David Ellefson Rock Shop is a solid and simple guitar/bass amp-modeling app that runs on iOS. It is made by PocketLabWorks and works in conjunction with the company’s iRiff Port cable/interface. In case you hadn’t guessed by the name of the app, special consultation was provided by David Ellefson (bass player and founding member of Megadeth) in order to achieve the sound of his bass and guitar rigs. How does it sound? The tones, while specific to a few amps and cabinets, are quite excellent and resonant. The settings are based off Mr. Ellefson’s amp setup which provides a gritty bass tone, full of attack. I liked it. (You can hear David playing through it at the PocketLabWorks website). I had a few questions about how it was developed so rather than take my usual Paneldome approach, this time I was able to track down David for a Skype call and get some info from him directly. He was kind enough to take the time to talk with me. A price tag of $9.99 might seem a bit steep to some. I might have thought that myself a year ago, but since that time, $9 or $10 apps have ceased to be as much of a hurdle for me as they used to be. That’s one iTunes album (if you’re lucky). No big deal. I would say this is a fan’s app and I would likely pick it up for $9.99 myself because I am a fan. A large part of what you are purchasing are the tones and David’s main preset. Plus the app easily integrates David’s existing catalog of “how to” YouTube videos directly from within. However the app does have other valuable tools like iTunes play along, effects processing and the awesomely named “slow downer” (which lets you slow down tracks for practice Read More
Chris Velazco is a mobile enthusiast and writer who studied English and Marketing at Rutgers University. Once upon a time, he was the news intern for MobileCrunch, and in between posts, he worked in wireless sales at Best Buy. After graduating, he returned to the new TechCrunch to as a full-time mobile writer. He counts advertising, running, musical theater,... → Learn More After the disappointing LiveView failed to make much of an impression when it launched in 2010, Sony surprised us when they revealed yet another wearable device — the SmartWatch — at this year’s CES. After taking a brief spin in the U.K., Sony has just announced that their newest diminutive wrist-mounted gadget is now available here in the States for $149. Like the LiveView before it, the SmartWatch is essentially just a small secondary display that can connect to any Bluetooth-enabled Android device running Android 2.1 or later once the corresponding app has been installed. Thankfully, Sony saw fit to include a full multi-touch display this time around instead of the awkward edge-only navigation scheme seen in the SmartWatch’s forebear. The question then is, well, what do you do with the thing? Aside from using it to tell time, users can read full length emails and text messages on the 1.3-inch OLED display, as well as control the music playing on the phone. That’s really just the tip of the iceberg too — Sony released the SDK for the SmartWatch platform right when this year’s CES was getting into full swing, and I’m told that there are nearly 60 mini apps waiting in the Google Play store for all you fans of wearable computing to play with. Some of them already seem like must-haves — I would use the hell out of this Find Phone app when my Galaxy Read More
Jordan Crook studied English Literature at New York University before entering the tech space. Prior to joining TechCrunch, Crook dabbled in mobile marketing and mobile apps as well as doing device reviews for MobileMarketer and MobileBurn. Crook is fascinated with alternative energy production and greentech. She is now a writer for CrunchGear. → Learn More The writing was on the wall for Flip, but when Cisco decided to shutter its rather popular Flip video camera business in April 2011, the company promised a smooth transition for existing users. That said, Givit video sharing service will be integrating with Flipshare, Flip’s online video sharing platform, to store the content that will soon be permanently deleted from Flipshare. Even though the iPhone completely disrupted Flip’s business, there are still more than 3 million Flip users out there in the world who need a place to store their videos. Givit aims to solve that problem through its cloud service. The content currently on Flipshare will be permanently deleted 30 days from now, but the service will be functional until December 30. That means any new content uploaded to Flipshare starting now will only have a 30-day lifespan. If you happen to be a Flip user, pay close attention. Here’s what you need to do: It’s actually really simple. The next time you log in to FlipShare, you should see a link asking if you are ready to transfer your content to Givit. Click that. The rest should be pretty self-explanatory. FlipShare users will also be pleased to know that Givit has iOS, Android, web, PC and Mac apps and is universally compatible with all video formats and sizes. Givit is a friendly service that lets you share videos privately with only the people you choose. Use Givit to share videos easily and securely with Read More
