It's been possible to automatically create song stems on your computer, but now you have that option in a sampler app on your phone. Elf Audio has updated its Koala Sampler app for Android and iOS with a feature that uses AI to automatically isolate stems from samples. You can have the J Dilla-inspired app pick out the vocals, drums or bass (plus a generic "other") so that you can fold them into a track without consuming much time on your part.
The AI isn't perfect, as you can hear in the clip below. However, that's not strictly the point. As with the rest of Koala Sampler, this is more about creating quick cuts and making music production more accessible to people who can't justify expensive sampling tools. At $5, it's an easier way to dabble in this kind of production than investing in a full suite or novelties like Kanye's Stem Player.
NEW UPDATE to Koala (1.4055)! Split samples into stems using AI! Try doing that on a [insert sampler name here] pic.twitter.com/WBQX1POLEn
On the heels of BTS dance workouts arriving on Fitness+, Apple is once again teaming up with the all-conquering K-pop group. A three-episode Apple Music series will delve into the history of BTS.
The first episode of BTS Radio: Past & Present will premiere on Apple Music 1 on May 28th at 9AM ET, the Associated Press notes. The other two episodes will arrive on a weekly basis. In the show, the members of BTS will take listeners through their journey to becoming superstars. "We wanted to share the BTS songs that help tell our story," RM, one of the septet, said.
The series will debut just ahead of the group's first anthology/best-of album Proof, which arrives on June 10th, as well as BTS' ninth anniversary three days later. Next week, BTS will visit the White House to discuss Asian inclusion and representation with President Biden, following a rise in reports of anti-Asian discrimination and hate crimes.
Young golfers can now turn their physical surroundings into a digital putting green, courtesy of the same tech behind Niantic's Pokémon Go. The PGA Jr. League today unveiled Safari Par-Tee, a new AR mobile gaming platform available on both iOS and Android. Trigger — the developer behind the app — built it with Niantic’s Lightship kit for AR apps. Players can use their smartphone to scan their physical environment into an interactive golf course.
While Safari Par-Tee is aimed toward youth golfers (it even features very cutesy animal avatars), its AR capabilities will likely make it a draw for parents and older family members to join in as well. The game has a number of multiplayer options, allowing players to match with other local players in real-time, or connect with specific players over WiFi The game also allows players to hold communal scoring contests with multiple rounds and different clubs. For players who are new to golf, the game introduces them to the fundamentals of the game as well as the various styles of play. The game features three different terrains, all with different obstacles and objectives.
Given that the world of golf video games has plenty of options geared to adults (such as PGA TOUR 2K21, Tiger Woods PGA Tour and the recently delayed EA Sports PGA Tour), a free entry for kids seems like a refreshing change of pace. Safari Par-Tee is now available to download on either Apple’s App Store or the Google Play store.
School may be winding down, but that isn't stopping Google from making Chromebooks more useful as note-taking tools. The company is rolling out a Chrome OS M102 release that makes the previously limited Cursive app available on any Chromebook with pen support. The software helps you create, organize and share handwritten notes, in some cases with shorcuts that spare you from using keyboards or finger touch.
You can write or draw, as you'd expect, but you can also use your pen to move content just by circling it, or erase it by scribbling on top. You can even create extra space by drawing a horizontal line. Cursive also lets you paste images, collate material in notebooks and share notes by either copying it or saving them as PDFs.
M102 is also an important update if you're using a Chromebook with Thunderbolt or USB 4 ports. Chrome OS on systems with 11th- or 12th-generation Core processors is now smart enough to recognize if the USB-C cable you're using can't support a display or otherwise falls short of what your laptop can handle. You might not have to wonder why a peripheral isn't working properly.
If you need magnification, the upgrade lets you resize the magnified portion. You can better see zoomed-in content, or keep the area small when you just want a closer look at tiny pictures or text.
Cursive will be preinstalled on all compatible Chromebooks as part of the update, but you can install it manually using the earlier link. It's reasonable to say the update makes stylus-equipped Chromebooks that much more useful — you can jot down class and meeting notes knowing they'll be tidy and easy to access.
