Dashboard beta leaks new Xbox Music Pass: Cloud playlists and early pricing revealed

Appearing soon after Zune's end, we've been sent these images of what Microsoft's likely to offer in Xbox Music. Matching those early rumors, it looks like some cloud-linked features will make an appearance in the form of synchronized playlists, while the service will offer a free half-month trial alongside paid subscriptions. Prices are currently set at £8.99 ($15) for a month, while £89.90 ($146) will offer a year's unlimited access to "millions" of tracks, to stream and download across Xbox, Windows, and Windows Phone. The system's UI seems to borrow its looks from Windows' Metro tile-based style, with a verysimilar keyboard that appears to be navigable from your Xbox controller. Take a tour of the gallery below and expect to hear more specifics ahead of the big Windows 8 launch next month.

[Source: Engadget]

iPhone 5 launch spurs store heists from Tennessee to Japan

It is no secret that Apple devices are in high demand; and due to their not-so cheap price tags, a slew of heists have occurred around the world since the launch of the anticipated iPhone 5.

A few of the more notable thefts come from Murfreesboro, Tenn., London, United Kingdom, and Osaka, Japan. In Tuesday’s Murfreesboro (what a name, eh?) case, which police dubbed “the most systematic, brazen crimes they’ve seen in years,” according to the local NewsChannel5, eight thieves allegedly swiped over $100,000 in stolen iPhone 5s and iPads from a Best Buy. Surveillance video even shows the group, with each crook wearing hooded sweatshirts and dark ski masks, plowing down the store’s loading garage door with a hot car.

Another incident involves 252 pilfered iPhone 5s in London. According to the U.K.’s Mirror News, the smartphones were shoplifted just hours before launch time at an O2 store in Wimbledon. Cops are looking for the Tandem Centre store’s assistant, 23-year-old Usman Sethi, in connection to the crime. The new iPhones disappeared along with some cash around 1:30 a.m. from the store’s safe.

In Osaka, law enforcement said 191 iPhone 5s went missing from three different stores between 2:30 and 4:30 a.m. The Wall Street Journal noted surveillance video at one of those stores, Softbank Corp, show three male culprits stealing the Apple devices from a locked backroom within a four minute span. It is unclear at this time if the “unusual string” of robberies are connected.

[Source: 9to5Mac]

This is the first jailbroken iPhone 5

Unless Walt Mossberg or David Pogue knocked it last week, @Chpwn (Grant Paul) has the first jailbroken iPhone 5,which he posted to his Twitter account a few minutes ago. It is usually common courtesy to give Apple devices 24 hours before jailbreaking, but someone apparently could not help himself.

[Source: 9to5Mac]

Hong Kong’s second Apple Store now official, opening in Kowloon on September 29th

As reported earlier, Hong Kong’s second Apple Store will open this week in Kowloon Tong in the Festival Walk shopping center.  Another store is rumored for Hysan Place in Causeway Bay.

Apple is also planning its first massive data center in the New Territories region of Hong Kong for opening early next year.

[Source: 9to5Mac]

Motorola pokes fun at iOS 6 Maps, wants to prevent people becoming #iLost

By now, the vast majority of Android users -- no, make that people in the world -- have heard about Apple's new replacement for Google Maps in iOS 6. Proudly announced during their iOS 6 keynote, replacing Google Maps was another step away from using Google services for the Cupertino giant. Since the launch, much has been said about the maps, and their apparent lack of some key information within the maps themselves. 

We'll admit it. It makes us chuckle. As we sit here using our native Google Maps, more and more we see comments arising from iPhone owners, both new and old, slating iOS6 Maps. And now, Google owned Motorola is joining in on the fun. 

Looking for 315 E 15th in Manhattan? Google Maps on DROID RAZR M will get you there & not #iLost in Brooklyn.

Seen on the Motorola Mobility Google+ page, and on their Twitter page, the message is clear. While an obvious advertisement for their latest handset -- and perhaps the RAZR M's edge to edge screen, compared to the 'stretched' iPhone 5 -- rather than Google Maps itself, we wonder how long before the #iLost tag will catch on. Probably until Google releases a third-party Google Maps application into the iOS App Store, but until then, we can but chuckle away.

[Source: Andoird Central]

Twitter CEO says users will be able to download old tweets by year's end

Twitter's been rolling out a number of changes lately, many resulting in negative reactions, but it looks like one feature long-requested by users is just around the corner: the ability to download all of your past tweets. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo spoke today at a conference for the Online News Association, and was asked when the ability would be coming to Twitter. According to both Alex Howard and First Post, Costolo replied that it would be arriving by the end of the year.

[Source: The Verge]

Myspace and Geocities Yourself take your Facebook page back in time

Pining for the days when you could be social on the internet without running into troubling Facebook updates or worrying about which Twitter client you'll be allowed to use in future? Buzzfeed has you covered with its new Myspace Yourself and Geocities Yourself tools. They take information from your Facebook account and extrapolate that into a frame-perfect Myspace page reanimation complete with Tom on your friends list, or a gloriously ugly Geocities site adorned with flaming GIFs and Comic Sans.

