W♥M

Kindle Fire HD, will you get one?

I've been interested in the iPad since its announcement. If you haven't jumped on board with the tablet frenzy, here are some more option: the Kindle HD 7" or 8". While most people will be happy with the $199 Kindle, if you're into reading comic books and magazines - then you have to go large. For $199, it's cheaper than an iPod touch, if you're looking for a "portable" music player. 7" will fit in large pockets, just don't wear those tight, tight jeans.

I wouldn't buy a 7" iPad version (if that's coming out). Remember, the size has to be large to display a whole comic book page without having to zoom in and out - so the larger the screen, the better. 10" is not exactly "portable", but it's the right size for a magazine page.

Anyway, Amazon announced their competitor to the iPad, so let's break it down with a side-by-side comparison.

KINDLE FIRE HD 8.9" 4G LTE	NEW IPAD (3rd Gen)
Size: 8.9 inches	Size: 9.7 inches
Price: $499	Price: $729
Display: 1920x1200 HD at 254 ppi	Display: 2048×1536 at 264 PPI
Speakers: Dolby audio and dual stereo	Speakers: Single grill
CPU: 1.5Ghz dual-core	CPU: 1 GHz Apple A5X
Graphics: Imagination PowerVR 3D	Graphics: PowerVR SGX543MP4
Storage: 32 or 64 GB	Storage: 16, 32, or 64 GB
Memory: 1 GB DDR2 RAM	Memory: 1 GB DDR2 RAM
Camera: "HD"	Camera: 1080p rear-facing
Battery: 8 hours (based on old Kindle Fire)	Battery: 10hr
Weight: 1.25 lb	Weight: 1.46 lb
Wireless: Dual-band/dual-antenna Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
LTE: $50 a year for 250mb a month	LTE: $179.88 a year for 250mb
Advertisement screensavers	No advertisements

Keep in mind the comparison is with the "new iPad", which was released one year ago. Apple has yet to announce a new, new iPad for 2013, but I suspect they will upgrade and surpass the current model.

Right off the bat
The LTE pricing is awesome. It's $50 a year to stay connected. Granted, 250mb is not a lot of data, but it's really useful if you just want to check your email or update your status, etc. On the other hand, the iPad is no-contract, so you can turn off the internet anytime you want.

No GPS on Kindle?
I don't think there's GPS services with the Kindle. I don't have the old Kindle, does that also mean no Google maps on the Kindle? The other bad news is that Amazon has their own app store, which isn't as big as the regular Android store… and less big than the Apple app store. Most games also appears on iOS before other stores - and they're generally cheaper (average iPad app price is $2.99).

Movie playback
I can't comment on the new Kindle - but the old Kindle Fire does not support softcode subtitles or multiple audio tracks. Even the first gen iPad will playback 720p content with softcode subtitles and multiple tracks. The new iPad supports 1080p content, but to be honest, because of storage issues, I downscale my Blu-Rays to 720p. Also, if you stream content within your home, 1080p does tend to choke, especially if you're using older Wi-Fi band (like the PS3's wireless).

Anyway, it should be interesting to play around with the Kindle HD when it comes out to see what it can and can't do. Right now, based on pricing and connectivity, the Kind HD is pretty hot. However, this could all change when Apple announce something this September 12th.

Other things to consider
Amazon does not support Epub, which is a popular e-book format. Amazon has its own DRM book format called AMZ, which no one else uses. Amazon also tout their prime service, but if you're an iPad user, Amazon does offer an iOS app.

Amazon puts "special offers" as a special feature. It's not a feature, these are advertisements. How would you feel if your computer's screen saver started showing Microsoft ads?

ALSO: Kindle Fire HD has a built-in HDMI out. You have to buy a $30 dongle for the iPad. I would imagine iPad4 will have its own built-in output.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Adele and Coldplay Piano Songbook

Read More Adele Clearly the big winner of the night was Adele, winning six Grammys: Album of the Year (21), Best Pop Record (21)…

Here is a review of the iPad application for Adele Piano Songbook and Coldplay Piano Songbook, both developed by Musicroom.com. Both applications are identical, complete with biography, more apps, and help options.

