How Much the iPhone Camera Has Improved

When the first iPhone came out, the camera was an afterthought, only tossed in to feature match its competitors. Fast forward four years and it’s an entirely different story, Apple has made it a point of emphasis and the camera in the iPhone 4S sh-sh-sh-shines. [read]

Pro Tools 10 and its 50+ new features

The rumors were true, Pro Tools 10 has been announced. It has over 50 new features, some of which have already been previewed. You’ll find the list at the bottom of this post.

Upgrade from Pro Tools 9 to 10 will be $299. If you purchased Pro Tools 9 or an Mbox + Pro Tools bundle after October 1st you’re eligible for a free upgrade.

My comments: I’m starting to wonder what’s going on with the numbers here. Didn’t we just get Pro Tools 9? In the good old days we had several updates – some of which were major – before jumping to another X.X version. Ah, screw the good old days! Pro Tools is better than ever. Avid can roll out Pro Tools 59 for all I care. [read]

10 Reasons Why You Should Never Chimp While Shooting Street Photography

Chimping– it is a disease and an unhealthy addiction that runs rampart within the digital photography community. What is chimping you ask? It is the act of looking at your LCD screen the second after you take a shot. Why do they call it chimping? Well imagine if you think you got a great shot, you show other people, and point to your LCD screen while saying “ooh ooh ooh” like a chimpanzee. Why is this bad when it comes to street photography? Keep reading to find out. [Eric Kim]

Addictive microSynth for iPhone/iPod

Combines the synthesis power of Addictive Synth with an easy to use 4 track loop phrase recorder.

It was never so easy to create beautiful sounds and driving loops.
The unique dynamic wavetable synthesis allows you to explore an unprecedented
wide range of sonic territory. From acid loops, crystal clear percussions, realistic
human choirs to complex musical soundscapes nothing seems impossible
with only a handful parameters to tweak.

Together with the intelligent randomizer for both sounds and arpeggios you
will loose any sense of time and space while exploring unknown sonic territories.

Right from the beginning you’ll understand why it’s named Addictive.

With a CoreMIDI compatible MIDI Interface you can use  a MIDI Keyboard to control Addictive microSynth. [read & watch demo]

Purchase thru iTunes

Ten Years into iPod Era, the Big News: Apple’s Dedicated Player Survives

Rocking it old skool… sort of. The iPod Classic, the true successor, ten years on. Photo (CC-BY-ND) Mac User’s Guide.

The tenth anniversary of the iPod debut means you’ll find plenty of commentaries on Apple’s iPod and how it has changed music. It’s an issue that’s been talked to death enough, continuously, in the past ten years that I’m literally uncertain there’s more I can say about it. Here’s one good, compact commentary from Daring Fireball, inspired by Macworld’s sharp review from the 2001 debut of the hardware.

Instead, let’s consider what hasn’t happened: Apple hasn’t discontinued the standalone iPod, as distinct from the iPad and iPhone and other general devices. For music lovers, that’s a big deal. The sad news is, the category itself has all but entirely imploded. [read]

Top 10 Things Every Budding Foodie Should Know

So you’ve decided it’s time to learn your way around the kitchen, but you don’t really know where to start. From knife basics to budget stretching to proper food storage, here are the most important things you’ll want to learn as you become a master chef. [read]

Six Ways to Become More Self-Motivated

Do you find it tough to work towards your goals – even when you know they’re worthwhile? Perhaps you’ve tried to push yourself forwards with willpower … but it hasn’t worked.

Instead of willpower, you need more self-motivation. That way, you won’t run out of energy – and you might even find yourself enjoying life more!

Here’s how to become more self-motivated:

#1: Spend Your Time on Tasks You Enjoy
If you have a choice about what you’ll spend your time on – perhaps what job you’ll take, or what you’ll major in at college – then choose something that you’ll enjoy. Going for a job that pays a little more, or a major that sounds a bit more prestigious, isn’t going to help you stay motivated.

Even if you’re working in a job that you dislike, you probably have some control over the tasks you take on. Can you ask to be involved with a new, interesting project? Can you volunteer to help your manager with a particular piece of work? [read]

Key To Ericsson’s Success: Not Taking On The iPhone, Focusing On China And Mobile Infrastructure

The world is swiftly adapting to mobile internet solutions, and in industrialized nations the era of dumbphones and 2G tech is all but over. This represents a huge opportunity for Swedish firm Ericsson, because though you may not know it, Ericsson’s technology underpins much of the hardware that makes cell phone networks actually work.

After a very strong showing for the quarter, the company expects to sell some $41.3 billion in wireless infrastructure gear around the world this year, and Gartner expects this figure to hit $48 billion by 2015. Ericsson is big, much bigger than its partnership with Sony would suggest. Both before and since the company’s decision about 10 years ago to partner with Sony to make cell phones–a move that saw both firms shutting their own production efforts in favor of joint designs–the company has concentrated less on the consumer space and more on making money from the behind-the-scenes tech that makes the phones connect to the voice network, and mobile Net. They have innovated and earned money where others have left a gap in the market–around the whole world, not just industrialized nations. [read]

Switch to Manual Mode [photography]

In the past couple of years, the price for DSLRs and other fancy cameras has decreased dramatically and these cameras have become affordable to many more photo-enthusiasts. I often stroll Fifth Avenue in New York City and observe so many tourists using their DSLR to ‘snap’ rather than photograph. There is nothing wrong with snapping but I can’t help feeling puzzled by the reasons beyond their purchase of an expensive and heavy camera instead of a good and cheaper point and shoot. [read]

Handheld Studio: Song Recorded with Just an iPhone 4S, Sonoma FourTrack; Here’s How

One of the smallest measures of time in the world is now the time that elapses between when Apple ships a new mobile product and someone has uploaded a video / album / feature film with it. It’s rather amazing. Somewhere, other tech vendors are … crying.

But that said, I think the video above is a wonderful thing. Perhaps the mobile smartphone is this generation’s new PortaStudio – something so readily accessible and portable that there’s really no excuse not to record a musical event when it happens. And however you do that I think is healthy.

So, in case you’re curious how a spare cable or adapter or two and a phone can be there – just in case someone forgot their laptop / ADAT machine / reel-to-reel deck – let’s just copy the full press release, as it’s told as a very nice, personal little story. And the music is sweet-hearted, too. [read and watch video]