Splashing-fun Polaroid Cube

355

“Life Doesn’t Stand Still” is the catchphrase for the Polaroid Cube – a water resistant, shockproof and mountable lifestyle camera. The cube is as small as a golf ball, measuring at 35mm and weighing 45.4g. It has a built-in magnet located at the bottom side of the cube. The tiny camera packs a 6MP CMOS Sensor for detailed images and there is a slider to select between recording videos in either 720p or 1080p (both at 30fps) in H.264 format.

The tiny camera cube whops a 124° wide angle lens (F 2.0,
f
= 3.4mm) and supports microSDHC card expansion up to a maximum of 32GB. Data exchange between the cube and PC is via Micro-USB port as well as for charging the little cube. With the built-in Li-ion battery, the Polaroid Cube is able to record videos up to an approximate 90 minutes.

There are a plethora of accessories for the Polaroid Cube that one can get from the online store while the cube also comes in three colors, namely, Red, Black and Blue and retails for RM500 at Polaroid MY but can also be purchased through four ways, namely through
Lelong.my
, Maybank2u, Paypal/Credit Card or Cash on Delivery.

Source(s):
Polaroid Cube MY
,
Polaroid Cube USA


Spotify accidentally served malware-infested ads on its free platform

417

Earlier today, Spotify Free users had a nasty surprise as they found out that the ads running on the music streaming service were also silently serving malware onto their computers.

PSA: uninstall Spotify free, their ads are plagued with malware right now.
pic.twitter.com/DUOqDrnDUZ

— Volp (@VolpRS)
October 5, 2016

Multiple users have reported that these malware-infested ads were popping up by default across various web browsers. Worse of all, users do not even need to click on said ads to have the malwares infecting their computers. These malware were also indiscriminate in its attempt to infect computers as users have reported that the malware was spotted across Linux, Mac and Windows computers. Whether or not the malware itself is capable of harming all three platforms is a different matter entirely.

Spotify has since shut down the ads running on Spotify Free. According to the company, this malware issue is an “isolated issue” with “only a small number of users” being affected by it.” Whatever the case, Spotify Free users should just do a quick virus scan just to be cautious.

Source:
Spotify Community
,
The Next Web

ads
malware
security
spotify


Spotify adds Disney Music hub complete with all sorts of Disney playlists

993

If you’ve been w
ishing upon a star
 for an official Disney Music hub, we’ll it’s finally available! That means no need for creating your own set of Disney playlists on Spotify, perhaps it’s time to
Let It Go
.

Don’t trudge
Into The Unknown
 when populating your own playlist, because the new hub has all
The Bare Necessities
of what every Disney fan needs; you’ll find themed playlists like ‘Disney Classics’, ‘Disney Princess’ and even the mind-numbing ‘Frozen 2’. It’s pretty much a
Whole New World
with the new hub.

I swear Spotify isn’t paying me to write this – I just want an excuse to use as many Disney music puns as I can, and see
How Far I’ll Go (that’s from Moana).
It’s time to
Hakuna your Tatas
with some good ol’ Disney songs to get you through the remaining work week.

disney
disney music
spotify


Spotify adds Netflix hub featuring all sorts of Netflix playlists and podcasts!

1.3K

Earlier this week, Spotify revealed their collaboration with Netflix to launch a hub to showcase all related Netflix music and podcasts. It will be available on the Spotify app on mobile and computer.

The new Netflix hub will feature all of Netflix’s original soundtracks, with some that are exclusive only on Spotify. There are thousands of songs on here from all the greatest Netflix Originals such as the popular ‘Money Heist’ to the newly released ‘Cowboy Bebop’.

Spotify has even included official playlists for the Netflix shows, such as the ‘Stranger Things Official Playlist’ and the ‘On My Block Playlist’. These playlists showcase all the songs that were featured in the respective shows for fans to listen to and enjoy.

However, this isn’t the first time Netflix has created a hub like this. In January 2020, Spotify had released a similar hub but for
Disney
, which had all the same features as the current Netflix hub but it displayed all of Disney’s greatest hits from Aladdin’s a Whole New World, all the way to Frozen’s Into the Unknown.

Similar to the Disney hub, the Netflix one also contains podcasts from Netflix Originals. Users can listen to their favorite Netflix podcasts from shows like The Crown and Netflix is a Joke. They even have exclusive shows like ‘Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins (A Stranger Things Podcast)’ so fans can enjoy extra content.

This Netflix hub is only available in certain countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, and India. There is no confirmation that it will come to Malaysia, but since the Disney one arrived, you can expect the same for the Netflix hub. You access it by typing “Netflix” in Spotify or you can visit
this link
.

hub
netflix
Netflix Hub
Playlists
podcasts
spotify


Spotify and Google teams up to be your smartphone’s alarm clock

428

If you have been using your favorite music track on your phone to wake you up, Spotify and Google has teamed up to offer you over 35 million tracks as your alarm ringtone, this integration is done through the Google Clock app, which is already pre-installed on most Android devices and can be downloaded for free from Google Play if it isn’t available on your device, the feature is available for both free and premium Spotify users.

This new feature will be rolled out to Android users on the next few days. Once updated, you will then notice a new Spotify tab in the Google Clock app, which you will be able to choose any of your playlists to play when your alarm goes off. This seem to be a very peculiar collaboration between both companies, considering that Google has its own music streaming service in other countries, it also isn’t the first time that Spotify has made integration on Android apps to standout from other music streaming services.

Do remember to check for updates on your Spotify and Google Clock app in the next few days.

android
google
spotify


Spotify and Waze partners up by integrating their apps into one another

403

Those of you who rely on either Spotify or Waze for your morning commute, we have some good news for you. Both Waze and Spotify have announced that they’re entering a partnership that will see Spotify’s music streaming feature and Waze’s navigation feature integrated to the apps of the other company.

For Android users with the Spotify app, you can now access Waze directly from the app itself. Assuming your version of Spotify is up to date, you’ll be able to see a blue “Start Waze” bar at the top of the Spotify app. From there, you’ll be able to set your destination and use Waze as per normal all while listening to your Spotify playlist. Unfortunately, iOS users will not be getting this feature.

As for Android users with the Waze app, Waze will soon come with a Spotify button located just under the navigation info panel. Tapping on said Spotify icon will cause the last song you’ve listened to on Spotify to begin playing automatically, allowing you to continue your commute without needing to play around with your Spotify playlist. iOS users will be receiving this feature, although it’ll come after it is made available on Android.

Source:
Spotify
,
Waze

app
integration
musicstreaming
navigation
spotify
waze


Spotify app will finally be available in Apple Watches

328

Spotify has been available on many smartwatches but now we’re expecting its debut on the Apple Watch.

Despite the fact that it will come on the Apple Watch, it does not offer as many features as seen on other smartwatches. The Verge stated that there’s no offline support for Spotify songs and users are also unable to stream songs to their Apple Watches.

Image credit : MacRumors

Basically, the Spotify app on the Apple Watch will only work as a remote controller that allows you to control music playback and select your playlists. There’s no shortcuts to playlists or access to individual songs, but you can set your playlist on shuffle mode and connect to other devices that also supports the Spotify app.

If you have the latest Apple Watch, you’ll also be able to receive haptic and audio feedback when you adjust the volume through the digital crown, but that’s about it that can be done with the Spotify app on your Apple Watch. This could be because the test is still in the early stages and we hope that Apple and Spotify will add more features, or else it would seem like the Spotify app on Apple Watch might just be a bit too underdeveloped compared to other smartwatches.

apple
apple watch
spotify


Spotify celebrates 15 most-streamed moms and moms-to-be

332

you think most female artists that you love are married without any kids, you will be really surprised that there are in fact many of them. In conjunction with Mother’s Day, Spotify is honouring the 15 most-streamed moms and moms-to-be on the service Led by Queen Bey herself, these artists balance music careers with the demands of motherhood and are inspirations to us all.

Top Streamed Moms on Spotify

1) Beyonce

2) P!nk

3) Adele

4) Shakira

5) Mariah Carey

6) Alicia Keys

7) Christina Aguilera

8)Kelly Clarkson

9) Jennifer Lopez

10) Celine Dion

11) Lily Allen

12) Fergie

13) Whitney Houston

14) Ciara

15) M.I.A

Spotify has also created a Top Streamed Mum playlist, which we are embedding it right below. Do us favour, share this playlist with your mum and wish her Happy Mothers Day alright?


Spotify exclusive: DC characters to get own narrative scripted podcasts

369

Spotify
 has recently partnered with Warner Bros. to offer new podcasts to the streaming platform, featuring DC characters.

DC characters are coming to Spotify?!

Your favourite superheroes and villains will be coming to Spotify soon in the form of
podcasts
.
Warner Bros.
 plans to add “timeless titles as sated-alone podcast series” which will allow Spotify users to enjoy their favourite stories directly from the streaming service.

Image credit: Spotify

In Spotify’s
announcement
, it was revealed that business and strategy will be handled by Warner Bros. Digital Networks; the creative content and programming will be handled by Blue Ribbon Content and the marketing, advertising and shows distribution will be under Spotify’s responsibility.

Future collaborations

Apart from the timeless titles and narratives, Spotify also revealed that there will be “new programming from original intellectual property” but there are no elaborations yet. This could mean that there will more new DC contents that are exclusive on Spotify in the future.

DC superheroes
DC villains
spotify
Warner bros


Spotify files complaint against Apple for its unreasonable 30% tax

309

Spotify made an announcement in its newsroom, revealing that the company has filed an antitrust complaint against the Cupertino tech giant with the European Commission.

According to Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek, the tech giant has enforced rules that is disadvantageous to app developers, causing limitations to app developers for a fair competition in the field. However, filing the complaint wasn’t Spotify’s first choice to break free from the limitations. Ek said, “After trying unsuccessfully to resolve the issues directly with Apple, we’re now requesting that the EC take action to ensure fair competition.”

