iTunes 11.1 is Here
iTunes 11.1 was released by Apple this week in conjunction with the iOS 7 release. New features include:
iTunes Radio – Apple’s answer to music streaming. It is ad-free for iTunes Match subscribers.
Genius Shuffle – This will shuffle your music library, allegedly playing songs that go great together.
Podcast Stations – Create custom podcast stations that update automatically and sync over iCloud.
iOS 7 support – Enough said.
Quickoffice is Now Free on iOS Devices
Quickoffice, Google’s productivity suite, is now free for iOS users that have a Google account.
Quickoffice allows you to create and edit documents created using Microsoft’s Office suite of applications (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). You can also open and view PDF files. Documents are accessed and shared using Google Drive.
Version 6.1.0 is available in the App Store for iOS devices running iOS 5.0 or later.
Mars Air is Methane-Free
NASA’s Curiosity rover tested the Martian atmosphere and, to the surprise of many scientist, found no methane.
Previous data had indicated a presence of methane. Methane is of particular interest to scientists because it could be an indicator of the presence of life on the red planet.
Neilsen TV Ratings to Include Mobile Devices
Next fall, the American television ratings agency, Neilsen, will count people watching live TV on mobile devices.
Until now, Neilsen has used a special set top box in 10,000 homes nationwide. People who streamed live TV have not been included.
Next fall, Neilsen’s Digital Program Ratings will be gleaned from 5,000 people. Demographics will be determined from Facebook user data.
Windows 8.1 Pricing Announced
As reported by C|NET , Microsoft announced Windows 8.1 pricing this week. As previously annouced, anyone running Windows 8 will receive a free upgrade. For those running Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, the cost will be $119.99. The Pro version will cost $199.99. These are the same prices previously charged when upgrading to Windows 8.
Not News, But Funny
This kid definitely is not a fan of the new look of iOS 7. Trust me, kid. Once you get used to it, you won’t want to go back.
I am still unimpressed that itunes still has no simple feature to scan and remove dead files. I occasionally buy music from itunes, usually stuff that’s only available in a digital format, as I prefer physical CDs and also usually get the free tracks of the week but use Winamp as the main web player. I’m sometimes changing file names and so on and with Winamp you can easily tell the program to scan and remove files that actually point to a file that no longer exists.
With iTunes, a red exclamation mark is put on all the tracks, but if you have a massive library scrolling through to find each one could take ages as its easy to scroll past and miss one. The only other way via itunes is to delete all the tracks and re-scan which with a large library again can take a bit of time. Scanning for new music without deleting the dead files doesn’t remove them.
Luckily there are programs out there that can help. I use iTunes Folder Watch which is free with a nag screen. However I still can’t understand why a simple, handy and to me and many others an important feature (visit the itunes help forum) is missing.
Peter,
I did a little investigating and it looks like iTunes Folder Watch is your best bet. Sorry I don’t have a better solution to offer you.
Judy
Have you heard of any problems with iTunes playlists disappearing after the most recent update? It happened to me. Thanks.
Larry,
There is an issue with the scroll bar disappearing for the playlists list, making it look like some playlists are missing. I don’t know if this is the issue you are having but you might want to check this out…
:https://discussions.apple.com/message/23143033#23143033
Hope this helps.
Judy
Thanks for your reply. I’m just really confused why such a basic feature isn’t in itunes and have emailed apple in the past about it but heard nothing back
Tried that just now, no changes. I’m attempting a support session with Apple. Wish me luck and thank you for your suggestion.