MiKey
Latest
Crowdfunding Roundup: MiKey, SandPiper, Vaavud, and more
Every week, TUAW provides readers with an update on new or significant crowdfunded Apple-related projects in the news. While our policy is to not go into detail on items that haven't reached at least 80 percent of their funding goal, this update is designed to give readers a heads-up on projects they might find interesting enough to back. We're back this week with a pile of Indiegogo and Kickstarter campaigns for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to vote with your wallets, as some of these campaigns could use a boost. Let's get started with the Indiegogo projects: MiKey is already past its goal -- 180 percent funded with 10 days to go -- but that shouldn't stop you from jumping on the bandwagon. Think of the ultimate pocket tool with a USB to Lightning/micro-USB cable, flash drive, a Bluetooth locater, and a small battery pack built in, and you've got MiKey. Seriously, if I was going to be stranded on a desert island somewhere, I think I'd want to be stuck there with an iPad, a satellite phone with data capabilities, solar panels, a supermodel, an unlimited supply of food and booze, and a MiKey. This thing rocks! The SandPiper is an Indiegogo project that doesn't have a lot of the draw that simple projects do, but it has the capability of being something that could benefit a lot of people with respiratory ailments. It's a smartphone-enabled spirometer, something that can be used to train the lungs by measuring lung performance. it's a little slow starting -- only at one percent of funding with 44 days to go -- but hopefully it will catch on, or perhaps an investor will jump on the project. Our third project of the week from Indiegogo is Statement WKW, which bills itself as an "Extreme Charge and Data Cable for iPhone, iPod and iPad". Extreme? What, does this mean that you can use one a Statement WKW to rappel down a cliff? Apparently the "extreme" tag line got the attention of many backers, as it's 555 percent funded with 39 days to go. And now on to some Kickstarter projects. First up is Frebble, a haptic device designed to let you hold hands online. Yes, you read that correctly -- you and another person can be on a FaceTime chat, and give each other's hands a gentle squeeze. It's about a quarter of the way through funding with about three weeks to go, so this idea may or may not make it. You decide! Saddled with hundreds of passwords and can't remember them all? The idea behind Injector is to have a dongle that's inserted into your PC or Mac (or "tablet with USB port") that receives login credentials from an app on your iPhone. It's only 11.4 percent funded as of today, with two weeks to go. Personally, I don't want to keep track of a dongle and have to hope that my iPhone is charged up to be able to log in. I'll keep using 1Password, thank you. Art fans are going to either love or hate this project. The Electric Objects EO-1 is a computer made for art that hangs on your wall. Think of it as a large, high-definition version of those cheesy little internet picture frames that used to be so popular. Apparently there are a lot of people who want art by unknown artists hanging on their walls, because this campaign is 1181 percent funded with 27 days to go. Me? I prefer one-of-a-kind original art works, not mass-produced images that are being viewed by thousands of EO-1 owners. This next project is pretty cool; a robotic stabilizer platform for your iPhone or a GoPro camera that's called Hando. Think of it as a way to get very smooth, professional looking video from your device, as if you're using a Steadicam™ with a full-sized video camera. About 20 percent funded with a month to go, Hando could be just the thing for iPhone movie makers. I was going to put in a short blurb about Drop, an iPad-connected kitchen scale and digital baking assistant, but their website is down today. Your luck may be better, but right now I can't show you a video or give you any other information. Sigh. Finally, do you remember Vaavud, which was an iPhone-attached anemometer? I reviewed it last August and was very impressed. Well, the same geniuses are back at work, this time with a Kickstarter to get a new device that measures not only wind velocity, but direction as well. The Vaavud V2.0 campaign is almost 28 percent funded with 39 days to go, so I think it's going to be a winner. I can't wait to review it! And that, my friends, is the crowdfunding roundup for the week. Next week we'll be back with another crop of new projects, some of which will be incredibly exciting and others that will be yawn-inducing. Thanks to Hal Sherman for keeping me up to date on the flow of Indiegogo and Kickstarter projects, and if you're aware of any other crowdfunded Apple-related projects, be sure to let us know about them through the Tip Us button at the upper right of the TUAW home page for future listing on the site.