Ek also explained that digital services like Spotify have to pay a 30% tax whenever there are purchases made through Apple’s payment system, and this includes Spotify users upgrading their Spotify memberships. In other words, anytime a user wants to upgrade their Spotify membership from Free to Premium, the music streaming service will have to pay a 30% tax. This in return leads to a price inflation of Spotify’s Premium membership, causing the company to be unable to fairly compete with the pricing of Apple’s own music streaming service, Apple Music.

Despite having an alternative of bypassing Apple’s payment system, Ek also expressed the futility in doing so; Apple will then implement various restrictions that causes limitation in communication among Spotify and its users. “Apple also routinely blocks our experience-enhancing upgrades. Over time, this has included locking Spotify and other competitors out of Apple services such as Siri, HomePod, and Apple Watch.”

Spotify is not only filing a complaint, as the company also posted a short video, revealing how Apple has been unfair and limiting the music streaming service. The video that has only been on YouTube for less than a day has already gotten 68,000 views and is titled “Time to Play Fair”.

apple
Apple Music
spotify


How to stream Spotify on your gaming consoles

765

It’s been more than a month of MCO and since everyone is confined at home, social media and streaming services such as Spotify and Netflix have also gained an increase in usage.

While many are familiar with Spotify on their smartphones and PCs, there are also other home devices that users can stream their Spotify on, such as the PS3, PS4 and also Xbox One consoles. All you need to do is download the app on your gaming consoles and connect your Spotify account to said consoles. Spotify users with Free memberships will also be able to stream Spotify through these consoles. You can either login with your Spotify email address and password or use Spotify Connect to link the app to your console. There’s also the option to log in with PIN, but that’s unavailable for PS4.

You can also choose to listen to music together with your friends by taking advantage of the Discord app. Similar to the gaming consoles, make sure you have the apps (Spotify and Discord) and connect your Spotify account to your Discord account. Spotify Free users can display what they’re listening in real-time on their profiles, while Premium users will have the advantage of listening to the songs their friends are listening to by clicking on the Listen Along icon. If you’re tuning in to songs of a non-Premium user, you’ll hear silence when there’s an advertisement.

To complement your video gaming session, Spotify also created a Top Gaming Tracks playlist to match your gaming mood. You can even check out the Gaming Hub for all the other soundtracks.

discord
Listen Along
playstation
ps3
ps4
spotify
xbox
Xbox One


Spotify increases offline download limits to 10,000 songs per device

345

If you are a Spotify music junkie, chances are you have probably download a whole lot of songs to fill up that ample storage on your devices, but what’s annoying is the limitation of only having a maximum 3333 songs per device on a maximum of three devices, once you reach the threshold, your songs on the earliest device will be removed and needs to be downloaded again.

Thankfully, that limit has gotten an increase to 10,000 songs and 5 devices, which might be good news to those wishing that they never have to stream songs using their precious data plan. While having 10,000 songs on a single device does sound pretty sufficient, the thing is that if you happen to download a song on a single device, that same song would be treated as an additional song if you download it on another device, which can easily fill up your library and once again hit that threshold.

In my case, I usually have around 1500 songs saved offline per device and I’m glad with the increase in device limits.

spotify
spotify offline


Spotify introduces cheaper fees for family members with Spotify Family

311

Spotify is a great music streaming service that has changed the way I listen to music, after using the service I rarely have my music downloaded anymore. Of course, my family loves Spotify as well and shares my account, it gets annoying when my music stops playing because they are using my account to play music or I find one additional playlist that I did not add.

Today, Spotify has solved that problem by introducing Spotify Family, a new plan that basically lets your family sign up as a Spotify Premium user under your account and supports up to four family members. With Spotify Family, every user will have its own playlist and recommendations depending on the music they listen, so you can be assured that your own playlist will no longer be affected.

In terms of pricing it’s pretty awesome, each additional family member will get 50% off the original Spotify Premium subscription fee, the current subscription fee in Malaysia starts from RM14.90 so you should be paying an addition RM7.40 for each family member that you want to include under your account. While this service has just been announced today in the US, it should reach here pretty soon as Spotify is in the process in rolling out the Spotify Family plan.

Source:
Spotify


Spotify introduces new library layout for Premium users

533

Spotify just updated its “Your Library” tab for Premium Spotify users for a cleaner UI and better user experience.

Instead of the current UI that look like a list, “Your Library” will show two tabs — Music and Podcasts. Music tab will feature Playlists, Artists and Albums, and songs you liked will be compiled in a single playlist, alongside with Discover Weekly and Release Radar.

For those who listen to podcasts, the Podcasts section will show three tabs — Episodes, Downloads and Shows. The Downloads tab will basically show you all the podcasts you’ve downloaded, allowing you to listen to them even when you’re offline. The Episodes tab will show new episodes or episodes you’ve been listening to, while the Shows tab show you the podcasts you’ve followed so that you can explore the episodes available for those podcasts.

The video above shows the new library UI, and the update be rolling out within this few weeks. Do note that this is for Premium users, so if you’re a standard user then you might not be seeing this new layout despite updating your Spotify.

spotify


Spotify is bringing a Clubhouse feature to its main app

7.8K

The Spotify app is about to get a lot cramped, as the company is about to merge Greenroom, its live audio app, into the main Spotify app will be rebranded as Spotify Live, this is essentially a Clubhouse like feature where creators can create live audio chat rooms to engage with their subscribers.

At this time of writing, the feature has yet to reach Malaysian subscribers, while Spotify Live will continue to work like Greenhouse, there isn’t an interactive feature where audiences can raise questions to creators, but rather it allows the creators to reach out to a broader audience of Spotify’s 406 million global listeners.

Greenroom is originally known as Locker Room, which was owned by startup Betty Labs and acquired by Spotify in March 2021 for $62 million, it was then rebranded to Greenroom in June 2021 to match the company’s identity, while it rolled out live weekly shows that leverages on Spotify’s existing playlists and popular programming.

Live audio was a big hit when the pandemic begin and apps like Clubhouse rose to fame when personalities such as Elon Musk joined the platform to interact with audiences, which even Facebook and Twitter joined in the fun later on but failed to gain much traction thereafter.

Spotify’s approach is different here as you will need to sign up as its creator to host a live audio show, whereas the rest will simply require you sign up for a free account to do so. However, will you be looking forward to the live audio feature in Spotify?

Source:
9to5Mac

greenroom
spotify
spotify live


Spotify is currently testing voice commands in their app

427

A number of Spotify users will be able to try a new voice interface system that will allow you to use voice commands to play and find new music. The feature is still in its testing phase and is not available to everyone yet.

Last year, we saw that Google Assistant can be used to play and find music on Spotify, but Spotify’s own dedicated voice command will offer a better experience for specifically finding music, playlist, songs or discovering music. The feature was found by Twitter user Hunter Owners who posted a tweet of it, Spotify representative has also confirmed that this feature is just a test and they are only allowing a small number of users to test it out. Using your voice to navigate Spotify would be nice especially if you are hosting a party and want to change the music playing.

TechCrunch has speculated that Spotify might be using the voice interface to develop their own smart speaker, we know that Spotify is making a device so this could be the first step to train the AI that will be powering their future device.

command
interface
search
spotify
voice


Spotify is giving away free Google Home Mini to its Premium users

344

Spotify is offering the Google Home Mini for free to its Premium users, but sadly, Malaysia isn’t included in the list of countries where this promotion is offered.

Nonetheless, if you’re a Spotify Premium user and aren’t Malaysian, perhaps the promotion is available in your country so no harm trying. Just visit Spotify’s
website
 and choose to either sign up for the subscription service or log in if you’re already subscribed. You’ll have to reserve your Google Home Mini and once you get an email confirming the reservation, you’ll be sent another email that allows you to purchase the Google Home Mini for $0.

Of course, Spotify also has its own terms and conditions so it’s not a guaranteed promotion for all Spotify Premium users. Despite the promotion period lasting till November 15, users can only get the offer as long as there’s still stock, so once the supply reaches its limit, the promotion will end.

In addition, you’re not eligible for the offer if you’re subscribed to the Premium Student plan or if you’re on a free or discounted trial of the Premium subscription service. In addition, you’ll need a Google account (duh!) to redeem your promotional code on the Google Store to get the Google Home Mini.

Good luck Spotify Premium users, may you be able to get a $50 smart speaker for free.

spotify
Spotify premium


Spotify is looking to introduce a new subscription add-on with lossless audio

264

Lossless music may be coming to Spotify in the very near future as it appears that the service is offering an add-on for those who are currently subscribed to Spotify Premium.

The add-on in question is called Spotify Hi-Fi, and as the Hi-Fi moniker implies, this add-on will give Spotify Premium users access to loseless CD quality audio files. While the add-on may seem attractive to some, judging from early impressions from some people who have seen this offer, Spotify Hi-Fi may not be ready for launch just yet.

Anyone get this invitation for Spotify Hi-Fi? Looks awesome!
pic.twitter.com/2aeYXMIHJD

— Cody Kloepfer (@Semantics)
March 1, 2017

For one, the pricing for the add-on currently fluctuates between USD5, USD7.50 and USD10. Additionally, those who’ve decided to take up the offer were greeted with a message stating that “this service isn’t available in your area at this time”.

While the feature may not be available quite yet, it is encouraging to see that Spotify does have a plan to implement lossless audio into its streaming service.

Source:
The Verge
,
Reddit

hifi
losslessaudio
music
spotify
streaming


Spotify is now available on Google’s Wear OS

367

Spotify’s new app is finally available for smartwatches with Wear OS and it has significant improvements.

Spotify is now a standalone app for Google smartwatches, thanks to the partnership with Fossil Group. The updated app has on-the-go access to music and podcasts, so users can easily access control and connect music from their smartwatches. Users will still need the smartphone to stream music, though accessing playlists could be done through the smartwatches.

