Appletell

KavaSoft have just released the latest version of their web jukebox for iTunes: KavaTunes 3.2. KavaTunes is essentially a web app that looks and works just like iTunes, meaning that you can browse, search and play your iTunes library from any web browser, anywhere in the world. KavaTunes also features continuous playback, which means songs will play one after another in a playlist automatically—without any gaps. If you want album artwork added to your library, KavaTunes can do that too. Web catalogs that resemble the iPod’s interface can be created; visitors can play music via this interface. Your personalised home page shows your music taste through several different categories: most played artists, recently added albums, recently played songs and top rated albums. If visitors like what they’re hearing, they can click a link to buy it from the iTunes Store.

KavaTunes 3.2 brings a re-designed music preference pane, which gives the option of whether vistiors can download music from the site. The volume of playback can also be customised. KavaTunes costs £35, and can be purchased from their website.

Via [MacMegaSite]

Real Networks and Viacom’s Rhapsody will be launching a $50 million MP3 downloads business to challenge iTunes’ 70% market share, Reuters is reporting.

Digital music seller Rhapsody is launching a $50 million marketing assault on Apple’s iTunes, offering songs online and via partners including Yahoo Inc and Verizon Wireless, Rhapsody said on Monday.

The songs will be sold in MP3 format, which means users of the Rhapsody service will be able to play them on iPods.

More after the break.

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What good are media files on an iPhone if you can’t turn them into an awesome ringtone? None. Well at least that’s what Information Appliance Associates thinks.  =That’s why they have announced their PocketMac RingtoneStudio for iPhone, “...a new tool that gives iPhone users the power to convert almost any media file on their Macs into a ringtone.” And when they say almost any media file, they mean it. You can make a ringtone from any sound file, iTunes song you own, and even Mac friendly movie formats on your iPhone. If the file is too long, simply use the built in editor they call EditingBay to pick any 30 second clip you want.

This wonderful utility can be yours for the slim price of $14.95, and works with Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard. “This opens up new possibilities for iPhone users,” said Terence Goggin, CTO of Information Appliance Associates, “We’re incredibly excited.” I would be too. This seems like a wonderful piece of software to get around having to pay an extra $.99 to make a ringtone from a song you already own. Head on over to their site and check it out.

Product [RingtoneStudio]

AQUARIUS Software has released a new version of Playwatch, a popular iTunes controller and information ticker for the menu bar on the Mac. Version 1.2.0, “...offers exciting new features, Portuguese language and bug fixes.” One new feature is that the main HUD window for the applications interface now has two new appearances, as well as a new button to switch between them. Also, you are now able play tracks simply by clicking on them, and the currently playing track stands out with a “Bloom and Blur” effect. On top of all this, the animations have been improved.

This application requires Mac OS X v10.5 or higher (10.5.2 recommended) and can work on both PPC and Intel based Macs. You can download it and enjoy a free 30 day trial, but it will cost you $13.20 to register. If you are upgrading, you will get a reduced price for bigger updates, as well as free minor updates. If you are looking for a new way to interact with your music, check this out and report back here to let us know if you like it.

Product [Playwatch]

RingtoneFeeder is trying out a new way of distributing music, and they are calling it Dynamic Albums. Using Geoff Smith’s “Ones and 0s” album as the first go at this, RingtoneFeeder will give you certain items at the purchase of the product in the form of an iTunes podcast feed. Then, every two weeks or so for 12 months after the initial purchase, RingtoneFeed will throw extra material into the feed for you, thereby adding value to the product after the time of purchase.  This extra material will consist of “...karaoke versions, videos, access to exclusive USTREAM shows, exclusive tracks, ringtones etc.”

This will start mid July, 2008, and you can expect around 26 updates for the album. You can check out RingtoneFeeder’s site for more information about this new idea, as well as a nicely put together FAQ if you still have questions.

Still, this gets better. All of the tracks will be “...in mp3 format encoded with a bitrate of 256 kbit/s, and all the songs are DRM free.” If you like the idea, head on over to their site and take part in it/

Product [Dynamic Albums]

Cynical Peak Software has announced that Rivet, an application that will help you stream your digital life (music, photos, movies) from Mac OS X to your Windows Xbox 360, has been released as version 1.1, bringing better media browsing support while fixing stability issues. More specifically, it makes media updating on your computer more CPU friendly and transcoded images more hard drive friendly. It supports a slew of formats, including AAC, MP3, WMA, H.264, DIVX, AVI, WMV, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, RAW, TIFF, PSD, and PDF, and costs $18.95.

