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Lyft's dashboard display helps drivers with hearing impairments
Accessibility isn't just for those with a disability; inclusion benefits all of us. Adding a visual notification to an auditory one hurts nobody, and it allows people with a hearing impairment to participate in normal activities -- like driving for a ride-sharing company. Luckily, Lyft has just added two little tweaks to its system to empower drivers with a hearing impairment.
Google gives devs a way to prove they can build fast mobile sites
Google hasn't been shy about promoting its vision of faster mobile web browsing. The company's Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project is focused entirely on developing "light-weight" mobile sites that load more quickly on phones and tablets. Now, it's giving developers a way to show off their efficient design skills with the Google Mobile Sites certification. After reading up on the company's design guidelines and passing an exam, devs will snag a certification on their Google Partners profile.
Google makes it easier to share its speedier mobile web links
Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages are great for speeding up the web on your phone, but not so much if you want to share links with friends. Frequently, the only hint at the original link is a brief mention at the top -- share the page you're looking at and you'll give people Google's AMP cache, not the actual site. You won't have to wonder where the original link went for much longer, though. Google is fulfilling a promise by adding a simple way to share the source for an AMP story. When you're looking at an article you tapped in search results, the AMP header bar will have an anchor button that shows the original link. You can even hold down that button to trigger your browser's native sharing feature when available.
Fender's guitar apps will sync wirelessly with its new amp
Fender revealed its plans for a suite of guitar apps back in August, but some of the software will also pair with one of the company's upcoming amps. According to Bloomberg, Fender has a new guitar amplifier in the works for 2017 that will connect to its apps wirelessly via Bluetooth. So far, the company's digital initiative has only released the Tune iOS app, but there are more options coming soon.
Lyft's Amp dashboard light signals your ride's arrival
Unlike stealing someone's cab, jumping into the wrong Lyft or Uber isn't a jerk move, it's usually just an embarrassing mistake for whoever does it. With that in mind, Lyft wants to make getting into the ride you hailed easier with a branded dashboard light called Amp. The device looks like a Bluetooth speaker along the lines of a Beats Pill: oblong and cylindrical, sitting on a base to keep it from sliding around a driver's dashboard. But instead of playing music, the gizmo's road-facing face will light up in one of six colors (teal, orange, silver, yellow or purple) while the rear can display blocky, personalized messages.
Google's mobile search results now show fast-loading sites
Chug a Mountain Dew, turn that thrash metal up to 11 and grab your smartphone, because it's time to get AMP'd. Cringeworthy play on words aside, you'll now find Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) across the entirety of Google's search results. Previously, only articles in the Top Stories section of search results were graced with the AMP lighting tag, but as promised last month, there are now many, many more of these fast-loading sites around.
Google's speeding up mobile web search results for all sites
The time you spend waiting for mobile search results to load is about to drop drastically. Google announced on Tuesday that it is expanding the scope of its Accelerated Mobile Pages program to include non-publishing websites.
USB-C and Lightning headphones aren't great news for everyone
The 3.5mm port is dying -- at least when it comes to smartphones. If the persistent Lightning headphone rumor wasn't enough to persuade you, the fact that Motorola beat Apple to the punch should be. Motorola's new Moto Z and Moto Z Force don't have that familiar circular hole for your cans to plug into, and it now seems inevitable that almost every phone within a few years will forgo the port in favor of a single socket for both charging and using headphones. This is a change that few people actually want. It's driven entirely by the makers of our phones and their desire to ditch what they view as an unnecessary port.
Denon outfits Heos speakers with Bluetooth and high-res audio
Denon debuted its Heos line of speakers nearly two years ago, a set of audio gear that looked to rival multi-room setups like Sonos and others. Now Denon is giving the speakers a bit of a boost by adding some new features. The new Heos lineup sports the same model names and exterior design as Series 1 that arrived back in 2014. However, what has changed is the addition of high-res audio and Bluetooth connectivity.
Pandora will let bands insert voice messages into your music stream
Social media has increasingly broken down the walls between musicians and their fans, allowing bands to have more direct conversations with the people listening to their music. The "artist marketing platform" (AMP) that Pandora launched a few years ago was meant to be part of that move, helping to enable that connection between musicians and fans. In an effort to foster that connection, Pandora is launching AMPcast, a new feature in Pandora's existing artist management app that lets musicians record messages to fans on-the-go and insert them right into a user's audio stream.
WordPress blogs will soon support Facebook's Instant Articles
If you turn to Facebook for your daily news update, you may have come across Instant Articles. A small number of publishers are able to serve up news articles quickly for mobile devices right now, but from April 12th, the technology will be open to anyone --- including bloggers. In a bid to get communities on board, Facebook has teamed up with Automattic, the company behind the popular publishing software WordPress, to make it easy for writers all over the world to serve pages up to 10 times faster than they could before.
Google brings fast-loading articles to your phone
If you perform a Google search on a mobile device today, you might notice some pages are a little snappier than they used to be. That's because the search giant today switched on its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project, allowing you to load news stories and other web pages up to four times faster than before.