Since I don't know how to read music sheets, I am assuming all the timing, backing tracks and notes are perfect. I played the more popular hits ("Rolling in the Deep," "The Scientist," etc.), and they sound exactly as you would expect a pop song to be converted to "muzac." Just imagine if your favorite hits were stripped of vocals and the music replaced with piano melodies.

I have seen piano tribute albums going for $10+ and piano sheet music books for $20+, so having both these things appearing in one iPad app seem like a real bargain at $7.99 each.

I do have some minor issues/bugs with the application; for one thing it doesn't look great on landscape (you'll notice that 70% of the screen is white with a small music note in the center). It just seems to me that this app was design to read in portrait mode, and the landscape option was an afterthought.

If you swipe to the next page, the automatic paging turning stops working. I don't think this is a bug, but I found it annoying that the only way to get back to automatic page turn is to press pause and press start again. When it does work normally, the automatic page-turning feature is smooth and displays a live preview of the next page (this is perfect for anticipating the next set of keys).

Also, for an application that remembers your notes and annotations that you can leave anywhere on the music sheet, it sure doesn't remember the size setting! By default each song is set to "small," and will revert back to "small" when you go back into the song.

Outside of these small gripes, the software is solid. It didn't crash or show slow-downs, and the Noteflight notation piano audio sounded great.

If you're a pianist and want to play Adele and Coldplay hit songs, these affordable applications are perfect for you. You can pick up these apps on iTunes.

Adele Piano Songbook Chasing Pavements* Cold Shoulder Daydreamer Don't You Remember Hometown Glory* Make You Feel My Love* Right As Rain* Rolling In The Deep* Set Fire To The Rain* Someone Like You* Take It All Turning Tables* * with backing track

Coldplay Piano Songbook Amsterdam* Clocks* Don't Panic Fix You Green Eyes In My Place Sparks Speed Of Sound The Hardest Part The Scientist* Trouble* Violet Hill* Viva La Vida Warning Sign Yellow * with backing track

vu () ♥ www.musicroom.com

Currents vs Flipboard vs Pulse. FIGHT!

Looking for an RSS reader for the iPad? Perhaps one of these will work for you. While all of these are functional, personally, the winner for me is Currents because I need to access the latest feeds offline. But if you have unlimited 3G access, then go crazy! Please add our RSS or Atom RSS.

>>>

Free Category: News Released: Dec 08, 2011 Version: 1.0.0.938 Size: 9.3 MB Seller: Google Mobile © 2011 Google, Inc

GOOGLE CURRENTS
google.com/producer/currents

I've been playing around with Google's Currents iPad app. This just came out a few days ago and is their answer to Flipboard (see my thoughts on Flipboard for the iPad below).

So my thoughts on Currents is that I believe that Google just is NOT GOOD at design. The 'newspaper' layout is alright, but I wish I had more control over its setting - for instance, set the font to a different size.

Links to youtube videos will automatically show up in the article, the article is a folded in the middle layout (wish maybe there was a light line to separate to the two side, because as a creature of habit, I will read left to right, despite the break).

I think eventually, Currents will become "good enough" for me to ditch paying for a subscription to the Daily. At the moment, paying $60 a year for a daily newspaper/magazine is worth it for what I need it to do for me (keeping me updated on the events of the day on my breaks).

As for the Currents, I will say that it's easy to setup and add my own RSS. I added W♥M right away and that worked out just fine.

Good: Offline is automatic and downloads are done in the background. Syncing up images takes longer to download, but it's worth it when you're in an offline area.

Bad: Requires a Google login. Sure, we all have a google account, so the sting isn't that painful (plus your library will sync across platform, so if you're using Currents on Android, it will remember what you're reading). Also, it crashes a lot. Also, it's UGLY.

Free Category: News Released: Dec 08, 2011 Version: 1.7.1 Size: 8.6 MB Seller: Flipboard, Inc. © 2010-2011 Flipboard Inc.

FLIPBOARD
flipboard.com

People are calling this the "social magazine" and it finally came out on the iPhone and iPod Touch this month. Also rolled out is an updated version to their iPad edition.

What I immediately like is that it looks good. Their "partners" have custom RSS and setup, making it look even better and prettier on the iPad.

