CES 2014: Apogee Debuts MiC 96k Microphone and JAM 96k Guitar Interface for Mac, iPhone, and iPad [Mac Blog]
Audio recording company Apogee announced two new devices at CES 2014, including the MiC 96k professional digital microphone and the JAM 96k guitar interface adapter for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
The MiC 96k combines a microphone, preamp, and an analog-to-digital converter in a compact package, which can output 24-bit/96 KHZ audio recording. The product’s body includes a steel-mesh housing with a gain control knob and multicolor LED, and a port on the bottom that is compatible with Apple’s Lightning and 30-pin connector or a USB interface. Garageband and Logic are compatible with the MiC 96k out of the box, with iOS apps also supported.
Meanwhile, the JAM 96k is compatible with electric, bass, and acoustic guitars accompanied by pickups, and can also yield 24-bit/96 KHZ audio recording. The device also features upgraded sound quality from Apogee’s JAM, including tube amp tone emulation, a built in analog-to-digital converter and instrument preamp. The device comes with connection cables for iOS devices and the Mac, and is compatible with Garageband, Logic, and various iOS apps.
The MiC 96k and JAM 96k retail for $229 and $129 respectively, and are both available now from Apogee’s online store.
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CES 2014: ClearView Audio Shows Off ‘Clio’ Clear Glass Wireless Speaker [iOS Blog]
ClearView Audio showed off its Clio Bluetooth wireless speaker at CES 2014, which boasts a unique “invisible” design consisting of an ultra-thin, curved acrylic glass transducer. The speaker’s design allows for it to output sound in multiple directions, with volume up/down, mute, and Bluetooth buttons on its side.
ClearView Audio is also touting its patented “Edge Motion” audio system in the speaker, which pushes sound through the side of the device instead of the rear like traditional cone speakers:
ClearView Audio’s patented Edge Motion audio systems use a differentiating mechanical principal to generate sound. Instead of pushing from behind, like a traditional cone speaker does, Edge Motion-driven speakers actuate a thin membrane along the side in a manner that creates an extremely efficient, piston-like motion in front. The resultant speaker system is thin and lightweight with the ability to produce a rich, full sound across the audio range.
The Clio is available for pre-order at $349 from Clearview Audio’s website, and is expected to ship in late March.
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Huawei Announces The Huawei Ascend Mate 2 [CES 2014]
Huawei announced at their CES 2014 press conference that the successor to its Ascend Mate phablet would be called the Huawei Ascend Mate 2 4G, which updates their flagship phablet offering to try and match the best on the market. The Mate 2 keeps the 6.1-inch form factor of its predecessor but adds a quad-core 1.6GHz processor, 4G LTE capability and a massive 4,050mAh battery. The Mate 2 also packs a 13-megapixel rear camera and a selfie-sufficient 5-megapixel front facing camera.
While the processing abilities of the Mate 2 look a little under-powered compared to its Snapdragon 800-toting phablet competitor, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the Mate 2 is aiming at a different marketing line, one which is focussed on promoting its incredible power-saving abilities. To name just a bit of what the Mate 2 is able to do, the updated 28-nanometer chip in the processor enables the Mate 2 to have the same power-saving as any of the new Snapdragon chips and Huawei boasts that its intimate and pioneering work on LTE networks has given them a unique technical advantage by allowing power-saving to occur when using LTE, by up to 30%, they say.
Huawei says that all this power trimming allows the Mate 2 to have a battery life of almost 2 days even with heavy use and LTE on and almost 3.5 days with minimal use. This is an impressive claim that we’d love to see validated. The highlight of the Mate 2′s announcement, for me, was the announced ability of reverse charging. This enables the Mate 2 to recharge another device simply by connecting the two devices, which is a really great idea considering the kind of battery reserves you’ll have with a 4,050mAh battery.
We did also get a brief hands on with the Mate 2 after the press conference, and despite a perceived lack of power due to its 1.6GHz processor, the Mate 2 appeared to zip along quite nicely; you can find photos from the press conference and our hands on below.
