Controversial crime alert app Citizen has opened up its $20/month subscription service to everyone in the US. The Protect plan, which almost 100,000 users have beta tested, offers around-the-clock access to "Citizen’s team of highly trained Protect Agents," CEO Andrew Frame wrote in a blog post.
Those agents can call 911 for you if you're in a situation in which contacting emergency services directly might not be safe. "If you share your location with Citizen Protect, Agents can live monitor your location, provide first responders, and help them arrive more quickly by guiding them to your exact location," Frame wrote. "Protect Agents will always continue to monitor you while you wait for help to arrive."
The agents can notify your emergency contacts and keep them updated if you're in trouble. Frame said they can also guide you to a safe place or help nearby when needed, or chat with you for peace of mind. The service can also alert other Citizen users in the area if your scenario warrants doing so. "Harnessing the power of Citizen’s safety network through Protect-generated alerts has helped dozens of families reunite with their missing loved ones and pets," Frame wrote.
Users can connect to a Protect agent and chat via video, audio or text after tapping a button on the Citizen app's home screen. The iOS version of the app includes an optional Protect Mode, which offers other ways to link up with an agent (Citizen plans to bring "additional functionality" to Android soon). You can switch on a feature that displays a prompt to connect to an agent when you shake your device a couple of times.
If you opt to use the Distress Detection feature, Citizen will monitor your device's audio with "AI-powered technology which identifies sounds that indicate trouble, like a scream for example." If the app picks up an audible distress signal, it'll ask if you'd like to be connected to an agent. If 10 seconds pass without you responding to the prompt, Citizen will connect you to an agent automatically.
Citizen started out in 2016 as an app called Vigilante that aimed to alert users about crimes and emergencies. Apple swiftly kicked it from the App Store over vigilantism concerns. Vigilante was rebranded a few months later with a deeper focus on safety.
The app hit headlines again in May, when Citizen offered a $30,000 reward for information that led to the arrest of a person who it claimed started a wildfire. Citizen identified the wrong person, and police arrested someone else in connection with the alleged crime.
The same month, a Citizen-branded security vehicle was spotted in Los Angeles amid reports that the company was testing an on-demand private security force. The company later said it wouldn't start its own such service, but it didn't rule out partnerships with private security companies.
Having swift access to support agents isn't inherently a bad idea, but Citizen's history might dissuade some from taking out a Protect subscription. It's worth noting there are other ways to discreetly call 911 and send a message with location updates to your emergency contacts, such as the iPhone's Emergency SOS function.
In the past year, Google Maps has received tons of new features to help you get around, pay for parking and keep abreast of new services in your vicinity. With its latest iOS update, Google is breaking out more of its most-used functions to help you access them faster. It's also adding a dark mode to lower the strain on your eyes and a new live location option for iMessage that can help you track friends and loved ones.
The latter lets you share your real-time location while texting by tapping the Google Maps button. Though the feature is active for one hour by default, you can choose to extend it to up to three days or disable it by pressing the stop button. Live location recalls the safety features built into ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft.
If you frequently use Google Maps to check traffic conditions, you can now put that info directly on your home screen with a new widget. The same goes for the search bar, which lets you look up places to visit or find frequent destinations with a tap. Of course, the quick access features are made possible thanks to Apple's introduction of iPhone widgets with iOS 14 last fall.
Dark mode is self-explanatory and you can turn it on via settings. It's just odd that it took so long for the otherwise ubiquitous feature to reach Maps on iOS.
Apple might be focused on Macs with in-house silicon, but that doesn't mean it's completely neglecting the Intel-based models. The tech firm has updated the Mac Pro with new high-end GPU options that promise big strides forward for graphics- and compute-intensive apps. AMD's Radeon Pro W6800X, W6800X Duo (shown here) and W6900X cards tout 50 percent improved performance per watt over their Vega II predecessors, Apple claimed, and that translates to significant speed boosts in relevant apps.
You can expect up to 84 percent better performance in the Octane X rendering app, Apple said. The 26 percent and 23 percent claimed jumps in Cinema 4D and DaVinci Resolve aren't quite so impressive-sounding, but they're still meaningful if you're either buying a new Mac Pro or upgrading from one of the more modest GPUs.