Adding W♥M's RSS is a bit of a hassle, it found our twitter account right away, but finding the typepad website was a no-go. I had to manually type in the full address.

Offline access can be done via instapaper or Read it Later, but this requires you to open up the article and flagging it to read later. This is cumbersome, why isn't there a "download all" option?

Good: It looks pretty, oh so pretty. It's fast. They have an eye for design, unlike Google.

Bad: Offline reading is annoying, it requires an external additional login and you have to manually find articles to flag for offline.

Free Category: News Updated: Oct 21, 2011 Version: 2.6 Size: 5.2 MB Seller: Alphonso Labs Inc © 2011 Alphonso Labs Inc.

PULSE
pulse.me

Pulse kind of disappeared in the background, despite having won the Apple Design Award for 2011.

Their goal is to make news reading "fun and engaging", which, unfortunately means "social", which equals: you need a Facebook account. Sure, most of us have a FB account, but I'm not looking to share what I have read, I have spent too much time deleting social news in my timeline. So, yeah, I don't trust and I don't use any FB plugin whenever it's offered.

While they want you to create a login for a ".me" account, I found that I can still click on 'save' without having to register.

Good: Gridlike design, good use of images. Retains original RSS format, which is a plus for me (as it does not randomly remove tables and CSS).

Bad: Relies too much on images, feeds without images looks AWFUL. Does not offer a "newspaper" layout. Like Flipboard, you need to open a page individual for offline saving, no "download all" option.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Kurt Cobain: The Graphic Novel

There's never been a more exciting time to be a Nirvana fan than now, 20 years after Nevermind was released.

I remember the first time I saw Nirvana on Spin Magazine (all of last month, Spin Magazine celebrated its anniversary) and Rolling Stone Magazine, and pretty much everywhere else. They were really HYPED. But you know the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and not able to understand what the heck Kurt Cobain was saying, it wasn't like any song I've never heard! History was made.

Anyway, Nevermind got a special 2-disc release last month, but super fans will probably want to pick up the deluxe 4-CD/1-DVD edition. I think it retails for about $50, a little too rich for my blood. Besides, I already bought the album when it was originally released.... still, who would blame me for lusting after its packaging with rarities, b-sides, and alt mixes.

Can't get enough Nirvana? Gibson Guitar had just announced its upcoming release of Krist Novoselic Signature RD Bass! This Signature model can be seen on various Nirvana tours in 1991. One thing to expect is that the bass guitar will be massive, quote Novoselic "I play Gibson RDs from the 1970s and it's incredible to now have my own signature model. This is a big bass! I am 6'7" tall and these long-scale beasts fit me physically. You've got to pound those heavy grunge riffs and you need the weight to do it. At the same time, there's plenty of fretboard that accommodates the finer runs and fills higher on the neck." The guitar is a wee bit expensive (over $2,000), but if you're a fan... more details on gibson.com

$5.99 Category: Books Updated: Oct 18, 2011 Version: 1.1 Size: 132 MB Language: English Seller: Musicroom.com © Music Sales Limited You must be at least 17 years old to download this app. Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Read More iPad I really don't understand why people really, really hate this thing. Haven't you ever used your iphone and wished you had a bigger device? I'm sorry, but watching movies on a small screen on your phone is not a great experience.

Meanwhile, I have the new Kurt Cobain: The Graphic Novel iPad app for review.

Just to give you a little background, I love comic books. I've started collecting since 1985 with Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (I maintain george-perez.com). I am an old-timer, I still prefer printed comics, but I do understand that the medium is moving towards digital.

Anyway, Kurt Cobain: The Graphic Novel is basically a comic book app, reprinting Omnibus' Godspeed - The Kurt Cobain Graphic from 2003. While the pages are readable, I wish they'd gone in and digitally clean up the colors or make it more vibrant, because it just look like they scanned the artwork. My other gripe is that the application requires iOS 5.0 to run the software. Don't really understand why it needs iOS 5, there's nothing fancy about the graphics or anything.

