When Apple released iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, it included the ability to let you set a preferred music service with Siri. There was originally a misunderstanding on if this was a way to set a default app like you can with a web browser, but Apple clarified that is not the case.

There is no actual way to choose a specific music service for every occasion. Instead, this feature just uses Siri intelligence to learn your listening habits and give you better recommendations over time.

With this feature, Siri on your best iPhone will occasionally ask you what service you want to use. This allows Siri to learn your preferences for all audio content, rather than just music. For example, you'll be able to tell Siri to open podcasts specifically in the Podcasts app or a third-party app of your choice, like Overcast.

How to set a preferred music service with Siri on iPhone and iPad

Now, the feature has been included in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. But remember, you need to be running at least iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 in order to set a preferred music service with Siri, so that's something to keep in mind if you're using an older device.

1. Access Siri by saying, "Hey, Siri" or hold down the side/power button.
2. Ask Siri to play some music, like "Hey Siri, play The Beatles."
3. Siri will bring up a list of all of the music apps that you have installed and ask you, "Which app do you want to listen to this on?"
4. Select your preferred app from the list.
5. If prompted to do so, confirm that Siri can access data from your chosen music app.
6. Siri will now play the music in your chosen app of choice.

Want to set default apps?

So while this isn't the same as setting a default app for all music or podcasts, it's still a step in the right direction. Now when you ask Siri to play your music, she will learn which streaming service you prefer and stick with that for that specific audio type.

Of course, you can set default apps for your browser and mail app which can be super handy if you, like many people, don't Apple's own Mail app or Safari. Maybe one day we can change the default music player too.

Updated April 2022: Updated for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.

With your Apple Music subscription, you have access to thousands of high-quality music videos, ad-free, on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. You can browse through videos from your favorite artists, or sit back and relax while watching curated video playlists from Apple's dedicated music team.

Although just listening to your favorite music with your best noise-canceling headphones is a great way to experience Apple Music, music videos allow you to add a visual experience while you're listening.

Here's how to watch music videos in Apple Music on your best iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

How to browse for music videos in Apple Music

You can browse through Apple Music's Music Video page for something fun to watch, including curated video playlists for your favorite genres and decades.

1. Launch Apple Music on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV.
2. Click on Browse.
3. Click on Music Videos. On iPhone and iPad, it's just under Playlist. On Mac and Apple TV, it's at the top next to Playlist.

You can scroll through new and featured music videos, playlists, and more. Find something you'd like to watch and click on it to start playing it.

How to search for specific music videos in Apple Music

If you know what you're looking for, you can easily find any music video available on Apple Music with a quick search.

1. Simply type the name of the song or artist (or both) into the search field.
2. When the results come up, scroll down to the Videos section.

If an artist or song you search for doesn't have a music video section, it's not available in Apple Music.

How to add music videos to your Library in Apple Music

You can add music videos found in Apple Music to your library so they're easier to find and watch at any time.

1. Select the music video you want to add to your library
2. On your iPhone or iPad tap the Add button (it looks like a plus symbol) next to the video. On Apple TV, press the Menu button on the Siri Remote and then swipe up to the More button at the top of the screen (it looks like three dots). On Mac, click the Add button next to the video.

The music video will now be listed in your Library where you can stream it. If you want to download music videos for offline viewing, download it onto your iPhone, iPad, or Mac (you can't download anything on Apple TV, unfortunately).

How to download music videos to your device in Apple Music

Whether you've already got a music video in your Library or you've just found it in Apple Music, you can download it to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to watch offline. Build your perfect playlist and watch them all while out in the middle of nowhere.

1. Select the music video you want to download to your device.
2. On your iPhone or iPad tap the Add button (it looks like a plus symbol) next to the video. On Mac, click the Add button next to the video.
3. Select the Download button (it looks like a cloud with an arrow pointing downward).

The music video will download onto your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Keep in mind how much storage space you have on your devices. Music videos take up around 50-100MB of space (as opposed to about 15MB for songs).

How to view music videos added to your Library in Apple Music

Your Library is where your content sits. Whether it's music you ripped from your personal CD collection, bought on iTunes, or added from Apple Music (if it's from Apple Music, it doesn't belong to you. You are "borrowing it" with your subscription). When you want to find your music videos, you may have to filter iTunes or your Music app in order to see them.

1. Launch Apple Music on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV.
2. Select Library.
3. Select Music Videos from the list of content in your Library. On Mac, it's in the sidebar on the left. On Apple TV, it's in the sidebar on the right.

If you don't see Music Videos, you may have to add it. On iPhone and iPad, tap Edit in the upper right corner of your Library. Then tap Music Videos to add it to the list.

How to create a video playlist in Apple Music

Playlists aren't just for songs. You can create the perfect music video playlist and fill it with every video of your favorite artists doing the Floss (it'll happen eventually).

1. Select a music video that you want to put in a playlist.
2. On iPhone and iPad, force press or long press on the video. On Mac, right or Control-click on the video (when it's not playing). On Apple TV, press the Menu button on the Siri Remote and swipe up to the More button at the top of the screen (it looks like three dots).
3. Select Add to playlist.

4. If you're creating a new playlist, select New Playlist. You can also add it to an existing playlist.
5. Name your new playlist.

From now on, when you want to add a music video or song to your new playlist, it'll be there.

How to share a video in Apple Music

On iPhone, iPad, and Mac, you can share a link to a music video on Twitter, Facebook, Messages, and a variety of different places using the Share extensions.

1. Select a music video that you want to put in a playlist.
2. On iPhone and iPad, Force press or long press on the video. On Mac, right or Control-click on the video (when it's not playing).
3. Select Share Music Video.
4. Select the method you want to share the video.

On Mac, you can copy the link, or share it directly on Twitter and Facebook. On iPhone and iPad, you can share it with a wide variety of services, including Facebook and Twitter, plus cloud-based storage services, Pinterest, chat apps, note-taking apps, and more.

How to control video playback in Apple Music

For the most part, controlling playback on a music video in Apple Music is the same as it is for any video. Tap or click on Play, pause, fast forward, and rewind. There are, however, a few additional ways you can control the playback of music videos in Apple Music that make it a little more fun.

Siri on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV knows what to do when you ask it to skip ahead, rewind, pause, and play a music video. Just ask.

• "Hey. Siri. Play Prince - Let's Go Crazy music video."
• "Hey, Siri. Pause."
• "Hey, Siri. Skip to the next music video."
• "Hey, Siri. Replay the music video."

Asking Siri to start playing a music video is a bit tricky. Sometimes, it plays an audio track instead, but sometimes it understands and plays the video you asked for. I wasn't ever able to successfully get Siri to play a music video on my Mac. All playback commands after the video starts work perfectly, though.

If you're watching music videos in Apple Music, you're AirPods can be used to control playback in the same way they would if you were listening to music.

Depending on what you have assigned to your double-tap for the left and right ear, you can pause/play, skip to the next music video, play the previous music video, or double-tap to ask Siri to make your request.

If you've got one or more HomePods hooked up to your Apple TV, you can, indeed, ask Siri on your HomePod to start playing a music video, pause, play, skip ahead, rewind, and more. Just ask Siri on your Homepod.

• "Hey. Siri. Play Prince - Let's Go Crazy music video."
• "Hey, Siri. Pause."
• "Hey, Siri. Skip to the next music video."
• "Hey, Siri. Replay the music video."

Again, asking Siri to start playing a music video is a bit tricky. Sometimes, it plays an audio track instead, but sometimes it understands and plays the video you asked for. All playback commands after the video starts work perfectly, though.

Apple Music plans

Apple Music currently has three different plans; an individual subscription, a family subscription, which supports up to six people via Family Sharing, and the new, cheapest plan the Apple Music Voice Plan, which can only be used with Siri.

All the plans give you access to the entire Apple Music song library, but the Apple Music Voice Plan does not let you watch music videos. If you want to watch a music video as described above in this guide, you'll need to switch plans.

Updated March 2022: Updated for iOS 15 and macOS Monterey.

What you need to know

• Deezer has announced "360 Sessions" for its iOS and Android app.
• The playlist features live performances recorded in Sony 360 Reality Audio.

Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos just launched on Apple Music last week and Deezer is already hot on Apple's trail.

The company has announced in a blog post that it is rolling out "360 sessions" to its music streaming service. The new feature, according to the company, currently features a collection of live performances and, with the power of Sony 360 Reality Audio, users will feel like they are right in front of the stage.

Deezer's 360 Sessions playlist includes performances from:

• Dua Lipa
• Fireboy Dml
• Lolo Zouai
• Joesef
• Barrie
• Circa Waves
• Half Moon Run
• Anne-Marie
• Georgia

Deezer says that listeners can use any model of headphones and that no special hardware will be required to enjoy the feature. Listeners with Sony headphones that are compatible with Headphones Connect will enjoy an "enhanced" experience. However, users must be subscribed to Deezer HiFi, the high fidelity tier from the company that currently costs $15 per month.

Jerome Coïc, Deezer's Senior Special Operations & Partnerships Manager, says that 360 Reality Audio "will transport each music fan to the heart of their favorite performance."

Deezer definitely differentiated itself from Apple Music with this offering. While Apple Music currently supports more songs in Spatial Audio, it has not released a collection of live performances specifically recorded for the purpose like Deezer has. Of course, Apple is offering all of its spatial audio content at the same $10 per month price that Apple Music has always cost, whereas Deezer is only offering the experience to customers on its highest-tier plan.

If you want to nab a great set of headphones to check out spatial audio across Apple Music and Deezer, check out our list of the Best headphones for Dolby Atmos for Apple Music 2021.

What you need to know

• Deezer has redesigned its Apple Watch app.
• The update also adds the ability to download offline playlists.

Deezer has finally brought offline listening to its Apple Watch app.

In a new update to the music streaming service's Apple Watch app, users can now download and listen to playlists on the Apple Watch, even if they are not connected to the internet. The company has also redesigned the app to make it easier to navigate your favorite songs.

This is a great move by the company as it is now one of the most complete music experiences on the Apple Watch aside from Apple Music. Spotify, which is still the largest music streaming service in the world, still does not allow you to download music to play offline on the Apple Watch.

Deezer has been on a bit of a tear with adding support for Apple products this month. At the beginning of May, the company added Siri support for the HomePod and the HomePod mini.

You'll be able to enjoy the new Deezer Apple Watch app starting today if you update the app on the App Store.

What you need to know

• Streaming service Pandora is overhauling its app today.
• New "For You" tab provides continually updated personal suggestions.
• Also aims to provide easy access to all Pandora's content and programming.

Popular U.S. music streaming service Pandora's mobile app is today getting a substantial overhaul to bring users increased personalization, in a bid to stay competitive in a world dominated by Spotify and Apple Music.

Pandora will today introduce a brand new mobile experience. The main feature is a dedicated "For You" tab, which provides a continuously updating feed of content recommended to users based on personalized factors. Users will receive recommendations for both music and podcasts based on the day of the week, time of day and Pandora's predictions about things like your mood.

In a statement Pandora's Chief Product Officer Chris Phillips said:

"Our listeners have told us that they love the utility of Pandora — it's drop-dead easy, it works, it knows me, It's really simple," explains Pandora's Chief Product Officer, Chris Phillips. "But what they haven't been able to understand and have easy enough access to is all the content and programming that we have available on Pandora — the new content, new programming, and the unique content that you can't get other places,"

Pandora hopes that the new "For You" tab will provide a window to allow users to view the most amount of its content possible. Web feature Pandora modes is also coming to mobile for the first time. This lets you toggle and customize how you experience Pandora Stations to hear certain types of music such as new releases. Inside the For You tab, you can also browse by category, this includes genre, new music, podcasts, moods, playlists, decades and trending.

TechCrunch notes:

In total, there are some 35 different modules in Pandora's new For You feed, some of which are shown to every user while others appear dynamically based on time of day and day of week. Its suggestions will also be tailored to your own likes and interests, thanks to your own listening behavior and explicit signals, like thumbs up and thumbs down.

There's a "Moods & Activities" section, which will let you pick out music to suit your mood, be it a rainy day, a workout or studying to name a few.

Customization and personalization are absolutely key in this new Pandora upgrade. The new version will begin rollout today on iOS and Android and should be made be available for all users over the next few weeks.

The HomePod may not be a traditional Bluetooth speaker, but it is a standard AirPlay speaker (with some added smarts, of course). That means you can't stream music from an Android device (without a complicated workaround) or connect it to an audio source using Bluetooth. It does, however, mean that you can stream any audio from your connected iPhone and iPad using Airplay, even if it's from a third-party music streaming service. Here's how.

• AirPlay doesn't mean Siri play
• How to AirPlay any music streaming app to your HomePod
• How to stop streaming third-party music services on your HomePod using AirPlay
• Troubleshooting AirPlay on HomePod

AirPlay doesn't mean Siri play

Though you can use AirPlay to stream any music from your iPhone or iPad, that doesn't mean you can use Siri to control playback. That only works with Apple Music and iTunes Match. You'll have to start the beats from your iPhone or iPad and control whether you skip or replay songs from either your device or the control panel on top of the HomePod.

How to AirPlay any music streaming app to your HomePod

Streaming Spotify, music from your iTunes, SoundCloud favorites, YouTube Premium content, or whatever audio you want to your HomePod is as easy as connecting it to AirPlay.

1. Swipe up from the bottom bezel on your iPhone or iPad to bring up Control Center (swipe down from the upper right corner on iPhone X).
2. Tap the audio options icon in the upper right corner of the Now Playing control panel.
3. Tap your HomePod.

