ExpandNY
Latest
Reggie Watts admits he's an impulse tech buyer, but it's those digital interfaces that still need work
When Reggie Watts took to the Expand stage, he was wearing a Pebble. The performer said that he's obsessed with the wearables and picked up multiples of the smartwatch during those early adopter deal days. "If it's something I'm curious about, [something} that provides a service or that I'm interested in," then he makes the purchase. These early adoptions have to survive a very narrow success rate. "About 80 percent of these might not get integrated into my life -- and those go to my friends." How about Pebble? "It's great to not look at my phone to see SMS messages," Watts said, adding that he hated the disconnect that happens when people are talking and those smartphone notifications pull one half of the conversation away. Touching on what Watts outlined during a recent episode of Peripheral Vision, he said that technology was a means of expressing creativity -- and he's been obsessed with most things tech since he was little. "I used to lick batteries a lot. I thought licking a 9-volt battery would give me super powers." From there, it went in a safer and arguably more productive direction, as deconstructed X-Wing toys, Casio keyboards and music began to dovetail, quite neatly, into that obsession. Does technology inform his music? To an extent: "It inspires me to add layers, project them in a complex way." Most of the times, as displayed in his quick set at the end of the session, he's layering over himself, adding and enriching his own vocal and beatbox lines. When it comes to his performances, Watts explained that his equipment has to fit into his bag, and as such he's always looking for ways to shrink that volume down. He's involved himself with littleBits' synth kit collaboration with Korg, -- which seems pretty on target. However, he doesn't expect his equipment to unify into a tablet or smartphone controller any time soon. To begin with, there's a lack of tactile sensation that you can only get from IRL dials and switches. That's not to say he hasn't done a smartphone-only performance in the past -- he has -- but Watts added that now "inputting the information, the interface ... is the problem." "[At the moment] we're still like cavemen."
Lunar elevators and asteroid mining: Kickstarting the next chapter of space exploration
Privately funded space missions might sound like the preserve of the financial elite, but the truth is actually a little more pedestrian. Speaking at Expand New York today, Michael Laine (LiftPort) and Chris Lewicki (Planetary Resources) both extolled the virtues of people power, and the critical role it will play in the future of private space exploration. Head past the break to find out how you might play a part in the next chapter of space research.
DIWire attempts to fill the gaps left by 3D printers (hands-on)
It brought solar-powered smartphone chargers to the streets of NYC, now Pensa, a Brooklyn-based design firm, is taking on desktop prototyping. Its latest invention, DIWire, is a compact CNC wire bender. A machine designed solely to bend wire clearly has its limitations, but DIWire was actually born from the limitations of more versatile technologies. The team traditionally used a 3D printer to build furniture models, but found that the resulting models didn't stand up to testing. With tiny broken chair legs as inspiration, Pensa set out to make an accessible machine that addressed the laborious nature of hand-bending and the impracticality of mass-production wire bending.
LittleBits and Korg team up on Synth Kit modular DIY instrument, we go hands-on
Here's a pro tip: if you want to make this editor smile, hand me something that makes a bunch of noise. There are few things more satisfying than pressing some buttons and turning a few knobs to generate an avalanche of digital sound. And if what makes that noise is something you built yourself, all the better. LittleBits has been encouraging kids (and childish adults) to build their own electronic doodads and projects for some time now. And some of those creations even had the capability to make noise. But, the new Synth Kit released in collaboration with Korg is dedicated to DIY audio cacophony. Inside the gold and black packaging is a pile of snap-together components that will let you build the analog synthesizer of your dreams... so long as your dreams is a simplified MS-20. The box holds a pair of oscillators, envelope and filter units, a keyboard, a four-step sequencer, a random noise generator, a two-channel mixer (and a splitter so you can create two independent audio sources), a delay effect and, of course, a power source and a speaker. It's more or less a deconstructed version of Korg's clasic MS-20. Just like previous Little Bits kits, all the pieces are color coded: blue for power, pink for input, green for output and orange for wires. Each component has magnets on either side that snap together only in one direction, preventing you from assembling a circuit in the wrong way and potentially damaging the components. While the number of parts is fairly limited, they're all pretty flexible. The keyboard, for instance has two modes (hold and press), as does the noise generator and the sequencer. Even the oscillators can be switched between square and saw waves. That means those 12 bits in the box can actually generate quite a wide variety of sounds, from deep bass rattles and percussive ticks to swooping synth dives and arpeggiated leads. It's quite simple to get started designing your own instruments, and you'll probably even learn a bit about synthesizer design along the way. Of course, you can combine it with other LittleBits kits and add light sensors or displays to your homebrewed synth. Founder Ayah Bdeir likes to claim that it's the easiest to use modular synthesizer with this sort of power. And she's probably right. While nobody is going to mistake you for the next Daft Punk, you can still create an impressive set of sounds. Some of which might even prove usable in actual music.
