A patent application has been made public this week which shows Motorola to be thinking about creating “tattoo stickers” that would be applied to a users throat. These aren’t the same sort of temporary tattoos you’d have gotten in 12-packs of Barqs rootbeer in the 90′s, but a sort of sticker that’d be just a […]
There are already devices that transmit sound to your body without speakers. But what if your body was the speaker? Disney Research has just explored that possibility through its Ishin-Den-Shin project. The experiment amplifies mic input and sends it back as a high voltage, low current signal that turns objects (including humans) into electrostatic audio sources that can’t be heard over the air. Touch someone’s ear while holding the mic, for example, and you’ll deliver a private broadcast. Disney hasn’t said if will build Ishin-Den-Shin into any products, but the technology is simpler than what we’ve seen in electrostatic speakers or headphones; don’t be surprised if it pops up elsewhere.
Filed under: Science
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Disney Research
You can convey a lot of things through touch. You can give a sympathetic hug, a joyous high-five or an angry punch. But Disney Research Pittsburgh came up with an interactive installation that can transmit sound using the human body. The sound will then be heard when a carrier touches someone’s ears. This means you can transmit a verbal message through touch.
The researchers call their invention Ishin-denshin, after a Japanese idiom that describes “unspoken mutual understanding.” Ishin-denshin consists of a microphone connected to a computer’s sound card. There’s also a thin piece of wire connected to the microphone’s cable and wrapped around its metallic casing. The microphone is set to start recording when it receives sound with an amplitude above a preset threshold, presumably so it won’t record ambient noise. The recorded loop is sent to the computer, which converts the sound into a high voltage but low current electric signal and sends it to the thin piece of wire. The signal is then transferred to the person holding the mic, who can then pass it on to someone else via touch. The signal can be passed to multiple people before it’s directed to someone’s ear.
I wonder if it’s possible to make a visual version of the Ishin-denshin.
[via Disney Research & New Scientist via NOTCOT]
Blue Microphones’ Nessie is now out on the market, months after we took it for a spin at this year’s CES. Named after a cryptid like its older sibling the Yeti, Nessie comes with three modes — one for raw audio, another optimized for richer vocals and one that enhances instrumental music. The company claims the USB microphone delivers studio-enhanced sound in real-time, and you don’t need to go through manual post-production unless you chose to record in raw audio. Made to work directly with both PCs and Macs, you can also use Nessie with iPads using a 30-pin to USB or a Lightning to USB adapter. Available now for $99 at Apple’s retail and online stores, Nessie will also surface on Best Buy, Guitar Center, and other Blue retailers at a later date. Before you whip out those credit cards, though, check out the sound samples and comparisons recorded using the device after the break.
Filed under: Peripherals
Source: Blue Microphones
We’ve wondered what HTC would do after a Dutch court banned it from using HDR Microphones in its oft-delayed One handset, and now we know. It looks like the company has now nixed references to the Nokia-developed component on its website, raising the possibility that the handsets currently being manufactured have HTC’s “improved” microphones rather than the original STMicroelectronics unit on board. None of this should affect phones that are already on the market, but we’ve reached out to HTC to find out what this means for future One owners and will let you know more when we do.
[Thanks, Ted]
Update: HTC has reiterated its position (after the break) saying that the company is entitled to use its remaining supplies of STM’s HDR Microphones until they run out.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Nokia
Via: XDA-Developers
Source: HTC
How do you know if you don’t have someone’s full attention during a Google Hangout? By the sound of their typing. Google, however, has decided to end the intra-company fistfights by updating its social network, enabling it to identify the apocalyptic clattering of your keyboard — and mute your microphone for as long as it continues. Unfortunately, the company has only seen fit to add this to chats of four or more participants, so better make some more friends, stat.
Source: Google
Sony’s new IC voice recorder is very practical and easy-to-use. Because of their new system called “3 microphone system”, you can select the most appropriate microphone mode according to the size of the venue or the recording object. If you think it’s difficult to adjust the setting by yourself, you can make the setting “Omakase Voice” (Automatic Voice Adjuster).
