Amidio makes some heavy-duty musical apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch; I was particularly impressed with StarGuitar, which gives you a virtual guitar with a bunch of preset rhythms, letting songwriters create quick sketches of ideas when they're nowhere near a guitar.
I created a nice vocal loop from the new Beach House single, then dropped it into Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine." It took me about five minutes.
On Tuesday, Apple approved a new Amidio app, called TouchDJ, for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it's both very impressive from a technical standpoint and a heck of a lot of fun. The iPhone can only play one audio track at a time, but TouchDJ essentially fools it into placing two MP3s side by side for simultaneous, real-time manipulation and playback. It's like a two-track digital DJ setup right on your iPhone.
You get a crossfader to control the balance between the two tracks, plus individual controls for each track's volume, pitch/speed (which aren't independent from one another, unfortunately), equalization (three bands), and effects (the built-in real-time effect sounds like a kind of flanger, and there are several lame samples of a low-pitched robot voice, but you can upload your own). Each track is represented by simple waveform images that use a different color for the bass, which helps you match beats more effectively. A tempobend effect, which lets you quickly bend the speed up or down on either track, also helps you get in sync.
The looping functions were most impressive--you can create a cue and loop mark at any point in either track, then return to the cue with the rewind button, move to the loop mark with the fast forward button, or create an endless loop between the two points. All of this is in real time. If you've got an audio splitter, you can even create a separate cue track for your headphones--for example, to set up a loop in your second track while the first one is playing, without exposing your experimentation to your audience--although this requires some serious processing power, and is recommended only for an iPhone 3GS.
There are a couple caveats.... Read more
Thirty-five years ago, Hello Kitty dropped an atomic cute bomb on the world and the universe was forever changed.
Developed in 1974, the iconic kawaii cat debuted with Japanese character licensing firm Sanrio in 1975 on a small change purse that sold for 240 yen (around 80 cents at the time). Sanrio has since built a vast global empire on Kitty's popularity, and related licensing deals now account for a huge chunk (some say about half) of Sanrio's $5 billion in annual sales.
Over the past three and a half decades, Kitty's mouth-missing face has graced thousands upon thousands of products, from wallets, trash cans, alarm clocks, stationary, and airplanes to cell phones, cell phone chargers, Netbooks, massively multiplayer online role-playing games, USB lap warmers, karaoke systems, and even assault rifles--yes assault rifles.
Kitty's 35th birthday year has proven to be yet another opportunity for a merchandising bonanza, and fortunately (or tragically, depending on your perspective), the global fat cat shows absolutely no sign of slowing down or loosening her claw-like grip on the consumer electronics industry. So to fete the feline on her special occasion, we breathed a sigh of resignation and rounded up some of the scariest cutest Hello Kitty gadgets from the past year (see our gallery above).
Didn't we hear the retirement age for fictional Japanese cats is 36?
Matt's turntable, amp, and speakers.
(Credit: Matt Calderone)What's the definition of a great hi-fi? It's the one you're listening to. Not just for background "listening," but actual, focused listening.
Investing a lot of money on a hi-fi isn't the only way to get there. In fact, spending as little as possible on decent gear is the best way to get acquainted with good sound. Who knows, you might become an audiophile.
My friend Matt Calderone might be on his way. He was given a used Denon DP-7F turntable, and recently bought a Kenwood KA-701 integrated stereo amplifier on eBay and a pair of Klipsch speakers through Craigslist. All told, he spent less than $200.
Calderone is 26 years old so I was curious about how and why he wound up with a hi-fi. He says he's always been interested in LPs, and he likes listening to them over a decent stereo, not computer speakers. Calderone thinks good speakers make a big difference.
It's not just that the sound is better, music engages on a different level when heard over a hi-fi. Calderone frequently winds up just sitting on the couch and get this, he listens to entire records! The music is the main focus; vinyl has that effect on some people. Calderone is going to add a CD player soon, but for now his system is analog only.
The hardest part of buying a used hi-fi is picking the right gear. If you're new to hi-fi ask an older relative who knows audio about which brands are worthy, but for starters I'd recommend steering clear of Sony and Bose products. I like Creek, Denon, NAD, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha amplifiers and receivers; look for used Advent, AR, Boston Acoustics, DCM, Epos, Infinity, Klipsch, Magnepan, Mirage, Monitor Audio, NHT, Polk, Snell, or Vandersteen speakers. For a few hundred bucks you can put together a very listenable used system.
