Broadcasting live gameplay videos, posting videos of high-scores, strategy or just narrating while playing games has increasingly become very popular in the gaming community. Twitch is the leading platform when it comes to gaming videos. The service boasts 45 million gamers every month.

If you’ve ever gone through the most popular videos on YouTube you would’ve noticed that many times gaming videos rank very highly. YouTube understands that there is a very big market of users who love to watch or create gaming related videos and share with everyone.

With YouTube Gaming a dedicated service by Google, the company aims to compete with Twitch. It will be available this summer in the US and UK initially.

You will be able to view content through Games, Feed and Channels. The app will feature a live system to make chatting with your favourite YouTube creators easy and fast.

Google has highlighted that service will cater to the needs of all gamers and if they type “call” in the search field they can be rest assured to receive “Call of Duty” as a recommendation instead of “Call Me Maybe”.

Google has been hard at work to support video playback and lifestream at 60fps. Since this is essential to offer live gameplay broadcast. According to the company YouTube Gaming will provide “an improved live experience that makes it simpler to broadcast your gameplay to YouTube.”

Are you excited about YouTube Gaming? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Apple’s iPad media event has just gone live. The company will be providing a live video coverage of the new iPad keynote event. The event is being held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, will take the stage to announce new product launches and updates for this year before we enter the holiday season. The email invite sent out to the media suggests that the company will “cover” many product announcements.

Rumors and reports published in the past provide enough evidence to expect new iPad 5 (fifth gen) and second gen iPad mini. We could also get new Haswell MacBook Pro models, final release of Mac OS X Mavericks, new iLife and iWork software updates and more.

iPad 5 is widely expected to feature a thinner and lighter design inspired by the advancements made with iPad mini. Hardware specifications are expected to include new 64-bit A7 chip, improved camera and possibly new Touch ID sensor.

There have been many conflicts reports about a second gen iPad mini with retina display. It is unclear if Apple will introduce the new smaller iPad with a high resolution display.

During WWDC Apple showcased a sneak peek at the new Mac Pro. Apple could use today’s event to announce shipping date for the high end Mac for the professionals.

This year Apple is offering a live video feed of the iPad launch event. Live video stream of the event is available on Apple’s website. In order to view live video streaming of the October iPad event you’d require Safari 4 or later on OS X v10.6 or later, Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later.

Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote event will go live today at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, will kick off the event with a keynote presentation at 10 AM Pacific Time.

At this years Worldwide Developers Conference Apple will unveil iOS 7 and the next major release for OS X. A live video stream of the keynote event will be available at Apple’s website and requires Safari 4 or later on Mac OS X v10.6 or later; Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. The company has added a new section for streaming via Apple TV and requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later to stream the event.

iOS 7 will be the first release that has been developed under the leadership of Jony Ive, SVP of Industrial Design, as Apple fired Scott Forstall allegedly over Apple maps fiasco and an internal divide over the skeuomorphic design elements. In addition to a redesign iOS 7 is expected to open new API’s for developers giving more control over features and could also introduce AirDrop for iOS to make sharing between iOS devices easier.

No details have been available about what’s new in OS X. Apple usually previews new version of OS X earlier in the year however, it is believed that the company had to pull engineers from OS X team to work on iOS 7.

Banners for iOS 7 and OS X suggest a clean and flat design for the upcoming update. Apple is expected to release the software updates later this fall. Apple’s online store is down at the time of writing which suggests that the rumors about possible MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models could turn out to be true.

What are your expectations from this years keynote event? Let us know what you think in the comments section. To watch the live keynote event visit Apple’s website.

Waking up on time is so important – you don’t need me to tell you that, though. 

It’s likely you use a set tone or a panicky spouse to help you rouse from your slumber, mind, rather than a sound you actually want to hear.

EnSight Media’s latest app Radio Alarm Clock helps to make waking up as enjoyable or bearable as possible, though, offering several radio stations and tones to choose from. 

Manchul Ko, CMO of Ensight Media, spoke to us about how his company’s app stands out in a crowded market, how easy it is to use, and why it shows how the sound of smooth jazz is popular (almost) worldwide.

Accessibility is essential in an app like Radio Alarm Clock, but fortunately it’s as simple to use as you might hope.

