Thursday, November 26, 2015

My thoughts on the Soundcloud App

What's up guys, I'm back! Today, I've got another app review for you, today I'll be reviewing the Soundcloud app, which is an app that lets anyone upload their music for free. And you know, this might actually be my all-time favorite music app for android. So without further ado, let's get started!

So, when you install the app and first load it up, you'll find that there's a nice-looking and clean interface with material design, so that's a pro right off the bat. There's a home icon which takes you to your stream, which is music from artists/people you follow and music that's recommended for you. You can also explore using hashtags, which is a pretty cool feature for a music app. Basically, I think of soundcloud as a 'social media' of music, which is what makes it unique!

The main thing that sets soundcloud apart from other competing music apps like Spotify and YouTube Music, however, is that you can listen to all music completely for free. It strikes me as a startup that is purely focused on letting people enjoy their music without the hassle of subscriptions, which is awesome. Another thing worth mentioning is that you get basic features for free that YT music and Spotify make you pony up for. For example, Spotify won't let you play whatever song you want, and YT music denies you the ability to play music in the background. That's right, people. Anyway, the point is that soundcloud doesn't make you deal with any of the crap that other apps do, and that's so nice to have.


Other than that, you'll find features that are pretty standard for a music app, like creating playlists and sharing them with your friends, and suggestions based on what you listen to.

There's not really a whole lot more to say about this app, it's a very simple tool for listening to your favorite music, and that's where it stands above all the other music applications, along with the fact that it doesn't restrict critical features to a monthly subscription. My final score for this app is a fantastic 9/10!

Pros: Tons of free music, clean and easy to use interface, best feature set for a free music app


Cons: No offline listening (even though that would pretty much go against the point of soundcloud anyway)

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this review, and be sure to check out my review of YouTube Music as well. Please leave a like if you enjoyed, it really helps this blog to grow and helps me to create more awesome content!

And with that, I'll see you guys later! 



Thursday, November 12, 2015

Youtube Music: First Impressions

Hey guys, how's it going? Well, today I'm back with another post for you to enjoy from Jb3ast's TechnoBlog! Today I'll be giving my thoughts on the new Youtube Music app, which just dropped today. I've been using it a lot so far, and I'm not super impressed by this app in the time that I've had it. So without further ado, let's get started!

As I'm sure you've already heard, there have been multiple spin-offs of the standard YouTube app, including Youtube kids and Youtube gaming. Basically, Youtube music is just the normal youtube app, except it cuts out anything that isn't music. That's it. It seems really underwhelming and half-baked to me, as if Google didn't even bother to add any new features.

I mean seriously, just try to name at least one feature that YtM has that the Youtube app and Google Play Music couldn't do before, I guarantee it's impossible. This app is so disappointing in my opinion, because at this point I've come to expect far more from the likes of Google, especially considering all the excellent apps that they've conceived in the past.

Let's talk about what's 'different' about this app though, what little of that there is. First of all, you've got a darker material design look in the menus, which honestly looks a lot better to me than the normal youtube app, which is definitely a pro. The app also creates daily endless mixes based on what you listen to, which is kind of cool. That's all the stuff that's different in YouTube Music. And there's one more thing I've got to talk about...

Why do we have to pay for YouTube Red just to be able to play music while we're in a different app or if the screen is turned off? Literally every other music app in existence lets you do that without paying for a subscription (soundcloud, spotify, google play music, etc.) What is this then? Why are you charging us for a feature that I could easily get for free with one of the other music providers? Sure, you do get the ability to watch and listen to videos without any ads which is nice, and you get to download videos and watch them offline, although I doubt I would do that very often, especially considering how little I'm actually out of range of a Wi-Fi network.

If they don't add some revolutionary new features that totally knock my socks off, I'm not going to be using this app in the forseeable future. I'll just stick with Spotify and Soundcloud.

Goodbye YouTube Music, it was nice knowing you.

RIP

Sincerely,
Jb3ast

Sunday, November 1, 2015

"Agency" map returning in next CS:GO operation?

Hey guys, I'm back with some exciting speculation about the upcoming operation for Counter Strike Global Offensive! I'm not totally sure when this new operation will drop, but I'm guessing that it'll be in the next month or two. Anyway, let's get into the topic!

Anyone who's played csgo during operation bloodhound between April 27 and October 1 will know that Agency was by far the most popular map out of all the new maps available during the operation. It had the perfect mix of close-range firefights and long-range lines of sight, which made it a great map overall. Agency was also one of the only maps in bloodhound that was a hostage rescue instead of bomb planting, which made it somewhat unique compared to the others.

On the official CS:GO website it actually allows players to vote for which maps they want in the upcoming operation. And so far, it looks like Agency is the #1 most requested map! If you want to check it out I'll post the link here. The page also shows what some of the other potential maps could be so you'll have an idea what to expect in the future!

Well, that's it for this post, be sure to leave a +1 if you enjoyed!

And with that, I'll see you guys later!