Chord
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Phiaton launches new Fusion and Chord headphones for the audiophile set
Sennheiser, Klipsch, Phiaton... what is it about audio brands that don't easily roll off the tongue? It's the latter that interests us today, of course, after announcing two new sets of headphones for those who are serious about sound. The Chord MS 530 is a pair of beautifully designed Bluetooth 4.0 apt-X cans that pack active noise cancellation alongside dual microphones and 40mm titanium drivers. Rated for between 18-30 hours of battery life, the Chord will launch on October 8th for $350. If, however, that's a bit rich for your blood, then the company is also launching the Fusion MS 430, which has been cast in lightweight carbon fiber and offers a pair of tangle-free leads and 40mm drivers, and a foldable design. The Fusion will launch on October 1st for $180, and so while you wait for Autumn to set in, check out the press gallery below.
Tunable app shows musicians what pitch-perfect means as they play (video)
Musicians who've had some degree of practice will know the lack of sophistication involved in getting an instrument in tune and on time: a light-up tuning box and a swinging metronome may be their only real resources. Affinity Blue knows that mobile apps allow better, and recently unveiled Tunable as a one-stop shop for more exacting performers. The Android and iOS release provides a live graph that shows where the sweet spot is for pitch, and how closely the music has followed along for the past few seconds -- a boon for brass players, vocalists and others who need to sustain a note for more than a moment. There's also a simple tone generator and a customizable metronome that's easily seen from a distance. While it's $1 to try Tunable, that might be a pittance for anyone who'd rather spend time mastering a riff than rehashing the basics.
Ice Cream Sandwich leak outs Music 4.0.1 for download, previews Google+ 2.0
A funny thing happened to the folks at Android Police, the same group responsible for leaking some of the first screenshots of Ice Cream Sandwich. They've since come across a few apps from Google's upcoming release -- purportedly straight from a Nexus Prime. The first is Google Music 4.0.1 -- a marked upgrade from the current 3.0.1 found in the Market today -- which sports refined tabs, a contextual dialog and new player controls. For reference, the latest version is shown on the right, which is most likely installed onto a Gingerbread device. Best yet, the APK is currently up for download (which you're able to grab for yourself from the source). There's also a sneak peek of the upcoming Google+ 2.0, which suggests Messenger (formerly Huddle) and Conversations will be renamed to... get this... Chords. Feel free to take a peek after the break, or check out the full gallery at the second source link below.
Chord Electronics builds a Google boombox you can't buy, but wish you could
Do you find yourself uninspired by the staid and predictable aesthetics of today's boomboxes? Well, if you dig the red, yellow, green, and blue look, the folks at Chord Electronics have delivered a Google-fied custom portable stereo. Chord pimped out its Chordette Carry -- which has Bluetooth connectivity, USB, optical and digital coax inputs, a four input preamp, and a 40W amp -- with a Google-approved-and-ordered paint job. We don't know if the Mountain View version has the exact same innards as the standard Carry or what exactly El Goog plans to do with this little sonic gem, but we do know that it isn't going on sale to the public. Too bad, that Google branding would have given us mad cred on the streets, yo.
Capo 2 detects chords and tabs in your favorite songs
We reported on the original version of Capo a while back, and now the folks at SuperMegaUltraGroovy have released version 2 over on their website. The biggest feature in the new release is "a highly detailed spectrogram visualization," which basically means that they've implemented what the first app couldn't do; there's actual chord detection in the software. As you play the song, you can see visualizations of where the notes fall on the scale, and you can lay down chord markers that will automatically mark out your chords. Basically, you can reverse engineer the song. It's pretty wild. You'll still need some musical insight since the app doesn't always get it perfectly right, and you'll need to know where the chord changes are in order to mark them out. It's impressive, though. I was able to get a basic chord structure out of the first verse of the Decemberists song above, and if I played around with it some more, I bet that I could reproduce the song on the guitar. You can also have it write out tabs for you, and all of the features of the first version are back; you can mark out choruses and verses on all of your songs, correct pitch and speed, and set up loops to play along with. If you do any amount of playing around with your favorite songs, it's a fun tool to have. Capo 2 is US $49 as a new purchase or US $19 as an upgrade from the first version. It's also available as a free five minute trial download from the site.
Engelbart's chorded keyboard reborn as stunning red jellyfish
In December 1968, Douglas C. Engelbart introduced the world to two brand-new computer peripherals of his own invention.The first was his invention, the computer mouse -- which, as you're well aware, revolutionized user input two decades later. The second, the chorded keyboard, still has yet to take off outside the Braille community. But after forty years, Doug Engelbart hasn't given up on the latter device; he recently commissioned an industrial designer, Erik Campbell, to modernize the antiquated keyset into this lovely jellyfish-inspired, five-fingered keyboard replacement. Made of silicon rubber and recycled plastics, the concept peripheral uses pressure-sensitive pads at each fingertip to detect key-presses, turns combinations of presses (the "chords") into letters and words, and sends them over wireless USB to the host computer. Sure, chorded computing isn't for everyone (else we'd all be sporting iFrogs and typing gloves), but if this concept ever comes to fruition, we just might be tempted to learn. Update: Though Doug Engelbart brought us the computer mouse, he did not invent the chorded keyboard, merely demonstrated it at the same 1968 event. Thanks, MAS! [Thanks, Semfifty]
Guitar Sim for the DS
The DS is a veritable gateway to the professional world. Why, we've gained access to respected career choices such as a litigation, the culinary arts, and even high-stakes surgery. But why stop there? No, for the more romantic of us, a new application from Japan is allowing us yet one more: a guitar player.No, this isn't quite Guitar Hero for your DS. Instead, the game uses the touch screen to actually allow a player to "freestyle" notes, chords, and tunes, making their own creations as opposed to playing those pre-made. The stylus is used to pick the on-screen strings, and the d-pad allows for tonal switching. It will obviously require a passable knowledge of music, and though the chances are slim of it ever coming to the U.S., it's certainly worth a moment of your time to watch the demo video after the jump. Come on. Mom and Dad would never let you be in a band, but the dream never dies.