Whichever music app is playing will automatically play through the HomePod, even if you switch apps.

How to stop streaming third-party music services on your HomePod using AirPlay

If you'd rather get your music directly from Apple Music on HomePod, or if you want to play something else, you can quickly bring the audio back to your iPhone or iPad.

1. Swipe up from the bottom bezel on your iPhone or iPad to bring up Control Center (swipe down from the upper right corner on iPhone X).
2. Tap the audio options button in the upper right corner of the Now Playing control panel.
3. Tap your HomePod to send the music back to your iPhone or iPad.

Troubleshooting AirPlay on HomePod

Here are some common issues with AirPlay that can easily be fixed.

• Make sure your iPhone or iPad has Bluetooth enabled.
• Make sure your iPhone or iPad has wi-fi turned on.
• Make sure your HomePod is paired to your iPhone or iPad.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about playing music from third-party streaming apps to HomePod using AirPlay? Put them in the comments and we'll help you out.

Using an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription on your Amazon Echo is a breeze. Here are the steps to get started and enjoy the service and to cancel, if needed.

Current Amazon Music subscription services

Before digging into our guide, it's essential to understand the different Amazon music services:

• Prime Music: Amazon Prime Music is a music streaming service for Amazon Prime members. You get access to over 2 million songs and can listen to any of these titles on-demand and ad-free. This service is free for anyone who subscribes to Amazon Prime, and it's available for use on any of your Amazon Echo devices.
• Music Unlimited Echo Plan: This plan is exclusive to owners of an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Spot, Echo Look, Echo Input, or Fire TV. For $3.99 a month, you can stream from the full Amazon Music Unlimited library (tens of millions of songs) on-demand and ad-free. The only catch is it's exclusive to your Echo device — your subscription won't grant you access to Amazon Music Unlimited on the web, in the app, or on another Echo device.
• Music Unlimited Individual Plan: This plan works on all your devices. For $7.99 a month for Amazon Prime members (or $79 per year) and $9.99 a month for non-Prime members, you get access to tens of millions of songs on the web, in the app, and on any of your Echo devices.
• Music Unlimited Family Plan: This plan also works on all your devices. For $14.99 a month for both Amazon Prime members and non-Prime members, you and up to six family members get access to tens of millions of songs on the web, in the app, and on any of your Echo devices.

As you can see, Amazon offers various plans at various price points. The best choice for you will come down to the number of Echo devices in your home and whether you want others to share a subscription.

How to sign up for Amazon Music Unlimited

You can sign up for Amazon Music Unlimited with your Echo. No need to visit a website or pull out your phone. Just use your voice!

1. Make sure you're within range of your Echo and say, "Alexa, sign up for Amazon Music Unlimited."
2. From here, Alexa will guide you through the subscription process.

If you've never tried Amazon Music Unlimited, you'll receive a 30-day free trial of the streaming service.

Using Amazon Music Unlimited with your Echo

Using Amazon Music Unlimited is relatively simple since you use your voice to control the music. There's no real step-by-step process for playing music on Amazon Echo, Instead, here some examples of ways to interact with Echo and use Amazon Music Unlimited.

• "Alexa, play the song with the lyrics 'We're no strangers to love, you know the rules and so do I.'"
• "Alexa, play some sad jazz songs."
• "Alexa, play some music that will cheer me up!"
• "Alexa, play the song of the day."
• "Alexa, I want to hear new music from Nicki Minaj."
• "Alexa, turn up the music!"
• "Alexa, what's playing right now?"
• "Alexa, who sings this song?"
• "Alexa, pause the music."
• "Alexa, stop playing music in a couple of hours."
• "Alexa, skip this song."
• "Alexa, I'm tired of this song." (This will take the song out of rotation)

How to cancel your Amazon Music Unlimited service

If you decide Amazon Music Unlimited isn't for you, here's how you cancel your subscription:

1. Go to your Amazon Music Settings on the web.
2. Under the Amazon Music Unlimited section click Cancel subscription.

3. Follow the steps to leave feedback and cancel your subscription.

4. Click Confirm cancellation to cancel your subscription.

Now that you have the music thing down, it's time to buy a few accessories for your favorite Echo device.

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Kit ($159 at Amazon)

Your Amazon Echo device, when paired with this Philips Hue starter pack will allow you to adjust your lights with absolute ease.

Nanoleaf Light Panels ($270 at Amazon)

For something completely different, try these amazing smart lights.

Wemo Mini Smart Plug ($25 at Amazon)

With this product, even dumb devices can be turned on/off by asking Amazon Alexa

As we all know, every year Apple promotes an Apple Music playlist called What are the Earth's favorite songs? in celebration of Earth Day to further show the company's support for environmental protection efforts. The list combines classics with "new favorites," and includes staples like "Mother Nature's Son" by the Beatles and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" by Marvin Gaye. While these songs are most certainly on-theme for this, the greenest of holidays, there's a staggering amount of Earth- and nature-inspired songs out there that didn't make the list, but also deserve to be a part of the spring festivities.

To that end, here's a small collection of my favorite songs that pull from natural experiences, all put together into a handy Apple Music playlist of my own. It features the honey-smooth, air-between-your-fingers energies of Glass Animals, the telluric ritual magic of French Afro-Cuban twin duo Ibeyi, and the wild, glittering sounds of definite elfin princess Björk, as well as myriad other artists whose works embody the reverent lushness of spring. Feel free to stream it as you marvel at budding flowers, fill your lungs with post-rain petrichor, or dig your hands into the cool earth as you plant this year's garden.

Thoughts?

What are some of your favorite songs that emphasize natural imagery? Share them in the comments below so we can all enjoy them together as we do good for the Earth today!

Don't ask me why it's this way, but if you're paying for Tidal with your iTunes Account, you're spending too much money. No, really, you are. I promise. You'll save 30% on your subscription by paying for it by other means.

If you sign up for Tidal on the web or in, say, the Android app then you'll see the price of $19.99 for the HiFi subscription plan. Let's face it, if you're using Tidal at all, this is probably why. But, if you should happen to sign up using your iPhone or iPad, then that price goes up.

In the UK it costs £25.99 a month through iTunes. £6 more. I assume the same can be said of U.S.-based customers. It's the easiest way to subscribe and enjoy Tidal, but it's literally throwing your money down the toilet.

When you sign up, you get the first 30 days free anyway, so you have time to figure it out. Tidal doesn't even hide the fact you can pay less, happily telling you on its website that if you pay with a credit card or PayPal you'll save money.

Here's how you make the switch.

1. Log in to your Tidal account on the Tidal website.
2. Select payment from the menu on the right side of the screen. You'll see the image above.
3. Select the new payment option and add your details.

You'll have to cancel your current subscription in iTunes yourself; otherwise, you can and probably will be charged twice. If you need an assist on that, hit the link below for our full guide.

How to cancel an App Store subscription

Assuming you've done this before any Apple-made payments are taken, you won't have to worry and you'll only be paying the proper rate of $19.99.

Download Tidal at the App Store

Pandora was one of the first companies out there for streaming music: The service used its Music Genome Project and smart licensing to quickly become a huge name in recommending great music to listen to throughout the work day.

But the company was hindered by a small catalog of songs and growing unrest from customers who wanted to stream what they wanted, when they wanted, rather than the internet radio experience.

After Pandora bought Rdio in late 2015, rumors swirled that the company planned to open a subscription-based on-demand service, and at last the fruit of the company's labors is here in the form of Pandora Premium.

What is Pandora Premium?

Premium is Pandora's newest subscription option: Rather than replace the regular Pandora experience or $4.99 ad-free Pandora Plus, Premium is additive; it takes everything from Plus, and drops a 40+ million song catalog atop everything else.

I want more details: What's the difference between Plus and Premium?

The $4.99/month Pandora Plus subscription is essentially an ad-free version of Pandora's automated radio stations. In addition to no ads, you'll get unlimited skips and replays, the ability to create personalized stations, higher-quality audio, and a way to listen to offline stations.

In contrast, the $9.99/month Premium is a direct competitor with Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, and the like: It not only includes all of Pandora Plus's features, but it also lets you create playlists with unlimited skips and replays and search through Pandora's 40+ million song catalog to play or download anything you want locally to your device.

As of May 28th, 2018, you can now add a Premium Family plan for $14.99 a month. On top of having Premium features, the family plan also has an Our Soundtrack feature, which selects certain tunes based on family member's listening habits.

How do I sign up?

If you already have a Pandora.com account, signing up is easy — just log in to your account on the web or mobile, and select the Upgrade tab.

Signups are currently open to everyone in the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia, but there's a catch: Pandora Premium currently only works on mobile devices like Apple's iPhone, iPad, or Android. Visit Pandora.com, and you'll be reduced to the Pandora Plus feature set.

You might think it makes more sense to sign up on mobile, but there's a second catch: Because Pandora has to pay a share of each subscription to Apple when purchased through the App Store, Premium is $12.99/month on iOS, and just $9.99/month via the web or Android.

My suggestion? Sign up for Premium's free one-month trial on your smartphone or tablet; if you like the service, cancel your App Store subscription and re-subscribe on the web, then log in with your account on your iOS or Android device.

Sign up for Pandora Premium

You mentioned free trial?

Yes! Premium currently offers a 1 month free trial on iOS and Android, after which you'll be billed monthly.

How do I avoid being charged if I just want to play with the free trial?

You can do this immediately after signing up for a free trial so that you don't get billed at the higher $12.99 rate; here's how.

• How to cancel your Pandora Premium subscription

Does Pandora offer a family plan?

Not at this time, likely because Pandora Premium is currently only available on mobile devices. We'll have to wait and see if the company plans to release a family option later down the road.

If I don't want Premium but still want to use Pandora, what other options do I have?

• Plain 'ol Pandora, Free: This is the Pandora we've known and loved for years — ad-supported algorithmic radio stations. Pick an artist, and you can create a radio station around them that plays songs from them and other artists like them; that station can be further customized by giving songs likes and dislikes.
• Pandora Plus, $4.99: Pandora's low-end subscription service; Plus removes all ads and lets you listen offline on mobile.

What countries can I use Pandora Premium in?

Currently, only the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand have Premium as an option. (Sorry, Canada and the U.K.)

Which devices support Pandora Premium?

Currently, Premium is limited to your iPhone, iPad, or Android device; if you play Pandora on your Mac, PC, Amazon device, or Roku, you'll be limited to Pandora Plus's features.

What's the streaming bitrate?

Unknown at this time, as Pandora hasn't officially announced it, but it theoretically boasts the same "higher quality" tier as Pandora Plus (née Pandora One), which at last reporting offered 192kbps for streaming.

I heard there are some songs you can only play via Pandora's radio stations?

Unfortunately, this is true: Because of the way Pandora licenses its music streaming, there are certain artists (like the Beatles) which are restricted to Radio-only play. You'll be able to see which tracks this applies to when searching; artists and songs that won't play on-demand will have a "Radio" badge next to them.

What differentiates Pandora Premium from every other streaming service?

Currently, Premium's main draw is the data behind its Music Genome Project — some people have been Pandora users for over a decade at this point, and that translates into a lot of information about what you like and dislike about your music.

When you sign up for the service, you automatically get a playlist that collects every song you've ever liked over the course of your Pandora listening time; in addition, it uses those likes to suggest new artists and stations you might enjoy. You can continue to create algorithmic stations, as always, but one of Premium's cooler new features is automatic playlist completion: When you create a new playlist using a few songs, Pandora can automatically fill the rest of the playlist with similar music. It's akin to Apple's "play more like this" Genius feature on Siri or Spotify's Daily Mixes, but slightly easier to use in practice. And when you finish your playlist, Pandora will keep the music playing by building an algorithmic radio station with similar characteristics.

You can even share these playlists, though only Pandora Premium subscribers will be able to play them.

How does it compare to other streaming services?

In many ways, Premium has a long road ahead to catch up with the likes of Apple Music and Spotify:

• It's lacking any way to play music on your Mac or PC
• You can't upload your computer's personal song library to mix in with Premium's collection
• It's only available in three countries
• Aside from the Music Genome Project's data, there isn't any "killer" feature that differentiates Premium from the other streaming services

Pandora seems to be banking on the trust of its longtime subscriber base — hooking them and others who know the Pandora name and don't want to fiddle with other streaming services might be the key to make up these omissions. There's also no discounting the reliability of the automated engine powering Pandora: The Music Genome Project has some of the best algorithmic suggestions in the streaming game, and pairing that with a full 40 million song catalog could be a huge attraction for potential subscribers.

Here's our general feature comparison, if you're curious how Pandora stacks up.

Should I subscribe to Pandora Premium?

If you're curious about a music streaming service that pairs the excellence of the Music Genome Project with a simple, easy-to-use iOS or Android app, Premium might be worth a shot.

If you're looking for a more complex streaming service that lets you pair songs with your existing music library, or you prefer human-created playlists, Apple Music and Spotify might be more up your alley.

Learn more

Questions?

Any other questions about Pandora Premium? Let us know in the comments.

Canceling or changing your Pandora Premium subscription is simple: It just depends on where you subscribed.

How to cancel your Pandora Premium subscription on iPhone or iPad

If you directly subscribed to Premium through the Pandora app, you'll need to cancel it via your Apple ID's subscriptions section.

Fun fact: You can cancel Premium immediately after signing up for a free trial so that you don't get billed at the higher $12.99 rate after your month is up, but you'll still be able to use it free for the next thirty days.

