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Beamz by Flo is the perfect gift for those that can't play an instrument
If you're looking for a gift for the music lover, I highly recommend you check out Beamz by Flo, an interactive laser-based bit of kit that allows you to make music by waving your fingers through one of four laser beams. No, that's not a joke. And as ridiculous as it sounds, Beamz by Flo is crazy fun. It's also the perfect gift for those who want to make music, but don't know how to play an instrument. The Beamz itself is a stationary music station about the width of two 13-inch MacBook Airs. Two pylons are stationed at either end and they both shoot two beams of lasers to a pylon in the middle. When the user runs his fingers or hands through the lasers, a sound is made. The Beamz system plugs into your Mac via USB and works with the Beams OS X software, which allows you to use your Beamz system with 29 interactive songs from Flo Rida, Adele, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Pink, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood and more. As the songs play, the user waves his hands through the Beamz's lasers, which trigger sound effects and instruments that accompany the backup track. I played around with the Beamz for a day and though there is no way I would allow anyone to record video of me using it, I had to admit it was really fun. As someone who can't play a musical instrument, Beamz held an attraction for me -- even if that attraction was only something akin to amazement that my air guitar could produce a sound. Beamz by Flo is in no way a gift for someone who is actually into music (by that I mean: "can play an instrument"), but I can see this being a huge hit with younger kids and teens who want a laugh. At the end of the day, it's a lot of fun. Beamz by Flo is on sale now for US$200.00. There's also a companion app that costs $12.99 and lets you use Beamz with your iPad or iPhone, as well as offering additional tracks and features.
Beamz teams up with Virtual DJ on interactive music system, we go lasers-on (video)
Beamz has been firing lasers in the name of gesture-based performance for a few years. Today, it's announced it's working with popular music-mixing software Virtual DJ to provide tighter integration between the device and the program. The controller is the same four-beamed multi-button affair we've seen before, but now with a custom version of the aforementioned DJ application to call its own, and make the set-up a cinch. On screen you'll see two representations of the Beamz controller (instead of decks) with instant visual feedback to let you know which beam is mapped to what. You can configure four different triggers at one time, controlling cue points, looping and so on. To add functionality, you can then use the large buttons at the base of the device to rotate through different mappings. The emphasis, of course, is on performance here with nary a rotary nor fader in sight (we imagine you'd be using your other controller for that, right?). The software and hardware combo are being bundled together as a deal, and if you want in, you can do so right away for $200. Not sure if it'll fit in your workflow? Perhaps head past the break, and see if that video doesn't change your mind.
Beamz laser instrument gets upgraded to please hardcore laser rockers and gamers alike
The demonstration of four-player Rock Band Mobile at Samsung's CES 2011 press conference was pretty slick, but to the folks at Beamz, that kind of music gaming is still so amateur compared to its laser switch-activated jam sessions. That's because they've redesigned their original product to be more living room-friendly thanks to a black paint job and a slimmer profile. They've also tried to appeal more to the gaming set by expanding the Beamz song library beyond the original 80 developed by independent artists to include "top hit jams" - aka cover versions of top 40 tracks -- and 35 licensed "video songs" from Disney and EMI. So if you'd like to laser thump the bass to Blondie's Heart of Glass music video, you can. Additionally, the Beamz software has been upgraded to support up to three laser instruments on the same track and recording for a real band experience -- though it still only runs on PCs. For $200, we don't expect these to fly off shelves, but for those who've mastered the whammy bar, it's at least another way to get your faux music-making fix. %Gallery-113166%
Beamz laser instrument allows even the tone deaf to rock out for $199
Truth be told, we weren't sure what to make of this laser harp-looking contraption when we saw it across the room at the International Toy Fair. Eloquently dubbed the Beamz Interactive Music System, it has six laser beam "strings" that when struck by a hand or finger produces one of 100 instrumental sounds. Here's the catch, though: the standing instrument must be connected to your PC via USB so that it can use its speakers. We think it's sort of a bummer that you have to be attached to your computer to rock, but the PC software (we're told Mac is on the way) lets you easily assign an instrument to the laser strings and also includes a variety of popular songs to jam along with. Though it's been around since 2008, Beamz seems to have wised up and lowered the original $600 pricetag to $199. We realize we could continue to describe this digital instrument in length, but we'd rather you just watch us "play it" and royally embarrass ourselves after the break.
