The Weekly Roundup for 04.22.2013

The Weekly Roundup for 12032012

You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Ask Engadget: best WiFi router for super-fast Fiber?

Ask Engadget best WiFi router for superfast Fiber

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Travis from Provo, who is a jammy individual, wants to replace his router. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’m currently living in Provo UT, and my wireless router just died. I want to replace it with something that’s going to handle Google Fiber as that’s on its way. What do you recommend?”

Given the number of places that are now getting super-speed fiber, we’re very interested in the results of this one. We ask a similar question each year, and in 2012 you were all voicing your support for Cisco/Linksys hardware, ASUS’ RT-N66U and D-Link’s DIR-655. The only question is what’ll come out on top in 2013, so get commenting, friends.

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Distro Issue 88: TechShop makes its mark on American manufacturing

Distro Issue 88: TechShop makes its mark on American manufacturing

There’s a hackerspace in San Francisco that’s equipping hardware startups with the tools they need to get up and running for a mere $125 per month. A brand new issue of our weekly visits TechShop to take a gander at the industrial revolution that includes the likes of Square among its successes. On the review front, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, Nokia Lumia 720 and ASUS Cube all get put through their respective paces. In the first installment of Eyes-On: Classic Edition, we take a peek back at a dapper handset from 2009. All of this and more awaits your swipes via any of the download libraries below.

Distro Issue 88 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store

Distro in the Windows Store

Distro APK (for sideloading)
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Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

The Engadget Show 43: Music with John Vanderslice, Black Milk, Dan Deacon, Pandora, Sub Pop and more!

These days, music and technology are inexorably linked — from creation and recording, to distribution and discovery, it’s hard to imagine a song reaching our ears that hasn’t made its way through some electronic filter. Being the huge music nerds we are, we figured we’d use our April episode to explore the state of the music industry in 2013 and the roles technology has played in its successes and failings. This month, we start things off with a visit to Santa Cruz, where UCSC professor emeritus David Cope has spent decades developing classical music composing computer programs, work he began after one particularly bad bout with writer’s block. We also stop by Seattle’s Experience Music Project, where we speak to curator Jacob McMurray about the role technology has created in building a better music museum.

Next up, we’ve got a trio of interviews with artists who are using technology to very different ends in the creation and distribution of their music. John Vanderslice is the founder and proprietor of San Francisco’s Tiny Telephone, one of the last remaining analog-only recording studios in a world increasingly dominated by Pro Tools. He’s also a successful musician in his own right, who recently opted to eschew the traditional record label model for the release of his two new Kickstarter-backed albums. Hip-hop producer and emcee Black Milk, meanwhile, has taken to recording and producing recordings in his Dallas apartment. We discuss his crate digging, love of analog tools and the role of YouTube and Shazam in his production. And we meet up with indie electronic music Dan Deacon outside of LA’s Natural History Museum to talk about his live rig and innovative iPhone app.

What about radio stations, you ask? We pay a visit to Jersey City’s WFMU and Santa Monica’s KCRW, two of the most prominent freeform stations in a space dominated Clear Channels and internet and satellite radio, to discuss the importance of human curation and embracing the same technology that has spelled the end of so many of their peers. We’ve also got interviews with Seattle’s Sub Pop Records, music criticism site Pitchfork and California record store Amoeba, plus trips to music app developer Smule, internet radio pioneer Pandora and the legendary Moog factory. All that plus another installment of “John Roderick: Famous Prognosticator” and art by cartoonist Jim Rugg.

Oh, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you that today is the last day to vote for us in the Webby Awards! In the meantime, check out the full show, after the break.

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Growing Up Geek: Steve Dent

Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our very own Steve Dent!

DNP Growing Up Geek Steve Dent

If you make a bad career choice when you’re young, don’t worry — I’m living proof that everything can still work out. Maybe I should’ve known I wouldn’t be a great civil engineer when I pursued it after high school. My predilection for daydreaming wasn’t suited to such a rigorous field, and resulted in early childhood trauma like the infamous “spacing out in class during a fire drill” episode — which was not great considering that the school I went to at the time actually did burn down a year or two later (luckily while empty). In fact, as a child living in Vanderhoof, BC, Canada, I was happiest with a book, or Spider-Man comic, and being plopped in front of the TV, and it was a good thing that video games still hadn’t arrived. When Pong ushered in that era, I became dangerously obsessed, even though we had a bum Atari machine that only worked for a few minutes before the ball would weirdly pass through the paddle.

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Ask Engadget: best slow-motion camcorder for around $200?

Ask Engadget best slowmotion camcorder for around $200

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Philip, who wants to document his son’s baseball adventures. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

I’m looking for a HFR camcorder, as I like to record my son playing baseball and play it back in slow motion. The Kodak PlayFull looked like the solution, offering 120fps at 1,280 x 720 for $200, but then Kodak axed its camera businesses and it never made it to market. What other options, therefore, exist for 120fps video recording around a similar price bracket?

To be honest, slow-motion recording at such a low price is going to mean you’ll only be able to get pictures at dreadful resolutions. If you’re happy with footage at 640 x 480, then you could snag a Canon Powershot S100, but even that comes in at $319 from Amazon right now. It’s a shame your budget couldn’t stretch to $1,000, as we’re desperate to find out if JVC’s Procision is worth the hype. It’s at this point that we should probably turn this over to the Engadget community and get them to share their wisdom — so join in, HFR fans.

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Distro Issue 87: The HTC First goes super social with Facebook Home

Distro Issue 87 Facebook phones Home with the HTC First

Talk of a Facebook phone had been making the rounds for some time when the social network pulled the wraps off of a Home-draped Android handset. While it’s not solely dedicated to those shades of blue, the HTC First does put friends in focus and we judge its merits in a fresh issue of our slate magazine. Two of Sony’s latest offerings — the Xperia ZL and the NEX-3N — also hit the review gauntlet in this installment. Eyes-On hits the trail with Pentax shooters, Weekly Stat tallies PS shipments and Visualized seeks Clarity. Those trusty download links lie below for quick access to new issue of your very own.

Distro Issue 87 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store

Distro in the Windows Store

Distro APK (for sideloading)
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Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

The Daily Roundup for 04.18.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Ask Engadget: best touchscreen monitor?

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Icy, who wants to embrace their metro (geddit?) side. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“As Windows 8 is bringing touch to the desktop, I’m curious what touchscreen monitor I should buy. Any suggestions? Thanks!”

Short and sweet, Icy, just the way we like it. We’ll return the favor by pointing you in the direction of options from Viewsonic, Samsung and LG. Then we’ll bow out and let the massed ranks of the Engadgetarti oblige you with their worldly wisdom.

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The Daily Roundup for 04.12.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Comments