The Magic Contact plays music without the need for Bluetooth or NFC

The Magic Contact is a gem of a device we found here at Showstoppers this year. The device plays music, but doesn’t need a bluetooth connection. There is no need to make a clumsy NFC contact, and it amplifies sound as you move your device. How do they do it? Sometimes, the simplest things are the best.

By resting your phone on the base, the hears what is bing plead and simply amplifies it. There are four sensors embedded, which listen for the sound. From there, it simply feeds it to it’s speakers, positioned on the top sides of the device. Magic Contact is like the old record player that used a horn to amplify music.

Happily, there are no device restrictions, either. It works with any device because it simply listens and plays. You control the volume output by sliding your device, making muting or turning down volume easy. We tested it with several devices, and though we had an issue with our Nexus 4, that was quickly fixed by placing it on the device in portrait rather than landscape.

The Magic Contact is a simple, brilliant concept that blew us away with it’s ease of use. The sound projected from the device was as crisp as it would be on your mobile device, too. If you think something this subtly brilliant would cost a ton, you’d be wrong. The Magic Contact will only run you $35. Simple to use, and won’t break the bank. This might be the coolest thing we’ve seen at Showstoppers at CES 2014 yet.

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Sennheiser MM 30G in-ear headset offers in-line control for Samsung devices

In addition to the new MOMENTUM Ivory model, Sennheiser has introduced the MM 30G in-ear headset at CES today. The headset is aimed at Samsung's GALAXY owners, with support for the Galaxy S 2 and higher, as well as the tablets. There's a mobile remote control built into the headset, as well, offering simple control over the device.

The in-line control is a three-button remote that offers play/pause and the ability to take a phone call, such as could be the case for someone listening to music from their smartphone. The in-line remote also features volume control, so the audio level can be adjusted between calls and music without having to take one's phone out of a pocket or other inconvenient location.

Sennheiser is promising the MM 30G offers users "fantastic audio quality", doing so with dynamic phones that are, not surprisingly considering the manufacturer, bass-driven. Comfort was one aspect of the headset that Sennheiser paid particular attention to, with the canal design being implemented in such a way to allow for isolation from outside noises. There are small, medium, and large sizes available, as well, for choosing the right size.

The maker says the headset was designed specifically for Samsung's GALAXY devices, but there's no app that needs to be installed -- as such, it seems the headset will work with any mobile device, though it's possible the remote functionality won't work with other devices. There's no info on pricing and availability yet.

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Spotify's mobile users skyrocket since free streaming launch

It's been one week since Spotify announced it would allow anyone on an iOS or Android tablet or smartphone to use its music streaming app free of charge. And, it appears this was a good move for the company as far as growing its listener base.

The streaming music service said Thursday that downloads of the app have increased by four times in the last week; this means four times as many people are downloading the app today compared with a week ago. While Spotify would not release specific numbers, it's likely a hefty amount of people are downloading the app.

In March, Spotify said it had surpassed 6 million subscribers, a gain of 1 million since December 2012, but it hasn't updated its user numbers since then. Spotify also has more than 24 million active users in 55 markets worldwide. A year ago, the company's service reached only 17 countries.

Still, it's lagging behind Pandora, which has around triple the amount with 72.4 million active listeners and more than 200 million registered users.

Before Spotify launched its free mobile music streaming, users could only listen to the service on desktop or a browser-based program for free. However, premium members who paid $10 a month had access to the service through other devices.

Besides saying it has a bevy of new users downloading its mobile app, Spotify also announced Thursday that it's now ranked in the top 10 in the iOS App Store in over 20 markets worldwide, including the US, UK, and most of Latin America.





SOURCE: CNET

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PlayStation 4 to blast Sony Music Unlimited tracks during gameplay

With the launch of the PlayStation 4, Sony’s own Music Unlimited service will be getting a rather sizable reboot. This system update will allow consoles like the PlayStation 4 to work with a new user interface that’ll be allowing gamers to get a handle on the music they’ve purchased – or plan to purchase – much quicker and easier then in past iterations. This version of Music Unlimited will also be able to be launched from the DUALSHOCK 4 controller with a press-hold of the PS button.

“Built-in” with PlayStation 4 is a good way of describing how Music Unlimited will be functioning with the console. Working with a library of over 22 million songs, it’s likely Sony will continue to roll with this service well into the future – also evidenced by the PS4 launch too, of course. There’s also a Music Unlimited entry point through PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PC, Mac, Apple devices of all kinds, and Android smart devices, too. 

Each of these systems work with a free usage model as well as a Premium annual subscription – speaking of which, Sony is also suggesting that PlayStation Plus members check their availability of a reduced-price model this season as well. This all means one thing: Music Unlimited is set to continue to be a big title for Sony for the foreseeable future.

Holding down the “PS” button on your PlayStation 4 DUALSHOCK 4 controller launches a use-anywhere user interface for Music Unlimited, while users will be able to listen to any track at the same time as they’re playing games with the PS4 from launch. Sound like a positive update to you?

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