Yamaha’s MX88 synth turns your iPhone into a real instrument

I hate, hate, hate computers and phones/tablets on stage. To me, a Macbook sitting next to a keyboardist or percussionist is just asking for trouble. Computers freeze, apps crash and sometimes you forget to turn off notifications and now everyone in the audience knows you got a new Facebook message. And frankly, they’re not very “rock and roll.” So imagine my surprise when, while using the Yamaha MX88 keyboard, I found myself launching the FM Essential companion app — on my iPhone!

The $1,299 (You’ll really only pay $999) MX88 is the latest member of Yamaha’s entry-level MX lineup. But the keyboard’s sounds and weighted key action are that of far more expensive synthesizers. The instrument ships with over 1,000 voices (instrument sounds) from the company’s more expensive Motif series of keyboards. Quantity is great, but quality is far more important for a musician and the MX88 delivers with its piano and organ recreations.

It’s also nice that the polyphonic instrument can handle 128 simultaneous notes. It allows you can layer sound after sound to the keys and never worry about losing any of the notes.

But if you insist on playing the synth with your fingers, the weighted keys are a delight for an instrument in this price range. The action is quick and gives the player more control over the dynamics of a note when the key is hit.

The controls on the keyboard are straight forward with a small display for voices and more complex control over the synth. The more readily used features like voice manipulation, keyboard splitting, and top level sound menus are all available via a knob or button on the face of the MX88. But there’s also that app.

The FM Essentials companion mobile app, on its surface, is an adequate facsimile of a synth with a tiny keyboard and various voices. It ships with drum loops so your creations have a back beat. But it’s when you plug it into the MX88 that you see the real value. With it, you can control the voices on the keyboard and manipulate them with the on-screen oscilloscope (a visual reference of the waveform). That’s where the fun comes in.

I was able to take normal voices, flip on the arpeggio, adjust the options like cut off, resonance, modulation and make them my own right in the app and much quicker than I could on the keyboard. Plus, once I was done with that, I could play music from my iPhone directly though the keyboard via the same USB port. So I could accompany something I had recorded earlier, or play along to my favorite song.

The only drawback is that you have to buy Apple’s $30 Lightning to USB camera adapter cable to get it to work. You can’t just plug into the device USB slot (which seems like where you would plug in your phone). Instead you have to use the host USB slot.

Whether or not I would use this setup live is still debatable. iPhone apps crash just as often as computer applications. But, it has made me a believer than when done correctly, connecting your instrument to a computer isn’t that horrible and in the case of the MX88, actually enhances the experience of an already wonderful synthesizer.

How ‘Dinner Party’ tells an alien abduction story in VR

At our first Engadget Experience in LA last week, we premiered five virtual reality projects that pushed the boundaries of the new medium. Among them was Dinner Party, a retelling of the famous Betty and Barney Hill alien abduction story. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s one of the most intriguing VR entries yet. In our documentary, co-creator Laura Wexler explains how her team brought one of the most famous stories from UFO folklore into virtual reality.

The best Black Friday deals 2017

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

Amazon Echo 2nd Generation

Street Price: $100; Deal Price: $80

The first sale we’ve seen on the upgraded model of the Echo.The 2nd Generation Amazon Echo is our pick in our guide to the best Alexa-compatible smart-home devices for Amazon Echo. We wrote, “An Amazon Echo offers a convenient interface for your smart home and provides functionality that an app on your phone can’t. If you already have some Alexa-compatible devices or one of the three major smart-home hubs (SmartThings, Wink, or Insteon), adding an Echo can make accessing those devices more interesting and convenient.”

Playstation VR Skyrim Bundle

Street Price: $450; Deal Price: $335

This bundle was $450 until recently, game still goes for $60 & while street price of VR gear is falling, street is no lower than $400.

The Playstation VR is an “also great” pick in our guide to the best VR headsets for PC and PS4. We wrote, “Sony’s PlayStation VR headset can’t track you quite as well as the competition can, but it’s good enough to provide a fun, solid virtual reality gaming experience.”

TP-Link AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender RE450

Street Price: $90; Deal Price: $60

A big $30 drop and the best price we’ve seen all year.

The TP-Link RE450 is the top pick in our wi-fi range extender guide. We wrote, “On our two long-range wireless tests (one line-of-sight, and one with walls and other objects between the extender and our test laptop), it gave us excellent performance. And because it’s an AC1750 extender, it supports the fastest wireless speeds of our favorite router and any device you’re likely to own.”

