Hardware
Universal Music releases first-ever digital box set app
MUMBAI: Universal Music Catalogue is hailing the release this week of ‘the world’s first-ever digital box set’ available on tablets and smartphones – a special 2013 edition of The Who’s 1969 album, Tommy.
UMC has collaborated with developers MODO to produce a brand new iPad digital box set application, to complement the recently-released deluxe and super deluxe editions of Tommy.
Users can download the app for free. If they already have Tommy in their iTunes music collection they can play the full tracks on tablet devices along with the visuals and extra features that accompany the super deluxe set. If not, they can play 90-second edited previews through iTunes and buy them directly.
The digital box set also includes: a built-in music player (functional whilst reading the book and exploring the photos). The video section includes five tracks streamed into the app taken from The Who’s Live At The Coliseum ’69 show; a specially-developed Pinball Game – created using the NYC Metropolitan Opera House gig of 1970 poster image that encourages users to play and post their scores as well as links to the official Who site, official store and social channels.
Universal Music Group International digital head Geoff Smith said: “The Tommy digital box set transforms the beautiful physical box edition into a unique and fully-immersive experience allowing fans of all ages across the world to access and explore this seminal album in a fully interactive way.”
News of Android and Windows 8 versions of the app will be announced in due course.
Hardware
Specs Inc. partners with Qualcomm for next-generation smart glasses
Snap subsidiary to power future Specs with Snapdragon XR platforms.
MUMBAI: Snap’s Specs are about to get a serious upgrade and this time, they’re teaming up with Qualcomm to make sure the future looks crystal clear. Specs Inc., a Snap subsidiary, has announced a multi-year strategic agreement with Qualcomm Technologies to power future generations of its advanced smart eyewear with Snapdragon system-on-a-chip (SoC) technology.
This marks the first flagship engagement for Specs Inc., which is preparing to launch its standalone, see-through smart glasses for consumers later this year. The Specs are designed to seamlessly blend digital experiences into the physical world, allowing users to see, hear, and interact with digital content as if it were part of their real surroundings.
By integrating Snapdragon XR platforms, the glasses will benefit from edge AI and high-performance, low-power computing. This combination enables intelligent, context-aware experiences to run directly on the device, delivering faster and more private interactions.
The partnership builds on more than five years of collaboration between Snap and Qualcomm, during which Snapdragon platforms have powered multiple generations of Snap’s Spectacles.
Snap Inc., co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel said, “We believe the future of computing will be more human and grounded in the real world. Our work with Qualcomm provides a strong foundation for the future of Specs, bringing advanced technology and performance that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Qualcomm Incorporated president and CEO Cristiano Amon added, “The next era of computing will be defined by devices that understand what you see, hear and say, and respond instantly to the world around you. Our collaboration on Specs will enable power-efficient interactive AR devices that feel natural and intuitive.”
The agreement establishes a scalable foundation for developers and partners building experiences for Specs, supporting a predictable product roadmap and increasingly sophisticated digital interactions over time.
In a world racing toward augmented reality, Specs Inc. and Qualcomm are ensuring that the next pair of smart glasses doesn’t just look good on paper, they perform brilliantly in real life. The future of wearable computing just got a powerful new lens.
