Google’s own music streaming service, Google Play Music All Access, was one of the new plans revealed by the search giant, at the annual I/O conference in San Francisco this week.

This latest venture into music subscription will see Google providing music access for computers, tablets and smart phones.
By offering a new music platform, it begs the question whether competitors, such as Spotify, have something to be worried about?

Well, of course – any competition needs to be taken seriously and with Google’s influence in the Technology and Android world it’s no wonder everyone is commenting on how the market is going to compete.

Google are offering their service for $9.99 per month after a month free trial. Any subscribers who sign up by 30 June will get a reduced price of $7.99 per month. This directly competes with Spotify’s Premium package, at the same price.

Has Google made the right choice not to offer a free package? Spotify offers a free service, where users can listen, with ads, for free on their desktop computers. Currently, there are no plans for All Access to offer the same.

However, Google’s deals with EMI, Sony Music, Universal and Warner Music, among others, could prove threatening.

Chris Yerga, Android’s engineering Director, sold the product as “radio without rules,” at the conference yesterday. “It’s as lean back as you want to as or as interactive as you want it to be.”

Phone and tablet users in the US don’t have to wait very long for the new app – with a release date of next Wednesday. No date has been set for UK launch but Google say it will be “soon.”

This is sure to push Apple into action to reveal their own plans for a music subscription service, after witnessing popularity of the likes of Spotify and Pandora.

So BlackBerry have finally crumbled and revealed plans to make their BBM messaging service available to Android and iOS platforms – but have they made the right choice?

Software Vice President, Andrew Bocking, certainly thinks so at the latest developer’s conference. “The time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community.”

But with so many messaging apps out there, will they once again be a small fish in a big pond? BlackBerry has struggled to complete with the iPhone and Android market over the last few years. Their BBM was seen as an exclusive service, retaining loyal BlackBerry users who wanted to stay within the BBM community. By removing the exclusivity, have they now lost their unique selling point?

Chief executive Thorsten Heins called the move “a statement of confidence,” but I think it was more of a risky move to join the already saturated market of messaging apps.

My first Smartphone was a BlackBerry and BBM was used on a daily basis. However, since moving to iPhone, I would never make the switch back. What’s wrong with Whatsapp?! Most Smartphone users have established an app that works for them, so why change?

BlackBerry will need to work hard at targeting the new generation of mobile phones users, those who have not yet chosen what free messaging platform to use to communicate to their friends. I am not convinced this move is enough to save them.

The free app will be available Summer 2013.

You may have thought about life after death at some point in your life, but have your thought about your digital life? Don’t worry, Google have it covered.

Last Thursday saw the launch of a new feature – Inactive Account Manager. Not a great name, we know – words taken from Google, not ours – but it will enable to Google users to essentially create a digital will.

Users will be able to set time frames on what to do with their data, if their accounts became inactive. For example, if your account was not used for 6 months, Google can delete your data. Alternatively, users may choose a digital trustee – a friend or family member that can “inherit” their Google service data.

An alert feature has been set up to prevent accounts being deleted when users are still alive. The inactive account manager will alert the user via email or text message just before the set time period ends. The option is also available to alert your trustee.

Google is providing a sense of control for their users. Product Manager, Andreas Tuerkprotects, highlights the feature will “enable you to plan your digital afterlife — in a way that protects your privacy and security — and make life easier for your loved ones after you’re gone.”

These settings will apply to the following services: +1s; Blogger; Contacts and Circles; Drive; Gmail; Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams; Picasa Web Albums; Google Voice and YouTube.

With the majority of people having multiple social networking platforms broadcasting across the internet, I predict these kinds of settings becoming a standard feature to ensure digital assets can be taken care of when you die.

A nice little infographic from waypharer to show the history of the smartphone and also show some of the future possibilities.

Some neat ideas that could be coming to a smart phone near you

What do you think we will see in the smart phones of tomorrow?

It feels like Google’s “Project Glass” has been all talk no action since they initially revealed the plans. But a new video released on YouTube revealing what wearers will see for the first time has reignited the excited around the product.

However it’s just a teaser – no specifics as to how the glasses work and specifications such as price have been revealed.

Google must be pretty confident that this product is going to be phenomenal that they are keeping the technology thirsty world on tenterhooks. This supports the idea of some tech forecasters to predict that wearable computers may replace smartphones in the future – or become an essential add on for your smartphone or tablet.
You would be right in thinking that Google glasses are going to be pretty hard to get hold of initially.

Google are making early consumers work for the opportunity which will in turn help the product development – a great use of free market research. You need to be able to impress Project Glass creators with a 50 word statement, 15 second video and 5 photographs explaining how you would use the glasses, submitted via Google+ (+ProjectGlass) or Twitter (@projectglass). If your vision is impressive enough then a $1500 price tag needs to be paid to collect ‘Explorer’ kits in New York, LA or San Francisco.

Oh, and you need to live in the USA.

The simple website states, “We’re looking for bold, creative individuals who want to join us and be a part of shaping the future of Glass. We’d love to make everyone an Explorer, but we’re starting off a bit smaller. We’re still in the early stages, and while we can’t promise everything will be perfect, we can promise it will be exciting.”

Fashion conscious? Don’t panic, it seems Google are working with a fashionable eyewear company to design different frames in a five colour choices – black, grey, blue, red or white.

As a glasses wearer, I wasn’t sure how this would work for me. Designers are expected to create a design of Google glass to fit over existing spectacles.

Although the concept sounds mind blowing and the lengthy build up has created excitement around the new gadget- I am not sure I know enough yet to make a decision. Google are playing their cards very close to their chest.

Is it just an advanced camcorder or is this the future of wearable computers?

I guess we just continue to wait until the final product is revealed and tested by the first ‘explorers.’