1. Open the iTunes app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap the Apple ID button.
3. Select View Apple ID.
4. Enter your Apple ID password or authorize with Touch ID.
5. Tap the Subscriptions button.

6. Tap Pandora.
7. Press Cancel Subscription.
8. Tap Confirm.

How to cancel Pandora Premium on the web

If you subscribed online, you'll need to visit Pandora's website to cancel.

1. Open Pandora.com.
2. Sign in to your account.
3. Click on your profile picture in the upper right corner.
4. Select Settings.

5. Click on Subscription.
6. Press Cancel Subscription
7. Save Changes and enter your password, if prompted.Note: If you can't follow steps 6-7, you're likely subscribed to Premium from a different vendor (Apple, Roku, Android, Amazon). You'll need to visit them directly to cancel.

Questions?

Still having trouble canceling? Let us know below.

In just a couple of hours, Americans will make history by officially electing their very first woman for president, or a living, breathing tangerine man (kidding, that was a joke. Good luck, Donald!).

If you don't have cable, don't fret! There are plenty of options online to consider. Here's a list of the best places to catch the play-by-play of this monumental event.

• Live Right Now
• Youtube Streams
• Stream with Apple TV
• Best Apps for Streaming
• Interactive Election Maps
• Clinton-specific Streams
• Trump-specific Streams

Live Right Now

Jump into the #electionaction right away with news sources like Reuters TV, CBS, and Politico. These live feeds will keep you up to date on all the latest information and should be continuously streaming content throughout the day.

• Reuters TV
• CBS
• Politico

YouTube Streams

Most of these YouTube streams won't start until a bit later, so we let you know the specific times for each one. YouTube streams are great because you can play them on your iPhone, iPad, MacBook — wherever! Here are a couple of streams starting later from NBC, ABC, Bloomberg Politics, PBS, and even MTV.

Stream with Apple TV

CBS, ABC, CNBC, PBS, and CNNgo all have streaming options available for your Apple TV, but by using the Twitter livestream, you can easily watch the election with your Apple TV, too!

Best Apps for Streaming

It even keeps streaming when you lock your iPhone so you never miss a moment!

Interactive Election Maps

Interactive election maps are really great tools to keep yourself up-to-date with voting and information as it comes in in real-time. Check out CNN, Politico, and 260 To Win's maps for a little more hands-on election coverage!

• CNN
• 260 To Win
• Politico

Clinton-specific Streams

Hoping Hillary Clinton makes history as the first female president ever? Then watch her specific watch party here!

Trump-specific Streams

Rooting for Donald Trump to make America great again? Then check out his watch party from Fox News here!

What's your pick?

Is there a way you've been watching the election that we haven't mentioned? Let us know in the comments below!

Music streaming service Deezer is now widely available in the U.S., meaning that anyone can now sign up for the service. The Spotify and Apple Music competitor was previously only available in the U.S. to those who signed up from Bose or Sonos, along with Cricket Wireless customers.

Deezer boasts a catalog of 40 million songs, along with a collection of podcasts and news articles. One of the service's primary features, Deezer FLOW, offers a personalized experience based on what you like, and what Deezer thinks you'll like. Features like FLOW, Channels, and more are meant to help boost discovery.

Deezer offers a 30-day free trial of its Premium+ membership, which costs $9.99 after the trial. Note that, unlike in other territories, there is no general free option for Deezer. You can grab the Deezer app from the App Store now.

• Free - Download Now

Press release:

Deezer Launches Direct To Consumers In U.S. With The Most Personalized Music Discovery Platform

Following Success of Home Audio and Mobile Subscriptions, Deezer is Made Available to All Music Lovers

NEW YORK, July 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Deezer, one of the world's leading, on-demand digital music streaming services, today expands its international offering by launching to all consumers in the U.S. Available via the iOS App Store, Google Play, the Windows Store and Deezer.com, music fans can now directly access their favorite content and features, including Deezer's signature FLOW – a personal soundtrack that intuitively knows everything listeners want to hear, from familiar tracks to new music.

Following the success of the brand's home audio and contract-free wireless subscription services in the U.S. market, Deezer will expand access to its Premium+ subscription and offer a free trial to new users for 30 days, after which a monthly charge will be applied. The Deezer app, which offers unlimited access to the world's largest music streaming library, as well as to news, podcasts and live radio, can be downloaded onto any device, including smartphones, tablets, computers, home sound systems, and smartwatches. Deezer will also continue to be available via Cricket Wireless and to Sonos and Bose subscribers.

"We are thrilled to make Deezer available to all music fans in the U.S., at a time when the company is growing stronger and developing new technologies that enable us to deliver a much more personalized experience," said Deezer Global Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Hans-Holger Albrecht. "We've already received an overwhelmingly positive response since offering Deezer via our partners Sonos, Bose and Cricket, and now look forward to making our service available to everyone."

Personalized for You

With knowledge and expertise from 50 music editors around the world combined with in-depth data analysis, Deezer delivers the most personalized listening experience possible, while also offering fans insight into local trends and new ways of discovering new artists.

The Deezer Difference

Designed to suit individual music tastes, Deezer boasts a host of unique features, which make music experiences both enjoyable and relevant. A redesigned homepage includes an easy-to-use navigation slider, which quickly guides listeners to the most relevant recommendations and to over 40 million songs and over 40,000 news articles and podcasts, all of which form part of the largest global music catalog in the world.

Additional features include:

• Deezer's FLOW - The most personalized soundtrack that intuitively knows exactly what listeners want to hear, including favorites as well as new tracks. FLOW is designed with discovery in mind and delivers personal recommendations through a combination of algorithms, music experts and contextual information.
• Channels - Explore and discover new music broken down by categories and genres, including news and podcasts – custom-made for listeners based on location and preference.
• Live Radio – Found within Channels, radio listening is made simple with quick access to participating radio stations, including Fingerprinting that lets listeners identify and tag a song on select stations.
• 8 Tracks – Also found within Channels, its popular playlist service enables users to listen to and download their favorite 8 Tracks playlists and songs without ever leaving Deezer.
• Lyrics – Never miss a beat and sing-a-long to favorite tracks with easy-to-follow lyrics on display and on demand. It's karaoke anytime, anywhere.
• Notifications – Stay on top of what's happening in music with personalized suggestions and recommendations mixing a bit of new with the classics.

The Deezer app is available in the U.S. as a free download for all music fans with a trial 30-day Premium + experience, followed by a monthly charge of $9.99.

For more information, visit www.Deezer.com.

So you have a Pandora account and you want to blast it over the noise of your vacuum cleaner while you're cleaning house. There are a few ways you can do that, whether you convert your existing stereo so that it can stream music, (yes, that's a thing,) or you hook up some wireless speakers to your computer, phone, or tablet.

That could be Sonos, Bose, or something else. But what?

What is Pandora?

Pandora Radio is a music streaming and recommendation service and is available only in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

It works by playing music that is similar to your favorite artist or song. You can listen to your own station (created based on your own preferences); a generic, pre-made genre station; or stations made by other people. Pandora runs on Windows PC, Windows 10 mobile, Android, and iOS devices.

Pandora is free to use, but you will hear up to three ads every hour and ads will appear in the app interface. Free users also can't skip as many songs as paid users and, of course, paid users don't get any ads.

What do I need to listen to Pandora in my house?

There are three methods that you can use to listen to Pandora in your home:

• Adapt an existing stereo system so that it is able to stream music from the internet.
• Use Bluetooth wireless speakers
• Use Wi-Fi-enabled speakers.

If you already have a good stereo system, you can give it the ability to stream music online from Pandora. In order to do this, your stereo system needs to communicate wirelessly with your internet-connected devices, such as your computer, laptop, phone, or tablet.

There are a few kits available that make this a simple process, such as the Bluetooth upgrade kit or the Sonos Amp.

There are a number of good Bluetooth wireless speakers available that you can pair with any Bluetooth-capable device. Bluetooth is available on practically every phone or tablet and even many computers.

There are some limitations with Bluetooth technology, however. One of them is its range.

Bluetooth works well over distances of less than 15 to 30 feet. Such a short range might work in a small apartment, but it is not enough to support an entire house. Another is that audio played over Bluetooth loses some quality. This makes it hard to get true high fidelity audio out of a Bluetooth connection.

Finally, you can only connect to one device at a time – not so handy when your significant other needs to use the phone while you're be-bopping to your favorite reggae channel on Pandora.

If you really want to enjoy Pandora in your home, Wi-Fi speakers, such as the Bose SoundTouch or Sonos, are the best way to go.

With a much larger range than Bluetooth speakers, up to 120 feet indoors, and much better audio quality thanks to a lossless audio codec, you can get the high fidelity sound out of Wi-Fi speakers that you can't even approach using Bluetooth.

Since Wi-Fi speakers communicate over your home's Wi-Fi network, they can be connected to all of your devices at the same time.

With the great technology built in to every smart device and the wide app selection, creating the ultimate wireless network in your home for streaming music could literally be in the palm of your hand. You can find a simple solution to stream music in your living room or build an advanced sound system to enjoy tunes in every room of your house, all controlled through your phone or tablet.

To wirelessly stream music, you basically need three things:

• A device to play music
• Digital music or a music streaming service
• Wireless speaker system like Sonos, Bose, or something else.

What kind of device do I need to wirelessly play music?

Back in the olden days (ten years ago), people had dedicated music-playing devices like iPods and other MP3 players. They held dozens, sometimes hundreds, of your favourite songs and helped the time pass quicker when you were riding your dinosaur to visit other cavemen.

Today, most smart devices will store and play music right off the device's hard drive or expandable memory. You can also download apps to your device or computer to stream music from a variety of service providers.

This means that if you own a smartphone (iPhone, Android phone, Windows Mobile phone, etc.), a tablet (iPad, Android tablet, Microsoft Surface, etc.) have a computer (PC or Mac), or a video game console (XBOX One, Playstation 4, or Wii U) you can enjoy wireless music streaming in your home!

If you own a device with Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi, it's likely you'll be able to connect to a wireless speaker to build your home sound system. Music playback and streaming capabilities are available in most modern tech devices. And, through these devices, you can also connect with a variety of music playing services to expand your audio library!

Where can I find music to stream in my home?

You can wirelessly play music through your house from two sources: music you've downloaded and music streamed through supported services.

If you've downloaded music to your computer or device you can play it through your favourite music playing app and enjoy it on a connected speaker in your home. However, as music streaming services become more common, you can enjoy the full libraries of these services on your wireless speakers.

Many wireless streaming services come with their own app, which you can install on your device (Apple Music, Google Play Music, Sirius XM, etc.). You can also access music streaming services by logging into a service's website, if you don't want to download a specific app. Depending on the brand of speakers you're streaming to, you may be able to manage multiple music subscription services through one parent app (like the Sonos Controller).

Some music services are free, others require a paid subscription. You can also find a soundtrack or create a video playlist on Youtube and enjoy listening to the audio on any speakers connected to your device.

Once you have a device and your music lined up, the most important part of enjoying music wirelessly in your home is selecting the right speakers.

What kind of speaker do I need to stream music?

This is a big question! First, you need to decide how you want to listen to music in your house. Do you want one small speaker you can easily carry around room-to-room? Do you want a network of speakers connected throughout your house playing the same music? Do you want multiple speakers, playing different music, in different rooms, with multiple people in your home accessing the central system?

Knowing how you want music streaming to work in your house will determine how much money you need to spend and which speakers will work best for your needs.

If you only need music streaming in one main room of your home, then you can get by with a solo wireless speaker. The JBL Flip is a great, inexpensive Bluetooth speaker that's portable and a great value for the sound quality. It's very portable, so you can bring it back and forth between home and the office and easily move it from room to room.

If you want to start with a solo speaker, but plan on expanding your wireless music network throughout your house, room by room, start with an audio brand that makes it easy to connect to additional speakers as you grow your sound system.

Sonos has the Play:1 and the Play:3, which are compact speakers designed for wireless streaming and use the SonosNet– a dedicated wireless music streaming network– to play your audio.

The Bose SoundTouch lineup is a good option, which allow you to stream over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi between devices or to additional speakers.

Sound advice

Streaming music in your home can be done as basically or as elaborately as you want. You can take advantage of existing devices, to minimize the amount you have to spend to create your wireless music network. As long as you have a device to play music, access to digital music, and a decent wireless speaker, you can build your home music streaming system.

Music fans will soon be able to access thousands of live radio stations via the new Apple TV set-top box. iHeartRadio announced plans to launch its own dedicated Apple TV app in the near future:

IHeartRadio stated:

iHeartRadio did not reveal when its Apple TV app will become available in the App Store.

Source: iHeartRadio

Pandora has launched an app on the new Apple TV, bringing its brand of artist-based radio stations to fans on the platform. Just like with the mobile app, Pandora on Apple TV will let you easily access your previously created stations, as well as create new ones. There are also sections for viewing what's currently playing and managing account options. The app features large album artwork all over the place, along with easily accessible player controls from the "Now Playing" screen.

It's great to see such a high-profile music app hop onboard the Apple TV, giving users an alternative to Apple Music on the platform. If you'd like to grab the app now, you can search for it from the App Store or snag it from the "Purchased" section if you're already using Pandora on your iPhone or iPad.

Deezer is set to launch an update on the App Store that will bring with it support for Apple CarPlay. The company is working to bring functionality to the in-car experience, which will unlock playback control without having to reach for the iPhone. However, Deezer will only make its CarPlay feature available to Premium+ and Elite subscribers.