What do you think about the Huawei Ascend Mate 2? Let us know in the comments.
Gallery of Photos
Press Release
Experience the power of more with HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G
Huawei launches its new 6.1-inch smartphone at CES 2014
Las Vegas, U.S.A., January 6, 2013: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today launched the HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The 4G LTE-enabled smartphone is Huawei’s new super performer that gives people around the world more power and a bigger screen to seize opportunities at every moment. With its 6.1-inch IPS screen, long-lasting 4050 mAh[1] battery, and 5-megapixel front-facing camera, HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G is perfect for enjoying more non-stop entertainment and has enough power to watch six downloaded movies or listen to up to 100 hours of music on a single charge.
“With HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G, we are bringing the benefits and convenience of superfast connectivity to people everywhere,” said Colin Giles, Executive Vice President, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G is power-packed for the mobile generation who want non-stop entertainment on the go, such as the ability to snap and download photo albums in seconds or use their smartphone as their mobile office.”
HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G features a powerful quad-core 1.6 GHz processor and a long-lasting 4050 mAh battery to enjoy a half-day of web surfing on a single charge. The smartphone features unique power saving technology that improves performance by more than 30% compared to other smartphones in its class. HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G is 9.5mm slim and its stylish shape and ergonomic casing lets the phone fit comfortably in the palm of the hand.
HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G comes with Huawei’s proprietary Emotion UI 2.0.[2] The intuitive user interface features Huawei’s One-Hand UI to enable single-handed operation, made easier with HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G’s 79% screen-to-body ratio. Its Floating Window function gives multi-taskers access to notes, messages, calendar and calculator at any time, and Huawei’s Simple UI aids easy customization, perfect for those who like to keep their homescreen simple. Ensuring convenient use at all times, the smartphone’s Gloves Mode functionality supports use when wearing gloves and Driving Mode enables voice activation when on the road.
At 6.1-inches, HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G’s large screen is ideal for viewing documents, watching movies or browsing pictures. Spontaneously snap and view photos with HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G’s 13-megapixel BSI rear-facing camera featuring 2.0 aperture, enabling crystal clear and professional-quality photos, whatever the occasion. Turn the smartphone around and HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G’s 5-megapixel front-facing camera with vertical panorama and Auto Face Enhancement, broadens pictorial horizons to create a fun-filled ‘selfie’ experience.
To keep up with today’s around-the-clock lifestyle, HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G offers ubiquitous connection. Whether at your desk, on the road, or at home, HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G’s lightning fast LTE Cat4 connectivity enables movie downloads in minutes or work file uploads in a flash, with speeds of up to 150 Mbps. Across its range of accompanying connectivity options including WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0, HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G offers all-round support.
To add more color and fun to HUAWEI Ascend Mate2 4G, additional accessories including a Bluetooth earphone, stylish flip cover and colorful external battery packs, are available for purchase.
Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy scribble cataloging
Equil’s JOT smartpen made its debut back in the fall, but here at CES the $150 accessory is expanding its tool set. The company has just announced that its writing utensil now plays nice with Evernote. Thanks to the productivity software outfit’s API and the Equil Note iOS app, users can now beam their doodles and important transcriptions to the cloud quickly and easily for safe keeping. If you’re an Evernote user looking to take the leap, the JOT is now available.
Filed under: Peripherals
Kindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook filters and better search
Thinking about replacing your textbooks with an iPad Air? Amazon’s trying to make the transition a little better for you. The latest update to Kindle iOS app adds flashcards and improved in-book search for print replica textbooks, giving students a better way to find the topics they need for class, as well as a convenient way to catalog and study them. The update packs in a handful of items for non-students too, including page footers that display page numbers and time left (for audiobooks), a redesigned dictionary for iOS 7, an updated X-Ray experience and a new set of Notebook filters for sorting through annotations. It’s not quite as hefty as the app’s recent redesign, but if you’re looking for some new features for the semester, you can get them at the app store.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Amazon
Via: TheNextWeb
Source: iTunes
Hands-on with Polaroid’s budget Q8 tablet
Polaroid’s not just about cameras. In fact, the company typically debuts a new tablet or two at CES. This year’s no different: tonight we got a look at its latest cheapo, the Q Series slate. The Q7 goes for $129, but we got our hands on the 8-inch version, which will set you back $149.
