Apple rumoured to be in talks to purchase Tidal

Jay-Z’s music streaming service Tidal might be joining Apple, if rumours are to be believed, that is. The Daily Beast reports that Apple is supposedly exploring this option to bring on artists such as Beyonce and Kanye West that release exclusive content on Jay-Z’s service. It also comes at a time when Apple is looking to invest on its music platform, including a redesign of the service. Tidal’s main selling point, aside from the exclusive music, is sound quality. It costs US$20 a month to subscribe to the service.

Google might be releasing its own smartphone (and it’s not a Nexus)

Google has been working with hardware manufacturers like LG to create Nexus-branded devices like this Nexus 5X.

It looks like Google really wants to take the fight to Apple and are planning to release their own Google-branded smartphone—if we are to believe rumours that is. Sources who’ve spoken to the Telegraph claim Google plans to launch a smartphone before the end of the year where they have tighter controls over “design, manufacturing and software.” Google’s head honcho Sundar Pichai hasn’t been shy about wanting to have more say when it comes to their smartphones and they wanted to be more “opinionated” about its design.

This will truly give the company something to truly rival against the iPhone, since they have more control over all aspects of the device and it’ll implement what the tech giant wants a Google-made phone to be like sans the interpretations of hardware manufacturers. But Google also runs the risk of alienating Android hardware manufacturers, much like what happened with Microsoft. Of course, these are all still rumours and the company won’t confirm the news. But if Google does produce its own phone, will you consider buying it?

Source: Engadget

Tipster claims Samsung Galaxy Note 7 instead of Galaxy Note 6 might be in our future

Evan Blass, who often gets reliable phone leaks and is also known as @evleaks on Twitter, claims Samsung will be skipping over the Galaxy Note 6 in favor of Galaxy Note 7. If they do the name change, that’ll put Samsung’s phablet in line with the naming scheme of its new flagships: the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. So, what should we expect this S-Pen-equipped phablet to carry? According to Blass, the device should come with a 5.7-inch display, an iris scanner, 64GB internal storage that’s expandable via microSD, and a 12-megapixel rear shooter and 5-megapixel front camera. The rumoured Galaxy Note 7 will also be IP68-certified to protect it against water. It should come in black, silver, and blue editions. Of course, while Blass is reliable, this still has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Source: CNET

Is iMessage coming to Android?

Is Apple caving and bringing one of its key apps to Android? Recent rumours suggest that Apple will be announcing this piece of “news” at WWDC, which starts on Monday. MacDailyNews cites sources “familiar with the company’s thinking” about this supposed launch. If Apple does decide to bring iMessage to Android, it can be seen as the company’s response to Google introducing its new Allo messenger to both Android and iOS. Apple currently has Apple Music, Move to iOS, and Beats Pill apps available on Android. We’re not sure if Apple will plan to bring its secure and simple iMessage app across the ecosystem pond, especially one key app such as this. But we have a couple of days until we find out. And if they do, the question is will Android users want to use yet another messaging app in the sea of many.

Source: MacDailyNews | Via: MacRumors