Hasta La Gadget!

Moogfest isn’t happening for another week, but the synth-maker couldn’t wait to take the wraps off of its latest bit of technology. Still in the early days of beta-testing ,the LEV-96 is a far cry from the classic analog instruments we’ve come to associate with Moog. The company is showing off the sensoriactuator in its early stages by affixing it to a guitar, with two pickup channels beneath each of the acoustic’s strings. The strings’ vibrations trigger the sound, with the device “bring[ing] out hidden modes of vibration that have always been there, but were never energized in a direct manner,” according to the company — in all, the system is capable of managing up to 96 simultaneous harmonics. On the LEV-96, you’ll find touch-based control sliders, which let the player adjust intensity, harmonics and note duration. Additional triggers let you change arpeggio presets and modulation (tremolo and random harmonics), while a lock button makes sure you don’t adjust anything by accident.

Moog is careful to point out that the LEV-96 we’re seeing (still being referred to as a “concept project”) is just the tip of the iceberg, and “could easily be affixed to any surface or material.” The company has promised to show the concept in action soon, including an appearance at Moogfest on October 26th and 27th in the company’s home of Asheville, North Carolina. For more info consult the source link below.

Filed under: Misc

Moog shows off LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype on an acoustic guitar originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM has announced that 7digital will be its official music download service for the upcoming Blackberry 10 smartphones. According to the press release, the Blackberry App World will offer 7digital’s catalog of over 22 million tracks, which includes new releases, independent artists, regional selections, and a back catalog of content. The Blackberry PlayBook and Blackberry smartphones’ respective music stores are currently powered by 7digital.

The 7digital-powered music service will be available to users in the US, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, South Africa, Malaysia, and Singapore. The music catalog is composed of DRM-free 320kbps MP3s, making it convenient for those who like to scatter their music amongst several devices and computers. According to the press release, this partnership between RIM and 7digital will be integrated into the Blackberry 10 devices with features like social integration and a recommendation system.

The first Blackberry 10 smartphone is currently slated for release in Q1 of 2013, with current reports indicating March. For now, RIM is having a bit of a tumultuous time, with partners who are unlikely to license from the company until the new device is launched. Back in September, RIM’s CEO Thorsten Heins stated that it was aiming for number three, behind iOS and Android, in the world of mobile operating systems.

On October 10th, the Blackberry App World starting taking submissions for the Blackberry 10. Two days later, the Blackberry 10 L-series smartphone was prematurely revealed when a rep using the handset to demonstrate the upcoming operating system. RIM is targeting the mid-to-high end smartphone market with the upcoming models.

RIM partners with 7digital for the Blackberry 10 music store is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Seven generations of iPod nano evolution have culminated in something pretty special. The latest iteration of Apple’s mini music player is its thinnest, has the biggest screen ever (for a Nano), and tosses in Bluetooth to boot. Is it great? Yes. Is it enough to make you care about MP3 players again? Not really. More »

Today is the day that V-MODA reveals their next big hit with the Crossfade M-100 metal, customizable, over-ear headphones to add to their fabulous series of audio products we’ve had a peek at more than once. This new design features a “crowdsourced” set of features made by V-MODA’s “collective brain trust of audiophiles, editors, producers, and DJs”, here bringing together what the company assures is their most powerful set of blasters yet. This release works with what V-MODA says is “the most unique design process” they’ve ever made happen.

The M-100 will be rocking forth with 50mm Dual-Diaphragm Drivers (patent-pending) as well as a completely real sound – no artificial sound processing, that is. You’ve got dual-inputs with the group’s own V-CORK seals (also patent-pending) with a package that includes two kevlar-reinforced cables (not unlike their previous releases). This is included in an exoskeleton case that we’ve also praised in the past, ready to keep your headphones secure and safe when you travel.

“This collaboration is one of the most unique design processes I’ve ever been a part of. Once the word started to spread on M-100, forum discussions exploded with exceptional feedback vital to the development of the product. Our research and development labs consisted not of corporate marketing and finance departments, but rather the most passionate headphone consumers, musicians and DJs across the globe. M-100 is a progeny of audio enthusiasts worldwide – truly built by the people, for the people.” – Val Kolton, Chief Visionary Officer at V-MODA

This release includes a SharePlay extended audio cable as well as a universally compatible SpeakEasy microphone cable that will work with the iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, and Windows devices of all kinds. The folding mechanism that makes these headphones unique on another level is what they call CLIQFOLD – we’ll see how that works in person soon enough. These headphones also come with a variety of quality assurances.

