Doubletwist – iTunes for Your Phone February 24, 2010
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Apple, Cell Phones, Computers, First Look/Reviews, Mp3 players and iPods, Music , add a comment
Doubletwist – like iTunes, for non-Apple stuff
The age-old issue: you, like nearly everyone else, uses an iPod for music – be it Touch, Nano, Shuffle, or Classic — and you are very happy with using iTunes for syncing and so on. But unfortunately, unless you have an iPhone, the iTunes program is quite unhelpful when it comes to your phone. Unlike your iPod, you can’t just plug in to your computer and sync your music, and while phones have separate applications for syncing media, lets face it – getting everything to work, getting your music from iTunes…its annoying– especially every time you get a new phone.
Enter Doubletwist. iTunes for everything else- literally. Able to recognize and import your iTunes library (even playlists), Doubletwist is compatible with a whole slew of companies and devices – PSP, Zune, Nokia’s, LG’s, Motorola’s, etc. True, it’s not compatible with everything – but it’s certainly more then an iPod and it does a great job syncing. The interface is simple, and familiar to iTunes’, and features the drag/drop method we all know and love. Videos – provided they aren’t purchased (and therefore, DRMed) from iTunes – are converted into a suitable format and synced. Photos – same deal. (Note: iTunes Plus songs, without DRM, are fine)
Best of all – it’s not only a Mac application – Doubletwist is for Windows as well. It also has features for sharing – or “twisting” as they call it – media with friends and family, as well as integration with the Amazon MP3 store.
If you’d like Doubletwist, check it out on the site here to see if they support your phone or device. Also, you might want to check that you have a USB cable to connect your phone to your PC. Finally, if you’re looking to keep a fair amount of songs, look into getting a MicroSD card, so you have memory to store ‘em.
And next time your iPhone toting friend is bragging about having his music on his phone – you’ll have the last laugh.
Pandora One February 16, 2010
Posted by Zev Rosenbaum in : Computers, Music , add a comment
Have you ever wanted your own DJ? One that is so smart that it can pick from literally thousands and thousands of songs, the perfect songs, customized to your music preferences? Imagine, a DJ that will create a whole playlist of songs based on songs you like, even comprehending the elements of the song that cause you to enjoy it so much. No I’m not talking about Genius, Apple’s attempt to create your own DJ, but something you can run entirely off the internet, for a mere price tag of $3 a month. I’m talking about Pandora One, which is an attempt to bring the very successful Pandora (known for their great iPhone, Android and other mobile apps), to your desktop.
The Beatles are coming to Rock Band! March 5, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Music, Video Games , 1 comment so far
Very into Rock Band and are looking for some new classic songs to jam to? Well, if that’s the case, then today’s your lucky day: MTV Games, Harmonix (joint Rock Band founders) and Apple Corps LTD (copyright owners of the Beatles music; not the iPod company) announced today a whole new game for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii that features the legendary British rockers.
Arriving 9/9/09, it will be available as a stand-alone game for $60, and for $250, as a limited edition Rock Band set including the whole package– game, guitar, drums, mic– entirely designed to look like the instruments used by the Beatles. You can also get just the guitar for $100.
The game will also have 45 of the Beatles hits from 1962 through 1969 playable, though as of right now, not much is known about whether you can download those songs for play on your Rock Band 1 or 2 as well as if you can play other songs in this special Beatles version. We also know that fortunately, the 3 companies also said that the older Rock Band instruments will be able to work with the new game, so those of you who don’t wanna spend the extra $190 for more plastic instruments can just get the game and be all set 
So you pumped for this new game? Will this make you hold off on that Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero World Tour purchase and wait a few months to get a game based on one of the greatest bands ever? Sound off in the comments.
Info from Joystiq.com and pix from Rock Band Beatles preview page.
Garageband 09' – Lesson Review February 7, 2009
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Computers, First Look/Reviews, Music , add a comment
Garageband 09’s Lesson system (in shiny HD!)
Had some snow here last week, so I finally got the chance to try out the new iLife stuff. So here’s my take on the new Garageband features, and specifically, the Lessons system.
After installing the update, finding the digital keyboard, plugging it in, and re-acquainting myself with the piano (haven’t played it for a while), I went into the lesson, of which there are two already installed ones: Piano Basics 1 and Guitar Basics 1. Since I play piano, I tried the Piano Lesson.
After being greeted by a friendly person, I was introduced to the basics of piano. My instructor went through basic chord progression, the hold pedal, and, at the end of the lesson, played a simple song with me using the chords we learned. The interface, as you can see above, is nice, with HD video and a visual guide to help you, along with the instructor. While I haven’t had a chance to try the Artist Lessons, I’m assuming they work the same way, just with real musicians teaching you their songs instead of the Apple Instructor teaching piano basics. In theory, one could teach themselves an entire instrument using the system, which is quite cool.
Overall, it’s a cool concept, that works just as well as one would expect. Definitetly a worthwhile feature for anyone who has iLife 09′ to try out.
iTunes Controllers December 9, 2008
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Computers, Music , add a comment
Bowtie, running on my desktop with the Wet Floor theme.
For me, the most often used application on my computer is my iTunes controller. Now there are several of these applications that basically, as the name would suggest, allow you to control iTunes and since I listen to music on an almost never-ending basis, I find a good controller to be the most useful application I have. For some of my top picks, read on!
iTunes 8 – Review September 10, 2008
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : First Look/Reviews, Mp3 players and iPods, Music , add a comment
As I mentioned yesterday, Apple — during the event Tuesday which they also released a revamped versions of their iPods — released the latest version of iTunes, iTunes 8. I have been playing with it for a little bit, and like what I see.
In the asthetics department, it mostly remains the same, with a new album view (see above pic) and an absolutely psychedelic new visualizer (displays your music in a 3D explosionly of light thing, in time with the song). The main addition to the new version, Genius — the intelligent playlist maker– really is excellent. I select a song i like, such as Welcome to the Black Parade, and iTunes takes my music and makes me a playlist based on it. It happens to work really well and i’ve gotten some sweet playlists. It’s super fast, (like half a second to make it), and is just excellent.
An option that tags along with that — similar to the mini-store in previous iterations of iTune — suggests additional songs for that generated playlist which you dont currently own and takes you directly to the iTunes store to purchase them if you choose. You can also decide to hide the playlist maker, and reconjure it by clicking a button on the right side of the bottom taskbar. After running it through several songs, I find it works quite nicely, though some songs inexplicably refused to work, most notably Disturbia by Rihanna.
Also in the new version is NBC’s return to iTunes, (Heroes is back! Woo-hoo!) the result of a settlement after a lawsuit with Apple several months ago, and the addition of TV shows in Hi-Def, although like the HD movies, they cost more — $3.00 as opposed to $2.00 for standard definition. To download iTunes 8, click here.
Apple Introduces New iPods – First Take September 10, 2008
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Mp3 players and iPods, Music, Teen Info , 1 comment so far
ooooooo – Colorful.
Alrighty everyone, the biggest news of the week just landed. As Apple tends to do around the pre-holiday season (like now), they announced today the new updates to their iPod lines. (more…)
More Rock Band 2 News August 15, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Music, Video Games , add a comment
Now that Madden 09 is out in the wild (see our review on it here), lets turn back to the ever popular Rock Band 2. The news we got here is not going to be the most pleasant for fans of the “old” game (and those wanting to get in on the new one), but we’ll give it to you anyways. For those who wanna know more on this, hit the More link. (more…)