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Spotify for iOS now streaming at 320Kbps

There was a time when streaming audio meant sacrificing fidelity. Many early Internet radio stations delivered an AM-quality 64Kbps stream, while the "good ones" topped out at 128Kbps.

Even Spotify for iOS, the app version of the popular music service (which CNET called "the best free music option since stealing"), could muster only 160Kbps--a bit better than FM radio, but a far cry from CD-quality.

My, how times have changed: Spotify for iOS can now stream music at 320Kbps.

That's a big deal for folks who typically listen through headphones, which is where you can … Read more

iTunes Plus lets users upgrade individual songs

File this under: now you tell me.

On Wednesday, I paid $30 to upgrade some of my iTunes music. That's the only way iTunes Plus allowed me to do it: swap out all the songs in my library eligible for upgrade or forget about getting any of them at the higher bitrate.

But on Thursday I read at Macworld.com that iTunes is now enabling users to upgrade on a per-song basis. What are the odds?

If I would have just waited a few hours, I wouldn't have had to pay that 30 cents for "The Shock … Read more