Anker PowerCore 20100

Street Price: $40; Deal Price: $32

The best price we’ve seen on a charger that can charge multiple phones at once.

The Anker PowerCore 20100 is our pick for more power in our best USB battery packs and power banks guide. We wrote, “With 74 Wh (20,000 mAh) of capacity, this Anker pack can charge your smartphone every day for a weeklong work trip or keep two devices charged for a long weekend away.”

iPad Pro 10.5-Inch (64GB)

Street Price: $650; Deal Price: $525

Matches low we’ve seen on this tablet pick in the 64GB size.

The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is our upgrade pick in our guide to the best tablet. We wrote, “Only slightly bigger than the standard iPad but considerably faster, the Pro has a larger, better screen, better cameras, and support for Apple’s Pencil. It’s better than the standard model for creating, multitasking, and gaming.”

Samsung Gear VR with Controller

Street Price: $130; Deal Price: $90

The updated, Note 8 friendly version of one of our picks, with its first discount.

The Samsung Gear VR is the runner-up pick in our phone VR headsets guide. We wrote, “The Gear VR has both the most and the most mature apps in the category. It also has better specs, meaning more-serious gamers should consider this headset.”

Motorola Moto G5 Plus 32GB

Street Price: $220; Deal Price: $170

A new low on our favorite cheap Android phone.

The G5 Plus is the top pick in our guide to the best budget Android phones. We wrote, “Excellent performance and build quality compared with other budget phones. Its interface is clean with no bloatware, and it works on all major US carriers.”

Corsair K70 LUX RGB w/ red switches

Street Price: $150; Deal Price: $110

The lowest price we’ve seen on a mechanical keyboard we like.

The Corsair K70 LUX RGB is our full-size gaming pick in our review of our favorite mechanical keyboards. We wrote, “If you want a full-size gaming keyboard with media keys and Cherry switches, the best option is the Corsair K70 LUX RGB Mechanical Gaming keyboard. It’s available with Cherry MX Brown, MX Blue, MX Red, and MX Speed switches. Though the K70 LUX was one of the more expensive full-size gaming boards we tested, it was still the favorite of our panel testers because of its superior build quality and handy media keys.”

Philips Hue Single A19 Bulbs

Street Price: $50; Deal Price: $32

By far the best price we’ve seen on individual bulbs from the Hue line. These hit a new low of $40 a few days ago, and today, they’re down even further.

The Philips Hue A19 bulbs are our pick for the best smart LED light bulbs. We wrote, “The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 – Gen 3 are the best all-around smart bulbs you can buy. The Hue bulbs do everything their competitors do, but their wider product and app ecosystem allows for more flexibility and creativity than any other smart bulb.”

Sonos Playbar

Street Price: $700; Deal Price: $600

A new low on our top pick for best soundbar. We wrote, “The Playbar sounds fantastic and is easier to set up and operate than any other soundbar we’ve tested.”

Sonos Play:1 Speaker

Street Price: $200; Deal Price: $150

This matches the lowest price we’ve seen on our top multiroom wireless speaker system. We wrote, “The Play:1 sounds great on its own and is an affordable entry point to the Sonos system. A pair in stereo mode sounds even better.”

Garmin Vívosport Smart Activity Tracker

Street Price: $200; Deal Price: $150

A new low for our top activity tracker pick.

The Vívosport is our pick for the best fitness tracker. We wrote, “The Garmin Vívosport nails all the capabilities of a well-rounded fitness tracker by combining an always-visible color display, responsive auto-activity detection with GPS, up-to-seven-day battery life, and accurate continuous heart-rate readings in a wrist-worn band that’s waterproof for swimming.”

Roku Streaming Stick+

Street Price: $70; Deal Price: $48

A new low on our upcoming top media streamer pick. We wrote, “The Roku Streaming Stick+ costs more than the similar Streaming Stick, but it’s worth the slight premium because it’s more future proof. It supports the latest 4K, HDR10, WCG video formats and Dolby Atmos for audio. Its redesigned antenna also improves its Wi-Fi reception. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same as the cheaper model, which is a good thing.”

Google Home Speaker

Street Price: $120; Deal Price: $80

A good price on a smart speaker for those committed to the Google ecosystem, usually over $120. We wrote, “Google’s wireless speaker, digital assistant, and smart-home controller looks better than its biggest competition, reliably responds to most voice queries, offers solid multiroom audio, and sounds pretty good.”

Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Turntable + Mackie CR3

Street Price: $330; Deal Price: $244 with code DIGTURKEY5

Use code DIGTURKEY5 to get this duo of top picks for a great price.

The Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB is our pick in our guide to the best turntable for casual listening. We wrote, “The Audio-Technica is highly adjustable, has a built-in phono preamp for hassle-free setup, sounds great out of the box, offers above-average adjustment flexibility, and has a built-in USB port that makes it easy to digitize your LP collection.” The Mackie CR3 speakers are our top pick computer speakers. We wrote, “There are better-sounding speakers that cost more, and cheaper speakers that sound decent, but these have the right blend of sound quality and user-friendliness.”

Audio-Technica ATH-ANC33iS Headphones

Street Price: $70; Deal Price: $39

A big drop on these noise-canceling earbuds.

The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC33iS are the budget pick in our guide to the best noise-cancelling earbuds. We wrote, “If the Bose QuietControl 30 is out of your price range but you still want Bluetooth, the Phiaton BT 100 NC is a solid alternative. This pair doesn’t offer as much noise cancelling as the QC30, but it still provides a reasonable amount while costing around 30 percent of the price of the Bose model. This model can also connect via analog, so if the battery dies you can still listen to music.”

Denon AVRS730H Receiver

Street Price: $450; Deal Price: $350

The first big drop we’ve seen on our new receiver pick.

The Denon AVRS730H is our pick in our guide to the best receiver. We wrote, “The Denon AVR-S730H offers easy setup, good room correction, and supports streaming from a wide number of online music services.”

Samsung Gear IconX Earbuds

Street Price: $200; Deal Price: $150

The first discount we’ve seen on this pair of earbuds.

The Samsung Gear IconX earbuds are the Android/Samsung pick in our true wireless guide. We wrote, “Offers decent sound, probably on a par with that of $70 corded in-ear headphones. The fit is comfortable and secure for most ear types. Touch-sensitive volume, track, and voice-command controls mean you don’t have to press the earbud uncomfortably and awkwardly into your ear as you make adjustments.”

Celestron NexStar 5 SE Telescope

Street Price: $700; Deal Price: $600

A nice deal matching the previous low on our best telescope pick. We wrote, “It has a primary 5-inch mirror, which is big enough for a light-gathering capacity that yields crisp images of some of the best objects in our solar system, from Saturn’s rings to Jupiter’s cloud bands, and provides sufficient power to introduce you to objects in the deep sky.”

Because great deals happen more than once a week, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday.

Note from Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

iPhone X Low Light Photography Test Demonstrates Improved Telephoto Lens

The 2016 iPhone 7 Plus was the first Apple smartphone to feature a dual lens camera, and this year’s iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X followed suit, improving upon last year’s design with larger sensors and better signal image processing. The iPhone X also benefits from added optical image stabilization and larger aperture on the telephoto lens.

In what may come as a surprise to most casual snappers, the telephoto lens in Apple’s dual camera isn’t always activated when the 2x zoom is selected in the native Camera app. In some low light scenes, iOS opts to crop a wide angle image instead in an effort to obtain a better image with less noise and a lower likelihood of blurring.

With this in mind, Studio Neat designer Dan Provost recently conducted an experiment to see how much the telephoto lens in the iPhone X improves upon the one in the iPhone 7 Plus. To do this, he looked at how much light is required before an iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X switches to the telephoto lens when the 2x zoom mode is selected. This would show Provost if the frequency of cropping an image is at all reduced in Apple’s latest smartphone.

I placed an object (in this case, an old Rolleiflex camera) on a white backdrop, and flanked it on both sides with two LED studio lights. I set up the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X on tripods (using the Glif, natch) and positioned them to keep the framing as similar as possible. Then, starting from a completely dark room, I slowly raised the light levels and observed when the lens switched on each camera. The results are in the video below.

As the embedded video demonstrates, Provost discovered that the iPhone X switched to the telephoto lens much more quickly in his artificial low light scenes, requiring approximately 2 fewer stops of light before switching to the telephoto lens, compared to the iPhone 7 Plus.

“This is obviously great news, and speaks to how improved the second lens is after just one year,” says Provost. “In my own use of the phone for the past couple weeks, it does indeed seem to be the case that I am very rarely presented with a 2X cropped image.”

You can learn more about Provost’s iPhone X low light photography experiment over on the Studio Neat website.

Related Roundups: iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iOS 11, iPhone XTag: photographyBuyer’s Guide: iPhone 8 (Buy Now), iPhone 8 (Buy Now), iPhone X (Buy Now)
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iPhone X Launches in 13 More Countries

The iPhone X officially landed in 13 more countries on Friday, with launches in Albania, Bosnia, Cambodia, Kosovo, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Montenegro, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey.

