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Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • Wolfmother

    • 8 out of 10
    • Wolfmother
    • Black Sabbath, The White Stripes, The Stooges. There aren't many bands worth their salt that want to be compared to other bands, but when I listen to Wolfmother's self-titled American debut, I can

  • Cocked & Loaded

    • 8 out of 10
    • Revolting Cocks
    • It's hard to believe it's been more than a decade since Ministry founder and front man Al Jourgensen's side project Revolting Cocks released any new material. 2006 brings us Cocked and Loaded

  • Gimme Fiction

    • 10 out of 10
    • Spoon
    • Gimme Fiction by Spoon is a terrific album by an Austin band that I was lucky enough to catch on an Austin radio station during a Christmas visit.

  • Aretha Sings the Blues

    • 6 out of 10
    • Aretha Franklin
    • While she didn't always have the best taste in song selection, Aretha Franklin is a must-study for anyone with interest in the human voice. She has the kind of powerful, recklessly passionate deliv

  • Mezzanine

    • 6 out of 10
    • Massive Attack
    • "Black Milk" knocks me off my feet in this collection of moody and eclectic songs. Massive Attack uses samples and keyboards in a very unique way, but not all the songs pack the same punch.

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News

Apple Says it Does Not Use Info Sent By iTunes MiniStore

Apple's latest update to iTunes adds a feature known as the MiniStore, which displays recommendations from the iTunes Music Store based on the song currently playing. However, to do this, iTunes transmits the artist and song title, along with the user's personal iTunes account number, activity that some regard as a privacy violation along the lines of spyware.

iTunes will stop relaying such information to Apple if the user turns off the MiniStore, but Apple does not alert users about the data transmission when they upgrade the software. The company also does not indicate through the software what it will do with the information.

Writing for MacCentral, Rob Griffiths expressed dismay over the situation before later clarifying his article to explain that Apple only uses the information to update the MiniStore before discarding it. However, he still thinks Apple should disclose what iTunes is doing with the MiniStore and how the company will handle personal data.

Those concerns were echoed at the blog BoingBoing, where some readers were able to confirm that iTunes is indeed transmitting information to Apple. They would like the MiniStore turned off by default; currently, it's turned on by default when the user upgrades to the new version of iTunes.

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