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The Apple Blog

TheAppleBlog, published by and for the day-to-day Apple user, is a prominent source for news, reviews, walkthroughs, and real life application of all Apple products.

Shazam Expands Music Database by 30 PercentYesterday

Just the other day, I was using Shazam to tag music while watching a movie. Every time I use it, I’m still vaguely amazed, like I’m watching a mini-magic show. Well, now the magician has even more tricks up his sleeve thanks to a 30 percent increase in the size of its song database. I’ve yet to run into a hole in their current one, and now I’m even less likely to.

The increase, which bumps the overall number of tracks Shazam has access to from six to eight million, follows the establishment of new partnerships and direct sourcing, and includes artists from Asia, Europe, and North America. It includes a number of hard-to-find and pre-release songs, which is what I find myself using it for most often, since those are the tunes I’m less likely to recognize on my own.

Shazam now dominates the song recognition niche for mobile devices, although Midomi is still a strong competitor because of their support for humming, singing, and reciting lyrics. Both companies offer a lot to record labels and recording artists alike, and represent the future of direct marketing to consumers. It’s in the interest of labels and music publishers to back these ventures as much a

Developers Get Promotional Codes to Give Free Copies of AppsYesterday

According to this MacRumors report, Apple has started to dispense promotional codes to App Store developers. With them, developers will now be able to grant free access to their app for up to 50 users. Previously, developers would have had to resort to the ad-hoc distribution method or iTunes gift cards to give promotional copies of their applications. While the 50 user limit might seem paltry compared to the ad-hoc’s 100, the promotional code limit is reset with version updates. Additionally, and probably most welcoming to both developers and recipients alike, is no longer having to deal with the hassles of the mobile provisioning that the ad hoc method is reliant on.

Via mobile provisioning, for promotional copies to be granted, developers would have to get the UDID of the touch device from each person receiving a copy and from there generate a .mobileprovision file to send with the actual application file that would bind that app to each specified device. Once both files were received, the end user would drag and drop them into iTunes to sync it. With the promo code method, all that is eschewed for a system that as easy as redeeming an iTunes gift card.

In the future

Finish Your Holiday Shopping With Amazon Mobile for iPhoneYesterday

Just in time for last minute Christmas shopping, Amazon.com has released their mobile app for the iPhone and iPod touch. It offers searching, Wish List and account access, and purchasing directly from the app. If you’re already an impulsive internet shopper, then this may just be your worst nightmare. If you dread the mall and don’t have time to spend hours finding the right gift at your computer, than it could be your new best friend.

Amazon isn’t just porting their website’s functionality to the iPhone platform, either, although all of the central features of the site are there. They’ve wisely taken advantage of the iPhone’s specific abilities to add a new feature called “Amazon Remembers,” which is similar to the standalone SnapTell Explorer app. It’s kind of like Shazam but with pictures instead of sound.You take a picture with your iPhone’s camera, and the images are instantly uploaded to Amazon.com’s servers. Amazon tries

First Look: Tap Tap Dance & Christmas With WeezerYesterday

Tapulous, maker of the popular Tap Tap Revenge (now with 3 million users), has today announced two new applications for the holiday period. Tap Tap Revenge has attracted game and music lovers alike with tracks by Katy Perry, Kaiser Chiefs, Weezer and The Offspring all being fans of the software. The new applications build further on this acclaim, featuring original music from Weezer and a series of remixed dance tracks.

Tap Tap Dance

Built on the 2.0 engine of Tap Tap Revenge, Tap Tap Dance is an all new version of Tap Tap Revenge featuring top hits from the biggest DJs in the world like Moby, Daft Punk, Tiesto and many more. The application offers a far richer gaming experience than previous releases from Tapulous, starting to feel almost like an interactive music video.

At the most basic level, you tap to the beat as the balls cross the line. When you see an arrow, you give a firm shake to the left, right or forward (as you would hit a pingpong ball) as the arrows cross the line. Le

iGifting 101: 10 Great Gifts for Mac AddictsYesterday

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanza, there is one undeniable fact. The holiday season is around the corner, and it is time to find the perfect gift for the Mac Addict in your family.

As good as an iTunes gift card or iPod case may be this season, “Think Different” and get that special Mac Addict in your life something that matters. Get them something they will remember, and something they will use. This will add some personality, and practicality under their tree this season. So what do you get for the computer geek that already has everything?