MYBELL keeps cyclists safe by blasting their MP3s of choice (hands-on)
Biking in heavily trafficked areas can be dangerous -- and few know this better than NYC cyclists. Peter Pottier is one of many in the Big Apple to survive a near miss while on two wheels, and that experience led him to develop a digital noise-maker to help keep bikers safe. The handlebar-mountable MYBELL, created by Pottier and his two colleagues, pumps out sound at up to 96dB -- the average mechanical bell tops out at about 70dB -- and features LEDs to improve nighttime visibility. Safety is clearly the focus here, but Pottier says he wants to improve the relationship between bikers and drivers as well. "I looked at what was currently on the market, such as air horns, but I didn't want to ostracize bikers." (Who wants to be accosted with that honking sound, after all?) To that end, the MYBELL is customizable; you can upload any MP3 file to the device via micro-USB, and you can choose different LED patterns in night mode. On top of the novelty value, hearing screaming techno instead of a standard bell ring will theoretically be safer, thanks to the wider pitch and range which make it easier to detect. And, if you're lucky, your taste in music might even earn the respect of that otherwise-hostile SUV.
Eyes-on with HeadsUP, a smartphone-powered HUD for your car
Think of it as a smartwatch, but for people who need to keep their eyes on the road. HeadsUP, one of 10 semi-finalists for Engadget's Insert Coin competition, is a heads-up display for your car, allowing you to see notifications on your dashboard. Unlike other HUDs, though, the screen is powered by an Android device, allowing you to bring these kinds of notifications to a car that doesn't already have a fancy display built in. Once you download the app, you can customize which apps show notifications on your windshield. So, there's a good deal of opportunity for customization, but the company's founders hope to make it so that you can't open apps that will distract you while driving. So, you're looking at Facebook and Twitter notifications, for instance, but not the actual apps; email notifications, but without the ability to read the whole message. Other approved apps include Google Maps (naturally), a dialer, Google voice dictation and the ability to see who's calling. Ultimately, the hardware will look quite different than what we're showing in the photos below, so bear with us and use your imaginations a bit. Though the screen you see up there is transparent (at least somewhat), the final version will be more truly see-through, and will stand up even better against harsh lighting. In fact, Arnab Raychaudhuri, the company's founder, says he expects to use the sort of transparent OLED display that Samsung has already been showing off for several years now (check out the link there for an idea of what you an expect). As for battery life, the display plugs into your car's cigarette lighter, so you won't have to worry about it going dead.
Hands-on with Mr. Postman, a smart mailbox that links your inbox to your letterbox
Sometimes, even the oldest cliches can serve as inspiration. Take the dog and the letter carrier, for instance: when Manuel Masri first moved to the United States, he was surprised to find his canine companion obsessed with the mailman. Every delivery became an event, anticipation for a 4pm delivery and an excited pooch -- but the K-9 notification system only worked when he was at home. His solution? Mr. Postman, a mailbox that knows when to expect your mail, notifies you when it arrives and locks after delivery. Masri's smart mailbox falls into that growing category of the "internet of things," something that links typically disconnected physical objects with each other and your digital world. It also happens to be one of Engadget Expand's Insert Coin semi-finalists. We dropped by the company's show booth to see the project's take on the future of mail delivery.
Mercy! Check out all the sweet gear you could win at Expand NY
On the off chance an incredible list of sponsors, an action-packed conference and all the other things we've already told you about aren't enough to get you out to the Javits Center for Expand NY this weekend, we thought you might want to take a look at all the great stuff you could win, too. We were right, weren't we? But before we do, we'd like to give a big shout out to our massively generous sponsors! Read on to find out what you could win at Expand NY...
Be a volunteer at Engadget Expand from November 7-10!
