Starbucks and Spotify tie up for a massive multi-year collaboration

Spotify is set to invade Starbucks cafes in big way. The two big companies have inked a multi-year deal. Spotify and its premium service will be playing a key role in the in-store music experience at Starbucks and help customers earn free drinks. The 7,000 Starbucks locations in the United States will be link to Spotify’s 60 million users to develop a “first-of-its-kind music ecosystem.” Starbucks employees a.k.a. partners will gain complimentary access to Spotify Premium and will be able to influence the in-store playlists. And customers will be able to access these playlists through a dedicated Starbucks section in the app.

This partnership is also the first time Starbucks is opening its loyalty program to a third-party company. According to the announcement, Spotify Premium subscribers will earn “Stars as Currency” but there aren’t any specifics how they’ll be able to earn those and how long they have to be subscribers to get Starbucks freebies. The partnership will be rolled out in phases starting this fall in the US and it’ll be expanding to Canada and the United Kingdom.

Source: The Verge

Google reportedly plans to test out ‘Buy’ button in search results

Google is looking to take on Amazon and other retail giants with a new feature they’ll reportedly integrate in their search engine. According to The Wall Street Journal, Google plans to add a “Buy” button to sponsored search results of certain products. The company will be acting as a bridge for retailers and customers. They won’t be selling the products per se. When you click on the Buy button it’ll take you to the product page where you can make the purchase in hopes of cutting down time you need to search for a particular product.

They’re reportedly talking with Macy’s to be part of the launch of this feature. The Buy feature is said to be limited to sponsored results and it’ll initially be available to mobile and won’t be seen on desktop just yet.

Source: The Wall Street Journal | Via: Ubergizmo

LG G4 to hit some markets this week

LG’s latest flagship smartphone will be hitting a few markets this week. Aside from South Korea, Hong, Turkey, Singapore, and Russia will be the first to be getting the leather-clad G4. LG won’t say though when it will be hitting the other markets. They said it will “eventually” come to “most of Europe,” North America, Southeast Asia, Eurasian states, Africa, Middle East, and South and Central America. Pricing will be announced separately for each market.

Source: Mashable

Blast from the iPod past with Click Wheel for iOS

Waxing nostalgia about the bygone era of iPods? If you’ve been wanting to get the click wheel feel on your iPhone. Third-party developer Adam Bell created the Click Wheel keyboard app for iOS. It comes complete with the iPod scrolling sound we’ve come to love. But it will be a lot of work. You’ll be scrolling through one letter at a time after all. But you’ll also have access to those hundreds of emojis included in iOS 8.3.

Source: The Verge | Download: Apple iTunes App Store (Free)