As the name implies, the Yeti is a big microphone. Look, even the font Blue Microphones used on the box is gigantic.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)When Blue Microphones announced the Yeti USB microphone ($149) in November, I was a little apprehensive about the name. Sure, Blue Microphones has been playing it cutesy over the years with microphones named Snowball, Snowflake, Mikey, and Bottle Rocket--but Yeti?
Well, after getting my hands on this thing I can now say that I fully understand the thinking behind the name. For starters, this microphone is huge--like, disturbingly huge. It measures a foot tall, weighs 3.5 pounds, and--to be perfectly frank--it's starting to give me a complex.
But beyond its intimidating size, the Yeti moniker is just as fitting as a way to describe its sound. Compared with similar microphones, such as the Samson G-Track or even Blue's own $99 Snowball, the Yeti's sound quality offers noticeably better depth and detail. It's a big sound from a big microphone, which is probably what I should have said in the first place instead of wasting your time with the last two paragraphs.
OK, so what else are you getting with the Yeti? From a features perspective the Yeti offers an integrated control for gain adjustment, zero-latency headphone monitoring, headphone volume control, a handy little mute button, and a switch for selecting between four microphone recording patterns (omni, cardioid, stereo, bidirectional). The solid metal man-shaped stand is also a nice feature, and does a better job than the G-Track or Snowball at placing the microphone at mouth level. If the cutesy-ness of the stand is overwhelming, a standard, threaded mic stand mount is also included on the bottom of the Yeti.
When it comes to performance, the Yeti has plenty to brag about. For starters, this is the first microphone or audio input device to receive the coveted THX certification. I asked Blue Microphones to tell me what was required to get the THX stamp of approval. Apparently, it involves a multitude of factors, such as tests for frequency response and signal to noise ratio, and--perhaps more importantly--proof of performance consistency across multiple product batches. In other words, it had to sound good and have a reasonable chance of sounding good every time. ... Read more
Meet Yeti, a very real USB mic due out in December.
(Credit: Blue Microphones)From the company that brought you the Snowball, and the Snowflake, comes the Yeti--a $150 USB microphone destined to ravage and plunder desktop-recording studios this December.
The Yeti marks many firsts for Blue Microphones. It's the company's first THX-certified USB microphone. It's also the first time we're seeing a budget-priced microphone from Blue built around three 14mm mic capsules, allowing four recording patterns (omni, cardioid, stereo, bidirectional). Also, unlike the company's famous Snowball microphone, the Yeti offers a direct headphone connection for zero-latency audio monitoring.
The Yeti's USB connection gives it plug-and-play compatibility with both Mac and PC, with recording resolutions up to 48kHz at 16 bits.
Aside from a USB cable, the Yeti also includes a cool Yeti-shaped desktop stand to add some Abominable-Snowman design flare to your recording rig.
As it does with most trends, Samsung is pursuing eco-friendly cell phones with vigor. It already gave us the Samsung Reclaim, and now we finally have a chance to review the Samsung Blue Earth. Like the Reclaim, the Blue Earth's shell is made from recycled materials--specifically, plastic water bottles--but it goes a giant step further with solar panels on its rear face. The solar panels actually work and can charge the phone in a pinch.
The Blue Earth is also free of harmful materials like polyvinyl chloride, and you can minimize battery use by adjusting the display settings. Outside of being green, the Blue Earth offers a functional feature set, but its small touch screen hampers its usability and there was static during calls. Check out our Blue Earth review for a more detailed look.
In honor of our special guest, Micky Hoogendijk, we cover gadgets with an international flare. You might think that a show as classy as this one might not include any questionable content. You would be wrong.
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EPISODE 158
Giorgio Armani extends designer touch to new mobile
Samsung Blue Earth sees light in Sweden
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/lgs-pop-touchsc.php
Dolce Gusto single-cup coffee maker is a beautiful thing
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Samsung Blue Earth
(Credit: Samsung)The solar-powered Samsung Blue Earth handheld was finally released to the public today--in Sweden, at least. The touch-screen phone with the solar charger on the back is also set to launch in other countries soon; they are France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Portugal, just to name a few.
We first saw this eco-friendly phone at GSMA 2009 and then our colleagues over at CNET Asia finally got their hands on it at CommunicAsia 2009. We're actually getting a review unit of this phone for ourselves soon, so we'll let you know if it truly does live up to its green promise.
(Via Engadget Mobile)
(Credit:
Stefan Radev)
Step aside, Greenbird. Here comes a version with all the luxe trimmings. Cooked up by industrial designer Stefan Radev, the Blue Dynamics land yacht is a concept wind-powered pleasure vehicle that steers with the help of a huge sail in the rear. Entry to the cockpit is via the elevated wind screen, while the rigid sail adjusts according to wind direction either automatically or through the on-board sail control unit.
The name Blue Dynamics is a symbolic connection of the wind and BMW's "efficient dynamics," greener-emissions program, which helped inspire the designer. BMW is not affiliated with the project, however.
Like all toys for the rich, this is one selfish contraption that'll take just one person on-board. But hey, if you've got the chump change to afford this swanky three-wheeled ride should it ever hit the deserts or beaches, you'll definitely not want to share it as you zip past envious landlubbers and green-eyed sedan drivers.
More pics after the jump.
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The silver Snowball would make a perfect addition to your steampunk desktop recording studio.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)If you're a musician or podcaster with a home recording studio, you've no doubt come across the adorably named, retro-styled, USB-powered Snowball from Blue Microphones.
After making its debut in 2005, the Snowball has become an unmistakable fixture in many home studios, thanks to its combination of sound quality, style, and price. And while it's still as useful today as it was four years ago, its chrome-accented white color scheme looks a little dated.