Blue brings the Mikey Digital and Spark Digital to Macworld | iWorld 2012
Blue Microphones are a favorite of ours around here at TUAW. We've used Blue's mics to record countless streams and podcasts, and most of our staffers have bought one or more with their own cash before. So it was nice to see them again at Macworld | iWorld 2012 in San Francisco this week, where PR Manager Hillary Money kindly showed us two new models due out later on this year. The first is the Mikey Digital, which is an update to Blue's Mikey, the company's original mic built to plug in directly to the iPod touch's 30-pin connector. This model is for the iPhone. Apple slightly changed the protocol between the two devices when the Mikey was first introduced, so this version is designed to work specifically with the phone hardware rather than just the iPod. But that tweak isn't the only difference -- there's also a three-setting switch between low, medium, or high gain (and the switch is hooked up to three LEDs that will provide some indication of where you're setting it, which is definitely a helpful improvement). And the middle LED will flash as well when the mic gets distorted, so even if you're not listening during recording, you can see when things are too loud. The other big update is that the 1/4" input on the outside of the mic now will also accept both line and instrument inputs, so you'll be able to just plug your electric guitar right into the mic, which is a nice bonus if you don't already have a solution for that. The Mikey Digital will retail for $99, and should be out later this spring. The Spark Digital is a new mic that's designed specifically for the iPad. It's a version of one of the company's most popular studio mics that instead plugs directly into the iPad's dock connector, allowing you to record straight onto Garageband for iPad, or any other audio recording app (more on that in a second). The Spark also comes with a USB adapter, so you can also use it as a standard PC or Mac mic as well. It also has a gain control and a port for monitoring the audio off of a splitter, and there's a button called "Focus Control" that will change the mic's pickup two different ways, for closeup sound or wider recording. The Spark is suspended by a cord inside a stand, which helps prevent vibrations from reaching the mic's sensitive equipment. We didn't get a chance to hear the output of either microphone, but Blue's microphones are always quality -- especially for the price they're available at, these mics are some of the best value for the money. The Spark will be available this spring as well for $199, and that includes all of the cables, as well as a six-month subscription to both Soundcloud and Gobbler, for storing and sharing audio. Finally, we asked about Blue's iPhone app, Blue FiRe, and if it would ever arrive natively on the iPad. Money told us that while the app itself is still being supported by its developers, Blue's deal with them has ended, so it's no longer funding development on that app. Blue is apparently looking into possibly making a brand new official app, but Money says the result will probably be a long way off. "It's on our radar," she promised. In the meantime, these mics still work with any app that will record audio, including Apple's own Garageband, so there are still plenty of uses for Blue's products. Always good to see Blue and what they're putting out. We'll look forward to getting our hands on these later on this year.
TUAW's Holiday Gift Guide: Music gear for the Mac musician
Welcome to the TUAW Holiday Gift Guide! We've sorted the treasure from the junk and are serving up suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving a little easier. Choosing the right gift for an Apple-loving musician can be very tricky. Usually, they've got everything they want already because they can't wait for the latest and greatest -- they just get it for themselves as soon as they can. Or they are so overwhelmed by the choices presented to them that they can't make a decision and therefore obsess about it for months on end. To say the least, it can be very difficult to give the Apple-loving musician the right gift. Ironically, to top it all off, the gift-giver is usually not a musician, nor do they understand the gear and tech that most commonly goes with being a musician. For instance, when I start talking about music tech to a fellow musician in the presence of my wife, she looks at us as if we're speaking an alien language, and try as she might, she can't help but get extremely bored very quickly. So, to help you (the musician / beloved gift-giver) make the right decision, we've gone to the trouble of putting together a list of some of our favorite music apps and pieces of music tech from the last year. You'll definitely find something here that an Apple-loving musician is sure to be pleased with this holiday season.
Blue's Mikey microphone for iPhone and iPod finally shipping to picky recorders
If you need a little better acoustic recording from your iPhone or iPod, or if your portable device is simply fitting a little too easy into your pants pocket, Blue Microphones has your solution. Its Mikey microphone is finally shipping, after getting a debut nearly a year ago. The specs are still the same as we expected before, including CD-quality recording in stereo or mono with a swiveling base that lets it cover 230 degrees of your own little sound field. One thing that has changed, and quite nicely, is the cost: down to $80 from the previously expected $99 MSRP. Everybody likes that.
Blue announces Mikey for Flip condenser mic
Get ready for a wave of Designed for Flip accessories that take advantage of Flip Ultra HD's new FlipPort expansion port, people. First out of the gate is the Blue Mikey, which we'd heard about from Cisco already -- it's a condenser mic that plugs into the bottom of the Ultra and provides better audio, with automatic sensitivity, a mic-in jack, and a tripod mount. It's powered by an AAA battery, which is sort of lame -- we'd love to see something like this with a battery built-in that can charge the camera as well. Oh well, we can dream. The Mikey will run $69, but we don't know when it'll hit apart from a "debut" at CES 2011, which could mean almost anytime in the next year. PR after the break.
