technology
Spotify Launches Cheaper $10.99/Month Premium Plan Without Audiobooks
Spotify today announced the launch of a new Basic paid plan that offers a small discount for dropping access to audiobooks. Priced at $10.99 per month, the Basic option includes all of the music benefits of Spotify like ad-free playback, but without added monthly audiobook listening time.
The $11.99 standard Premium Individual plan that Spotify offers includes ad-free playback and 15 hours of audiobook listening time per month from a catalog of more than 250,000 titles. Until now, Spotify did not let customers opt for a cheaper plan that did not include audiobook access, as it was automatically bundled in the lowest-tier plan.
Spotify in June raised its base price from $10.99 to $11.99 to “bring users the best experience,” but with the new Basic plan, customers who don’t want to use the audiobook feature can get the prior $10.99/month price.
Spotify’s new $10.99 per month option is on par with the $10.99 price of Apple Music, so Spotify is no longer $1 more expensive than Apple Music for base music subscription service.
There have been no changes to the prices of other plans. Duo is priced at $16.99, and Family is priced at $19.99. Spotify also has a $9.99 per month plan that offers 15 hours of audiobook listening with ad-supported music.
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Apple Explains iPhone 15 Pro Requirement for Apple Intelligence
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M4 MacBook Pro Models Expected to Launch in Late 2024
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Akinwumi Ajadi
Akinwumi Ajadi is a passionate blogger and technology enthusiast specializing in the information technology niche. With a keen eye for the latest trends and innovations, Akinwumi delivers insightful, engaging, and practical content to help readers navigate the ever-evolving world of tech. From software development to cybersecurity, Akinwumi's expertise spans a wide range of topics, making complex concepts accessible to both novice and experienced tech enthusiasts alike.
technology
Here’s an alleged Pixel 9 in a vibrant pink [Video]
Google is releasing the Pixel 9 series very early, and right on cue the leaks are coming. In a first leaked video, we’re getting a look at a surprisingly vibrant Pixel 9 in a pink color.
It’s almost inevitable for every Pixel to leak in a hands-on video ahead of its launch, and that’s what it seems we’re now seeing for the Pixel 9.
A leaked video posted by @hanibioud on Twitter/X supposedly shows the Pixel 9 in a bright pink color. The device is supposedly from Algeria and is claimed to have 256GB of storage.
Focusing in on the color, it’s way brighter than any color we’ve seen in recent years outside of the A-Series, but matches the leaked “Peony” color that first surfaced back in May. The color is unusually vibrant for Google’s flagship lineup. As mentioned, we’ve not seen a color this vibrant on a Pixel outside of the A-Series since 2019’s Pixel 4 (with its delightful “Oh So Orange”).
The design, of course, lines up perfectly with past leaks, with the device having flat edges and a glossy back, just like we’ve seen previously. This model also has two cameras, unlike what the similarly-sized Pixel 9 Pro is expected to have.
We’re taking this video with a grain of salt, but the user posting images claims we’ll hear more details tomorrow.
More on Pixel 9:
H/T Mishaal, Brandon
Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, and Instagram
Update: Removed speculation over date.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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About the Author
Akinwumi Ajadi
Akinwumi Ajadi is a passionate blogger and technology enthusiast specializing in the information technology niche. With a keen eye for the latest trends and innovations, Akinwumi delivers insightful, engaging, and practical content to help readers navigate the ever-evolving world of tech. From software development to cybersecurity, Akinwumi's expertise spans a wide range of topics, making complex concepts accessible to both novice and experienced tech enthusiasts alike.
technology
The first Thunderbolt 5 cables are here, but there’s barely anything to plug in
Available today from Amazon in 1-foot (0.3m), 1.6-foot (0.5m), and 3.3-foot (1m) lengths for $23, $27, and $33, respectively, the new cables obviously don’t do anything on their own — you’d need a computer with a Thunderbolt 5 port and a dock or accessory of some sort to get some real use out of it.
But as of today, the only laptop we’ve heard of with a Thunderbolt 5 port is the Razer Blade 18, and even there, it’s not guaranteed. You’d have to buy the $4,500 Mercury edition of the laptop to get that port. (You do also get an Intel i9 and a mobile RTX 4090 for the money.)
And unless you own two of those laptops, there’s still probably nothing special you can do with a Thunderbolt 5 cable as of today because the peripherals we saw at CES aren’t yet ready: Belkin, J5Create, OWC, and Sabrent do not yet list any of those Thunderbolt 5 products on their websites, and Hyper still shows its $400 dock as being out of stock with a “Sign up to be notified” button.
But if you do have two of the exact same $4,500 Razer laptops, could you use Thunderbolt Share to transfer files between them at ludicrous speed? Inquiring minds want to know. If not, I suppose you could use it as a USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 cable for now.
According to Cable Matters’ press release, its cable is manufactured by Lintes, the same company that provided the prototype cable we saw at CES.
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About the Author
Akinwumi Ajadi
Akinwumi Ajadi is a passionate blogger and technology enthusiast specializing in the information technology niche. With a keen eye for the latest trends and innovations, Akinwumi delivers insightful, engaging, and practical content to help readers navigate the ever-evolving world of tech. From software development to cybersecurity, Akinwumi's expertise spans a wide range of topics, making complex concepts accessible to both novice and experienced tech enthusiasts alike.
technology
Instagram’s ‘Made with AI’ label swapped out for ‘AI info’ after photographers’ complaints
On Monday, Meta announced that it is “updating the ‘Made with AI’ label to ‘AI info’ across our apps, which people can click for more information,” after people complained that their pictures had the tag applied incorrectly. Former White House photographer Pete Souza pointed out the tag popping up on an upload of a photo originally taken on film during a basketball game 40 years ago, speculating that using Adobe’s cropping tool and flattening images might have triggered it.
“As we’ve said from the beginning, we’re consistently improving our AI products, and we are working closely with our industry partners on our approach to AI labeling,” said Meta spokesperson Kate McLaughlin. The new label is supposed to more accurately represent that the content may simply be modified rather than making it seem like it is entirely AI-generated.
The problem seems to be the metadata tools like Adobe Photoshop apply to images and how platforms interpret that. After Meta expanded its policies around labeling AI content, real-life pictures posted to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Threads were tagged “Made with AI.”
You may see the new labeling first on mobile apps and then the web view later, as McLaughlin tells The Verge it is starting to roll out across all surfaces.
Once you click the tag, it will still show the same message as the old label, which has a more detailed explanation of why it might have been applied and that it could cover images fully generated by AI or edited with tools that include AI tech, like Generative Fill. Metadata tagging tech like C2PA was supposed to make telling the difference between AI-generated and real images simpler and easier, but that future isn’t here yet.
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About the Author
Akinwumi Ajadi
Akinwumi Ajadi is a passionate blogger and technology enthusiast specializing in the information technology niche. With a keen eye for the latest trends and innovations, Akinwumi delivers insightful, engaging, and practical content to help readers navigate the ever-evolving world of tech. From software development to cybersecurity, Akinwumi's expertise spans a wide range of topics, making complex concepts accessible to both novice and experienced tech enthusiasts alike.
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