Jay Donovan is a writer and mobile strategy professional based in Columbus, Ohio. He has written for the TechCrunch network since 2009. You can reach reach him at jaydonovan at crunchgear dot com. → Learn More I shot 3 different videos yesterday that describe Metaio’s new Creator Mobile software which allows you map real environments to hold augmented, digital content. Of all those videos (shot in well-lit, more stabilized sound environments) the best example to describe the system, of course, shows up at an off site event in a loud, dark room. Yet again, I busted out the “Rogue Ghetto Cam” (aka iPhone 4S) to capture the content. My apologies for the shakiness. It’s no secret that I am an Augmented Reality fanboy in general and impressed with much of Metaio’s work. They are always up to something new. Yesterday, Metaio CTO Peter Meier ran a small demo for me that describes how their new Creator Mobile software allows any user to map a 3D space with a coordinate system, so they can then add their own digital, Augmented Reality content to that space. This mobile app will work in conjunction with their desktop solution called simply Metaio Creator (video description at this link), which is where the content is actually associated with the coordinate system, via “drag and drop”. The implications for retailers are obvious — add your own digital posters or videos to your store walls. Swap out the content whenever you like or even personalize for individual customers. All for free and without technical expertise. As Augmented Reality enabling eyewear by the likes of Google, Vuzix, Lumus and others become a reality, we will see this trend take off. Sponsored Ads Sponsored Ads Sponsored Ads Barcelona, Spain Austin, Texas New York City San Francisco, CA Read More
Biggs is the editor of TechCrunch Gadgets. Biggs has written for the New York Times, InSync, USA Weekend, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Money and a number of other outlets on technology and wristwatches. He is the former editor-in-chief of Gizmodo.com and lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. You can Tweet him here and G+ him here. Email him directly at john@techcrunch.com. → Learn More If you don’t know a resistor from a Mister Mister, this is the app for you. Built by Adafruit, creators of DIY Arduino gear, Circuit Playground is a $2.99 app designed to help you identify and understand various electronic components. For example, the app includes a resistor identification system based on the colored bands painted on the casing as well as a field guide to many electrical components. The rest of the tools – including converters, calculators, and datasheet storage systems – just makes things a little bit easier when you’re building an electronics project. I’m terrible at this stuff so it would be a boon for me and my slow-witted monkey mind. The app is available now for the iPhone and iPad. Sponsored Ads Sponsored Ads Sponsored Ads Read More
Dr. Serkan Toto currently works as the first and only Asia-based writer for the TechCrunch network, mainly covering Japan-related technology and web companies for TechCrunch, CrunchGear and MobileCrunch. Serkan also works full-time as an independent web and mobile industry consultant with a focus on the Japanese market. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. Serkan... → Learn More First, Japan got the world’s first connected home garden device, and now it’s time for Nippon to get the world’s first cloud-based LED lighting system. Developed by Tokyo-based lighting tech startup Net LED Technology Corp., the so-called NetLED system will go on sale in Japan on February 20 (here‘s the company’s English website). The 40W lights, which have a 40,000-hour lifespan, come with built-in Wi-Fi: users can control each tube over the web after installing the NetLed app on a smartphone, tablet, or computer (the iPhone app is already out, while iPad and Android apps will be released this summer). It’s possible to dim the lights (each tube has 10 different dimming levels) and to turn them on or off. Users can control individual, multiple, or a set of lights (which can be located in separate rooms) via the app, which also offers a timer function. The system also makes it possible to track energy usage in real-time and to automatically aggregate data over an extended period of time. Net LED says that when a company, for example, uses 200 of these lights, power consumption can be pushed down by up to 50%. Using the app and Net LED’s servers is free. The system’s own costs depend on how many lights are needed: the price for the control box/router set (see above) is fixed at US$780. One Wi-Fi-enabled tube (US$260) can be connected to up to three NetLED Read More
In August, I remember seeing YouTube links for the band , who recorded an entire song using only their iPhones and a few iPhone peripherals (in addition to their instruments and drum programs). Today, I received a press release indicating that the band have finished recording an entire 10 song album using the same setup. Intrigued, I contacted Stephen Poff, the mastermind behind the record, to get a few more details about the impetus and methods behind the project. The 10 song record was an intentional project by Mr. Poff that started on January 1, 2011 and was recorded, mixed and mastered right up until December 31, 2011. So it took a full year to complete this side project, amidst an undoubtably busy day job as a videographer/photographer at the agency LWT in Montgomery AL. As a former “four-tracker” myself, I have to say the results are surprisingly good. Poff clearly has a flair for writing pop punk/rock songs and he and his remote bandmates are adept at using some of the audio tools we have reviewed here at TechCrunch. Here is an example from the new release so you can hear the quality – Glory Days by One Like Son Remote bandmates? It was interesting to hear that Poff and fellow musicians Bill Rester (Bass and Backing Vocals), Perry Brown (Backing Vocals), and Bryan Segraves (Piano/Organ) crafted these songs together in different locations using Dropbox as their repository for adding their parts. Apparently, Poff would lay a MIDI drum part, guitar riff and main vocal line, then upload the file to Dropbox where his bandmates would download, add their parts and then put the files back into Dropbox. One Like Son are not the first band ever to do this (see The Gorillaz and The Ultramods—both using iPads), but they may be Read More