Are you the kind of ham who likes to be a part of the show? Does the sound of free tickets strike your fancy? Most importantly, do you like to work hard and have fun? Then you just might be a candidate to volunteer at Engadget Expand New York! We're taking over the Jacob K. Javits' Convention Center in New York City for four full days, November 7-10 (though the 7th is for us to prepare, and the 8th is open just to press). We're looking for a small army of folks to cover one or more of these shifts: Thursday - 2pm to 6pm (One day ticket for Saturday or Sunday included.) Friday - 8am to 6pm (Weekend pass included.) Saturday and Sunday - 9am to 6pm (Weekend pass included.) As a volunteer, we'll likely ask you to help out with tasks such as: Registration Ticket scanning Helping with giveaways Assisting sponsors with load in/load out Lending a hand with an assortment of errands Feeding someone's pet rabbit While we'll be asking for preferences on tasks, we can't promise that you'll get what you're after. Conversely, if there are any tasks you can't help with or aren't comfortable doing,let us know and we'll work something out! (And we're kidding about the rabbit). Once you apply to volunteer at Engadget Expand, we'll confirm your attendance and give more details over email. If you have any questions about volunteering, drop us a line at events AT engadget DOT com.
Hitch a ride to Engadget Expand aboard Gogo's private jet
The team at Gogo is flying high lately both in the sky and on the ground thanks to its new hybrid GTO technology, which brings in-air download speeds up to 60 Mbps. To test the future of in-flight WiFi, Gogo uses the "Gogo One," a flying laboratory that comes outfitted with some pretty intense equipment.
Engadget Giveaway: More Tickets to Expand NY!
Engadget Expand is heading to New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on November 9th and 10th. Sure, you could buy your own tickets (and at a pretty low price, we might add), but you can also win passes for free. For a chance to be one of the five lucky readers attending the show on our dime, enter our giveaway using the widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Reminder: Insert Coin voting ends tonight at 11:59PM PT!
What's that? You say you haven't voted for the second Insert Coin: New Challengers? What are you waiting for -- voting wraps up tonight at 11:59PM PT / 2:59AM ET. The competition was one of the highlights of March's Expand San Francisco, and we're pumped to do it again at the Javits Center in November. You can cast your votes here, and if you need a bit of a refresher on the candidates, check out these longer writeups of the nominees. Now get cracking!
Don't miss Wikimedia, OLPC, Leap Motion, Voltaic and more at Expand NY!
We're getting more and more impatient waiting for Expand New York with every subsequent speaker announcement -- and we've got five more names to lay on you right now. This November, we'll be joined by Wikimedia's director of mobile, Tomasz Finc, Leap Motion's director of developer relations, Avinash Dabir, The One Laptop Per Child Association's chairman and CEO, Rodrigo Arboleda, founder / CEO of Voltaic Systems Shayne McQuade and Michael Carroll, a professor of law at American University Washington College of Law and founding member of Creative Commons. And, of course, we've already announced a number of folks who will be joining us on November 9th and 10th, including LeVar Burton, Reggie Watts, Ben Heck, Peter Molyneux, Ben Huh and speakers from companies like Google, Sony, Pebble, Adafruit and The Electronic Frontier Foundation -- and we've still got more to come. Check out the full list below.
Help us decide who deserves free tickets to Expand NY
Last week, we flipped the switch on our #ExpandThrowback contest from the submission phase to the voting phase, meaning the winners of our contest are in your capable hands. What is this contest about again, you ask? Simply put, we wanted to see what old technology our readers could dig up in their garages, attics, closets, glove compartments, et cetera, thus paying homage to the old as we prepare to celebrate the new at this November's Expand NY event. One lucky winner gets an all-expense paid trip to the event and four runner-ups get a $250 gift card to update their old technology.* What are some of the old gizmos found in the top 20? Here's the list, complete with WikiLinks (not WikiLeaks) to fill your thirst for knowledge on tech before we could : 16/35MM Recorder 8-Track Tape Apple Lisa Atari Video Gaming System AT&T EO Blickensderfer #5 Coleco Telstar Commodore VIC-20 Datapoint 2200 Motorola Bag Phone MS-DOS DIskette Original IBM PC Original Microsoft Mouse Polaroid Model 150 Portico Miracle PC Sega Game Gear Studer 3/4 Tape Machine Teddy Ruxpin Timex Sinclair 1000 Toshiba T3100 We'll let you hop on over to the contest and vote for your favorite, and make sure to do so by September 19th. Then, on the 20th, we'll announce the winners. You also can see the whole smattering of #ExpandThrowback submissions that didn't make it to the final round here. *Prizes mentioned in this article are bound by the official rules of the contest.
Don't miss Reggie Watts, Mark Frauenfelder, Sparkfun, Techdirt and Sol Design Lab at Expand NY!
