Hasta La Gadget!

Mom / wife / building superintendent still won’t let you get a drum set, huh? Well, you can show them, you can show them all with the new iGOG VelAUcity app, which for a mere $5 lets you do velocity-sensitive drumming on the iPhone. It works pretty great, too… to an extent. The technology appears to be based on the iPhone’s built-in mic (VelAUcity doesn’t work on an iPod touch), and the app recommends you use it with headphones, but not a headset with its own built-in mic, which would gum things up. In practice the drumming is really great, with multiple hit points on the drum pads and pretty good velocity sensitivity (for an iPhone app), but there are plenty of mic-introduced foibles like the potential for feedback or stray noises messing things up — you basically would have trouble using this in a live application, though there are plenty of sliders so you can tweak things and give it a shot. Our favorite part perhaps is the mic trigger mode, which lets you do your fake drumming next to the iPhone, adding a whole new level of fake realness. Our least favorite part was the crashiness and the buginess — part of which might’ve be blamed on our speed-strapped 3G. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Video demonstrations are after the break.

[Via Create Digital Music]

Continue reading iGOG VelAUcity brings velocity-sensitive drums to your humble iPhone

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

iGOG VelAUcity brings velocity-sensitive drums to your humble iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of Apple’s many curious restrictions on iPhone apps has now been lifted. It used to be that, in order for developers to have microtransactions / in-app purchases, they had to charge something upfront for the software, essentially requiring consumers to pay at least twice, or not at all. Well, all that’s changed, as the company has sent word to its developer community that the restriction has been lifted, meaning those annoying “Lite” and “Full” versions cluttering the app store can now be one and the same, with folks downloading the demo and paying to upgrade from within the app itself, a model that’s worked to success in other software ecosystems like Xbox Live. Sure, there’s gonna be developers out there that abuse the newly-minted business model, but it’s not like anything was stopping them before when they charged $2 upfront only to get you again later. The mass email announcement is reprinted after the break. [Warning: read link requires iPhone developer account]

[Via Daring Fireball]

Continue reading Free iPhone apps can now include in-app purchases

Filed under: Cellphones

Free iPhone apps can now include in-app purchases originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just a quick note to all you HAVA Player enthusiasts: the iPhone app that Monsoon announced at CES is finally ready for public consumption. Available from the App Store (of all places), the software lets HAVA owners control it all remotely — including cable, satellite, and DVR. What’s more, you can stream your recorded programming right onto the handset for all those times when you can’t stand to be apart from Jim Cramer (few and far between, we know). Supports iPhone and iPod touch (with OS 2.2.1 or higher) and goes for $9.99. PR after the break.

Continue reading HAVA media streamer for iPhone available now

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment

HAVA media streamer for iPhone available now originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Believe it or not, a device-controlled car isn’t exactly fresh. In fact, we’ve actually seen a PSP control a Civic before Barack Obama was even a glimmer in the media’s eye. That said, we’re always willing to give credit where it’s due, and the iDriver app just might be the most impressive use of Apple’s smartphone… well, ever. As the name implies, this here app is able to control a heavily wired vehicle seemingly with ease — the accelerometer handles the steering, and two soft buttons on the screen handle braking and acceleration. We’d bother explaining more, but we know you’ve already clicked past the break to see the whole thing demonstrated on video. Right?

[Via Engadget German]

Continue reading Appirion’s iDriver app lets iPhone control minivan (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Appirion’s iDriver app lets iPhone control minivan (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Developers at Yamaha seem to be having plenty of fun with their iPhones — at least, that’s the impression they’ve made this year at CEATEC. Not only have we seen an app that lets you boss around a robotic chanteuse, but they’ve also put together a little something called Finger Piano Share. Don’t let the video fool you, folks — this is more than just a MIDI controller. Supporting up to ten users at once, this guy not only lets you remotely play your MIDI-enabled Disklavier via Wi-Fi, but you can record your little jam sessions (using the location-aware augmented reality app Sekai Camera) for playback whenever someone goes to the site of the original performance. Sounds like a recipe for a disastrous conceptual art piece if we ever heard one! Video after the break.

Continue reading Finger Piano Share plays your Disklavier via WiFi (video)

Filed under: Cellphones

Finger Piano Share plays your Disklavier via WiFi (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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