"Gadget" Greg Gazin Demystifies Tech & Life in a useful, fun & practical way!
While people are still buying earbuds and headphones we’re starting to see many external portable speakers hitting the market, thanks in part to the ability to stream music wirelessly over Bluetooth. One company that makes a number of these and in all different shapes and sizes is Divoom. One of their latest models is the Divoom Airbeat-10 wireless bluetooth speaker, that with its funky little attachments you can attach it and take it anywhere. Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.
Going beyond the earbuds that are often included with the gadget these days, it sometimes tough to find a decent headset that suitable for young ears. Expanding upon their original headphones, Kidz Gear has introduced the Kids Gear Deluxe Stereo Headset with Boom Microphone that is not only sized correctly for a child’s head, it also has a volume limiting capability to help protect the little ears.
Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog.
Retro always seems to be in vogue and despite the fact that physical media like CDs and DVDs have more or less given way to streaming and downloading there still seems to be place in some people hearts for the warm sound of vintage vinyl. As a former collector and one who still dusts off the turntable from time to time, I jumped at the opportunity to test drive the Electrohome Signature Vinyl Record Player Classic Turntable Hi-Fi System (EANOS700).
The hi-fi is an eye-opener right from the start. It’s more reminiscent of a mid-century radio rather that the boxy look of a 60s record player. The hefty cabinet has a large footprint (17.9”x13.5”x12.1”) and weighs a hefty 26 pounds. It has a sturdy build, handcrafted mainly from MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) with an antique real walnut veneer finish. It has a retro cloth grill and antique finish brass knobs and buttons. It looks like a model from yesteryear, save for the blue LED panel and front USB port (for both recording and playing), giving telltale signs of a more modern production date.
Hidden behind the grille are four speakers – 2 x 15W and 2 x 5W. The front face shows an obvious built-in AM/FM tuner with an analog scale and rotary tuning dial. It also has a single tray-load CD player. Read Full Review at G4 Canada
After the launch of the original jamstik, the Smart Guitar in 2014, Zivix, the creators went back to the drawing board to improve upon their original offering. And just a few days ago, they initiated a Kickstarter campaign for jamstik+, that reached its original funding goal of $50K U.S. in just four hours. They currently have over 900 backers with over $224K U.S. in pledges – four and a half times the original ask.
Jamstik works with your iPad, iPhone or Mac and unlike the guitar you get with RockBand, it uses real guitar strings, real frets and a magnetic pickup. But the real beauty is that it never needs tuning. It’s quiet, lightweight and portable, measuring only 16” tall and weighing 36 oz. It has a five-octave range and also handles string bend and vibrato. It runs off its built-in battery rated at over 8 hours of playtime. Read more…at CanoeTech Blog
IK Multimedia announced today, it’s shipping iRig 2, the sequel to their most popular guitar interface of all time. In 2010, for the first time ever, the original iRig allowed guitar and bass players to plug into their iPhone and use their mobile device to play, practice and record with apps like IK’s AmpliTube, Apple’s GarageBand and thousands more.
Five years later, IK is introducing iRig 2, a significant upgrade, improving on its predecessor by providing better sound quality and more universal compatibility than ever before – and it does this while maintaining the convenience and ease-of-use that have made it such a staple piece of equipment in the arsenal of millions of musicians around the world.
We’re please to announce Greg’s new podcast- Cutting Corners by Troy Media – a new podcast featuring short episodes that offer tips and ideas to help you save time, money and make life a little easier. You can access the podcasts via the Cutting Corners podcast site, feed or via iTunes. The podcasts will also be accompanied by a article to be featured in the Cutting Corners section of Troy Media.
On the heels of the CES announcement of their portable iRig Mic Field, IK Multimedia recently announced another mic, the iRig Mic Studio a high quality, ultra-portable large-diaphragm digital desktop condenser microphone for iOS, Mac, PC and Android. It packs a 1-inch diameter condenser capsule into an ultra-compact enclosure that fits in the palm of your hand that can be used to make professional recordings anywhere. It’s ideal for anyone, whether you are a musician, vocalist, podcaster, broadcaster or even a voice-over artist.
Under the hood is a 24-bit audiophile-grade A/D converter (44.1/48 kHz sample rate) and a built-in low-noise high-definition preamp with sensitivity and capacity to capture the softness of a subtle voice to a whailing amplified electric guitar, and pretty much everything in between. Read more…at Canoe Tech Blog
There are wireless music players, wireless headphones, wireless mice, and wireless speakers but for someone who wants to do a little bit of the DJ thing it might be tough to find an actual wireless mixer, until now. At International CES 2015 (CES) Braven, known for their funky portable wireless speakers announced the Braven Fuse, a portable wireless multi-channel mixing console.
What’s really cool, is not only is it wireless, it’s tiny, measuring only 5 inches long and can literally fit in the palm of your hand. It’s multichanneled, so you pair two devices along with two speakers via Bluetooth. It has two volume slider controls, one for each channel along with a cross fader. Read more… at Canoe Tech Blog.
Today at International CES 2015 in Las Vegas, Samson Technologies unveiled their new Samson’s Meteor M2 Multimedia Speaker System – the ideal sound solution for desktops, laptops and tablets.
It features the use of premium components which includes a solid, zinc die cast construction along with an innovative sound design and custom digital signal processing. The full metal Meteor M2 breathes new sonic life into your favorite music, movies and games.
It delivers powerful full-range sound that goes way beyond its compact size. Under the hood are two 2.5” drivers and rear-ported passive radiators to produce exceptional low-end depth and punch normally confined to larger speakers and 3-piece systems with dedicated subwoofers.
Samson’s Meteor M2 produces a detailed, true stereo sound field with serious output power. Custom digital signal processing delivers an optimal balance between the low, mid and high frequencies. This makes the Meteor M2s perfect for extended fatigue-free music playback sessions and watching movies.
Ready to use right out of the box, the Meteor M2 comes with a speaker cable to connect the stereo pair, as well as an 1/8” Aux cable to instantly connect the speakers to your computer, tablet, smartphone or MP3 player. In addition, the Meteor M2’s zinc die cast construction provides solid durability, while their sleek, elegant finish looks great on any desk.
The Meteor M2 retails for $149.99 US. For more information, visit Samson’s site.
Also available via AMAZON
