MacRumors

Rdio is planning to launch a new streaming tier for $3.99 a month with specific limitations this Thursday, according to BuzzFeed. The news comes as Apple's new streaming service, a rebranded version of Beats Music that may be called Apple Music, gears up to launch next month.

Rdio says the service, called Rdio Select, will include two components: 1) Pandora-like streaming radio stations, without ads, and with the ability to skip ahead as often as you want, and 2) daily access to 25 songs of your choosing. Subscribers will be able to download the 25 songs and replace some or all (or none) of them each day, so long as the number doesn’t exceed 25.

Anthony Bay, Rdio's CEO, tells BuzzFeed that they chose 25 songs because it's "more than most users download in a day". He goes on to note that it also allows the company to not lose money at the price of $4 a month, saying that the company agrees with artist Taylor Swift that on-demand playback of music should not be free.

The move, according to Rdio, is an attempt to tap into a market that doesn't feel ready to pay $9.99 a month for streaming music. Similar to Rdio, Apple's new music streaming service will not offer a free tier. Apple plans on charging $9.99 a month for the service, which will have a focus on curated content. Apple's original plans for its new streaming service planned on, like Rdio, undercutting $9.99-a-month streaming services. Apple had reportedly wanted to offer its service for $5 a month and then $7.99 a month before backing down after resistance from record labels.

Earlier today, it was reported that it would incorporate social media tools for artists to share content with fans. The Cupertino company is also planning to offer a range of exclusive content from artists, which could use the new social media tools to do so. While Apple is still working on completing deals ahead of launch, it's still expected to debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Several apps that make use of the iPhone's camera have a feature that lets the volume button be used as a trigger to snap a photo, and in those apps, the Apple Watch's Music Glance lets the Apple Watch's Digital Crown serve as a remote camera trigger.

Discovered by a reddit user this morning, the hidden trick works in any app that lets the iPhone's volume buttons be used to take a photograph. Examples include Snapchat, Camera+, and Manual, all apps where the iPhone's volume button works in the same way as a press on the on-screen photo capturing button.

To use the Apple Watch as a remote trigger, open a compatible app like Snapchat, open up the Music Glance, and turn the Digital Crown. The action will cause the camera to take a photograph, much like pressing on the iPhone's volume button would do. It also works within the Music app itself.

Though the Apple Watch can be used as a remote trigger for compatible apps through the Music Glance, the function is not as feature rich as Apple's remote control option for the built-in camera. With the default camera, the Apple Watch can turn the iPhone on and capture a photograph.

At the beginning of the month, Apple debuted a new app analytics platform that gives developers a detailed look at app usage statistics. The feature was initially limited to those who requested access to the beta testing program, but as of today, Apple is giving all developers access to the App Analytics beta.

Developers are now receiving emails letting them now about the availability of the new feature, which is free with an iOS Developer Program membership and requires no additional coding or app updates.

App Analytics gives developers access to a number of different usage stats, letting them determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and promotions. The feature lets developers see which websites and blogs drive the most traffic to an app, and it determines how many app downloads a developer's App Store product page earns.

By creating unique links for each marketing campaign, a developer can determine what's effective and what's not, and detailed user engagement metrics let developers see how people are using apps. There's information active devices, number of sessions, and retention, so a developer can tell how long someone's using an app and how often.

Apple's App Analytics information is currently available to all iTunes Connect users who have an Admin, Finance, or Sales role. On the consumer end, customers need not worry about developers having access to personal info -- Apple only displays aggregated data, not personally identifiable information from customers. Users also need to opt-in to share their app usage data to Apple, which can be done via Settings --> Privacy.

Facebook yesterday announced "Instant Articles," a new iOS-based platform designed to speed up the loading times of articles when browsing on the company's iPhone app.

Instant Articles offers publishers a new tool to host their stories on Facebook servers, negating the need to wait for a separate web app to load the content and in turn loading linked articles up to ten times faster than before. Publishers who take advantage of the feature will be provided with a suite of interactivity tools as well, including accelerometer-based photo zooming, audio captions, and the ability to like and comment on individual lines of an article.

The new feature is launching with nine partners: The New York Times, National Geographic, BuzzFeed, NBC, The Atlantic, The Guardian, BBC News, Spiegel and Bild. Facebook hopes that relegating full monetary control over an article to its publisher, including the ability to sell ads within Instant Articles and keep the full revenue, will entice more to support the service.

