The new, new Myspace just left beta, and with it comes a new design, new features, and even a mobile app. The site has been re-branded as a destination for music artists and fans.

The public beta version of the site was launched back in January, with the help of minority investor, Justin Timberlake. Rather than competing with social giants like Facebook and Twitter, the new version of Myspace focuses on cultivating new users, providing better music discovery, and appealing to artists seeking more listener analytical data.

CEO Tim Vanderhook commented on the release, saying “What we launched in January was a good first [example] of our vision of making Myspace the best place to listen and share musical interests, but [today’s launch] is us taking what we’ve learned from our users and applying it.”

In conjunction with the recent relaunch, Myspace is also putting a greater emphasis on mobile usage. The company’s new iOS app is now more directed at providing artists with a way to curate their own radio stations. Myspace now makes that possible, using the site’s library of over fifty million songs from major labels, smaller indie labels, and artists without representation.

The new Myspace site is available now to all users, as is the free iOS app.

Printing From the Cloud

 

Google just released the Cloud Print App, a stand-alone app that lets users print from any Android device as long as you have a Cloud Print connected printer. All you have to do is load up a document or image from your Android phone or tablet, and the Cloud Print app will allow you to quickly print it out.

You can also track the status of all print jobs.

To setup a printer for Cloud Print you have to go through the Chrome web browser. Once you find the “Google Cloud Print” section in Settings, and have a printer connected to a computer, it literally takes only 10 seconds to install and setup. The Cloud Print App is available right now in the Google Play store.

The Little One

 

It appears HTC’s rumored M4 is actually the HTC One Mini.

The new,”petite” handset is a more approachable and affordable version of the One — both inside and out — with some notable differences. For starters, its screen size has been reduced to 4.3 inches, and now its front face is ringed with plastic.

The new design change should aid in reduced weight, but it also means you’re getting considerably more bezel than on the original One. There’s also no IR blaster on the device, so you won’t be able to use it as a tv remote, as you can with the larger model.

Specific details on the UltraPixel cameras weren’t made available, but we do know the rear module’s capable of full HD video recording and Zoe share capture. Users who want to get their hands on the new petite handset should be able to purchase the One Mini sometime in the third quarter this year.

Microsoft Ramping-Up Security

 

This morning Microsoft beefed up Windows Azure’s security with a new verification process that uses either a mobile app, phone call, or even SMS.

The new multi-factor verification process is an optional feature to Windows Azure’s Active Directory identities, which allows enterprises to secure employee, partner, and customer access to cloud apps. The feature adds another layer of protection to Microsoft products, including Office 365, Windows Azure, Windows Intune, Dynamics CRM Online, and many other tools that are integrated with Windows Azure AD.

Microsoft says the new Active Authentication is built on the technology from PhoneFactor, which the company acquired in October. Developers can also use the Active Authentication SDK to build multi-factor authentication into their custom applications and directories.

Microsoft is offering a number of flexible billing options, which lets you choose between paying per user, per month, or per authentication. Currently the scheme seems to be priced at a dollar per user per month, or one dollar for every ten authentications, but Microsoft plans to double that when it deems the service ready for general availability.

Size Really Does Matter

 

According to sources, Apple is looking at bigger 4.7 and 5.7 inch screens and up to 6 new colours for their iPhone line.

The new additions to the iPhone lineup underscores how the California-based firm that once ruled the smartphone marke is increasingly under threat from Samsung.

The iPhone 5 was the first handset to veer away from the Apple’s normal three-point-five-inch screen, which Jobs famously deemed “the perfect size for consumers.”

For this year, Apple is expected to launch two new models, which are rumored to come with new fingerprint technology. Analysts say the company needs a cheaper gadget to push on in growth markets like China and India, and to counter Samsung’s edge in having phones priced up and down the spectrum.

Test production for both the standard and cheaper iPhone models are said to begin next month, with mass production ramping up in August to meet their reported launch target in September.

ESPN, 3DTV, & You!

 

The dream of 3D TV programming may have already crashed before it even got off the ground.

