For digital artists or those who just prefer the feel of writing out notes with their hand, we think the second-generation Apple Pencil is, unsurprisingly, the best iPad stylus you can buy. Its chief issue is that it's usually expensive, but if you've been thinking of grabbing one, a new discount has brought the device back down to $90 at Amazon and Target. Though we've seen this deal a few times in the past, it still comes within a dollar of the lowest price we've tracked and $39 below Apple's MSRP.
For the unfamiliar, both the first- and second-gen Apple Pencils are specifically designed to work with iPads (and only iPads). Neither device forces you to deal with Bluetooth, and both offer system-wide pressure sensitivity across iPadOS, so the harder you press down, the heavier your lines get.
This latest Pencil released back in 2018, but it remains a substantial upgrade over the original. While both versions perform reliably, the second-gen model can magnetically attach and charge against the edge of a compatible iPad, instead of forcing you to connect over a Lightning port or dongle. Its flatter sides make it less prone to rolling away, and there's a handy double-tap feature that lets you quickly swap between drawing tools and an eraser in certain apps. With the latest iPad Pros, you can also interact with UI elements just by hovering the Pencil over the tablet's display.
Besides its price, the Pencil's chief hang-up is compatibility. The second-gen model works with the fourth-gen iPad Air and up, any 11-inch iPad Pro, the third-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro and up and the sixth-gen iPad mini. Any older models aren't supported, nor are the 9th- or 10th-gen iPads Apple sells today. Still, if you own a compatible model and plan on using your stylus often, the second-gen Pencil is still your best bet, and this discount makes it a little more accessible. If you only want a pen for casual doodling and note-taking, meanwhile, we still like the Logitech Crayon as a cheaper alternative.
I almost never leave the house without some device dedicated to exercising the creative part of my brain. Sometimes this is as simple as a camera or a field recorder. Other times I bring my Teenage Engineering PO-33 with me. It’s not that my phone and a few apps couldn’t accomplish the same thing. It’s just less satisfying. Less tactile.
I have also made no bones about my love of strange, esotericmusic gear. Bastl Instruments’ Microgranny fits the bill for both these wants. It’s tiny, battery-powered and super weird. But I didn’t click with it immediately. I owned a Microgranny 2 briefly a few years back and ended up selling it. Yet, there was something about its crunchy lofi character that I couldn’t shake. So when Bastl Instruments launched the $246Microgranny Monolith, I decided I should give it another shot.
Hardware
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The Monolith is the Microgranny in its “final form.” Though, ultimately, it’s not terribly different from the Microgranny 2 that I slightly regret parting ways with. It’s a 5.5 x 3 x 1.8 inch monophonic sampler powered by a 9v battery (or 9v guitar pedal power cord). It has a built-in microphone for capturing the world around you in glorious 22,050Hz, 8-bit fidelity, as well as a line in and a microSD card preloaded with samples. There’s also a full-size MIDI in and audio out jack on the back.
The controls are pretty easy to figure out, though there is a slight learning curve to things like the recording and instant loop features. On the front are the six “big buttons” for playing back your samples, each of which also has a shift function. There’s also six smaller buttons and six knobs for controlling various parameters. All of this is in the exact same layout, with the exact same labeling as the Microgranny 2.
Physically, the only notable differences are in build quality. The Monolith is made out of dense PCB material instead of acrylic. And the knobs and buttons are all much more satisfying than the usable, but kind of toy-like ones found on the Microgranny 2. The text is also easier to read thanks to the brighter font and dark case. All-in-all, it’s a substantial physical upgrade.
The one thing that hasn’t changed, that I really wish would have, is how you put batteries in the Microgranny. Bastl is a small company that makes instruments for weirdos, so I try to cut it some slack. But replacing the batteries on this thing is aggravating. You have to unscrew the bottom plate and take it off, which inevitably causes the sides of the instrument to also come off. Then, when you’re done shoving a 9v battery in there, you have to carefully realign all the pieces and hope everything stays in place while you screw it back together.
Fighting with the battery is really only an issue if you want to take the Microgranny out of the house with you. Otherwise you can use a standard 9V AC adapter, like the one most guitar pedals use. Thankfully, I happen to have plenty of those laying around. Obviously, this somewhat negates the portability factor, but as I’ll get to in a bit, that turned out to be less of a lure to me than expected. It’s also worth noting that the output is a little noisy when turned all the way up, so definitely stop at about 75 percent if you’re not into low constant whines.
