SXSW2017
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Logitech's CEO says you can innovate and be humble
Logitech is a rare technology company. It's been around for 35 years, all the while finding different ways to thrive as an independent accessory maker. But despite being a well-known brand, it's never been considered "hip" like Apple or Beats. Instead of betting big on showy new products, Logitech has always focused on finding successful niches in which it can build a small-but-loyal following. And according to the company's CEO, Bracken Darrell, he wouldn't have it any other way. At SXSW last week, I sat down with Darrell to chat about the road ahead for Logitech.
SXSW's gaming awards celebrate 'Uncharted 4' and indie hits
South by Southwest isn't just about cool tech, movies and music... gaming is a big deal, too. The Austin festival has unveiled its fourth annual gaming award winners, and the top picks definitely reflect SXSW's emphases on storytelling and out-of-the-ordinary concepts. The leader, by far, was Uncharted 4. Naughty Dog's swashbuckling action game took home five prizes, including video game of the year as well as excellence awards for a memorable character, narrative, animation and visuals. It's not surprising, to be honest -- U4 has been an awards darling for months, and its combination of sophisticated characterization with breathtaking vistas was bound to be appealing to SXSW's panel.
Ethan Hawke shot most of his forthcoming biopic with DJI gear
Ethan Hawke's forthcoming biopic, Blaze, sees the actor make the move from center stage to the director's chair. The movie tells the story of the late country and western artist Blaze Foley, and is being filmed in almost entirely with DJI products. That doesn't mean most of the movie is filmed from the air, though. DJI drones are part of the production, but the company's non-flying camera gear, including the Osmo RAW and the Ronin DSLR stabilizer, were used extensively throughout the production. DJI was at SXSW in Austin to talk about its involvement in the film -- all part of its DJI Creative Studio initiative.
The week that was at SXSW 2017
As much as Team Engadget loves Austin, it's time for us to say goodbye to SXSW. This week, we saw some of the latest things happening in tech, art, film and music -- oh, and we also ate a ridiculous amount of BBQ, because that's what you do in Texas. From smart jackets to AR and VR experiences, to chats with Buzz Aldrin, Frank Oz and La La Land's music composer, we checked out a bit of everything at the event. Join Senior Editor Devindra Hardwar and Managing Editor James Trew as they discuss the week that was, and click here to catch up on all the news you may have missed from SXSW 2017.
The Shins made a collage app for band flyers
It's been thirteen years since Garden State propelled The Shins to mainstream success. In that time, the band's lineup has changed entirely, save for James Mercer, its founder and ever-present frontman. Now, Mercer is hoping to use his band's profile to propel another venture into the mainstream. At SXSW 2017, Mercer was in town to promote both his band's new album, Heartworms, and "Pasted," a collage application for iPhone and Android. At a random house in East Austin, Mercer played a short set of Shins songs new and old, and also gave demos of his new app. In an interview with Engadget, he explained why he believes Pasted is a necessary addition to your phone. He'd been searching for an app that could create collages; something that could recreate the "hand-made" look of the flyers he'd created when The Shins first formed in the '90s. "There are a lot of really amazing AI-based apps," he said. "Prisma is fantastic, but the problem is that, if you're somebody that has an artistic bent, you want to be able to hack it and find your thing."
The Engadget Podcast Ep 32: North and South of the River
Senior editors Devindra Hardawar and Nathan Ingraham were among the Engadget team in Austin for SXSW 2017 this week. They sit down to talk about what they've seen, from movies to VR experiences to former Vice President Joe Biden. They also discuss how covering SXSW differs from the other big events Engadget typically covers and decide whether or not the show is losing its cool. Also, BBQ. Lots and lots of BBQ.
Party Bot decides who's on the guest list, what music to play
While most people in the tech business only roll into Austin once a year for SXSW, a handful of companies choose to call the city home. Fjord (formerly known as Chaotic Moon) is one of them. So, when the festival sets up around them, it uses the week as an opportunity to show of some of its proof-of-concept (and usually fun) ideas.
Buzz Aldrin turns to VR to explain how we can get to Mars
Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut and the second person to set foot on the moon, may be 87, but he's keeping his mind focused on the next space frontier. For decades now, he's thought about how to get astronauts to Mars, becoming more vocal about his plans in recent years. He's also a fan of virtual reality as a medium to communicate his vision: He partnered with NASA to build a Mars Hololens experience last year, and now he's hosting a 10-minute VR experience that walks you through his vision of how to get to Mars.
Intel wants to be a tech 'enabler' for the fashion industry
The line between technology and fashion is blurring. Brands and designers are now using electronics to make cutting-edge wearables and experiences, while companies like Amazon are trying to break into a space that hasn't until now been very welcoming of outsiders. Intel is another tech company that's set its sights on the fashion world, with various smart garments and accessories, including dresses, glasses and bracelets. In an interview at SXSW, Intel Vice President Sandra Lopez said her team's mission is to be an enabler first and foremost rather than trying to become a fashion brand unto itself.
Elektron's Analog Heat upgrades your synth and drum machine
The proliferation of digital modeling of analog synths has lowered the barrier for cash-strapped, would-be musicians hoping to become the next big synth group like S U R V I V E (the band responsible for the Stranger Things theme). Cheaper synths and drum machines are great, but because they don't decay like analog instruments, they also lend themselves to everyone sounding the same. For anyone looking to add more warmth and variety to her sound, Elektron recently started shipping the Analog Heat sound processor.