To remedy this, the folks at Blue are now churning out two new color variations of the Snowball, including black and silver versions. The black version is all black (including the tripod stand), with the exception of the chrome Blue logo and the chrome bearing at its base. The silver model is especially classy looking, with a mixture of black accents on the stand and mic grille.
Beyond the color variations, no other changes have been made to the Snowball. You get the same plug-and-play setup, two-capsule design (cardioid and omni), three-position selector switch on the back, high-quality braided USB cable, and a durable, adjustable metal stand.
There is one more change, actually. Blue has lowered the price on the Snowball from $129 to just $99. You can expect to see them in Apple Stores this fall.
For a full review of the Snowball USB microphone, head over to CNET Reviews.
Kenley Bradstreet joins the show to fill in Justin's shoes, after he has an unfortunate accident with a missing bike seat. On today's show, Jeff rants about Digg's new ads while he gets new Hoboken Twitter followers. Wilson doesn't feel too hot about James Cameron's new movie "Avatar." Violet Blue starts her own URL shortner. And Kenley brings us a story about a murderous Brazilian talk show host. Yes, it is yet another episode of The 404.
(Credit:
Twentieth Century Fox)
(Credit:
Kenley Bradstreet)
Before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's explain today's show title. Apparently, there is a blog called "Skanks in NYC," and someone called a Vogue cover model, Liskula Cohen, a skank. Using words like "psychotic," "lying" and "whoring" to describe Ms. Cohen, a judge ruled that the model has a right to know who was defaming her. Beyond the First Amendment questions that this ruling raises, Kenley wonders if this undermines the whole point of the Internet?
James Cameron has been on hiatus for the last couple of years after his massive success with "Titanic." Turns out, he's been working on "Avatar" for the last 10 years, inventing all sorts of new technology to bring his vision to the big screen. While the project has been hyped in Hollywood, The 404 gang remains unimpressed with the blue people with tails. Kind of looks like a cross between a PS3 game and Halo, doesn't it?
Before we leave, we mention the new URL shortening service from Violet Blue, sex educator and columnist. At first, we were a bit confused as to why one would need another URL shortening service, but after a few hints from the chat room, we figured out that it's a warning that the link you're about to click on might be a bit NSFW. Bravo! Finally, Kenley alerts us to Wallace Souza, a Brazilian television host. On his top rated show, he features crime busts. Turns out, he was calling hits on people to get the ratings in the first place. We think the police were tipped off when a Steadicam operator, crane and lapel mic were found on scene.
Everyone have a great weekend! Wilson will be out for most of the week next week, so expect more awesome guests to keep his seat warm. In the mean time, please, please, please call in and leave a message at 1-866-404-CNET (2638) or write to us at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com.
EPISODE 409
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Darrell Huff, a 51-year-old automotive technician from Centreville, Md., wanted his quadriplegic son, Joshua, to be able to make calls on a cell phone. Unfortunately, all cell phones require button pushes, so Huff quickly thought of Bluetooth headsets as a solution.
Darrell Huff modified a BlueAnt V1 so it can be activated with a magnet.
(Credit: BlueAnt)He was especially intrigued by the BlueAnt V1, which has a unique voice-control interface that lets you make and answer calls with voice alone--there's even a voice-guided tutorial if you need some guidance. (The V1 is the predecessor to BlueAnt's more recent BlueAnt Q1).
But even the BlueAnt V1 wasn't 100 percent hands-free; you still needed to press the button to activate it. So Huff set out to find a way to activate the switch without the need for hands.
"I tried different things," Huff said. "It occurred to me a mercury switch might work, but my research soon showed that mercury is all but banned in the U.S. and I also began to worry about the user's perception... I tried using a roller ball-type tilt switch, but it is difficult to find one small enough and my experiments showed the connection with this type of switch was erratic."
After a lot of trial and error, Huff finally decided to use a magnetic switch.
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Darrell's son Joshua demonstrates the modified BlueAnt V1 with the flexible rod magnet.
(Credit: Darrell Huff)"I opened the headset and replaced the push button switch with a magnetically controlled switch," Huff explained. "The modified version of the headset has a switch that is closed when in the presence of a magnetic field. So when the headset is not near a magnet, the switch is open...If you move the headset near a magnet, then the switch closes--this is like pushing the button."
In case you need to push and hold the button, you would just keep the headset near the magnet for a few more seconds. Huff is careful to note that the switch itself is not magnetized; it just responds to a magnetic field.
Now all Huff had to do was mount a magnet so his son could move his head conveniently to activate the headset. He created one that is on the end of a 29-inch long and flexible rod that can be mounted to a wheelchair. At last, Huff had created a genuinely "hands-free" Bluetooth headset.
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Henry Markram discusses who'll be the first to die in the robot apocalypse (not confirmed).
(Credit: TED Conference)Understanding why we, as humans, do the things we do is one of the pieces of the puzzle of our existence. Too bad we may have to wait another 10 years for some definitive answers.
This week at the TED Global conference, Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain Project, revealed that he and his team in Switzerland are aiming to build a functioning, artificial human brain within the next 10 years.
The team started out a few years ago by attempting to create a fully functioning artificial rat brain using the IBM supercomputer, Blue Gene. The thought was if they could successfully replicate a rat's brain, they would then leverage their knowledge to do the same with a human one.
When they began their experiment, the digital rat brain only fired neurons when prodded by a simulated electrical current. Recently, however, the neurons have begun spontaneously organizing themselves into a more complex pattern.
According to the scientists, this is the beginning of the self-organizing neurological patterns that eventually, in more complex mammal brains, become personality.
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