The comic book is basically a biography of Cobain, from his childhood to his eventual suicide. I was kind of surprise how the writer (Barnaby Legg) and artist (Jim McCarthy) paints this picture that Cobain was like Jesus Christ - at least playing with the cross and angel wings images. I know that during Nirvana's final tour, they played a lot with the religious elements, but according to the comic book, these things were with Kurt Cobain when he was a boy).

If you're familiar with Comixology, the Kurt Cobain: The Graphic Novel works the same way - you can tap on an image and it will zoom in the panel... making it easier to read (especially on an iPhone or iPod). I recommend reading it in vertical mode on your iPad for the best experience.

The only extra feature is that get a rather long introduction, which goes uncredited (I am assuming the writer Legg wrote it), and a "About" page talking about the source material (Godspeed - The Kurt Cobain Graphic).

If you're a hardcore Nirvana fan (and over 18 years old), you should consider picking up this iPad app. If you want to take one step further, the printed Godspeed - The Kurt Cobain Graphic can be purchased at musicroom.com for £9.95 (the iPad app is cheaper at £3.99).

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

This Day in Music

This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad $2.99 Category: Music Updated: Aug 06, 2010 Current Version: 2.1 Size: 62.0 MB Language: English Seller: Musicroom.com © Music Sales Limited / Neil Cossar Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1 or later

Comcast strikes again. I don't know what their problem is, but lately, I've been having nothing but connectivity problems. The latest is my router now shows "no connection", but I can plug an ethernet cord directly from my computer to the modem and it will work. Tomorrow, I'll go ahead and buy a new N router (my current model is a G), so hopefully this will solve the problem.* If only there are internet competition in my area, I would switch internet service immediately! Unfortunately, I'm stuck at the moment.

So update: I won't be going to SXSW this year, the band I was going to tag a ride with decides they were going on tour before and after SXSW. That's fine, all the money I'll save, I'm looking to get another four third camera. I kind of want the new iPad 2, which is being released this Friday, but since I already own the first generation iPad, I'll probably skip this version. If they put on a higher resolution screen, I'll definitely splash out, I guess two cameras isn't enough to make me want to upgrade.

So, speaking of Apple, here's a music app for review: This Day in Music.

The origin of this application is that it is based on a thisdayinmusic.com, which started in 1999. Taking all that data from the website, they published a book and eventually this iPhone/iPad application.

Like the This Day in Led Zeppelin, this application works the same way. Although it runs on the iPad, I've decided to use the application mostly on an iPod Touch 4 - which may be a bit of a mistake. The sound used on the quiz uses the ring tone phone, so even if you turn the regular volume all the way down to zero, you still hear the guitar noise! On the iPhone and iPad, there is an external switch which mutes phone sound, there is no such button on the iPod Touch. The workaround this is to go into your settings and under "sounds and alerts" turn this to mute. After all that was sorted out, the quiz seems to go on and on, as far as I know, it doesn't end. The problem is that you don't know how well you do with a finalized score - but I thought I did pretty well.

The information that I wasn't excited about were the charts news, the auction dollar amount, and occasionally non-music people (for instance, I think Andy Warhol was on one of the dates). What I did like are musician birthdays, deaths, and photographs.... which the application offers plenty of.

You're probably thinking why would you buy this application, when the information is available for free on their website. And I say to you, sometime you may have internet connectivity issues, like I am experiencing, and having all the information already on the iPhone is a much better experience.

BONUS: On this Day, March 9th:

1966: Beach Boys started recording 'God Only Knows', which becomes a UK no 2 when released as a single with 'Wouldn't it be Nice'

1977: The Jacksons' CBS show airs for the last time on US TV finishing at the bottom of the ratings

2010: Lil Wayne is sentenced to a year in prison at New York's Rikers Island jail complex after pleading guilty to gun possession. The charges were linked to his arrest in 2007 when a gun was found on his tour bus.

* UPDATE: New Belkin N router fixed the problem. Uploading files larger than 100mb still seems to be an issue (modem turns blinking red lights when I upload 100mb), had to reduce video size from 150mb to 62mb - I will repose the video later. If you're impatient, check back at vimeo.com.

vu () ♥ www.thisdayinmusic.com

Blues Writer

Blues Writer is an iOS application from Musicroom.com, designed to aid blues musicians, whenever inspirations hit them. After playing around with the recording process, I would have to say that this isn't meant to replace actual polish recordings, just an idea to revisit later or perhaps share with friends and family.

