Instagram to hold mysterious media event on December 12

Tech Crunch has reported that Instagram will be holding a media event in New York City on December 12. Aside from having the words “share a moment with Kevin Systrom and the Instagram team,” the company has been mum about what the event is for.

Speculation is that it involves printing as the invites were sent through physical mail on paper or on some with blocks of wood, which are both allusions to printing business. Perhaps Instagram wants a bite into the market of print services that use Instagram photos on everything from physical prints, canvas, glass and even wood. 

Microsoft unveils Bing Maps Preview

Microsoft has brought back 3D imagery with the new Bing Maps Preview app for Windows 8.1. There are 3D maps of about 70 cities such as Canberra, Australia; Portland, Maine; and Bremen, Germany. The app is optimized for touch and makes Streetside available for those who want to see a map at street level (similar to Google’s Street View). It also has search, traffic info and other functionalities as well as Skype call ability and Open Table integration.

Google adds French, Japanese, German responses for mobile Search app

Google has updated the mobile version of its Search app for Android and iOS to add other languages for its voice search feature. You no longer just receive answers in English. The app can now answer questions for you in French, Japanese and German.

Source: Google Inside Search

Beats Music subscription service now accepts username registration

While we wait to see what YouTube’s music service will be like, we have another tech giant launching its own music subscription service this January. The Beats Music service from Beats Audio and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor is nearing its launch date and wants users to claim their usernames ahead of time. Beats Music was previously called Project Daisy and there aren’t any additional details yet on what this service will offer that is different from those on the market.

We're #BeatsMusic. What should we call you? #Claimyourname at http://t.co/t6hLMHMzLV. pic.twitter.com/ifyfWT8qcP

— Beats Music (@beatsmusic) December 4, 2013