Microsoft has continued the development of its iOS and Android Xbox Music apps with yet another new version being pushed out to both the App Store and Google Play Store for respective device owners. The app and underlying service, which will shortly undergo a full rebrand to become Groove, is following in the footsteps of the Windows desktop version that benefitted from the addition of the same new features back in March.
Broadly speaking, the Cloud is still a work in progress, but Microsoft, like Google, Apple and a number of other key companies offering their cloud-based services, has been working hard to improve its OneDrive offering. Today signals a big step in the evolution of the software giant’s cloud efforts, with Xbox Music integration permitting users to store and playback a variety of different music formats on multiple devices free of charge.
With the news that digital music sales have fallen for the first time ever recently, music streaming services like Spotify and Rdio are becoming increasingly popular. Microsoft's Xbox Music is a similar proposition to what those aforementioned services offer, with Google also throwing its hat into the music screaming arena via Google Play Music.
With the Xbox One now just a few weeks from retail, many of the key details pertaining Microsoft's next-gen games console have already been revealed. But naturally, the Redmond has been saving some info for the build up to the release, and as we swiftly approach this all-important time frame, it has been revealed that every purchaser of the Xbox One will also get free access to Xbox Music, the streaming audio service to which many Xbox fans will already be accustomed. Unfortunately, it is ad-supported, so you will have to listen to numerous plugs for products and services you probably do not want, but nevertheless, this is definitely a win for music heads.
Microsoft has been plotting a Web-based version of Xbox Music for a long time, and as expected, the company has finally delivered with a service that allows subscribers to dive straight in. It was set to be unveiled this week, but the site already appears good to go, and Xbox Music Pass subscribers can begin using it by heading over to music.xbox.com.
It has been public knowledge for quite a while now that Microsoft is switching its Windows release cycle from a major overhaul every five or so years to annual, modest upgrades. With Windows 8 having only been made available toward the tail end of last year, the Redmond outfit has already showcased Windows 8.1, with quite a few key changes aimed at making the OS more user friendly overall. An update to those running the leaked early builds of Windows 8.1 shows a whole host of alterations, including Xbox Music and Movie Moments. Details after the break.
You are all familiar with Microsoft's Zune Music Pass, right? No? Well actually, you aren't the only one who may not be that au fait with the Redmond offering, but that shouldn't really cause you much concern as the subscription service that allows unlimited music streaming/downloading is being cast into the wilderness - at least in some regions. The time of Zune has been and gone and with the Xbox Music service on the horizon, it seems a little strange that the Zune Music Pass is arriving in some new territories as we speak.
Information concerning Xbox Music has been leaking continually over the past couple of weeks, and it has been unofficially confirmed that the Redmond company's streaming music service will be arriving on October 26th - the very same day when Windows 8 is made available to public.
Fans of Microsoft's Xbox Music Pass appear to be in luck, if they also plan on picking up one of the new Windows Phone 8 devices that will be hitting the streets shortly. The Windows Phone 8 hype is beginning to reach a whole new level of, well, hype. We're not too far away from new smartphones packing Windows Phone 8 reaching stores, and we're still learning new and somewhat interesting things about what features will and will not make their way into those handsets.
On top of debuting one rumored product - SmartGlass - the company also dropped news of yet another pretty major service: Microsoft's rumored "Woodstock" music streaming service is real, and it's called Xbox Music. Announced by Yusuf Mehdi at the E3 stage, Xbox Music is a service that will be available not just on the console, but on Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices as well. Without delving into too many details, Microsoft did share that the service will offer 30 million tracks to boot. The Smart DJ service that is available on the current Zune service will also live on within Xbox Music. Again, not much details were revealed during the demo - or teaser, rather - or even now after the show, but all that could be seen is a Metro-styled music service that looks rather similar to the Zune.