Like most Apple applications, prices are pretty cheap, it's only $1.99 on iTunes. Please note the massive download, which is disallowed over 3G on your phone, so I suggest downloading it on your computer and syncing it (or connect to a reliable wifi connection).

This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad $1.99 Category: Music Released: Dec 21, 2010 Version: 1 (iOS 4.0 Tested) Size: 365 MB Language: English Seller: Musicroom.com © Music Sales Limited

Creating a new song is pretty painless, you just click on New Song and you're sent to the "Write" section, which is basically just a notepad area. If you're stuck on finding a rhyme, the application also comes with Schirmer's Complete Rhyming Dictionary. I found that the dictionary display is too "busy" and chaotic for my taste.

You can either use your own iTunes songs or use one of the 10 instrumental tracks included. In about ten minutes, you've just recorded your first Blues Writer song. It was pretty easy.

Currently, the only option for exporting your creation is to use Soundcloud, but maybe they can add more option in a future update. As a reviewer, I can't say that I was very good at this whole creative process, but I did give it a go. You can hear the "song" I made on soundcloud.

I can't say I'll recommend this application to everyone, it's strictly for people that are serious about jotting and quickly recording songs "on the go", which means for iPhone or iPod Touch 4 users. Can't really see if this will fit into the lifestyle of an iPad users, since iPads aren't generally that portable. If you're just into music, you don't have to use the "blues" soundtrack, I can see this easily fitting into freestyle artists.

vu () ♥ blueswriterapp.com

This Day In Led Zeppelin

This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad $2.99 Category: Music Released: Jan 17, 2011 Version: 1.00 Size: 86.2 MB Language: English Seller: This Day in Music Apps LLP © This Day In Music Apps 2011 Rated 12+ for the following: Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later

Much like those documentary-type books, such as Queen Live: A Concert Documentary and The Smiths: The Visual Documentary, the iOS application, This Day In Led Zeppelin, is chock-full of details about the band, courtesy of This Day in Music Apps. While this kind of trivial information is cool for fans of Led Zeppelin and trainspotters alike, I find that if you have little or no interest in the band, that this application will be completely useless to you. If you love this band, keep reading:

The pricing is perfect, considering that this is a universal application for both iPhone and iPad. Although I will admit that the iPad option wasn't really thought out, that this application was really designed for the held-held iPhone or iPod Touch. Some clues: this application doesn't do landscape and images are still pretty tiny, with no option to expand to a larger version. The larger images isn't going to be deal breaker, in fact, I can understand why they'd want small images, because I'm assuming there are about 365 images (which could explain why the application is a large 90mb download). I do like that the images are randomly displayed.

As for the meat of the product, you get a trivia about Led Zeppelin based on the day, broken down by various years. For instance, this day in Zeppelin (January 31^st), LZ played their first of two nights at the Fillmore East in New York in 1969 and in 1975 they played Detroit Michigan (with the set list information). The nice thing about this is that you can skip around, so if a particular day is important to you (like, say, your birthday), you can read what LZ were up to that day.

As I previously mentioned, some of this data is a little far-fetched, like do I really need to know the birthday of Deborah Bonham (sister of the late drummer John Bonham)?

But wait, there's more, you get a few extras with this application: Trivia, Quiz, Song Notes, Store and Extras. The later two will take you out of the application, so I'll just only briefly mention the first three. The Trivia are basically recycled data from the "On this Day" information, I think in random order. The Quiz is fun, you aren't told what the right answer is and it's only in session of 10 questions per quiz (also random questions). The highlight is the Song Notes for me. Much more information than any liner notes, this drills down from album details to facts about each song. Of course, I looked up "Stairway to Heaven", which is their most popular song in the US (despite having never been issued a single in the states). The song was so popular that it was played on terrestial radio over three million times. Just to put that in perspective, they said that if you played all three million back-to-back, it would run for 44 solid years.

