Apple is gearing up to launch HomePod in Japan — more than two years after the device got its first unveiling.
Smart speaker shoppers will be able to pick one up in the coming weeks for 32,800 yen (approx. $301). HomePod will then be available in a total of 11 countries.
Epic Games has promised huge audio improvements for Fortnite Battle Royale.
The changes, which are especially focused on enemy player awareness, will be made in the version 9.10 update. It is expected to roll out to all platforms later this week.
Your favorite shows and movies on Netflix are about to start sounding a lot better.
Netflix came out with a new update today that takes the streaming service’s audio quality to a new level. Sound is supposed to be “more crisp and more intense” so that it gets you more immersed in the story.
Fortnite fans are still enjoying last week’s massive season eight update, but many will have noticed that certain things need fixing. One of those is the audio for a bunch of weapons and items, which Epic Games is already working on fixing.
Seth Weedin, Fortnite’s technical sound designer, has detailed a number of big audio improvements that will roll out in a version 8.01 patch.
Apple’s software update released yesterday for the new HomePod may have altered the sound quality on its smart speaker.
Many angry HomePod owners that installed the update yesterday have taken to Twitter and Reddit claiming Apple’s fine-tuning of the speaker with the update has totally ruined how some songs sound.
Apple fans that purchase the iPhone X will get an extra tree when devices finally start arriving later this week: an exclusive ringtone.
Bundled inside the software for the iPhone X is an all-new ringtone called “Reflection.” The song has a melody that is somewhat similar to the iconic “Marimba” ringtone that launched with the original iPhone.
Take a listen:
A growing number of MacBook Pro owners are complaining of a mysterious “popping” sound coming from their machines.
The sound doesn’t appear to be generated by certain tasks or uses, though some say it is more common during intensive tasks like gaming.
Even though nobody asked for it, Facebook made it so videos play automatically, with the sound turned on, as you scroll by them in your News Feed. Luckily, a simple Chrome extension prevents that from happening — and it doesn’t just work on Facebook.
Apple touts the new iPhone 7 as being water-resistant enough to take into the shower. There’s really no good reason to bathe with your smartphone, but the point is that iPhone 7 owners don’t need to worry about a little rain or spilled tea.
Naturally, some people waltzed into their shower stalls with their expensive new phones in hand — just cuz — and some found a weakness in the iPhone 7’s water-resistance. Luckily for foolhardy iPhone owners everywhere, a Redditor discovered a simple hack for getting the water out.
Hssssssssss.
Hssssssssss.
I told one of my favorite photographers, Mike Kepka, that I was trying to shoot a little video, but that my audio sounded horrid. He happens to be pretty decent videographer. And a little bit of a gearhead (at least in comparison to me).
“Get a Beachtek,” said Mike.
“What is the hell is that?” I said. “And do you have one?”
If you’re looking to get away from it all, you might want to check out this game. …and then it rained is an arcade game full of sound, rain, and colors, and it’s the perfect game for a quiet few minutes away from the hectic pace of your life.
With true zen-like minimalism, there are just a few simple mechanics at work here, but it may just be the best game you play all week.
Check out the video below to see how it plays.
Of all the ambient noise apps I’ve tried, myNoise is the best. Based on the well-regarded website of the same name, myNoise for iPhone is a “noise generator,” not just an app that plays recordings of rain and coffee shops.
And it also looks as good as it sounds.
Tiny portable bluetooth speakers are all the rage these days, and we’ve seen our fair share of them.
Trouble is, the smaller the speaker, the worse it sounds. Honestly, if your bluetooth speaker sounds worse than the built-in speakers on your iPhone, you’ll likely not want to go through the trouble of even pairing the thing up.
The Music Cup bluetooth speaker is small, shaped like a mug, and it sounds pretty darn good.
For those of us who live the lives of professional bloggers, here’s a common occurence. You wake up in the morning and load up a bunch of tabs of stories you want to read that day. Soon, you have two or three dozen tabs open, one of which has an auto-playing video. And no matter how hard you try, you can’t bloody find the thing!
Yeah. Chrome just fixed that.
Unlike pictures, sound is ambient – you can hear it even when you’re not listening “at” it the same way you have to look at something to see it. And this goes for recording, too. While you have to point a camera at a thing to tape it, you can record sound even if the mic is in your pocket.