Apple isn't shy about the origins — these are workstation-oriented parallels to the Radeon RX 6800 and 6900 series consumer boards. The biggest differences, as you might guess, are tweaks to cater to the pro market. All of them include four Thunderbolt 3 ports and an HDMI 2 connector, and they support an Infinity Fabric Link that lets up to four GPUs (such as two W6800X Duo modules) talk to each other five times faster than PCIe. Both individual GPUs include 32GB of GDDR6 memory, while the W6800X Duo unsurprisingly includes 64GB.
These GPUs are replacing the Vega II and Vega II Duo cards in the lineup, and they're priced accordingly. It will cost you $2,400 extra to configure a new Mac Pro with the W6800X inside, $4,600 for the W6800X Duo, and $5,600 for the W6900X. Go all-out and you can spend $9,600 on two W6800X Duos or a staggering $11,600 on two W6900X modules.
The Mac Pro has otherwise gone untouched with this update, and it won't be surprising if this is the only hardware refresh for Apple's pro tower in 2021. There are rumors of Apple giving the Intel-based Mac Pro one last hurrah with an Ice Lake Xeon update, but that wouldn't happen until 2022. It might not happen at all when there's also talk of a 40-core Apple Silicon model that same year. It's safe to say that you'll want to strongly consider a W6000-equipped Mac Pro if you absolutely depend on high-end x86 apps or just need the kind of macOS performance that only the Pro can currently deliver.
A few months after it introduced new Touch ID-enabled Magic Keyboards along with M1 Macs, Apple is now selling the peripheral separately. The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID costs $149, while a version with a number pad can be all yours for $179. It's worth noting the Touch ID functions only work on M1-powered Macs.
Along with helping you log in to your Mac without having to punch in a password, you can use Touch ID to verify Apple Pay transactions. For now, the standalone version of the Magic Keyboard is only available in the standard silver and white color scheme. You won’t be able to snag it in one of those funky M1 iMac-inspired designs without shelling out for a new computer.
Apple
Apple has also refreshed several other Magic accessories. The standard $99 Magic Keyboard now has keys for Spotlight, dictation, do not disturb and emoji, as do the Touch ID-equipped models. The $129 Magic Trackpad, meanwhile, has a tweaked shape to match the Magic Keyboard.
All of these accessories, as well as the $79 Magic Mouse, now come with a braided USB-C to Lightning cable rather than the old Lightning to USB-A one. Apple says the accessories can run for around a month, if not longer, on a single charge.
Ever since Apple's MagSafe made its grand return by way of the iPhone 12 series, it was only a matter of time before other phone makers came up with similar — and maybe better — solutions. Realme, the sister brand of Oppo and OnePlus, has announced its very own "MagDart" magnetic wireless charging system as part of its latest concept phone, the Flash.
Realme
Not only is MagDart the first of its kind in the Android world, it's also more powerful than Apple's MagSafe, with its maximum output rated at 50W instead of just 15W. This 50W magnetic charger leverages Realme's speedy 65W SuperDart charging tech — a rebranded version of Oppo's SuperVOOC and OnePlus' Warp Charge 65 — and has its own air-cooling system for maximum performance. Realme claims that the charging speed here is almost on par with its 50W SuperDart wired charger. Specifically, for the 4,500mAh battery inside the Realme Flash, it'll go from zero to 100 percent in under an hour.
The downside of this 50W MagDart charger is its bulkiness, but Realme will also offer a slim 15W MagDart charging pad — one that's a tad thinner than Apple's MagSafe charger. This design is mainly thanks to having the circuit board tucked away in the plug, which also keeps the charging coil cooler for higher efficiency. For the same phone, this will take about 90 minutes to go from zero to 100 percent.
Naturally, the MagDart ecosystem offers a few other snap-on accessories as well. There's a MagDart power bank which one-ups the MagSafe Battery Pack by doubling as a wireless charging stand, so you can charge or grab both the phone and the power bank simultaneously.
Realme
There's also a MagDart Beauty Light, which is a flip-up ring light — consisting of 60 mini LEDs, with adjustable brightness and color temperature — to keep your selfie game strong. Interestingly, this kit is powered by the phone's reverse wireless charging feature.
Another handy accessory here is the self-explanatory MagDart Wallet, which holds up to three credit cards in its vegan leather pockets. Though unlike the MagSafe version, this one adds an aluminum kickstand to your phone as well.
