Spotify sued over music streaming technology

 

Spotify launched its service in the US in mid-July

Music service Spotify is being sued in the US and Europe for allegedly violating patents held by PacketVideo.

The lawsuit claims that Spotify has violated at least two patents owned by PacketVideo that cover methods of streaming music over data networks.

The legal action comes barely two weeks after Spotify launched a US version of its music streaming service.  UK-based Spotify said it would "strongly contest" the claims PacketVideo made in its lawsuit.

iDJ Live promises to mix up your iPad music

It seems like a different lifetime when DJs needed to take boxes of records around with them to mix music, with gadgets cropping up left, right and centre to take advantage of MP3 players. The latest mixing deck – the iDJ Live – is designed to work with your Apple iPad, and also offers a big onscreen app to go with it.

In addition to the iPad, the iDJ Live is compatible with the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod, although neither look quite as good as the iPad when it’s hooked up to the mixing deck.

You’ll find two ‘turntables’ – as with an old-style mixing deck – although they’re obviously just there for tweaking the speed your songs are running at, rather than actually playing vinyl. The iDJ Live also offers a mixer and crossfader, and there’s a proper stand for your Apple iPad.

On the iDJ Live, Numark – the company behind the gadget – claims “It’s so affordable and fun to use, iDJ Live is going to open up the world of DJing to entirely new audiences”.

Would you buy the iDJ Live? Or do you prefer using traditional mixing decks and vinyl? Leave a comment and let us know.