“You can listen to just the radio function if you like, but if you want to use the app’s other features, just tap on the alarm feature and Sleep timer,” Ko says.

”

Simply touch ‘CH+’ and choose your favourite channel – you can either select the channel by country, pick from SHOUTcast channels, or search for channels directly and save them as Favourites.” According to Ko, not only is Radio Alarm Clock easy to use, but it’s also one of the more enjoyable alarm clock apps you can download.

“For heavy sleepers, it’s great that they can wake up with a smile using our app. I mean, the iPhone’s default alarm sounds are not friendly, at all,” he explains.

” For light sleepers, it’s good that our sleep timer feature will put them to sleep easily by their listening to nature sounds or radio stations or MP3s.”

What really helps separate Radio Alarm Clock from the many similar apps out there on the App Store, though, is its presentation – its design charmingly harks back to the early 20th century.

“Users of the app are touched by its unique retro UI & UX design, since nowadays everyone is really focused on a purely digitalized world,” Ko explains.

” One example of this retro design is visible when the app streams the radio channel, for the app displays a ‘Channel Streaming’ animation – the user might really think that it actually searches the channel by itself.”

Intriguing presentation and ease of use are present and correct, then, but there are also tons of different stations to explore. Ko says a few favourite stations have emerged.

“Through the SHOUTcast channels, French Kiss FM and Absolutely Smooth Jazz are popular,” he says. “In their respective regions, the BBC, Europe 1, France Info, Japan-A-Radio, and K-Pop channels are also widely used.”

Developing Radio Alarm Clock was harder than you might expect, however, and integrating the radio channels into the app was certainly being the biggest challenge.

“Our biggest difficulty was supporting the various streaming formats and overcoming the technical issues and guidelines,” Ko says.

In terms of updates, Ko tells us there are no concrete plans in place.

 “It is hard to guarantee specific features at this moment, but we will try to focus on social options that will help you interact with other Radio Alarm Clock users who listen to the same radio channels.”

You can download Radio Alarm Clock for iPhone now – it is currently free to download [iTunes link].

For the past several months, intense rumors have surrounded the likelihood that Apple was looking to introduce a television set. However, over the past several weeks and days, reports are suggesting that Apple is negotiating with cable companies in order to introduce a new set top box with the capability of streaming live television. The new box will reportedly feature an interface similar to the iPad, likely a cross with OS X as well as social networking integration and DVR-like capabilities.

While this wouldn’t necessarily be Apple “television”, it would give users live channels and likely the ability to hook up the box to almost any projector or screen. It can perhaps even hook up to Apple’s own Cinema Display. In a report from The Wall Street Journal, Jessica E. Vascellaro And Shalini Ramachandran report on Apple’s new venture:

This could just be another in the long history of periodic feeling outs that Apple and Hollywood seem to feel compelled to engage in — a tug at the thread Apple CEO Tim Cook still feels is there.

According to the report, Apple is meeting with numerous cable operators to provide service for the device and is also approaching entertainment companies with a rough outline of the device’s features in order to draw them in. At this point, it is unclear what exactly Apple is planning, as they have also been reported to be testing television prototypes. Under the supervision of Steve Jobs, the company was looking to revolutionize the TV industry and create a more expansive version of it for the market.

Apple would likely achieve this in a very similar manner to the company’s introduction of iMessage to target carriers, albeit on a much larger and more risky scale. Although the current Apple TV sells quite well on the market, the Cupertino company has yet to introduce a device that can shake up the standard and make it much better than what the Apple TV is now, a set of apps that stream music, photos, and television shows. A set top box capable of streaming live television may be exactly that,

Would you buy a new set top box? Do you think this is better than an actual television set? Let us know in the comments below.

{via iMore — Image Credit: Wired}

Early Wednesday, Amazon released an iPad app for its Instant Video service, Amazon Prime Instant Video. The service allows subscribers to rent and buy movies and television shows for offline viewing and competes with other major streaming giants such as Netflix. Amazon’s streaming also gives users the option to stream Prime Instant Video titles when connected to the internet.

Currently, other services such as Netflix only allow users to stream on the internet and do not provide an offline option. Now, these services will be available on the iPad, allowing Amazon to not only keep many of the customers they have but lure in new customers with the offerings on Apple’s popular tablet. With content on Amazon’s Prime Instant Video now available on iPad, users can stop streaming on one device, and resume on numerous others such as TV’s, a Mac or PC, and Amazon’s own Kindle Fire.

