Apple premieres iTunes 9

September 10, 2009 · Filed Under Downloads, Internet Software, Software News, iTunes and iPod Software · Comment 

Featuring iTunes LP, Home Sharing, Genius Mixes & Improved Syncing

Apple introduced iTunes 9, the latest version of the world’s most popular software application to purchase, manage and play media, packed with innovative features such as iTunes LP, Home Sharing and Genius Mixes, as well as a redesigned store and improved syncing. iTunes 9 makes it easier than ever to discover, purchase and enjoy your music, movies, TV shows, and apps for iPhone(TM) and iPod touch from Apple’s revolutionary App Store. Plus, Home Sharing now lets you easily transfer songs, movies and TV shows to other computers in your home.

“iTunes 9 is a great iTunes release, with innovative features that make using iTunes better than ever and iTunes content richer than ever,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iTunes LP, for example, lets artists share more of their creativity with fans and gives music lovers the feeling of being immersed in an entire album with art, lyrics, liner notes, photos and videos.”

iTunes LP is the next evolution of the music album delivering a rich, immersive experience for select albums on the iTunes Store by combining beautiful design with expanded visual features like live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more. iTunes LP debuts today with albums including Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me,” The Grateful Dead’s “American Beauty” and Dave Matthews Band’s “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King: iTunes Pass.” The new iTunes Extras provides a similar experience for movies on iTunes with features including documentaries, deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. iTunes Extras is now available for select movies including “Twilight,” “Batman Begins,” “WALL-E,” “Iron Man” and “The Da Vinci Code.” Customers can enjoy iTunes LP and iTunes Extras on a Mac or PC.

iTunes 9 also introduces Home Sharing, which lets you easily transfer music, movies and TV shows among up to five authorized computers in your home. Family members can now view up to five iTunes libraries on their home network, see only the portion of these libraries they don’t already have, import their favorite content directly to their own libraries, and automatically add new purchases from other computers into their library.

The incredibly popular Genius feature gets even better with Genius Mixes which are created using the results of over 27 million music libraries with over 54 billion songs that have been submitted and analyzed by Genius. The new Genius Mixes feature is like having a “Genius” DJ that automatically generates up to 12 endless mixes of songs from your iTunes library that go great together.

With improved syncing in iTunes 9 and iPhone OS 3.1, you can now organize your iPhone apps right in iTunes and they will automatically appear on your iPhone with the same layout. Plus, syncing music, photos, movies and TV shows is easier than ever with the added ability to sync music by artist and genre and sync photos by Events and Faces. The iTunes Store on iPhone now features precut ringtone downloads with over 20,000 ringtones priced at just $1.29.

iTunes 9 is available immediately as a free download at www.itunes.com.

The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 11 million songs, over 50,000 TV episodes and over 7,500 films including over 2,000 in stunning high definition video. With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

Source: Apple

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BBC Radio Times Introduces Application on Apple App Store

April 22, 2009 · Filed Under Software News, iTunes and iPod Software · Comment 

Mobile Solution Powered by tvCompass Makes Browseable TV Listings Available Anytime, Anywhere

BBC’s Radio Times, Britain’s premier guide to TV, radio and film, and tvCompass Inc., a software and services solution provider for mobile internet devices today announced a Radio Times Interactive Program Guide (IPG) for iPhone and iPod touch is now available in the UK for download from the Apple App Store.

The Radio Times IPG solution is based on tvMobile(TM) a white label software product suite for mobile platforms developed by tvCompass Inc. tvMobile combines a downloadable application for popular smartphones and a wireless content network for hosting content and advertising. The UK version of the service includes Radio Times TV and radio program recommendations and reviews from Radio Times’ extensive database of film reviews and ratings. Users can browse up to seven days of TV and radio listings for more than 400 channels and stations. The service is compatible with all major channels on the digital cable (Virgin), satellite (Sky and FreeSat) and terrestrial (Freeview) digital TV platforms.

“We are really proud of this application for iPhone and iPod touch as it’s a great mobile extension of the Radio Times brand and provides an excellent user experience,” said Radio Times publishing director Kathy Day. “Consumers not only want to watch TV and listen to radio on the move, but they also want to know what is available to them, at any time.”

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with BBC Radio Times, a premier media brand. The advantage for the consumer from this collaboration is that their iPhone or iPod touch can now serve as a compelling companion device to enhance their TV viewing,” said Edward Zylka, CEO, tvCompass Inc.

Based on tvCompass’s patented and proprietary technology, the IPG has expansion capability to add new features over time, such as wireless control of DVR record settings, and the ability to click on a TV listing and jump directly to a selected program by direct tuning a TV or set top box. This mode effectively turns an iPhone into a remote control device. Future capabilities may also include IR and IP control of devices.

The application is available in the UK for 1.79 pounds Sterling from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

Source: tvCompass Inc.

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