Granular
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
What sets the Microgranny apart in a sea of portable and affordable music gear is that it’s a granular sampler. Now, Bastl is careful not to use the words “granular synthesizer” in most of its marketing materials. And that’s smart. Because if you’re coming here expecting the lush, alien and often ambient soundscapes usually associated with granular synthesis you will be sorely disappointed.
For one, as mentioned earlier, the Microgranny is monophonic. That means you can’t play chords on it unless you’re sampling one. And two, the sound engine can only playback a single “grain” at a time. On something like the 1010music Lemondrop, for instance, you can get up to 16 bits of an audio file running simultaneously, creating complex and often unpredictable textures from the source material. The Microgranny, well, is more like a playable CD skip. But once you embrace that unabashed lofi nature, that’s when you can really connect with it.
Using the controls on the front, you can change the size of the grains, but you’ll never get smooth single cycle waveforms even at the smallest end. Instead the sound is broken and glitchy, like a corrupted MP3 you downloaded from Kazaa in 2002. You can control the speed and direction the playhead travels through your sample using the shift speed knob. It’s almost like very rudimentary time stretching. It doesn’t change the pitch of the sample you're playing back, but it can drag it out in an unnatural and artifact-riddled way.
Then there is sample rate, which changes both the pitch and speed of a sound, similar to an old school sampler. And crush – an absolutely unforgiving bit-crusher — that takes the already crusty character of the Microgranny to full meltdown even at lower settings. When cranked, crush turns any sample into what can only be described as an Atari 2600 trying to approximate the thunderous approach of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
There are also knobs for controlling the start and end points of a sample, as well as the attack and release. They’re basic things that you’ll need, but don’t impart much character. The other important controls are all shift functions found under the big buttons. Hold down FN and press those to turn on legato, set a sample to repeat, sync grain playback to a MIDI clock signal and randomly shift the playback head.
Then there are two other options – RNDMZR – which does what you’d expect: randomize all the parameters for the last played sample. This is the quickest way to complete aural chaos. And “tuned,” which has two different effects. For one it locks the sample rate options to semitones, instead of smooth pitch shifting. And two, when you connect a MIDI keyboard it will transpose the sample for melodic playback. When this is inactive, a keyboard will play back individual grains instead. The latter sounds great in theory, but I’ve honestly had a hard time finding a practical use for it.
In use
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Initially I was excited about the idea of the Microgranny as a go-everywhere, granular noise maker. Obviously everyone’s tastes and use cases are different, but I’ve found that it’s just not ideal for me in that role. For one, the limitations of the monophonic granular engine mean that it’s kind of hard to create something full and musical by simply snatching samples around me.
There’s no sequencer, so I can’t save a fun found-sound drum pattern for later use back in my home studio. I have to remember what I played and rely on my admittedly lackluster sense of rhythm. And the microphone just isn’t particularly sensitive. Even with the input cranked the source needs to be very loud. I turned my phone up all the way, placed the speaker less than half an inch away from the mic, and it was still pretty quiet. Your better bet is using the input jack directly connected to another audio source, like a synth or external mic.
While the granular engine is definitely fun for getting glitchy stuttering sounds, I find it’s best deployed in moderation. Treating the Microgranny as a more traditional (if exceptionally lofi) sampler, though, delivers extremely satisfying results. Since there’s no way to play a sample chromatically in real time on the device itself, that does mean you’d need to sample individual notes or chords to create something melodic without the aid of a MIDI keyboard. Or, you could take one sample, copy and paste it across the six big buttons and adjust the sample rate of each to create a scale.
This isn’t to say that the Microgranny isn’t a fun or melodic instrument. It’s just that it feels more useful in the studio than out. I love it for creating rhythmic loops that I can import into my DAW or processing samples to get a nice digital patina on them. And with a MIDI keyboard attached you can get that crispy pitched sound that makes the Casio SK series of keyboards so sought after (and insanely expensive) even 28 years later.
It’s not the easiest thing to do, but you can even chop up samples on the Microgranny by copying and pasting the same sound across multiple buttons and changing the starting point. It can be a little fiddly since you’re dealing with a really basic seven-segment LED display. But it can be done. This was honestly some of the most fun I had jamming with the Microgranny on its own. Load up some disco or house tracks and you can easily flip them into some lofi Daft Punk-type beats. Max out that crush knob and well, you’ve just created the ideal soundtrack for a rave at the end of the world.