With Amazon Instant Video, you can:

– Stream thousands of titles available from Prime Instant Video at no additional cost with a Prime membership, or watch over 120,000 videos available from the Amazon Instant Video store
– Download purchased and rented videos from Your Video Library
– Shop over 120,000 videos available from the Amazon Instant Video store by visiting Amazon
– Add videos to your Watchlist from a PC, Mac, or Kindle Fire for later viewing on your iPad
– Subscribe to a TV Season Pass by visiting Amazon and episodes will automatically be available on your iPad the day after they air
– Start watching on your iPad, and resume watching right where you left off on a Kindle Fire, PS3, PC, Mac, or hundreds of models of connected TVs and Blu-ray players with Amazon Whispersync.

With this new service, it seems that Amazon is trying to get a leg up on Netflix and build a similar service but is using its Kindle Fire device to grab market share. Amazon Prime is available for $79 a year and also offers its customers free two day shipping and discounted overnight shipping.

Overall, this comes out to be a much cheaper and more convenient option when considering Netflix’s $7 a month charge which adds up to be more money and does not offer discounts on other products.

Amazon Instant Video is currently free {Direct Link} in the App Store and requires a subscription for log in.

{via MacRumors}

Hulu Plus, the popular streaming television service was introduced a little more than two years ago, making primetime television shows from popular US channels available for streaming on a number of mobile devices, including game systems and Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

On Tuesday, the streaming giant brought their service over to the Apple TV, for users to stream on their HDTV. Hulu made an official announcement of the arrival of the service on the Apple TV on their Hulu Blog.

Keeping up with the latest episode of Family Guy, MasterChef and New Girl on Hulu Plus just got a little easier. And my living room just got a whole lot happier.

Hulu Plus arrives on Apple TV today.

Hulu Plus is available for $7.99 / month subscription and requires an account for use on the Apple TV. It has numerous categories for movies and TV shows such as popular, favorite, and recent which can be navigated with the physical Apple TV remote or the Apple Remote app.

For those of you who are new to the service, Hulu Plus is the only online premium video subscription that streams current and classic TV programming on demand from hundreds of content partners, including top broadcast networks ABC, NBC, FOX, The CW and Univision. Hulu Plus subscribers can watch on any enabled devices for $7.99/month with limited advertising. For many popular shows on our service, Hulu Plus offers every episode of the current season.

Hulu Plus on Apple TV is currently only available in the United States and is subscription based with limited ads.

{via iMore}

Numerous airlines around the world have begun to adopt the iPad aboard commercial flights for not only entertainment but as electronic flight bags for pilots to read maps and manuals. Adoption of the iPad on flights began as early as last year when United Airlines deployed 11,000 iPads as electronic flight bags for its pilots.

According to a report from ZDnet, Australian Airline Qantas is looking to introduce an iPad rental program on all of its Boeing 767 flights. Qantas reportedly carried out a trial to test the viability of such a program and deemed it suitable enough to introduce it airline wide.

As of May this year, there were 23 Boeing 767-300 aircraft, according to the Qantas site, each with between 229 and 254 seats, meaning that more than 5,000 iPads would be required to kit out the fleet. However, Qantas said it was currently reviewing retirement options for a few of the aircraft.

The system will roll out to the first aircraft in the fourth quarter of this year. Most of the flights offering the service will be on Australia’s east coast routes, with some also flying to Perth. The service will be free of charge. The airline was still assessing whether it will extend the system so that customers can use their own tablets to access the entertainment.

Qantas, like United Airlines also equipped its pilots with 64GB iPads as electronic flight bags, to simplify numerous paper manuals and maps into one electronic app or file. Qantas has also mentioned that they are looking to move away from Blackberry smartphones and replace them with iPhones.

Apple’s iPhone and iPad have proven to be a viable option for airlines looking to simplify their pilot and entertainment interfaces. Qantas’ choice to move away from outdated entertainment systems will likely benefit both Apple and the airline, which can use the new entertainment platform as a selling point for tickets.

