We've seen a few attempts at shared audio streaming, but many of these depend on specialized apps or hardware. Microsoft and Nokia could clear that hurdle with their newly launched Nokia Music Mix Party, which leans on what many of us have at home. Xbox 360 owners with an Xbox Live Gold subscription just have to visit a website that starts an artist-based streaming playlist with a custom QR code; after that, anyone in the room with a mobile device can scan the code and vote on which songs should play next. The service is free to use during July, although we don't yet know if and how pricing will change afterward. Is Mix Party simple? You bet -- but it could keep guests happy at future shindigs, even if they don't care for our tastes in music.
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If you're peddling wireless speaker systems that offer internet streaming support, it's only natural to want to get cozy with Spotify. Sonos' latest update for its iOS and Android Controller apps does just that, and you can now log-in to the streaming service using your Facebook account. What's more, version 4.1 makes handling mixtapes easier, as you can access, edit or build new Spotify playlists from within the app. Revising your Sonos playlists, or creating new ones altogether, has also been tweaked so you no longer need to involve the 'now playing' queue. Lastly, the alarm function can now be set to wake you with the sounds of your preferred subscription service, taking you straight from dreaming to streaming. when.eng("eng.perm.init")