Memorial Day is nearly here and, as usual, you can find a number of solid gadget deals across the web ahead of the holiday. A few Apple devices are on sale, including the latest AirPods for $150, and you can pick up a bunch of outdoor gear from the likes of Solo Stove, Ooni and BioLite for less. HyperX gaming accessories have been discounted as well, plus you can still pick up Amazon's Fire TV Cube for only $70. Here are the best tech sales we could find for Memorial Day 2022.
Apple AirPods (3rd gen)
Billy Steele/Engadget
The latest AirPods are $30 off and down to $150, which is only $10 more than their all-time-low price. We gave the buds a score of 88 for their improved audio quality, more comfortable design and longer battery life.
Both the 41mm and 45mm versions of the Apple Watch Series 7 are $70 off right now and down to record lows: $329 and $359, respectively. We gave the wearable a score of 90 for its larger display, faster charging capabilities and powerful watchOS 8 features.
A pack of four AirTags is down to $89 right now, or $10 off its regular price. If you have a few things you want to keep track of, this is a good opportunity to pick up a few AirTags that can help you do so. AirTags show you the location of your things in Apple's Find My app, and if you have an iPhone that supports Precision Finding, it can lead you directly to your stuff.
Apple's MacBook Air M1 is $100 off right now and down to $900. While not an all-time low, it's a good discount on Apple's thinnest and lightest laptop. We gave it a score of 94 for its speedy performance, excellent battery life and lack of fan noise.
Solo Stove's Memorial Day sale knocks up to 46 percent off fire pits, so you can pick one up for as low as $200. You'll find the deepest discount on the big Yukon, which is $350 off and down to $400. We like these fire pits because they create much less smoke than their cheaper competitors and, out of the three models available, two of them are pretty portable, too.
Samsung knocked $100 off its new Smart Monitor M8. The display combines a smart TV and a computer monitor into one, but it also has a SmartThings hub built in, so you can use it to control your smart home ecosystem. The UHD display supports HDR 10+, refresh rates up to 60Hz and it has built-in access to streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.
Sony's Days of Play sale on Amazon discounts a bunch of PlayStation accessories, including all six PS DualSense controllers. You can pick up any of them, including the vibrantly colored ones, for $59, which is up to 21 percent off their normal prices.
Adorama has a sale on Nest Audio smart speakers that bundles two of the gadgets for $120. That brings the price of each down to $60, which is $40 off their usual rate. If you only want one speaker, you can pick it up for $65. The Nest Audio is one of our favorite smart speakers thanks to its solid audio quality, minimalist design and stereo sound capabilities when you pair two of them together. Adorama also has the Nest Hub smart display for $65 and the Nest Hub Max for $179.
Roku's compact Streambar is back down to $99, which is $30 off its normal price. We gave it a score of 86 for its solid audio quality, Dolby Audio support and built-in 4K streaming technology.
The Tile Essentials four-pack of Bluetooth trackers is 15 percent off and down to $68. These small devices let you keep track of your things via the companion mobile app. You can see the last known location of your items in the app, and if you're within Bluetooth range, you can force the Tile tracker to ring so you can more easily find your stuff.
Amazon's Fire TV Cube is down to a record low of $70 right now, or almost half off its regular rate. This is the most powerful streaming device that Amazon offers and it supports 4K HDR content, Dolby Vision and hands-free Alexa commands.
The Fire TV Stick 4K is 30 percent off and down to $35, which, while not a record low, it's a good sale price on this handy streaming stick. Like the Fire TV Cube, it supports 4K streaming and Dolby Vision, but it takes up much less space and can hide behind your TV. And if you want to spend even less, you can pick up the Fire TV Stick Lite for only $20.
1Password is offering 50 percent off paid plans for a limited time, which means you can sign up for a personal plan for $1.50 per month (when billed annually) or a Families plan for $2.50 per month. 1Password is one of our favorite password managers because it stores all of the dozens of login credentials you have safely and securely, while also making it easy for you to fill in the correct ones without remembering them as you browse the web.
Ooni has knocked 20 percent off its pizza ovens, so you can pick one up for as low as $280. We've recommended Ooni pizza ovens in a few outdoor guides, and the new Karu 16 earned a spot on our list of favorite grilling gear thanks to its support for multiple fuel sources, a built-in digital thermometer for keeping track of temperatures and a hinged door with a glass window that lets you see what you're cooking more easily.
