After a spending a summer in limited beta, Google Music finally launched today during an event in held Los Angeles, just one day after Apple debuted its iTunes Match. The new service, like the beta, allows users to upload a maximum of 20,000 songs from their personal music collection to Google’s servers and listen to them from any Google Music-enabled device. And contrary to its initial claims that Google Music would require a monthly fee, Google said that the service will remain free of charge.

The search giant also announced that it is jumping into the music sales business, with the launch of its new Google Music store. Available through the Android Market, the store is set up much like the Market’s app, video, and book stores, complete with featured artists and staff picks. Songs downloaded through the store are available as 320 kbps MP3s and are immediately accessible through any of your Google Music-enabled devices. Read the rest of this entry »

The iPhone 4S already comes packed with some neat features: a high-quality camera and a voice-activated assistant are no small marbles. But if you really want to jazz up Apple’s latest smart phone, grab one (or some) of these hot new accessories for the holiday season.

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BodyMedia FIT link ArmBand ($179)

The BodyMedia FIT system and the Bluetooth-powered LINK Armband provide fitness enthusiasts highly accurate information on their daily activities. The armband automatically tracks calories burned during all daily actions—from high-powered workouts to more mundane tasks such as ironing—and monitors sleep quality as well. The BodyMedia FIT mobile app (for both the Android and iOS) lets users view their real-time caloric burn and activity data and includes a feature for creating personalized workouts.
www.bodymedia.com

Even if you happen to have several grand lying around–or  several million–it’s tough to get a gift for someone when money is no object. Well, how about a diamond-encrusted iPad 2 that includes Tyrannosaurus Rex bone shavings? Or a water-propelled jetpack? Or a toilet that comes with feet warmers and a touchscreen tablet? These are just some of the ideas for the person who has (almost) everything. Can’t afford anything on this list? Then just enjoy the ride.

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iPad 2 Gold History Edition ($8.14 million)

Designer Stuart Hughes is known for turning gadgets into extreme luxury items, so it was only a matter of time before he came out with a 24-carot gold, diamond-encrusted iPad 2 that includes shavings of 65 million year old Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur’s thigh bone. The Apple logo sparkles with 53 diamonds and the front frame is made from the oldest rock in the world, Ammolite—where the dinosaur bone shavings are sprinkled in. The iPad 2 Gold History Edition is so rare only two units have been made.

www.stuarthughes.com

Guess who’s back? The Zune HD pulled a serious Mickey Rourke and is on the road to a serious comeback, sort of. After posting a curt paragraph on Zune.net and removing images of the Zune HD from updated product pages, Microsoft is doing a little backtracking. A tweet from the Zune Support Twitter page stated that the attempts to erase Zune from the tech zeitgeist was a mistake and that no official moves have been made to discontinue the hardware, much to the Zune faithful’s delight.

In the hours since reports of the Zune hardware’s untimely demise, the initial statement has been pulled and the Zune HD’s product page has been restored. However, any mention of the mp3 player is noticeably absent from the Zune Music Pass page, which leaves me on edge.

Microsoft has been doing a mean two-step with Zune as of late. First, it killed of the Zune Original hardware, and then it didn’t… and then it did again. As much as I love my Zune, I can’t be be blind to the flashing message on the wall. My beloved mp3 player is on borrowed time, as are most mobile music devices that aren’t phones. Even though Apple announced a new iPod nano and iPod touch, smartphones and tablets are quickly encroaching on what used to be mp3 territory. The rise of the all-in-one movement is in full swing, complete with apps to stream the fight music and 32GB SD cards to store the carnage. For now, we the mp3 player devotees will stand firm blasting Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” and count our blessings that our devices live on to play another song for another day.

• iPhone 4S vs Android Smartphones: Price, Specs, and Data Compared

• Apple Announces Cheaper $199 iPod Touch, More Exercise-Friendly iPod nano

• See You, Zune: An Obit for Microsoft’s Media Player

Thanks for the Flash memories. A little more than five years, Microsoft has pulled the plug on both the Zune Original and one of my favorite pieces of tech Zune HD. Yes, I am the proud owner of what was yesterday the gadget of a conscientious Apple objector and today a piece of obscure and obsolete tech. In a short paragraph on Zune.net, Microsoft announced that going forward their mobile music and video strategy will be focused on Windows Phone.