Last but not least, existing Realme GT users can get a special case to make their phone MagDart-compatible, though this will add a slight bulge near the bottom on the back side.
There's no word on when we will see the first MagDart-compatible devices on the market just yet, but when that happens, chances are future products from Oppo and OnePlus will get to share the love with Realme (unless Apple gets in the way, of course). But if you use a pacemaker, then you'll probably want to avoid those also.
Google revealed its latest smartphones all of a sudden — and surprisingly quietly. Two new devices appeared on the company’s online store and we have deep dives on both phones and Tensor, a new system-on-chip that’ll power the next-gen of Pixel devices.
What’s the most exciting part? New colors? A new Cyclops-esque visor that houses the camera sensors? That new chip? Even more AI smarts across the entire device might be a little predictable, but it didn’t stop Google from explaining exactly what its new SoC will offer.
We go into plenty of detail on Google’s new “four years in the making” chip right here, but expect more AI-based processes running simultaneously without overheating your phone. Improvements are teased across voice and speech processing — think Google Assistant — as well as photography and video recording, which all sounds like the sixth addition will continue to play to the Pixel series’ strengths.
Rick Osterloh, in conversation with Engadget, explained — but without getting specific — that the Pixel 6 series will include larger imaging sensors than before. He said the Pixel 6’s main camera will let in about 150% more light than previous Pixels. The Pro alone gets an extra telephoto option with 4x optical zoom, which will certainly help me decide between the two. All that’s really left to hear is the price and the release date.
Amazon's long-awaited The Lord of the Rings series finally has a release date. The show will premiere on the company’s Prime Video platform on September 2nd, 2022, with new episodes dropping on Prime Video each week. Filming on the as-yet-untitled series wrapped up yesterday. It takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. A cast of familiar and new characters will fight an undisclosed evil in Tolkien’s fantasy world. Continue reading.
The discovery seems to confirm Einstein's prediction.
For the first time, scientists have seen the phenomena that takes place behind a black hole. Researchers were able to capture the light from the back of a supermassive black hole 800 million light-years away.
Stanford astrophysicist Dan Wilkins says this is a "key part of the puzzle to understanding" how the universe came to be. While studying the bright flares of x-rays emanating from the black hole, researchers spotted fainter flashes of light. These were the "luminous echoes" of the flares bouncing off the gas behind the black hole. These phenomena were first predicted by Einstein in his theory of relativity, published in 1916. Continue reading.
YouTube is testing a lower-priced subscription plan that forgoes offline downloads and background playback but nixes all ads across videos. A Resetera user first spotted the new YouTube Premium Lite tier in Netherlands, Finland and Sweden while trying to cancel the paid-for service. The plan costs €6.99 ($8.32) per month, the same as the student tier. Continue reading.
Google has rolled out a few updates for Chrome OS meant to make devices running the platform a more effective tool for communicating with friends and workmates. Chrome OS version 92 will make Google Meet a pre-installed Progressive Web App on all Chromebooks and computers running the software, allowing users to get on a video call right from the Launcher. Google says it also made performance improvements for the app, including the ability to adapt video calls to different network conditions and to adjust video performance during screen sharing.
Since some people's employers or schools may prefer Zoom, Google has also teamed up with the business messaging app to release a version of the app tweaked to work better on Chromebooks. That app is now available on the Google Play Store. Chrome OS now also supports eSIMs, giving users the option to use one if they need cellular connectivity. The feature sounds especially useful for travelers who need to switch between networks while they're overseas. It's obviously only available on eSIM-compatible devices, which aren't that many at the moment, though we're hoping the feature's arrival means more Chromebooks will come with eSIM support in the future.
The latest Chrome OS also adds a new emoji keyboard shortcut on Chromebooks. By pressing Search or Launcher key + Shift + Space, users can bring up the compact emoji picker where they can see their most recently used emoji. Finally, the Explore app on Chromebooks now includes a digital magazine curated for families, and each edition includes educational apps for kids.
Logitech has unveiled some new wireless (and wired) earbuds with some unique features designed for business professionals. The key product is the Zone True Wireless Earbuds, which the company says are the first to be certified by the three major video conferencing platforms: Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. Another unique feature is support for not just Bluetooth, but Logitech's wireless USB receiver as well, so that they'll work with almost any smartphone or computer — and let you flip easily between devices.