Image credit : Spotify

Spotify also introduce Spotify Connect for users to enjoy music through home devices and speakers. By connecting to the same Wi-Fi network, users can play music out loud at home while they proceed with their daily activities. The new integration in the app also allows easier access to recently played song, in addition to users being able to favourite new songs they discover.

According to Spotify, the app will be rolling out over the coming week.

google
spotify
wear os


Spotify is now available on the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus series

414

Garmin is now the next brand that has partnered with Spotify to allow their users to listen to their music offline, besides Samsung. The app is currently available on the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus series and will become available on other running watches, though the date is yet to be confirmed.

With the new integration of Spotify in the Fenix watches, Spotify Premium subscribers can download the music directly to their phone, and sync their playlists via WiFi, allowing users can solely rely on their watches when exercising. Users can also update their playlists by clicking “Update Downloads” on their watches.

Basically, users need to download the Spotify app through Garmin Connect IQ Store using their phones or PCs and add it to the WiFi-connected devices, which syncs to their watches. Users then authorise the app and the setup will be completed.

The Garmin Fenix 5 Plus series consists of the 5S Plus, 5 Plus and 5X Plus, and can play music up to 4.5 hours, 8 hours and 13 hours respectively. The offline storage limit for Spotify is still unknown, although the three watches are said to be able to store up to 500 songs.

Fenix 5 Plus
garmin
spotify


Spotify is now integrated into Google Maps for seamless music listening

358

Most of you are probably using your Spotify when driving around in your car and at the same time, using Google Maps to make sure you don’t get lost on your way to your destination. If you fall into this category of people, then you will be happy to know that Google and Spotify have finally come together to bring the music streaming app to Google Maps.

Some of you might know that this feature has been available on Waze for quite a while now, but it is great news for those of you that prefer Maps over Waze. Spotify users can now enable playback controls within Google Maps, allowing you to listen to music and podcasts during an active navigation. They have also made switching and selecting music more seamless and there will be a banner in Spotify that will return you to Maps navigation.

This new feature will be rolling out to Google Maps users over the next few days, so make sure your Google Maps and Spotify is updated and both the accounts have been linked.

google
intergration
maps
spotify


Spotify is reported to be revealing an in-car music streamer for $100

348

Spotify is reported to allow users to mute specific artists, but now it seems like the company will soon be unveiling an in-car music streamer for drivers to listen to Spotify without relying on their smartphones.

This device is expected to cost around $100 according to Financial Times and will use Bluetooth to connect to the car’s audio systems. In addition to that, the device will support voice commands and also have physical buttons to control music playback.

It seems like the Spotify in-car music streamer will also come with a display that can show texts and maybe even images, though that is of uncertainty. Other rumours mentioned that the device will come with 4GB RAM and a built-in LTE.

Previously, there were also rumours suggesting that the company will offer the option for users to pay for the device over a year’s time, either including or excluding their monthly Spotify subscription fee.

It would be great if Spotify is really launching their own in-car music streamer, but if it really costs $100 and can’t display images or videos, then it might not be a device worthy of its price.

in-car music streamer
spotify


Spotify is revamping how free users use the platform

441

Spotify is revamping the free tier of their music streaming platform where the only thing that they said is that it will be made “easier to use” and nothing more.

Currently, the difference between a paid user and a free uses is that the free user will not be able to unlimitedly skip songs, make playlist, download music for offline listening and allow users to hear on-demand songs. The company will be holding a press conference on 24 April where some rumours are saying that they will be releasing a smart speaker and in-car music device or they might announce how the new free system will work. The company hopes that with the new free tier system, it will bring in more users with the hopes of converting them into paid users.

They have also mentioned that they hope to reach over 200 million users by the end of 2018 as they are finally seeing in some profits after becoming a public listed company.

free
revamp
spotify
users


Spotify is testing Storyline – their own version of Insta Stories where artists can share their thoughts and opinions

338

Popular streaming app Spotify had always been just that – a streaming app for artists to showcase their work and for users to enjoy said work; artists and listeners are what make Spotify work. To bridge the gap between both parties and to help get everyone more involved, Spotify is introducing their own version of “Stories”.

However, Spotify will call it Storyline – artists can share their insights and opinions about music as well as their own works. Like Stories however, you can tap through screens while lines at the top tell you how many screens there are.

Image credit: Tech Crunch

Although similar to Spotify’s “Behind the Lyrics”, Storyline lets the artists themselves talk about their inspirations for their work as well as the meanings behind the lyrics; meanwhile Behind The Lyrics are pulled from partners Genius – which can be inaccurate sometimes.

With Storyline – artists can get be in touch with their fans; but that also brings about corporate or management-driven shouts that would turn this whole thing into a marketing scheme for brands. We think this is inevitable when it comes to big names, but here’s to hoping smaller acts can find solid footing with their fans with this new feature.

Storyline is being tested on iOS and Android devices for now, while the desktop version is yet to be introduced.

instagram stories
music
sotries
spotify
streaming app


Spotify loses K-pop songs licensed by Kakao M

1.5K

When Spotify launched in South Korea last month, it didn’t have some K-pop songs — more specifically, music that are distributed by Kakao M. Now, the Spotify worldwide will also face the same fate, losing all the artists and music that are under the Korean label.

Spotify and Kakao M have not come to an agreement

A Spotify spokesperson also confirmed to
NME
 that this situation is caused by an expiration of license, but Spotify is trying to resolve the issue. This means that both companies are still discussing on renewing the license and if all goes well, Spotify users will be able to enjoy their K-pop songs again.

IU, Mamamoo, Seventeen amongst those affected

Apparently a disagreement between our distributor Kakao M & Spotify has made our new album Epik High Is Here unavailable globally against our will. Regardless of who is at fault, why is it always the artists and the fans that suffer when businesses place greed over art?

— 에픽하이 타블로 | Tablo of Epik High (@blobyblo)
February 28, 2021

Do note that not all K-pop artists are affected; major artist under Kakao M includes Seventeen, Mamamoo, Epik High and more. Tablo from Epic High also responded to the situation via a tweet that says, “Regardless of who is at fault, why is it always the artists and the fans that suffer when businesses place greed over art?”

Fans are also unhappy about this change, hoping for a solution as soon as possible. Both Kakao M and Spotify have yet to release an official statement. Here’s another major
change
 for Spotify users in March.

Kakao M
spotify


Spotify’s new Disney Hub includes all the classic Disney songs you’ll need

653

Disney fans will be glad to hear that Spotify has launched a new Disney Hub so Spotify users can listen to all the soundtracks from their favourite Disney movies in one place.

The new Disney Hub comes in several playlists like Disney Favourites, Disney Sing-Alongs and Disney Classics. There are even playlists like Best of Star Wars and Marvel Music for those Star Wars and Avengers fans out there.

According to Spotify, users just have to search “Disney” on Spotify to find the hub and access to all the Disney music. The streaming service mentioned that this is currently available for users in the US, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and they will continue to update the hub with more music from Disney movies and shows.

In the meantime, you just have to search Disney in the search bar and select Disney (Genre) to access all the Disney playlists Spotify has to offer.

disney
Disney Hub
marvel
spotify
star wars


Spotify launches Spotify for Podcasters — an analytics dashboard to provide insights

339

Sharing your podcasts with other Spotify users just became better as Spotify is introducing Spotify for Podcasters — a platform that was previously in beta stage.

The company described Spotify for Podcasters as “a discovery and analytics dashboard”. It offers various information such as average listening times, total listeners, demographic data, engagement rate and more so that podcasters can use the data to curate better content.

Ultimately, Spotify for Podcasters is made to help podcasters grow their career. In addition, podcaster will also learn about their users’ listening pattern and music preferences, so they can be more engaging in their podcasts.

If you have been uploading your podcast on Spotify, click
here
 to get access to the analytics dashboard. If you haven’t, maybe it’s time to start your own podcast and share your thoughts.

podcasts
spotify
Spotify for Podcasters


Spotify launches Spotify Lite for Android users; reported to stream smoothly on 3G networks

359

We know Spotify has its basic/free membership and premium membership, but now the music streaming service will introduce Spotify Lite — made for data and budget-conscious users.

Spotify Lite allows users to play all its songs for free even on slow networks and reduce the data usage on the app, allowing users to control the amount of data the app can utilise. The app will also take up less space compared to the standard version, enabling a quicker download.

There are already users praising the launch of its lite version, saying the app works smoothly even in 3G networks. According to Google Play’s site, the app has already achieved more than 1,000,000 installs and 4.2/5 rating.

For now, Spotify Lite is only available for Android users with Android version 4.1 and above. iOS users have yet to support this version of Spotify.

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Spotify Lite


Spotify might be launching their smart speaker on 24 April

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A few months back, we reported that Spotify is in the process of creating a new hardware, and based on speculations it could be a new Smart Speaker to go up against the likes of Google Home, HomePod and Alexa. It looks like we might get the chance to see the new speaker at the end of April.

The company has just sent out invitations to the international media, asking them to save the date of 24 April 2018 as they have a news announcement. The speakers might not be the only device they will be launching, as we could also see the in-car speaker that might also be introduced with the goal of driving their revenue. The smart speaker will work with all current Spotify subscriptions but the in-car speaker will be priced at $12.99 a month which includes equipment and streaming services and is locked to a one-year subscription, based on reports.

It would be interesting to see how Spotify takes on the smart speaker game and how they plan to improve their profits since their signing of becoming a public listed company. Let’s see what they have to offer when 24 April comes around.

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Spotify might be releasing their very first hardware soon

281

Last year, Spotify posted up a job listing looking for a person that had hardware experience and the job description indicated that the person would be working on “a category-defining produce akin to Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo and Snap Spectacles.” The second job description was for a Product Manager of Voice which both together, indicated that they are working on a new hardware which will use voice commands.

