Slacker Radio

Sonos Gets Android Tablet Support, Slacker Radio and More with New Update

by jessica on Wed, 2011-11-30 16:04

Sonos Wireless HiFi System owners can now use an Android Tablet to control music in their home, thanks to a new software update. And that's just one of many new features found in the Sonos System Software 3.6 update, which the company released today.

The Sonos Controller for Android app now has Android tablet support, letting you control Sonos from any Android tablet running 2.2 or higher, including the brand new Kindle Fire, HTC Flyer, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Sony Tablet S, and others (previously you could control the system with an app for Android smartphone, iPad or iPhone). New features have also been added, such as alarms, music library management and Twitter support. You can download it free from Android Market.

Sonos also announced that Slacker Radio is now available as a free music service on Sonos (in the United States and Canada), for access to over 150 stations with the ability to create unlimited custom stations to stream throughout the house. You can also choose to upgrade to Slacker Radio Plus for ad-free music streaming or Slacker Premium Radio for more features like on-demand access to millions of songs, albums and artists and the ability to create custom playlists. Subscribers can also personalize their ESPN Radio stations with their favorite shows, plus team and sports updates. Learn more about Slacker on Sonos at slacker.com/Sonos. Read more

6 High-Tech Tips for a Fun, Frugal and Fearless Halloween

If pumpkin carving and paper mache is becoming too old-fashioned for your tech-savvy tykes, fear not. Dressing up like an iPhone 4 might be a bit much (that's a real touchscreen, folks!), but there's still plenty of ways to plan a Halloween that's cool for the kids, fun for the family, provides parents some piece of mind and most of all won't break the bank. Here's six great options - all treats, no tricks!

FUN

Make a Zombie App
Sure, the "undead" are all the rage these days, but what if your kids are too young for such flesh-eating fare? These cuter, animated versions should provide some more age-appropriate frights. Customize your creature's body, background, clothes and more, then share them via email, post to Facebook or save to a disk.

Hallowindow
If you're planning a haunted house, this website can help you increase the fear factor with a digital twist. Download images and animations that can be projected on windows or displayed on TVs, or spooky sound effects for creeping out oncoming candy-seekers. And if this all seems a bit complicated, the good folks at Geek Squad (www.GeekSquad.com or via any Best Buy store) are available to help you set up.

FRUGAL Read more

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Last-Minute Holiday Tech Buying Guide

With last year's release of Avatar, 2010 has turned out to be the year of not only 3D movies, but also video games and sports. And this holiday season consumers will be able to bring the 3D experience home. So, if you're looking to jump in on 3D, Panasonic's VT25 series 3D TV would be an excellent choice. It offers up great color reproduction, price, and a high quality 2D picture, combined with the experience and passion Panasonic has for 3D.

Next up, connected TVs. Today's connected TVs are really starting to hit their stride. The Samsung 6400 series of LED HDTVs not only offer a slim form factor, but offer a wide range of applications. On the 6400 series, consumers can enjoy streaming movies and TV shows from Netflix, Vudu, Blockbuster, Hulu Plus, CinemaNow and much more. Or listen to music from services such as Napster or Pandora. Bottom line - connected TVs bring a world of on-line entertainment to the big screen. Read more

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Slacker Radio Now Available for Android

by jessica on Sat, 2009-11-07 06:00

Are you the owner of a new Android device? Slacker just announced that the Slacker Radio app is now available for Android phones. The free application is available now by visiting www.Slacker.com from a supported Android smartphone or by visiting the Android Market. Verizon customers using the DROID by Motorola can locate the free Slacker Radio app by visiting the Verizon channel of the Android Market on the phone.

Slacker Radio for Android features:

Free music library featuring millions of songs
High-quality stereo playback from any wireless connection
Create custom artist stations based on artists or songs
Over 100 professionally programmed genre stations
View artist biographies and photos
View album art and read reviews
"Peek Ahead" artist and album preview
Multi-tasking - listen to music while using other applications
Share station links via Email, MMS or SMS messaging
Rate songs as favorites
Ban songs and artists
Vertical and Horizontal modes
Desktop widget

The Slacker Radio app works with the free Slacker Basic Radio service, Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio subscription offerings.

Sony's New Walkman Features Wi-Fi, Touch Screen, Free Slacker Radio

by jessica on Thu, 2009-05-14 10:20

Sony just announced a new Walkman Video MP3 Player that has Wi-Fi, a 3-inch OLED touch screen and has content provided by Slacker Radio and YouTube.

The X-Series is Sony's first Walkman with Wi-Fi, allowing you to access a web browser, search for and playback YouTube videos and podcasts…without using your PC. The X-series Walkman plays WMV files, and supports other video codecs such as AVC Baseline (H.264) and MPEG-4. It also comes with Content Transfer software so you can "drag and drop" non-DRM music, videos, playlists etc. from online music services to the Walkman player.

The new X-Series is also the first video MP3 player with integrated digital noise canceling technology. The built-in DNC software engine blocks out up to 98 percent of ambient noise. Several modes are available (airplane, bus/train or office) which use different filters in the digital signal processor specifically tuned for those surroundings.

Sony says the device has a battery life of up to 33 hours of music playback and 9 hours of video playback. The X-series Walkman video MP3 player is available now for pre-sale on sonystyle.com in two storage capacities, 16GB and 32GB. The NWZ-X1051 has 16GB and sells for $299. The NWZ-X1061 has 32GB, and is $399. Both models will be available in mid-June.