[Source: The Verge]

iPhone 5 owners report scuffs and scratches out of the box

When Apple VP Phil Schiller took the stage on September 12th to talk about the company’s new iPhone 5 hardware he went on at length about the exacting level of precision that goes into its manufacture. But despite Apple's insistence that its tolerances are measured in microns, several iPhone 5 owners are reporting that their new devices are arriving with a variety of scuffs and scrapes out of the box (myself included, pictured above).

The company’s record-breaking sales numbers certainly don’t make it easy to guess at how widespread the issue is, but an informal poll in the MacRumors forumsindicates that out of some 1260 respondents, more than a third are reporting some kind of damage. The source of the scuffs (pictured below) is anyone’s guess, but as All Things D points out, the iPhone 5’s case is made out of anodized (i.e., coated) aluminum, which, while being lighter than the stainless steel used in the iPhone 4 and 4S, is also softer and appears to be more susceptible to scratching. It's worth noting that HTC used a comparable oxidized finish for its One S handset — a phone whose users reported having similar cosmetic issues.

So far, Apple hasn't commented on the issue, but if you’re one of the unlucky buyers stuck with a scratched phone (and you’re not into the whole "worn in" look), it may be worth taking your device in to a local Apple Store and asking for an exchange. And if you haven't yet picked yours up, we'd suggest giving it a thorough look-over in the store before heading home with your new phone.

[Source: The Verge]

Dell releases new S Series monitors with edge-to-edge glass, IPS panels

Dell's built quite a reputation for delivering solid monitors at reasonable prices, and it's now expanded its offerings in a fairly big way with no less than five new S Series models, some of which boast edge-to-edge glass and/or IPS panels. On the top end is the 27-inch S2740L, which has the most connectivity options of the lot (DVI, VGA, HDMI and a pair of USB ports) and, of course, the highest price tag at $400. From there, things drop to $300 with the 24-inch S2440L (the only non-IPS model of the lot), and go all the way down to $200 for the 21.5-inch S2240M -- the three lower-end models ditch the edge-to-edge glass but still retain minimal bezels. Unlike some of the company's higher-end UltraSharp models, though, all five monitors have a 16:9 aspect ratio instead of 16:10, and you'll get a standard 1920 x 1080 resolution regardless of the size you choose. Complete specs for each can be found at the links below.

[Source: Engadget]

W3C says HTML 5 will be finalized in 2014, HTML 5.1 to follow in 2016

HTML 5 has been a buzz word around the interwebs for so long you'd be forgiven if you thought it was awell-established standard looking for a successor. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which helps establish the primary standards used online, didn't actually intend to complete HTML 5 until 2022. Thankfully, the group has reconsidered that seemingly absurd timeline and now plans to have this whole mess wrapped up by the end of 2014. The revised plan calls for an HTML 5 Candidate Recommendation (sort of like a feature-frozen beta) to be submitted by the end of 2012, before being finalized in 2014. All existing bits of the standard that are unstable or that suffer interoperability problems will be pulled from that candidate and pushed to a draft version of HTML 5.1. While HTML 5 is being completed, its evolutionary successor will begin the process of marching towards standardization, with a target completion date of 2016. For a more detailed exploration of the future of HTML hit up the source link.

[Source: Engadget]

Bowers & Wilkins intros classy A7 and A5 AirPlay speakers, leaves out the 30-pin dock

When it comes to Apple-focused audio wares, Bowers & Wilkins makes some of the of the ritiziest options available. Expanding on its its existing speaker range, the company has introduced a duo of new AirPlay speakers dubbed as the A5 ($500) and A7 ($800). Both HiFi boxes are nearly identical from the outside (aside from the size difference), and feature the same black and silver aesthetic as the MM-1 media speakers. The A7 nets you a duo of 25-watt 1-inch Nautilus "tube-loaded" tweeters" (just like the MM-1s), two 25-watt 3-inch drivers for the mid-range and a 50-watt 6-inch woofer, while the A5 shrinks things by forgoing a woofer and using a smaller speaker array of two 20-watt tweeters and two 20-watt mid-range drivers. The speakers on both units are independently driven, and both systems feature an "audiophile-grade" DAC that'll upscale music streams to a maximum 24-bit / 96kHz sample rate. As you'd expect, the units feature WiFi and Ethernet connectivity and 3.5mm inputs for hooking in sans wireless, but it's worth noting these audio boxes lack 30-pin docks -- at least you still get a remote. Check out the video after the break for a detailed look at both, and the source link below for all the juicy details.

[Source: Engadget]

LG's first VoLTE Bluetooth headset revealed: Tone + packs 'high-quality' audio codec

LG isn't short of a few Voice over LTE handsets, but this neck-hugging Bluetooth handset promises to offer similarly crisp voice calls, if the feature's available, without the need to fumble around in your pockets . The Tone + headset totes a pair of in-ear buds, is available in both white and black and will even vibrate in Battle Royale terror style when you receive a call. LG has built in a "professional grade audio codec", the aptX, to improve audio performance alongside that VoLTE compatibility. The headphones can event pair to two devices (even two smartphones) and read out your received SMS messages. You can expect the micro-USB rechargeable Tone+ to last around 15 hours of talk-time, or 500 hours on standby. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but LG promise to launch the device in the US, Korea and China by the end of the month.

[Source: Engadget]