Korg’s $300 Monologue synth runs on AA batteries
Korg tempted us with the analog polyphonic Minilogue synthesizer back in January and now the company has another budget-friendly instrument. Meet the Monologue: a monophonic analog synthesizer that has a similar design as its elder sibling but costs a mere $300. This new version houses the same synthesis design as the pricier Minilogue, only this time the extra features help create a monophonic sound “for all types of musicians.”
The Monologue has the same aluminum top and wood back panel as the Minilogue as well has a 25-key version of the $500 synth’s keyboard. Rather than going from C to C octaves though, this new instrument is laid out from E to E so that guitarists, bassists and other musicians always have quick access to a low E note. That 16-step sequencer and OLED oscilloscope are back too, with each step getting a dedicated button for easy editing. When it comes to storing those tones, the Monologue houses 80 built-in presets and 20 user-editable spots.
Under the hood, Korg gave the Monologue a new 2-pole voltage-controlled filter alongside an all-analog Drive circuit. The company says the former component gives the instrument its bite while the latter offers more punch and warmth to the overall sound. An LFO can be set to “unprecedentedly ultra-high speeds” or assigned to a so-called one-shot mode where it basically works as an additional envelope. Oh yeah, the piece of gear can run on six AA batteries if you need to keep the loops going while you’re away from a power source. You know, just like those mini keyboards from RadioShack us music nerds tinkered with as kids.
In terms of connectivity, there are audio and MIDI inputs/outputs with a USB port as well. Like the Minilogue, the Monologue also plays nice with other Korg instruments via a dedicated Sync connection. While the Monologue is up for pre-order starting today in five colors, you’ll have to wait a while to actually get your hands on one. The instrument isn’t scheduled to ship until early January, which is a real bummer if you were hopping to snag one for the aspiring musician in your life ahead of the holidays.
Korg brings the iconic ARP Odyssey synth to iOS
Synthesizer companies have a knack for bringing digital versions of analog gear to mobile devices so hobbyists and pros alike can get creative with ease. Earlier this year, Moog released a $30 app that brought the legendary (and massive) Model 15 to the iPad. Korg already has synth apps under its belt, including a more mobile version of its M1, and now its introducing another. Based on the iconic ARP Odyssey, the company built the appropriately-named ARP ODYSSEi mobile software for iOS.
This $20 iOS app houses versions of all three ARP Odyssey analog synths. Yes, that includes the 2015 reissue that offered an updated take on two well-respected instruments. Korg said it wasn’t content with just reproducing the sounds of those synthesizers for the app, so it put its Circuit Modeling Technology (CMT) to use so that the sounds you’re able to make with your iPad or iPhone are as close as possible to the physical gear.
The three filter types and Drive function from the 2015 model are here on the digital version of the ARP Odyssey, but new effects, a voice assign mode and a programmable arpeggiator expand the functionality of the instruments even further. This new ODYSSEi app can be put to work with Korg’s own DAW software and GarageBand if you’re looking to do more than just tinker with the virtual controls to make some noise. The company says the $20 price is “introductory,” so you might end up paying more if you wait too long to commit. For now, you can hear the app in action via the video below.
Tag Heuer made a more expensive, $9,900 smartwatch
What do you do when you’ve got an empty wrist and almost $10,000 burning a hole in your pocket? Buy a rose gold smartwatch from Tag Heuer. To match your phone, private jet, toothbrush and crippling sense of loneliness brought upon by spending too much money on not-pink gadgets, of course. This Tag Heuer Connected isn’t available online, so that means you’ll have to trudge down to a jewelry store to get your mitts on one. And it might be your only shot at a luxury smartwatch now that Apple’s stepped out of the game.
The funniest thing? It doesn’t look like anything is changing here versus the model we reviewed back in January. More than that? The gold doesn’t go beyond the case. Fools, money, etc.. But hey, at least those hole in your pocket and bare wrist problems are solved.
Via: Hodinkee
Source: Tag Heuer
Apple Hires Duke Doctor on Forefront of Implementing HealthKit and ResearchKit
Apple has hired Duke’s Dr. Ricky Bloomfield, one of the early proponents of both HealthKit and ResearchKit, for its health team, according to MobiHealthNews. The hiring was first announced by Dr. Bloomfield’s colleague on Twitter and confirmed by Apple to MobiHealthNews.
As Duke’s Director of Mobile Strategy, Dr. Bloomfield helped Duke become one of the first hospitals to integrate HealthKit. Bloomfield has spoken about the benefits of HealthKit multiple times, like at 2014’s mHealth Summit and announcing at a MobiHealthNews event that Apple was adding support for Health Level 7 Continuity of Care Document to iOS 10.
Bloomfield, who created Autism Beyond, also helped Duke embrace ResearchKit, creating a study intended to find out how autism starts in children. The study uses an app that utilizes the iPhones camera to record children’s reactions to short videos. The app analyzes the recordings and sends the data back to doctors to help tune the algorithm, with the goal to eventually let the app help parents screen children for autism, anxiety, or similar conditions.