In October of 2001, Rockstar Games dropped a bomb on the gaming world. That bomb was called Grand Theft Auto III. In just one release, Rockstar shifted their flagship 2D series into a 3D world, introduced an enormous chunk of the population to the concept of massive sandbox games, and stirred up the first of many controversies that the company has since become known for. Just over 10 years later, GTA3 is back — but now it’s mobile. As of yesterday, it’s available for iOS and Android. Same game, same grit, same campy over-the-top action… but in your pocket. So, how has the game held up? How well did it make the jump from controller to touchscreen? Is it worth your $5? Lets go ahead and answer those immediately: Surprisingly well, moderately okay, and probably. For a game that’s probably older than the TV sitting in your living room, Grand Theft Auto 3 is still remarkably entertaining. I won’t wax on too much about the gameplay itself; many hundreds of reviews did that a decade ago, and it’s still the same game (save for a few little perks ported in from modern GTA games, like instant retries on failed missions) it was then. What worked well then still works well today: you run around, explore, go on a few hundred missions, then blow up everything in sight whenever all that gets boring. It’s not what most would call “gorgeous” by today’s gaming standards (read: it’s no Infinity Blade II), but it really does still look good. The audio is also wonderful, with an absurd amount of dialog, sound, radio chatter, and music crammed into the 500 MB package. At the very least, it’s a wonderful testament of how far technology has come; what required a big ol’ dedicated gaming console just Read More
Matt is currently working as a writer for TechCrunch. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is TechCrunch. He learned the retail... → Learn More Get ready to set your house on fire! The Sims are back and are awaiting their invisible leader — you. Players have full control over a number of Sim characters just like The Sims of old. As the omnipotent creator, gamers have the ability to cause Sims to fall in love, live their life and watch them go to the bathroom. For free! No word on a naked cheat code, though. The FreePlay app allows for 16 different Sims with 1,200 customization options for their domicile including a select number of pets. With The Sims FreePlay, EA is slowly expanding its mobile portfolio by dipping into its library of blockbuster hits. “The Sims FreePlay app is a huge step forward in our mobile strategy,” said Bernard Kim, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for EA Interactive stated in a released statement. “We’ve taken a franchise that is a best-selling brand in nearly every major video game market worldwide, optimized it for iPad and made it free for all iOS users. That opens the door for our mobile business to continue to grow while immersing new fans in a brand as wildly popular as The Sims.” The Sims FreePlay is currently in the App Store and available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Sponsored Ads Sponsored Ads Sponsored Ads Read More
At the few times when I find myself on the bike or elliptical at the gym, I’m always frustrated by the lack of anything interesting to keep my eyes on. The TVs are showing something boring, the magazines are sweaty and old, the people too are sweaty and old, and I end up staring at the wall. Why am I telling you this? Because someone has created a solution to this particular first-world problem that seems rather promising. It started as a sort of hack by which a Redditor connected his exercycle to his Xbox 360. Since then he’s taken what he learned there and produced an iPad app, Virtual Active, that detects how “fast” you’re going on a cycle or elliptical by measuring the vibration, and moves you at a corresponding speed through a picturesque landscape. The creator assures me that the accelerometer is up to the task, and no configuration is necessary. You just put your iPad, iPhone, or what have you on the bike, treadmill, or elliptical, and it figures itself out. I’ll believe it when I see it, of course, but it sounds real enough. It’s free to download, but you purchase videos from different locations: the Alps, the Grand Canyon, even my own Pacific Northwest. Potential problems: the videos themselves are expensive ($8 each) and quite large (~800MB for around a half-hour video). Gym bunnies with disposable income might lap it up, but it’s a bit expensive for those of us not as dedicated to our fitness, or not as concerned with having fun while exercising. The BitGym technology behind the videos will expand into games and other types of video entertainment, though. The first will be Fit Freeway, which will use the accelerometer to determine speed and head tracking to steer. Don’t worry, nobody looks Read More
Flip To Hand Over Sharing Platform Flipshare To Givit, Users Have 30 Days To Transfer Content - CrunchGear
