Today, Apple’s homepage celebrates 30 years of the Mac. For those of us who have ‘been around’ – and even more so for those of us who bought and used an Apple ][ before the advent of the Mac, it is at once surprising that so much time has passed and unimaginable that we lived without the convenience of computers.
This weekend the Grammy Awards present the music side of insular industry self-celebration and back-patting. Trying to figure out who wins in the post-Esperanza Spalding years is as much about who the industry needs to ‘reward’ as anything else. But the folks at Spotify have used data gleaned from their streaming service over the last year to make predictions!
If you were to ask my younger son about his most elusive piece of affordable technology, it would be the M-Audio Trigger Finger from 2005. The popular controller was used by all of his favorite music producers but was discontinued. Now it is back and better than ever with the M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro announced at NAMM 2014! Here is what M-Audio is saying: Trigger Finger Pro is a fully encompassed performance instrument and software control station in the form of a portable, 16-pad (4×4 configured) instrument with onboard sequencing. Nearly a decade ago, M-Audio revolutionized the industry by introducing…
The other day Dan shared a video on the Gear Diary ‘back channel’ that is really amazing. It shows a music video in French with the singer slowly being photoshopped over the course of a song. It is an amazing video – but what I didn’t know at first was it came from The Verge, because the link said ‘Feedly’.
I’ve loved video game trading site Goozex for more than 7 years since it launched in 2006. Initially it grew quickly as an alternative to paltry trade-ins handed out by GameStop or the cumbersome trade mechanics of early trade-site GameTZ. Goozex acted as middleman on millions of trades, but industry shifts doomed trading and now Goozex appears closed for good.
When I reviewed Mary Halvorson’s ‘Illusionary Sea’ (which made my Top Music of 2013) I noted that there was a trade-off of intimacy for the larger ideas that are only possible with the broader palette of a septet. Now Halvorson is back leading the trio Thumbscrew in their self-titled debut recording, and it is simply amazing.
2013 is over, and it was an amazing year in music – cool new pop, a rap album from Kanye West I actually liked, Daft Punk returned and more. But my main area of interest is jazz … and there was TONS of great jazz! So I wanted to detail some of the best stuff I heard all year.
If you’re a casual web user of Rdio or Spotify, chances are you’ve hit against their limits on occasion. Aside from not getting to do ‘on demand’ listening, you get ads and time limits as well as some other minor limits. This week both services set aside limits for web users and now offer unlimited use of their radio services.
This morning I opened my Mac for the first time in … a while, since I mostly use my iPad. I had a series of birthday and holiday alerts I needed to dismiss before moving on. A bit later Dan asked how to get notifications in Mavericks to automatically go away. So I took a look, and it’s very easy!
Gamers love tower defense games, and fantasy action-combat games. Bardbarian has all of this and more. Based around the hero Brad and his Axe guitar, this light-hearted romp has you summoning companions and special attacks as you work to fend off the invaders and protect your village. For a bargain price you will get loads of fun!
G5 Entertainment and Artifex Mundi has a great recent track-record of hidden object puzzle adventure games, and they continue with the release of 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek for iPad and iPhone. The game tells the story of a reporter lost in a mysterious town in the 1950s and the friend who investigates!
Back in early December I talked with Ossian Studios head Alan Miranda about the release of The Shining Sun, and my single concern was that Baldur’s Gate II Enhanced Edition was due for release just before Christmas. That didn’t happen, and TSS enjoyed time in the spotlight … but now the ultimate classic RPG has arrived on the iPad!
If someone suggested to me a year ago we would be looking back at data showing that more than 21% of laptops sold last year were Chromebooks … I would have laughed heartily in their face. I mean, to me these were pretty much netbooks that only run a browser. Yet that is the reality at the end of 2013.
When we bought our house, one thing the builder was proud of was radiant heating installed throughout. One downside it is slow to respond – so when the temperature here went from +50 to -30 back to +40 within 5 days our house seemed to always be too hot or too cold. The upside? The floors were never cold!
While much of our communications has become wireless, sometimes we still need to move files from one place to another – and it is often a pain! Those drivers didn’t install correctly, you forgot the cable, or whatever. And you are stuck trying to use SOMETHING to get your files from your phone to your PC. Enter Bridge 3.0!
Spiderweb Software is ready to roll out their latest RPG, Avadon 2: The Corruption, to iPad devices on Feb 28, 2014. Avadon 2 is the fourth full-length RPG Spiderweb has ported to iOS and each has done exceptionally well, delivering the full depth and quality of their Windows and Mac versions to the touch screen.
Just over a year ago I reviewed iRig Keys, the 37-note multi-platform mini-key controller. It remains in constant use by either myself or my son! Now IK Multimedia is has released iRig Keys Pro, featuring 37 full-size velocity sensitive keys, Lightning, 30-pin and USB cables, for universal compatibility with all models of iPhone, iPad, and Mac/PC.
The golf bag is a standard part of any golfer’s arsenal, but while there are loads of models they all serve the same basic purposes the same basic way. Now Gbag has launched on IndieGoGo and looks to change the way we think of the golf bag for good, using magnets and ultralight materials and a modular design! The golf bag is a standard part of any golfer’s arsenal, but while there are loads of models they all serve the same basic purposes the same basic way. Now Gbag has launched on IndieGoGo and looks to change the way we…
Ever since I got Amplitube it has become my go-to tuner. Whether I plug in or use the built-in mic on either iPad or iPhone, I always check my tuning in Amplitube before I get started playing – even if I am using another app! Now they have introduced UltraTuner, and it is the best tuner I have ever used!
There has been some truly incredible technology at this year’s CES so far, and another example is the launch of the Epson Moverio BT-200 Smart Glasses powered by Wikitude SDK. The BT-200 is a set of binocular wearable display technology projecting transparent items over real-life objects. The augmented reality technology is also capable of advanced image recognition and geo-aware services. Here is what they are saying: “The Epson Moverio BT-200 smart glasses offer consumers crystal clear video as well as access to incredible new augmented reality experiences and relevant information according to their personal interests and needs. Leveraging Epson’s leadership…
When I reviewed the original Nightmares from the Deep back in 2012 I remarked that the “pacing is perfect, the story works well, and the overall experience is entirely positive and something you will remember for quite a while”. The sequel is here – and it is better in every way, bringing adventure and action to a normally staid genre! Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store. Android version at Google Play Developer: Artifex Mundi / G5 Entertainment Description: Here are some of the features: Thrilling storyline and…