Holy crap, someone is opening a new record store? Who in their right mind would open a record store? And in New York of all places, with its exorbitant rents! Didn’t these guys see what happened those who came before them? Well, this is different.
Have you ever noticed that how you drive is often based on what you’re listening to? Softer music can make you a more cautious driver, while loud upbeat tunes make you more aggressive. But with this new app from VW it’s the other way around. It generates music in real-time based on how you already drive, so your habits behind the wheel affect what’s being played on your sound system.
A couple of months ago, Spotify Connect was announced for iOS — a feature that allows you to wirelessly control (via your home WiFi network) music playing on Connect-compatible speakers with your phone. Good news for Spotify users with Premium accounts and Android devices today, as their version of the app has now been endowed with all of Connect’s powers. Of course, the number of devices currently compatible with the feature is fairly slim, as Pioneer and Bang and Olufsen are Spotify’s only official partners. But, ’tis the season and there are some quality, if pricey, Connect-enabled speakers and receivers to be had — remember, kids, Santa only brings you what you ask for.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video, Software, Mobile
Via: Android Police
Source: Google Play
A few months ago we heard about a supercapacitor designed by a high school student that could lead to quick charging and longer lasting mobile phones. The Blueshift Helium speaker gives us a taste of that future. It also uses supercapacitors instead of rechargeable batteries to drastically reduce charging times.
Blueshift claims that its Helium speakers can be fully charged in just five minutes and last up to six hours while playing at its maximum volume. That’s a huge improvement over practically any speaker in the market. The supercapacitors will also supposedly last up to 500,000 charges, compared to the hundreds or thousands of cycles for most rechargeable batteries. The Bluetooth speakers also have a bamboo case and one or two 4″ full-range drivers (there are mono and stereo versions).
Pledge at least $350 (USD) on Crowd Supply to get a Blueshift Helium speaker as a reward.
[via Damn Geeky via Design You Trust]
Thinksound has launched its first pair of “big” headphones, the wood-centric On1 supra-aural monitors with 40mm drivers and detachable audio cables. The company has enjoyed widespread success with its various earbuds, and as such the On1 have both company history and buyer expectations to live up to. This product has been a long time coming, […]
Turntable.fm to shut down its social DJ service in favor of live concert efforts
Posted in: Today's ChiliThere was a moment when Turntable.fm was seemingly ready to usher in an era of social music, with virtual DJs leading the way. Unfortunately, that moment has passed; in light of a shrinking audience and high operating costs, Turntable.fm has announced that it will shut down its DJ service on December 2nd. The company will instead focus on Turntable Live, its social platform for streaming real-world concerts. It’s a sad day for musical tastemakers, although the company is going out of its way to support fans. Users can export their playlists and tracks to services like Spotify, and the company is promising both a commemorative t-shirt as well as a “last day” party on the 2nd. If you have fond memories of spinning tunes for friends across the country, we’d suggest making room in your calendar.
Filed under: Internet
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Turntable.fm
If you’ve listened to a pop music station this past summer, we’re sure you’re aware Pharrell Williams has been absolutely everywhere. Pharrell was included in two of this summer’s hottest songs: Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” Pharrell has released a new song called “Happy,” and if you’ve watched Despicable Me 2, we’re sure the song will song very familiar to you. (more…)
Pharrell Launches 24-Hour Interactive Music Video For ‘Happy’ original content from Ubergizmo.
Deezer is a music service that has been available in some countries for years. Deezer has been considering steeping into the US market for years and has been looking for a partner to make that step. So far, no partner has stepped forward. Deezer co-founder Daniel Marhely recently announced, “2014 will be an American year […]
Roadie tunes your guitar for you, tells you when your strings are about to break (hands-on)
Posted in: Today's ChiliUnless you’ve traded your guitar strings for an axe-shaped MIDI controller, tuning your guitar is probably one of those chores you’ve just learned to deal with. It’s hardly the bane of any guitarist’s existence, but sometimes it seems like there could just be a faster, more brainless way to get your instrument ready to jam. Turns out, there is.
Roadie positions itself as the next generation of guitar tuners. Think of it like a modern String Master, a device that fits snugly over your instrument’s tuning pegs and does the hard part for you. Paired with a companion smartphone app, Roadie listens your guitar’s strings and turns its gears until the instrument is on key. We dropped by the team’s table at Haxlr8r, and the process was dead easy, quickly tuning a demo guitar without breaking a string. In fact, it’s designed not to — by comparing a string’s elasticity with its frequency, the device can actually warn you when your guitar’s wires are about to break. Not a bad trick, particularly for guitarists (like this editor) that aren’t completely sure when their instrument was last restrung. The device’s Kickstarter page has already more than half of its $60,000 goal, and has a little over a month left to get the rest. Looking for a way to chip in (and to avoid guitar maintenance)? Check out the source link below; Roadie tuners start at $79.
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Filed under: Misc
Source: Roadie (Kickstarter)
With 5 million paid subscribers in 180 countries, Deezer is such a ubiquitous presence that it’s easy to forget it’s not yet available in the US. That’s about to change, though, as the France-based online music service has told Le Figaro that it’d launch for Americans at an unspecified date in 2014. That’ll at last give it a crack at the $4.4 billion dollar US music market, which it had been avoiding due to formidable competitors like Rdio, Pandora and particularly Spotify, which has a worldwide paid user base of 6 million. That competitor only started two years ago in the US and has already seen boffo growth, though it had content deals in place with US mobile operators before launching. Deezer, on the other hand, is still seeking a stateside launch partner like the one it has with Orange, France’s largest wireless telecom. It’s also looking to do business outside the mobile sector as well, though it had one word for Le Figaro about a rumored Microsoft Xbox partnership: “Non.”
Filed under: Internet, Software
Via: Techcrunch
Source: Le Figaro (translated)