Your Music: Brought To You By The Cloud

Earlier this week Apple activated its much anticipated iTunes Match service. The service, which comes with a price tag of $25 per year, allows users to store their iTunes purchases in the cloud, as well as matching and backing up all tracks not purchased through iTunes.

So how does it work?  iTunes Match will take time to search for your library and match up your files with songs that are already in the iTunes store.  This means you can play music at high quality, even if your current files are lower quality.  Existing iTunes store purchases are also thrown into the mix.  The songs that aren’t found in the iTunes store (such as that polka/jazz/heavy metal demo CD from the guy down the street) can then be uploaded to the cloud, making them available from any iTunes or iOS device.  You can then either stream or download these songs to your computer or mobile device.

iTunes Match is limited to 25,000 non-iTunes tracks.  If you have a supermassive music library, Match may not be a good choice for you.

Razrs – Not Just For Shaving

Remember the Motorola Razr?  Many of us do because after its release in 2004, it became one of the most popular phones to hit the market.  Now seven years later, Motorola is trying to duplicate the Razr’s success by introducing it to the world of smartphones.

The Droid Razr, available through Verizon Wireless with a price tag of $300 (with contract), was released just one week ago on November 11.  It brings back a bit of familiarity, bringing back the slim design that made its predecessor so popular.  The Razr features a large touch screen and runs Android. However the newest Android update, Ice Cream Sandwich, will not be available until next year for the Razr.  With a width of just a third of an inch and a weight of only 4.5 ounces, it also proves to be the thinnest smartphone yet.

The small size may have many people interested in the new phone, though the hefty price tag  may have other people think twice.

The Secret World Of Google

We all know that Google is always cooking up something new, but what other ideas lie behind the curtain?  The New York Times recently reported on the existence of Google X, a secret lab where all sorts of new and crazy ideas are being cooked up.  Secret lab?  Crazy experiments?  I’m intrigued.

It seems as if Google is taking itself beyond the realm of computers and mobile devices and is trying to create a bigger influence in the world of technology.  Some ideas that have been spoken about include space elevators.  These elevators include a cable attached to earth that would carry things into space, essentially removing the need for rocketed space travel.  Another idea includes driverless cars, something that Google has already implemented in California last year.  Google is looking to put more effort into this idea and make it into a business.

None of this is official yet, as Google has yet to make a statement about it.  Regardless of how official it is, it’s hard to hide the exciting possibilities that Google X may come up with.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma--which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs