Hi Kim! Well, I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

The good news: yes, you should be able to transfer most—but, potentially, not all—of your iTunes music to your Android phone.

The bad news: nope, your old iPhone apps won’t play nice with Android.

First, let’s tackle your tunes—and specifically, why some of the tracks you bought on iTunes might not work on an Android phone.

Until just a few years ago, Apple only sold copy-protected music on iTunes, and those DRM-protected tunes (“DRM” stands for “digital rights management,” by the way) will only play on devices (like your Mac, PC, or iPhone) that are authorized by your iTunes Store account.

Starting in 2009, Apple reversed course and began selling “DRM-free” (or “iTunes Plus“) tracks on iTunes that will play on practically any digital music player—including, yes, Android phones.

What does that mean to you? Well, if you bought any music on iTunes prior to 2009, there’s a chance you still may have some copy-protected music in your iTunes library. You can spot them by looking for the telltale “M4P” extension at the end of the file name—for example, “In Your Eyes.m4p.”

So, what can you do if you’re stuck with copy-protected iTunes music? Well, two (legal) things.

• You can pay 30 cents a track to convert your copy-protected music to the Android-friendly iTunes Plus format. Click this link, and you’ll jump to a list of songs in your iTunes library that are eligible for conversion.
• Sign up for iTunes Match, a $25-a-year service that scans all your iTunes songs and quickly “matches” them with high-quality, copy-protection free music in iCloud. If iTunes Match manages to “match” any of your copy-protected M4P songs, you could just re-download them from iCloud to get a DRM-free version.

Now, let’s say you’ve dealt with any copy-protected songs in iTunes. How do you move them to an Android phone?

No, iTunes won’t sync your music to an Android phone, but there are other ways to transfer your songs.

• Connect your Android phone to your PC or Mac with a USB cable, then just drag and drop music files from your system’s hard drive to your phone’s Music directory. Then, launch the Google Music app on your Android phone, and voilà—your tunes will be there. (Note: Some Android phones, like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, won’t pop up on your Mac desktop when you connect the phone’s USB cable; luckily, Google offers a free utility that’ll help transfer songs and other files from your Mac.)
• If the Android phone you pick has a slot for those itty-bitty microSD memory cards, you could transfer your songs to the memory card and then snap the card into your phone. (Note: You may need an adapter to plug a microSD memory card into your PC or Mac.)
• Use a third-party program to sync your iTunes playlists. One of the most popular is called DoubleTwist, which has the added virtue of being free; there’s also a paid version, called AirTwist, that’ll wirelessly sync your iTunes music to your Android handset.
• Upload your songs to Google Play Music, a free digital music “locker” in the cloud. Once all your music is uploaded, you’ll be able to stream them to your Android phone using the Google Music app. Keep in mind, though, that uploading all your songs to Google Music could be a lengthy process—as in days or even weeks. Read more…
• Amazon has its own music locker, called Amazon Cloud Player, that will quickly “scan and match” your songs just like iTunes Match does. Once your music is all matched, you can stream or download your tunes to your Android phone using Amazon’s MP3 Android app. The catch? You’ll have to pay a $25-a-year fee to “scan and match” more than 250 tracks to Cloud Player.

Now then, what about your iPhone apps?

Like I said before, no—you can’t take your iPhone apps with you if you switch to Android.

Of course, there are plenty of Android versions of popular iPhone apps available in the Google Play app store, some of which you’ll find in my list of 15 must-have Android apps.

Unfortunately, TomTom’s iPhone navigation app isn’t one of them. That said, word is that an Android-friendly TomTom app is said to be coming soon.

Also, consider using Google Maps Navigation, a powerful—and free—GPS navigation app that offers turn-by-turn directions.

Hope that helps, Kim. Have more questions? Let me know!

The post Can I play music from iTunes on an Android phone? (reader mail) appeared first on here's the thing.

In a blog post Tuesday, Google said it was consolidating the Android Market, Google Music, and Google eBookstore sites into Google Play to reduce the “hassle” of finding and organizing apps, tracks, videos and books for your various Android devices.

That’s the theory, anyway. In practice, Google Play (which you can check out right here) looks an awful lot like the old Android Market.

You can still browse for apps just as before, with the main app product pages (like this one) serving up product descriptions, screenshots, user reviews, and buttons for buying and/or installing a given app to your Android device.

Up at the top of the Google Play page, just above a rotating carousel of promos, you’ll find tabs for “My Music” (the new home of Google Music), “My Books” (which replaces the Google eBookstore), and “My Movies” (for video rentals and purchases).

OK, so what happens to your old apps from the gone-but-not-forgotten Android Market, or your Google Music tune collection? Don’t worry—they’re still there, just where you left them. Indeed, the books and albums I bought from Google Music and the eBookstore are present and accounted for, except now they’re sitting under a “Google Play” banner.

What will be changing, though, is the Android Market app on your Android smartphone or Tablet. Google says it’ll be upgrading the app to the “Google Play Store” app in “the coming days.”

Google is also promoting the Google Play launch with daily discounts during the next week; check out this blog post for more details.

So, what do you think: will putting all of Google’s Android wares under a single “Google Play” roof make it easier to shop for apps, music, videos and books? Or will you miss the Android Market? Let me know what you think!

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Not to be outdone, Google took the wraps off its online music store and threw open the doors to Google Music, another digital music “locker” that will store (you guessed it) up to 20,000 of your favorite tracks. Unlike iTunes Match, Google Music is free … but there’s a catch.

Also this week: hands-on with Amazon’s new, $200 Kindle Fire tablet; a field guide to the latest crop of feature-packed tablets, including the iPad 2, the Fire, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus; and how to share iCloud’s “Photo Stream” feature with your better half.

How to stream all your music from iCloud with iTunes Match
The $25-a-year service will scan your music library and “match” your songs with high-quality versions in iCloud, perfect for streaming from your iPhone or iPad. Read more…

Hands-on with the $200 Kindle Fire: You get what you pay for
The Fire lacks the silky-smooth performance of a pricier tablet like the iPad 2, but with its $200 price tag, you won’t have to empty your wallet, either. Read more…

Google launches music store, offers free online storage for 20,000 songs
The search giant unveiled its new music store Tuesday, as well as promising free storage of up to 20,000 tracks in your own, online music “locker.” Read more…

Podcast 004: The tablet show, starring the iPad 2, the Kindle Fire, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and more
This week, we poke and prod the iPad 2, the smaller but sexy Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the bargain-priced Kindle Fire, and the $79 Kindle e-reader. Read more…

How can I share Photo Stream pictures with my wife? (reader mail)
No, you don’t need the same iTunes Store account to share photos using Photo Stream—but you will need to share an iCloud account. Confused yet? Read more…

iPad, Nook, Tab or Fire? A field guide for first-time tablet shoppers
So, ready to buy a tablet, but not sure where to start? Read on for a bird-eye view of the entire tablet landscape, from the Apple iPad 2 to the Kindle Fire. Read more…

Try this: Split the iPad’s keyboard in two (iOS 5 tip)
Want to type on the iPad’s keyboard with your thumbs rather than your fingers? It’s a lot easier once you split the iPad’s on-screen keypad in half. Here’s how. Read more…

How to upload and stream your tunes with Google Music
Google Music will let you upload up to 20,000 songs to a digital “locker” and stream your tunes over the web or on an Android device. Here’s how to get started. Read more…

HP’s slim, light Folio 13 laptop promises 9 hours of battery life
HP’s svelte, 3.3-pound Windows laptop boasts a 13-inch display, a potpourri of ports, and nine hours of juice—supposedly, at least. Read more…

Why won’t Mission Control label my desktops? (Mac OS X Lion tip)
Yes, Mission Control will label at least some of your desktops, but requires a little action on your part—and not all your Mac apps will be up to the task. Read more…

Kindle Fire review roundup: “Not an iPad killer,” but still “terrific” at $200
At $200, the Fire is less than half the price of the iPad—and you get what you pay for, reviewers say, although you’re also getting a lot of bang for the buck. Read more…

Quick take: Wingstand keyboard clips for iPhone, iPad
Here’s a clever idea: a pair of plastic clips that snaps onto Apple’s wireless keyboard and holds your iDevice at just the right angle for typing. Read more…

The post How to stream music with iTunes Match; the $200 Kindle Fire; Google’s new music store (week in review) appeared first on here's the thing.

Unlike Apple’s new iTunes Match service, Google Music can’t scan the songs on your hard drive and “match” then with tracks from the new Google music store, which means those with massive digital music collections could find themselves uploading their tunes for days on end.

Update [3/2012]: Google Music has now been folded into the new Google Play service, but all the basic functionality of Google Music remains more or less the same.

Once you've uploaded your tunes to Google Music, you'll be able to listen to them on your Android phone or tablet.

But while iTunes Match costs $25 a year, storing up to 20,000 songs in your Google Music locker won’t cost you a dime.

Ready to pump up the volume with Google Music? Here’s how to get started.

1. Visit Google Music and sign in with your Google account, or create a new Google ID.
2. Once you’re signed in, you’ll find a selection of free tracks already in your Google Music library. Select a song, then click the “Play” button in the bottom-left corner of your web browser to start listening. Easy, right?
3. Now, time to upload some tunes. Click the “Upload Music” link in the top-right corner of the screen, then click the blue “Download Music Manager” button. Google’s Music Manager software will work on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
4. Once you’ve installed the Music Manager, launch the application, then sign in with your Google ID.


The Music Manager program will check iTunes or Windows Media Player (on a Windows PC) for tracks, or you can ask it to scan a specific folder.

