Aug 13

‘Kraftwerk Who?’ Pioneering ’50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn

Posted in: IphoneApp, itunes, Retro, Today's Chili
So there Dr. Mick Grierson was, wandering around a French barn, minding his own business when all of a sudden he happened upon an antique: one of the earliest modern synthesizers. Grierson, a professor at Goldsmiths University in London did what any expert in the field of electronic music would do, and whisked it back to the motherland for restoration. The Oram “Oramics” Synthesiser (sic) was built by Daphne Oram in 1957, a year before she co-founded the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to research and develop electronic music. Political wrangling within the corporation forced her to leave in 1959, and she retreated to a farm in nearby Kent to tinker with her invention. After her departure, the Workshop shot to fame for creating the original electronic theme to Doctor Who. In order to create music on the Oram, a composer painted waveforms directly onto 35mm film strips which were fed into the machine. Inside, photo-electronic cells read the light pattern and interpreted it as sound. Check out the video to see the arrival of the machinery back into England where it’ll be on display all the way through December 2012. If you’re really interested you can tap Dr Grierson’s homebrewed Oramics iPhone app (linked below for your downloading pleasure) to create your own futuristic theme songs, ’57-style.

Continue reading ‘Kraftwerk Who?’ Pioneering ’50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn

‘Kraftwerk Who?’ Pioneering ’50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink New Scientist  |  sourceBoing Boing, Oramics (iTunes App Store)  | Email this | Comments

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Aug 11

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy app coming to the iPad, Don’t Panic decal not included

Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, ios, ipad, iPhone, itunes, Today's Chili
Canadian indie developer Hothead Games is producing a Hitchhikers Guide app, aiming to replicate the titular guide itself (rather than the novels). When it arrives this fall, we can expect beautifully animated sequences describing the Babel Fish and Vogon Poetry — but just a single word about planet Earth (the addition of the word “Mostly” should come in a second, more sinister update). Visit the holding page and you’ll hear the unmistakably honeyed tones of Simon Jones who played Arthur Dent in the original TV and radio series. If he’s voicing the guide then this will be a must-have for fans, taking over a role made famous by his father, Peter Jones, and later Stephen Fry in the movie. As the app is iOS only, Android users should probably still panic — or make a trip to their local laser etching station.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy app coming to the iPad, Don’t Panic decal not included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceHothead Games  | Email this | Comments

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Aug 10

Amazon releases web-based Kindle Cloud Reader app, optimized for iPads

Posted in: amazon, amazon kindle, AmazonKindle, Android, app, Apple, apps, AppStore, cloud, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, ios, ipad, iPhone, itunes, kindle, Mac, PC, reader, Today's Chili
Amazon may have changed its Kindle iOS app to comply with Apple’s revised in-app subscription policy, but the retailer has now come out with its own, web-based alternative, known as the Kindle Cloud Reader. Compatible with both Chrome and Safari, the new app is essentially a browser version of the Kindle eBook reader, providing PC, Mac and Chromebook users with access to their digitized libraries. The tool also offers local storage, allowing for offline reading, though Amazon’s device limit still applies, so if your library’s already strewn across multiple gadgets, the app’s reading functionality may be limited. The company unveiled the Cloud Reader today with relatively little fanfare or explanation, but its site highlights the service’s main attractions, including its iPad optimization. Interestingly enough, the reader still isn’t compatible with iPhones (or, as Android Community discovered, any Honeycomb tablets), though we imagine it’s only a matter of time before Amazon’s cloud coverage expands even further.

Amazon releases web-based Kindle Cloud Reader app, optimized for iPads originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch, Android Community  |  sourceKindle Cloud Reader  | Email this | Comments

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Aug 08

FBI’s Child ID app helps iPhone users find their missing children

Posted in: app, download, ios, iPhone, IphoneApp, itunes, Law, smartphone, Today's Chili

The FBI has just released its very first mobile app, aimed at helping parents deal with their worst nightmare — a missing child. Known as Child ID, the application allows users to store their kid’s photos and identifying information directly on their handsets, making it easier to provide authorities with vital data whenever the little one disappears. Parents can also use the tool to dial 911 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with the tap of a button, and can instantly e-mail their child’s details to law enforcement officials, thanks to a dedicated tab. Of course, some may feel uncomfortable with keeping such personal information stored on a smartphone, but the Bureau insists that none of the data will be collected or shared without authorization — and they’re pretty good at keeping secrets. For now, Child ID is available only for iPhone, though the FBI plans to expand it to other mobile devices in the near future. Interested iOS users can download it for themselves, at the iTunes link below.