It has a large LCD screen and USB connection, so it makes data transfer very easy. The …
Earlier at CES, we got our hands on the Rode iXY 30-pin stereo microphone iPhone add-on that left our Lightning users a bit sad. Cheer up! The folks over at Zoom got us over to their booth to take a peek at the company’s new iQ5 professional stereo microphone. The iQ5 is a different beast than its aforementioned competition in that it works in conjunction with native iOS applications. What this means is that you can use it while recording video on your iOS device. The microphone itself rotates for this specific purpose, allowing for both horizontal and vertical audio recording in raw, 90- and 120-degree field positions. The recording resolution is capped at a respectable 16-bit/44.1kHz — though slightly less than we were hoping.
We didn’t get a chance to actually hear an audio sample from the iQ5, but we’re pretty confident it’ll sound better than the standard mic equipped on any of the supported devices. The Zoom iQ5 lacks a bit in customization department as well as build quality — we’re generally not fans of the cheap plastic construction, which is unlike most other Zoom products. The spec sheet certainly leaves us wanting, but it’s a start in the right direction for current-gen iOS devices. The iQ5 will set you back $100 and will start shipping Q2 of this year — until then check out the gallery to hold you over.
Gallery: Zoom iQ5 stereo microphone hands-on
Filed under: Peripherals
Earlier today, Rode announced its newest addition to its already plentiful lineup of microphones. This time, it’s one specialized for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The microphone uses Apple’s outgoing 30 pin adapter (Sorry early adopters), so the user can also use headphones simultaneously while recording at rates of up to 24-bit/96kH. The pair of immovable half inch cardioid condensers are positioned in a 90-degree alignment for proper stereo recording without picking up too much ambient noise. They should also dodge any bi-positional recording issues when recording both guitar and vocals at once.
Amongst the angst of CES, the sound quality seemed good, but what really makes the iXY a legitimate contender is Rode’s app. There’s two versions: a free lite one and a $5.99 pro version, the latter being extremely adjustable in every aspect of audio recording — gain, input, boost levels, high/low-pass filter options, equalization effects and many more.
The iXY Microphone is available now for $199, and comes with a foam windshield and carrying case. Rode has mentioned that an iPhone case with a standard hotshoe attachment with pistol grip is in the works, and will arrive in the next few months.
Check out the video past the break, where we compare recordings from the Rode iXY attached to an iPhone and a Rode Videomic Pro on a DSLR.
Gallery: Rode iXY microphone ears on
Continue reading Rode iXY Microphone ears on
Filed under: Peripherals
Earlier today, Rode announced its newest addition to its already plentiful lineup of microphones. This time, it’s one specialized for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The microphone uses Apple’s outgoing 30 pin adapter (Sorry early adopters), so the user can also use headphones simultaneously while recording at rates of up to 24-bit/96kH. The pair of immovable half inch cardioid condensers are positioned in a 90-degree alignment for proper stereo recording without picking up too much ambient noise. They should also dodge any bi-positional recording issues when recording both guitar and vocals at once.
Amongst the angst of CES, the sound quality seemed good, but what really makes the iXY a legitimate contender is Rode’s app. There’s two versions: a free lite one and a $5.99 pro version, the latter being extremely adjustable in every aspect of audio recording — gain, input, boost levels, high/low-pass filter options, equalization effects and many more.
The iXY Microphone is available now for $199, and comes with a foam windshield and carrying case. Rode has mentioned that an iPhone case with a standard hotshoe attachment with pistol grip is in the works, and will arrive in the next few months.
Check out the video past the break, where we compare recordings from the Rode iXY attached to an iPhone and a Rode Videomic Pro on a DSLR.
Gallery: Rode iXY microphone ears on
Continue reading Rode iXY Microphone ears on (video)
Filed under: Peripherals
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