Shazam 6.0 has been released for iOS, creating a single universal app from two previously-disparate iPhone and iPad versions.

The new release adds an interesting feature called Auto Tagging, which will detect when music is playing in the background an automatically tag the artist and song. If that isn’t desirable, due to battery life concerns, the recognizable Shazam tagging logo is present on all screens in the app.

Shazam has also added a map to the app to show off the most popular tags in specific areas; you can drill down to your location and find which artists or songs are currently most popular.

The company is also expanding is TV tagging focus, and last month they integrated with Rdio to convert tags into full song plays. Shazam is pushing the second screen experience pretty hard, and with this latest version working in the background, it’s a constant reminder that, even when sitting on the couch watching TV or listening to an album, it wants to be a part of your day.

Download Shazam for iOS.

Via: TNW

We reported on MyShoebox when it launched last year, coming from the highly-polished pedigree of Toronto’s Extreme Startups.

The Toronto-based company has launched version 2.0 today for iOS, Android and the web, complete with revamped Windows and OS X applications. The premise behind the service is to cast as wide a net as possible over every digital photo in your life, and to back them up to the cloud in as frictionless a way possible.

There are two price tiers, and neither of them limit the number of photos you upload; the free version limits the quality of each photo, while the paid version at $5/month gives you cross-platform photo backup at original resolution.

With version 2.0, MyShoebox adds tablet support, both on iPad and Android, with the express purpose of making the service as much about discovering old, forgotten photos as it is about backing up current ones. It uses advanced organization algorithms to glean as much information from each photo as possible; you can search using a number of criteria, from place to date, and they’re all arranged in a nice grid pattern.

The new version also added shared galleries, so you can offer your friends and family a way to see these backed-up gems.

Obviously the question here is whether the service is worth the money in an ecosystem of overwhelmingly high-quality photo services. Flickr recently began offering 1TB of data to each account, and revamped their Android and web services to offer a more robust experience. Then there’s Dropbox, Sugarsync, Google+ Photos and the myriad other alternatives that have improved their photo experience, both on mobile and the web, in recent months.

MyShoebox offers a solution for one problem, but it’s a problem that millions of digital-native users face. Photos get stored on disparate hard drives, ecosystems and services, and from my brief time with the Mac and Android apps, it seems to have serious potential.

Download MyShoebox for Android and iOS.

Via: Techcrunch

Google Drive for Android has received a pretty hefty update in version 1.2, bringing it up to par with rival Dropbox in terms of functionality.

The company’s cloud storage offering has been steadily improving, but until now the Android app was less than optimal.

Not only does version 1.2 bring a brand new interface, with a left-side navigation bar and Google’s new consistent three-line icon, but users running Android 3.0 and above can finally download specific files for offline use. This omission was the main thing keeping Drive from being used as my, and I’m sure others’, main cloud storage service.

You can also take quick scans of documents, business cards and letters and Google’s OCR technology will turn as much of the text into searchable content.

There’s also a new photo and file preview screen, which makes peeking into documents or pictures that much easier.

In all, Google Drive for Android is a fantastic app, and while it won’t take over as your go-to document editor — the word and spreadsheet capabilities don’t match dedicated apps like OfficeSuite, for example — it’s great to have in a pinch.

Download Google Drive for Android.

Via: Google Drive Blog

Bell has now hopped on board the exact same promotion, with the $75 credit available on the following white devices “iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy Note II, and Samsung Galaxy S III. All BlackBerry models except BlackBerry Q10 and BlackBerry Z10 are eligible.”

Seems like there’s possibly some serious tension of Rogers having the exclusivity on the White BlackBerry Q10.

Source: Bell

Rdio for Android and iOS have both received identical updates today, bringing them to feature and design parity (though, in truth, the iOS version is still slightly nicer).

In addition to a newly-textured left-side navigation bar, subscribers to Rdio can search the database based on user or label. The former lets you more easily find friends and brands that use the music streaming service, while the latter allows you to filter music based on an entire company, a great way to discover new artists or bands.

Rdio has slowly been making inroads into the extremely competitive streaming music market. With Google releasing its own solution, Play Music All Access, and Apple rumoured to launch a similar model this year, is at an advantage thanks to a robust multi-platform strategy, an incredibly versatile API that was recently used in Twitter #music, an amazing design team (seriously, Rdio is gorgeous) and a general free trial period. While you do need a $9.99/month subscription to continue using it on mobile (there are apps for Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone), you can listen for free on the web for up to six months. If you haven’t already tried Rdio, I’d encourage you to do so.