With every subsequent post, our excitement for Expand New York grows -- and this is a particularly good one. We might go so far as saying that this is our most exciting speaker post yet, but we'll leave that for you to decide. Improvisational musician / comedian Reggie Watts will be on stage discussing and demoing his sampling setup. We'll also be joined once again by Boing Boing founder and Make Magazine editor-in-chief Mark Frauenfelder, along with Sol Design Lab founder Beth Ferguson, Techdirt CEO Mike Masnick and Sparkfun's educational outreach coordinator, Jeff Branson. And, of course, we've already announced a number of folks who will be joining us on November 9th and 10th, including LeVar Burton, Ben Heck, Peter Molyneux, Ben Huh and folks from companies like Google, Sony, Pebble, Adafruit and The Electronic Frontier Foundation -- and we've still got plenty to come. Check out the full list below.
Help pick the best retro tech for our #ExpandThrowback contest
We've received hundreds of thousands (of kilobytes) worth of submissions for our #ExpandThrowback contest and we want to thank those who valiantly opened up their closets, garages, attics, or just pivoted to the other side of their desk and snapped photos of their best in retro tech. We've gathered as a team at Engadget HQ and winnowed the pickins' down to our top 20 favorites. Now it's time to turn the decision on who wins over to you. Here's how it works. Click here to jump right to our contest page on Facebook. Peek through the pics and vote for your favorite. To keep it fair, we're only allowing one vote per Facebook account. On September 20th, come back to see who won. What will the winners get? First Prize Winner: All-expenses paid passage for you plus one to Engadget Expand in New York, including airfare, hotel room, transportation and food (ARV $3,000)* (4) Second Prize Winners: We'll give you a $250 gift card so you can finally ditch that StarTAC and pick up a shiny new phone (they even have touchscreens now!). Don't forget, if you're not already connected to all things Expand, stay tuned to our Expand hub for the latest news. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. *Prizes mentioned in this article are bound by the official rules of the contest.
Show us your old tech for a chance to win a trip to Expand NY!
On November 9th and 10th, Expand NY will bring you face to face with the future of tech -- but how did we arrive at a world where we're wearing computers on our faces? With your help, we'll be reliving that journey. Help us find the coolest vintage tech, and you could find yourself with a trip to Expand NY on us -- or a chance to let us update that old tech for you. So, what's hiding in the back of your closet? An Apple II? Commodore 64? A transistor radio or Motorola StarTAC? Maybe you cuddle with Teddy Ruxpin each night? Whatever the case may be, snap a pic of your most retro piece of technology and upload it to Instagram starting today. Tag us (@EngadgetExpand) and use the hashtag #ExpandThrowback in your post. Then, enter the official contest on our Engadget Expand Facebook Page, so we know where to find your photo.
Get inspired by these speakers at Expand in New York this November!
We had an amazing time at Expand SF this past March (couldn't make it? see for yourself!), and we're super excited about making Expand NY an even bigger and more spectacular show this November 9th and 10th. The tech luminaries you'll be hearing from on stage are a big part of what makes the Expand experience one you won't want to miss, so let's start filling you in on who those folks are!
Ziphius gets fully funded on Kickstarter, expected to ship in March
Now that's what we like to see. Our first-ever Insert Coin: New Challengers winner has secured full funding over on Kickstarter -- and just in the nick of time. With just over a day to go before the end of its fundraising period, Ziphius has managed to pass its lofty $125,000 goal. That means we can expect to see the cool little aquatic drone shipping to backers in March of next year, just in time for the warm weather. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that you too can live the crowdfunding dream. We've opened up entries for our second Insert Coin competition, as of late last month. It may not get you all the way to a final product, but with $25,000 up for grabs, it's a heck of a head start.
Engadget Expand is coming to New York City in November, and you're all invited
Earlier this year, about 2,000 of our closest friends in the San Francisco Bay Area came by and, together, we had ourselves a heck of a time. The first ever Expand was filled with electric cars, UAVs, great speakers and, of course, a plethora of great gadgets and giveaways. It was so much fun that we just knew we'd have to do it again. So, that's exactly what we're going to do. We're very happy to announce that Expand is coming to New York City on November 9th and 10th. We'll be at the spacious Javits Center, home of great events like the New York International Auto Show and the New York Comic Con. And why should you attend Expand NY? We'll have a huge show floor where you can get your hands on the latest gadgets and devices for consumers -- plus a lot of things not normally open for public use. (Attendees of the first Expand got to try out the $2 million da Vinci surgical robot.) We'll also have an agenda full of great speakers up on stage for you to listen to and to meet. Last time, Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler kicked off a program full of amazing conversations, like a fireside chat with OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman. And, we gave away $25,000 to the creators of the Ziphius Acquatic Drone, winners of our first ever Insert Coin competition.