Google's fast mobile pages coming (with ads) in early 2016
Google revealed the "AMP" endeavor last month to accelerate mobile page-loading times, the slowness of which is a huge user bone of contention. It now says the fast-loading mobile pages will hit search results by early next year, and also gave more details about the project's raison d'etre: ads. The list of partners supporting the effort include its own AdSense, Outbrain and AOL, Engadget's parent company. The AMP project will cut mobile data use and wait times, but Google's not just being altruistic -- it's trying to curb ad-blockers, which heavily impact the company's ad revenue. Apple recently gave ad-blockers a big boost when it revealed it would support them for Safari on iOS 9.
Google wants to make mobile web browsing faster
Let's face it: a lot of those beautifully-designed websites, feature articles and media don't translate well for those browsing on a mobile device. To improve the speed and efficiency of the mobile web, Google has announced the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project. Through the initiative, Mountain View is looking to leverage existing HTML tech to help publishers build "light-weight" sites that load faster, even if they contain video, animations, slideshows and other items that typically require significant bandwidth. "We also want the same code to work across multiple platforms and devices so that content can appear everywhere in an instant," a blog post announcing AMP explains. Google has already used AMP's HTML open framework for Search and its other apps/services (like News) could see the tech as well. The company already has around 30 publishers on board, including Twitter, Pinterest, WordPress and LinkedIn. Of course, Google isn't the only one improving mobile browsing as Facebook varies how your News Feed loads based on your connection.
Panasonic is reviving Technics' legendary DJ turntables
Ask DJs about their favorite turntables and they'll frequently swear by Technics' SL-1200 -- even though it hasn't been made since 2007, the super-reliable deck is still the gold standard for vinyl spinners. If you're one of those enthusiasts, you'll be glad to hear that Panasonic is bringing Technics turntables back as part of a larger revival for the audio brand. Many of the details are still under wraps, but the turntable set will have a new direct-drive motor that should improve the audio quality. The gear won't show up until some point during Panasonic's next fiscal year (sometime between April 2016 and March 2017), but more development time is likely a good thing. After all, the SL-1200 thrives precisely because its makers were careful to preserve elements that worked well -- a rushed product could easily hurt more than it helps. Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
Apogee Groove improves headphone audio, for a price
It's been awhile since I've spent much time with Apogee's audio gear. In my early Engadget days, I reviewed both the Jam and MiC, two portable recording accessories that turned the iPad into a tracking center for guitars, vocals and podcasts. Earlier this year, the company revealed the Groove, putting years of pro audio experience to work improving subpar headphone audio. The diminutive metal device sits comfortably between your go-to headphones and laptop, providing a massive sound boost despite being about as small as a pack of gum. So, what's the catch? Well, if you're familiar with Apogee, you know its gear isn't cheap. Does the Groove provide enough oomph to warrant its $300 price tag? That depends on your listening habits.
Apogee's tiny USB headphone amp is now available for $295
When it was announced back in January, Apogee promised to deliver its Groove USB headphone amp and digital-to-analong converter (DAC) this spring. Well, the company kept its word as the audio accessory is now available for $295. What does a few hundred dollars buy you? Groove touts up to 24 bit/192kHz audio thanks to a Quad Sum DAC that puts four converters on each channel to keep the audio sounding top notch. There's also a feature called Constant Current Drive that adapts to the frequencies of your headphones to make them sound better. On the front of the aluminum frame, volume controls and LEDs easily handle level changes and muting. What's more, the add-on is USB powered, so you won't have to futz with another cable or batteries -- just think of it a set of super-sized (and super powerful) in-line controls. The folks at Apogee have a knack for building stellar audio gear, so we're anxious to see how this gadget stacks up.
Marshall's Kilburn speaker packs even more guitar amp aesthetics
If you like your portable audio gear to match your guitar rig, Marshall's new Bluetooth speaker fits the bill. The Kilburn not only handles music-playing duties via the aforementioned wireless connection, but its design resembles one of the company's guitar amps. From the speaker grill to the outer shell, gold-accented controls and guitar strap handle, the device looks just like a miniature version of what you'd see on stage. Sure, Marshall's been selling speakers for a while now, but this is its first portable option. Inside, a 4-inch woofer, a pair of 0.75-inch tweeters and three amps (two 5W and one 15W) handle those playlists for up to 20 hours before needing a charge. It won't arrive until next month, but when it does, the Kilburn will set you back $300.
Jack White's Third Man Records now has its own synth and amp
Jack White has been know to go all out for Record Store Day events with his Third Man Records imprint. This year, in addition to transferring Elvis' first recording from acetate to vinyl for release last weekend, White and his label revealed a synthesizer/amplifier combo that offers some stellar retro aesthetics. The pair, which includes the Septavox synth and Terz amp, was designed and built by Brooklyn instrument company Critter & Guitari. If the synthesizer looks familiar, the same outfit also makes a more compact Pocket Piano instrument. For the Third Man version, though, a metal enclosure houses 41 maple keys alongside seven modes and seven tones. That adds up to 49 different sounds, combining electric organ, vibrato and more. There are controls for tweaking parameters, tuning and volume alongside MIDI input/output, too.
Pandora lets artists know just how well their music is doing
Many musicians put their tunes on Pandora in the hopes that they'll build an audience, but how are they supposed to know it's working? That's what the streaming service's new Artist Marketing Platform (AMP) aims to solve. The initiative gives performers data on not just how many plays and thumbs-up ratings their songs get, but the demographics of who's listening and where the music is taking off -- very handy for planning a national tour. It won't guarantee that your indie band catches a big break, but it could help you focus your musical talents where they matter the most. [Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images]