Watch the video here: http://ow.ly/hUYpQ

The 4G auctions have been held and the winners have been announced.

Everything Everywhere; Hutchison 3G UK; Niche Spectrum Ventures, a BT subsidiary; Telefonica (O2); and Vodafone have all won permits to offer the faster 4G network.

The £2.34bn raised from the auction is much less than the expected £3.5bn predicted by the Office of Budget, which I reported in December.

I highlighted before, the claims that this auction was money driven by the Government in order for them to make a large profit. Did the network providers see through this plan? If this was the Government’s plan all along, it seems they were rumbled.

Ofcom chief executive, Ed Richards, continues to defend the notion that the Government were trying to maximise profits, but rather the focus is on providing a valuable and affordable service.

His statement on the Ofcom website states, “This is a positive outcome for competition in the UK, which will lead to faster and more widespread mobile broadband, and substantial benefits for consumers and businesses across the country.”

If we compare this bidding war to the one for 3G back in 2000, which raised £22bn, this auction appears to have had a disappointing result for the Treasury. On the other hand, I expect the operators are delighted the costs were not as high as originally thought.

But who are we to complain? The low auction costs should ultimately mean lower bills for the consumer.

So what’s next?

The final stage before the new networks are opened is the ‘assignment stage.’

This process will basically decide the location of the different provider’s spectrums. All that will be left to do is for the license fees to be paid, before the operators can start providing to customers. This could be as early as Spring 2013.

Are you 4G ready? Will you be rushing to sign up for a faster service?

With rumours of Nokia developing their first PureView Windows phone, dubbed “EOS,” it seems the Finnish firm are focusing on camera development in 2013.

The technology world was first introduced to Nokia’s PureView technology last year at the Mobile World Congress, when the mind boggling 41MP camera was unveiled.

However, the camera features were not as well received as Nokia would have liked. Or maybe they sang their own praises too quickly? Either way, Nokia have been working on a way to use PureView’s maximum potential, and a Windows Phone 8 is rumoured to be the strategy.

Nokia also appear to be ditching their preferable polycarbonate casing for the new model, and trading it for aluminum. The growing importance of design in mobile technology means it is hardly surprising Nokia are trying to change things up.

With the Mobile World Congress 2013 just around the corner, we predict this to be the platform for Nokia to unveil the new smartphone models.

Nokia’s official blog post, PureView: There’s more still to come, does little to confirm the details of how PureView has been developed. Head of Imaging at Nokia, Juha Alakarhu, does however accept that imaging is in constant need of tweaking to achieve better technology. He confirms, “We’re really driving innovation in key areas to deepen and enrich the imaging experience.”

Like most new releases, America benefit first. US operator AT&T are suspected to be selling the “EOS” later this year, but we have not heard any whispers of UK availability just yet.

We can’t help but suspect that EOS is just the codename for the new model. Surely it will carry the Lumia branding that has been a huge success for Nokia over the past year?

Alas, we can only speculate at this stage. We look forward to the official unveiling where we can verify or correct our predictions.

Phone cases used to be about protecting the phone and looking good. Now it seems that smart cases are going to be the thing in 2013. You will soon be looking into the spec of the case as much as the spec of the phone.

It seems that iPhone cases are leading the way at the moment with these two cases.

Popslate offers a second e-ink screen for your iPhone and shown at CES in Las Vegas was the new Sensus touch sensitive case. Both cases are expected to be available this summer.

Which one would you prefer?  I am looking forward to the hybrid of the two.

Do you still have a digital watch with a water resistant rating on it? Well, with the new Sony Xperia Z this may be coming to your mobile phone.

Announced at CES in Las Vegas this week, the new Sony will work under water for for up to 30 minutes. So instead of a depth rating of water resistance in phones, it looks like it will be a minute rating.

This is an excellent feature so why are we only seeing it now?  How many people do you know that have soaked their mobile phone?

With this feature you can now check your email in the morning shower,  listen to some tunes in the swimming pool & catch up on the days twitter in an evening bath.

What’s the next great feature on you mobile going to be?

Licenses for 4G spectrums will be auctioned to different network providers next month.

The Chief executive of Ofcom, Ed Richards, insists the purpose of the auction is to provide the best possible service to customers. However, many argue that the auction is money driven, with the Government hoping to make a large profit.

No figures have been released to indicate how much will be raised, however earlier this year, the Office of Budget responsibility estimated the exchequer would gain £3.5bn

Seven firms had earlier been confirmed by paying the £100,000 deposit required to participate in the auction. Ofcom have now revealed the bidders: EE, O2, Vodaphone, HKT (a subsidiary of mobile operator PCCW ), 3, MLL Telecom and BT.

So what does 4G have to offer?
Customers can expect mobile internet access 5 times faster than 3G.

How will the auction work?
There will be a secret online auction, similar to eBay. Bidders will stake how much of the spectrum they wish to buy and how much they are willing to pay. The winner will pay the lowest price that is greater than the rest of the bids. A second round of bidding will allow more chance to win further spectrums.

What do they mean by spectrums?
These are the radio wave frequencies that are used for communication and data transmission. Different spectrums have different strengths, making some more suitable for different transmissions than others.

EE was the first to launch 4G by using has made use of old 2G – non-broadband – 1.8GHz bandwidth. However, the network’s realiability and strength has been questioned since the launch.

The digital switchover, has freed up the 800MHz radio spectrum which can now be used for 4G.

Networks will be focusing on bidding for a range of spectrums that will allow them to cover large areas and therefore reach more potential customers. Lower frequency is needed in rural areas to travel further whereas urban, densely populated areas need higher frequency waves.

It will be interesting to see just how much the network providers are willing to pay to provide good 4G coverage.