In the countries and territories listed, Apple’s latest smartphone is being sold exclusively by authorized third-party resellers and carriers, with the exception of Turkey – where Apple has a retail presence in Zorlu Center and Akasya Acıbadem – and Macau, where an Apple store is based at Galaxy Macau. Apple’s flagship device also became available to customers in Israel on Thursday for the first time.

The iPhone X is also available to buy through regional online Apple stores in Malaysia (from RM 5,149), South Korea (from ₩1,420,000), Thailand (from ฿40,500), and Turkey (from 6.099 TL), with prices varying depending on local currencies. Apple appears to have made provisions for launch day availability in the above countries, with online shipping estimates at 1 to 3 business days at the time of writing.

Over the last couple of days, iPhone X shipping estimates have improved to around 1-2 weeks in the U.S. and Canada, and across Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, where the iPhone X has been available since November 3. Early iPhone X rumors had suggested the device would be available in severely limited numbers until well into next year, but the balance between supply and demand appears to be leveling worldwide.

In related news, according to a report on Thursday in the London Metro, Apple’s offices in South Korea were “raided” earlier this week by state regulators. The article reports that authorities visited Apple’s Seoul offices and questioned the company’s business practices.

The raid is said to be part of an ongoing probe that was launched after Apple took action to address local authorities’ concerns about unfair contracts that the company had with South Korean firms commissioned to repair its devices. However, the incident has led some to question whether South Korean authorities are trying to hamper the success of iPhone X in the region, which is home to rival Samsung.

Lee Jae-yong, acting chairman of Samsung, was jailed for five years for corruption in August 2017. He was charged with bribery, perjury and other crimes following an investigation which led to the impeachment of South Korea’s then-president, Park Geun-hye. Also known as Jay Y Lee, the 49-year-old business magnate was accused of making payments in exchange for political favors.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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Black Friday 2017: Here Are the Best App Store and iTunes Gift Card Deals Going on Today

Similar to years past, one of the best deals going on this Black Friday revolves around discounts on the App Store and iTunes gift card, allowing you to snag some expensive cards at a slight discount and apply it to your Apple Music subscription, movie and book purchases, and much more. For this reason, we’ve decided to round up some of the places that are offering nice discounts on App Store and iTunes gift cards today.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

We’ve noted the retailer, discount amount, and whether the card is physical or delivered via email in the list below, all of which are in stock as of writing:

• PayPal Digital Gifts on eBay: $100 for $85 (email)
• Amazon: $100 for $85 with promo code ITUNES15 (email)
• Target: Buy one get one 30 percent off (email)
• Best Buy: Buy one get one 30 percent off (physical)
• GameStop: buy one get one 20 percent off (physical, in-store only)
• Costco members: $200 for $180, $100 for $90, and $25 for $22.50 (email)

As an example, the BOGO 30 percent off deals (when purchasing two cards of the same amount) will break down like this:

• Buying two $15 iTunes Gift Cards = $25.50
• Buying two $25 iTunes Gift Card = $42.50
• Buying two $50 iTunes Gift Card = $85
• Buying two $100 iTunes Gift Card = $170

Sam’s Club is one of the major retailers that had an iTunes gift card deal, but it’s out of stock online now. The deal was $84.47 for an iTunes card multipack that totaled $100. Also of potential note for frequent Walgreens shoppers: the retailer has a deal where you can get a $10 Walgreens gift card when you buy a $30 or $50 iTunes gift card.

For a look at all of the best Black Friday sales, make sure to check out our main post and visit our Black Friday Roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple Black Friday
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Save on Honor 9, Huawei Watch 2 at Amazon UK for Black Friday

Get some solid Huawei Android hardware for a great price this Black Friday.

The Black Friday deals continue to roll and if you’re in the UK and looking for a new phone or smartwatch, Amazon has a couple of great deals to tempt you with.

Both the Honor 9 and the Huawei Watch 2 have some pretty significant price reductions.

The blue Honor 9 is down to £307.99, which considering the 64GB internal storage, dual cameras, 4GB of RAM and Kirin 960 processor represents great value. Check out our full review for more if you’re tempted.

See at Amazon

The Huawei Watch 2 is one of the many one-day-only deals and you can get the Sport model for £179.99 for the regular version, or £209.99 for the 4G enabled model. The Watch 2 Classic has also had its price cut, yours for £249.99.

These won’t be around long, so grab ’em while you can!