One Shots: Two-for-one
It's becoming a fairly regular thing to hear from readers who take part in Massively Mob MMO group nights. We had a few readers who sent in screenshots this week, but rather than give you static shots of Guild Wars characters as with the last two weeks, this time we're going to show off a lovely image of fireworks captured by Mikey (aka Ocholivis). We also got a report back from Blah, as well. Thus, we're going to mix it up and use the lovely Guild Wars screenshot from Mikey with Blah's description of the evening's shenanigans -- a two-for-one treat! "This time around we were up and ready to move on from the pre-searing area. Rubi reminded us that Simon and Garfunkel would forever be associated with cleavage. "Eyes up here, mister!" was her response to one of the guild members checking her out. We had a special surprise in realizing that one of our members in the vent server, Dusty, was actually Vork from The Guild (not really, but we're pretty much running with that anyway). So the guild finally moved on to post, and were greeted by members of TTYN. They handed out plenty of free weapons, materials, cash, and seasonal potions to anyone willing to take them. They insisted it was just to clear out their storage, but it was obviously their good nature. Oh, also, we have a cape now. It looks like a hamburger, but it's not..." Are you part of the Massively Mob? If you'd like to give us your perspective on the events of the evening, then why not grab a screenshot and send it in. All you have to do is email your image to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and your tale of shenanigans. It could wind up on One Shots! %Gallery-85937%
Second-generation Blue Microphones Mikey announced, uses free app
The audio wizards at Blue Microphones have wowed Mac and iPod fans with their Snowball, Snowflake, and Mikey microphones. Now, just before the start of CES 2010, Blue has announced the US$99.99 second generation Mikey Portable Recorder for iPod and iPhone. While the new Mikey hasn't yet achieved iPhone certification, it promises to be a powerful professional recording solution for iPhone owners when it arrives in the spring. Mikey still features two Blue mic capsules for pro-quality stereo recording, but now has improved acoustic circuitry for better recordings of loud events such as concerts. The new Mikey also has a 3.5mm line input for those times that you want to plug in a sound source like a guitar or mixer. There's also a USB pass-through connection for charging and syncing. A newly designed case makes Mikey usable with most iPhone cases, and the mic can be adjusted to seven fixed positions within a 230-degree range for optimum positioning. But wait, there's more! Blue is also throwing in a soft carrying pouch for Mikey, along with a headphone extension cable for playback monitoring with the iPod touch and nano. Blue has also put a high-fidelity field recording app for iPhone and iPod touch into the App Store. Blue FiRe [Free, iTunes Link] has been out for a few months and is optimized for the second generation Mikey. The combination of the high-quality mic and free software produces a complete mobile recording experience. Expect to see the new Mikey at Apple Stores, Guitar Center, and Amazon.com this spring. [via Engadget]
Blue's new Mikey iPod / iPhone microphone still rocks the retro
Blue Microphones' original Mikey made the quite the impression when it landed back in late 2008, and while a good bit of time has passed, the new and improved version doesn't stray from its roots. Debuting here at CES, the second-generation Mikey Portable Recorder for iPod and iPhone touts "improved circuitry for superior recording and enhanced new features," which happens to include a pair of custom-tuned Blue capsules and an optimization for recording high-volume concerts. There's also a 3.5mm line-input here for direct recording of other sources, and the USB pass-through connections enables simultaneous charging and syncing. You'll get a 230-degree range of adjustability with seven detent positions, and it's bundled with a delightful carrying case to keep it safe from harm as you shuffle through the masses. Interested? Check it later this Spring for $99.99 at Apple Stores, Guitar Center, Amazon.com and your local nondescript white van. %Gallery-81538%
Blue's Eyeball webcam and Mikey iPod mic are made for digital crooners
We're digging this classic recording studio look, which is a throwback to Blue's history with stylized Hi-Fi microphones. These guys started to build a bridge between their old stomping grounds and the new-to-them frontier of consumer electronics with the Snowball microphone and that Icicle USB XLR adapter we saw today, and now they've introduced the Eyeball ($99.99), a Super HD webcam that retracts its lens for privacy, and the Mikey iPod mic ($79.99) with a built-in speaker, three gain settings, and a positionable head. Mikey doesn't play nice with the iPod Touch, but it works with all the other models 4G and up, as well as the 2 and 3G Nanos. Features on both are mostly the standard set, but Blue's obviously putting an emphasis on audio quality, and we'll give extra points for style.