{via iMore}

On Tuesday, a report from Bloomberg suggested that Apple Inc. (AAPL) and parent company of ESPN, Disney, were in talks to bring the popular WatchESPN app to the Apple TV. The report mentioned a statement from ESPN executive Sean Bratches that the deal wasn’t imminent and is currently being hashed out between the two companies.

If AAPL were given the go ahead to bring the app over to the Apple TV, subscribers of select cable networks or subscribers of ESPN would be able to stream live games through the app. The WatchESPN app is currently available in Apple’s App Store and can be streamed on the iPad and iPhone as well as on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console. Bratches, the executive interviewed by Bloomberg also cleared up the negotiations between Apple and ESPN and explained the benefits of such a deal.

We’re a platform-agnostic company. To the extent that in the future there’s an opportunity with Apple to authenticate through the pay-TV food chain as we’re doing with Microsoft, that’s something we’ll participate in.

This wouldn’t be the first application pertaining to accessing live streaming sports on the Apple TV but would be one of the first major collaborations between the two companies. Currently, the Apple TV allows users to access NHL Gamecenter, MLB.tv and NBA League Pass.

If Apple strikes this deal with ESPN and brings the WatchESPN app over to the Apple TV, the company will likely be setting up for its rumored television set, which may incorporate an App Store of some sort, personal assistant Siri, as well as integrated features from the current Apple TV.

{via AppleInsider}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has long been selling movies and television shows on its iTunes Store. Now, according to a Reuters report, the company is reportedly planning to bring EPIX movie streaming to the Apple TV, and likely the new rumored Apple television set. AAPL has been rumored to be in talks at this point, with no specific dates as to when the service will be available, if it ever does happen.

One of the sources told Reuters that any discussions would apply to its set-top box and also to upcoming devices that stream content. Apple is widely expected to unveil a full-fledged TV product later this year or in early 2013 to drive its next phase of growth and potentially revolutionize the industry.

Sources for the Reuters report suggest that negotiations between Apple and EPIX are still developing and that no deal should be expected in the near future. Bringing EPIX content to Apple TV and future Apple devices would allow the Cupertino company to develop and sell exclusive content, not available on a number of other devices.

Apple may also be waiting out a contract between EPIX and Netflix, which doesn’t end until later this September. Once this contract has ended, Apple will likely go ahead and secure a deal with EPIX.

{via MacRumors}

With Apple’s New iPad 3 sporting a Retina Display and most developers updating their apps to accommodate the higher resolution screen, it was only a matter of time before major apps such as the Netflix app and Apple’s own apps got the upgrade to Retina Display quality.

Apple has approved the update for the Netflix application which will now utilize the new display in all of its menus, its app icon, and many other small parts of the app. Netflix also promised via their Twitter account that they will also be including HD streaming very soon.

The @Netflix iPad App now has high resolution icons and images, enhancing Netflix on the new iPad, HD video to follow later. Enjoy!

Alongside the Netflix application, Apple’s iTunes Movie Trailers app was also updated, bringing full Retina quality to the HD movie trailers in the app. Apple’s movie trailer service was strictly limited to iTunes, but Apple released an app to bring movie trailers to the iOS platform. Apple’s iTunes Movie Trailer works on both Wi-Fi and LTE, however, users on a limited data plan could find themselves running out of data rather fast if used for long duration.

One of, if not the, most popular Twitter client’s for iOS has been updated today in anticipation for the new iPad (3rd generation) which will be released on Friday 16th March. While some deveolopers may have been happy just to update the graphics to take advantage of the high resolution display of the new iPad Tapbots have bundled another great feature and a few of tweaks into this update.

Some of the more minor tweaks include restricted the new tweet alert sound to mentions, DM’s and new tweets via pull to refresh and double tapping the timeline tab at the top of the screen will initially take you to your last read tweet before going to the top.

The major new feature though is the streaming feature that will automatically load and scroll through your timeline as new tweets arrive. The feature works great and allows you to leave Tweetbot for iPad running as your iPad sits on your desk top as the updates to your timeline automatically scroll by in real time.

The update is only available for the iPad version of Tweetbot at the moment as is currently available as a free update to those who already own it. If you are new to Tweetbot it’s $2.99 and worth every cent.