They went on to reassure me and other  Zune HD holdouts in glib fashion that the change means “[a]bsolutely nothing” since our devices will still work and they’ll still honor our warranties. In the meantime, they’re going to highjack our beloved Zune Pass subscription service and make it more Windows Phone-friendly. As I listen to Jay-Z’s “Lost Ones” on my Zune HD, I can’t help but look back on all the good times. Read the rest of this entry »

California State Legislators just passed a new law that makes it illegal for a police officer to search a suspect’s cellphone without first obtaining a search warrant. According to CNN, the law was passed in response to a January ruling by the California Supreme Court, which found that a police officer could search a suspect’s phone without a warrant.

In handing down its decision, the court said that, “the loss of privacy upon arrest extends beyond the arrestee’s body to include ‘personal property … immediately associated with the person of the arrestee’ at the time of arrest,” CNN wrote. That included smartphones, tablets, and any other mobile devices and the data stored on them. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re anything like us, your computer’s desktop is awash with open Word documents, PDFs, e-mails, and at least 30 to 40 web pages. And while having a dual screen setup helps eliminate the clutter, it’s not always a viable option if you’re working on your notebook from the road. That’s where AOC’s new 16-inch portable e1649fwu LED USB monitor comes in. By sucking up juice from and running data through a single USB port, the $139 AOC monitor can help give your cramped desktop a bit more space. Read the rest of this entry »

Though the iPad 2 is great at many things, one area where the popular tablet can’t compete is external audio. Enter the Logitech Wireless Boombox and Wireless Headset, two new Bluetooth audio accessories that work with the iPad (and any other Bluetooth-enabled device) for the respective prices of $179.99 $149.99 and $69.99.

Update: The price of the Logitech Wireless Boombox was incorrect in the original press release. The correct price is $149.99.

Let’s start with the gadget that churns audio out and not in. The Wireless Boombox can pair with any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone or tablet to kick out mobile tunes, podcasts, or video content as far as 33 feet away from the source device. There’s no mention of weight or other dimensions, but this is one boombox that public partiers won’t need to cart on their shoulders. The Wireless Boombox can slip into any medium-sized duffel or notebook bag with ease.

The Wireless Headset packs up easily too, thanks to a collapsible design that lets the earpieces fold up when it’s time to hit the road, Jack. When the mouthpiece isn’t rotated upward in its hiding position behind the adjustable headband, users can take advantage of the microphone’s background noise-isolation technology to make FaceTime or voice calls even in slightly noisy environs.

Both pieces of hardware include rechargeable 6-hour batteries, and the BoomBox includes a 3.5mm jack for wiring in audio from a notebook, smartphone, tablet, or any other gadget, as well as a 6-foot power cable when the rechargeable battery can’t dance anymore. Speaking of a dance, here are links if you feel like cutting in for one with the Logitech Wireless Headset and Boombox.

It may be Labor Day weekend here in the U.S., but over in Berlin, Germany, the IFA trade show is still in full effect. As part of the weeklong festivities, XtremeMac, a maker of chargers, cases, and audio units for Apple devices, has unveiled four new speaker systems for use with the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and iMac. 

‘The first device, XtremeMac’s Luna Voyager II allows users to set dual independent alarms and wake to their iPod, iPhone, iPad, FM radio, or a standard buzzer.  In included app also provides users with an FM radio tuner controller and multiple channel preset. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s an old, and all too often told story: Airline passenger checks bag with expensive electronics equipment, arrives at destination sans expensive electronics equipment thanks to a grabby TSA screener. Often these cases don’t end the way they did last week, with the culprit being caught red-handed with an iPad that he’d stuffed down his pants. (Must have been some loose pants…) Turns out that screener, Nelson Santiago-Serrano, had stolen over $50,000 worth of merchandise in his time working at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

How is it that Mr. Santiago-Serrano  hadn’t been caught up until now? Possibly because the process of reporting stolen items is labyrinthine, confusing, frustrating, and sometimes not even worth the effort. First, it’s not clear who’s responsible: the TSA, the airport, or the airline? If the TSA, just looking at the claims page gives the impression that getting your claim resolved could take weeks or months, and that’s if you file it correctly. Airlines limit their liability for theft and sometimes exclude items like jewelry, cameras, and laptops.

Artist Shaenon K. Garrity had her $2,000 Macbook Air stolen from her luggage while traveling on US Airways. The bag was misrouted to begin with, left in unsecured areas for hours, and generally mishandled. “I contacted the airline immediately and filed a complaint,” she said on ComplaintsBoard.com. “After keeping me waiting for a month, U.S. Airways sent me a form letter telling me that it does not compensate for laptops. If they have a policy of not compensating for stolen laptops, why couldn’t they have told me this a month ago instead of making me jump through all these hoops?” Shaenon also contacted the TSA to file a complaint but they didn’t help.

Getting the TSA to take responsibility is an ongoing issue in these cases.