickstarter project integrates game controller into Bluetooth iPhone case
Bluetooth solar-powered gaming case his Kickstarter (credit: John C.)

An iPhone case which transforms into to a video game controller has hit the popular crowd-sourcing site Kickstarter this weekend.

The concept case is only 3mm thin, but contains the traditional directional pad and button configurations seen on many classic handheld games consoles.

To the naked eye, it looks like a regular iPhone case, but snapping it from the centre reveals the controls and alters the shape of the case to make it easier to grip for gamers.

The case connects to the iPhone via Bluetooth 4.0 and is charged by Solar power and indoor light sources.

Apple on board

The creator Justice Frangipane has been working on the controller for over a year and has now teamed up with the iDevices company to help make the project a reality.

Most importantly, Frangipane says the project also has Apple's support.

He said: "iDevices contacted Apple on my behalf and we are happy to announce that Apple is not only going to support us, but willing to devote a team to making sure that this controller works perfectly with Apple iOS devices!"

The project requires a $135,000 (UK£83,490, AUD$129,772) bounty to officially go ahead and you can see the latest prototype in the video below.


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/kickstarter-project-integrates-game-controller-into-bluetooth-iphone-case-1121119

ZTE's Grand S 5-inch full HD smartphone leaked ahead of CES

ZTE's Grand S 5-inch full HD smartphone leaked ahead of CES
ZTE Grand S will join the 5-inch crowd at CES

A press shot of the heavily-touted ZTE Grand S smartphone has appeared online, two weeks before its launch at CES.

The handset will be competing for attention against a raft of fellow 5-inch, full HD 1080p displays when it officially arrives in Las Vegas in the second week of January.

The company has been teasing the arrival of the flagship Grand S by posting sketches on its Sina Weibo account, but Engadget has now picked up an official-looking shot from an anonymous tipser.

Not a huge amount is known about the other specs for the phone, beyond the display, but a note on the CES website refers to the as-yet-unnanounced Grand S as "the world's thinnest for 5 inch FHD smartphones."

Big trend

It seems that the trend towards 5-inch, full HD smartphones will dominate the annual tech extravaganza in the desert.

The likes of Sony, HTC, Sharp, Lenovo and Huawei are all thought to be preparing big-screen 1080p phones.

Which will reign supreme?


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/ztes-grand-s-5-inch-full-hd-smartphone-leaked-ahead-of-ces-1121117

Huawei Chairman shows off 6.1" Ascend Mate ahead of CES

At a Huawei store in Guangzhou, China, Richard Yu Huawei Chairman of devices showed off the Ascend Mate - a 6.1" quad-core Android smartphone with a 1080p resolution.

The device is said to be powered by a quad-core K3V3 chip clocked at 1.8 GHz, and offer a 4000 mAh battery, 9.9 mm frame and a screen with the impressive 361 ppi density. Richard Yu shared that the display is of the LTPS type, meaning low temperature polysilicon.


Huawei Ascend Mate

Prior to Richard Yu's demonstration of the Ascend Mate Huawei's Senior Vice President Yu Chengdong confirmed the company is working on such a device.

The Ascend Mate should make an appearance at CES, alongside the 5" Ascend D2, and should cost around $480 (¥3000).

It remains to be seen what version of Android the Ascend Mate will be running but Jelly Bean is a safe bet.

Coming up next is a video of the device in Yu's hands.

Source (In Chinese, needs registration) | Via


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_chairman_shows_off_61inch_ascend_mate_prior_to_ces-news-5246.php

Huawei 6.1-inch 1080p Ascend Mate shown off before CES launch

Huawei 6.1-inch 1080p Ascend Mate shown off before CES launch
Can Huawei Ascend, mate?

It's a little over two weeks until the world gets to know the massive Huawei Ascend Mate smartphone, but one company exec has already given fans a sneak peak.

The company confirmed it would be launching the 6.1-inch, full HD 1080 Ascend Mate earlier this month, with an eye on taking down the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note II.

Now it has appeared in the flesh, courtesy of Richard Yu, Hauwei's chairman of devices, who couldn't wait to show off the behemoth at a company store in Guangzhou, China.

You can get a glimpse of the device in the video below.

Plenty of power

The Ascend Mate is also rumoured to boast plenty of power to complement that full HD, big-screen goodness, with a 1.8GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

It's also thought to measure up at 9.9mm thin.

We'll be at CES 2013 in Las Vegas for the official unveiling of this 6.1-inch titan, so stay tuned for our hands on (and we mean hands, not hand!) first impressions.


Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/huawei-6-1-inch-1080p-ascend-mate-shown-off-before-ces-launch-1121112

Nokia details UK availability for the Lumia 920, 820 and 620

Nokia has officially announced it’s extending the market availability the Lumia 920, Lumia 820 and Lumia 620 in the UK. Throughout January and February next year, the trio of Windows Phone 8 devices will be reaching most major UK carriers and retailers.

Currently, the company’s flagship smartphone, the Lumia 920, is available through EE, Orange, T-Mobile and Phones4U, but as of January 2013, it’ll be also available at Vodafone and Three UK. The online retailers Micro- and Carphone Warehouse will also be offering the device.

Beginning January 2013, the Lumia 820 will also be joining its bigger brother and will be available at Vodafone with various monthly plan options. The device enjoys wide retail availability through EE, Orange, T-Mobile, O2, Tesco, Phones4U, Carphone Warehouse and Micro-P, but as of next month, its reach will be extended further.

Finally, the Lumia 620 will launch in February next year at Vodafone, O2, Three UK, Virgin Mobile, Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U and via Micro-P. Its pricing isn’t yet known, but we’ll keep you in touch once it gets announced.

Source | Via


Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_details_extended_uk_availability_for_the_lumia_920_820_and_620-news-5245.php