Archive for the ‘Apple iPhone iPad News’ category

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Texting: the truth serum of the 21st century

May 17th, 2012

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The University of Michigan has found that if you want someone to tell you the truth, you should text them. Dispensing with the lie detector for job interviewees, academics found that people gave more honest and detailed answers via SMS than over the phone. The team believes it’s due to the lack of time pressure and not having to produce a pleasing answer for your interrogator. If the findings continue to provide similar results, it looks like Steve Wilkos could be replaced with a smartphone.

Texting: the truth serum of the 21st century originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Samson Carbon 49 USB MIDI Controller

May 17th, 2012

Carbon 49 with iPad

If you are looking for Piano or Rhodes-like feel for serious playing, Samson’s Carbon 49 USB MIDI Controller may not be right for you.

However, if you need a keyboard for some light playing or sample triggering, why not keep the expensive Kronos at home and bring the Carbon 49 out for the dangerous outdoor gigs that require expendable equipment? (I have seen many an expensive keyboard dragged end over end behind a golf cart after a show, or dropped or had beer spilled all over it while it was being underutilized at a gig as a mere MIDI controller).

Don’t get me wrong, the Carbon 49 — originally announced at NAMM but available May 15 — is a decently constructed keyboard controller and it comes complete with the usual on-board tools of the MIDI trade (modulation wheel, pitch wheel, data knob). Most importantly, it’s fairly portable and can use a laptop or even an iPad (not included) for both its MIDI brain and complete power supply (which makes for light travel). That’s a pretty great feature actually!

The thing about the Carbon 49 I like the best is the price point. At $89 it’s inexpensive and I think it plays pretty well for that price range!

Pros

  • Price – $89
  • Integrated iPad stand
  • Dedicated Transpose and Octave buttons, classic Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels
  • Velocity-sensitive keys
  • Shift key adjusts up to 14 performance-related control parameters
  • Features traditional MIDI out, sustain-pedal input and USB connections

Cons

  • Not trully weighted keys, which could make it hard for more serious or sensitive playing
  • 49 keys…you would have to balance portability with your playing needs
  • iPad Camera Kit connector not included

Bottom Line

I liked it. It’s inexpensive and worked right out of the box for me with both my MacBook and my iPad. It’s a decent option for playing or sample triggering.

More info at http://www.samsontech.com/

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Sprint reportedly cancelling its early upgrade program June 1st

May 16th, 2012

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Like dominoes, Sprint’s consumer-friendly policies continue to fall one at a time. Citing “high costs,” the Now Network will begin discontinuing its practice of allowing customers to upgrade their phone 10-14 days prior to the official date of eligibility. According to the memo leaked by TechnoBuffalo, the program will cease to exist as of June 1st. It sounds like this policy change is an unfortunate consequence of the company’s large investments in iPhones and its still-dormant LTE network. It may not be enough to convince many Sprint customers to jump ship, but this isn’t the first cost-cutting measure put forth by Dan Hesse’s team — and we have a hard time believing it will be the last. We’ve reached out to Sprint for official comment and will update you as soon as we have word.

Sprint reportedly cancelling its early upgrade program June 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yer A Wizard, Reader: Kickstarter Game Uses A Real “Magic” Wand

May 16th, 2012

RedRealmWand

If you’ve ever wanted to swing a magic wand around and make things happen (besides encouraging the cool kids to give you a swirly, that is), here’s your chance. A new game on Kickstarter called Incantor promises some real-live olde timey majicke fun for your iPhone.

Built by a Rhode Island company, Movable Code, the game will allow you to cast spells and plan tactics by waving your wand around. The wand is actually a motion control device with haptic feedback and you can “shape” spells in the air to cast them. You can also use the wand to lock onto targets on the screen.

The designers include Nicholas Napp and Kevin Mowrer, formerly head of R&D for Hasbro. Mowrer is also a noted designer and artist while Napp was an “external technology scout” for Sony Ericsson. They have been working on the product for over a year and it’s very close to completion.

A pledge of $100 gets you a wand and a copy of the iPhone game. They’re about $6,000 into a $100,000 funding request.

“The premise is magic made real. It’s a game you play in the real world with a smartphone, a magic wand and your friends. We are aiming to bring the gaming mechanics of an MMOG and the strategy of a trading card game into the real world,” said Napp.

Hopefully we’ll have a hands on with this thing shortly so dry your hair off and stay-tuned.

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