It's springtime, and cloud music apps everywhere are in full bloom. The Spotify app for Android 4.0, er, Spotify à la mode, is officially out for dairy dessert powered smartphones everywhere. Since its preview launch in mid-April, the app's picked up a few new features including play queues, folder support, and "scrobbling" from Last.fm.
Meanwhile, Amazon's cloud player app--Amazon Cloud Player--has made its way over to iOS. The app, first available for Android, is now ready for download on an iPhone or iPod touch. Users can stream music directly from their library on Amazon Cloud, and organize songs in playlists.
Verizon's New Plans Built Around Data For Multiple Devices
Verizon Wireless has changed its approach to billing, focussing on data use, distributed over multiple devices their customers may own. Verizon's new "Share Everything" plans will become available on June 28, and will include unlimited calling, texting, and a data package for 10 devices. Tablets, notebooks, hotspots, or smartphones belonging to other members of the family can be part of the bundle for a custom activation fee. Data prices begin at $50 for 1 GB and go up to $100 for 10 GB. Verizon is first out the door to build its billing plans around data use, and analysts expect other data providers like AT&T won't be far behind.
A123 Systems Announces New Tech For Better Batteries
High tech battery maker A123 Systems is announcing a breakthrough that could lead to the production of cheaper, longer lasting lithium ion-batteries for electric cars. If successful, the new tech could serve as a lifeline for a company seeing rough times. The new technology is a step toward eliminating the need for expensive heating and cooling systems to keep A123 System's battery packs pumping, Technology Review explains. A123 Systems, like other new energy ventures, has run into difficult times due to the slow sales of electric vehicles, the New York Times reports: New models like the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt have together sold only 10,000 models this year. It didn't help that A123's partner car maker, Fisker Automotive, hit production delays on its Karma hybrid in 2011, after the battery maker invested $23 million in the company. A recall of defective batteries that same year was a further setback.
Amazon's App Store Coming To Europe This Summer
Amazon's own app store for Android devices is, according to sources speaking to AllThingsD, finally expanding beyond its American cradle and will cross the Atlantic to Europe come the summer. Amazon's expected to announce next week that developers will be able to submit apps soon. The Amazon app store is markedly different from the free market of Google Play, with curated content that's checked for quality by Amazon--very much like the Apple App Store system, and while it can serve apps to many Android devices, its primary focus is Amazon's own Android tablet the Kindle Fire...so naturally this news is being taken as a sign that the Fire may go on sale in more territories too. Apple revealed an international expansion of its App Store during the WWDC keynote yesterday, along with an updated iOS that will compete against most top-line Android devices.
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