We love September. It means new iPods. This September is no different, Apple has just invited us to a ’special event’ on September 9th.
We’re expecting to see a new iPod Nano as well as a form factor change for the iPod Touch so it matches the iPhone and we’ll probably get various storage bumps in there too.
Stay tuned on the day because I will sending blogs up as the event happens. Can’t wait.
As you may have noticed our Blog has had a bit of an update. Have a good look around the new interface and let us know your thoughts on it in the comments below.
There’s a sea of web browsers for Mac OS X out there so it’s only when a more unique take on the standard navigation tool appears that we ever get interested.
Flock is one such app. Built on Mozilla’s Firefox 3 Technology, it taps into the world’s infatuation with social networking and sharing within a slick and very Mac oriented interface.
Scooping a slew of awards from a Webby to a top ten listing in PC World’s 100 Best Products of 2008, Flock is constantly evolving and is now available in 2.0 Beta form.
So what’s the big deal? Well, if you’re one of those web users who always has a Facebook page open or can’t resist a quick skim across comments on Flickr photos or YouTube videos, Flock makes the process far simpler. Integrating the most popular social websites like those mentioned above and many more, Flock negates the requirement of navigating to a page to view, connect and share – it’s all in the browser interface. Send photos to friends on Facebook by dragging and dropping, check messages on Twitter, share links and text and much more.
A “Gloss” edition of Flock now brings you the latest in fashion and entertainment gossip across the web should you require it.
Setup is as smooth as can be with a simple login to your chosen site being enough for Flock to create your own sidebar or account within the browser. Facebook is a classic example here with a list of your friends appearing in a bar at the side of the browser showing their picture, status and more. You can even drag and drop images and links on to a user’s profile to share with them instantly.
Whether you’re into social networks, photos, blogs, media or news feeds, Flock has something for you. There’s even a built-in media bar that scours sites like Picasa, Truveo and YouTube, a feed reader for RSS and a blog editor for the most popular blogging apps.
It sounds crass and clichéd but Flock, that dubs itself “The Social Web Browser”, is just downright sociable. From the feature set through to the cute interface it’s an App no Mac fan or web fiend should overlook.
During the course of getting the magazine together we often get to play with some very cool kit, its a burden, but its part of our lives…
Last week I was lucky enough to be sent a couple of guitars to test with GarageBand (and Logic), the idea being that I would be able to get some great tones with the new guitars and add a bit of extra flair to my usual projects.
Both guitars came from a Japanese guitar maker by the name of Tokai. I’ve been admirer of their wares for some time but never been able to have more than a quick strum whilst in various music shops, disapointing the expectant salesman when I handed the guitar back without buying.
So I have now had a good few days to really get to grips with them and do some recording.
The first guitar I tested was the LoveRock II and I’ve pretty much fallen in love with it. Its very light, much more like a strat then a Les Paul in that respect. It has a very Les-Paul like neck, which makes it easy to play and gives it a really solid feel when thrashing away. The double cut-away design takes a bit of getting used to. I’m a bit of stick in the mud when it comes to design, I like the two main guitar styles (strat and LP) and little else, but this double cut away design is really growing on me. In terms of tone, there’s plenty of it and there’s a really nice variation in sound between pickups. Overall this is a great guitar that can be put to use in a variety of styles, it can be gutsy and full of blues on the back pickup and light and delicate when needed on the front pickup. If you are in the market for a versatile guitar then this really is worth a look.
The second guitar I was lucky enough to try was the HummingBird CJC98E. Its an acoustic and an absolute beauty. I’ve not had massive amounts of experience with acoustic guitars, I’ve certainly never paid more than £200 for one, so I was very excited to try this one that retails atover £600. I have to say, I was blown away with the sound. Its rich and full and very forgiving for a novice player like me. Not only does this model sound great when recorded with a mic, but it also has a jack plug to be connected to an amp as well as an xlr input so you can mic it straight to an audio interface or PA. It also comes with (and this is genius) a built in tuner, so you can easily be tuned up in a matter of seconds. This is the kind of guitar that is definitely worth saving the penies for, it will last you a lifetime and sound great.
For more information on tokai guitars, head to www.tokai-guitars.co.uk and if you can make it down to your local music shop and they sotck them, pick one up and have a try, they are awesome.
We are obviously very excited here at iCreate about the new iPhone and the launch of the App Store so we are trying our best to get in touch with App developers so we can be quick off of the mark with our reviews.
If you guys know of any Apps that are going to be released and are worthy of inclusion in iCreate then let us know!
Answers on a postcard…
There are a few news stories floating around the web that have announced iTunes as the single largest outlet for music sales in the US.
Although many analysts believe the results that came in over Christmas were a spike caused by new iPod owners redeeming gift certificates that came with their new pressies, it looks like it wont be that long before Apple hits the top of the charts legitimately.
Apple claim to have caused the digital music revolution with the creation of iTunes and the iPod and surely the emergence of iTunes as the biggest outlet for music will surely be the last nail in the coffin for using physical media to buy and play music?
Will there be a hardcore of CD lovers who will perpetuate the medium, much as there is for vynil or will it pretty much die out like the cassette tape?
Its going to be an interesting year in that sense, and I can’t make up my mind as to whether this is a good thing or not. On the one hand I hardly ever use CD’s choosing instead to get new music from iTunes and on the other hand, unless there is a decent rival to iTunes or something is done about DRM then we could all be held to ransom by Mr Jobs and the iTunes machine…
Weeks of excitement leading up to the new iCreate blog and I can’t think of a thing to say… Fear not, dear blog-lover. We’ll come up with something. As I write this, Jimmy “Global” Hayes is furiously tapping away at his keyboard trying to beat me to first blog post and also upload a particularly awful photo of me he took in London. As I always say, “Slow and steady wins the race”. In years to come when we look back at our first posts, he’ll kick himself for rushing with all the spelling errors and obscurely structured sentences. If, by some miracle however, he provides a flawless and typo free post, I have the power, as editor, to head back into the blog and make some changes or delete the thing entirely. So I’ll always have the last laugh! Slow and steady wins the race. Slow, steady and with admin privileges rules the blog.