One of my favorite features of this application would have to be the organization aspect. According to the description, Rivet makes sure that, “[e]very movie or photo folder that you share is exactly replicated on your Xbox 360.” You are then able to “[o]rganize them into subfolders by TV show, genre, or whatever you want. The entire folder structure will be there. No more scrolling through a huge, flat list.”

Sounds pretty great to me, I might even buy this myself to make use of that 360 I have lying around. Let’s just hope this streaming doesn’t give it the red ring of death...I can’t handle any more of those.

Product [Rivet]

Those who want a digital stereo voice recorder with Apple reliability and Alesis quality, this is for you. Last Friday, Alesis announced the new ProTrack iPod recording system. 

With this tool, you can slip in your iPod (2G or 3G Nano, 5G Video, and iPod Classic are supported), and, using either an included AC power adapter or AAA batteries, record away. From the Alesis Press Release:

ProTrack provides convenient, direct-to-iPod stereo digital recording to iPod in a portable, handheld form factor. Users can capture live audio anywhere and anytime with their iPod or iPod nano. ProTrack’s smart design integrates the iPod into the recorder, with included sleds to securely mount supported iPod models to the recorder.

As you can see from the quote, the ProTrack is mainly aimed at musicians, but the accessory could be used for any other type of recording need. The attachment includes a universal iPod dock, integrated microphones, LED indicators, and knobs for power, limiter and volume. No word on the price as of yet, and this one can be expected sometime later this year.

Via [Engadget]

SonicMood, an ambient music generator from Bit of Paradise, just got some great new features. The newest release, version 4.8.6, provides the user with refined software and a brand new service from Bit of Paradise: SonicMood MP3s. From the application, you can download either a 30 minute or 120 minute version of all 28 moods provided in the application.

You may think, “Ambient music. Oh, that’s nice.” But there is more to it then just noise. A recent study conducted by the American Society of Hypertension proved that listening to just 30 minutes of ambient music with a homogenous rhythm can “significantly reduce high blood pressure,” along with other health benefits, such as being a natural sleep aid. Another benefit to SonicMood over ambient music found on the web is that SonicMood’s music is generated “automagically.” Automagically is the term coined by Bits of Paradise for the algorithms that generate ambient music, making it so the user will never hear the same sequences twice. 

Other new features in 4.8.6 is shortened code, improved drag and drop functionality, and many other new features, some of them not visible to the user. SonicMood costs $12.95. 30 minute MP3s are $1.69 and 120 minute MP3s are $3.49. All are available from the SonicMood website.

Product [SonicMood]

Are you sick of the boring old iTunes interface for searching through your music? If so, be sure to check out Cover Stream. Using iTunes cover flow view, Cover Stream gives you all the control you could ever want over your music and stays out of your way while it does it. Cover Stream has a beautiful interface with support for full screen and the Apple remote, making it the perfect app for a party machine. You can even search your music, customize shortcuts, and connect to your Last.fm account right from the Cover Stream interface. If you still aren’t sure if this is the app for you, download a trial or watch the demo.

Coming in at around $28.86, Cover Stream only works with Mac OS X Leopard and iTunes 7.5 or higher. However, that price will give you free updates for life. This application not only looks super easy to navigate through, it is also beautiful. Using a heads-up display (HUD) and high quality album art, Cover Stream brings the fun back to searching through your music collection. Check it out and let us know how it is!

Computer Music, a popular British magazine about just that, has featured GarageBand in its latest issue. The feature includes coherent guides on everything from starting a project to publishing it in iTunes. Also included in the issue is a demo disc, featuring 12 video tutorials and 200 high quality loops for GarageBand as part of Remix Tools, a JamPack add-on from Apple. The following is from a preview of the issue on Computer Music’s website:

“From first steps with Magic GarageBand to publishing your tracks on iTunes, everything you need to know is here, teamed with audio demos and GarageBand songs to remix on the included disc.”

The magazine is available on UK news stands now.

Via [Apple Hot News]