iTunes Radio vs. Pandora

Apple may be the top dog when it comes to digital music sales, but does it have what it takes to get a late foothold in the world of Internet radio?

To cut through the hype and get a sense of what Apple's newly announced iTunes Radio service really offers that may be noteworthy, we've stacked it up against the gold standard of personalized Internet radio, Pandora.

iTunes Radio Pandora Free option Yes Yes Premium tier $24.99/year $36/year $3.99/month Platforms iOS, Apple TV, Mac OS, Windows iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Mac OS, … Read more

What iOS 7 feature excites you the most? (poll)

It's official: iOS 7 arrives this fall, bringing with it a Cook's ransom in new features and a fairly radical new design.

I suspect the latter will spark the most conversation, with some users no doubt finding the much-ballyhooed "flat" icons just plain flat. (My take: They've transformed from pretty to ugly. I like the new fonts and overall design, but those icons look really amateurish.)

Ah, but on the feature front, iOS 7 doesn't disappoint. Apple packed in so many badly needed updates and improvements, it's hard to know where to tap … Read more

Apple's Siri gets new voices, display, and actions

Apple unveiled on Monday a new look for Siri that came with new voice options, actions, and some hot integration, including in-car options and music streaming.

The voice command technology has new voices, female and male -- also available in French and German. Siri's display includes a new look that shows a sound wave at the bottom while its detecting a user's voice and full-screen results.

Users can instruct Siri to complete functions like "turn off my Bluetooth," or "increase my brightness," according to software VP Eddy Cue. The digital assistant also has a … Read more

Amulet camera records your life, stores it in cloud

"The destruction of music through YouTube is enormous."

That's what pianist Krystian Zimerman told an audience in Germany when he stopped his performance to demand a fan stop recording it with a smartphone.

But if you think the ubiquity of phone cameras is more than a little annoying, get ready for one that goes around your neck and can record automatically. … Read more

Monitor your world with $39 Motes sensors

You're sitting in the living room. You're wondering if the Mother-in-Law's Tongue growing in a pot in the back room needs to be watered. You could get up and stick your finger in the dirt, or you could check your smartphone and see what the plant's personal sensor says.

The Motes Indiegogo project offers several different flavors of remote sensors that work with iOS devices (Android and Surface coming soon). Each sensor costs $39. That price point and the variety of sensors available has attracted plenty of interest. The Motes project has already doubled its $22,000 goal with 35 days of fundraising left.… Read more

Friday Poll: What Apple announcement do you want most from WWDC?

Apple's big annual developers' conference kicks off next week. That has left plenty of time to speculate and entertain rumors about new announcements. We won't know for sure until the Worldwide Developers Conference actually gets going, but there are some likely, and unlikely, scenarios for new hardware and software.… Read more

Rumor Has It: Watch out, Pandora -- here comes iRadio

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference begins next week, which means that a lot of rumors will finally be put to rest. What probably won't be put to rest, however, are rumors about the next iPhone.

Other than iOS 7, one big thing we're expecting will be announced next week is the long-rumored iRadio. What do you think? What features would you like to see in iRadio? Hit the comments below!

Also on the show: AirDrop might be coming to iOS 7, and the Xbox One and PS4 get some prices out of nowhere, thanks to an analyst who'… Read more

Eight changes I want to see in iOS 7

The World Wide Developer's Conference is next week, and preparations are already under way. While Apple is predictably tight-lipped about what exactly it will announce, it's all but certain we'll hear about an update for iOS 7. The question is, will the new features and tweaks be enough to keep people from jumping ship to other smartphones?

Tune in to CNET's live blog on Monday, about an hour before the 10 a.m. PT start time:

CNET's live coverage of Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote

Probably the biggest rumors are about a newly redesigned look … Read more

Star Apps: Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess

For his contribution to seven Dream Theater albums (including such memorable tracks as the No. 4 single "Wither" off 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" and Grammy-nominated "On the Backs of Angels" off 2011's No. 8 album "A Dramatic Turn of Events"), Jordan Rudess is widely recognized as one of the finest keyboardists of all time. In fact, MusicRadar.com bestowed the honor upon him back in 2011.

These days the synth wiz is applying his technical savvy to the development of new apps that allow fans to unleash their … Read more