5. Next, you’ll need to tell Music Manager where you store your music on your computer (and don’t worry, you can always go back and change these settings later). If you use iTunes or Windows Media Player, click the appropriate button; you’ll then get the choice of either uploading specific playlists, or everything in your collection. Keep in mind that if you have more than a few hundreds songs on your hard drive, uploading everything could take a long, long time.
6. Don’t use iTunes or Windows Media Player for your digital music? Well, you could always point the Google Music Manager to your Music folder, or choose a specific folder with songs from a particular artist or album. Or, try this: create a new directory and drag in the folders of music you want synced to your Google Music account.
7. Once you’ve chosen the music you’d like uploaded, Music Manager will ask if you’d like it to automatically upload new music; that’s up to you, of course (and again, you can always change your mind later).
8. All set? If so, Music Manager will tally up your tunes and begin uploading them. On the Mac, you can monitor your progress by clicking the little headphone icon that appears at the top of the screen; in Windows, look in the icon tray on the bottom-right corner of your desktop.
   

   Click the icon at the top of you Mac desktop to check the status of your uploads; for Windows, you'll find the icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

9. Now, uploading dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of songs with the Music Manager can put quite a strain on your Internet connection. To ease the pressure, click the Music Manager headphone icon, click the Advanced tab, then choose how much bandwidth you’d like to make available for uploading, ranging from “Fastest possible” to “Slowest.”
10. Want to stop uploading? Go back to the “Advanced” tab in the Music Manager and click the “Sign Out” button, then sign back in when you’re ready to resume uploading. From here, you can also change your upload folders, or turn automatic uploading for new songs on or off.
11. Ready to start listening? Just go to your Google Music account on the web, find an uploaded song or album you’d like to hear, and press the “Play” button again in the bottom-right corner of your browser—you know the drill.
12. Got an Android phone or tablet? If so, go ahead and download the Google Music app for Android and sign in; within seconds, your entire Google Music library will be available for streaming. You can also save tracks, albums, playlists, or entire genres for offline playback; just tap the menu icon in the top-right corner of the Google Music app, select “Make available offline,” and then “pin” the selections you’d like to download to your device.

Have more questions about Google Music? Sure you do. Let me know!

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]]> https://heresthethingblog.com/2011/11/17/upload-stream-tunes-google-music/feed/ 1 https://heresthethingblog.com/2011/11/16/google-launches-online-music-store/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2011/11/16/google-launches-online-music-store/#respond Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:24:30 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=4508 Well, Google is finally in the business of selling music, with the search giant unveiling its new music store Wednesday as well as promising free storage of up to 20,000 tracks in your own, online music “locker.” Very nice, but some of your favorite artists might be missing from Google’s just-launched music store, and you’ll […]

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]]> Well, Google is finally in the business of selling music, with the search giant unveiling its new music store Wednesday as well as promising free storage of up to 20,000 tracks in your own, online music “locker.”

Very nice, but some of your favorite artists might be missing from Google’s just-launched music store, and you’ll have to be patient—very patient—if you want to take advantage of all that free online storage.



You can store and listen to purchased songs in your Google Music locker, or upload more tracks from your PC or Mac.

You can check out Google’s new music store right here, and you’ll be able to play your purchased tunes instantly on the web or using the free Google Music app for Android smartphones. (Nope, there’s no Google Music app for iPhone.)

You’ll also be able to share the latest tracks you’ve purchased on Google+, which is a nice bonus.

Your Google+ pals will be able to play your shared tunes all the way through, by the way—but just once. Want to listen again? Well, guess you’ll just have to go and buy it yourself.

Unfortunately, only three of the four major music labels (EMI, Sony, and Universal) have signed on with Google’s new music store. A fourth key player—Warner Music Group, home to artists such as Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, The Doors, Ray Charles, Neil Young, and Cee Lo Green—is still sitting on the sidelines.

Now, it’s always possible that Warner Music will give Google the green light within a matter of days; for now, though, you’ll have to buy your digital copy of “After the Gold Rush” elsewhere.

Once you’ve bought some music from Google’s music store, the tracks will appear automatically in your Google Music locker.

Related: How to upload and stream tunes with Google Music

The Google Music service (which you can visit right here) has actually been around since May; until now, though, you needed an invitation to use it. That restriction was lifted Wednesday, and now anyone in the U.S. can give Google Music a try.

In addition to storing your purchased tracks, you can also upload up to 20,000 tracks—for free—to your Google Music locker using Google’s music-manager desktop software.

That’s the good news; the bad news is that Google Music won’t scan your hard drive for tunes and “match” your songs with tracks that already exist in Google’s music store—meaning you’ll have to upload each and every one of your music files, a potentially days-long process for those with large digital music collections.

Apple’s new iTunes Match service, on the other hand, does offer a “scan and match” feature. That said, you’ll have to pay $25 a year to store up to 20,000 songs in iCloud, versus nothing for Google Music. Also, you can’t listen to your iTunes Match collection over the web.

So, which sounds better to you: Google Music, or iTunes Match? Or will you go ahead and use ’em both?

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