The integration with CarPlay will allow users to not only listen to playlists and tracks, but also the vast collection of mixes, and it'll even open up access to music in offline mode. With over 35 million songs available on the service, you'll be nodding your head for hours on end as soon as you hit play.

The update is expected to hit the store today.

• Free - Download Now

Via: SlashGear

The Pandora app will be available for Apple Watch owners to download when it launches on April 24. Pandora says that its Apple Watch app will allow users to quickly view and listen to their favorite tracks. It adds:

Many apps for the smartwatch are already live in the App Store and Apple recently started taking Apple Watch app submissions from all developers.

Source: Pandora

Even though there aren't any porn apps in the App Store, that doesn't mean there aren't ways to conveniently get porn on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV via other means. And in many cases you can even do so for free. So if you're interested, and hey we aren't here to judge, follow along!

• How to watch porn on your iPhone and iPad with mobile Safari
• How to stream porn from your iPhone or iPad to an Apple TV

Before we begin, I'll take a second to mention that you can enable private browsing on your iPhone or iPad so no one can see what you've been up to. It's a good idea if you're using an iPad or another device that other people have access to. If you aren't sure how to do so, you can follow our guide.

• How to enable private browsing in Safari for iPhone and iPad

How to watch porn on your iPhone and iPad with mobile Safari

1. Launch Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
2. At this point, enable private browsing if you'd like to using the guide above.
3. Type in the address bar iPhone porn or iPad porn and hit Go.
4. You will immediately be bombarded with search results for all kinds of porn sites.

As for recommendations and picking one, it's really up to you but crowd favorites seem to be some of the sites listed below. And by all means, share your favorites in the comments as well!

• Pornhub
• YouPorn
• Xshare
• RedTube

How to stream porn from your iPhone or iPad to your Apple TV

1. From your iPhone or iPad, follow the directions in the previous section and start playing the video of you're liking.
2. Now tap on the AirPlay icon in the in the bottom right corner.
3. In the popup menu, tap on the name of your Apple TV.
4. That's all there is to it, your porn should now start streaming to the big screen.

If you don't see your Apple TV when trying to AirPlay content, be sure your iPhone or iPad and your Apple TV are on the same wireless network.

How do you watch porn on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV?

Like I said earlier, we aren't here to judge and if you've got tips on watching porn on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, be sure to leave them in the comments. Do you have a favorite site or do you use different ones? Let us know that too!

Radio streaming services take the heavy lifting out of finding music to listen to. They differentiate themselves from on-demand streaming music services by taking the work out of curating your own content and playlists. Remember the days where we had favorite radio stations and just tuned into them and listened? That's the experience Pandora, Songza, iTunes Radio, Last.fm, and TuneIn Radio want to put in your pocket. So if you aren't interested in offline downloads and just want to hit play, follow along to figure out which one is right for you.

Quick comparison

Above is a quick comparison of each service and what they have to offer. Keep in mind that this comparison is only looking at radio streaming services and not on-demand ones. If those are what interests you, check out that comparison separately via the following link:

• Spotify vs Beats Music vs Slacker vs Rdio vs Google Play Music: On-demand streaming music service showdown!

Design

iTunes Radio is built into the Music app so love it or hate it, you're stuck with it if you want to use iTunes Radio. It lives in one singular tab which doesn't leave a ton of room for additional functionality. You've got featured stations at the top and your custom built stations at the bottom. Now playing screens only differ by adding like and dislike options. Next up we have Pandora whose design hasn't changed drastically in a long time. That's not a bad thing though if you like minimalistic. It's easy enough to figure out and navigate with very few frills.

TuneIn Radio Pro is simple enough to navigate and uses sideways scrolling featured sections to recommend stations it thinks you'd enjoy. The exploration section of TuneIn Radio is one of the best I've seen. Categories are descriptive and actually contain what they say they do. While the design isn't anything over the top, it doesn't hurt your eyes and makes sense in each menu. This is something Last.fm's Scrobbler app struggles to do. Fonts and icons are overdone and too large creating a lot of wasted space. It's functional, but not pretty to look at.

That brings us to Songza, which is the best designed app of the bunch. From the concierge service to searching for carefully curated playlists, the app is well done. If you're running iOS 7 it also supports swipe gestures which make an already beautiful app even more enjoyable to use.

When it comes to design, Songza wins hands down.

Curation

If you want radio, curation is the most important aspect of getting songs you actually want to hear. Theoretically Last.fm should be best at this since it literally looks at all the things you already own in your iTunes library, pulls them in, and plays things based on what you already listen to. While it does a decent job, it isn't the best of the bunch. Pandora does a decent job but in my experience, I hear a lot of duplicates in more obscure genres. A lot of this could be due to their smaller catalog size.

TuneIn Radio does a great job of separating out categories and genres and serves up a great mix but since it's based on live radio for the most part, you're at the mercy of the station. One bonus of TuneIn that a lot of others don't have is the ability to record live radio for playback later. It isn't on-demand by any means but it's a nice option to have. It does however require the Pro version of the app.

Songza's main focus is curation and it shows. The playlists are hand picked and regardless what you listen to, you'll find something. iTunes Radio does a decent job as well but just like Pandora, after a certain amount of time I start hearing the same tracks over and over again. I think the problem here is less a curation one and more a playlist one. If I tweak the playlist slightly or change setting, it changes up the selection. In my mind that sounds more like an issue or bug than a lack of music to play.

Regardless, the only service I can press play on and walk away from for hours is Songza. It really is that damned good at curation.

Specialty stations

If listening to things like comedy shows and sporting events is important to you, TuneIn Radio Pro is a must have. None of the other options give you the live stations and local options that TuneIn does. At its core it really is the traditional radio experience we've all grown up with in your pocket. That means anything you could flip your dial to will most likely be available in TuneIn.

For live events and live radio stations from all over the globe, there's none that can top TuneIn Radio.

Catalog size and selection

TuneIn Radio is different from the others since it's based on live radio and not an actual catalog. On the plus side, that means the TuneIn database is constantly changing. For people that don't like listening to the same thing consistently, it's like a breath of fresh air all the time. Not a bad thing in my opinion. As long as you stay away from local stations that is, which we all know play the same thing over and over. And over again.

Pandora has the smallest catalog size but that doesn't mean it isn't well suited for some people. Most tracks in Pandora are mainstream so if that's your thing, you probably won't notice the small size. Now if you listen to more obscure music, you'll notice fairly quickly. Last.fm comes in next with around 12 million tracks in their catalog. I hear a lot less repeats than I do with Pandora but they're still noticeable after spending a good amount of time with the service.

iTunes Radio pulls from iTunes which has a massive collection of over 25 million tracks. I'm not sure if all of those are up for grabs on iTunes Radio or not but for the most part, iTunes Radio plays things you want to hear. Even though Apple killed Ping a while back, I'm sure they pulled a lot of valuable data about listening habits from it. And I'm almost positive that data has a home in iTunes Radio. My only issue is that after listening to the same playlist a few times I start hearing duplicates rather quickly. It can't be due to a lack of selection and I hope it's something Apple addresses in the near future. For now, tweaking the playlist slightly seems to solve the problem.

Songza has a library of around 20 million tracks which is on-par with what on-demand streaming services such as Rdio, Spotify, and Beats Music offer. No matter what genres you listen to or how obscure they are, you'll find playlists in Songza's catalog that suit your tastes.

Songza slides in for the win just ahead of TuneIn Radio.

Availability

Radio streaming services are a little harder to peg for availability than on-demand streaming services are. From what I could find, there are workarounds for some of them but official availability is pretty limited and varies greatly depending on country.

TuneIn Radio is available in the most countries so that puts it on top. Just be aware that what stations are available will heavily depend on where you are in the world.

Pricing

All five services offer ad supported streaming for free. You're limited to the amount of skips under free plans though. Last.fm limits some other features like profile views and access on mobile apps as well unless you're a premium subscriber. iTunes Radio is the cheapest subscription based option coming in at $25 a year for ad free listening. TuneIn Radio makes both a free and a pro app. If you buy the pro version you get the ability to record live streaming but it's still ad supported, and there's no way to remove them since there's no monthly subscription to be had.

If you're looking at price, iTunes Radio is the cheapest where subscriptions are concerned but TuneIn Radio Pro is the cheapest overall to unlock all features, but you'll still be served up ads from each station.

Which one is best for you?

Regardless what your tastes are, radio streaming services are not created equal. Pandora and Last.fm are lacking enough that I can't recommend either of them. From there the decision gets a little more difficult.

iTunes Radio is a great service that offers a great value but still has a few issues like duplicates, which I don't quite understand given the size of the iTunes catalog.

That leaves us with TuneIn Radio and Songza.

If you need live stations that cover all the bases, including comedy and sports, get TuneIn Radio. If music is your concern, you need Songza. It's the best music curation service currently available and I seriously can't think of any reason to recommend any other service if music is your number one priority.

• Songza - Free - Download Now
• Pandora - Free - Download Now
• iTunes Radio - built into the iOS Music app
• TuneIn Radio Pro - $3.99 - Download Now
• Last.fm Scrobbler - Free - Download Now

What service did you pick?

If you prefer streaming radio over on-demand streaming, which service do use and why? Does any of the above information have you contemplating switching services? Let us know in the comments!

It's no secret. I freak'n LOVE Sonos. I purchased a few Sonos speakers late in 2012 as a Christmas present to myself. As a result, I listened to more music in 2013 than I did in the last 15 years of my life combined. It made for a happy and productive year. It's just so convenient, it's rock solid in terms of reliability, sounds great and it connects with so many music sources, including my iTunes collection and my favorite streaming service, Songza (which btw, via Sonos is ad free and always works overseas in countries where Songza isn't technically supported).

Most importantly, Sonos is simple to use. Even my fiancée Erika, who has no patience for tech immediately grew to love it. That's a massive test to pass (I've watched her throw a phone at a wall full force out of frustration). Honestly, I wish Sonos was a publicly traded company, as I'd buy stock based on it passing the "Erika test" alone.

And as tends to happen to people who develop the Sonos addiction, I've added to my setup over since I made the first. I bought the Sonos Sub, and I picked up the PlayBar as soon as it launched. I have a couple of Play 1s on order now too which should arrive shortly - they're going in my bathrooms. I can officially turn my condo into a dance club in five seconds flat. At least until 11:30pm, when municipal and condo bylaws kick in and I need to turn down the sound for fear of my neighbors calling cops, which leads to the problem I want Sonos to address and the product I want them to build.

It seems like a no-brainer that Sonos should take their technology and offer Wi-Fi connected Sonos headphones. Just like other Sonos speakers, they would simply act as another Room or Zone within the Sonos app. I know I would buy them. And I'm not the only one.

Before writing this article, I did some quick googling just to see if anything has ever been written about Sonos headphones (while I listened to Sonos music in the background of course), and I came across this thread on Sonos' support forums where another Sonos owner brought up the topic of Sonos headphones, which he proposed to be called Sonos:HP. Many other owners chimed in agreement that it was a good idea. Heck, one owner named Jonathan sounded a little over the top like me and said:

Along with the agreement by most that Sonos Headphones would be a good idea, other suggestions were also raised. Some think the alternative solution that could prove better would be for Sonos to allow the iPhone to become a connected device in the Sonos network (act as a Room), so that any pair of headphones plugged into an iPhone would play music via Sonos.

This could be a good solution, but it works against Sonos' model to date of locking you into their ecosystem. I'm 100% happy and OK with being locked into Sonos. Some people look at the lock in and lack of openness as a bad thing. Personally, I could care less as long as the experience is awesome. Like I said. Sonos passes the "Erika test". HUGE. 

So on that note. Sonos, if you're listening, please Please PUHLEAZE toss some Sonos headphones onto your product development roadmap if they're not there already. I'll buy them on day one.

Musi for iPhone is a streaming music app that lets you build a music library that costs you literally nothing, with the help of YouTube. When you search through Musi, it's basically like searching YouTube for music. The only difference is that Musi only streams the audio portion.

You can start by searching for your favorite artists and adding the tracks you like. They are then added to your main library. From there you can sort songs into playlists however you'd like. Playlists are unlimited so you can create and manage them however you want. For many people, this may be a way to create albums. This is the only downside of Musi. Since it's simply searching YouTube for tracks, you need to add tracks one by one. It's not a huge deal if you don't mind creating playlists for artists or aren't the type of person that downloads entire albums anyways.

Musi also has support for AirPlay so you can stream anything you want to any AirPlay enabled device. Along with that you get background streaming as well so you can close out the app and continue doing something else while Musi continues to serve up tracks in the background.

Obviously Musi isn't an all-in-one music solution since it won't work if you don't have an internet connection, but it's a super convenient ones for folks like me who are finicky with music. I have a nasty habit of only listening to things for a few weeks and then never really returning to them again. For stuff like that, Musi is perfect since I'm not spending money on songs and tracks I won't even want to listen to in a few weeks.

If you give Musi a try, let us know what you think of it in the comments! Could you see yourself using it for music discovery and then only purchasing the albums and tracks you want to keep forever?

• Free - Download Now

With the launch of iTunes Radio earlier this year, Apple certainly ruffled a few feathers in the mobile music world. The seamless integration into iOS 7 and iTunes Desktop for Mac and Windows meant that folks who'd never entertained a music streaming service before were being exposed to it for the first time in a simple manner. Well, folks in the United States anyway.

Then, just this past week Spotify finally threw its hat in the free music ring. Previously, free account subscribers were only allowed to listen to music while at their computers, with mobile access requiring a premium subscription. All that has now changed, with a free, ad-supported model to help you get your groove on using your iPhone or iPad – and yes, it's also supported on Android right now.