The wireless buds come with active noise cancellation (ANC) and a noise cancelling mic, allowing for high-quality sound on calls, Logitech claims. And unlike bulky wireless headsets designed for businesses (like Logitech's own Zone models), they're designed to provide a "stylish look" when you're on a Zoom or other conference call. Logitech also promises "double the battery life of leading consumer devices," though that's a meaningless statement without a figure to back it up.
Logitech
"Current wireless solutions force consumers to compromise between either traditional headsets that are not aesthetically suited for video calling, or sub-optimal audio performance," said Logitech VP Scott Wharton. The audio quality remains to be heard and reviewed, of course, but they're certainly nicer looking than most business headsets.
Along with the Zone True Wireless model, Logitech also debuted the Zone Wired Earbuds "for professionals and teams who want a professional-grade, plug-and-play option," the company said. They can connect to your computer or mobile device via USB-C, USB-A and 3.5mm connectors.
The Zone True Wireless Earbuds will be available in two colors, graphite and rose, but won't come cheap at $299. The Zone Wired Earbuds, meanwhile, run $99. Both arrive globally in the fall of 2021.
Twitter is adding two additional ways for people to log in to their accounts. Starting today, you can use your Google ID to access the service through its web client and mobile app. On iOS, meanwhile, Sign in with Apple now works with the Twitter app, with the company planning to support the service for web logins “soon.” It’s also possible to use both services to create a new Twitter account.
Sign on with ease and start scrolling your timeline.
Now, when you log in or sign up to join the conversation on Twitter, you have the option to use: ▪️ Your Google Account on the app and on web ▪️ Or your Apple ID on iOS, and soon on web pic.twitter.com/Nf56H1ghmY
Of the two options, Sign in with Apple is the more intriguing one. Apple introduced it at WWDC 2019 as an alternative to login services from Facebook and Google. The company claims Sign in with Apple prevents tracking, and it allows you to hide your email by generating secondary addresses that then forward any messages from apps and services to your regular inbox.
Either way, Twitter adding support for both Google and Apple IDs should make life a bit easier for new users. But we'll note here one of the usual things about this feature rollout is that Twitter offers its own login service you can use to access some websites. The internet can sometimes be a weird place.
Over the last decade or so we’ve seen an explosion of cheap, portable synths driven largely by Korg’s deceptively powerful Volca line. Even companies like Modal Electronics, which typically trafficked in higher-end instruments that started at around $2,000, suddenly felt pressure to compete in the sub-$300 range. First it dabbled with two simplistic DIY kits: the CraftSynth and CraftRhythms. But then in 2018 it brought the Skulpt to Kickstarter, followed shortly thereafter by the $149 CraftSynth 2.0. These were much more serious shots at the entry level. But where both impressed with their sound, the build quality was poor and the original Skulpt was a little overpriced at $299.
The SkulptSynth SE attempts to address those concerns. It’s quite a bit cheaper at just $199, putting it more in line with the Volcas, and the build quality is sturdier, too. But under the hood it’s largely the same instrument, and the question is whether it’s as compelling now as it was three years ago.
Alright, I won’t make you wait: The answer is yes. The Skulpt sounds great. Sure, plenty of other synths have come and gone over the last three years, especially at the cheaper end of the spectrum, but that doesn’t take away from the excellent virtual analog engine here. There’s a total of 32 oscillators stacked in four voices (though using the spread function you can expand that to 16) with two different waves per voice. This gives the Skulpt a thick tone that, while you probably won’t mistake it for true analog, is still plenty inviting. While it's perfectly capable of handling basslines and lead duty, the Skulpt really shines when it comes to pads where those stacked oscillators really flesh out the sound.
The Skulpt has a wealth of modulation options, too, that give it a surprising amount of depth for something so small and cheap. There are dedicated filter and amp envelopes, but also a mod envelope and a pair of LFOs, one of which is polyphonic. Those last three can be assigned to a host of different destinations, with a total of eight modulation slots available. In addition, there’s ring modulation, FM and pulse width modulation options, plus a morphing filter that goes from lowpass, to bandpass then highpass, not to mention built-in delay and distortion effects. There are far more sound design tools here than you’d have any right to expect for $200.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The wealth options are great, but actually navigating those controls is a bit difficult. The unit comes with a cheat sheet and you’ll always want it on hand. While the front plate has simpler, less confusing graphics than the original Skulpt, the SE still isn’t exactly intuitive. While there are lines that show you what controls are connected to each other, they’re not laid out in any sort of obviously logical way. And the tiny orange and white text labels feel crowded and hard to read at times. While the layout is visually interesting, it’s also infuriating. This a place where form clearly won out over function, and not for the better.