Wrap-up
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
I think I probably gave up on the Microgranny too quickly the first time, since I was too focused on the mobile and granular aspects. When I couldn’t create otherworldly clouds of atmospherics or sketch out a song with multiple tracks, I went straight back to my PO-33 without digging any deeper. I failed to truly explore its potential as a more studio-bound instrument.
At $246 it’s not expensive, but it’s costly and quirky enough that it will only appeal to a particular niche that wants the most authentic lofi sampling they can get. Obviously you can change the sample and bit rate of a file on your computer. But – and this is my opinion – the Microgranny just imparts more character. And it’s the sort of character that’s hard to get without springing for a vintage sampler that might not be in perfect working order. So, if your preferred flavor of lofi grit is more cheap 80s digital than aging tape deck, the Bastl Instruments Microgranny Monolith is definitely worth checking out.
Sony's latest WH-1000XM5 wireless ANC headphones are among the best we've ever tested, thanks to improved sound quality, a comfortable fit and incredible active noise cancellation (ANC). Now is a good time to pick up a pair, because they're currently on sale at Amazon for $348, for a savings of 13 percent ($52) over the regular $400 price.
The WH-1000XM5 scored an excellent 95 in our Engadget review, thanks to improvements in nearly every way over our previous favorite headphones, the WH-1000XM4 (which are also on sale for $300 right now, by the way). Perhaps the biggest improvement was in fit and comfort thanks to the more optimal weight distribution, synthetic leather ear cups and slightly reduced weight.
Sound quality also went up, due to the new 30mm carbon fiber drivers that deliver punchier bass. We also saw more clarity that helps you hear fine detail, along with improved depth that makes music more immersive. And Sony's DSEE Extreme sound processing recovers detail lost to compression, without any noticeable impact on sound quality.
The ANC is equally impressive. With double the number of noise cancellation microphones found in the M4, along with a new dedicated V1 chip, the M5 does a better job at minimizing background noise. And in terms of the microphone, we found that the M5 offers superior call quality over its predecessor. Moreover, you get 30 hours of listening time with ANC enabled, enough for the longest of flights.
The main drawback of the WH-1000XM5 headphones is the $400 price tag, but you can pick them up right now in either silver or black for just $348 and save a cool $52. Just act fast before the sale ends.
Apple is considering a more expensive iPhone “Ultra” that would slot in above the iPhone Pro, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He says the device could arrive as early as next year. Gurman also pointed to recent comments made by Apple CEO Tim Cook. “The iPhone has become so integral [to] people’s lives,” he told analysts when asked if the increasing average price of the iPhone was sustainable. “I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category.”
Gurman hinted the iPhone Ultra could feature a faster processor, better camera hardware and an even larger display. “There also may be more future-forward features, such as finally dropping the charging port,” he adds. Apple already uses “Ultra” to tag its top M2 processors and Watches. Is the iPhone next?
Models from Cadillac, Ford and VW are also eligible.
Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images
The Treasury Department has revised its classification standard to treat more vehicles as SUVs, raising the price threshold from $55,000 to $80,000 and making more EVs eligible for the full $7,500 credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. As Autoblog notes, that should cover five-seat versions of the Tesla Model Y (only the seven-seater qualified before) as well as the Cadillac Lyriq, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and VW’s ID.4. The Treasury expanded the classification using the public-oriented Fuel Economy Labeling standard rather than the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). This will help treat crossovers "consistently," the department says.
It may also shed some light on Google's plans to rival ChatGPT.
Getty
Google has announced a streaming event called Live from Paris that will be all about "Search, Maps and beyond," set to be broadcast on YouTube on Wednesday February 8th. "We're reimagining how people search for, explore and interact with information, making it more natural and intuitive than ever before to find what you need," the description reads.
Hopefully, the "beyond" part will shed more light on its plans for a ChatGPT rival. During Google's earnings call last week, Pichai finally addressed Google's own plans for an AI chat system. "In the coming weeks and months, we'll make these language models available, starting with LaMDA, so that people can engage directly with them," he said.