But, since one is new, and one is provided by Apple, it's a perfect time for a shootout. So, iTunes Radio or Spotify free; which is better?

The service

There are similarities and there are also differences between the two. The similarities are in the way the free nature is subsidized; in-stream advertising. The great thing about both services is that the ads aren't overly frequent, and quite easy to ignore. So far with Spotify this week I've heard nothing but ads for its own premium service, which will likely change but is perfectly reasonable to live with.

The difference comes in the nature of the music delivery. iTunes Radio, true to its name, operates like a radio station, serving up a random selection of music for you to listen to. Searching for artists tells iTunes Radio what sort of thing you like to listen to, it does the rest.

Spotify on the other hand allows you to search for specific albums and artists to listen to. Fantastic. But, there's a caveat, and that comes in the form of Shuffle Play. Without paying a subscription, you're free to enjoy Spotify's entire catalog, as long as you're happy to listen to the tracks in a shuffled fashion. My first thoughts on that weren't great, since I have OCD about listening to an album in full, but honestly it's actually fine. Searching for an artist and just hitting play is a personal favorite, as you're then treated to a random offering from said artist's back catalog.

The music

Both services can boast a veritable feast of music on offer. The iTunes catalog as we know is packed to the rafters, but Spotify is no slouch either. Recent times have seen such massive additions as Metallica, Pink Floyd and just this week an exclusive streaming deal for the Led Zeppelin library. On either front, you're not likely to be disappointed.

The apps

iTunes Radio has a slight advantage in this regard since it's a native app that comes pre-installed on every iOS 7 device. As such it offers a supremely familar experience, since it's just part of the Music player. For a lot of the more casual iPhone and iPad owners, Radio is indistinguishable as a separate feature to anything else on the device. And that's comfortable, reassuring.

Spotify isn't that far behind though. The app is now fully iOS 7 compliant, and while it doesn't look as good as Apple's effort, it's good enough. It doesn't really need to be any more than that. It is a little more fussy though in its design, there's more menus, more on the display. Just more.

Availability

Score a massive win for Spotify. iTunes Radio launched only in the United States, and there it remains exclusively. Spotify on the other hand is available in a whole bunch of countries around the world and just this week announced a further 20 expansions – sorry Canada.

It doesn't matter how good the app, music or service is, if folks can't get it, it just doesn't matter.

The bottom line

It's a close run thing, but right now I'd take Spotify free in a heartbeat. Primarily that comes down to availability; iTunes Radio is a fantastic product, but it's only a fantastic product if you're an American. Spotify has been in this space a lot longer, and as such has built up a great catalog and a great network of supported countries. It doesn't provide the full Spotify experience, but without handing over your money this is plenty close enough.

Your thoughts

So, those are my thoughts, what about yours? Do you favor iTunes Radio over all others, or maybe Spotify, or perhaps you're using something else that you think is better. With so many services out there, and so many that are exclusive to certain regions, there's something out there for everyone. These are but two of those options, so if you've got your own recommendations share the what and the why with us in the comments below!

Good news for Google using folks and music fans in Germany, Mountain View has finally made Google Play Music All Access available there. While the iPhone version may have only just joined us, Germany has been waiting about four months since the service first landed on European shores.

As with other locations, All Access is Germany comes with a free 30-day trial, and to tempt folks to get on board a special reduced subscription rate of €7.99 is in effect if you sign up before January 15. After that, it's back up to the regular price of €9.99.

And if you're reading this, there's a good chance you'll need the application as well, so we've got you covered with a handy download link below. If you're in Germany and signing up for the first time, jump into the comments and let us know how you find it.

• Google Play Music for iPhone review
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Source: Google via Android Central

After the longest "few weeks" in history – 24 to be precise – Google FINALLY released Google Play Music for iPhone. With little in the way of explanation for why it took so long, many of us gave up waiting and took our music needs elsewhere. Sure, there are some excellent third-party Google Music clients already available on iOS, but for something such as this you need an official client for the platform in order to take it seriously.

So, it's here, but is it any good, and was it worth the wait? Let's find out.

What is Google Play Music?

Google Play Music is actually a combination of things. It started out as a music store paired with a cloud locker that holds 20,000 of your songs completely free of charge. Sort of iTunes Match-esque, Google Play Music will also scan your library and if what you have is in their catalog, it gets added with no upload. Anything you purchase from Google doesn't count towards your storage limit. So, buy everything from them and your collection will grow and your locker will maintain plenty of free space.

Now, Google Play Music is the above, plus a full featured music streaming service a la Spotify. You can search for and stream albums from Google's vast content library and create custom radio stations to suit your tastes. So it also has an iTunes Radio type component to it, but for any of this you're required to pay $9.99 a month with a full months free trial.

There is no native client for Mac or Windows to play your music, instead you're required to use the Google Play Music web player, which is OK, if sometimes a little janky. There is an app for Mac and Windows however that will scan your music libraries on your computer and automatically upload new content to your cloud locker.

• Download Now: Google Play Music uploader for Mac and Windows

The interface - no iOS 7 here

If you're a user of any of Google's other iOS applications then you'll feel immediately at home with this. It's attractive to look at, and very distinctively Google. The white cards on light gray background is clean and crisp with the Google Play Music signature orange highlights adding just the right splash of color. It's basically a carbon copy of Google's own Android app, and it's so incredibly silky smooth to navigate around. The sliding motion of the menu coming out from the side, the player view minimising, general scrolling up-and-down and side-to-side is all without flaw. I actually think it performs slightly better than the Android version. But it isn't the only Google app that could be said of.

The only real gripe – especially for an app launching in November – is that there isn't a single trace of iOS 7. Searching for music and seeing the iOS 6 keyboard brings about a sigh. We've been waiting what seems like forever for this app, so full integration with the latest iOS software isn't too much to ask for, is it?

It's also still a little jarring – as with other Google apps – that none of the iOS 7 gesture controls are carried into the app. The swipe from the left to go back a step motion that is now engrained into our very DNA isn't anywhere to be found. Do it and instead you'll always be presented with Google's slide out menu. It's not that it isn't a beautifully designed and crafted application, because it is, but a little more implementation of some platform basics wouldn't go amiss.

There's also no dedicated iPad app either. That's a definite disappointment, especially considering how long we've been waiting for any app at all. Of course, you can run the phone app on your iPad, but it's just not the same, is it.

Play Music - My library

My library is where you'll find everything, absolutely everything. All the music you've uploaded to your cloud locker is thrown in with anything you've added from the All Access library. Everything streams in the same way, so there's absolutely no need to differentiate what is yours and what isn't. Consider it Google's version of your iTunes library; it's all there and you can get at it any time you want.

Play Music - Radio

As with iTunes Radio, Google's implementation lets you create stations based on a particular artist, song or album. You search for something you like, then Google will collate a continuous stream of music it thinks you're going to like. Because you're paying for a subscription too, you can skip ahead as many times as you like. Basic, but functional.

What Play Music's Radio feature lacks is any kind of genre specific choices. You're literally limited to creating stations by specific parameters you search for. There's no choice to just pick a Country Music channel for example. Disappointing for some.

Play Music - Explore

Explore is where you conduct your business as part of your All Access subscription. As such, you won't see this option in the slide out menu if you're just using the free cloud storage aspect. It's very similar to something like Spotify, where the first thing you see is a bunch of new and recommended content. It's also where you can search for specific artists, songs and albums you want to hear from Google's massive music collection.

Once you find what you're looking for, tap on the "my library" button to add it to your own library and you'll never need to look for it again. Again, there's nothing surprising here, and the only real critcism would be that – at least here in the UK – the new releases and recommended content is a little thin on the ground.

There are also tabs in the main menu for "Listen Now" and "Playlists." Both do exactly what you'd expect them to; Listen Now serves up some suggestions to just jump in and listen to your music, and Playlists displays your, well, created playlists. Simple.

Offline music

Simply put, anything you have available in your library – be it your own music or All Access music – can be pinned for offline listening. You select the album you want, and somewhere about half way down is a small, round icon with a downward pointing arrow in it. Tap this and the whole album will be downloaded to your iPhone to listen to without a cellular connection.

What would have been nice is an option to offline individual tracks only. As it is right now you can't do that; it's the whole album or nothing at all.

Another use for your Chromecast

Chromecast is pretty limited still across the board, but more so here on iOS with less of Google's own apps available to use with it. Play Music is integrated with Chromecast, and as with all other supported apps is connected with a single tap. Whenever there is a Chromecast dongle powered on within range, you'll see the standard Chromecast icon on the screen, and tapping on it brings up a list – if you have more than one – of which one you want to send your content to.

Your music then plays through your TV, accompanied by some pretty great looking album art which moves about the screen as you're listening. Very much like doing the same with your iTunes music on your iPhone and using AirPlay to send it to Apple TV. But of course, if you're in Google's ecosystem, Chromecast is much, much less expensive. Though still a U.S. exclusive at this point.

No in-app purchases or subscriptions

This is of course not Google's fault alone, more so that Google doesn't want to give Apple a cut of their in-app purchases. As such, you cannot subscribe to All Access or buy tracks or albums from within this app. The same is also present in the Android app, but the difference there is that Google can ping you straight into the Google Play Store app to conduct your purchases. On iOS this is not possible.

As such, the overall experience is a little more jarring than it is on Android. You have to use a browser to search for and buy music, and to sign up for an All Access subscription. And on the iPhone and iPad Google has a habit of sending you into a web app for the music player when you go to the Play Music site, and frustration ensues. So you're better off doing it on your computer. As I said, it isn't all Google's fault, but to the average consumer it's still a frustration to be endured.

The good

• Beautifully designed application
• Extremely smooth and snappy to use
• The might of Google's music library now (officially) on your iPhone
• Pinning music for offline listening
• Single sign-in compatible - if you're signed in to selected other Google apps you don't have to enter your credentials
• Google Chromecast integration
• Cloud locker for 20,000 of your already owned songs

The bad

• No iOS 7 gestures or proper integration
• No dedicated iPad app
• No in-app sign-up for All Access

The bottom line

Barring some small frustrations, Play Music is arguably one of Google's finest iPhone apps to date. It's fast, smooth as it comes and extremely nice to look at. Using iOS 7 a little more – back gesture in particular – would have been nice though, seeing the iOS 6 style keyboard in November brings on a sad face. The biggest issue isn't even Google's fault, but since you pay for subscriptions via Google Wallet anyway, would an in-app browser perhaps have been a good way to get folks subscribed without having to pay Apple a cut for IAP's?

Ultimately a lot of people have been waiting a long time for this. Converts from Android, cross-platform or generally all round heavy Google users are likely to prefer using Google Play Music over the Apple-centric iTunes, and thankfully Google has delivered an app that largely delivers the experience those people deserve. And, with this latest addition to the Google stable, the iPhone continues to be one of the best Google phone's that money can buy.

• Free - Download Now

Pandora for iOS has been given a nice, if not huge, update that's clearly aimed at improving the overall user experience. Version 4.4 adds an auto-pause function that kicks in and pauses your music the instant you mute your device, a handy touch to have, and slightly easier than turning on the screen first to manually pause, for sure. Also, in an effort to improve playback quality, Pandora claims to have improved buffering so if you find yourself on a "flaky connection" you shouldn't experience as much stuttering.

Otherwise, the usual smorgasbord of generic bug fixes and improvements are thrown in for good measure, and URL's that previously only worked on the Pandora website are now accessible within the app. Good news. Grab it now from the App Store, and be sure to let us know if in particular you're experiencing better playback now with less buffering.

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Spotify and Facebook are pretty close these days, with Facebook log in seemingly the preferred method of setting up an account. But, some of us don't have a Facebook account, or just plain don't want to use anything that makes us log into it in this way. Fear not though, because with Spotify there is another way. You just have to look beyond the iOS app to find it.

Opening up Spotify on your iPhone or iPad brings up the welcome screen we see up top. Login with Facebook, or login with your Spotify details. Absolutely zero options for signing up to a Spotify account here other than Facebook. To get around this, set down your iOS device, and head on over to the Spotify homepage in your desktop web browser.

Here, when you hit the log in option at the top, you'll be presented with a box that asks you for your Facebook details, or your Spotify details, and in this case, offers you a "Sign Up" option should you not have an account. Go ahead and click here.

As if by magic, it gives you the option to sign up to a Spotify account in the good, old-fashioned way; with your Email address. Enter your details, hit sign up, and you should be good to go. Once you've completed any necessary verifications, head back to your iOS device, enter your credentials, and you're away. Totally Facebook free!

Spotify has pushed out an update to their iOS app with a bunch of new features — mainly for the iPhone — with the addition of the new Discover tab top of the list. The now playing view is also getting some polish, and there's a shiny new icon to boot as well. There's plenty going on, the new stuff looks a little like this:

• New: Ever find yourself wondering what to play on Spotify? Introducing the new Discover experience on iPhone. (Coming soon to everyone.)
• New: A shiny, new Now Playing view, featuring the 'Up Next' queue on iPhone. (Again, rolling out to everyone soon.)
• New: Say hello to our new logo.
• New: You can now edit your playlists on your iPhone.

There's also a bunch of fixes and general improvements, but it's really all about the Discover tab. One the one hand, it's a great tool to have; just yesterday I was bemoaning the lack of any discovery aspect to Microsoft's Xbox Music web player. But, in the case of Spotify, the Discover tab comes at the expense of the previous "What's New" section of the app. I like "What's New," so I'm not so happy about it disappearing. It's still there in the desktop player and the iPad version, but not in the iPhone app or the web player, the two I use the most. The iPad doesn't yet have Discover.