You can pick up smartphones, earbuds and laptops for less during Samsung's Memorial Day sale. If you've had your eye on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G, you can get one with a free Galaxy Watch 4 this weekend. Plus, the new Galaxy Z Flip 3 Bespoke Edition is $50 off and the company also knocked up to $150 off the Galaxy Chromebook 2.
Dell's latest sale discounts a number of laptops, headsets, monitors and more. Key among the deals is one on the Dell XPS 13 Touch laptop — you can grab the model with an 11th-gen Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a 4K touchscreen for only $882.
A number of HyperX gaming equipment is on sale across the web at Amazon, GameStop and other retailers. A standout is the QuadCast S microphone, which you can pick up for $120 right now. Compatible with macOS, Windows, PS4 and PS5, this mic supports four selectable polar patterns and customizable RGB lighting.
BioLite's Memorial Day sale knocks up to 25 percent off its camping and outdoor gear. We've recommended its headlamps in guides in the past, thanks to their slim profiles, adjustable light settings and general versatility. If you go for the Headlamp 330 or the Headlamp 750, you'll get a rechargeable battery, too.
Another one of our favorite outdoor brands, Sea to Summit, has also knocked 25 percent off many of its products for Memorial Day. We particularly like the brand's line of collapsible bowls and mugs for their reliability and portability. This sale knocks the X-Mug down to just over $10 and the X-Bowl to only $13.
Plex is offering 20 percent off a Lifetime Plex Pass this week only, bringing the cost down to $96. If you're unfamiliar, Plex allows you to create a server on which you can store your personal media, including TV shows, movies and music, and then access that content from anywhere. With a premium plan, you'll get access to features like skipping intros and trailers, HDR tone mapping, real-time server stats and more.
A number of Hisense smart TVs have been discounted for Memorial Day. A standout is the 2022 65-inch A6 Series smart TV, which is $350 off and down to $450. You're getting a 4K TV with built-in Chromecast technology, Dolby Vision support and Sport and Game modes.
Spark Grills are $200 off for Memorial Day, so you can pick one up for as low as $900. These retro-looking grills heat one piece of charcoal to between 250 and 900 degrees, and you can keep track of cooking temperatures from the companion mobile app as long as you're within Bluetooth range.
You can pick up keyboards, hub adapters and more for less during Satechi's Memorial Day sale. Use the code MD15 to get 15 percent off your order, or the code MD20 to get 20 percent off orders of $100 or more.
US college students who want to keep learning over the summer break might be interested in checking out the latest promotion from Masterclass. They can get a three-month individual membership for just $1.
Masterclass hosts video-centric classes from notable, successful figures including Lewis Hamilton, Gordon Ramsay, Anna Wintour, Spike Lee and Serena Williams. The company says it now has more than 2,500 lessons on topics including gardening, writing, filmmaking, business leadership, wilderness survival and interior design.
You'll need a .edu email address and to meet a few other criteria, such as being a current student enrolled in a college or university program in the US. Masterclass says your promotional plan won't auto-renew. Once it expires, you'll have the option of continuing your membership at the regular price. The plans start at $15 per month.
It's not quite as great a deal as the one year of access for $1 Masterclass offered students in 2020. Still, it's a low-cost way to try the service and learn a thing or two.
You'll need to act swiftly if you're interested. Masterclass says there's a limited supply of promotional memberships available and the offer expires at 11:59PM PT tonight. You can sign up for the so-called Summer of Learning via a dedicated page on the Masterclass website.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Sony is holding its first PlayStation State of Play event in months, and you'll want to tune in if you're looking forward to PlayStation VR2. The company has announced a stream for June 2nd at 6PM Eastern that will include a "sneak peek" at several PSVR2 games. There aren't any clues as to what those entail, but the company recently noted that there will be at least 20 "major" games for the VR platform at launch — we wouldn't be surprised to see some of those during the presentation.
The State of Play video will also feature other game reveals from third-party developers as well as some "updates." The event will be available to watch live through PlayStation's Twitch and YouTube channels.