The country's telecom authority previously degraded access to the site.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked Wikipedia after slowing access to the website for 48 hours over content it considers sacrilegious. The telecom authority revealed on February 1st that it approached the website with a court order to remove "blasphemous" material from its website. After Wikipedia didn't comply or appear before authorities, the PTA degraded access to the website for a couple of days and threatened to block it entirely if it didn't comply with its demands. The agency didn't publicly list the Wikipedia entries it doesn't want people in Pakistan to see. In 2020, the PTA temporarily banned TikTok due to "immoral and indecent" material before the short-form video app promised to moderate clips. The Muslim-majority country has stringent blasphemy laws.
The company cut six percent of its workforce earlier this week.
According to reports, CEO RJ Scaringe told Rivian employees of the project during a company-wide meeting held on Friday. He said the startup had a “small group” of engineers working on a bike. This news comes in the same week the company announced layoffs that would affect six percent of its workforce – the second major restructuring Rivian has undertaken in less than a year. The company said the move was an effort to refocus itself on scaling production of its R1T and R1S EVs.
The latest game to get the reverse-engineering treatment is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Neowinhas reported. A GitHub user called snesrev has fully ported the game to PC using over 80,000 lines of code, while adding some extra enhancements. Those include support for enhanced aspect ratios and pixel shaders, a higher quality world map, secondary item slots and more.
The version was re-engineered in C code, and requires libraries from the SNES emulator LakeSNES. It features all the same levels, enemies and puzzles of the original game, and can even run the original machine code alongside the ported C version. Another GitHub user, xander-haj, showed exactly how it works compared to an emulation in a YouTube video from last year.
The ported version of Link joins other recent projects, notably Star Wars: Dark Forces, that have been fully ported to PC. Unlike emulation, which effectively transforms your PC into an old console, reverse-engineered games are rebuilt from scratch, which allows for added features like the widescreen and pixel shades inserted by snesrev.
Savvy users could create this build on Windows, Mac, Linux and even the Nintendo Switch, with more platforms potentially doable down the road. It's on shaky legal ground, however. For example, after someone did a very cool PC port of the classic Super Mario 64, Nintendo cracked down and links to the download disappeared from file-hosting websites.
Anker's charging accessories can be even more versatile than what the original manufacturer offers, but they tend to be more costly than other options. Luckily, you can now grab a number of Anker chargers and other products at Amazon with discounts up to 46 percent percent. Some of the key deals include the Anker 737 GaNPrime 120W charger at $57 (40 percent off), the 40W 521 Nano Pro charger ($25 or 30 percent off) and the 621 MagGo wireless charger for iPhone ($35 for a savings of $25) and more.
The 737 GaNPrime 120W charger has a maximum output of 120W and can fully charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro in 1.5 hours, according to Anker. At the same time, it's more compact than Apple's own charger and offers a pair of USB-C ports and a USB-A port, so you can charge a smartphone at the same time. Normally priced at $95, it's an easy purchase at $57 if you're looking to upgrade or replace your existing MacBook Pro charger.
If you don't need that much power, Anker's compact 40W 521 Nano Pro smartphone/tablet charger is on sale for $25 ($11 off, in Glacier Blue only), giving you a quick charger on the cheap. And if you need a new cable to connect your iPhone, the company's 10-foot Powerline+ MFi certified charging cord is priced at just $16, for a savings of 27 percent over the regular price.
The company has some battery charger deals as well. The Anker 335 PowerCore 20K 20W power bank with USB-C fast charging costs just $40 right now, or $20 off the regular price. It comes with 20,000 mAh capacity, enough to charge an iPhone 13 4.3 times for days of stress-free use. With a USB-C port and pair of USB-A ports, it can also charge multiple devices at a atime.
Finally, the Anker 621 5000mAh MagGo wireless charger (with a USB-C cable) is on sale for $35, or 42 percent off the regular $60 price. It snaps right on to your iPhone 12/13/14, is relatively thin at 12.8mm, attaches using a super-strong magnet and charges either wirelessly or via the USB-C port and included cable.
If one of your goals for 2023 is to read more, a new Kindle might inspire you to stick to that intention. Amazon has discounted its entry-level e-reader. Right now, you can get the ad-supported model, in either Black or Denim, for $75 or $25 off its usual $100 price. The 25 percent discount marks a new all-time low for the Kindle, making this a great time to buy the e-reader. Amazon has also discounted the ads-free model by $25. Instead of $120, it’s $95 at the moment. The Paperwhite is on sale too. It will set you back $105.
