Google confirmed speculation that it would launch a music service at its annual I/O developer conference Wednesday. The internet giant announced Google Play Music All Access, a subscription-based service that is a little bit of Spotify, Pandora and Twitter #Music all in one. Apparently, the internet behemoth's announcements went over well with Wall Street, as Google's shares closed at a record high of $900, putting the company's market cap over $300 billion. 

Unlike Google Music, its cloud music service that lets users upload up to 20,000 purchased songs to listen to on Android devices or on the web, the Google Play Music All Access subscription service launches it into direct competition with music streaming services like Spotify—which has 24 million active monthly users, 6 million paying subscribers and more than 20 million licensed songs in 28 countries—as well as Pandora. Though unlike either of the other services, Google's All Access won't have a free option. The service, which will be available across the web, mobile and tablets will cost $9.99 per month after a 30-day free trial. 

“It makes lots of sense for both YouTube and Play, which was built for Google’s Android devices, to sell music subscriptions,” notes AllThingsD. “YouTube is the world’s biggest free music service, which could make it a fantastic funnel for a Spotify-like paid offering, which can also help solve some problems with the music labels."Continue reading...

Happy April Fool's Day! If you thought your favorite brands were too serious and focused on great products and innovation to have a laugh or two, think again. Here's a roundup of some social media jokes from YouTube, Honda, Twitter and even the little town of Ely, Minn. 

Be honest: did you fall for any of them?Continue reading...

After 16 years, Microsoft is kissing Hotmail goodbye and putting its Internet-mail energy behind the brand-new Outlook.com.

The 300 million folks who use Hotmail—which Microsoft acquired back in 1997 when it was just a year old—will be able to keep their current email addresses, but the brand is disappearing and all of those users will be switched over to the new site by summer’s end. 

CNN reports that Microsoft plans to put some big advertising dollars into the new site. That push began Tuesday with the release of two commercials that both highlight how sweet a consumer’s life can be if he or she is using Outlook. This is a shift from Microsoft’s Scroogled campaign, which has aimed to get the 425 million Gmail users around the globe to feel irritated at Google and make the switch to Outlook. Scroogled worked effectively for Microsoft when it initially used it to help expose consumers to the plusses of its Bing search engine compared to Google’s. Continue reading...

As if Hurricane Superstorm Sandy preparations weren't enough to keep it busy, Google is all over the news this week:

• A new AMBER alerts project in partnership with The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children in the U.S. followed the launch of a crisis page and public alerts system for those affected by the wrath of Sandy. When using Google Search or Maps, you’ll see if an AMBER Alert is in effect in your area.
• A revamped iOS search app with Siri-like voice-recognition represents its "most advanced voice search" to date, greeting users with a "Try our new voice search" message above a microphone icon on the main page ready for tapping. "If it’s short and quick, like the status and departure time of your flight—Google tells you the answer aloud." 
• Google Earth 7 is now available with 3D Imagery on the desktop (can be disabled if you choose), and newest sites include Avignon, France; Austin, Texas; Munich, Germany; Phoenix, Arizona; and Mannheim, Germany. A tour guide flies over landmarks and offers stats and info from Wikipedia.
• Google Chromebook rocks with Slayer for Halloween.
• Google's still-in-beta universal analytics for websites lets marketers better measure impact of digital campaigns.Continue reading...

First it was LinkedIn, then Instagram lost its friend-finding privileges on Twitter, and now it's Tumblr whose users lost the ability to connect with Twitter friends in “a veritable third-party relationship killing spree by Twitter, which is on a mission to assert more control over its ecosystem.” 

Within hours of BuzzFeed’s Matt Buchanan's prediction that Tumblr was a primary target on Twitter’s third-party “hit list,” the option to locate Twitter friends disappeared from Tumblr's site.

Tumblr issued this unhappy statement:

To our dismay, Twitter has restricted our users’ ability to ‘Find Twitter Friends’ on Tumblr. Given our history of embracing their platform, this is especially upsetting. Our syndication feature is responsible for hundreds of millions of tweets, and we eagerly enabled Twitter Cards across 70 million blogs and 30 billion posts as one of Twitter’s first partners. While we’re delighted by the response to our integrations with Facebook and Gmail, we are truly disappointed by Twitter’s decision.

But as Svbtle founder Dustin Curtis commented in Digitaltrends, the repercussions for Twitter are potentially much greater: “Twitter was built on the backs of the very developers it is now blocking.” Continue reading...

Nokia plans to cut 10,000 more jobs, or one in three staff, and sheds CMO as it loses market share to Apple and Samsung and threatens mobile aspirations of Microsoft.

Disney spends $1.1 billion to spruce up its Disney California Adventure theme park, including a brand-new 12-acre Cars Land and Avengers plan.

Microsoft takes a page from Gmail in email revamp as Gmail gets a facelift, too.

AOL wins proxy fight over its content strategy.

Abercrombie & Fitch takes credit for Carly Rae Jepsen's Justin Bieber-fueled viral smash.

Apple expands "emoji" with LGBT consumers.Continue reading...

It was a move many saw coming, eventually. Turns out, eventually was Tuesday. That's the day Google amended its user privacy policy to begin sharing data collected from users across all of its services, including Gmail, Google+, YouTube and even Android.

The changes start March 1. There is no opt-out for users. There is also no opt-out of the PR nightmare Google's brand is about to weather.Continue reading...

Airbus raises prices of A320neo plane amid strong demand, as Boeing threatens to compete better in 2012 .

AirTran must reinstate whistleblower pilot.

American Express invests $125 million in China mobile payments startup.

Apple eases into corporate market with Macs, while textbook push draws interest.

BankUnited draws bids from TD Bank and others.

Beyonce and Jay-Z challenged by Blue Ivy trademark applicant.

Burberry sales surge on international demand.Continue reading...