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Teenage Engineering is making modular synths for the masses
Modular synths are all the rage right now. And it's not just the usual players either. Korg and Stylophone recently dipped their toes in the modular world. And now Teenage Engineering is getting on the bandwagon. The company is best known for its portable music creation tools like the OP-1 and OP-Z, not to mention the damn near disposable, but kinda awesome Pocket Operator line. This year it's making it first modular system and also its first analog synth with the Pocket Operator Modular series.
Korg introduces Volca Modular and Volca Drum synths
Korg's popular Volca line is getting larger and weirder with two additions: Modular and Drum. The affordable and portable line of battery powered synths has covered a lot of ground since first being introduced in 2013. There's a drum machine, a pair of analog synths, an FM-flavored love letter to the '80s, a mixer and even a model dedicated entirely to the kick drum. But for 2019 Korg is reaching much farther afield.
Greetings from CES 2019!
It feels like CES only just ended, but we're back in Las Vegas for the 2019 edition and we couldn't be more excited. Just like always, there will be plenty of cars, TVs and smart appliances. But, we're here to separate the wheat from the chaff and bring you only the best (or at least the most interesting) tech from CES 2019. The show floor hasn't even opened yet and already several companies have made a splash -- including Apple, which continues to skip the event in any official capacity. But that hasn't stopped it from grabbing some attention. Of course, you don't want to miss out on all our liveblogs, our three epic days of live stage shows which all culminates with the official Best of CES awards on Thursday at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
A cheaper, smaller Raspberry Pi 3 is now available
The Raspberry Pi Foundation released its upgraded flagship computing board, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, earlier this year. Now the boards are shipping in volume, the company has been able to turn its attention to what it calls one of its "most frequently requested 'missing' products": the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+.
8BitDo’s Bluetooth mod kits put retired controllers back to work
The mini-console trend isn't just a case of repackaging classic, beloved games and cashing in on our shared retrophilia. There's also a practical reason for their existence: Most old consoles are incompatible with today's TVs. Unless you've held on to a CRT, you've got no choice but to seek out special signal converters or, more likely, let your best childhood friend gather dust in a closet. But there is a middle ground. With 8BitDo's $20 mod kits, you can, at least, give those classic controllers a new lease on life by repurposing them for the Bluetooth era.
Lego reveals six 'Overwatch' sets that are coming next year
Overwatch has been such a phenomenon that it's starting to take eek into everything. The latest example of Overwatch creep comes to the world of Lego. The company is releasing six Overwatch-themed building sets that feature vehicles, characters and weapons from the game. The Lego Overwatch collection will be available starting next year.
Shaper's AR-equipped Origin power cutter is going on sale for $2,500
If you've been itching to add AR to your DIY with a handheld CNC, you'll be happy to know that Shaper's Origin augmented reality power cutter will once again be available for purchase. Originally launched in 2016, Origin scans visual markers and then displays a guide on the device's screen to direct where you cut. If you get too far off your design, the blade will retract.
Ask Engadget: Which devices are easiest to sanitize?
The support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back the much-missed "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question asks about how to keep smartphones squeaky clean and sanitized. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! I'm a medical student, and I'm in and out of different hospital and clinic rooms. The reality is, students and doctors all have their phones will them pretty much constantly: in pockets, in use throughout the hospital, and with or without gloves on. When I think about it, it actually can be kind of gross. My question is: What smartphones and smartwatches are easiest to clean effectively, or what accessories make it easy to sanitize or otherwise protect them? Of course, it would be nice if they also looked good (because why buy the new iPhone if you're going to put a clunky case on it, right?).
LED signs could soon hide secret messages
From free decoder rings hidden in our cereal and Enigma machines used during world war two to the end-to-end encryption of iMessage, the sending and receiving of secret messages has always been a part of our daily lives. Thanks to technology, apps and services that offer end-to-end encryption are now commonplace. But what if you want to share a piece of information with an individual or group in a public area?
Lego's new toy train is a STEM tool for preschoolers
Twenty years ago Lego introduced Mindstorms as a way to engage kids who were becoming more interested in video games and the internet than plastic building blocks. It was successful enough that the kits became a regular sight in robotics classes and competitions. Now the line is on its fourth generation, and it's been joined by other STEM-friendly Lego kits like Boost and Powered Up to bring tech skills to many different types of kids. Now Lego's educational division goes even younger with Coding Express, a set that will teach 3- and 4-year-olds the basics of programming while they construct a world of trains, picnics and wandering deer.
