Barb Gonzalez

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SmartStream
Apple WWDC: AirPods Sharing, Spatial Audio, 4K YouTube, and More
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 24, 2020
At the 2020 Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) keynote on Monday, the company announced its latest operating systems: iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS14. With these come new AirPod and HomeKit features plus long-overdue Apple TV additions, including picture-in-picture enhancements and 4K YouTube playback.
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SmartStream
Apple’s Lineup of Original Series to Stream Next Year
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 28, 2018
Apple is throwing its hat into the arena of original programming in hopes of capturing a piece of a very lucrative market pioneered by Netflix and more recently capitalized on by Hulu and Amazon. Details have been emerging about production deals for which Apple has budgeted $1 billion.
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SmartStream
Apple’s Newly Launched iTunes Radio Streaming Lacks Innovation
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 25, 2013
Apple finally launches it music streaming service that's just like the rest of the free custom "radio station" apps. Learn more about iTunes Radio.
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SmartStream
Apple’s Vision Pro Offers a Glimpse into the Future of Entertainment
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 07, 2023
Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) kicked off with a preview of the long-awaited Vision Pro, an AR (augmented reality) headset featuring micro-OLED display technology that has the potential of changing the way we experience entertainment in the future.
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SmartStream
Are Online Streaming Services the New TV Networks?
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 19, 2013  |  Published: Feb 18, 2013
New original series are being produced by Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and more streaming video companies. Are we making the from broadcast and cable TV to streaming entertainment. Find out more and where to sample non-Netflix subscribers can view "House of Cards."
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SmartStream
Are Smart TVs a Dumb Idea?
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 17, 2012
In a recent article by Patrick Nelson on the Tech News World blog, he makes the case that Smart TVs are a dumb idea and that they will go the way of the LaserDisc. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, a "Smart TV" refers to a TV that connects to the Internet and your home network, using built-in apps for streaming video, music, photos, games, and more.
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Streaming Device Reviews
Arylic S50+ Pro Preamp and A50+ Amp Review
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 28, 2023
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE A50+ $199, S50+ Pro $219

AT A GLANCE
Plus
A50+
Multiple music sources include streaming music services
Multiroom streaming or stream separately
EQ adjustment buttons on remote
Presets to favorite playlists
Stream legacy devices like turntables or CD players

S50+ Pro
Pairable with A50+ for synchronized listening throughout the home
Optical input and output
Decodes high-resolution audio
Remote control with EQ direct buttons
Presets to switch to favorite playlists from a variety of services
Stream legacy devices like turntables or CD players

Minus (A50+ and S50+ Pro)
The 4STREAM app is confusing and incomplete
Can’t create a play queue
Amazon Music has bugs (doesn’t play when switching from another app)
Output is compressed CD quality, not high-resolution audio
Doesn’t have AirPlay2
Doesn’t work with Alexa, Google, directly with Siri

THE VERDICT
The Arylic A50+ wireless multiroom full digital hi-fi amplifier and the S50+ Pro wireless streaming preamplifier are reasonably priced streaming solutions for specific needs. These aren’t devices for the average user looking for a whole home music system. Instead, the Acrylic amp and preamp are better suited for DIYers or users who are comfortable piecing together a system.

Arylic's A50+ and S50+ are small music streamers that work with most music sources...

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SmartStream
AT&T to Launch WarnerMedia Streaming Service
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 09, 2019
WarnerMedia, now owned by AT&T, will offer its own streaming app in the fall.
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CES 2015
Bang & Olufsen Debuts Music Player that Knows What You Like
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 07, 2015
Bang & Olufsen showed a trio of new products including new headphones, a 75-inch 4K TV, and a music player that learns what music you listen to at different times of day. The newest addition to the BeoVision Avant line fits in between the previous 55-inch and 85-inch models. BeoPlay headphones include the H8 top-of-the-line, noise-canceling wireless model and the low-end over-over-the-ear H2. But it was the BeoSound Moment music system that stole the show.
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CEDIA 2013
Bang & Olufsen's A9 Sound System Gets Spotify
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 26, 2013
Bang & Olufsen announced that they will be adding the Spotify music streaming service to the BeoPlay A9 speaker/sound system. The A9 was launched in October 2012. Music is sent to the A9 using Apple's AirPlay streaming from iPhones/iPads/iPods and new Macs, or over a WiFi network as a DLNA media renderer (DLNA media controllers can send music to it). The problem with this setup has been that the music stops when a phone call comes into the controlling iPhone, or when the iPhone is too far from the A9.

Spotify Connect will be added to the A9 as part of a firmware update. It will be preloaded on new units and available for download for consumers who have previously purchased the A9. Bang & Olufsen worked with Spotify to create an iPhone app where users can pick songs, playlists, or radio stations from their Spotify streaming library and have them play on the A9. Because the software is loaded onto the A9's firmware, music playback will not be interrupted when a phone call comes in or when you take the phone out of range.

More on B&O here

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