Sadly, Spotify did not share any information on what they were going to produce, until recently. The company once again posted up a job listing for an Operations Manager, Senior Project Manager: Hardware Production and a Project Manager: Hardware Production and Engineering which shows that they seem to be done with the planning stage and are moving on to developing a prototype or even a full on release of their new product.

We are still not sure what they are planning to release, and it’s even more of a mystery as they mentioned Amazon Echo, Pebble Watch and Snap Spectacles, which all have their own separate purpose. Let us know what are your assumptions about what they are developing.

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Spotify now allows you to share songs directly to Instagram Stories

307

It’s a bummer that if you wanted to share a song with your Instagram followers, you would need to take a screenshot or link and paste it into your Stories or news feed. That is all going to change because Spotify is taking out a new feature that will allow you to share the song you are listing to directly to your Stories.

To do this is pretty simple, simply go to the song you want to share, open up the options menu and tap on Share. There will be an option for you to share to Instagram Stories and you can even use Instagram’s editing tools to put text or some graphics before sharing it. Best of all, there is no need to connect your Spotify and Instagram account together to use this feature. Once the song is shared, your followers will be able to tap the Play on Spotify button to listen to the song.

The feature is currently being rolled out to all users on iOS and Android, users should be able to see this new feature in coming weeks when they push the update out.

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Spotify now available for Android TV

492

Popular music streaming app Spotify wasn’t exactly available for Android TV. But rather, the app was exclusively supported by the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV set-top box. Nevertheless, Spotify is now officially available to Android TV’s that are compatible with the app.

If not obvious enough, Spotify still comes out on top of the likes of Deezer and the premium TIDAL app, whose flamed hypes dimmed down after its initial launch, and a controversy or two. Spotify for Android TV should pretty much work like on any other app platform. The usual Browse tab for you to discover fresh playlists or recommended artists plus a search bar for you to scavenge the music world for artists, albums and genres.

If you’re not a premium user, you’re likely to be annoyed and bugged by the constant audio commericals in between songs. Premium subscription is pretty much worth it for ad-free listening. Anyone here a regular Spotify user?

Source:
Play Store

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music
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Spotify now boasts 50 million subscribers

381

Spotify has hit an impressive milestone in the world of music streaming, retaining its solid first placing among music streaming services. The company just announced that it has hit the 50 million mark in terms of its paid subscriber base.

This milestone has proven Spotify’s performance over the last year, with the number of its paid subscribers increasing by a whopping two-thirds, from 30 million this time last year. In September last year, the company recorded a total of 40 million subscribers. Bear in mind that these numbers do not include Spotify’s free users, in which if taken into account surpasses the 100 million mark.

Spotify’s head start over its competitors definitely shows in the exponential growth of its subscriber base. For comparison, Apple Music reached 20 million subscribers last December and the last known reported figure for premium music streaming service Tidal was 1.1 million subscribers. Spotify’s latest milestone is more than double of the two other services combined.

We will be expecting Spotify to maintain its position on top at least for the next 2 years, given the lead it has right now. Which of these music streaming services do you use?

Source:
The Verge

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Spotify on iOS 15 causes overheating issues and drains battery life

820

New reports are highlighting issues of overheating, and battery drain for Spotify users on the latest iOS 15 update for the iPhone.

The new OS has had mixed reviews since its rollout– while some lauded the new OS for its introduction of several nifty
features
; others have voiced their dissatisfaction over
major issues
 regarding poor battery life, and other bugs.

Spotify has
acknowledged

the problem and have said that they have relevant team members working on the issue – however, Spotify suggests a clean re-install as a temporary fix while they work on identifying the root cause.

Unfortunately, this method may not work for some as made clear on Spotify’s user forums – several users have reported battery drainage even after just one hour of letting the app run. On top of that, the app could also crash when the iPhone is locked.

So, if you’ve recently updated to iOS 15 and are experiencing the same issues mentioned above, know that you’re not alone, and Spotify is working on a fix as we speak. For now, perhaps Apple Music will have to do if you have a subscription.

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Spotify plans to release their own music device

279

Looks like Spotify might be joining the lines of Pebble, Amazon, and Snapchat, as plans to create their own hardware is shown on the company’s website which mentioned they want to build a category-defining product and that it will affect the way the world experiences music and talk content. There are not much details as to what the company is building but the listing says that the device will be internet connected and come directly from Spotify.

It would seem that their plan is to develop a device to play music similar to Mighty, a media player that will stream music from Spotify, which is a crowdfunded product that is yet to be shipped. Learning from the Pebble Core, which will track your running and stream music using 3G connection but was canceled before it could be shipped. Looks like they decided that all these third-party devices does not quite cut it, and with the increasing growth in connected speaker, decided to take matters into their own hands to produce a device that can fit all these criteria which other companies have come up short.

In a separate job description, Spotify has taken in interest in voice control which was rumored to come to its app. The hardware listing even mentions that the person that fills the role will define the product requirements for hardware and software which shows that they are just getting started to tap the hardware market with their own official music device.

Source:
The Verge

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Spotify lightens up the mood with haze-centric playlist, Hazed & Confused

397

It’s that time of the year again where every asthmatic Malaysian cower away in their homes as a means of survival – that’s right, it’s haze season.

While we rant about how face mask prices have gone through the roof, the folks at Spotify aim to make things a little less toxic – the vibes that is, not our air. Four hours ago at from the time of writing, we got a little gem from the popular streaming app in the form of a playlist, dedicated to the haze – its name: “Hazed & Confused”.

It’s all puns from here on out as the description reads “Haze is a strong word, but we really really really don’t like you.” – amen to that. So far, there are a total of 68 (so close…) songs about breathing difficulty, intense flames, nature, and…break ups?

Jokes aside, the playlist is pretty fire (pun very much intended) – a large portion of the list include mainstream hits like ‘No Air’ by Jordin Sparks, ‘Harder to Breathe’ by Maroon 5, and ‘Hijau’ by Zainal Abidin – this one’s not mainstream, but if you’ve ever been part of our country’s national service program, you’d know this song, very, very well.

Since we’re all stuck indoors anyways, at least we have a pretty lit (yes, pun intended) Spotify playlist to rock out to. Check out the playlist
here
.

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Premium Duo: Spotify’s new subscription plan for couples

1.7K

Recently, Spotify introduced a new Premium subscription plan called the
Premium Duo
 — clearly made for couples. This allows Premium access to two Spotify accounts for only RM19.80/month, filling the gap between the previous Premium and Premium Family plans.

Spotify Premium Duo

The new Spotify plan offers similar features as the other Premium plans; users get to listen to music ad-free and play songs offline. It also tweaked the Family Mix — a playlist that can be modified and shared between family members — to a playlist for two called Duo Mix.

Similarly, the Premium Duo plan will require the two Spotify users to verify their residential address to make sure that they’re living under the same roof. This is something that Spotify has been doing with Premium Family subscribers to ensure that the users will not
take advantage of the system
.

Premium Duo – worth it?

Image credit: Spotify

Premium Duo
 currently costs RM19.80/month, meaning each user will have to pay RM9.90/month — though it’ll actually be a single bill to the one who subscribed to the plan. This is a more affordable plan that the family plan that costs RM22.40/month — when divided by two users, the family plan will cost RM11.20/user. Naturally, subscribing to Premium Duo will also be cheaper than two individuals subscribing to two individual accounts at RM14.90/month.

If
Apple Music
 wants to catch up, Apple probably has to follow Spotify’s footsteps and offer a duo subscription plan sooner or later.

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Spotify Premium Duo


Spotify Premium Family will need home addresses for “time to time” re-verification

313

Last year Spotify tried to make their Premium Family subscribers verify their addresses, this year they’re doing it again. The company seems adamant to make sure their Premium Family subscribers are indeed family members.

The current Spotify Premium Family costs RM22.40/month while the individual Spotify Premium costs RM14.90/month. The family plan can be used by up to six accounts, meaning that it’s only about RM3.70/month per person — that’s RM11.20 cheaper! It’s only logical that the company wants to guarantee that no one will abuse the system since they’ll be profiting less from the family plan.

Previously when the company launch its pilot program that asked users for their exact GPS coordinates, the subscribers complained and raised questions regarding their privacy concerns. The pilot program quickly ended after that, so this time Spotify is going with a new approach.

According to its new terms and conditions, family members must be residing at the same address and will need to verify their home address once the Premium Family account is activated. The company also stated that they will ask for re-verification every now and then with the help of Google Maps.

Still, it gets us wondering what Spotify will do to those family members who might be studying abroad or working in different cities. Spotify also didn’t specify how often they would be re-verifying the subscribers.

To be honest, we’re pretty sure there are many Spotify subscribers out there that are abusing the system. If they are caught and their accounts are terminated, they can easily switch to Apple Music Family Plan that’s RM22.90/month instead of subscribing individually to Spotify Premium. Spotify’s plan to earn more might just drive some of its subscribers away.

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Spotify Premium Family’s new update includes Family Mix and parental controls

353

Spotify Premium Family is getting an update that will include a long-requested feature — parental controls.

Spotify Premium Family is similar to Spotify Premium, except that it supports six accounts instead of one. However, the new update will offer more features for the family plan. Families will get an extra feature known as Family Mix — a personalised playlist that includes the family members’ favourite songs so you can share your music together.

Parental controls can be accessed through Family Hub, where billing users can also manage their settings such as adding/removing family members and updating their home address. Parents can choose to switch on the Explicit Content Filter that will ensure that the music their children listen to doesn’t have violent or mature elements.

Spotify announced that the update is already available in Ireland and will slowly roll out in the coming months. You can download Spotify on Play Store and App Store.

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Spotify Premium Family


Spotify Premium Family: Price increased to RM23.80/month

2.1K

Spotify has officially increased the price for its
Premium Family
 plan starting yesterday, meaning the subscription plan will cost RM23.80/month instead of RM22.40/month.