Discover does what it says on the tin. It tracks what you listen to and makes suggestions based on that, on your location, or just music that is popular enough for it to think you might like a listen. What's New used to show top tracks and playlists in your area, and show you the newest additions to the catalog. That's now gone, and I for one miss it. New features are great, but not always at the expense of something existing. Especially with no mention before hand.

The latest version of Spotify is available to download now from the App Store, and I'm eager to find out what you guys think of it. Is Discover worthy enough of losing the What's New tab, or like me, do you wish it would come back?

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I would have hoped that this day would come after the launch of the official iOS application, but anyway; if you're interested in Google Music All Access today is your last chance to get in at the reduced price. For anyone who signs up before the end of today, the monthly fee will be $7.99, $2 less than the regular price that will come into effect as of tomorrow. Signing up is real easy, and comes with a 30-day free trial so you can put it through its paces before Google takes your money.

It's important to remember that the service is only available in the US, and at the moment to use it on your iOS device you'll need a third-party client like gMusic. We do know for sure that Google is bringing it to iOS in an official capacity, so for the sake of saving $24 a year on the overall cost a minor inconvenience in the immediate future could be overlooked. If you've already joined up, be sure to jump into the comments below and let me know how you're finding it.

• Sign up for Google Music All Access
• $1.99 - Download gMusic for iOS

Songza for iPhone is a streaming music service that takes a different approach to discovering music than traditional apps such as Pandora. Songza comes complete with your own personal concierge. Just tell Songza what you're doing or what kind of mood you're in and you'll instantly be served with playlists curated by experts based on what you've specified.

Let's not forget that Songza also has the most beautiful and easy to use interface of any streaming service we've used thus far.

Upon launching Songza you'll be asked to either create a Songza account or log in with Facebook. After that you'll be taken directly to the concierge page. Here you can choose times of day and the activities your performing and you'll be given choices of playlists based on those activities. You can also auto-generate playlists based on your mood.

If you aren't one to listen to curated playlists without specifying at least an artist or genre that you like, you can do that as well. Searching for an artist will bring up playlists that contain tracks by them. Choosing a playlist will automatically start streaming it, typically starting off with the artist you specified. Just like other popular services such as Slacker, Pandora, and Spotify, you can vote songs up or down and add playlists to your favorites for easy access later.

While Songza doesn't seem to specify how large their music library is, they do seem to have a rather large collection with tracks spanning almost every genre I could think of. I listen to a lot of electronica and I've always had issues finding streaming services that actually have good selections outside of mainstream titles. I've found that Songza actually has a very good selection for electronica that allows me to discover new music and artists that I enjoy. And sometimes that's hard to do with more obscure genres. If you find a song you like and that you want to purchase, tapping on the shopping cart icon will instantly take you to that track in iTunes for purchase.

Another neat feature I really like about Songza is that high quality audio doesn't seem to be limited to just premium subscribers. You can actually customize it in settings to your exact model of headphones as well. There are lots of brands supported and I have no trouble finding the most common ones including manufacturers such as Bose, Harman/Kardon, iHome, JBL, Beats, Sennheiser, and more. You can also create playlists on the web version that other users can listen to. Due to licensing restrictions, you won't be able to listen to them yourself which is a bit of a letdown, but it is a way to add more value to the community.

As for a premium subscription to Songza (referred to as Club Songza), it'll cost you $0.99 a week so about $4 a month. With that you'll get no ads on the iPhone app as well as the web version. When it comes to song skips, you are limited and it seems to be about 10 tracks an hour or so.

The good

• Drop dead gorgeous interface
• High quality audio not limited to only paid subscribers
• Decently priced for the quality and track selection, one weekly fee without the complicated pricing tiers to deal with
• Concierge is an intriguing and unique feature that really makes Songza stand out
• Buffer times even over cellular network are surprisingly quick, dare I say quicker than Pandora and Spotify

The bad

• No custom curating playlists for yourself
• No way to really search and just play individual songs, but playlists based on them are good enough for users that just want to find music and go

The bottom line

Songza is not only the most gorgeous music streaming app I've ever come across, it also works amazingly well. If you're looking for custom song searches and the ability to make your own playlists, Songza isn't for you and you'll be happier with a service like Spotify but be aware the price tag will be much higher for the privilege.

But if you're looking for a way to discover new music instead of simply streaming what you already know, Songza is a perfect option. The playlists are well put together and the iPhone app is a joy to use. If music discoverability is your number one desire, give Songza a try. You'll be glad you did.

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Yesterday at WWDC 2013 Apple announced the long rumored iTunes Radio service which will come bundled as part of the default Music app in iOS 7.

iTunes Radio will be free for all users since it's ad supported. Those who subscribe to iTunes Match will be excused from ads. This can make it a tempting option for many but how does it compare to existing streaming services such as Pandora, Slacker, and Spotify? Let's take a closer look...

iTunes Radio

We admittedly won't know everything about iTunes Radio until it officially launches with iOS 7 this fall but we have a rough idea of what it brings to the table. For iTunes Match subscribers, you'll get ad-free and uninterrupted radio from iTunes huge collection. That's obviously another bonus of iTunes Radio, iTunes has a massive collection of music. Probably one of the best selections on the planet.

Outside of that, a lot of the features you get are the same as other comparable streaming services such as Pandora. You'll have the ability to like songs, tell iTunes Radio to never play a song again, and theoretically, it should get smarter the more you use it. You can create custom playlists or choose from the ones iTunes Radio has featured.

One con that may be a deal breaker for some is that at this time, iTunes Radio seems to only stream clean versions of songs. That means anything with explicit language is going to be filtered out. This could very well change before the final launch by adding some settings but at this point, we don't know one way or the other.

The competition

Let's face it, there are some awesome streaming music streaming services already out there including Pandora, Slacker, Spotify, Rdio, Last.fm, and many more. You're really looking at what content you want and who can provide it. As far as pricing breakdowns go, most of these services offer subscription services for ad-free listening or even free ad-based versions, like iTunes Radio. Here's a quick look at the cheapest plans available that we could find that support streaming on iPhone and iPad, not just desktop clients.

• Pandora - Free but ad supported - premium with no ads is $3.99/month or $36/year
• Spotify - $9.99 a month for the capability of streaming to iPhone and iPad
• Slacker Radio - Free but ad supported - upgrade to no ads plus more options for $3.99/month minimum
• Rdio - $9.99 a month for the capability of streaming to iPhone and iPad

As you quickly notice, some of these services may offer ad-based streaming for free, actually most if not all do, but in certain cases, they aren't available for mobile without a premium subscription. That can also place you in the highest tier automatically.

Outside of pricing there are other things to consider. For instance, Slacker Radio provides custom ESPN stations that can be fine tuned to the teams you follow. This is something that's probably worth the fee if you're a hardcore sports fan. Rdio also has a tendency to have albums available as soon as they are released and way ahead of their competition. If your priority is having music available as soon as it's released, Rdio is probably the only other option besides iTunes Radio, which will have access to the iTunes Store. With that, we'd imagine albums will be available in iTunes Radio just as soon as Rdio does.

When it comes to listening offline, Spotify, Slacker, and a few of the others also allow you to download content and playlists you create for times you don't have service. This is a hot commodity for travelers and something that should be thought about before choosing any of them.

The bottom line

iTunes Radio definitely has its advantages including integration with Siri, access across all your devices including Apple TV, and an unbeatable price of free for everyone. If you're an iTunes Match subscriber, the deal gets even better since you won't have to listen to ads.

That doesn't mean competitive services don't still have their advantages. Slacker's tie in with ESPN will be huge for sports fans while downloadable playlists for offline listening will still sway other users to steer away from iTunes Radio. If you like the content you hear on iTunes Radio, you'll need to buy it, at least as it stands right now. If you listen to music a lot, it's worth weighing out how many offline songs you typically save a month for offline use and what you'd be paying to actually own them on iTunes.

Ultimately, iTunes Radio will be a great deal for casual listeners that either don't mind ads or already use iTunes Match and aren't bothered clean versions of songs. And for all we know, that may change before the final release. It's also the only option currently available if you want to stream music to an Apple TV. If those aren't your largest concerns or you already subscribe to another service, there's a lot more to think about, and that's where your listening habits will really have to be weighed in before making a final decision.

With all this being said, do you plan on using iTunes Radio when it launches and how does it compare to the streaming service you already use, if any at all?

The rumors of an Apple iRadio music streaming service just won't go away. With WWDC just around the corner, many think that we may see something announced in San Francisco—in the very same room Google recently announced All Access. Apple could knock it out of the park if they entered this space, and I'm sure a lot of us would love to see just such an Apple branded service. But a couple of questions still present themselves. Does Apple really need to do music streaming, and what form could it take if they do?

Does Apple need to do a music streaming service?

The tl;dr version is; no. Apple doesn't need to do anything. Should, or even would, they is a better question. Apple reinvented the way we listen to music, making digital tracks work for record labels and consumers alike. For many, the iPod and iTunes were their first foray into Apple products. That's exactly where I began 9 years ago. The iPod brought with it the iTunes Store, and in the present day digital downloads have almost completely replaced the sale of physical media. And still, to this day, the largest source of digital downloads is the iTunes Store.

The iTunes Store is well established and does good business for Apple. It's also easy to understand. You give them money, they give you music. It comes with a sense of ownership. Apple currently offers iTunes in the Cloud, which lets you re-download previously purchased music, and iTunes Match, which lets you upload your local music to an iCloud locker and then re-download (but not really stream it) from any of your devices. In both cases, it's music you've already bought or acquired, Apple's just helping you access it. A streaming service, one with a subscription, is something else entirely.

Competitors who offer streaming also have music stores, like Google for example, but none are anywhere close to as established as iTunes. Google was late to the music store party, and has since thrown a streaming service on top of this. But, it's limited to the U.S. only—officially.

The leading streaming services have been designed to be that from the ground up. iTunes was built to sell music. Apple runs iTunes at just above break even, which granted at that scale is a lot of money, but they're not risk-adverse to obsoleting it. Their goal is to sell hardware. Music just encourages people to buy more hardware. Would subscription be even better at that?

What could Apple do with a music streaming service?

Apple being Apple, I can't believe they would move into the market simply offering the same as the competition. They've achieved their success by offering simpler, easier, and quite often, better.

The rumors point to some sort of iRadio service, and I think that would be a better place to start. Spotify and Google have radio features slapped on top of search systems for tracks, artists and albums. You find something you like, and you start a radio station based on that. Apple could do it better.

Over the years, customers have bought a ton of music from the iTunes Store, all of which Apple has the records of. They already use it for Genius Recommendations and Mixes. So, in theory, they could offer up a similar recommendation service that captures what you like to listen to. Twitter #music is a good example, and Apple could sit perfectly in the middle between Twitter and Spotify. Use all the iTunes information they already have, send you a radio stream of music they think you'll like, with an instant link to the iTunes Store to purchase the track, see more by the artist and so on.

Integration is something key to consider too, since a lot of this music would be listened to on mobile devices. If it needs to be a separate app, then it isn't done right. Apple already has a music app on iOS devices, so for something that they want their customers to adopt, it would need to be integrated into what they already have. And that could work, I'd be quite happy to open up the Music app on my iPhone and have the choice to listen to something new alongside my existing collection.

At the moment I live in Spotify and Twitter #music, but that's two additional apps on top of the stock music player. If Apple could bring all that under one roof, similar to how Google is trying to play it with their mobile apps and All Access, it could be a hit.

What's on your stream?

So, there's a few of my thoughts on the subject. I rely heavily on streaming services for my music, but I rely on the recommendation and discovery aspects even more. It's a competitive market, but what say you guys; are you pulling for an Apple music streaming service? What form would you most like it to take, and would you switch from an existing service if Apple helped you keep all your music in one place?

Pandora for iPhone and iPad received a huge update that includes a complete redesign and tight social integration. It still includes the same great ability to create personal stations of music that include your favorite artists and songs and similar music , but now you can share your latest discoveries to Facebook and Twitter, follow your friends, re-discover your favorite music on your profile page, get full lyrics, and more.

Pandora 4.0 features 4 main tabs: Stations, Feed, Profile, and Settings. From any of the tabs, you can quickly and easily get to the Now Playing screen where you can mark the song you're listening to with the thumbs up/down, pause, skip, and more. Tapping the button in the top right corner will you take you the current artist's page where you can explore and learn about the artist and track including biographies, album discographies, lyrics, and more.

New to Pandora 4.0 are the Feed and Profile tabs. In the feed, you'll see what your Pandora and Facebook friends are listening to, what they like and dislike, and listen to their stations. From your Profile, you'll basically see what information is being pushed out to your friends' feeds including what you're listening to, stations you've created, and who you've started following. You can also leave comments on profile pages.

Some of the other new features in Pandora 4.0 include a timer to the track progress indicator, support for the iPhone 5's larger display, support for BMW vehicles, and several stability and performance enhancements. It's also important to note that the iPad version has a bug that prevents iOS 6 users from using landscape mode. Pandora says they will release a fix shortly.

Pandora is is a free ad-supported music service. To drop the ads, you can subscribe to Pandora One for $3.99 per month and also enjoy higher quality audio, a desktop application, custom skins, and fewer interruptions.