Another thing that’s improved on the SE is the build quality. But, just like the panel design, it’s not as huge an upgrade as you might hope. The knobs feel a little firmer and have slightly more resistance than on the Craft 2, but they’re still pretty wobbly and cheap. At least they don’t slide right off the encoders with a gentle tug, though.
I’m not sure how much better the overall build is than the original Skulpt, and it’s only marginally better than the Craft 2. In general, the Skulpt SE still feels chintzy. But it does come with a cover that will help protect it in a bag, which is more than I can say for the Craft. Sadly, though, the touch keyboard is as bad as ever. It’s not always super responsive and the layout somehow manages to feel both cramped and sprawling all at the same time. Playing simple triads required an uncomfortable amount of stretching and I could rarely play a chord progression without accidentally triggering at least one stray note. Volca keyboards are certainly nothing to get excited about, but they make the Modal touchstrips feel like cheap imposters.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
One final gripe about the physical design: The Skulpt has full-sized MIDI in and out ports, but a 3.5mm lineout jack. While full-size MIDI DINs are appreciated, I’d rather see ¼-inch audio outs and smaller TRS MIDI jacks if I had to choose. And honestly, on something that’s battery powered and portable, TRS MIDI just makes more sense. Save the space.
A lot of my complaints about the interface and unimpressive build quality can be ignored though if you just use the app. Stick the Skulpt someplace out of the way and connect it to your computer or phone over USB and you’re set. Then you can control it via MIDI over USB and do all your patching from within the Modal app. It’s much easier than using the device itself. It even has a VST version so you can control the Skulpt from your DAW, but I had some issues getting it running on my Windows PC.
The Skulpt is usable without the app, unlike the Craft 2. But honestly, this is probably the way you want to use the Skulpt anyway. While the whole battery-powered portable thing is nice, what’s more exciting is its support for MPE, which is basically unheard of at this price point. But the built-in keys do not support MPE, velocity or aftertouch, you’ll need to use an external controller.
Having access to aftertouch and polyphonic expression gives the Skulpt much more life. As a digital synth trying to emulate analog it can sound a little cold at times, but the small fluctuations that come with aftertouch and MPE make the synth feel more organic. Just be warned that dialing in MPE controls requires a bit of trial and error (definitely turn down the pitch bend range in the settings).
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
This also gives you more room to experiment with your sound design in interesting ways. For example, in one patch I set the mod wheel (sliding your fingers along the Y axis on the Sensel Morph) to change the wave shape, and aftertouch to control the filter cutoff. Then I could play a chord and slowly slide my fingers up on the highernotes, causing them to fizzle out as the wave morphed from saw to noise, but keep the bass note droning cleanly. And then I could adjust the balance between these two sounds simply by pressing harder or softer on the right keys. This isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but it’s definitely impressive on a synth that costs just $200.
This does make me dream of an upgraded CraftSynth, though. As much as I enjoy the Skulpt, I prefer the sonic palette of the wavetable-based Craft a bit more. I’d love to see Modal release a polyphonic version of it that supports MPE. Basically, give us the best of both synths in a single device.
There are so many options out there at the entry level for synths these days it’s hard to say there is one that is best for most people. The Skulpt SE certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice, though. If you’re truly just starting to learn synthesis, something more straightforward like the $150 Volca Keys might be a good option. But it doesn’t have the depth of the Skulpt. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, Arturia’s $350 Microfreak has even more sound design options to get lost in. Plus, it regularly gets new features and sounds. The only issue is it’s even more complicated than the Skulpt, though its controls are much easier to navigate.
The SkulptSynth SE shows that Modal is serious about playing at the entry level. The company has delivered an excellent sounding instrument with a wealth of features at an impressive price. If it ever figures out how to design an interface that doesn’t make you want to rip your hair out, Korg’s grip on the budget synth market may be in jeopardy.