Existing users gets an extra month with the old price

According to an email sent to Spotify Premium Family users, existing users will only start paying the updated price in March. This allows them to quit the subscription before the new price is implemented on their accounts. If they choose to stay, they’ll have to pay RM23.80/month starting March.

Premium Family still worth it if there are 3 or more users

Spotify states that the increase in price is necessary to enhance user experience and add more content and features. Despite the slightly increase, subscribing to the Premium Family plan when you have three or more family members is still considered affordable as compared to its Premium Individual and Premium Duo plans. Assuming you have six users in total, each of you will only need to pay RM3.96/month.

If you’re a new user, you’ll have to pay RM23.80/month already, but if you’ve never tried any of Spotify’s premium plan, then you’ll get the first month for free before you start paying the monthly fee.

Premium Family
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Spotify promises to retool royalty system for streaming service

367

In a recent blogpost published by Spotify, the company seems ready to retool their current royalty system for one that is a bit more suitable for a music streaming service.

To that end, Spotify has announced that it will be investing resources and technical expertise to build a comprehensive publishing administration system to solve the royalty problem.

Currently, the royalty system implemented by Spotify, and indeed many other music streaming services, is lifted from the traditional retail system, making it ill-suited for use by music streaming services. According to Spotify, the music industry licensing and copyright structures are highly complex, changing from country to country and agreement to agreement. The main challenge faced by Spotify is the lack of accurate data to identify who owns the rights to a specific track.

Spotify intends to fix their royalty system, but warns that to do so requires significant time and effort. In short, the system won’t be rolled out anytime soon. In the meantime, the company is working closely with the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and various other individuals in the music industry to find the best way to correctly pay royalties.

Source :
Spotify

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You may be getting real-time lyrics in your Spotify soon

383

Spotify is finally catching up with Apple Music and YouTube Music, adding real-time lyrics to its app. While it’s not officially out for the public users yet, a beta user has confirmed said feature.

This is, however, not Spotify’s first time in introducing lyrics to its app. It previously teamed up with Musixmatch to provide in-app lyrics, but the partnership ended in 2016. It looks like both companies are now ready to start things up again.

If you’re someone who likes to sing-along but needs lyrics, then you’ll be hoping for this feature to arrive quicker. Spotify currently only offers limited lyrics of a song paired with some additional information via its Behind the Lyrics feature — a feature that is offered through the partnership with Genius.

In a statement given to Engadget, a Spotify spokesperson revealed that there’s no confirmation regarding the real-time lyrics feature. “Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning.”

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Spotify removes album shuffle for Adele

948

If you are an avid-user of Spotify, chances are, you’d tap on that ‘shuffle play’ button of your favourite albums and go about your day. Well, it seems that Spotify has replaced it with a simple ‘play’ button so you’d be listening to albums according to the set tracklist.

https://twitter.com/Spotify/status/1462273326722605060

This request was apparently brought up by singer,
Adele

as she thanked Spotify on Twitter for responding to her request. The singer mentions that much care and thought is put into the track listing and therefore “should be listened as we intended”.

Image Credit: Mashable SEA

(Left) Ad-supported (Right) Premium

Don’t worry, Spotify didn’t completely remove the ‘shuffle’ feature, there’s just an extra step now. You can still head to the Now Playing screen and toggle the option to shuffle there. It’s good to note that this only applies to Spotify Premium users and ad-supported users still get the shuffle-play by default.

Source

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Spotify rumoured to be currently in talks to acquire Soundcloud

369

With the music streaming market slowly getting crowded, it appears that Spotify wants to cut itself a bigger slice of the pie. To that end, the company is rumoured to be currently in talks to acquire Soundcloud.

According to reports from BBC, should Spotify decide to buy up Soundcloud, the deal could be worth USD700 million. Rumours have been going for a while now that Soundcloud has been trying to sell itself for a while now. Not to long ago, Twitter invested USD70 million in Soundcloud, although the company did not follow up on its interest in acquiring the music streaming site.

Neither company’s have commented on this rumour, but assuming that the rumour is true, Spotify acquiring Soundcloud could give Spotify the edge it needs to fend off its rivals. Spotify currently has 40 million paying subscribers. Meanwhile, its closest rival, Apple Music, has 17 million subscribers.

Source:
BBC

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Spotify’s new update let you share your favourite tracks directly in Snapchat

446

Snapchat and Spotify finally come together, allowing users to share their music tastes with the rest of their Snapchat friends — just like how you can do so with Instagram Story.

Snapchat has come a long way since its debut, inspiring other platforms to offer features similar to what Snapchat has. But this time, Snapchat is late to the game — being the newer platform to let its users share Spotify tracks directly via their Snaps.

You’ll need to have both Spotify and Snapchat installed on your device for the new feature to work and of course, the Snapchat icon will appear on the list of platforms you can share your Spotify music to when you click on the Share button. Doing this will let you share your Spotify track with its album art and also song info like the singer and the song title.

Just like the others, your friends or viewers just need to swipe up to start listening to the song that you shared, making it more convenient than the previous method where you have to send the link through chats. However, the app is still rolling out so don’t panic if your iOS or Android devices haven’t receive the update yet.

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Spotify’s ‘Soundtrack your Ride’ creates a playlist that fits the length of your road trip

357

One of the necessities of a road trip is good music and Spotify plans to do just that for you with its new feature, Soundtrack your Ride.

The new feature allows Spotify users to create and customise their own playlist with the help of Spotify so they can have a perfect road trip playlist before starting their journey. Spotify will first ask them to set the length of their trip, followed by a quick quiz and lastly, offer a selection of songs based on their listening habits and quiz choices.

If you can’t estimate your length of trip, you can always depend on Google Maps. As for the quiz, it has been reported that Spotify will ask you questions like “What is your ultimate driving song?”, “What’s your drive vibe?”, and a few more questions.

Interestingly enough, the feature is only available via
website
 so far so you can’t really do the quiz in the desktop or mobile app. However, the “Soundtrack your Ride” playlist will still appear on your Spotify app, so at least we’ve got that going.

Soundtrack your Ride
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Spotify stopped asking family plan-users for GPS verification

1.1K

Two weeks ago, Spotify required users who are on the family plan to verify their home addresses via GPS. Spotify said that users might lose access to the app should they fail to verify their locations.
 This has caused concerns to arise.

Families are upset that Spotify wanted to ensure that family plan-users are at the same location, disregarding the fact that they may be separated for various reasons. Spotify stated that the verification was a test to improve user experiences of Spotify Premium in family plans. Unfortunately, many found it to be an intrusive experience instead.

However, Spotify shut down the verification method a few days back, hence users should no longer worry about the breach of privacy and data collection.
 Users can also access their Spotify account without any problems.

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Spotify Stories only features celebrities

622

Spotify is finally introducing Spotify Stories to its users, but it’s not for users to post their own stories.

Stories started from Snapchat and slowly expanded

It’s understandable why platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat have ‘
Stories
’ for users to interact with each other, but Spotify is a streaming service that doesn’t have any messaging features.

Spotify stories only feature celebrities

As pointed out by a Twitter user with the handle
TmarTn
, there’s an option to “tap to see the story” if you search for Christmas Hits — a playlist made by Spotify. You’ll get to watch different celebrities tell you their favourite Christmas music and just like Instagram Stories, you can navigate by tapping left or right.

However, you won’t be able to react to or reply these stories. Spotify is probably only introducing this feature so celebrities can talk to their fans or make announcements.

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Spotify Stories
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Spotify sued over unpaid royalties

311

Two days ago
, Spotify announced that they will be implementing a new way to pay royalties. Today, they’re getting sued by two rock bands as they claim that Spotify has not been paying royalties.

80s rock band Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman David Lowery has filed a class action lawsuit against the music streaming service, alleging that it knowingly, willingly, and unlawfully reproduces and distributes copyrighted compositions without obtaining mechanical licenses. For that, they are seeking at least USD150 million in damages.

This lawsuit, filed on December 28th in the Central District Court of California, claims that Spotify has unlawfully distributed copyrighted music compositions to more than 75 million users, but failed to identify or locae the owners of those compositions for payment. Furthermore, the service did no issue a notice of intent to employ a compulsory license.

Songs that were alleged to have been illegally reproduced and/or distributed by Spotify include “Almond Grove”, “Get On Down the Road”, “King of Bakersfield”, and “Tonight I Cross the Border”.

Besides damages, the lawsuit requests that the court enjoin Spotify from continued copyright infringement; from further violations of California Business & Professions Code Section 17200;  injunctive relief that requires Spotify to pay for the services of a third party auditor to identify the works reproduced and distributed by Spotify without first obtaining a mechanical license; and requires Spotify to remove all such works from its services until it obtains the proper licenses.

Source :
Billboard

copyright
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Spotify’s experimental feature Tastebuds lets you stalk your friend’s music preference

358

Spotify is testing a new way for you to listen to new music, based on your friends’ preferences; this experimental feature is now known as Tastebuds.

Discovered by Jane Manchun Wong and her reverse-engineering skills, Tastebuds is a prototype that’ll allow you to browse for different music based on the people you follow on Spotify. This is also presumably Spotify’s way of trying to bring more social features into the app as there are very little features in the app that can let you connect to your friends.

Spotify is working on Tastebuds, letting users discover music through their friends
pic.twitter.com/uqUXmRvEKo

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane)
December 18, 2019

However, we can assume that this requires users to turn off their private session and turn on their listening activity in Settings. After all, some Spotify users might not want to share their information and will complain if Spotify blatantly revealed their activity on the app despite them hiding their listening activity.

For now, the only way to check out what your friends are listening to is the Friend Activity feature that is only available on the Spotify desktop app.

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Tastebuds


Spotify is testing a new driving mode to minimize distraction while driving

452

Spotify is testing out a driving mode on their app that will make you less distracted when you want to select or change music while you are driving. The mode is not seen on all phones as only selected users get to experience this new feature. The mode is enabled by tapping on the car icon at the bottom left of the Now Playing screen.

