Marc DeAngelis
Articles by Marc DeAngelis
Roland's Zenbeats music production app is currently free
All sorts of companies have been giving away their apps for free or offering extensive free trials so that everyone stuck inside during the coronavirus pandemic can learn new skills or get inspired. Roland -- creators of iconic synthesizers and guitar effects -- is the latest to join in. The company's Zenbeats is a cross-platform digital audio workstation, allowing users to create songs on mobile, desktop, and even Chrome. The base tier has always been free, but the next step up, Zenbeats Unlock, typically costs $15 and includes more instruments, effects and presets. Roland is temporarily offering free downloads of this version to iOS and Android users.
‘Sea of Thieves’ is coming to Steam with crossplay
Microsoft's buccaneering simulator, Sea of Thieves, already has 10 million players on Xbox One and Windows 10. The company announced that the game is coming soon to Steam, adding to an already large stable of Microsoft games on Valve's platform, and allowing existing Steam users to connect more easily with friends. The game, which was developed by Rare, challenges players to complete voyages across the open seas. What makes things more interesting is the fact that crews can run into pirate ships manned by other gamers -- and attempt to plunder their booty.
‘PUBG’ April Fools’ mode features fantasy characters and loot tweaks
Most people might not be in the mood for April Fools' pranks this year, but PUBG is adding some silliness to its popular game to perk up gamers who are cooped up inside. Fantasy Battle Royale is an optional event that adds four sword-and-sorcery classes and changes up some mechanics. Gamers can choose to play as a Barbarian, Ranger, Wizard or Paladin, and can craft items on the battlefield. That means players will have to strategize around staying alive while simultaneously upgrading their starting gear. The event starts today and will run until April 7th.
Alphabet’s DeepMind AI is better than you at Atari games
Having AI agents learn how to play simple video games is an ideal way to test their effectiveness, thanks to the ability to measure success via a score. Alphabet's DeepMind designated 57 particular Atari games to serve as a litmus test for its AI, and established a benchmark for the skills of an average human player. The company's latest system, Agent57, made a huge leap over previous systems, and is the first iteration of the AI that outperforms the human baseline. In particular, Agent57 has proven its superhuman skills in Pitfall, Montezuma's Revenge, Solaris and Skiing -- games that have been major challenges for other AIs.
Endlesss is a simple, fun music collaboration app
Thanks to social distancing measures, online collaboration is more prominent than ever. But that doesn't just go for work -- it's part of having fun, too. When it comes to remotely making music with friends, there's typically a high barrier to entry. Not everyone is familiar with the workflows of digital audio workstations like Ableton Live or Apple's Logic Pro X. That's where Endlesss comes in. Billed as a "multiplayer music" app, it's aimed at users who are familiar with the basics of music production and synthesis while remaining somewhat accessible to those who aren't. Though it probably won't become a staple of bedroom producers, it could be a fun way to pass the time while cooped up at home.
Apple brings ProRes RAW support to Windows video editors
Thanks to a combination of more affordable cinema cameras and increasingly powerful software, professional video producers are able to net some impressive results. One major part of the equation for achieving high-quality footage is shooting in a RAW codec, which creates lossless files that are suitable for color correction and other enhancements. Apple's ProRes RAW codec isn't a very popular choice among shooters, but that may change now that the format isn't exclusive to Apple's computers. The company released beta software that lets Windows editors work with ProRes RAW files in Adobe's Premiere Pro, After Effects and Media Encoder. This means they won't have to devote time or computing power to transcoding the files -- they can simply load them into their editing suite and get to work.
Microsoft's Edge browser will add vertical tabs and tracking prevention
Microsoft finally did the deed and killed Internet Explorer. The company's new browser, Edge, is much more promising, and is even getting some compelling features that differentiate it from the likes of Chrome and Firefox. Today, the company announced enhancements like vertical tabs, password monitoring and tracking prevention -- as well as a mobile version of its useful Collections feature.
OnePlus will reveal its new phones on April 14th
OnePlus hasn't been able to keep a lid on its 8 series phones -- numerous details and photos have leaked over the past week. According to the spec sheets, the company has put most of its focus on the Pro model, which will feature wireless charging and an IP68 water-resistance rating -- features that have been noticeably absent from OnePlus' premium devices. We'll see if these rumors pan out on April 14th, when the company livestreams an event detailing the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. Ahead of the unveiling, OnePlus is touting its new 120Hz screens, which could be a big jump in quality compared to older 90Hz ones, as well as its commitment to 5G connectivity.
Capcom delays ‘Resident Evil Resistance’ PS4 and Steam betas
The remake of Resident Evil 3 will be out in just a few weeks, but Capcom wanted to give eager gamers the chance to play Resident Evil Resistance -- a multiplayer game that comes with Resident Evil 3 -- a bit early. The publisher had planned on opening a public beta today on Steam, PS4 and Xbox One, but only the latter has launched on time, as the company announced that technical issues have caused delays for the Steam and PS4 versions. Capcom didn't mention what exactly those problems are, or how long it expects the delay to last. Only 14 days remain until the retail launch of both titles, so hopefully the beta will be available shortly -- otherwise the sneak peek would be rather pointless.
Sony will limit PlayStation download speeds in the US
Earlier this week, both Sony and Microsoft announced that they would follow the lead of many streaming companies and limit the bandwidth of their gaming services in Europe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Today, Sony updated PlayStation fans, saying that it will take similar measures in the US. By capping download speeds, the company hopes to maintain network stability as more and more people resort to gaming to pass the time while social distancing. Sony says gamers should expect slower game downloads, but assures them that they will experience the same robust gameplay as normal. In other words, it sounds like Sony isn't planning on throttling traffic for online games -- just file downloads.
