synth

OP-1, a portable synth with motion control

These days, a humble smartphone or tablet can be used to create music that would probably have required a bulky electronic keyboard a decade ago. Having all the controls on a touch screen, however, may not be every digital-music composer's cup of tea.

That's where the OP-1 portable synthesizer by Sweden-based company Teenage Engineering comes in. The device has a minimalist aluminum chassis and modular-looking keys, which should make it look right at home next to Apple laptops. … Read more

How to take shallow depth-of-field shots on an iPhone

Do you wish your iPhone could sometimes act as an SLR camera, with its ability to capture shallow depth-of-field shots, where an object in the foreground is in focus and the background is artistically out of focus? If you'd like to create this bokeh effect with your iPhone, then check out SynthCam, a free app that takes short a video and then synthesizes that video into a photograph. … Read more

Robot synthesizer and touch-screen hack and slash: iPhone apps of the week

I read about a new term today for iPhone application fans that hits a little too close to home. The term is "Appnoxious," and describes iPhone owners who are always whipping out their iPhone to show their friends, family, or coworkers their favorite new app. Ahem.

I apologize to everyone, but I believe I might be just that: Appnoxious. In my defense, it's my job to seek out and find new iPhone apps, so I'm hoping at least some of the people I know will give me a pass? Maybe I should just embrace it...

This … Read more

Can Spice Girls make music with iPhones?

Critics will say the Spice Girls and Go-Go's never made music. Certainly, those bands never made music with iPhones.

A funny, creative YouTube video is starting to go viral. The clip, viewed more than 147,000 times, showcases an all-female band from Great Britain, called The Mentalists, re-creating "Kids" by MGMT with only their iPhones and iPod Touches.

Kim-Leigh Pontin, the band's singer, told CNET News on Friday that she came up with the idea while she and her band mates were messing around with their Apple handhelds. They acquired all of the instrument-simulation software from … Read more

Google launches Street View, Mapplets

This morning Google added Street View, an all new way to browse Google Maps. Launching with five major cities, Street View joins satellite and traffic maps as new ways to view geography. When in an area with a Street View, users can toggle the mode to navigate within a 3-D photograph using their mouse or keyboard shortcuts. Users get their own "person" that shows which direction you're looking at.You can also just click and drag them to new locations. The experience is a mix between Quicktime's VR environment and Microsoft Live Labs' PhotoSynth project since … Read more