MIL-STD-810G and V-MODA Quality

• Survives 70+ drops on concrete
• Virtually indestructible SteelFlex Headband
• Minimal sound variances from unit to unit checked along six parts of the sound curve versus 10-30dB+ of inferior products
• Kevlar-reinforced detachable cables and 45-degree plug strain relief can each bend more than 1 million times, over 100x industry standards
• MIL-STD-810G environmental tests including high and low temperatures, humidity, salt spray and UV exposure

You’ll be able to pick up the V-MODA Crossfade M-100 package rather soon for $300 USD in Matte Black Metal, Shadow, or White Silver from retailers nationwide. If you pick up the pre-order set from V-MODA.com for $310, you can get an extra set of personalized shields (the metal bit that sits in the middle outside of the phones) as well as a set of Faders VIP Tuned Earplugs. Grab em all!

Have a peek at our timeline of V-MODA products below in a variety of reviews and let us know if you plan on picking up the M-100 package too!

It’s official. Aside from letting loose its first set of headphones post-Monster for the Executive types, Beats Electronics has set its sights on nabbing the portable Bluetooth audio crown from Jawbone’s Jambox. You’ll recall this hitting the FCC a bit ago, but today the Dr. is officially ready to offer you it’s remedy for on-the-go wireless audio with its $200 Pill, an NFC-equipped portable Bluetooth 2.1 speaker. Coming in your choice red, black or white, the cylindrical system is loaded with a quartet of 1-inch drivers, and supports codecs including Apt-X and AAC. An internal battery is said to provide about seven hours of listening at around 75-percent volume (80 decibels), and the unit can be charged via its Micro-USB input. Notably, an auto-off feature turns the unit off after 30 minutes if no audio is streamed to it. As you’d expect, the Pill features a front-facing on-board mic for use as a speakerphone, physical volume buttons and power button, as well as a 3.5mm input if you’d like to play sans Bluetooth. We’re also pleased to notice that the diminutive system also features a 3.5 output if you’d like to send the audio out to another audio ware. The Pill comes with a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable, a USB to Micro-USB cable for charging with an included wall adapter and, lastly, a carrying shell case that can be hooked to a bag.

We’ve been able to spend about an hour with the system, and we’ve frankly come away very impressed. The unit feels very sturdy, with a stiff metal grille and soft-touch coating around the rest of its exterior. It feels very comfortable to hold in a hand, and will easily fit in a jacket pocket. Actually, one of our only initial complaints is that the included carrying shell doesn’t leave any room for the included cables. All of the buttons have a soft, slightly clicky tactility, which also aids to its premium feel. Using it initially alongside one of Beats’ on-hand Jamboxes in a wired A/B comparison, the Jambox came out sounding like a distorted, rumbling mess up against the pill — we even had a rep bring out a second unit confirm that it wasn’t a dud. If that wasn’t enough, the Pill also managed to get much louder, staying fairly clean (in comparison), and without rumbling on the table as the Jambox did very slightly. As a triple-check measure, we later came up with a similar outcome with our in-house unit of Logitech’s $99 UE mobile boombox — a speaker we find comparable in sound, if slightly better, than the Jambox.

In what could be viewed as slightly ironic, the Pill has a voicing that edges toward the flatter side of things, rather than pumping out exorbitant amounts of bass. It’s not to say that it can’t reproduce bass at all, it’s just not the focus here. This flatter output seems to be a big part of what keeps it from distorting, but we should be clear, that the audio here is many times better still on the Pill. Pleasantly, the speakers are also angled up slightly, which makes for a noticeably more natural listening experience. Our only other concern for the time being is that the Bluetooth connection with our iPhone 5 did crackle occasionally like a vinyl record, but it’s too early to say if the issue will be consistent during future use. We’re still a ways off from being able to definitively give you a thumbs up on the Pill, but — at least, initially, it seems like it’s easily blowing the Jambox and similar speakers out of the water. Like the Executive headphones, the Pill is available today at Beats stores and other retailers — check out our video hands-on after the break for a better look.

Continue reading Beats by Dre Pill portable Bluetooth speaker officially drops, we take one per the Dr. and go ears-on (video)

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video

Beats by Dre Pill portable Bluetooth speaker officially drops, we take one per the Dr. and go ears-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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