The new hire is just one of several for Apple’s health team recently. In September, Apple hired Toronto doctor Mike Evans “to help chart the future of family medicine.” Evans also has a popular YouTube channel, DocMikeEvans, where he narrates discussions about health over cartoon drawings. Apple has also hired Stanford doctor Rajiv B. Kumar, who has experience using HealthKit to help patients with diabetes, and Dr. Stephen Friend, who helped build the data infrastructure for many ResearchKit apps.
While Bloomfield will work on Apple’s health team, it’s unclear what his role could entail.
Tags: HealthKit, ResearchKit, health and fitness
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James Cameron: High frame-rate cinema is ‘a tool, not a format’
Sadly, James Cameron is going to probably retire making Avatar sequels that focus more on technology than story or his trademark action-flick set-pieces. Armed with $2.8 billion in box office receipts from the first movie, Cameron’s been on a technology sojourn. He’s been extremely vocal about his support for high frame-rate (HFR) cinema and stereoscopic 3D for filmmaking in the past, but it seems like he’s changing his tune slightly these days.
“I think [HFR] is a tool, not a format,” Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think it’s something you want to weave in and out and use when it soothes the eyes, especially in 3D during panning, movements that [create] artifacts that I find very bothersome. I want to get rid of that stuff, and you can do it through high frame rates.”
The common complaint is that HFR looks unnatural or hyper-real, because it’s running so much faster than cinema’s 24 frames per-second. By using it in parts of a movie where it might make sense — like flashback sequences in Ang Lee’s new war movie Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk — the extra detail it provides may enhance storytelling rather than distract from it.
“In terms of that kind of hyper clarity, there may be some films that benefit from it,” Cameron said. “But I feel you still have to have a little bit of that veil of unreality that comes with 24 frames per-second. This is my conclusion now. I don’t think you do it wall-to-wall. I think you do it [HFR] where you need it.”
Whether or not Cameron thinks sections of Titanic or Terminator 2: Judgment Day need it, the way both “needed” a 3D conversion has yet to be seen. Cameron also called for brighter projectors and glasses-free 3D movies. “We’ll get there.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
The Galaxy S7 Edge gets doomed Note 7’s Coral Blue outfit
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 series is benefiting yet again from the death of its Galaxy Note cousin. After that always-on display update, this time around the S7 Edge gets a new color scheme: Coral Blue. This was the flagship color in most of Samsung’s media releases and ads — and it’s pretty darn nice in person. The company is looking to make the most of all that leftover blue casing, we assume, after halting Note 7 production. It joins the existing color options of Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, White Pearl, Silver Titanium and Pink Gold; all of which sound like Pokémon games.
There’s no release specifics, but Samsung says the new color option will be available in selected markets around the globe, if you want to pretend you still own a Note 7. Or really like Coral Blue.
Source: Samsung
New MacBooks Said to Launch in 2017 With Price Cuts and Up to 32GB of RAM
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a new research report outlining why he’s upbeat about MacBook growth in 2017. Kuo expects price cuts for both new and existing MacBooks in 2017 coupled with a refresh that adds support for 32GB RAM and more, bolstering his belief in the MacBook line next year.
Kuo cites Apple’s tendency to price “major-upgraded models,” like the original MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, higher near the initial launch “before undergoing in price cuts in the following year” as precedent for price cuts in the second half of 2017. He also believes that the ecosystem for USB-C devices and software that takes advantage of the Touch Bar will become more mature, making it more enticing for users.
Finally, Kuo expects refreshed MacBooks Pros to be launched in the second half of 2017 with support for 32GB of RAM. However, Kuo says this is dependent on whether Intel launches Cannonlake processors on time.
(3) the new MacBook to be launched in 2H17 may support 32GB DRAM, eventually attracting more core users; this depends on whether or not Intel ships Cannonlake CPU on time in 2017, which features 15-25% less power consumption of LPDDR 4, versus the existing LPDDR 3. If Cannonlake doesn’t enter mass production as expected, the new models launched in 2H17 will adopt Coffee Lake, which continues to adopt LPDDR 3, and maximum DRAM support will also remain unchanged at 16GB.
Many customers have been upset that the new MacBooks, which run more energy efficient Skylake processors, continue to max out at 16GB of RAM and cost more than previous-generation models. For instance, the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar starts at $1,799, $500 more than previous-generation models.
Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller, in an email to MacRumors reader David, explained that for Apple to make a notebook with support for more than 16GB of RAM, it would have to use a memory system that consumes too much power. Regarding price, Schiller said in an interview that affordability is “absolutely something we care about” but that the company designs for experience rather than price.
While Kuo expects price cuts for new and existing MacBooks, like both the 12-inch MacBook and the new MacBook Pros, it’s unclear whether he expects Apple to offer support for up to 32GB of RAM for the 12-inch MacBook in addition to the MacBook Pros.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo
Buyer’s Guide: Retina MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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Experts question if Trump servers shared info with Russian bank
A handful of computer scientists and DNS experts discovered that over the course of four months this year, a Trump Organization server irregularly pinged two servers belonging to the prominent Russian entity Alfa Bank, according to Slate. As former New Republic editor Franklin Foer reports, it is not clear what type of communication passed among the servers, whether emails or spam, but multiple experts agreed that the messages were sent in patterns consistent with human input.