Google is developing a new wireless home entertainment system, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal which could compete with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The report, published on Thursday suggests that the new platform would be marketed under Google’s brand and will be based off their Android operating system, which also runs mobile phones, and parts of Chrome OS. The hardware for the entertainment system is expected to manufactured by Google Inc., something that is new to the company, as they usually include a third party in that process.

For example, Google branded and sold the Nexus smartphone, but it was manufactured by HTC. This allows Google to stay focused on the OS as opposed to hardware solutions. This is the first time that Google would handle both hardware and software, putting them directly in competition with AAPL.

Google’s Android unit has led a multi-year effort to develop the new entertainment device, which may possibly stream other digital media besides music and is expected to be unveiled later this year, people familiar with the matter said.

The new device, along with Google’s pending purchase of device maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., shows how serious the Internet giant is about wanting to control both the software and hardware process, a formula used by rival Apple Inc.

The system is expected to allow users to download music and stream it to Google-branded wireless speakers and other devices, putting it in a competitive market with other devices such as the Sonos home entertainment system, and even Apple’s own AirPort Express, AirPlay, and Apple TV, while not a full entertainment system in itself, it would include many of the features.

WSJ did not report as to when Google is planning to announce, let alone release the system, however, it is very likely that users will see it sometime this year. Streaming is becoming an increasingly competitive market, and Google, being pros in online services, will not give up an opportunity to dominate.

{via MacRumors}

Streaming abilities on the iPad have increased over the past few months with many cable providers such as Time Warner Cable and Verizon FIOS allowing customers to download specific applications for their iOS devices and stream shows. Currently, some of the top applications include TBS, ABC, and HBO’s GO application.

All of these applications allow users to view their favorite shows from these channels on their iPad. On Tuesday, Showtime announced that they will be releasing an app for the iPad as well, allowing users to watch their top series like Homeland, Dexter and Weeds, and other content such as boxing and movies running on other Showtime networks.

Get unlimited access to full length versions of your favorite SHOWTIME® programs – acclaimed Original Series, uncut hit movies, hard hitting sports, comedy, reality/documentaries and much more, right at your fingertips.

The Showtime app, similar to the HBO GO app is only available through select providers only, and works with AT&T U-Verse and Verizon FiOS at this point. Comcast subscribers can get access to Showtime through their Xfinity application, but Showtime has pointed out that the app will support Comcast subscribers “soon”.

Showtime has not released an iPhone application, but has mentioned that one will be arriving during the first half of 2012. As with all other applications, the Showtime Anytime app is available for the iPad on the Apple App Store.

Google is holding its annual I/O event later on today, but the company has already released information on the products it is set to announce. One of which is called ‘Music Beta by Google’ — a service that provides users with online, cloud-based storage for up to 20,000 songs — and looks set to rival Apple’s upcoming iCloud.

Google doesn’t yet have deals in place with any of the major record labels, so the ability to purchase and download music through the service is currently non-existent, however, you can use the service store their your own music for access from internet-connected devices, such as tablets and smart phones. The idea is that you store media content in the cloud and stream it to your device when you want it, rather than storing it on your device and taking up precious storage space.

Google’s launch of this service comes shortly after Amazon announced a music storage service of its own. While both companies have launched their services way in advance of Apple’s iCloud launch, will either of them have any advantage?

Well, no — certainly not with iOS users anyway. Firstly, neither Google’s nor Amazon’s services will be designed specifically with iOS in mind. Whereas it goes without saying that Apple’s service (when it finally launches) will be perfected for the iOS platform. Sure, Amazon’s Cloud Player now supports iOS devices, but it’s not a perfect user experience. We’re yet to see how Google’s services works, but it’s sure to be designed to work perfectly with Android powered devices — not those running iOS.

Secondly, neither Cloud Player or Music Beta by Google currently have any arrangements with the major music labels. You can only use these services to access music you already own — that you’ve uploaded yourself. We already know that Apple is currently in talks with record labels, so we know that with iCloud we’ll at least be able to access music that we don’t already own. Whether that will be with a subscription-based streaming service, or just through individual track purchases, we’re yet to find out.

While Amazon and Google may currently be when it comes to cloud-based music services, I don’t think either service will tempt iOS users away from Apple’s iCloud.

iCloud is expected to launch at WWDC 2011 conference in June.