Ron Howard on his Einstein show and digital filmmaking
Genius isn't your typical Albert Einstein biopic. It starts with a brutal assassination and immediately jumps to the renowned physicist in flagrante with one of his assistants. The series is director Ron Howard's second offering for National Geographic, following Mars. And notably, Genius is the first of Howard's scripted TV shows that he's directing, after serving as a producer for countless series like Parenthood, Arrested Development (where he played the iconic narrator) and Felicity.
This 8K 'VR' ride is the craziest thing I saw at SXSW
When I heard that several Japanese companies were getting together to show off an 8K VR ride at SXSW, I was instantly excited. I've spent a lot of time writing about 4K video but haven't had much time with 8K setups, let alone one in VR. After getting to the show though, I learned it isn't really a VR experience -- it just takes place on a giant screen that fills up everything you can see. I quickly got over that slight disappointment after seeing the crazy rig powering the ride, which looks like something straight out of Disney World. As far as weird SXSW experiences go, this one takes the cake.
Moogfest celebrates music and the machines that make it
The synth-heavy Moogfest at SXSW (the main event is in May) is scheduled during the overlap of the festival's Interactive and Music tracks. That makes sense, because it's the perfect combination of music and technology. The pulsing tones of a synthesizer are born of musicians hunched over circuit boards and schematics, soldering and cutting, trying to get a sound that's just right. At the Austin club Cheer Up Charlies, Moogfest (rhymes with vogue) booked not only some amazing bands but also some folks who have taken their love of sine waves and created a business.
Frank Oz on Muppets, puppets and CG Yoda
Frank Oz needs no introduction. He's voiced iconic characters like Yoda and Miss Piggy and directed classic films like Little Shop of Horrors and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. His impact extends far beyond geek circles; he's a creative legend in Hollywood. I had a chance to chat with Oz at SXSW this week about his upcoming documentary, Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched.
How one artist is reinventing the music album with VR
Nick Koenig is no stranger to musical innovation. The artist, better known as Hot Sugar, has been dabbling in the art of associative music since his teens. As he describes it, the technique involves taking found sounds and "manipulating them into more." Basically, he can turn just about anything into music. Now with The Melody of Dust, a new project coproduced with Viacom NEXT and premiering at SXSW this week, he's taking that concept into virtual reality. We've seen music videos and other experiences in VR -- most famously from Bjork, one of the most tech-savvy artists working today. But this is notable for being the primary method of hearing an album, instead of a separate VR project. And no, it's not as easy as just hitting "play."
Kesha's internet advice: Don't read the comments
Online bullying is a problem for many of us who use the internet, but it's an especially pressing issue for young people. It's a subject pop star Kesha understands well, having been bullied herself and working as an anti-bullying advocate. Here at SXSW Interactive, the musician sat down for a talk about reclaiming the internet, where she delved into her own issues with social networks (and also, unrelatedly, her love of animals).
'Fistful of Stars' lets you experience a stellar birth in VR
There may be no better way to show off the possibilities of virtual reality than by exploring the cosmos. We've already seen some early space experiences, like Adr1ft, but you can expect artists to keep experimenting as the VR ecosystem matures. Fistful of Stars, which debuts this week at SXSW, is an ambitious attempt at pushing VR space experiences forward. It launches you into the heart of the Orion Nebula, where you see a star being born up close. It's the sort of thing space nerds have always dreamed of, but it's also intriguing enough for anyone to enjoy (and hopefully learn a thing or two).
Sony's Motion Sonic wristband makes sound with a wave of your arm
Sony's wild Wow Factory at SXSW uses the company's technology for a host of oddball immersive experiences. One of those, the Motion Sonic Project, was quite a bit less ambitious than putting four perspectives into one VR headset or strapping players into full-body video gaming experiences. But nonetheless, it was fun, and it's pretty easy to imagine how the technology could be used once it graduates from the prototype phase.
'La La Land' composer on electronica's key role in the film
Damien Chazelle's La La Land might not have won that Oscar, but it did scoop up the one for Best Original Music Score. The man behind that score is Justin Hurwitz. Anyone who has seen the film will know that the soundtrack is largely divided between vintage Hollywood music and classic jazz -- the style favored by tortured musician Seb (Ryan Gosling). But for all of its antiquity, one of the biggest conflicts of the movie is Seb's struggle with pop success after joining his friend Keith (John Legend) in a band that fuses jazz flavors with modern electronic music. Hurwitz's challenge, then, was not only to score the movie but also to create a musical backdrop to Seb's journey of self-discovery, a journey that ultimately proves to be a crucial fork in the movie's twisting story.
V-Moda's Remix speaker can be customized with 3D-printed parts
V-Moda has been experimenting with 3D printing since 2015, when it started letting customers personalize their XS and Crossfade M-100 headphones with 3D-printed shields. Just in time to kick off the music section of SXSW, the company is now taking this a step further by introducing the Remix, a Bluetooth speaker that's customizable using 3D-printed parts made from different materials. They're sold separately and allow you to modify the speaker's housing, grille and sides, with prices ranging from $40 (fiber) to an insane $370,000 for a platinum version.