Download Rdio for Android and iOS.

Via: Rdio Blog

The next steps for the carrier to be swooped into TELUS is to gain the “required approvals” from both the Competition Bureau and Industry Canada. Mobilicity has a scheduled hearing with the courts on May 28th, but Christian Paradis, Canada’s Industry Minister, communicated last week that “the government will take the time required to review the proposal carefully.” Both Mobilicity and TELUS are aiming for the acquisition to close by June 10th.

TELUS previously said that if the deal goes through they’ll “continue with the Mobility brand, customer rate plans and network.”

Source: CNW

We’re hearing that the finer details of the update brings a fix to the capacitive buttons sensitivity issues, plus the One is now more responsive. We’re looking into further specifics of the change log, but if you have the One on either network leave a comment below of what you’re experiencing. Check your One by hitting Settings > About > Software updates.

Update: Looks like this is available for TELUS and Rogers customers also.

Source: Bell
(Thanks Vincent & Snowshoer!)

Mailbox, the email app for iPhone that made you wait in line for the privilege of using it, has expanded to iPad today.

Version 1.3 brings the same quick-tap-and-swipe functionality to Apple’s larger screen device and, as you would expect, it’s excellent. The left-side panel works as it always has: swipe to the right to archive; swipe to the left to do it later. It’s a great system for triage, but it may not be enough to unseat Google’s own iOS app, which has great iPad support.

Dropbox announced in March that it was purchasing Mailbox, and the amount was speculated to be between $50 and $100 million. This is the company’s first major release since the acquisition, and no longer asks new users to wait in a long waiting list to register.

If you’re looking for an alternative email to the built-in client, or if you don’t like Google’s own interpretation of Gmail on iOS, give Mailbox a try.

Download Mailbox for iPad.

Via: GigaOM

Source: Videotron

Just a day after its Appstore launched in Canada, bringing Android apps and games to phones and tablets, Amazon has announced it is launching its popular Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets in our fair country.

Launching next month, both the 7-inch and 8.9-inch versions will be available, the former starting at $214 for the 16GB 7-inch version and increasing to $314 for the 32GB 8.9-inch version. While these have been available since last year in the United States and a few other countries, Amazon’s latest push brings the Kindle Fire, along with its Android Appstore, book library and more to some 170 countries.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire will be fairly limited in its functionality when it comes to Canada on June 13th, though. Not only will it carry a price premium of $15 on top of the U.S. version but it won’t support the company’s popular streaming video service through Amazon Prime, nor will it offer MP3s through its relatively inexpensive music store. You’ll have access to books, apps and magazines, somewhat negating the tablets’ advantage over the competition.

The Kindle Fire HD comes with a 7-inch 1280×800 display, a 1.2Ghz dual-core TI OMAP 4460 SoC, 1GB RAM, 16-32GB internal storage, a front-facing camera and software that runs on top Android 4.0 ICS.

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ comes with a 8.9-inch 1920×1200 px display, a 1.5Ghz dual-core TI OMAP 4470 SoC, 1GB RAM, 16-32GB internal storage, a front-facing camera and software that runs on top Android 4.0 ICS.

Aside from specs, the two tablets do boast some impressive “real-world” features. Both come with excellent, stronger-than-your-average WiFi with dual-band (2.4Ghz+5Ghz) 2×2 antennas; 10+ hours of battery life; an IPS display with “less glare and richer colour from any viewing angle”; and stereo speakers with Dolby codecs.

The tablets will also be pre-loaded with your information out of the box, so there’s no logging in.

Whether the release of these tablets in the Canadian market will do anything to unseat Samsung or convince users to upgrade from their Nexus 7′s or 10′s remains to be seen. The prices are good, though the Nexus 7 is cheaper and more powerful than the 7-inch Kindle Fire. The 8.9-inch version, however, is a great deal, with a faster processor, more capable graphics, a higher-resolution screen and a nice, compact form factor. We’ll be taking a look at both, so check back in the coming weeks.

These devices ship on June 13th, but you can pre-order them starting today.

Via: Amazon PR