... Read more
Back in 2007, Bowers & Wilkins brought out the uniquely styled Zeppelin iPod speaker, which we described in our review as being every bit as sophisticated as Apple's iconic player, with detailed sound that largely lived up to B&W's high-end reputation. That Zeppelin remains on the market, but now it's got a smaller, less expensive--and more subdued-looking--sibling called the Zeppelin Mini.
While the $400 Mini is less determined to stick out, it's still a sleekly styled speaker with a swiveling, pedestal-like stand and a mirrored chrome top that's pitched at an angle and is slightly concave (yes, you'll end up having to wipe dust and fingerprints off it to keep it looking its shiny best). True to its Mini name, this is a compact iPod audio system, measuring 6.8 inches high by 12.5 inches wide by 4 inches deep. And while it's small, it does feel substantial when you pick it up, weighing 4.75 pounds.
How does it sound?
On Sale Now: $399.95
View the latest prices for B&W Zeppelin Mini Speakers for iPod
The Yashica EZ F521 (left) and my Holga.
(Credit: Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)I have a penchant for toy cameras, and it all started with the Lomo L-CA. I've since sold the Russian shooter, but I've held on to the Holga as a camera I really enjoy using despite its quirks--light leaks, soft images, plastic lens, and total lack of control. But that's what I like about such low-tech snappers.
Previously I wrote a Crave blog about the Yashica EZ F521, which from its toy-like facade, could very well be a digital twin to the Holga. After trying out the camera for a weekend, I have to say that the Yashica is close, but definitely not quaint enough to be a Holga.
The exterior
The EZ F521 is actually quite small. Also, notice the reddish tinge on the lens.
(Credit: Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)The EZ F521 may look big in pictures, but in reality it's quite small. Compared with a regular Holga, the Yashica is a petite half size. Weight-wise, it's light enough that you'll forget it's even in your tote bag.
The lens barrel can be rotated between two focal lengths: normal and macro. In normal mode, subjects that are 5 feet or more away will appear sharp, while macro mode allows you to snap about a half a foot to 1.3 feet away from the shooter.
Interestingly, the lens has a reddish tinge to it. I checked with the shop that loaned us the camera and the owner wasn't quite sure why it's like that. But this effect didn't surface in any of my shots.
There's a nice optical viewfinder on the Yashica, but this doesn't give a good representation of what you are taking. Still, it's a nice retro implementation.
Be warned about the flash because it's really bright. Subjects near the camera appeared washed-out, but that's the fun of using a toy-like camera.
Let's shoot
Taking pictures with the EZ F521 is as simple as point and shoot. In fact, there isn't even a half-press mechanism on the shutter for prefocusing. Just frame and snap. ... Read more
Spontaneity doesn't come naturally to everyone. Neither is it welcomed by everyone.
So please imagine how those who visited the new Microsoft store in Mission Viejo, Calif., a few days back must have felt when store employees suddenly decided to drop their trousers, wave their Zunes in the air, and sing a couple of Maria Callas' greatest hits.
No, it really wasn't quite like that. However, I feel sure that one or two people might have preferred the trouser-dropping and Zune-waving over the spectacle that actually occurred.
As the Black Eyed Peas were forced to propel some of their entirely commercial stimulation down the sound system, the employees performed their own version of the line dance for the one-legged. Because I am consumer-focused at every moment of my waking day, I found myself concentrating more on the reactions of the customers than on the techniques Spike Jonze might have used to make this an MTV VMA winner.
As the employees line up for this troubling, tourettesy Texas One-Step, one already feels a strange squeezing sensation on behalf of some of the customers.
Around the 1.15 mark, a little girl, her hair ponytailed with a yellow scrunchy, makes as if her vicinity has not been invaded by dancing, clapping, or stray employee sweat. She sits. She stares into her screen. The adults make fools of themselves.
Yes, this is the Microsoft store version of "The Ice Storm."
Two minutes of constricting visual constipation are temporarily saved by three ladies who rush in from the mall to join in. These women, their purses held in place by a determined gravity, begin to show the employees just why Fergie's tunes are precursors to a fiery personal life.
Look, I'm lying. But they are definitely better than the tall, blond string bean of a chap whose twisted movements are rather too similar those of certain people who bought Vista and couldn't make it work.
I want to like this microcosmic flash mob of dance. I really do. However, once the balding chap holding the Brookstone bag joins the shifting knee-lifting, I find myself searching again for the little ponytailed girl staring into a very fine PC. She has not turned her neck one degree to observe these escapees from reality. She seems to have decided that this is not Miley Cyrus, this is not even Cyrus Vance, ergo this is not happening.
But it did happen, spontaneously, in Mission Viejo. That's the place where the mission is old, right?
The Rihanna kitchen scale from ADE Germany includes an iPod dock and integrated speaker.