The first ‘Call of Duty: Warzone’ update aims to even the playing field
Call of Duty: Warzone is the long-running franchise's attempt to jump on the free-to-play battle royale bandwagon, and according to critics and players, it's probably worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre -- the game has over 30 million players already. There are some issues, though, and a new patch should take care of a few of them. Namely, custom loadouts will be harder to obtain, meaning players will have a more even selection of weapons -- or will have to play better to gain the advantage of using their favorite guns.
Our favorite noise-cancelling headphones are cheaper than ever
Earlier this month, Newegg discounted Sony's $350 WH-1000XM3 headphones down to $250. (Sale prices on the unit typically hover around $275.) Now, the electronics retailer is dropping the price even lower. At $238, the 1000XM3s are a great deal. Engadget gave the Bluetooth headphones an impressive score 94 thanks to their fantastic audio quality and great noise-cancelling performance, but noted that the price was a big downside. With a $112 discount, that's far less of an issue. Buy Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones on Newegg - $238
Chinese digital spying is becoming more aggressive, researchers say
FireEye, a US cybersecurity firm, says that it has seen a concerning spike in activity from what appears to be a Chinese hacking group called APT41. The attacks are being deployed against companies in the US, Canada, the UK and several other counties, which is atypical of Chinese hackers' typical strategy of focusing on a few particular targets. According to FireEye's report, the group is exploiting software flaws in applications and hardware developed by Cisco, Citrix and others to gain access to target companies' networks and download files via FTP, among other strategies. According to the firm, the attacks began on January 20th, dipped during the Chinese New Year celebrations and COVID-19 quarantine measures and are now back at full scale, affecting 75 of FireEye's customers.
Save the world from a pandemic in the next 'Plague, Inc.' update
Plague, Inc. lets you become a mad scientist. You design a pathogen and release it upon the world, trigger certain evolutionary traits and -- if all goes according to plan -- wipe out the human race. The game came out eight years ago, but the relevance of the game during real-life events like the current coronavirus pandemic and the ebola outbreak of 2013 keep bringing people back for more. To help make the game a little less morbid, Ndemic Creations will add a new mode to Plague, Inc. that lets you take on the opposite role and save the world from a global disease. The designers are working with the World Health Organization, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and other groups to create an informative experience. Though a release date hasn't been announced, the update will be free for all players.
Bigelow Aerospace laid off all of its workers
Bigelow Aerospace -- the company that created the inflatable module attached to the International Space Station -- laid off 20 employees last week. Yesterday, it laid off its 68 remaining workers. According to SpaceNews, one employee described the company's decision to halt operations and let go of its employees as the results of a "perfect storm of problems," one of which was the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesperson told SpaceNews that Bigelow Aerospace plans on re-hiring the laid-off workers, but other sources are dubious of this claim.
Mozilla combines tracker blocking with paid, ad-free browsing
Last year, Mozilla partnered with Scroll -- a subscription service that enables ad-free browsing of its partner publications -- to analyze if a select group of users preferred paying a small fee rather than being served ads, and if the strategy was cost-effective for the publications. After seeing promising results, the two companies have announced the Firefox Better Web with Scroll beta program. The name is a mouthful, but essentially, it combines Firefox's tracker-blocking technology with Scroll's ad-free experiences on any browser. Users can opt in and pay an introductory price of $2.49 for the service, which enables them to read publications like The Atlantic, The Onion and USA Today, add-free. The publications, meanwhile, receive a share of the revenue that Scroll makes from the subscription costs.
Amazon is offering free access to kid-friendly Prime Video content
With kids stuck at home amid school shutdowns, some parents are likely struggling to find things to occupy their children's minds. Amazon has confirmed to Engadget that it is stepping in by making some of the kids' shows on its Prime Video streaming service free during the coronavirus pandemic -- you just need a standard Amazon account to sign into the platform and start watching. Some examples of the free content include Amazon originals like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Pete the Cat, as well as select seasons of PBS shows like Arthur and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. According to Variety, this initiative is in effect worldwide, though the free shows may vary depending on which country you live in.
Apple Music's Beats 1 station will broadcast from hosts' homes
Office workers aren't the only ones who can work from home during the coronavirus pandemic -- radio DJs can do so, too. Show hosts on Beats 1, Apple Music's internet radio station, will be broadcasting from the safety of their homes starting today. According to Apple, they will use FaceTime on their iPhones to conduct interviews with popular musicians like Elton John and Hayley Williams. It's not clear whether or not the anchors will use iPhones to record the non-interview sections of their shows, but it would be surprising if they opted for smartphones over more professional audio equipment such as condenser microphones and preamps. However, exclusive programs from Stone Age's Josh Homme, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig and more will indeed be recorded on their iPhones.
Native Instruments' $50 retro synth plug-in is currently free
The '80s had no shortage of massive-sounding synthesizers, but many of them have either gone out to pasture or are prohibitively expensive on the secondhand market. Software companies often try to digitally recreate those synths as affordable plug-ins, though, and to keep musicians busy while they're locked inside, Native Instruments has made its Analog Dreams software -- which usually costs $50 -- free to download. That means anyone with a USB keyboard or controller can work on their Duran Duran covers or an isolation-induced synth pop opus.
Educators can temporarily give Creative Cloud access to distance learners
Students who are stuck at home due to coronavirus concerns don't have as many resources as a school could provide. For example, schools that teach graphics and video skills often have educational licenses for Adobe's Creative Cloud, which are assigned to individual computers, rather than students. In other words, students can't simply open up Photoshop from their own devices. To help educators and learners during school closures, Adobe is allowing IT admins to grant temporary at-home access to its suite of Creative Cloud apps, from now until May 31st.