OSNews

Spotify launched in the US today, to become the third serious provider after MOG and RDIO services that offer unlimited streaming of their catalog for a rather small-ish monthly fee. Napster, Real, ZunePass, Thumbplay (now sold away), also offer a similar service, but they never managed to capture the market the same way. I have used all three services above over the last year (some in a short trial mode, some through lengthy subscription), so here's how I see them go down.

In an attempt to be current it's a new OSNews podcast episode! Trendy, current topics covered thus, are: A little bit of pre-banter on Windows 8, Microsoft's purchase of Skype for 8 BILLION DOLLARS, Apple's iOS5 / iCloud announcements, and repetitive imagination strain going on at E3.

Is it that we desire what is sold to us, or is it that OEMs will sell whatever it is they want and we'll buy it? Like it or not, we are being forced into a brave new world, which has no certainty that it will even last yet. I am of course talking about tablets. Come this holiday season (wait, isn't the whole year just a long string of commercial holidays?), you won't be able to browse an isle at a computer store without being assaulted by tablets. Big ones, small ones, Android ones, HP ones, RIM ones, Apple ones. Asides some discussion on GNOME3, we delve into this uncertain territory that has yet to play all its cards. Why is Google withholding the Honeycomb source, and what could be going on behind closed doors? What has Sony's recent actions have to do with "ownership", and what has this meant to GeoHot? Is RIM capable of delivering a product that will deliver their promises, and is Google between a rock and a hard place with Android and Chrome OS? Find it all, here, on the new* OSNews Podcast. (*not actually new)

Everything we know is being turned on its head. It's a brave new future. Or maybe we've woken up in 1994 again. Windows and Office on a different architecture? Tablets galore? My head is spinning. Let me just dial into my favourite BBS and rant about how I like things how they are. (N.B. the title is a Dutch phrase "In de hoek waar de klappen vallen", meaning "in the corner where the punches hit", relevant to our discussion of Intel and PS3 being completely caught out)

The team have managed to pull themselves away from Minecraft long enough to produce a new podcast! The aim of this show to cover the big topics of 2010, including: HTML5 video, the rise of Android, more tablets than you can shake a stick at, handheld gaming biting at Nintendo's heels, companies suing companies and consumer rights degradation, web apps taking over the world, Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series and capping off with our feelings on the lay of the land in 2011 before we invariably end up back at the crafting of mines.

On June the 7th Apple will do some stuff about some stuff and everybody will write lots about said stuff. We discuss a bit of this stuff and the problems Apple are facing with their stuff impacting our stuff. Moving away from Apple we give time to Amiga news on three fronts with MorphOS, AROS on Imica and Aeon's X1000 with its yet-unknown processor. If Thom has gusessed wrong, he'll be dining on a humble-pie / sock taste infusion. Lastly, debate on processors of another kind where we discuss ARM and x86

I wonder what this podcast could be about? In the show Tess gets the opportunity to air her opinions on the Google announcements, particularly around Android and we fill the discussion on VP8, Adobe being a part of it, Google TV and how with friends like the MPEG-LA, who needs enemies? No Thom this week due to Professor Layton and the Misplaced Microphone.

Whew, what a week. In a week of threats, patents and doom and gloom, we are joined by Tess again to discuss desktop computing. Is it going the way of the dodo, or will it turn into something else? (what with all this mobile-computing hype) Also discussed is the ongoing H264 minefield that THREATENS TO DESTROY US ALL *ahem* before meandering off to something more positive: HP buys Palm; assuring us that there is good in this world.

We are joined by OSnews user Mark Henderson to discuss iPhone OS 4 and Apple's licence restrictions on third-party development tools. Also discussed is Haiku, QNX, WebKit 2, Theora and Copyright. Please note that the show was recorded before we received news about Palm.

Catching up on the last few weeks of news, we give time to false rumours being spread about Palm, only adding to their unfortunate pile of woes at this moment. Deja vu strikes with us discussing Windows Phone 7 Series not having copy and paste and won't allow third party apps outside of the marketplace store. Internet Explorer 9; could this really be the end of excuses for developers clinging to IE6? The ticking timb bomb that is H.264 and why Theora isn't necessarily the answer. We end on Adobe Flash--will Adobe take the opportunity to embrace what is happening with HTML5, or keep up their assault on Apple? All and more in this episode of the OSnews Podcast.