And this in turn makes possible an app like Heard, which lets you record any sound you hear, even after you hear it.
Nestled amid the gentle rolling hills of my old stomping ground of Westlake Village sits Blue Microphones, little more than a half hour north of Los Angeles. There’re actually two lakes in the area: beautiful Lake Sherwood, and the grubby, man-made boating pond of Westlake Lake. Neither, to my recollection, has ever had a reported sighting of a monster.
Blue Microphones’s new USB mic is named “Nessie,” which I guess means now the area has at least one lake monster. Only in this case it’s the good, super-friendly kind of monster.
It’s pretty rare to find quality sounding earbuds that look as good as they sound. But you’ll find just that in our latest Cult of Mac Deals offer. That’s because you can get a pair of brown BodyGuardz Moxy earbuds with a mic by for just $35 — but your time to get this deal is almost up!
It’s pretty rare to find quality sounding earbuds that look as good as they sound. But you’ll find just that in our latest Cult of Mac Deals offer. That’s because you can get a pair of brown BodyGuardz Moxy earbuds with a mic by for just $35…but only for a limited time.
We’re very stingy with our five-star ratings, and it’s even more rare for us to slap all five onto a gadget. So pay attention — because today we’re awarding the full five stars to the Logitech UE Boombox ($250), a portable, battery-equipped, eight-driver Bluetooth speaker that sounds absolutely astounding. In fact, the Boombox does a better job of rocking out than some non-portable, home systems costing much more.
Just like Blue Microphone’s non-digital Spark, the new, Digital Spark microphone has been put together with an armful of we’re-not-playing-around components and features. Things like a beefed-up condenser capsule, a Focus selector that toggles between a low-frequency bias and a detail bias, and an adjustable desk stand with shock mount. But this Spark is built for iPads (or iPhones); though its USB connector means it’ll work just fine with your MacBook Pro, iMac, Sony Vaio, Samsung Galaxy Tab or anything else with a USB input.
How often do you want to know what sounds look like? I’m guessing not very often, unless you’re a musician. But if you do want to know what sounds look like, and you want to know it in the most stylish and good-looking way possible on iOS, you can’t go far wrong with an app called Soundbeam. It’s just beautiful.
Snapping a screenshot on your Apple device is dead easy: home-plus-sleep-button for iOS, and Command-Shift-4 (or others) for the Mac. But what about snapping a sound-shot, i.e. grabbing a snippet of your system audio?
Well, you could fire up Quicktime and start dickering around with that. Or you could install WavTap and then hit Command-Control-Space.
There are plenty of add-on lenses for the iPhone’s great camera, but if you’re shooting movies, the sound is still going to suck. The iPhone’s mic does a fine job of picking up sound, but maybe it picks up a little too much, or maybe it gets freaked out by a little wind and starts to sound awful?
What you need is a boom mic, and luckily Photojojo will sell you one specifically made for the iPhone.
If you’re tired of moving your main speakers from place to place and don’t want to put headphones on (or in) your ears every time you want to hear music while you’re on the go, this soon-to-end Cult of Mac Deals offer is for you. The Sphear speakers we’re offering go beyond your bedroom. Take them anywhere and play them on any of your Mac devices. For the size, the sound is flawless and for a very limited time we have this speaker set on sale for only $20! And yes, that includes shipping!
Here’s the catch with this deal: once all 200 of these Sphear speakers are gone, this sale is history…and this deal is only available to a shipping address in the 48 continental United States.
With the minimal lifestyle becoming all the rage — and the idea of having something that can be used in both stay-at-home and travel situations, the latest Cult of Mac Deals offer is bound to turn some heads. Not just because of the savings, but because the Sphear speakers we’re offering (albeit only 200 of them, so hurry) cater to both of those ideals. The benefit of these speakers goes beyond your bedroom. Take them anywhere and play them on any of your Mac devices.
But once all 200 of these are gone, this sale is history! So take advantage while you can. For the size, the sound is flawless and for a very limited time we have this speaker set on sale for only $20! And yes, that includes shipping. (Please note this deal is only available to a shipping address in the 48 continental United States.)
