“While certain manufacturers are removing LED flashes from high-end smartphones (we’re looking at you, Sony) Samsung is improving theirs.”
[Rumor] Google Said To Be In Talks With Record Labels To Expand GMusic With A Spotify-Like Streaming Service
Well, this is exciting. We knew it was only a matter of time before El Goog decided to get into the music streaming biz, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the company is currently in talks with several record labels to fire up a Spotify-esque service.
If true, the service is said to become part of Google Music, which only makes sense. Currently, Music allows users upload their own music libraries and stream them from any web browser or Android device, and the addition of a streaming service would likely give users access to unlimited music outside of that collection for a monthly fee. While Spotify and similar services cost around $10 a month, it’s unclear at this time how much Big G would be charging, but it’s probably safe to assume it will be very competitively priced, if not even cheaper.
Similarly, the WSJ is also reporting that the company is looking to start a similar service on YouTube, where users can pay a monthly fee for both music videos and audio-only tracks.
Naturally, there’s no word as to when either service could go live, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Google could be looking to conclude talks in the coming weeks and announce official availability at this year’s I/O conference.
WSJ
via Android Police
Rumor: Microsoft to buy Skype for $7 Billion
If Google was hoping to control all the hallway chatter at this year’s Google IO, well, it looks like they’ve lost that bid. Perhaps, in fact, they’ve lost two, as the WSJ is reporting that Microsoft is about to close a deal to acquire Skype for a cool seven billion dollars. The deal apparently isn’t quite finalized yet, but if it goes through it’s going to leave more questions than answers for the Voice Over IP software.
Six months after Skype freed itself from the confines of Verizon exclusivity for mobile phones in the US, it’s become a fairly popular platform for Android. Will Microsoft allow it to continue on Android or any of the myriad other platforms Skype supports? We’re hoping and assuming yes – but the news itself is crazy enough that more craziness could well ensue. Stay tuned for what’s sure to be a wild ride.
Source: WSJ; via TiPb
via Rumor: Microsoft to buy Skype for $7 Billion | Android Central.