When enabling this feature, the next and previous buttons are enlarged and there is a microphone button in between, presumably for you to use voice command, which is a good feature to have especially if you don’t want to scroll around for the exact song you want to play while driving. The UI is also changed into a grid making it easier to spot the album you are looking for and it even announces what songs are being played, minimizing the distraction.

Although this is still in testing, it would be a really good feature to have for people whose cars can’t interface with Spotify, making this the next best alternative. It is not known when this feature will be released to the public but let’s hope it comes to us soon.

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Spotify to introduce paid content for podcasts this 15 September

770

If you enjoy listening to podcasts on Spotify, you’ll be glad to know that there will be a new way for you to support your favourite content creators on the platform.

Spotify will be introducing a feature that lets creators charge listeners for
subscriber-only content
; these episodes will be separate from the usual stuff regular subscribers get.

Spotify banks on the podcast creation tools provided by Anchor to make this happen – and since its inception in the US, there are over 100 podcasts that have adopted subscriptions.

In terms of pricing, podcasters can charge anywhere between $0.49 to $150 for any piece of content. From there, Spotify will not take any cut from the revenue for two years, and
reports

say the platform plan to only take a 5% cut after that.

The catch is, the feature is only available in the US for now, but will roll out to the rest of the world come 15 September.

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Spotify upgrades its Family Plans

474

If you haven’t jumped into the Spotify bandwagon, this could be the best time to do so. Spotify has just upgraded its Family Plan to now include SIX individual Spotify Premium accounts for just
RM22.40
 a month. Even with all the sharing, each account still retains its individuality as in your playlist, personal recommendations, and offline listening are still only tied to your account. The only difference is that the cost has been lowered for all six users and is now payable in a single bill.

In a nutshell, with the Spotify Premium Plan, you get:

Separate accounts. Everyone gets their own account with their own playlists, saved music and personal recommendations.

Premium for everyone. Everyone on the plan gets the full Spotify Premium experience. Listen offline to more than 30 million songs. Play any song, anytime, on any device. No restrictions. No ads.

Better pricing. Music at your fingertips has never been cheaper for up to 6 people – all collected on a single bill.

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Spotify adds video podcast feature, currently testing with YouTube celebrities

1.4K

For the longest time, Spotify has been an app that people download for music and podcasts. Well, that’s all about to change because the streaming service is now experiencing with video podcasts.

According to a report by The Verge, the new video podcast feature is currently being tested with two YouTube celebrities — Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar. This experimental feature will let creators upload video footage to Spotify whereby 50% of Spotify’s podcast listeners will get access to it.

Even though it’s at an experimental stage, this feature will most likely be introduced in the future which will help more creators share their video content with others. This is also not Spotify’s first attempt to include visuals in its app — the company previously added Canvas, a feature that offers looping videos to selected songs.

If you wanna check out the video podcasts now, you just have to go on Spotify and search for Zane and Heath: Unfiltered. At the time of writing, episode 28 to 31 all come in video forms.

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Spotify will ban users who use ad-blockers

720

For those using ad blockers on Spotify, you might want to stop. Spotify has updated its terms of service, which will come into effect on March 1, stating that the use of ad-blockers will be prohibited. Users who use such services could lose their accounts.

This of course wouldn’t be a problem for those with Spotify Premium accounts, but it is a known issue that Premium accounts are prone to getting hacked, especially if the e-mail address linked to the account is compromised.

Image credit: Spotify

To avoid the hassle of re-gaining access to their hacked accounts, many choose to use the free account option instead – which is rife with ads. They also hesitate to create a new account because of the playlists and favorited songs that they already have on their current account.

The only real way to solve the issue would be to create a new account and transferring all your playlists into the new account; it’ll be tedious, but at least you can sign up for a Premium account without worrying about getting hacked, and the best part: no ads!

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Spotify will be launching video service on Android this week

315

Spotify is finally ready to launch its video service as the company announced that this feature will be made available to Android Spotify users this week.

Available for users in the U.S., the U.K., Germany and Sweden, this video service by Spotify will feature content from traditional and digital content providers such as ESPN, Comedy Central, the BBC, Vice Media and Maker Studio. To ease users into this new feature, Spotify will be compartmentalising video content and creating programming packages like “News of the Week” or “Laughs at Lunch”.

Spotify’s video service will be launching without any advertising in its videos as the company primarily sees video as a way to expand its audience and get existing users to spend more time with the app. “This is fundamentally about giving music fans what they want. We are doing fine on monetisation. This is primarily a demand play,” says Shiva Rajaraman, Spotify’s vice president of product.

For iOS users, this service will be made available a week after it launches on Android. For those living outside of the 4 countries listed above, there is no timeline as to when the service will be made available, so you’re going to have to wait.

Source :
Wall Street Journal

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ios
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Spotify’s monthly active users have hit the 140 million mark

315

Popular music streaming app Spotify has now hit a record 140 million monthly active users on its platform. This milestone comes one year after Spotify reached 100 million active users in June 2016.

Although a total of 140 million users are actively streaming music from Spotify, it is worth noting that the service’s subscriber base sits at 50 million as of March 2017. According to these recent statistics, the number of users on Spotify’s free ad supported tier nearly doubles the amount of Spotify Premium subscribers. The free ad supported tier of Spotify only allows users a limited number of song skips, picking songs and the occasional appearance of ads after songs.

Brian Benedik, Spotify’s Vice President and Global Head of Sales at Spotify has also reported a very healthy 50 percent year on year growth in their ad revenue business. The music streaming service now hosts a massive library of 30 million songs and more than 2 billion playlists.

Spotify’s success saw the return of pop artist Taylor Swift to making her music available for streaming again, given that Spotify is now more lucrative for its artists. The service is currently available in 60 countries worldwide.

music
spotify
streaming


Spotify’s new feature allow users to block out any artists that they don’t want to listen to

397

Spotify has just unveiled that soon, users are able to “mute” or “block” the artists that they don’t wish to listen to while they’re on the app.

The company is currently testing out the “don’t play this artist” feature on its latest iOS app, which allow users to block an artist from playing on their Spotify, so that songs from the blocked artist will never played from a library, playlist, chart list, or even radio stations on Spotify.

The block feature could block the songs sang by an individual artist, however it does not include songs that features the artist in it.

According to Thurrott, in 2017, Spotify originally decided not to offer the blocking feature on its app “after serious consideration”.

However, Spotify has now reversed that decision and will be enabling the feature to all users soon.

One of the factors that could’ve changed Spotify’s decision was the increased pressure that was put upon the company after a documentary surfaced details of 25 years of accusations of sexual violence and abuse by singer, R. Kelly.

Although Spotify has remove R.Kelly from its own curated playlist, it wasn’t effective enough as the singer’s music was still available to stream on its platform.

With the news unveiled, Spotify has yet to announce the official date of when the feature will be enabled on its platform.

spotify


Spotify’s real-time lyrics feature to be available in Malaysia by today

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If you’re going to belt out the chorus from your
favourite
 song for your
neighbours
 to hear, you might as well make sure your singing the right words – to help you with that is Spotify’s real-time
lyrics
 update; what it does is pretty self-explanatory.

Now in Malaysia

Image credit: GSM Arena

The feature was previously being
tested
 in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico – but the company will be rolling out the feature to 26 markets across the globe, which includes us, Malaysia.

The feature itself is developed in-house, while the lyrics are sourced from Musixmatch. The language displayed will be in the same one sung in the track, and users can simply access the feature by tapping “Lyrics” at the bottom of the “Now Playing” screen.

Arriving soon

The feature hasn’t been rolled out to every device yet, but you should see an update heading your way sometime today.

lyrics
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spotify


SpreadTHAT! butter like you mean it

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Have you ever been so flustered by the fact that you can’t spread your nice cold butter on your warmly toasted bread because your block of butter is after all kept in the fridge and is rock-hard or simply because your butter knife is not warm enough? Well, leave it to a group of designers, engineers, UX specialists, and two world-renowed design professors to help solve the problem for you! Introducing SpreadTHAT! – the world’s first ever Heated Butter Spreader made from Anodized Extruded Aluminium.

There is no electricity required to power the blade and it is also dishwasher safe (an added bonus!). SpreadTHAT! spreads on jams as well and is also titanium-coated, non-toxic and complies with FDA Regulations.

The Taiwan-made blade also comes in Red and Black for variation and retails at $19.95.

Source(s):
SpreadTHAT!
,
Kickstarter


Square Enix releases Final Fantasy VII on iOS

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Square Enix released a long-awaited port of Final Fantasy VII for the iOS device, and the game is originally released in 1997 as the first game in the Final Fantasy series created for PlayStation, and it continues to be one of the most popular Final Fantasy games even on 2015. During E3 2015, Square Enix promised to launch Final Fantasy VIII before the end of summer in 2015, and now the game is finally released on iOS devices.

The game features an unshakeable monopoly over Mako energy production, the evil Shinra Electric Power Company holds tight to the reigns of world power. One day, a Mako reactor serving the sprawling metropolis of Midgar is attacked and destroyed in a bombing raid by a revolutionary group calling themselves Avalanche. Cloud Strife, a former member of Shinra’s elite “Soldier”unit takes part in the raid as a mercenary hired by Avalanche and sets events in motion that will draw him and his friends into an epic struggle for the fate of the planet itself.

This iOS port includes a virtual on-screen controller that’s specially “designed not to obscure the action.” It offers virtual analog or fixed 4-way digital control pad options and the opacity of the on-screen controls is adjustable. The iOS version of the game has the option to turn off enemy encounters in area maps and a Max Stats command to “become all-powerful in the blink of an eye.”

