Spotify is once again offering a free Google Nest Mini to subscribers of its premium services. Here’s how to get yours before September ends. If you could use a little good news in your life—and who couldn’t?—we have just the thing to make your September sing. Read Full Story

You have until February 24, 2021 to move to YouTube Music.

Customers have until Feb. 24, 2021, to make the move to YouTube Music.

It’s great for music and Apple TV audio, makes Siri much more useful, and lets you control your smart home from one place—all at an impulse-purchase price. Apple’s newest gadget, the HomePod Mini, will go on sale on November 16. Over the following days, the internet will be awash in opinions on Apple’s bulbous gadget, dissecting its audio capabilities to the nth degree. But people who solely look at the HomePod Mini from an audiophile’s standpoint are passing over what makes the device so appealing. Read Full Story

Google has an impressive resume of highly impactful, successful products. For instance, products like Google Search and Google Docs are used by millions around the world daily. But no business is perfect. Even the most inspired innovation can fail if the market just doesn’t get into it. That’s why, over the last few years, Google has started to cut their losses and kill products that never quite hit the mark. Google Play Music, Google Glass, and now Google Hangouts on Air have been retired, which may come as a surprise to users who relied on these products. Don’t worry, though—it’s not all bad news! While you may have lost your favorite live-streaming service, there are plenty of Google Hangouts on Air replacements. What Was Google Hangouts on Air? Google Hangouts on Air launched in 2012, with Google adding live-streaming and community elements to their already existing Hangouts platform. At the …

Apple’s cheaper smart speaker isn’t just for music—it can also help you be more productive. Here’s how to make the most of it. When Apple released the HomePod in 2018, the focus was squarely on music , making it the kind of smart speaker you’d put in a living room or common area. Read Full Story

Google is asking its Play Music users to transfer their account data to YouTube, something that will be possible for a limited time.

The product has earned the company 2020 Innovation by Design Award recognition. Like its predecessor, the second generation of Google’s compact and affordable smart speaker, released in October 2019, lets users play music, make phone calls, control home appliances, and use the internet, all through voice control. It features the same soft fabric texture and circular shape, blending unobtrusively into homes. But Google updated the device with a larger speaker and a machine learning chip, so that it responds more quickly to user questions, with better sound quality. The company also integrated a notch to give customers more options for wall mounting and added another color, a soft blue called Sky, to the existing Charcoal, Chalk, and Coral choices. Another innovation: 100% of the new Mini’s outer casing is made from postconsumer recycled plastics, and the external enclosure is made from 35% recycled plastic. Read Full Story

Music can be a game-changer for creating online visual content for your brand. But where can you find music available for commercial use? More specifically, where can you get it for free? Before we dive into the resources available, let’s talk about commercial use. When you’re wondering whether something counts as commercial use, think about whether you’re using it for your business. If what you’re creating is for your brand in any way, then it’s probably for commercial use. For use directly connected to making a profit, it’s almost definitely commercial. If you’re getting the word out or are marketing your business without directly making money on the content, it’s still best to err on the side of caution and treat it as commercial. Using someone’s music or art without express permission can result in a cease and desist—or worse. Free Music for Commercial Use Resources Free music for commercial …

High-quality video content is a great way to showcase products professionally in an e-commerce store. AI Multiple, a digital B2B research firm, found that video content makes website visitors 64-85% more likely to buy a product , compared to static images. There are many ways to edit your videos for free. Free video editing software has become increasingly popular in recent years, and the perks of the programs are always evolving. These days, you can create high-quality, engaging video content that converts without paying the high sticker price of big-name software. If you’re not sure about product videos for e-commerce, or you don’t know where to invest your money, then free video editing software is a great place to start experimenting. Is Free Video Editing Software as Effective as Paid Tools? Paid doesn’t always mean better. Free video editing software has come a long way since its inception, and the …