(Credit: ADE Germany)Do you love listening to music as much as you love to precisely measure cooking ingredients? Of course you don't. But that's not going to stop ADE Germany from slapping an iPod dock onto a kitchen scale early next year, with an expected asking price of $103.
The scale, which is curiously dubbed "Rihanna," includes an LCD that measures 1.7 inches by less than an inch and an integrated iPod speaker that plays beneath the glass measuring area.
The scale itself handles loads of up to 11 pounds, graduated in .04-ounce steps. It cannot, however, distinguish between kush or schwagg.
(Via Gizmag)
According to purportedly leaked documents on the tech rumor site Boy Genius Report, Apple is gearing up to offer a series of post-Thanksgiving bargains on products from iPods to MacBooks.
The deal, allegedly good only on November 27, lists "up to" discounts of 30 percent on iPods (excluding the Shuffle and iPhone), 25 percent on Mac laptops and desktops, and 15-percent on accessories, software, and other hardware.
The Boy Genius Report Web site says: "One of our connects just hit us up with some intriguing Apple information. According to them, what you see detailed above is a shot of Apple's yearly Black Friday deals. It's reported to be something Apple will email out shortly."
Of course, with the vague use of "up to" and no specific products listed, we can't be sure if these will be good deals or not. But if you're interested in being the first in line to check them out, the leaked doc also says that select Apple stores will be opening at 6 a.m. on November 27.
(Credit:
Boy Genius Report)
The Force tower speaker.
(Credit: Perfect8 Technologies)Getting crystal clear sound never comes cheap, but Perfect8 Technologies' ultimate Perfect8 5.1 system shatters the price ceiling for glass-speaker systems.
The $566,000 ensemble consists of two Force tower speakers for the front left and right, a Force Center channel speaker, and a pair of Point speakers as surround speakers. If stereo is all that you need, a pair of Points go for a more modest $149,000. The advanced-technology designs represent the latest thinking in "see through," highly transparent sound quality.
Perdect8 Technologies is a Swedish manufacturer of high-end ribbon tweeters. dynamic loudspeakers, and subwoofers. The company was founded in 2005 with a mission: produce the world's most exclusive and best sounding loudspeaker systems.
Since I haven't actually heard any Perdect8 speakers, I'm in no position to judge their sound; however, the company is developing a buzz among adventurous and wealthy audiophiles.
I discovered Perfect8 Technologies' glass speakers on the Ultimate AV Web site.
You'll find more images of Perfect8 Technologies' glass speakers after the jump.
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iPodMeister promises to turn your unwanted CDs and DVDs into bona fide gadget goodness.
Like many people, I have a fairly sizable collection of CDs sitting in a storage room collecting dust. It's literally been years since I even touched a CD, let alone played one. So why am I hanging onto them?
Forget Craigslist. Forget eBay. Forget garage sales. Do you want to spin that jewel-cased straw into gold? Head to iPodMeister, where you can trade your old CDs for a brand-new hard drive, iPod, or even iPhone.
Here's how it works: You pack up your CDs (or DVDs), then e-mail the company to let them know how many boxes you have. It then sends you prepaid FedEx labels. That's right: iPodMeister covers the shipping cost.
The number of discs you send determines what kind of booty you can get in return. The minimum, 150 discs, gets you a 1TB hard drive or an iPhone 3G. (Actually, you get a check covering the cost of an iPhone 3G, as iPodMeister can't do activations and all that.)
Scrape together 250 discs and you can land an 8GB iPod Touch or 16GB iPod Nano (current-generation models in both cases). For 350 discs, you can cover the cost of an iPhone 3GS. See the iPodMeister Web site for the complete list of trade options.
Interestingly, iPodMeister also gives you the option of digitizing your CD collection, meaning you get back not only your free gadget, but also a set of DVDs containing your music in (presumably) MP3 format. But that "costs extra" (meaning more discs). My guess is most folks have already ripped their CDs to MP3s.
I'll admit that all this sounds a little too good to be true, but I've yet to find a single complaint about the company. For your reference, check out Consumerist's recent interview with iPodMeister, this guy's review of the service from March, and the company's Facebook page.
I will say that the iPodMeister site looks atrocious and, suspiciously, offers no contact information except for an e-mail address and toll-free number. But with a little Google recon, I had no trouble finding an address and local number.
Did I mention I'm packing my CDs as we speak? It may take a couple weeks to complete my trade, but I'll definitely report back once it's done (so bookmark this article if you want to learn what happens).
In the meantime, I'm just kind of happy that I can clear out some boxes and don't have to spend a dime on shipping.
If you've tried iPodMeister, please share your experience in the comments!
