Archive for January, 2012

The new ways to make sweet music

January 15th, 2012 by Kris in

Community, Interactive, Video

Last year epic Canadian rockers Arcade Fire blazed a trail with their Wilderness Downtown interactive music video, which incorporates images of the place where you grew up. And if that impressed you, take a look at this similar project from Japanese band Sour, which goes further by sliding content from your Twitter and Facebook accounts into a multi-window song video. Neat.

I’m expecting a whole slew of similar stuff from bands this year – and although they call them ‘interactive’ experiences, there’s not a whole lot you can actually do other than sit back and watch.

Make your own music

If you want to really create and interact with music, you need to look elsewhere. Thankfully there’s no shortage of websites, apps and tools to unlock your inner musician.

For starters, there are heaps of smart phone apps to help you make music in imaginative and unexpected ways. It may have been around a while, but Ocarina – an iPhone app that turns your phone into an ancient woodwind instrument – will still make you smile as you blow into the microphone and hit all the wrong notes.

Then there’s BeatMaker, a monster mobile app that turns your handset into a music creation studio. See it in action here.

Android owners might like Hit It!, a fun drum machine. Tap the screen or make like you’re Keith Moon in The Who by waving your phone at an invisible drum kit. Alternatively, get hold of Musical, a good all-round app that simulates lots of instruments in one.

There’s more music on the web

Some of the most original musical ideas I’ve seen are available on the web. Take Isle of Tune. Created by Jim Hall, its Sim City-esque interface lets you lay out roads, then add trees, flowers, buildings and street furniture before setting cars off through your streets.

Here’s the trick: as the cars pass items beside the road, they make sounds, which you can build up into a tune. It’s truly delightful – and you’ll be impressed by some of the tracks other users have saved and shared.

I’m also a bit of a fan of this whimsical record player-inspired ad from VW. It puts you in the driving seat, allowing you to create your own Sunday drive soundtrack by clicking buttons and scratching a ‘record’ with your mouse pointer. It’s cute, but lacks staying power.

R-r-r-remix

Finally, if making your own music from scratch sounds too much like hard work, how about using your favourite band’s tracks as a starting point?

Swedish electropop sensation Robyn has created an online beatbox where you can rework clips from one of her songs. And Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails has long loved messing around in cyberspace, even offering a remix tool to get you started. What a great way to get closer to your fans.

The litl webbook: rethinking the small computer

January 1st, 2012 by Kris in

Interactive, Video

The litl webbook is a back-to-basics netbook which rethinks what we actually need from small computers. It does what it’s meant to do really well, and I love its design and simplicity.

Keeping it simple

Simplicity is the litl’s watchword. When you switch it on, it takes seconds to load a custom operating system on the 12” display. A straightforward home screen shows a series of ‘cards’, each offering access to a different ‘channel’.

These channels let you do different things – browse the internet, check the time, watch videos, and so on. The number of channels should increase over time, as software developers use the SDK to create new ones.

It’s all in the cloud

Unlike other netbooks, the litl accesses most services over the internet (‘in the cloud’). That means you really need to be online to use it. No problem when you’re at home with reliable wireless – not so good for working on the train, plane, or other places you can’t get online.

But then that’s not really what the litl is for. The battery is a weedy three-cell affair that’ll likely only last a couple of hours, so it’s not a road-warrior’s dream. And there are considerable advantages to a cloud-based approach. For instance, if you smash your litl or it’s stolen, your data is still safe.

So: no worries about backups or updates. No warnings that your security software is out of date or that your program ended unexpectedly. This might be the closest I’ve ever seen to a maintenance-free computer.

A flexible display

The litl is a good-looking netbook, with a two-tone color scheme and minimal ports, buttons and switches. The beautiful packaging and accompanying illustrated cards give away just how much effort has gone into the design.

The most striking feature is a clever hinge which allows the screen to bend right round. This lets you fold the netbook into an upside-down ‘V’, so it stands up by itself like an easel.

With the keyboard tucked away, it’s suddenly much easier to do a whole bunch of stuff. You can follow recipes without getting flour on the keyboard, view photos or watch the news.

The display changes automatically to accommodate easel mode. So, for instance, if you are viewing photos on Flickr, it’ll jump to full-screen slideshow view. As the keyboard gets hidden, a scroll wheel and button lets you flick between photos, move through text and so on.

Plump for the optional remote control if you plan on connecting your litl to a TV (an HDMI connection is standard). But if that’s your main purpose for buying, hold on for the company’s forthcoming web TV product.

Kill caps lock

Other features of the litl are pretty standard. The keyboard is what you’re used to, just without a caps lock key (hopefully a trend other manufacturers will follow). There’s a green ‘litl’ key that takes you straight to the home screen. And the touchpad mouse works just as you’d expect it to. Simple. Again.

The litl isn’t for everyone. Geeks and tinkerers may be disappointed, and it’s not a workhorse for documents, spreadsheets and presentations. But for low-maintenance web browsing, sharing photos and videos, and email, it works well.

See the litl team explain how the litl works:

But what is does, it does very well. For web browsing, sharing photos and videos, checking Facebook and sending emails, the $399 litl could be all you need. And just for once, ‘so easy your grandma can use it’ might not be an exaggeration.