See at Amazon

The Morning After: Friday, November 24th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Black Friday is here. With some help from our friends at Wirecutter, we’ve distilled some of the best deals right here. As you process yesterday’s carbs and bird protein, take a look at some of the tech news you might have missed.

Speakers, tablets and the rest.
Here are some of the best early deals for Black Friday

We’ll have more temptation coming later today, but Wirecutter’s bargain hunters have sniffed out the best of the early stuff. Still looking for that killer PS4 Pro deal, though…

‘We honestly hadn’t really expected that was on the table.’
‘We honestly hadn’t really expected that was on the table.’

Idol Minds had been making video games for 20 years when it rebranded as Deck Nine in May. But it’s not just the studio’s name that changed — its entire mission refocused. Instead of working on titles like Cool Boarders 2001 and Pain, developers built a suite of storytelling tools ideal for crafting narrative-driven games. Deck Nine hired experienced writers and shopped itself around to major publishers, offering to take on emotionally complex projects with branching dialogue paths. Then Square Enix came into the picture with Life Is Strange….

Elon Musk saved himself $50 million by easily building it within 100 days.

Tesla completes its giant Australian Powerpack battery on time

Tesla has completed its 100 megawatt Powerpack battery backup system in South Australia within 100 days (easily), as Elon Musk had promised. That means the company essentially won the bet and won’t be on the hook for the entire cost of the project, estimated at $50 million. More importantly, it means that some 30,000 homes in South Australia will have a power backup in case there’s no breeze at the Hornsdale Wind Farm, about two hours from Adelaide.

But who watches the watchers?
Pornhub owner may become the UK’s gatekeeper of online porn

Mindgeek may be the most powerful company that you’ve never heard of, or at least, a company you’ll claim never to have heard of in front of your parents. It owns some of the world’s most visited porn sites, including Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn. Now, it may soon have a powerful political role in the UK, which will ensure its dominance for decades to come. That’s because, within the next year, Mindgeek may become the gatekeeper between the country’s internet users and their porn.

But wait, there’s more…

• These are the best ways to spend time with your PS4
• BMW hopes AI-managed electric-bike roads will ease traffic
• ‘Untrained Eyes’ explores how computers perceive you

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

Latest ‘Pokémon’ games include an ode to Nintendo’s late president

Developers are still eager to show their gratitude to Nintendo’s late Satoru Iwata. Gamers have learned that Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon include a clear, heartfelt tribute to the company’s long-serving president. It requires that you have a creature carried over from Pokémon Silver (thankfully available in the eShop) and a trek to the Game Freak building in Heahea City, but it’s worth the effort to read a short-but-sweet anecdote about one of Nintendo’s most appreciated leaders.

As a character explains, the small team at Game Freak had difficulty cramming all the data for Pokémon Gold and Silver into the limited memory of Game Boy cartridges. Thankfully this “amazing guy” (Iwata, who was well-known for his programming skills) wrote software that helped the content fit. You likely know what happened after that — Gold and Silver went on to become monster hits, and Iwata rose quickly through the corporate ladder to become president in 2002.

There are other development mini-stories if you bring creatures from other past games into Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, so it’s worth mixing up your roster if you want to see absolutely everything. The Iwata ode is clearly the highlight, though, and shows just how extensive his legacy is.

#ThanksIwata pic.twitter.com/4U1YSqOwr0

— Joe Merrick (@JoeMerrick) November 23, 2017

Via: Eurogamer

Source: Serebii.net, Joe Merrick (Twitter)

Windows 10 keyboard offers emoji suggestions in latest preview

Windows 10 Insiders in the Fast Ring were the first to try out Microsoft’s emoji 5.0 bonanza in June, before support rolled out widely with the Fall Creators Update. And, the tech giant is bundling yet more emoji goodness in its latest preview, which also packs Microsoft Edge improvements. The new build 17046 brings with it emoji suggestions on the keyboard, with support for over 150 languages.

Microsoft recommends trying it out with words like unicorn, kiwi, artist, or turtle (what, no turkey?). When typing, you’ll see the primary emoji prediction in the candidate list, while secondary candidates are accessible by tapping the emoji button. To be able to view the suggestions, you’ll need to have the optional typing feature enabled for your language of choice. Another new trick lets you insert more than one emoji at a time using the emoji panel.

Elsewhere, the preview also includes automatic form-filling for Microsoft’s Edge browser, which was conspicuously absent in the past. As with bookmarks and passwords, details from saved forms will be synced across Windows 10 devices. You can read the full changelog by clicking the source link below.

Source: Microsoft