Lilbits (12-20-2013): Goodbye Winamp (maybe)

After 15 years, Winamp might be shutting down soon. In the late 90s, the music player was pretty much the go-to MP3 player folks used to handle their ripped CDs and Napster downloads. But the app was eventually acquired by AOL and over the past decade it’s largely faded into obscurity.

AOL announced plans to shut down Winamp and the Shoutcast streaming radio service on December 20th, but there are rumors that another company might step in and buy the assets, keeping Winamp alive. In the meantime, one of the big names in this decade’s music space are paying tribute.

Spotify has released a PC app that looks just like Winamp classic, but which streams playlists-on-demand from Spotify’s servers.

Here’s a roundup of tech news from around the web.

• Missing Winamp already? Spotify launches Spotiamp, a Winamp clone for Spotify Premium subscribers
  Winamp shuts down today. Spotify keeps the dream of 90s-era app design alive with Spotiamp. It works like Spotify’s normal PC client, but it looks like Winamp classic. It even supports Winamp visualization plugins and works as a Shoutcast server. [Spotify]
• Winamp isn’t dead (yet). AOL in talks to sell the media player and Shoutcast streaming service on even of shutdown
  Actually, Winamp might not get shut down at all. AOL might be selling it off. [TechCrunch]
• Asus Miracast dongle hits the FCC
  Asus is bringing a Miracast dongle to market, letting you stream content from your phone, tablet, or PC to a TV. Apparently it’s actually manufactured by Lite-On. [FCC]
• GameStick’s tiny Android game console now available in the UK for £80
  Keeping up the long tradition of pretending that $80 and £80 are about the same thing, PlayJam is now selling its Android-powered game stick and wireless controller in the UK. [Gamasutra]
• BlackBerry had a tough fiscal quarter, but the company has signed up 40 million new iOS, Android BBM users
  Now if only the company was making any money from all those users of its free chat service. [N4BB]
• Lian Li PC-Q33 is a mini-ITX PC case with a hinge for easy access to the insides
  There are plenty of PC cases for mini-ITX boards. But this one has a hinge-based design, making it incredibly easy to open up when you want to get at the insides. [AnandTech]
• Tiny Leef Bridge micro/full-sized USB adapter gets even tinier, adds USB 3.0 support
  The Leef Bridge is a tiny USB stick with a full-sized adapter at one end, and a micro USB tip on the other. You can use it to easily copy data from a PC to a phone or tablet. Now there’s a new model that’s even smaller… and faster. [Android Community]
• YotaPhone dual-screen, E Ink smartphone reviewed
  It’s the first phone to ship with a full-color LCD on one side and a low-power, grayscale screen on the other. Unfortunately that second screen doesn’t actually do very much (yet). [Engadget]
• ARM server chip pioneer Calxeda has reportedly run out of money and shut down
  One of the companies that first marketed servers powered by low-power ARM-based chips has met its end. But other companies have since picked up the torch. [AllThingsD]
• Rumor: T-Mobile to provide credit for users switching from other networks, help pay your early-termination fee
  T-Mobile hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but signs point to the company trying to tempt you to leave your current carrier… with cash. [CNET]

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