As far as specs go, the only outright positives here are the quad-core processor under the hood and the fact that the Q8′s running Android 4.4 KitKat. Navigating home screens and apps on the screen was snappy and lag-free, even though the unnamed CPU is likely on the low end of available quad-core chips.
Speaking of the screen: pixel density is appallingly low here, which is to be expected with such a budget-priced tablet, but nonetheless underwhelming — especially when the Nexus 7 exists. The Q8 is done up in a soft-touch finish, which looks and feels anything but premium. Especially with the white model, we can imagine you’ll pick up smudges quite quickly. Rounding out the spec list are 8GB of internal memory are on board, along with 1 gig of RAM, and both front and rear cameras. That’s about it — it’s been a tradition to hit Polaroid slates at CES, so take a look at the photos below for our hands-on treatment.
Billy Steele contributed to this report.
Filed under: Tablets
Olympus’s WiFi-packing voice recorder plays nice with your smartphone
Listen, your digital voice recorder don’t have to be enemies. Take the DM-901 from Olympus, for example. The new model extends an olive branch in the great voice recorder / phone wars with built-in WiFi, which lets it communicate with the Olympus Audio Controller app on your handset, so you can upload files to a Dropbox, tag them with with images and links and share them with other devices. The 901 has a two-inch color display, a Zoom mic for longer distance recording, noise cancellation and 4GB of built-in memory. It’s dropping next month for $200.
Source: Olympus
A first glimpse at Nikon’s new flagship, the D4S
Nikon told us to expect a D4S preview at it’s CES booth, but this early look at the pro-grade model actually comes courtesy of our Engadget colleagues in Hong Kong. They spotted the DSLR at an official press event for the D3300, though it was encased in glass, which unfortunately prevented them from giving it a try and discovering if it was anything more than a prototype or model — but, in any case, it at least suggests that Nikon is largely sticking to its tried and tested control layout. As for internals, the company is promising a new imaging engine and faster autofocus, but there’s no word yet on the sensor — we’re hoping for an upgrade in that department too, what with the two-year-old D4‘s sensor having already appeared in a (slightly) cheaper model in Nikon’s lineup.
Source: Engadget Chinese
meMini’s wearable camera gives you the gift of hindsight
meMini is the brainchild of New Zealanders Samuel Lee and Ben Bodley, and the former’s snow sports background was the inspiration behind creating the hardware. While the technology is still in the fluid “late protptype” stage, Bodley’s expertise with cameras has ensured that the unit will ship with a high quality 3.1-megapixel camera with a 160-degree field of view. In terms of storage, the meMini has 16GB of non-expandable memory, with a 32GB edition mooted as a bonus for a certain class of Kickstarter backer. Which brings us round to the price: as, like any invention from the last few years, the company will be taking to Kickstarter with the hope of raising $50,000, with the standard edition setting priced at $150 for early backers, while the standard edition is expected to retail for around $200.
Dana Wollman contributed to this report.
Filed under: Cameras, Wearables
Source: Kickstarter
Sceptre’s showing off 4K TVs, Roku Ready displays, earbuds and pretty much everything, ever at CES
Some companies make a a big to-do over a single product, with big press events and bigger ad campaigns. And then there are those companies like Sceptre that just kind of do the shotgun thing, jamming a single press release up with several product lines, ranging from a series of 4K TVs to earbuds with zipper-esque cord that’s less likely to get tangled than the standard fare. The big announcement here is the unoriginally titled 4K Series, which range from 39- to 58-inches. Though, for the record, it’s a much more solid moniker than the “Color Line,” which are apparently named for their frames and not the fact that that their picture is no longer confined to just black and white. The company’s also got a line of Roku Ready displays, some sound bars and something called a “Mobile Internet Display,” which runs Android and sure sounds a lot like a tablet to us…
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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