Korg’s ‘faithful recreation’ of the ARP Odyssey analog synth is coming this September

Well folks, it looks like 2014 will see yet another synthesizer reboot. Korg announced that it’s currently working on a “faithful recreation” of the legendary ARP Odyssey analog synth that made its debut back in 1972. The name may not ring a bell, but it’s responsible for tones you’ve likely heard from artists Devo, John Foxx, Genesis and Deep Purple (as seen above) — just to name a few. For September’s release, Korg enlisted the original Odyessey’s lead designer David Friend to lend a hand with the construction. Unfortunately details are sparse, but the outfit did reveal a new version of its popular MS-20 last January, along with other analog releases in recent years. Needless to say, the bar has been set pretty high for this next installment.

[Photo credit: Fin Costello/Redferns]

Filed under: Misc

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Via: Fact Mag

Source: Korg

MOSS kits let you build the robot of your dreams with color-coded cubes

The big story at this years Toy Fair was definitely STEM. That stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics — four areas of study that educational companies and bureaucracies have been pushing more students to get involved with. So it was no surprise that, as we wandered the halls of the Jacob Javits Center, we were bombarded by tinker toys, science sets and robotics kits. One of the more interesting was certainly MOSS, a collection of electronic blocks from the same company that brought us Cubelets. While the basic design certainly echos that of its stablemate, MOSS actually seems to share more genetic code with LittleBits than anything else. The system consists of a set of cubes with sensors, inputs and outputs, all color coded for easy assembly. It is possible to assemble to parts in incorrect orders (unlike with Cubelets) which is why the sets are recommended for ages eight and up.

The blocks have magnets on the corners, but don’t actually snap together themselves. Instead steel ball bearings placed in the corners secure the cubes together. Put a ball in all four corners and you’ll have a rock-solid base; go with just two and you’ve got a hinge. That flexibility is key to MOSS’s appeal. You can actually built rather large and complex creations thanks to the sizable collection of electronic components and structural pieces that give your robots personality. For example, placing four flat pieces around a wheel, attached at the joint with a single ball bearing resulted in a model swing carousel. While you might be worried that such a connection would be rather frail, it’s actually quite study. Even when we accidentally dropped a simple circuit involving a servo and a light sensor the pieces stuck together (when all four corners were secured, at least). The pieces also lock into place with a satisfying click that really inspires confidence in the build quality.

The faces of the cubes are painted green for power, blue for pass through, orange for output and brown for input. Sensors or input mechanisms such as knobs are all black. Figuring out how to assemble the blocks is pretty easy: you need a power block to start, then some form of input whose orange face connects to the brown face on an output block (eg. a motor connected to a wheel). Of course, you’re only limited by you’re imagination and the blocks in your kit. Vehicles that follow your hand movements or even card shufflers are within your reach. If you want to get really crazy, you can get an optional Bluetooth expansion module that lets you send or receive data from an iOS or Android device. The company has cooked up a couple of example apps, such as a virtual Etch-a-Sketch and a data log, and plans to open the module to developers who wish to code for their own creations.

MOSS is available for preorder now in limited quantities, with retail availability expected sometime in April or May. The basic kit with 14 modules will set you back $150, while the exhaustive Advanced Builder kit costs $480. Overtime the company will fill out the price points in between, and even plans to release branded kits with custom modules, such as the Shogun Tank kit with its Nerf canon.

Edgar Alvarez and Daniel Orren contributed to this report.

Filed under: Misc, Robots

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[Giveaway] 15 Custom Print Case Codes; Add that little bit extra to your Device

Cases are not only a way to protect our devices, but they are also a great way to show off our style. The case market is a pretty diverse one that offers up a myriad of options for slim line cases, specially designed case, various colors, kickstands, waterproofing and many more. Each one of us has a particular style, look and feel that appeals to us over other manufacturer cases. No matter who your preferred case company is, your preferred case version or your specific reasoning for having it, the fact that a large majority of us all have at least one case around is enough.

A good friend of ours has recently launched his new custom print case company and we thought it would be great to have our readers have a chance at getting something truly unique printed up and shipped out. Many of you might remember the image below that we shared on G+ prior to us heading out for CES 2014.

Those were done by brobrocustom.com for us and they certainly made a staement at CES since we had them prineted up with our business card layout. It really came out pretty darn nice.

Since the original launch, Bro Bro Custom has expanded its case offering lineup. With more cases to choose from, we thought now would be a good time to hand out some to our readers.

The process is pretty painless when it comes to getting your custom art, photo or graphic printed. You head to http://www.brobrocustom.com, choose the device you want a case for, choose the case style (there is often more than one style), upload your photo and add any special notes you might have. That is it. Then you sit back and wait for the case to be shipped. So what devices does Bro Bro Custom currently offer? Well, here is the list as of this very moment of their custom print cases.

• Samsung Galaxy S III
• Samsung Galaxy S4
• Samsung Galaxy Note 2
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
• Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
• Samsung Galaxy S2 AT&T i777
• Galaxy Nexus
• Nexus 4
• HTC One
• HTC One X
• Sony Xperia Z
• And most all of the Apple iPhones and iPads too

Most all of the various cases also offer multiple styles such as wallet cases, thin shell cases, folio cases and the regular printable backs with silicon borders. There are even a few custom bling cases for the ladies.

Most of the cases will run a paying customer anywhere from $15 to $20 with the exception of the iPad cases coming in at $25. Needless to say it is a pretty affordable option to get a specialty print case for work and lifestyle needs.

Each case we received fit their respective devices quite well and offered access to all your buttons, stylus’s and various camera and sensor ports.

What do we have to offer? Well, ANY case you want for any device you want it for. We have a total of 15 codes available to giveaway to 15 lucky people. Bro Bro Custom has offered to ship any case to any winner in the US, if you happen to be international, you can enter as well as long you can pay the shipping on your own.

How to enter:

As always, as simple as possible. We would love to see some action on their Facebook page with a like, but it isn’t necessary. The only way to enter, is to leave a comment down below telling us and Bro Bro Customs what you would like printed up. Maybe it is a picture of your wife and kids, or your first skydiving trip, or a special logo or wallpaper that you want so it ties whole device look together. Of course sharing it around and getting as many entrants in as possible would be great. If you feel so inclined, you can use the hashtag #brobrocustomaspin.

Contest time line

The contest starts right now, Feb 17th 2014 and will run through Sunday February 23 2014 at midnight PST. We will dig out some random winners on Monday the 24th and start sending emails with codes at that time.

Good luck everyone!