They're also allowing partners access to Facebook's Audience Network for a chance at beefing up ad spaces and giving them access to comScore and "other analytics tools" to track traffic data on articles. The new platform will also be malleable to each individual publisher, with Facebook introducing a tool set that will allow each specific brand to set its own customizable typeface, color, and layout to closer match what readers expect from each brand.

“Fundamentally, this is a tool that enables publishers to provide a better experience for their readers on Facebook” said Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox. “Instant Articles lets them deliver fast, interactive articles while maintaining control of their content and business models.”

Facebook's new suite of publishing tools aims to provide a more streamlined, hassle-free experience for users of its mobile app, which is always a good thing for a company constantly trying to be forward thinking. However, as The Verge points out, Instant Articles essentially boils down to being "a new publishing format," which could spell doom for those unwilling to join the ranks of Facebook's partners in fear of losing creative control of their own stories.

Instant Articles is available now on the iPhone Facebook app, with special content produced by a few of its initial launch partners. The company hopes to launch to a wider range of smartphone devices in the coming months, as it attempts to gather more publishing partners and listen to user feedback to "help us improve the experience."

Continuing on with our series of keyboard reviews, we're taking a look at the portable, foldable Jorno keyboard. The Jorno made its debut on Kickstarter way back in 2012, and after years of refinements and design changes, the keyboard began shipping out to customers in March of 2015.

The Jorno's look is quite a bit different than the original concept presented in 2012, but the basic idea is the same -- it's a tri-fold Bluetooth keyboard that collapses down for better portability. The Jorno name heralds the design of the keyboard, which resembles a Moleskine journal when it's folded up for travel.

What's in the Box and Setup

The Jorno ships in a compact box that includes the keyboard itself, the cover/stand that holds it up, and a USB cable for charging. Setting up the Jorno takes just a few seconds. When it's unfolded, it's powered on (as indicated by a green light) and Bluetooth can be activated by holding down function and tapping the Bluetooth key (the "C").

From there, it pairs within the Settings menu of an iPhone or iPad like any other Bluetooth accessory.

Design

The Jorno is a two-piece accessory with a QWERTY keyboard and a separate stand rather than a keyboard case, so it's able to work with a wide range of devices, including the iPhone, the iPad, and other smartphones and tablets. The main component of the Jorno is the keyboard itself, which is collapsible and can be folded down into a 5.7 by 3.5 inch package that's then covered by the case/stand for travel.

When the Jorno is not in use, the black leather-like stand serves as a case, but when you need to type something, it folds into a triangle shape held together by magnets, much like an iPad Smart Cover. A small plastic lip at the bottom ensures an iPhone or an iPad stays in place, and the magnets that hold it all together are strong enough that nothing is in danger of falling over. Since it's just a simple stand, the Jorno's case can hold an iPhone or iPad in landscape or portrait mode for typing, watching videos, and more.

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Anyone with an iPhone 4S or newer knows how to use Siri. Even if you've never used the "Hey Siri" feature on iOS 8, you can probably figure it out fairly easily. However, on a completely different device, like Apple Watch, accessing Siri may need a little bit of extra training.

If you are having trouble getting Siri to activate, we've got a tutorial that may help shed some light on how to get her attention. Plus with one simple question, you can find out everything that your personal assistant can help you with on Apple Watch

Using "Hey Siri"

You can get Siri's attention by raising your wrist and speaking the words "Hey Siri" within range of Apple Watch. You can also ask follow up questions the same way.

You can use Hey Siri while you are viewing an app, in the Notifications screen, or on the Home screen. But if you are having trouble getting her attention, try the steps above.

One other reason that you may be having trouble using Hey Siri is if the microphone is blocked. Apple Watch's microphone is on the side of the casing, so if you have a bulky jacket sleeve up against the side where the mic is, it may muffle your voice.

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Alongside the launch of the Apple Watch, many third-party businesses have found room to expand their organizations, or create completely new ones, with various collections of charging stands, band swapping websites, and even more rugged cases for Apple's new wearable. These cases, it should be noted, work in conjunction with Apple's previously existing band options.

One of the more notable accessory manufacturers to throw its hat into the Apple Watch case ring is Speck, with a line of multi-colored cases for the Apple Watch, called CandyShell Fit, launching later this month. Speck promises the CandyShell Fit is perfect for customers with an intensely active lifestyle, as it "provides full bezel protection to guard the smartwatch's glass screen, defend against shock, and allow complete access to the digital crown and side button."