ESPN, which was one of the first major programmers to embrace the format, plans to discontinue its specialized ESPN 3D channel by year’s end. ESPN 3D launched in June 2010 with a three-dimensional broadcast of the World Cup’s opening contest, and the network began broadcasting in 3D non-stop early the following year.

Even as the sun sets on one TV trend, ESPN is already looking ahead to the next, more impactful upgrade: 4K. They backed up this point in a statement, saying, “We continue to experiment with things like Ultra High Definition television production tools to produce our current ESPN family of HD channels.”

Mobile Cloudflare Draws Fanfare

 

Website security company Cloudflare launched a new product today called Mirage 2.0. Businesses using the new tool will now be able to optimize their mobile websites so that they appear faster through the use of image optimization technology.

The focus on mobile is a natural progression for Cloudflare. It already has its Railgun service to help manage optimize load speeds for websites, which has already resulted in a 143% improvement in load times.

Mirage works by determining a device’s download speed so that it can adapt for either LTE, 3G, or Edge and optimize the connection speed accordingly. Using a technique called adaptive image virtualization, the service enables websites to be loaded faster while full-size images are still being downloaded.

Cloudflare estimates that 75% of the bandwidth required to load a page is taken up by images, but by using Mirage, Cloudflare believes that images can compressed to take up only one percent of bandwidth to render the image. Any business can sign up for Mirage 2.0 now as part of Cloudflare’s Pro tier service at twenty dollars per month.

Facebook Stays Cool With New Data Center

 

Facebook just opened their first European data center that uses company-designed servers. Located in Luleå, Sweden near the Arctic Circle, the unique facility is now online.

Similar to their North Carolina outdoor air-cooled testing ground, the Swedish facility takes advantage of the region’s frigid winds, and even takes the excess heat produced by the machines and routes it to offices to keep employees warm. The firm claims the 900,000 sqft center is powered entirely by hydroelectric energy — a source so reliable that Facebook could scale down their backup generator count by more than 70%.

With an average power usage efficiency of 1.07, the servers should consume just as many watts of energy for each watt they need to function, pointing to minimal energy loss. Now that the Luleå installation is complete and operational, the company can focus on building its $1.5 billion megastructure, its biggest data center yet, in Altoona, Iowa.

Facebook #Copycats

 

Facebook copied Twitter yet again, by launching hashtags to let users add context and discover shared interests.

The company made the announcement recently, saying that hashtags have become a vital part of popular culture. Since users have been using hashtags organically, Facebook decided to actually implement the feature.

While you could always technically create a hashtag on Facebook, they will now be clickable, taking you to a feed of what other people and Pages are saying about that event or topic. On hashtag pages, you will only be able to see the posts that you could normally see on the social network, such as those shared by your friends or comments from strangers which are shared as Public.

Users will be able to search for a specific hashtag using the search bar. You can even click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Instagram, and compose posts directly from the hashtag feed.

Bionic Baseball Boy’s Dream Comes True

Last night Google helped a young boy with a rare disorder and a love for baseball make a big league dream come true.

Thirteen year old Nick LeGrande is currently in the care of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City suffering from the rare blood disorder aplastic anemia. Prior to his illness Nick was an avid baseball player however, since the onset of his disorder, Nick’s immune system has been compromised which inhibits him from being around large crowds.

Google wanted to help the young boy reach his dream of being able to play baseball once again so they enlisted the help of a telerobotic arm which would enable Nick to throw a baseball pitch. In explaining the process, Google said an Android application would allow Nick to control the movements of the robot which was situated in Oakland.

That robot was also equipped with a camera, that gave Nick a livestream view of the ballpark. Last night Nick made history with the first Telerobotic pitch in Major League Baseball during the Oakland A’s and New York Yankees game.

Oakland A’s catcher Ryan Cook spoke about last night’s moment saying “That’s some pretty powerful stuff,” and has encouraged everyone to consider becoming bone marrow donors.

That’s all we have for today, so for this and more in tech news be sure to catch us every morning on NewsDesk with Kristin Feledy.

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writing credit: Andrew E. Lowe