The game finally make its way to iOS when Apple expanded the size limitation on apps from 2GB to 4GB. According to the App Store description of the game, it take 1.66 GB of storage space but require more than 4GB of free space to download. However, the game is compatible with the iPhone 5s or later, the third-generation
iPad
 or later, and the
iPad
 mini 2 or later.

Final Fantasy VII can be downloaded from the App Store for USD 15.99 (approx. RM 67.)

cloud
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Square Enix will be remastering Final Fantasy XII; will be available for the PS4 in 2017

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It seems that Square Enix is not quite done remastering or remaking their Final Fantasy series as the company revealed that it will be remastering Final Fantasy XII.

Scheduled for release in 2016 on the PlayStation 4, this remaster/revamped version of Final Fantasy XII will be titled Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age. Much like the FFX remaster, you can expect the game to run in 1080p. Also like the FFX remake, FFXII The Zodiac Age will be based on Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System. This means that the game will sport a very different levelling mechanic if you’ve played the standard version of FFXII.

Aside from the different job system, FFXII The Zodiac Age will feature auto-save, shorter load times and an improved turbo mode. As for the music, the remaster will feature both the original soundtrack, as well as a re-recorded score. Hopefully, the gameplay gets improved upon as well as FFXII was one of the more divisive installments in the franchise when it first released back in 2006 for the PlayStation 2.

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Square Enix will reveal more about Final Fantasy XV tomorrow

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With Final Fantasy XV scheduled to be out within the year,  it’s surprising that we’ve known so little about the game. Square Enix is about to change that however as they will be hosting an event which will reveal more about the upcoming RPG.

Titled Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV, the Los Angeles event will be revealing more details about Final Fantasy XV. The teaser trailer for the event teases that Square Enix will be revealing yet-to-be-seen details about the RPG. Most importantly, Square Enix will be revealing the most important part of FFXV tonight: the release date. The event will be hosted by Greg Miller and Tim Gettys of KindaFunny fame.

Interested? Square Enix will be livestreaming the entire event on YouTube and Twitch in multiple languages. The stream will start at 10am Malaysian time tomorrow. Here’s hoping that Final Fantasy XV doesn’t disappoint.

finalfantasy
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SSM states that all online sellers must register with them.

437

Do you sell stuff online? Well, starting from next year, you’re going to have to register with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) before you do so.

According to Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, the ministry is currently drafting regulations involving all sales of items,
including one-offs
. This means that if you want to resell your 2nd hand goods online, you’re going to need to register with SSM before doing so. “Even if it is only for selling one product such as a telephone online, it must be registered with SSM and the item needed to be sold within 30 days. If the item is not sold within 30 days, the seller will have to apply again for another 30 days period,” says Hamzah.

When asked for the justification of this requirement, Hamzah stated that the move was aimed at ensuring consumer rights were guaranteed and avoiding fraud for online transactions.

Of course, how exactly the SSM would enforce this particular regulation is anyone’s guess at this point, especially when it comes to international online marketplaces or even on websites such as Craigslist.

Source:
Bernama

malaysia
politics
ssm


Stand a chance to be featured by Apple by joining the Shot on iPhone Challenge

444

To start off 2019, Apple decided to organise a Shot on iPhone Challenge so that they can be closer to their loyal fans and share the some of the best works captured on iPhones.

From 22 January to 7 February, iPhone users can submit their best photographs for the Shot on iPhone Challenge. Participants have to be at least 18 years of age and are existing iPhone owners before 22 January if they’re interested in joining the contest.

Those who are interested just need to upload the best photograph they’ve taken with their iPhones within six months preceding the start of the contest period (22 January) and post it on either Twitter, Instagram or Weibo, or they can choose to email the photo to Apple. For those who are posting it on social media, they will need to include the #ShotOniPhone hashtag and Weibo users can also choose to use the localised hashtag #用iPhone拍摄# when they post it on Weibo.

Image credit: Chelsea Peterson

In addition to that, participants are allowed to edit the photographs taken though it must be stated. However, participants are only allowed to use iPhones to take the photographs.

Ten winners will then be selected, and the photos captured by the winners will be featured on Apple Newsroom, Apple’s Instagram channel,
apple.com
, Apple retail stores and billboards around the world. The winners will be announced around 26 February 2019 on both Apple Newsroom and via direct message.

For the official rules of the challenge, do visit
www.apple.com/sg/newsroom/2019/01/share-your-best-photos-shot-on-iphone/
.


Stand a chance to win 1 year free toll with Touch ‘n Go RFID

3.8K

Want to stand a chance to win a year of free toll when driving on Malaysian highways?

Start fitting and using Touch ‘n Go RFID on your cars now, as Touch ‘n Go has initiated its Free Toll Contest for Malaysians aged 18 and above who drives Class 1 private-owned vehicles, you will only need to use RFID for at least 5 times for toll payments starting today till 18th November 2022, then you will automatically be in the running to win 1 year free toll.

Touch ‘n Go will be selecting 8 winners every 2 weeks, hence there will be total of 40 winners throughout the contest period.

Touch ‘n Go RFID tags can be purchased at Touch ‘n Go Nu Sentral and Bangsar South services and sales centres, designated RFID fitment centres and selected petrol stations across Malaysia, they can also be purchased via the Touch ‘n Go RFID portal, official Touch ‘n Go stores on Lazada and Shopee, while customers purchasing the RFID tag through the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app will receive a RM8 cashback and a RM8 reload pin for purchases via the RFID portal during the campaign period.

Do read up on the terms and conditions of the contest over at
Touch ‘n Go’s website
.

Watch how Touch ‘n Go RFID works

rfid
touch 'n go rfid


Stand a chance to win a getaway when you purchase a Realme phone!

327

After Realme’s collaboration with Lazada to introduce the Super Brand Day last month, the brand will once again be bringing steep discounts and prizes to customers by way of their Realme Fans Festival!

The two-day event will be happening on March 6-7 where customers will be able to purchase Realme devices on the cheap at partnering online retailer Shopee.

Items that you can expect to get discounts include Realme C1 (from RM399), Realme 2 (from RM469), Realme 2 Pro (from RM699) and more.

To sweeten the deal, customers stand a chance to win getaways at the Lexis Port Dickson or the Grand Lexis Port Dickson. The stay will be a 2D1N affair with breakfast for two at the Sky Pool Villa and more – worth at least RM2,332 per person.

c1
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Stand a chance to win a trip to Korea when you shop at Digi

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Have you ever wanted to travel to Korea? Well, now’s your chance – Vivo and Digi are offering you a chance to do just that.

Vivo and Digi are offering you an opportunity to win a RM10,000 travel voucher to Korea when you sign up for a Digi package and purchase any Vivo smartphone at a Digi store.

Not only that, you also stand a chance to win a Sym E Bonus 110 motorcycle. There are only three units up for grabs; but if you don’t win it, you can still get a consolidation prize whereby you get extra six months’ worth of warranty for your Vivo device.

The contest starts this February 21 and will end on March 31. Visit Digi’s website for more information on the competition.

competition
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korea
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Stand a chance to win “Angpaus” when you participate in Realme’s upcoming campaign

814

In conjunction of Chinese New Year, Realme will be organizing “Angpau For You” campaign from 16 January to 10 February 2019.

“Since our launch in November 2018, Realme has received positive feedback amongst Malaysians and have resonated with the youth, for its affordable, stylish, powerful devices.
 This Lunar New Year, we want to thank our fans for their continuous support with this
 interactive contest, providing an innovative spin of the 100-year old Chinese tradition of the
 giving of angpaus, which symbolizes energy, happiness and good fortune for the New Year.
 The “giving of angpaus” symbolizes our sincere wishes for all our customers and fans to have a prosperous, happy and lucky new year,” said Tiffany Teh, Brand Manager of Realme
 Malaysia.

Fellow Malaysians can stand a chance to win themselves some amazing prizes such as Realme 2 Pro, Realme 2, Realme C1, Olike wrist bands, Oppo selfie sticks as well as Lazada and Shopee vouchers when they participate in mini interactive games that will be carried out during the campaign time period.

The game has yet to be launched by Realme, so in the mean time, interested participants are advised to “Like” the Official
Realme Facebook page
 and keep themselves updated till the campaign officially starts.

This is the best time for everyone to try out their luck and win some goodies this coming Chinese New Year!

So set your calendar and don’t forget to “Like” Realme Malaysia’s Facebook Page to get more details about this campaign.

Realme
Realme Malaysia


Stand a chance to win NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 960 from NVIDIA

580

The GeForce GTX 960 graphics card is a real gem when it comes to mid-range gaming, delivering decent performance with its superb memory clock speeds and a power saving chipset, the GPU is so called NVIDIA’s ‘sweet spot’ graphics card for gamers who do not have the build high end gaming rigs. Now, if you want to
stand
 a chance to win the GTX 960, all you need to do is to read on and follow the instructions or read the rules
here
:

1) Head on to
http://goo.gl/WwKT7Q
2) Make sure you are residing in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
3) Just vote your favourite game from the list and submit your contact details.
4) Share the giveaway campaign on social media and that’s it!

Well, its pretty straightforward and you don’t need to enter any a long list of questionnaires, the lucky winner of the GeForce GTX 960 will be announced on the May 29th and NVIDIA will be personally contacting you for more details should you be the chosen one. Just make sure when you share this up to Facebook, your status must be set to Public.

960
geforce
giveaway
gtx
nvidia


Stand a chance to meet Red Bull OG in person with the Meet OG contest

985

Stand a chance to meet your DOTA 2 TI 8 heroes Red Bull OG as well as catch the screening of their documentary ‘Against The Odds’.

Image credit: Red Bull

To participate, all you need to do is upload a video of yourself wishing Red Bull OG good luck at the upcoming TI 9 whilst brandishing any Red Bull product of Europe. Upload said video onto Instagram with the hashtag #MeetOG and tag @redbullmy. One submission with the most creative video will win two passes to be at the screening and meet the team face-to-face.

