Hasta La Gadget!

“Wife got mad at me again. I guess it isn’t funny to give the last rites to every plant she puts into the cart at Home Depot.”

Meta’s Threads app is coming back down to Earth after a blockbuster first week that saw the app become the fastest growing of all time. New data from analytics firm SimilarWeb suggests that the app’s engagement has since declined from initial highs despite its status as the fastest-growing app of all time.

Threads saw daily active users decline from 49 million on July 7th, to 23.6 million on July 14th, SimilarWeb writes in a new report. And in the United States, which reportedly saw the highest engagement, usage declined from 21 minutes per day to just over six minutes in the same time period.

While SimilarWeb cautions that its data is based only on Android usage of Threads, its findings line up with those of other companies. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower reported a similar decline in engagement, writing in a report that the app “has experienced a double-digit decline in DAUs [daily active users] and user engagement since launch.”

On some level, the drop-off is expected. Threads launched at a moment when many Twitter users were seeking alternatives, and its ties to Instagram made it extraordinarily easy for users to sign up and port over their existing social graph. At the same time, the app is missing a lot of basic features, including a non-algorithmic feed not easily dominated by brands and influencers.

In a Threads post on Friday, Instagram’s top exec, Adam Mosseri, suggested the company wasn’t particularly focused on engagement metrics at this stage. “Our focus right now is not engagement, which has been amazing, but getting past the initial peak and trough we see with every new product, and building new features, dialing in performance, and improving ranking,” he wrote.

Whether or not Meta is able to fully take advantage of those conditions though will likely depend on how quickly it can add new features to keep its users coming back, as well as whether it’s able to launch within the European Union. The company is also dealing with issues around spam, according to Mosseri, who said Threads would be putting rate limits and other protections. “Spam attacks have picked up so we’re going to have to get tighter on things like rate limits, which is going to mean more unintentionally limiting active people (false positives),” he wrote.

While the declining engagement with Threads may seem like good news for Twitter, the company still has plenty of reasons to worry about its latest competitor. As SimilarWeb’s Senior Insights Manager David Carr writes, there are “some signs” that at least some of Threads’ engagement has come at the expense of Twitter’s. “In the first two full days that Threads was generally available, Thursday and Friday, web traffic to twitter.com was down 5% compared with the same days of the previous week and Android app usage, by time spent, was down 4.3%,” Carr says. He also notes that “Twitter user retention has been on the decline” since last year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-users-are-already-spending-less-time-in-the-app-182738755.html?src=rss

Niche music gadget manufacturer Artiphon is back with a new instrument called the Chorda. This unique bit of gear is a combo meal of sorts, bundling together the form factor of the Instrument 1 with the standalone functionality and looper of the Orba 2. The Chorda builds upon the multi-instrument technology of the Instrument 1, with access to a diverse array of instruments, from guitar to drums and piano.

However, the Instrument 1 was tied to a phone or tablet, whereas the Chorda is fully standalone, making it an attractive entry in the burgeoning field of DAWless recording gadgets. There are “hundreds” of built-in sounds and corresponding control methods that actually resemble playing the analog version of the instrument. The device plays via micro-gestures that incorporate an array of control parameters. There are 12 pads that each respond to control methods like tapping, tilting, strumming, vibrato and more, via capacitive sensing technology and Midi Polyphonic Expression (MPE).

There’s also a new bridge section that allows non-musicians to automatically play chords, thus letting folks play along with their favorite songs. This bridge integrates with the built-in arpeggiator for changing the tempo and the key. The integrated looper lets you layer tracks as you see fit. Though there’s not much by way of sound design on the device itself, you can access an affiliated app to access the inner workings of the sound engine.

As for connectivity, the Chorda can control any MIDI-based software and hardware instruments via USB-C or Bluetooth. The device also automatically integrates with most DAWs, including GarageBand, Ableton, Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase and FL Studio. It also supports any standard MIDI and MPE-compatible mobile app or hardware. The battery life isn’t winning any awards, however, at four hours of use per charge. 

The Artiphon Chorda is available for preorder via Kickstarter and is available in three colors: black, white and blue. The early bird pricing is locked in at around $200, but as the tiers sell out, the cost goes up. The instruments ship in November.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/artiphons-chorda-band-in-a-box-allows-you-to-produce-beats-just-about-anywhere-173851795.html?src=rss

Corsair is hoping to stand out in the enthusiast keyboard space by buying one of its more recognizable brands. The company is acquiring Drop (formerly Massdrop), best known for its customizable mechanical keyboards and key switches. The move will let Corsair “significantly grow” Drop’s community-centric keyboard line while creating new products for its in-house brands, including Elgato.

Drop will stay a separate brand inside of Corsair, and it will handle all existing purchases and support. Corsair isn’t revealing the financial terms of the deal. In a message to users, Drop’s CEO stressed that his firm would still collaborate with “community favorites,” but would have a much better time of serving customers outside the US.

The strategy isn’t surprising. Gamers and other hobbyists have increasingly delved into custom keyboards with personalized key caps, lighting and switches. You can get a unique keyboard that matches the look of your computer setup while delivering the typing feel you prefer. The Drop purchase gives Corsair a quick way to expand its presence in that market, sparing it the trouble of building up its own resources — or facing Drop as a competitor.

There’s fierce rivalry in the category. In addition to Drop, established companies like Keychron, KBDFans and Mode have customizable options. That’s not including stock keyboards that offer similar functionality, just without the flexibility. Corsair isn’t certain to dominate, but this may help it thrive in a field where tech heavyweights like ASUS and NZXT are increasingly involved.

This could also help Corsair bring personalization to segments where it’s still rare. Game streamers and other creators thrive on elaborate setups, but their broadcasting equipment (such as control decks and microphones) rarely offer much in the way of customization. While it’s not clear just what Elgato will release, it could claim an edge over challengers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/corsair-expands-its-mechanical-keyboards-by-acquiring-drop-160524368.html?src=rss

After deciding LEGO set #75353 Endor Speeder Chase just wasn’t dynamic enough for his taste, LEGO builder JK Brickworks decided to turn the set into a kinetic sculpture, with the two speeder bikes strafing back and forth with the turn of a crank. Will I try to turn the crank so fast that the stormtrooper is ejected from his bike? There’s no question.

In the video, JK provides a detailed look at how he created the movement mechanism and the slight modifications he had to make to the original set to make it all work. Talk about ingenuity! Me? I just hold the speeder bikes by hand and use my imagination to pretend they’re flying. Plus, make plenty of sound effects. Zoom, zoooooom! Pew pew pew!

Honestly, LEGO should rerelease the set as this special edition kinetic sculpture version. People would definitely buy it. And by people, I mean hopefully my wife, for me. I do have a birthday coming up… in 11 months.

[via Digg]