FBI’s Child ID app helps iPhone users find their missing children originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW  |  sourceFBI  | Email this | Comments

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Aug 01

Apple TV streams purchased TV shows — not just rentals — from the cloud after update

Posted in: 720p, Apple, apple tv, cloud, itunes, streaming, Today's Chili, update

Don’t think Apple’s forgotten about its little hobby, as the second generation Apple TV is getting an update today that lets users buy TV shows and stream them (in high definition) directly to the device, with the additional bonus of streaming access to previously purchased shows. That brings a new feeling of permanence — already available from others like Zune and Vudu — to the cloud atmosphere around Apple’s hockey puck, but it also means being $2.99 invested in rewatching that episode of Leverage down the road instead of opting for a 99-cent rental. The other new feature listed for this update is access to the streaming site Vimeo, but since the official support site is still only listing info for the 4.2.2 version posted in May, any other details are unknown so far.

Update: The official notes for v4.3 are on the support page now, and yep, that’s all there is.

Apple TV streams purchased TV shows — not just rentals — from the cloud after update originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAppleInsider, About Apple TV software updates  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 30

Ringles = Singles and Ringtones all in One

Posted in: General, itunes, Music, Today's Chili

This article was written on September 10, 2007 by CyberNet.

We’ve already heard over and over again that sales of CD’s are down, way down. People are turning to online services like iTunes to get their music and therefore have no reason to go out and purchase entire CD’s from retailers. The recording industry isn’t willing to let CD sales slip away quite yet though, so they’ve come up with a new way that they hope will help. Coming this Fall, users will be able to purchase Ringles (not Pringles) which will be a combination of singles from an artist, and a ringtone.

The term Ringles was approved by none other than the RIAA who also designed a logo to help "brand" it. As mentioned, a Ringle will include three songs.  One will be an original version of a song, the second will be a remix, and the third will be an older song from the artist. Additionally, a ringtone from the artist will be included. Thus far, Sony BMG (who developed the concept) and Universal Music Group are the only ones that will be making the  Ringles.

ringles

While it may not sound like a terrible idea, I’m doubtful that it will be successful.  First of all, each Ringle will cost anywhere from $5.98 to $6.98 which hardly seems worth it for three songs and a ringtone. I think consumers will quickly label Ringles a rip-off. Secondly, the music industry tried the whole "single" concept before and it didn’t really take-off. I don’t think adding a ringtone is going to make singles that much more appealing.

According to PC Magazine, we can expect to see these Ringles at some point in stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and Amazon. Anyone interested?

Image source

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Jul 28

How To Keep Your iTunes Library When It Won’t Fit on Your Hard Drive

Posted in: itunes, Music, SSD, storage, Today's Chili, top

Ultraportable notebooks are finally fast enough that we can use them as our main machines. But damn, the SSDs they pack are small—how are you supposed to fit your entire music library on one of these? You’re not. More »

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Jul 27

NASA iPad app helps you discover life on Earth

Posted in: free, ipad, itunes, NASA, Today's Chili

Focusing on the extraterrestrial all day can probably make it pretty easy to forget about all that’s going on here on Earth. NASA has shifted its focus a bit for its new iPad app, taking a look at the goings-on of the world around us. The app features videos, stories, and images explaining things like climate change and plant life from the vantage point of the organization’s satellites. Like the self-titled NASA iPad app before it, the Visualization Explorer is available now as a free download from iTunes.

NASA iPad app helps you discover life on Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceiTunes  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 22

20th Century Fox to offer digital downloads for Android devices, Blu-ray purchase required

Posted in: amazon, Android, blu-ray, download, Google, itunes, Movies, streaming, tablet, tablets, Today's Chili

20th Century Fox is dipping its downloading toes into the 21st century’s waters, releasing movies on Android in addition to good, old-fashioned Blu-ray. According to the Financial Times, retail discs of X-Men: First Class will direct owners to a website where they can sideload a digital version of the film onto their Android device of choice. Apparently some of the suits over at Fox caught wind of how popular Android tablets are getting, and now see them as complementary, not cannibalistic (remember that industry buzz kill?) Sure, right now you shouldn’t expect any Netflix-sized library of titles, but perhaps we can all agree this is a step in the right download-to-own direction. Residents of the US, UK, Germany, and France will get the first crack at downloading the films. The rest of you can just stream and wait.

[Image credit via 20th Century Fox]

20th Century Fox to offer digital downloads for Android devices, Blu-ray purchase required originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Yahoo! News  |  sourceFinancial Times  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 20

iTunes and iWork updated for Lion, add full-screen support, and resume

Posted in: Apple, itunes, os x, OsX, Today's Chili

What good is an OS update without some software that can take full advantage of all its fancy new features? Naturally, Apple’s got your back, and today you’ll be getting some spiffy new versions of iTunes and iWork to compliment that fearsome Lion upgrade. iTunes 10.4 finally ushers the music management app into the 64-bit era, and adds support for OS X 10.7’s full-screen windows. The iWork Update 6 also brings along the distraction-free functionality, as well as resume, auto-save, and versioning for all your important docs. Not everyone is seeing the updates just yet, so be patient, it shouldn’t be much longer before you’re interrupted by that slightly annoying, but oh so satisfying, Software Update window.

iTunes and iWork updated for Lion, add full-screen support, and resume originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAppleInsider, iLounge  | Email this | Comments

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