The screening will take place this August 7 at Sunway University.  Visit the Red Bull contest page
here
 for the terms and conditions as well as other details regarding the contest.

against the odds
Dota 2
OG
screening
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the international
valve


Stanford University researchers develop lithium-ion batteries with built-in fire extinguishers

278

Lithium-ion batteries aren’t exactly the safest batteries in the world and the problem is far worse when it is frequently found on devices that you usually stuff inside your pockets. In an attempt to mitigate the damage an exploding lithium-ion battery can cause, researchers at Stanford University have created a battery that comes with its own fire extinguisher.

According to the research papers, said lithium-ion battery comes with a chemical called “triphenyl phosphate” that is housed in the plastic fibers of the part that keeps negative and positive electrodes seperate. Should the battery manages to hit 150 degrees Celsius, the plastic fibers will melt and release the chemicals, putting out any potential fires that the battery could cause within 0.4 seconds.

While the idea behind a built-in fire extinguisher on a battery isn’t exactly a new concept, the one being developed by Stanford is unique in that it does not compromise the battery’s performance. Should the idea prove to have merits, we may be seeing safer batteries on smart devices in the future.

Source:
Science Advances
,
Engadget

battery
extinguisher
fire
lithiumion
stanforduniversity


Star Wars Battlefront Review: Undelivering the Hype

464

Hype makes people do strange things at times. Case in point, I know that EA’s Star Wars Battlefront comes with a 50 dollar Season Pass at the very beginning. From my experience with the Beta, I also know that Star Wars Battlefront isn’t going to be content heavy. Despite knowing that purchasing this game might come back to haunt me at some point in time, I pre-ordered Battlefront anyway. After playing it for the past week or so, have I come to regret my decision to buy it? Not really, and let me tell you why.

If one sets out to create a game set in the Star Wars universe, the first thing one must do is to make the game feel like it is set in the Star Wars universe. In that aspect of the game, DICE has managed to ace that requirement, both in the visual department and the audio department. Leveraging both the Frostbite 3 engine and their visits to the locales where the original trilogy of films were shot at, DICE has managed to perfectly recreate the settings of Hoth, Tatooine, the forest moon of Endor, as well as creating an entirely new planet in Sullust. Blaster models and props were also recreated with such detail that it is amazing. Remember those pre-release trailers that EA showed off before the game was released? If you have a powerful enough computer to play it at max settings, that’s how the game will look like, and it is awesome. If you don’t have a monster of a gaming rig, the lower graphical settings are still impressive enough to wow you.

Sound design has always been a forte of DICE and they’ve brought their mastery to Battlefront as well. Almost every sound effect in the game has been ripped directly from Lucasfilms’ archive and transplanted into the game as is. From the sound of a lightsabre, to the shrieking TIE Fighter, to the sound of a laser blast impacting an energy shield, all of these are authentic to the movie. They’ve even managed to implement the Wilhelm Scream into the game, which is hilarious if you ask me. That said, the voice acting for the Heroes and Villains sticks out like a sore thumb as they didn’t receive as much attention when compared to general sound direction of the game.

There is no point in denying that the presentation of Star Wars Battlefront is nothing short of stellar. From the looks to the sound of a battle, to the background events that happens above the battlefield, Battlefront is quite possibly the most immersive Star Wars game I’ve yet played, managing to edge out Republic Commando. Unfortunately, for the ridiculous amount of hard work that DICE has put into recreating the Star Wars feel, they dropped the ball when it comes to the gameplay aspect of Battlefront.

Battlefront starts out with 9 gameplay modes, with one additional mode coming when the Battle of Jakku DLC drops. Most of the modes in Battlefront are identical to ones that can be found in almost any other shooter. For example, Blast mode is Team Deathmatch, Drop Zone is King of the Hill, Droid Run is Domination and so on. Heroes vs Villains mode makes a return from Battlefront II, allowing players to control a hero or villain character tasked with eliminating the opposing team. The mode that is somewhat unique to Battlefront is Walker Assault, whereby the Empire is tasked with escorting an AT-AT to its destination while the Rebels are tasked with destroying it.

Having 9 modes is fun and all, but the problem is that these 9 modes revolve around the 4-5 planets. It really doesn’t take long for you to feel that the game doesn’t really have much variety, and truth be told, it really doesn’t. After roughly 10 hours of gameplay, I can safely say that I’ve mostly seen and done everything there is to do in the game. The skill celling for the game is rather low too, as Battlefront is a casual shooter meant to appeal to the general public. This is great for people who just want to have some fun every now and then, but it causes Battlefront to lack the depth that some shooters, such as Battlefield, have.

Balancing isn’t particularly well done in Battlefront either. This problem is particularly obvious in Fighter Squadron where the TIE Fighters and Interceptors feel inferior to the X-Wings and A-Wngs. The Hero ships in that mode, the Millennium Falcon and Slave I, are ridiculous laser sponges that can take obscene amounts of damage, so much so that taking down those ships are a rare occurance. Problems that were present in the Beta are still present in the game right now, such as bad spawn points and the ability to flank the enemy from deep within their spawn points.

gamereview
multiplayer
pcgaming
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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will have no microtransactions and multiplayer says EA

475

If you’re familiar with giants Electronic Arts, you’d know that they’ve been under intense flack from gamers for the past two years – mostly due to their profits-first business mentality. Newer EA titles such as Star Wars: Battlefront II, Battlefield V, and FIFA share the same poison – microtransactions.

Image credit: Xbox

The issue has gotten so big – thanks to public outrage and hilarious memes – that EA themselves have taken heed of their consumers distrust in the brand. It’s gotten to the point that the company had to tell the public, in an interview, that their upcoming game
won’t
 have microtransactions. We suppose this is to instil some semblance trust in their consumers in hopes that their tainted reputation won’t bomb sales figures too much.

The game in question here is the newly-announced Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – a game that, according to EA, will be a fully single-player experience with absolutely no microtransactions in any form or fashion. Developed by Respawn Entertainment – the same folks behind Titanfall and the very popular Apex Legends – the new Star Wars game looks promising.

Early trailers had been released on YouTube and it looks to follow a similar plot theme as the new Star Wars reboot films – the Jedi at the brink of extinction, the First Order dictatorship, Force wielder discovers their powers, lightsaber duels and massive explosions – you get the gist.

In the trailers however, it seems like the protagonist, Cal Kestis, is aware of his Jedi powers, and is a survivor of Order 66. He refrains from using it – suggesting that the First Order has assumed complete control and all Force wielders would be killed. A story that takes place right after Episode III and Order 66 hasn’t really been done in video games before so it’ll be interesting to see if Respawn can breathe life back in to the Star Wards franchise.

Image credit: EA Star Wars

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is set to launch on November 15 and will be available for PC via Origin, as well as Xbox One and PlayStation 4. We are very excited.

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ea
gaming
multiplayer
nicrotransactions
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respawn entertainment
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xbox


Star Wars joins Disney Infinity family in its Disney Infinity 3.0

352

Star Wars fans, rejoice again! We were invited to some hands-on time with Star Wars Disney Infinity 3.0 and it was awesome! At the event, Jason Moffitt, producer of Disney Infinity from The Walt Disney Company, Disney Interactive, gave us a product walkthrough and what exciting things to expect in the new Disney Infinity 3.0. This latest edition of Disney Infinity will include five play sets, new toy box expansion and a large variety of characters from across The Walt Disney Company.

With the Star Wars universe joining Disney, Disney Pixar and Marvel in Disney Infinity 3.0, you can experience a larger, wider content and a variety of gameplay compared to its predecessors. Features of the new Disney Infinity 3.0 include three different Star Wars play sets, with one set in the timeline of Episodes I-III, second from the original trilogy IV-VI, and a third based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There are also other additional play set that will cater to other gameplay and environments, which includes Disney PixarPlay set based on Inside Out, as well as a Marvel play set featuring Hulkbuster Iron Man, Ultron and more. Other types of new characters from across The Walt Disney Company will also be available such as Mickey and Minnie, Sam Flynn and Quorra from Tron, Mula, Olaf and many others to be announced later.

When it comes to gameplay, the Star Wars play sets come with distinct gameplay, environments and characters. For one, the Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic play set takes place at the height of Jedi’s powers where you can use the Force and Lightsabers in battles, and experience combat next to characters like AhsokaTano, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Darth Maul. The Star Wars: Rise Against the Empire play set however, takes Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca and Darth Vader across the
galaxy
, and at the same time allowing you to pilot X-wing fighters or the Millennium Falcon, and even explore land-based missions on planets like Tatooine, Hoth and Endor.

When it comes to Disney Infinity, one of the most popular experience is the Toy Box, which is a sand box world where you have free rein to build and play in an environment you have created. With Disney Infinity 3.0 however, you will see a new 3-D Toy Box Hub where you can choose an even wider selection of gameplay experiences such as platform, racing, and even farming simulation games. Two new multiplayer Toy Box Expansion Games that will allow you to experience more action and adventure are the Toy Box Takeover, and kart racing in Toy Box Speedway. This will not only allow solo players of all ages to enjoy the game, but together with other family members as well.

The Disney Infinity 3.0 starter pack will include the Disney Infinity 3.0 Base and video game software, the Star Wars: Twilight of Republic play set, AhsokaTano and Anakin Skywalker character figures, and a web code card that unlocks content for PC and mobile devices. This starter park will cost RM249 and will be available from 1 September 2015 onwards. If you want to collect other characters and figures, do take note that these are sold separately.

If you own previous characters from Disney Infinity 1.0 and 2.0, here’s a little good news: your characters are forward compatible so you can use them in Disney Infinity 3.0, although only in the Toy Box mode. Another good news: remember how you tend to have a tough time collecting that particular Power Disc you want? Well, in Disney Infinity 3.0, Power Discs will be sold in franchise-specific packs of four, which makes it easier to get what you need and want.

collectibles
console
disney
games
gaming
infinity
ps4
star
wars