Engadget hasn’t had a chance to review the new entry-level Kindle. That said, judging from all the upgrades Amazon decided to incorporate into the device, it’s well worth the upgrade if you own an older e-reader. The new Kindle features a 300 ppi e-ink screen, making its display as dense as the one on the more expensive Kindle Paperwhite. Amazon also doubled the amount of storage to 16GB, added USB-C charging and made the Kindle’s frame lighter. Oh, and the new model also features up to six weeks of battery life, another upgrade over its predecessor. Unless you’re specifically looking for an e-reader with a larger display, most people are better off buying the entry-level Kindle over its more expensive siblings.
Next year could see the introduction of a new flagship iPhone. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is considering whether to release a more expensive iPhone “Ultra” that would slot in above the iPhone Pro and Pro Max. He says the device could arrive as early next year.
If you’ve been following Gurman’s writing for a while, you may recall he previously reported Apple was considering whether to rebrand the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Ultra. Now, he says there’s evidence to suggest Apple wants to instead offer a more powerful and expensive iPhone to well-heeled consumers. Specifically, Gurman points to a recent comment made by Apple CEO Tim Cook. “The iPhone has become so integral [to] people’s lives,” Cook told analysts when he was asked if the increasing average price of the iPhone was sustainable. “I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category.”
How Apple will differentiate the new model is harder to say. Gurman suggests the iPhone Ultra could feature a faster processor, better camera hardware than the Pro and Pro Max and an even larger display. “There also may be more future-forward features, such as finally dropping the charging port,” he adds.
It’s worth noting reports on the iPhone 15 line suggest Apple is already searching for more ways to differentiate the Pro models from their mainstream siblings. For example, one recent report said the upcoming Pro variants could feature WiFi 6E connectivity, while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus ship with older WiFi 6 antennae. The Pro models could come with other differentiating features, including redesigned titanium frames with haptic volume and power buttons. Apple will also reportedly equip the Pro Max with a periscope camera lens.
If you’ve been patiently waiting for Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro to go on sale, now is your chance to get them at an all-time low price. Amazon has discounted the earbuds to $200. That’s the lowest price Engadget has seen on the AirPods Pro since they went on sale for Black Friday last year.
Similar appearances aside, the new AirPods Pro represent a significant upgrade over the original 2019 model. Engadget Senior Editor Billy Steele awarded the AirPods Pro a score of 88 when he had a chance to review them last year. They offer improved audio quality and active noise cancellation performance, as well as one of the best transparency modes on any set of wireless earbuds on the market right now. Add to that a redesigned case that is sweat- and water-resistant, the usual conveniences you’ll find on all AirPods, including hands-free Siri and fast pairing, and you have one of the best sets of earbuds you can buy to use with an iPhone. At $200, the AirPods Pro are even more compelling.
With its first update of 2023, Telegram is making it easier to communicate with people who might speak a different language than you. The next time someone messages you in a language other than your default language, you’ll see a translate bar at the top of the interface. Tap it to translate their message in real time. If you’re a Premium subscriber, you’ll also have access to this feature when engaging with groups and channels. As you can see from the GIF Telegram shared, this could be handy when planning a trip. Join a channel in the city you plan to visit to see the events and spots locals are talking about. If you want to try Premium, Telegram has also introduced a new annual payment option that allows you to save up to 40 percent on the price of the service if you commit to a full year.
Separately, the update adds a tool for turning stickers and emoji into profile pictures. In addition to using this feature for yourself, you can set or suggest profile pictures for your contacts. Best of all, it’s available to everyone, not just Premium users. And speaking of stickers and emoji, Telegram has made it easier to sort through the dizzying number of options the app offers by organizing them into categories. At the same time, there are new interactive versions of a handful of emoji, and the company has released 10 new custom emoji packs.
A couple of quality-of-life improvements make it easier to manage Telegram’s footprint on your device. To start, Telegram has redesigned the app’s network usage tool. At the top of the interface, you’ll now see the information the tool has to share presented in a handy pie chart with separate tabs for mobile, WiFi and roaming usage. Additionally, Telegram has tweaked the automatic media download settings to support exceptions, giving users more control over the type and size of media the app automatically saves to their phone’s storage. If you don’t have access to the update immediately, be patient. Sometimes these releases take a few days to roll out.