"You only need to do a few things to protect Apple Watch, but you have to do them perfectly and minimally, and in a way that fully honors the design of the device," said Bryan Hynecek, Speck VP of Design. "Speck is about giving people the courage to live their life fully and completely with Apple Watch on, exactly as it was intended to be used."

The case combines a hard polycarbonate outer layer shell and a TPU interior to work in combination at providing exterior and interior shock absorption, respectively. The case includes a slightly raised bezel above the Apple Watch touch screen - about 1.5mm - in order to act as a protective bumper between the Watch and outside environment. As expected, the CandyShell Fit has been put through a test of basic high intensity activities to see its reaction to sweat, high temperatures and even basic sunscreens and lotions. Speck says the new Apple Watch case will launch in multiple colors "later this month" and be priced at $29.99.

Popular accessory manufacturer Spigen also has a range of Apple Watch accessories on its website, from stands to screen protectors. It also provides a diverse array of durable cases for the Watch, providing various degrees of thickness and protection to customers interested in protecting their Apple Watch. Ranging in price from $14.99 to $24.99, Spigen provides increasing degrees of drop and hazard defense to the Apple Watch in multiple color options - including a transparent "liquid crystal" version. The company also promises each case provides full availability to the Watch's heart rate sensor and two side buttons.

Another durability-focused Apple Watch case, called The Bumper, began taking pre-orders a few weeks ago and plans to begin shipping sometime in June. The Bumper's ultra-resistant rubber material allows for ease of use when inserting and removing the Apple Watch, with the 360 degree shock absorbing case providing full access to the touch screen, Digital Crown, contacts button, speaker, microphone, and heart rate sensor.

With the nascence of the Apple Watch, there will no doubt be more and more options for various protection-related Apple Watch accessories as we move further into the year, with other companies getting their hands on their own models of the wearable. Given that some of these manufacturers created useful accessories before even having an Apple Watch in hand, it'll be interesting to see what other third-party companies do moving forward.

Just a few weeks after the Apple Watch launched to the public on April 24, a handful of start-up websites have begun Apple Watch band exchange programs (via Wired). These sites allow customers a range of services, from the ability to trade in their unwanted band for money to go towards a higher-priced model, to swapping out full bands for different colors in the same style.

That's the basis of iBandSwap, a new band exchange website that creator Alistair Barclay says around 530 users have signed up for, with approximately 148 "matches", or band swaps, taking place so far. iBandSwap not only allows for full band trades, but partial ones as well, with Barclay mentioning Black/White and Pink/Blue are the first and second-most popular swap configurations on the site respectively.

Interestingly, the site also allows for swapping individual links from the stainless steel Link Bracelet watch band. One user, for example, found he needed more links than Apple provided due to his large wrist, so on iBandSwap he's attempting to put up some of his extraneous bands to receive extra links from someone using a Link Bracelet with a smaller wrist.

All of these interactions happen independently from any input with the actual website, with both parties receiving one another's contact information upon a successful match, and any shipping process remains delegated to the users. No money is exchanged in the process.

“It’s a small risk,” Barclay says, “and I like to think that most people who are buying a Watch are good people and have no interest in duping someone, as there isn’t really any money involved.”

iBandSwap isn't alone in its Apple Watch band-swapping cause, with sites like StrapSwap and the France-based Band-Band providing similar swap meets and basic e-commerce band selling services to customers tired of their original strap. All of these sites were faced with the initial hurdle that was Apple's confusing description over exactly how many bands came with Apple Watch Sport models, but iBandSwap, StrapSwap, and Band-Band have kept chugging along and remained nearly identical in structure as initially planned.

BandSwapper, however, has taken a different approach as its Apple Watch Sport-focused swap site was hit hardest of all by the three-band interchangeability confirmed by Apple in the days leading up to the Watch launch. According to the team, they always had a back-up idea for BandSwapper and have decided to pivot to that plan B entirely. It's now called WatchDots, and allows customers to place small stickers on the top of the Digital Crown and contacts buttons, aiming to provide lower-end Watch models with a similar look to the Edition line of color-matched buttons.

“On the high-end gold model, the digital crown is color-matched to your band,” explains co-founder Adam Hoyle. “The Sport doesn’t have this, it’s just all aluminum.” Pricing hasn’t been officially announced yet, but WatchDots will be under $10.

WatchDots hasn't officially launched yet, but those interested can enter their email address on the official website for updates and a 25% off promo code on their first order. These sites are no doubt just the first wave of band swapping and selling services provided online, with new experiences to launch - and currently established ones to rise in popularity - as more Apple Watch units and bands become more widely available in the coming weeks.