To almost anyone who uses iTunes, purchasing music has always been the name of the game. For a smaller faction of users though, subscription music has always been the way to go. From Zune Pass to Rhapsody, Rdio to Spotify, its been pretty well proven that people enjoy having unlimited access to whatever music they want, without having to make the consideration of whether or not they want to buy another full CD, or even spend .99 cents on a single. Very recently, with the popularity Android has gained in the marketplace, Google introduced Google Music. Now, it appears that Apple is ready to show us what they’ve been working on. Rumored to be called iCloud, it appears Apple’s service may do more than initially thought. Read on past the break for all the dirty details!

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Good news today…We got our Google Music Beta invite! (Not sure what Google Music is? Here’s our summary from its announcement at Google I/O.) While not everyone has them yet, as just like most beta products Google is rolling this out slowly, but we received our email today and will be testing the heck out of Google Music this week. Why are we telling you this? Simple. We want to you know exactly what you want to know. We’re going to give you the full rundown, but if there are any specific things you want to know, definitely hit us up! You can email, tweet us, or as always, comment on this here post!

Again, we’ll be testing it out all week this week, and will hit you with a full review over the weekend, so make sure to check back Saturday or Sunday for the complete rundown!

As some of you may know, this week is the annual Consumer Electronics Show. This show is held each year, and is where hundreds of different kinds of tech companies exhibit, and many of them announce new products as well. We’ll be recapping each night this week, bringing you all the most important news from each day. (Don’t worry, will filter out the boring stuff you don’t care about, and get all the juicy details on the stuff you actually want to know.) So keep coming by for all the big news, and none of the stuff that just doesn’t matter!

Want a little taste of what we’re likely (and unlikely) to see? Read on for ITK’s official CES 2011 preview!

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It’s a pretty well-known in the video game world that Microsoft releases a relatively big Xbox Live update each fall.  (For those uninitiated, Xbox Live is the online network that let’s Xbox 360 users play games together from anywhere in the world, purchase, rent and watch movies and music, and more.) This year has been no different, as Microsoft released their Fall Update last week, introducing some new tweaks to the user interface, as well as some nice new features that most users will probably appreciate.  From ESPN3 to Netflix’s new abilities, Kinect connectivity to Windows Phone 7 integration, we’ve got it all here for you, so read on to see what we think! Read the rest of this entry »

As reported on literally 7 hours ago, Netflix has gone ahead and made offical the US release of their streaming-only subscription.  The good news is you can now sign up for Netflix without paying for DVD’s through the mail.  The bad news?  It will only save you a buck. That’s right, streaming only costs $7.99, and streaming plus 1 DVD at a time will run you $8.99.

Here’s hoping they can manage to either lower the price of streaming only, or at least for that price get new releases in time with DVD, because otherwise, this just can’t be recommended.  Don’t get me wrong, I still highly recommend the $8.99/month streaming DVD plan, but why would anyone opt out of the DVD option when it will only cost $12 extra per year?  Hopefully this leads the way for many, many more new and high quality movies on the streaming service, but until then, grab the 1 DVD plan!

Are you a Netflix subscriber?  How often do you really get DVD’s?  What price would streaming-only have to get down to in order for you to get the streaming-only service over one with a DVD option?

Here at ITK we’re huge fans of Netflix.  Partly because it’s a great deal for basically anyone who likes to rent a movie or two a month, but even more so because of the growth its bringing to video streaming.  We’ve always thought that streaming content was the future, and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has confirmed for us now that he agrees.  When announcing their third quarter financial results, Hastings stated that Netflix is “now primarily a streaming company that also offers DVD-by-mail” and that while Canada already has a less expensive, streaming-only subscription available, the US could see the same offering sometime this quarter. Read on for pricing details and more!

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What’s the overused idea in technology right now? 3D. Every movie this summer has been a disgrace (with certain exceptions) and the makers believe that 3D will help enhance their movies. Although, truthfully, the movie is just as awful, if not worse in 3D. Along with the 3D movie rush came the horrible 3D TVs. However, aside from these 3D movies and TVs, another new addition to the 3D family has been announced. It is the Sony 3D laptop.

Sony’s new laptop is due in the spring of 2011 and will allow users to view 3D videos and games at a 1080p resolution. In Berlin, Sony revealed upcoming Vaio laptops that come equipped with their own 3D glasses and a button specifically for 3D. The laptop is one of a kind, in that it is able to display video at 240 frames per second to keep the 3D effect. An avid tech fan would question the graphics chip used, but Sony refused to disclose this information. Along with the presentation of these laptops Sony has mentioned that the PlayStation 3 is going to receive new firmware in the future. This firmware will make the PlayStation 3; yes you guessed it, 3D capable. A few games that will allow 3D game play are: Tumble, Mortal Kombat, Virtual Tennis 4, Killzone 3, The Fight, MLB baseball, and Super Stardust HD. The final new release that Sony is going to offer is a 3D TV channel. The channel is said to display history, children’s programs, science, and movies.

Personally, I believe that the 3D laptop will not be worth the investment. I am not a fan of 3D movies, and would advise only true 3D movie fans to buy this upcoming laptop. For some people, 3D movies are a great experience, and if you would like to be able to take the movies on the go while keeping the 3D effects then Sony’s laptop is the product for you.  Although, when it comes to gaming it is a different story. It is an interesting feature for a laptop to have the ability to play games in 3D, but if you have a PlayStation 3 why not just buy the firmware and play 3D games on that? Aside from the mobility factor of laptops it doesn’t seem worth it. The PlayStation 3 is said to have the best graphics of any gaming platform, which includes computers and laptops. If you are a true gamer, then the best choice is to buy yourself a PlayStation 3. Sony is trying to jump into the sudden 3D technology movement, and it is a good decision because some people will buy and test out these new products. However, I would rather save money and stick to normal movies. The 3D movies in the theaters don’t seem to actually be coming towards your seat, but instead it feels like the movies image is just enhanced and may pop out a bit.  In order to get me to buy these 3D products, companies must create a more intense 3D experience, where items are actually thrown at your seat. Similar to the 3D shows that are extremely popular in Disney World, such as Philhar Magic. I feel like that will keep the experience fun and entertaining for a much longer time.

What’s your take on 3D products? Tell us in the comments!

Source – Sony 3D Laptops