Lego's STEM-friendly Batmobile needs more STEM
Even as STEM toys become more popular, Lego's construction sets remain the gold standard, with more recent products like Mindstorms and Boost expanding into the fields of robotics and coding. This month it's bringing that technological expertise to its more standard kits with the Powered Up ecosystem. Now bread-and-butter sets like Lego City and licensed products like DC Superheroes get nifty additions like motorized parts and app connectivity, starting with Batman's iconic vehicle.
This cute Def Con badge beckons you to hack it
At previous Def Cons I wrote about the unofficial badges and the culture surrounding those pieces of technology. This year I was determined to move past my infatuation with blinking lights and colorful PCBs (printed circuit boards). Then I saw the Maneki Neko badge. It's the iconic beckoning cat (literally what "maneki-neko" means) with a moving 3D-printed arm and two 16-segment LEDs that blink at you while it waves.
Ben Heck's Pocket Beagle drum sequencer
Felix takes his hand to the soldering iron, picks up Beagleboard.org's Pocket Beagle and assembles a drum sequencer with the help of the Bela Mini audio cape. With a laser-engraved case, hands-on assistance from S. Astrid Bin and a custom-designed input-output matrix for driving the LEDs, Felix puts it all together with C++. Have you made an electronics audio device, or a project with the Pocket Beagle? Let the team know on the element14 Community.
Ask Engadget: Do I buy, build... or both?
The support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back the much-missed "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question comes to us from a high school senior with a dead laptop and a need for a solid school laptop and a gaming machine. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! Would it be worth the money to build myself a PC (for gaming and other activities such as basic coding), and get myself a notebook to take to school? Note that I am going to be a high school senior this upcoming school year, and am deciding on either going to a nearby university or community college or a nearby trade school. My current laptop is pretty much dead. Please help!
You can legally download 3D-printed gun designs next month
3D gun printing advocate Defense Distributed has emerged triumphant in a legal battle to freely publish online blueprints that could allow users to manufacture firearms.
Ben Heck's mini pinball game: Analysis and programming
Ben is moving walls around, but don't expect him to quit his day job to become an architect just yet. After a few tests on the pieces for the modular miniature pinball kit, it has been decided that the angles need to change for the pinball run. That means a redesign is in store. Meanwhile, Felix has received the final design of the printed circuit board from OSHPark, and based on some initial tests it appears to be a-okay! What do you think of the build so far? Let the team know over on the element14 Community.
Suicide, violence, and going underground: FOSTA’s body count
Maybe you've noticed a sudden flood of updates to Terms and Conditions recently from the internet services you use. A close look at those agreements will show that many are GDPR related, but some are most definitely not. Welcome to the culture of fear, ushered in by the passing of FOSTA-SESTA.
Screen Actors Guild pledges to fight AI-driven face-swapping porn
The slow war against AI-powered, face-swapping pornography continues. The Screen Actors Guild, the labor union representing the biggest names in film and television, says it's "fighting back" against deepfakes, videos that superimpose actors' faces onto the bodies of porn stars. SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris wrote the following in the group's monthly magazine, as spotted by Deadline: "We are closely watching the development of so-called deepfakes. This artificial intelligence tool has the ability to steal our images and superimpose them onto another person's body in potentially unpleasant and inappropriate digital forms. SAG-AFTRA is focused on these emerging processes and fighting back when the technology infringes on our members' rights."
Ask Engadget: What's the best way to clean my touchscreen?
The support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back the much-missed "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question is straightforward and concerns touchscreens. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! What's the best way to clean a smartphone screen (or touchscreen)?
Hands-on with the sci-fi game that falls apart as you play
You're never going to play Clunker Junker in your living room or on your desktop PC, no matter how many GPUs it has. Hardware is the issue here, but it's not a matter of processing power -- Clunker Junker requires two LED-adorned arm cranks, plus four crates with glowing lights and doors that come crashing down when they're unlatched during gameplay. The game itself, to be fair, runs on a laptop, but that's about as traditional as this thing gets.
