A quiet stage. Steps, gently tapping. A flip is switched. A murmur, a brief flare of microphone feedback, then a low study hum.

"Ahem." Tap-tap-tap. "The show is about to begin."

Stories of the day:

• Exclusive: Google readies its Spotify competitor with Universal and Sony now on board
• BlackBerry bringing BBM to Android and iOS this summer
• BlackBerry announces BBM 'Channels' social platform for brands and celebrities
• BlackBerry announces Q5 QWERTY phone for emerging markets this summer
• Neil deGrasse Tyson's remake of Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' headed to Fox in 2014

Today's 90 Seconds on The Verge was written by Bryan Bishop and Ross Miller. All production magic is credited to Christian Mazza.