Anyway, a delightful program, This Day In Led Zeppelin is recommended if you like Led Zeppelin. It is doing well in the iTunes UK and I'm holding out for a This Day in The Smiths.

vu () ♥ ledzeppelin.com

Gleeking it up

Discography [Nov 2009] Glee: The Music, Volume 1 [Dec 2009] Glee: The Music, Volume 2 [May 2010] Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers Read More Glee http://weheartmus... As a cover lover, I accepted to review Glee: The Music, Volume 1 simply based on their cover of J...

Dream a Little Dream of Glee

The "Dream On" episode was a gas! As always, the music selection complimented the storylines graciously. It was an extra treat having two amazing guest stars, both with Broadway resumes. Idina Menzel returns as Shelby Corcoran, coach of Vocal Adrenaline and Neil Patrick Harris makes his glee debut as Bryan Ryan, Mr. Schuester's (Matthew Morrison) former high school nemesis.

Glee is charming in how, through their music selection, they have a little something for everybody. Taking us on a genre rollercoaster ride, they gave us a rock ballad, an 80's new wave party hit, an emotional show tune, and a rendition of Mama Cass's "Dream a Little Dream", a song originated in the 1930's.

Aerosmith's "Dream On" was sung as a rockin' duo by Matthew Morrisson and Neil Patrick Harris. The studio engineers detailed the music amazingly. I enjoyed this song because you can feel the energy in their voice. I was really impressed that NPH belted that high note (Dream On) and it's funny because he sounded more like Axle Rose.

Kevin McHale gave a wonderful performance in "The Safety Dance". In Artie's daydream sequence, he leaves the chair behind and dances all around the mall, flash mob-esque; it made me want to dance. This Men Without Hats song has always been a club hit and glee's cover is sure to be a 21st Century club anthem.

Lea Michele debuted in Broadway's production of Les Miserables and it was a lovely selection to have her sing a duet of "I Dreamed a Dream" with Idina Menzel, another Broadway beauty. When they sing together, harmonizing the long notes, it's as if there's only 1 person singing.

"Dream a Little Dream" was the highlight of the episode. I've always had a soft spot for this song and after hearing McHale's version, it's beyond emotional for me. You can feel the sad romance in Artie's voice as he sings in hope for the future. Serenity is delivered when he sings the melody and I get the chills when he whistles. The backup vocals are sweet and I especially love the bass on this song.

These four songs are available now on itunes. "Dream On", "The Safety Dance" and "I Dreamed a Dream" are also included on Showstoppers, the 3^rd volume of Glee: The Music.

 06/06/2010 14:29:21 ♥ stephanie ♥ gleethemusic.com ♥ fox.com/glee

Glee, for your iPad/iPhone

With the latest Glee album, Showstopper being on #1 album on the Billboard 200, Glee is more popular than ever, I've decided to see what all the fuss is about (again), by checking out Smule's Glee application for the iPad/iPhone. I've previously mentioned that I did not get into the Fox television show - the pilot just didn't do it for me. But it's a show that you'd think I'd be all over, since I am a self-confessed cover lover.

The application is basically a karaoke application, allowing you to record a song and saving and sharing it with others. The key to Smule's app is the sharing aspect via twitter, facebook, etc. Once other users "star" your recording, you get 100 gleek points, which you can get more free songs (although with all that spamming to your friends, I would just recommend buying the song for 99 cents).

Speaking of the price, the application is 99 cents and comes with three songs: "Rehab", "Somebody to Love", and "You Keep Me Hanging On". I wish there were more free songs, or sell a bundle of songs, because I don't feel like paying another $10 for ten more songs... but thankfully, you can sing along to your own iTunes library.

This application is recommended if you're Gleek (not the Superfriends' monkey) or a karaoke fan... but be warned: you may buy additional songs and become hooked on the show.

 06/06/2010 14:29:21 ♥ vu () ♥ glee.smule.com

 

 

News: Apple

It's been a while since I compile some music news at news.weheartmusic.com. The theme of this post is "apple".

THE APPLES IN STEREO
www.applesinstereo.com ♥ myspace.com

I'm not smart enough to understand what the leader of The Apples in stereo, Robert Schneider, is saying on his The Non-Pythagorean Music Scale when he created something new... but what I can tell you is that he's very down-to-earth, as I had a comic book discussion with him. If you are interested in downloading all the tones and beeps from the scale, I've included the embed information on how to get the free download.