So what do you think of the new Pandora? Personally, I find the new features and social integration to be a great addition, but I'm not a huge fan of the new look as it seems very basic and boring. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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As is often the case when fall approaches and an Apple event draws near, rumors have begun to swirl about Apple starting a Pandora-style streaming/subscription music service. Even though Apple has resolutely stuck to iTunes purchases for music, and added the subscription-based iTunes Match music locker service, the allure of true streaming solution is such that everyone and their journal of record seems to agree Apple is working on something like it, to launch sometime. Today Ethan Smith and Jessica E. Vascellaro of the Wall Street Journal report:

Ben Sisario and Nick Wingfield of the New York Times add:

iAds would subsidize the service, reportedly, much as they do with Pandora already.

With Apple having explored but not pulled the trigger on streaming/subscription music offerings before, it's hard to tell just how likely they are to pull the trigger on this version, this time. Apple's had incredible success, both with Steve Jobs and Eddy Cue, in making content deals -- more than any other company on the planet. That's a mixed blessing, however, as they've faced equal and opposite push back from media companies who fear their online dominance.

Apple has the iPhone 5 event scheduled for September 12, and is rumored to be holding an iPad mini event sometime in October as well. iTunes and music will probably get some attention at one of those. It would likely take a lot of movement, and a lot of deals, to see any streaming/subscription music announcements made by then.

Of course, if they do, they'll have my money at "boom". How about you?

Source: Wall Street Journal, New York Times

While iTunes is the undisputed king of digital music, it doesn't offer streaming or subscription services, leaving the field wide open for a wide variety of contenders, including Pandora, Slacker, and Spotify. That's important because not everyone wants to buy their music. Some iPhone users want more variety and a better way to discover new music, or simply re-discover old favorites. That's because music is personal. It has to suit both our general tastes and our mood at the moment. A good streaming music app needs to reflect this. It needs to have music available that we like, when we like, and the better it does that job, the better it is.

Pandora, Slacker, and Spotify each have their own unique take on streaming music, but which one does it best?

Pandora vs. Slacker. vs. Spotify: User interface and experience

When it comes to streaming music, users want to find what they want to listen to easily and start listening quickly. If you have to dig through tons of menus or spend lots of time figuring out how to find music, you're just as soon switch to something else. It needs to be accessible and even better -- customizable.

Pandora's layout is relatively straight forward and simple. The first tab will aggregate all the stations you've listened to and a "quick mix" that will play a mix of your stations. You can tap the edit button and easily remove anything you don't want. The next tab allows you to add new stations. You can search by either artist or genre. Tapping on a station or artist will instantly start streaming that content. It will also add that station to your playlist tab.

The bookmarks tab does exactly what you'd expect -- it allows you to bookmark tracks and artists. This feature is handy if you want to keep lists of tracks for future purchase (you can jump straight into iTunes from Pandora to buy content). While Pandora doesn't allow you to go back and stream that exact track, you can create a station based on that artist or track. This is great for fine tuning the Pandora app to play content you like. Make sure when listening to tracks that you use the thumbs up and thumbs down feature to filter in content you're more likely to enjoy and filter out things you don't like.

Upon launching Slacker you get a home page that allows you to browse some pre-defined stations or create your own custom stations. Premium users will also have the option of creating custom playlists (that's a feature Pandora does not offer in their iPhone app).

After choosing a station or creating a custom station, you can like or dislike songs or artists just as you can with Pandora. When disliking a track, you can either dislike just a specific song or the artist in general. So if you detest Rihanna in all forms, just block her from ever showing up for you in Slacker again.

Slacker also gives you the ability to check out what artists and tracks are featured on a station. Tapping into a station allows you to view info on the station, check out the artists, and check out the song list. Tapping the play button next to the station name will instantly start streaming that station. Overall, the entire layout of Slacker flows nicely. There aren't tons of menus to navigate and all of your presets and content are accessible via the main page.

Spotify for iPhone is quite a bit different when it comes to overall design and the manner in which you interact with your content. The main homepage shows you a slider of top tracks and new releases with news underneath. The first tab shows any playlists you've created as well as your inbox, starred, and local tracks (we will get more into these later). The next tab allows you to search for artists, tracks, and albums. Once you find what you're looking for you can either stream it, add it to a playlist, or star it to play it later.

Spotify also integrates Facebook to allow you to view what your friends are listening to under the Friends tab. You can, of course, disable this feature (if, like some of the iMore staff, you don't want your friends to know you secretly listen to the Spice Girls...)

I actually prefer Spotify's layout and interface to the others but there's one big downside -- you can't browse genres. If you don't know what you're looking for or find things in "what's new" or "what's hot", there's pretty much no other way to find music from the iPhone app. This doesn't make for a great experience.

Between the three, Pandora is somewhat plain and Spotify lacks the ability to find music productively. Slacker is a nice middle ground. It doesn't overwhelm you. It might look a bit busy at first but after using it, everything just flows nicely together.

When it comes to user interface and experience, Slacker takes the prize.

Pandora vs. Slacker. vs. Spotify: Content

Pandora, Slacker, and Spotify all focus on music, yet present content in very different ways. If you want a random selection and don't care for playlists, Pandora provides that. But if you want to customize your listening experience right from the start, Spotify and Slacker are the best bets.

Pandora at its core is an online radio streaming service. You can choose the types of music you like as well as like and dislike individual songs or artists. If you come across and artist or song you really like, you can listen to a mix based on that song. What Pandora doesn't do is give you the option to add individual songs to playlists and make your own. It attempts to learn what you like by the ratings you give content. Sometimes those ratings aren't so accurate.

If you want a more radio-like experience and don't want to put too much work into finding and playing content, Pandora is great. Beyond that, it's lacking features even for premium users.

Slacker is simliar to Pandora from the standpoint that you browse through stations and like or dislike artists and songs. From there, Slacker will show you custom content based on your own tastes. You can like and favorite songs which will show up under your favorites section off of the main menu. If you are a premium subscriber, you'll be able to listen to songs on demand.

Slacker allows offline streaming of up to 25 stations at a time (as long as you have room on your iPhone to store the content). You'll need to be a plus or premium member, but you'll be able to listen to your favorite stations without using up your data plan. To access stations you've saved for offline playing, just select the cached content section on the main menu and you're good to go.

Spotify concentrates on a more tailored experience. When it comes to the iPhone app, you can either search for content to play one song or album at a time, or build playlists. There are no stations to weed through or genres to choose from. This may be a deal-breaker for users who want the ability to browse music instead of having to find something specific. There are many times I just want to start playing music and don't really know exactly what I want to listen to. I just know what type of music I want to listen to.

If you'll only be using your iPhone to stream, Slacker will provide you with the best content selection and ways to sort and listen offline. While they don't have custom playlists, you can favorite songs you hear that you like and listen to and access them under your favorites tab on the main menu.

When it comes to content, Slacker wins.

Pandora vs. Slacker. vs. Spotify: Cross-platform syncing & streaming

If you plan on listening not only on your iPhone but on your computer or other mobile device, such as an iPad, you may want to consider what each service offers on other platforms, especially if you're contemplating a premium membership.

Pandora has a wide array of mobile apps available for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android. You can also listen online. When you sign into your account all your information and saved content will be there.

Pandora One is Pandora's premium subscription model. It gives you access to the desktop application for Mac or Windows. The desktop app really isn't anything to get excited about and s quite dull. There's not much to interact with and it doesn't offer you any particular benefits over using the web-based player.

Slacker also has applications for most platforms and a few more than Pandora offers, namely a native iPad client. They also offer support for Windows Phone 7, Nokia, Palm, BlackBerry, Android, and many more. Slacker will save all your content under your login and it will be there regardless what app or platform you sign in to.

Slacker does not have a Mac or Windows app but you can, of course, stream straight from their website.

Spotify also supports popular platforms such as Windows Phone, Android, BlackBerry, and iPad.

While I have an issue with Spotify's lack of a search feature on the iPhone, it makes up for that with the Mac and Windows app. It's by far the best desktop app of the three (especially considering Slacker doesn't even have one). You can view popular playlists, star tracks, see what's popular in your area, and monitor what your friends are listening to.

My favorite feature of Spotify's desktop app is the ability to wirelessly sync your starred tracks and playlists whenever your iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi network as your desktop computer. I frequently use this feature when I'm listening to music in the office or at home. I'll star music that I particularly like and have my iPhone set up to download starred tracks for offline use. I launch Spotify while on my network, the desktop app recognizes it instantly, downloads any changes, and I get in my car and start listening without having to worry about using my data (offline mode requires premium subscription).

You can also use the Spotify desktop client to sync local tracks from your computer. It'll pull everything in from your music library. While I don't typically use this service, it will be a nice addition for users who don't have to have to manage music in two separate apps. Spotify can handle it all.

When it comes to cross-platform support, Spotify takes the win due to their robust Mac and Windows app. When they launch their anticipated iPad app, it'll just be that much better. The iPad app is available now.

Pandora vs. Slacker. vs. Spotify: Audio quality

One of the most important aspects of listening to music for many is how good it sounds. There's no exception when it comes to streaming content. It's really hard to give a consistent rating considering many things can influence the actual rate at which music stream, such as your internet connection and whether or not a specific track is even available in a higher quality format.

Pandora streams at at average rate of around 64kbps for free listeners on the web, and at 192kbps for premium subscribers. They make no guarantee about mobile listeners, such as iPhone users, considering so many external factors can affect the bit rate.

Slacker doesn't have much information on the exact rate at which they are streaming but they do say that regardless of what platform you are streaming on, you should experience "near-cd quality" audio.

Spotify is a bit better at explaining what they stream. Premium users can get up to 320kbps on the desktop app and within the iPhone app. Of course, actual quality may vary given internet connection and other variables. They say the typical average and free users usually get around 160kbps.

Spotify wins when it comes to audio quality.

Pandora vs. Slacker. vs. Spotify: Pricing & features

While content is super important, so is the price you have to pay for it. While Pandora, Slacker, and Spotify all have a free ad-supported version, they also all offer premium subscriptions.

Pandora's premium service, Pandora One, weighs in at $36 a year or $3.99 per month. So if you can buy yearly, you'll get a bit of a discount. Pandora One will get you the following additions over the free version:

• Higher quality streaming - 192K bits per second
• Removal of ads
• Unlimited skips per day (but you'll still be limited to 6 skips per hour due to licensing issues)
• Access to the desktop player
• Extended timeout (listen up to 5 hours while not by your computer or iPhone)
• Custom skins

Slacker has 2 subcription models to choose from. The $3.99/month plus subscription will get you the following over the free version:

• No ads
• Unlimited song skips
• Mobile station caching (offline playing)
• ABC news
• ESPN radio

The $9.99/month premium subscription will get you everything listed above as well as the following:

• Songs on demand
• Albums on demand
• Single artist stations
• Caching of albums and playlists
• Create custom playlists

Spotify also has two subscription models outside of their freemium model but we're only going to cover the $9.99/month version because, sadly, that's the only version that will even allow you to stream to your iPhone. There is a 48 hour free trial if you'd like to check it out first. Just download the app to activate your trial.

• Manage your local MP3s
• Take your music abroad
• Artist radio
• No ads
• Play local files on your mobile device
• Offline mode on your desktop & mobile
• Enhanced sound quality & content

Pandora, Slacker, and Spotify all provide access to play content through your home or office systems such as Sonos. They're all widely accepted and you shouldn't run into issues with any of them when it comes to a lot of the popular music systems.

When it comes to price, Slacker offers the most for only $4/month but Spotify offers much more in their $9.99/month package. You'll just have to weigh out what you need and what services you'll really use. Go with the one that has a better value for you personally.

When it comes to cost, it's a tie between Slacker and Spotify.

Pandora vs. Slacker. vs. Spotify: Conclusion

Pandora, Slacker, and Spotify all offer streaming experiences in very different ways. I can't help but feel that Pandora is lacking when it comes to functionality and customization. I know many users just want to listen and go, but access to previously listened to songs and stations would be a welcome addition.

Slacker provides a nice streaming service for free with an easy to maneuver through interface. You can even get offline caching for only $4/month. That's a very sought after feature for many users who want to be more conservative with their carrier data. You won't get it cheaper than you do with Slacker.

Spotify is the new kid on the block but packs a punch. While I think they have the best desktop experience of all three, we're talking iPhone app here. And sadly, that's lacking. There is no way to browse for and discover music. That's a deal-breaker for me. So is having to pay $9.99/month just to use the iPhone app. If Spotify could fix these two issues by beefing up the iPhone app and giving iPhone users access either for free (ad-based) or at a cheaper rate, they'd be the best choice, hands down.

Only one of these apps seems to be a happy medium between discovering and customizing the streaming experience, and that's Slacker. It'll suit most users needs and offers the flexibility most users need.

Slacker is the best streaming app for iPhone.

Movies in the Cloud is the latest addition to iTunes in the Cloud, the iCloud service that let's you re-download previously purchased iTunes content on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Mac or Windows PC. While apps, iBooks, music, and TV shows have been available for re-download for a while now, movies are brand new and seem to be causing some confusion, namely where they're available, how to access them, and how and when they work with digital copies.

Here's the deal...

Movies in the Cloud availability

As of now, it seems like Movies in the Cloud is only available in the U.S. TV Shows in the Cloud started off as U.S. only at first as well, and then later rapidly expanded to over a dozen other countries, so it's possible Movies in the Cloud will follow suit. It's also possible movie licensing deals are more complicated than TV and it will take a while. Either way, if you're not using a U.S. iTunes Store account, you won't have access to Movies in the Cloud.

Also, only movies purchased through iTunes are available for re-download.