Only a few games have been confirmed for PSVR2 so far, including the spinoff Horizon: Call of the Mountain as well as Among Us VR, Cyan Worlds' Firmament and unnamed projects from Coatsink (Jurassic World Aftermath) and nDreams (Fracked). It's not certain if Sony will mention those games, or even show any gameplay, but it's clear the company is ready to shift more of its attention toward the new headset's software.
Memorial Day sales have brought one of the best discounts we've seen on the Apple Watch Series 7. Multiple models of Apple's flagship smartwatch are down to $329 right now, with is $70 off and a return to its record-low price. The price applies to the 41mm GPS Watches, but the larger, 45mm models are also $70 off and down to $359.
The Series 7 is only a moderate update from the Series 6, but Apple did make some key improvements. Most notably, the Series 7 has a larger screen that makes it easier to see the time, messages and other information displayed in complications. The design appears unchanged, but it's the first Apple Watch to be IP6X dust resistant, making it more durable than previous models. It also supports faster charging — we were able to get 10 percent juice after 10 minutes of charging, and the Watch was fully powered up in less than one hour.
Otherwise, the Series 7 is much the same as the Series 6. It has an always-on display, a built-in GPS, ECG and blood oxygen measurement capabilities, fall detection, support for dozens of trackable workouts and more. Our biggest complaint with the latest model in particular is its lackluster sleep tracking abilities — you'll only be able to track how long you slept with the native watchOS feature, which is much less information than you'd get if you used a Fitbit or a Garmin device to do the same thing. But if that's not much of a concern for you, it's hard to beat the Apple Watch for iPhone users who are set on getting a wearable.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This week, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham dive into the latest news around Clearview AI, the controversial facial recognition company that’s now seeing pushback from governments and regulators around the world. Will a few fines put a stop to the company’s facial recognition search platform? Also, they discuss how Clearview’s troubles relate to countries being more restrictive about data in general. Finally, they pour one out for Seth Green’s lost Bored Ape – RIP NFT!
Listen above, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Facial Recognition company Clearview AI is on the ropes after several big settlements – 1:22
The era of borderless data may be ending – 15:04
Privacy focused search company DuckDuckGo quietly allowed Microsoft browsing trackers – 23:08
New details about AMD’s Ryzen 7000 chips – 28:34
Oh no, somebody stole Seth Green’s Bored Ape – 33:16
Working on –36:29
Pop culture picks – 41:36
Livestream
Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Nathan Ingraham Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos Graphic artists: Luke Brooks and Brian Oh
It's a good time to stock up if you've been waiting for a sale on wireless, solar or high-speed chargers. An assortment of Anker products are on sale at Amazon with discounts up to 39 percent, including its magnetic 623 MagGo 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Station bundle, a pair of 20W PIQ fast chargers and the 20W Nano Pro with a 3-foot USB-C to Lightning cable.
The best deal is on Anker's 632 MagGo 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Station that delivers 20 watts of charging power for iPhone 13/13 Pro and iPhone 12/12 Pro models, while also letting you charge up your AirPods Pro wireless earbuds. Your phone attaches to the charging base magnetically, and it can even flip up 60 degrees so you can easily see the screen. Included is a 20-watt USB-C charger and USB-C to USB-C charging cable, all for $50 or 37 percent off, in black only.
If you're tired of losing iPhone charging cables and just want to get a bunch of them, Anker's USB-C to Lightning cable is available in a three-pack for $29, or 31 percent off the regular $42 price. For that, you get a 3-foot, 6-foot and 10-foot cable, each compatible with USB-C chargers up to 87 watts. They also allow you to connect your iPhone to a Mac for seamless sync and charging.
For a small yet powerful charger, check out Anker's original 20-watt Nano charger for iPhone and Android devices, available at $21.70 or $9.30 off the $31 list price. Finally, the Nano Pro USB-C with a 3-foot USB-C to Lightning cable is selling for $28, or 30 percent off the list price. There are a number of other items too, including Anker's 18-watt dual-port PowerCore solar charger priced at $49 (30 percent off), but you'll need to act fast as the sale ends in less than a day.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