The Apples In stereo - What's The #

Anyway, using his new music scale, The Apples in stereo will produce "the first pop song ever written with this new scale" on their upcoming record called Travellers in Space and Time, out on April 20^th on Yep Roc/Simian/Elephant 6. Incidentally, the title sounds to me like it's taken from astronomy-obsessed Patrick Moore.

Of course, with the new record, it means new tour dates. The last time they played, one of my favorite song ("What's the #") was stuck at the encore. I am hoping they continue to have that song on their set.

THE APPLES IN STEREO: TRAVELLERS IN SPACE AND TIME TOUR
Apr 16 - Cosmic Charlies - Lexington, KY
Apr 17 - 123 Pleasant Street - Morgantown, WV
Apr 18 - Rock and Roll Hotel - Washington DC
Apr 20 - Johnny Brenda’s - Philadelphia, PA
Apr 21 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Apr 23 - Middle East Underground - Cambridge, MA
Apr 24 - Castaways - Ithaca, NY
Apr 25 - Bug Jar - Rochester, NY
Apr 27 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
Apr 28 - The Pike Room - Pontiac, MD
Apr 30 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
May 1 - Turf Club - St. Paul, MN
May 3 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI
May 4 - Billiken Club - St. Louis, MO

IPAD
apple.com

IPAD

Really, what a crap name.

I really don't understand why people really, really hate this thing. Haven't you ever used your iphone and wished you had a bigger device? I'm sorry, but watching movies on a small screen on your phone is not a great experience.

What about GPS and maps ? Oh man, it would be so nice to have it on such a large surface. Imagine playing air hockey or RPG games on it.

I'm really looking forward to getting comic books on it. It has a color screen, compared to the crappy Kindle (which I don't understand why people love their one-trick kindle).

The smart money would be to wait for Gen 2 of the iPad, so... I'm going to wait it out (even though I would love to get the iPad as quickly as possible).

A Star for Ringo Starr (photo credit: Rob Shanahan)

A STAR FOR STARR
ringostarr.com

Ex-Apple Records recording artist, Ringo Starr, finally got his own star on the Hollywood Walk-of-Fame.

You can watch the event the entire Ringo Starr Hollywood Star event on various websites (try ringostarr.com and thebeatles.com).

As you can see from the photo, Starr looks really happy. What I really want to know is what is Ben Harper doing there ?

Ringo's entire 2010 Tour Dates as follow:

June: 24-25 Niagara Falls ONT Fallsview Casino 26 Bethel NY Bethel Woods Center 27 Uncasville CN Mohegan Sun Arena 29 Boston MA Bank Of America Pavilion 30 Westbury NY Westbury Theatre July: 2 State Theatre Easton PA 3Atlantic City NY Caesar's Circus Maximus 5New Brunswick NJ State Theater 6 Lancaster PA American Theater 7 New York NY Radio City Music Hall 10 Atlanta Ga Chastain Park 11 Durham NC Durham Performing Arts Center 13 Clearwater Fl Ruth Eckerd Hall

July: 15 Hollywood Fl Hard Rock Arena 17 Saint Augustine FL St Augustine Amphitheatre 20 Cleveland OH City Lights Pavilion 21 Canandaigua NY Sands PAC 23 Windsor ONT Caesars 24 Hammond IN Horseshoe Casino 25 Prior Lake MN Mystic Lake Casino 28 Calgary ALB Jubilee Theater 30 Spokane WA Northern Quest Casino 31 Woodinville Wa Chateau St Michelle August: 5 Rancho Mirage CA Agua Caliente Casino 6 San Diego CA Humphrey's 7 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre

I haven't checked ticket prices, but I'm pretty sure I can't afford to see Starr at Mystic Lake.

Oh well, peace and love.

Sweet Apple

SWEET APPLE
myspace.com

The last time I heard about Dinosaur Jr was that they played on "Play"boy.com's music thing.

I'm not sure if the band broke up, but I just found out that singer/guitarist J Mascis is now in a band called Sweet Apple.

You can read more about them on and if you want to hear a song by them, head over to pitchfork.�

�02/11/2010 10:58:38�♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com