“The parties were communicating in a secretive fashion,” DNS authority Paul Vixie told Slate. “The operative word is ‘secretive.’ This is more akin to what criminal syndicates do if they are putting together a project.”
This isn’t a cut-and-dry situation. Foer sets the scene in the following manner: The first server was registered to the Trump Organization in 2009 to send out mass emails and other marketing materials for Trump-branded products. Cybersecurity experts investigating the hack of the Democratic National Committee earlier this year started tracking the server when one researcher spotted what appeared to be malware traveling from Russia to a domain with Trump in its name. At this point, the server was no longer used for marketing campaigns. In fact, it handled an oddly tiny amount of traffic.
What’s more, the researchers received error messages when they attempted to ping the Trump-Email.com server. They concluded that it was established to accept messages from a small number of IP addresses, and 87 percent of the DNS lookups involved the Alfa Bank servers, Slate reports.
When researchers plotted the log data on a timeline, they found that it spiked during hot moments of the US presidential election. DNS lookups jumped during the Democratic and Republican national conventions, for example.
Nine experts who reviewed the server logs for Slate said that the data would be nearly impossible to fake, since it included thousands of records with nuances too advanced for even skilled programmers to reproduce.
Foer’s report continues as follows: The Trump-Email.com domain stopped functioning on September 23rd, shortly after The New York Times reached out to Alfa Bank about the situation. On September 27th, the Trump Organization established a new host name, trump1.contact-client.com, which communicated with that very same server through a new route. The first attempt to look up the new host name came from Alfa Bank. The only way Alfa Bank could have learned the new host name would be through direct contact with whoever changed it, experts said.
“That party had to have some kind of outbound message through SMS, phone, or some non-internet channel they used to communicate [the new configuration],” Vixie told Slate.
In a statement sent to Slate, Alfa Bank denied that it had ever been in contact with the Trump campaign, via these servers or otherwise. The Trump campaign provided Slate the following response:
“The email server, set up for marketing purposes and operated by a third-party, has not been used since 2010. The current traffic on the server from Alphabank’s [sic] IP address is regular DNS server traffic—not email traffic. To be clear, The Trump Organization is not sending or receiving any communications from this email server. The Trump Organization has no communication or relationship with this entity or any Russian entity.”
The Trump spokesperson did not respond to Slate’s follow-up questions about the new host name or its finding that the server handled only “regular” DNS traffic (which is usually email traffic), rather than email traffic specifically. Foer emphasizes that his report does not equate a smoking gun, but rather “a suggestive body of evidence that doesn’t absolutely preclude alternative explanations.”
In early October, the US intelligence community concluded that top Russian officials directed the hacks of the DNC and other US political organizations, and other evidence points to Russia’s involvement in the cyberattacks on Gen. Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta.
Update: The New York Times’ sources say that “none” of the investigations thus far have turned up any evidence of a link between Trump and the Russian government.
Source: Slate
Android Chrome might move search bar to screen bottom
Even with my oversized mitts, stretching all the way across my Nexus 6P to hit the Chrome address bar can be a challenge. But I won’t be reaching nearly as far if the newly unveiled “Chrome Home” feature in Canary makes it into the next update. Namely because the address bar — as well as the tab switcher and settings menu — will be right there at the bottom of the screen.
The feature is still in its alpha stage and currently only available on the Canary for Android test platform (basically, the developer version of Chrome). As such, there’s no word yet on when or even if the feature will make it to the consumer version. Nor is there much information yet on the feature’s title and whether it is in any way connected to the upcoming Google Home device.
Source: 9to5Google
Report Claims Apple Considering Apple Music Price Drop
Apple is seriously considering a price drop for Apple Music, according to two sources that spoke to Digital Music News. The sources are not within Apple, but have worked close with the service since it launched. The price drop would see Apple Music go from $9.99 to $7.99, while family plans would drop from $14.99 to $12.99.
The new prices would begin rolling out by Christmas, and Digital Music News claims the rollout could start with a “holiday promotional discount.” While regular and family plans would see a price drop, student rates, which are $4.99 a month, would remain the same price.
The new prices would help Apple Music match Amazon’s new Music Unlimited service, which is $7.99 per month for Prime subscribers. However, Amazon’s streaming service also offers a $3.99 per month plan for customers that own an Amazon Echo device.
In May, Digital Music News reported that Apple planned on ending iTunes Music downloads within two years, eliciting a specific “not true” response from Apple. A month later, Digital Music News reported that new sources had come forward claiming that Apple would end music downloads in the future, and that the company would debut a new version of iTunes at WWDC that would make it easy for the company to do so.
Tags: Apple Music, DigitalMusicNews.com
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