Before we get into what iTunes Movies in the Cloud is, here's what it isn't.

Home sharing lets you stream any movie in your Mac or Windows PC library to your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Apple TV over your home Wi-Fi network. It doesn't care if you bought the movie on iTunes or ripped it from a DVD, transcoded it, and added it to your iTunes library.

Movies in the Cloud does. It will only show you movies that your bought through the iTunes store, using the same iTunes account that you're logged into on your device.

iTunes Match will scour your PC iTunes library, take note of all your music, and if it can find the same song on Apple's iTunes Catalog, provide you with a 256kbps copy you can re-download from any iOS, Mac, or Windows device.

The keyword there is music. iTunes will not match any other type of content for you.

If you have movies in your iTunes library that you didn't get through the iTunes Store, iTunes Match won't help you. You'll have to use Home Sharing (see above) or an app like Air Video to get to them.

How and when Movies in the Cloud works with Digital Copies has been the source of some confusion. The non-simple answer is that it depends on how the company distributing the movie decided to provide a digital copy.

If you open up your Blu-Ray or DVD and the digital copy consists of an iTunes code to redeem an iTunes copy of the movie, you're golden. Just redeem your code and your digital copy should automagically show up in iTunes, and Movies in the Cloud will let you re-download it across all your devices for download.

If you're digital copy requires you to log in to some other kind of service to redeem your movie it may get a bit complicated. I recently bought a movie that made me download the Flixster software in order to play it. Needless to say I wasn't very happy about this. I purposely buy movies that have digital copies in order to be able to play them from all my devices and from iTunes. What am I supposed to do with a movie that I can't play without a player that isn't supported by anything else?

If you find yourself in this situation, it never hurts to contact the vendor and ask for an iTunes code instead. Some movie cases are very deceiving and don't give you very much information on the type of digital download they're giving you. If all else fails, just ask.

But the bottom line is, if you didn't get the Digital Copy through iTunes, you won't be able to re-downlown it through Movies in the Cloud.

Apple doesn't have deals with all major film studies yet. That means certain movies from certain companies, such as Universal and 20th Century Fox, aren't currently available for re-download through Movies in the Cloud.

Some of this has to do with the "HBO window", some of it with old-school studio thinking. Apple, HBO, and the studios are apparently trying to work this out. In the meantime, when a movie is airing on HBO, it could disappear from Movies in the Cloud.

How to re-download movies on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

To re-download movies you've previously purchased from iTunes on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

1. Launch the iTunes app.
2. Tap the Purchased tab at the bottom (if you don't see it, tap the More tab and then check there).
3. Tap Movies from the selection list.
4. Tap on the iCloud icon beside any of your previously purchased movies to re-download.

How to stream movies to Apple TV

Because the Apple TV doesn't have much internal storage, it streams previously purchased movies instead of re-downloading and storing them on-device. To stream a movie to your Apple TV:

1. Navigate to the Movies icon on the right and click on it.
2. Navigate to the Purchased tab at the top and click on it.
3. Scroll up or down to the movie you want to stream and click on it.

Conclusion

Movies in the Cloud is currently a great way for users to re-download some movies purchased from the U.S. iTunes Store to iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads, and stream them to the Apple TV.

It's not part of iTunes Match, it doesn't work for all movies from all studios, and it doesn't support Digital Copies unless they were acquired through an iTunes Store promo code, but hopefully some of those limitations will soon be things of the past.

February is Health and Fitness Month at Mobile Nations, and my exercise program for most of my adult life has been cycling. Living on Cape Cod, I am treated to some beautiful vistas, ocean views and a fair share of challenging hills. During the warmer months, I can be at the ocean in about seven minutes and then continue for 20 – 30 miles along the coast.

My rides would be far less enjoyable without my iPhone as my entertainment/navigation system and ride recorder. I use the heck out of my iPhone for pretty much every ride. Seeing as though we have pretty much avoided “winter” this year, I can continue my outdoor rides - even on a February afternoon!

Monitoring your general health

I have been pretty fortunate for most of my life in that I have stayed at virtually the same weight for the last 15 years (as long as I stay active.) I do have some fluctuations and occasionally use apps like the Fitter Fitness Calculator to keep track of things.

Getting the right music

While riding with earphones is not always the smartest thing to do on a bike, most of the roads I travel are pretty empty; so I usually “plug in” when I ride. Often I will just put in one earbud and let the other hang so I can still hear the traffic.

I need to have the right tunes – especially on a longer ride – so I have a few options. I have a standard “Bike Riding” playlist that I made in iTunes, which usually does fairly well for me. There is nothing worse, though, than landing at the base of a hill and having a slow ballad come on. I try to keep all the music at a good beat to keep me motivated.

I also use Pandora stations and Spotify playlists on occasion. Everyone’s musical tastes are different, but for me, the Led Zeppelin station on Pandora usually suffices.

Keeping Track of the Ride

I like to monitor my progress through the riding season. I set goals for distance, speed and calories burned. Fortunately, there are two great apps that I use to help me with this.

Strava Cycling is a great app and provides lots of useful data. It keeps track of where I am and where I go, how fast I’m going and what my average speed is. At the end of the ride, the path and stats of the ride are uploaded to their server, for easy reference later.

Another great feature is the Explore button that shows you other rides uploaded in your area by Strava users.

The other app I use is Road Bike Cycling Computer. It keeps track of each “Session” you ride and adds calories burned and rpm’s to the data. You can touch the History button to see your rides. One nice feature with the Road Bike Cycling Computer app is that you can input data for weather conditions and the type of surface upon which you were riding to help monitor your progress.

Get cycling!

My iPhone is the perfect cycling companion. It entertains, informs and keeps track of where I go and how long it takes me to get there. While there are certainly days where I leave the phone at home and ride with friends – most days you can see me pedaling along the shore, plugged in and monitoring my ride with one of the apps listed above.

Remember to jump into our Health and Fitness Forum and let us know your goals and how you are doing. You can even enter to win an iPod nano, and IOU for an iPad 3, or an XBox 360 Kinect!

Apple has removed Big Fish Games subscription based iPad gaming app from the App Store without any explanation. We reported yesterday that the app was the first to allow in-app subscriptions where for a monthly fee users could play a range of Big Fish games. The games were stored and streamed from a data center belonging to Big Fish.

According to Bloomberg, Apple declined to make any comment on the reasons for the app being pulled. Seems like a strange one to us; we will let you know as soon as we hear anymore.

Source: Bloomberg

Cult of Mac is following up on the iPhone nano rumors from Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal saying Apple will make the low price points by getting rid of all onboard storage. No NAND Flash storage, no big price tag. Apple would get around this by streaming everything from an iTunes.com/MobileMe cloud just like Apple TV 2 does today.

However, Apple TV 2 still has NAND Flash storage to hold the OS and apps and cache the content. Sure streaming media could make up for lower storage levels but no storage? What about apps? Would Apple let me stream Infinity Blade from the cloud? Would I even want to?

It sounds far fetched. However, an 8GB iPhone nano using components from the huge iPhone 3G/iPhone 3GS production runs of the last few years, augmented by cloud storage could be super cheap and super sweet.

What do you think?

[Cult of Mac]

Skyfire for iPhone is a web browsing application that converts Adobe Flash to HTML5/H.264 so you can view it on iPhone or iPad touch. Seeing as Apple chose not to implement Flash into iOS, a lot of videos on the web still can't be watched on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Skyfire steps in to try and bridge this gap and while it's a nice feature to have, but not always the best experience.

iTunes Link

While having access to Flash content may be useful to some, the overall process can be daunting. A lot of times, I found that the app would take a while to convert the content. If you are on wifi, the process seems to be a bit smoother, but on 3G it was definitely noticeable. I will give them a little bit of a break here seeing as they sold a ridiculous amount of copies and had to pull it due to their servers being overwhelmed. This may be part of the reason streaming is taking a while.

Either way - in my experience, once the content did stream, it seemed to be quite choppy and broken up. I'm hoping this is something that will get better as Skyfire adds more server bandwidth. A lot of the times I noticed the audio streamed pretty quickly but the video portion would struggle to keep up with the audio or fall behind. Seeing as viewing Flash content is the main feature of the app, I'm really hoping we see major improvements in the near future.

As for the rest of the app, I actually quite enjoyed using it as a browser. Settings will give you an option to browse privately, which is nice. It also gives you the option of desktop or iPhone mode. To me, this is much easier than having to toggle individual sites from mobile to desktop view. It will save you a bit of time and you can just switch with two clicks instead of searching a site to figure out how to toggle mobile views on or off.

Sharing is also easy within Skyfire - you simply click the little plus symbol in the bottom right corner of the screen and you can share directly through Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail. There is also a feature called Facebook Quickview which allows you to view your Facebook profile and stream from within Skyfire. It's a nice feature but not something I really see a need for. I've never been a fan of the Facebook for iPhone app so I suppose having access to the mobile or desktop site in one click may come in handy here and there. It's still not something I see myself personally using very often.

Skyfire also has a feature that allows you to search for video and content on any term you choose. When you click the search icon, it brings up suggestions of what you may search for based on the page you're currently viewing as well. This is an extremely neat feature but sometimes it would throw out weird suggestions that had nothing to do with the site you're browsing. If this feature is refined a bit more, I could see it becoming something I'd use frequently.

Bookmarks can also be added just like they can in Safari, so you should feel right at home if you've become accustomed to using bookmarks in Safari. It would be nice if your already existing bookmarks from Safari could be imported into Skyfire. Other than that, the overall browsing experience is great. I'm just not sure the main selling feature of the app is quite up to par yet.

Pros

• Great overall browsing experience
• Adds a bit more functionality than Safari currently offers
• Toggling between desktop and mobile mode is easy and more convenient than switching on individual sites

Cons

• Flash to HTML5 converting to streaming process can be quite daunting and slow at times
• Audio and video do not always sync up after streaming to HTML5
• Experienced a few crashes on 3G while trying to convert and stream video
• Search suggestions can be a bit off at times

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Audiopress for iPhone is an amazing little app that will let you aggregate all of your podcasts, live radio, and pretty much any news audio into one easy to use app.  It also allows for background audio so you can start playing a podcast within the app, close it out, and continue browsing or doing whatever you'd like while it streams in the background.  Podcasts can quickly start taking up a lot of space on your device if you're bad about deleting them (which I am), so streaming them may be a much better option for those of you who'd like to save space on your device.  Hit the jump for more info and a promo video!

[iTunes Link]

Just like you can create categories for your RSS feeds, you can create playlists within Audiopress. If you want your tech streams separate, you can create one for that and another for business or whatever other categories that interest you. One feature I particularly liked is when you go to listen to a podcast, it also shows you a list of previous podcasts from that feed.

You can also choose to search categories within Audiopress and find new podcasts and radio streams to listen to. I found a couple that looked interesting to me that I've become a regular listener. Before Audiopress, I'm not sure I would have ever taken the time to dig through iTunes or online radio streams to find more podcasts. So for those of you looking for something to get you more into podcasting or if you need help finding more content to listen to, this may be a good choice for you.

The app also supports Facebook integration, so if you've got a Facebook account, you can skip the sign-up and just link your Facebook account instead.

Pros

• Facebook integration makes signing up easy

• Search and suggestions have quite a few sources to choose from for an app being so new to the App Store

• Podcasts show all previous episodes as well, making it easy for catching up on episodes you have have missed

• Playlists are extremely easy to make and build

Cons

• An iPad version would be welcome

• AudioArticles not available (yet)

YouTube Link

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Outside storing music in the iPhone's built in iPod app, there are a variety of ways to simply stream the audio you want to listen to:

• Streaming internet radio/subscription apps are the obvious place to start. Slacker [iTunes link], Pandora [iTunes link], Pocket Tunes [iTunes link], Spotify [iTunes link]... the list goes on an on. Some are limited to the US (or just slightly beyond the US) or Europe, but those who have them in their area often swear by them. Some of these also provide local storage so you can keep some of the songs on your device for those occasions when a Wi-Fi or 3G isn't available.
• Musical games, spearheaded by Tap Tap Revenge [iTunes link] and Rock Band have shown that users are just as willing -- sometimes even more willing -- to buy songs for sport as they are for simple enjoyment. With in-app purchases, some of these games have even become music stores unto themselves.
• Musical apps, where an artist or group wants to create something more than just a song file or even iTunes LP, have also become fairly common on the App Store. These can range significantly in content and presentation, but they can and do bring the music.
• Storage apps, like MobileMe iDisk, Box.net, DropBox, etc. can give you access to the music you keep on the cloud. Just like they can view your documents and other files, they can typically play any supported audio format you've loaded them up with.
• Mobile Safari, the iPhone and iPod touch (and soon, iPad) web browser can play any music format Apple supports. Just tap on a link and the Quicktime player pops up, buffers, and plays your audio. This includes audio you've stored on your own web-enabled server setups. And it's one of the few apps that's allowed to keep playing in the background -- when it doesn't run out of RAM or lose connection or otherwise glitch-out.
• iTunes app, while it will only give you 30 seconds of music for sampling, will stream full-length podcasts if you tap on the title instead of the download button. If you prefer talking and creative commons to the latest premium hits, it's a surprisingly useful option. And it will play in the background just like Safari (and potentially fail, just like Safari).

We're all hoping iPhone 4.0 addresses that pesky "no streaming internet music while using other apps" multitasking miss we've suffered through lo these last 3 years, but in the meantime -- what are you using to stream your music on your iPhone? Any tips and or tricks you can share?