Month: May 2022

Teenage Engineering is a company that comes up with electronic products like synthesizers, speakers, and mixers. The brand has also collaborated with other big names and designers to design creations that feature sublime designs.

The brand is known for its products that let you become creative, especially with sounds. We remember the most notable, the TE-LAB by Love Hultén, although the design only used the Teenage Engineering PO Modular series. That Teenage Engineering Computer-1 Case was also remarkable. The latest is the OP-1 Field which is an obvious follow-up to the OP-1.

Designer: Teenage Engineering

The all-new OP–1 Field is another synthesizer that improves on the previous model. This evolution delivers several improvements and refinements. This features a more updated design plus the latest technology.

Teenage Engineering improved on this synthesizer and fined tuned the features to benefit more sound designers, professional musicians, and recording artists. It’s an updated version of the already impressive OP-1, but there is still plenty of room for improvement, as with most gadgets. It is a more professional version with its new features and functions.

Design-wise, this one is set in natural anodized aluminum. Its frame is more low profile now. There is a new field color palette, a floating keyboard, and a high-resolution screen. It also comes equipped with Bluetooth midi, stereo all over the signal chain, different styles and recording formats, and multiple tapes. Its battery can last up to 24 hours, and the company also added a ‘dimension’ synth engine and a new reverb. There is also a new FM antenna and a new speaker system.

Teenage Engineering continues to apply its signature mindset to a new breed of technologies. This OP-1 Field results from previous products like the OP-1 portable synthesizer, OD-11 ortho directional speaker, and OB–4 magic radio. The designers have combined the best functions and improved on them to add to the new version.

Other changes include updated graphics screen by screen, USB-C connectivity, more durable line in/line out sockets, and a 4-pole audio jack for headset mic support. There is also the 32-bit audio, MFi for iPhone USB midi and audio connectivity, and a new speaker with passive radiator dimensions. The synthesizer comes with dual velcro back fasteners and measures 28.8 cm x 10.2 cm x 2.9 cm. There are now eight tapes to record for added convenience.

Teenage Engineering’s vision is to create products that bring creativity into the everyday. Its efforts include teaming up with brands and artists that share their vision, as with its deal with IKEA. Teenage Engineering and Ikea designed some downloadable 3D printing files to amp up home sound systems.

It doesn’t have to be all fun and games in the Metaverse, especially when its best use cases are the ones that need a different reality the most.

Thanks to a few companies that have large marketing machines, the word “Metaverse” has become muddled in hype and controversy. While the current use of the coined word might be new to our ears, the technologies that empower it have been around for quite some time now. And they aren’t always used for games or entertainment, even if that is what everyone thinks these days. In fact, one of the most frequent early adopters of these technologies come from the medical field, which continuously tests new equipment, theories, and digital experiences to help improve lives. So while mainstream media, carmakers, and social networks continue to shine the light on new ways to experience different worlds, the Metaverse, its concepts, and its applications are already sneaking their way into medical and scientific institutions, ready to take healthcare to the next, augmented reality level.

Telepresence Training and Consultation

If you ask somebody about the Metaverse today, they will either look at you as if you were a crazy person because they have no idea what it means, or they will look at you as if you were a crazy person for glorifying games and virtual worlds like Second Life. Thanks to how it has been portrayed, especially by Meta, formerly Facebook, that has become the stigma that the term and the concept will carry for the next few years. At its most basic, however, the so-called Metaverse is really nothing but a combination of AI, AR, VR, blockchain, and related technologies that try to bind the digital and the physical world together into a more coherent whole. Sometimes, even something as simple as a virtual video call is already Metaverse-worthy, with or without the goggles.

This kind of visual communication can be critical not just in keeping people socially close while physically apart but also in keeping the world turning even when locked indoors. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to resort to video calls for work and even for doctor’s appointments. Telemedicine became a thing in the past two years, but things aren’t going to stop there. With the help of VR and AR applications, medical personnel and healthcare workers can extend their reach, even when the real thing isn’t in front of them.

No, this isn’t the frightening scenario of performing surgeries remotely (we’ll get to that later) but the simple case of training personnel or even informing patients through virtual channels. Although nothing really beats the real thing, there are some pieces of information, like learning how to operate machinery, that don’t really need in-person training most of the time. And if diagrams and charts are effective in educating patients about various diseases and medical conditions, imagine how a more interactive and lifelike demonstration in the Metaverse can be more effective.

Designer: 8chili

Digital Twins

The phrase might conjure up horrific images, particularly of scenes from iconic horror films in the 80s, but digital twins are less frightening or even less dramatic than they sound. In essence, a digital twin is pretty much an exact replica of a physical thing, in this case, a person, based on real-world data. This replica can undergo hundreds of simulated changes in just minutes or even seconds that would normally take hundreds of years in real-time.

In this application, machine learning and AI take center stage over AR and VR, determining the possible results based on changing factors. To put it bluntly, a digital twin could be used as a virtual guinea pig, testing different medications and doses, different procedures, and different treatment options to see which ones will have the best possible outcome for a patient. All of these can happen in a matter of seconds, perhaps even while in the middle of an operation.

Digital twins can be used on more than just humans, of course. The same kind of high-speed trial and error can be applied to developing medicine, analyzing viruses, studying animals and plants, and anything else that can be solved with some simulations. Of course, looking at all these data as just figures and text would be boring and even painful, so 3D models can go a long way in visualizing and understanding the results of these simulations. Bonus points if you can view them in the Metaverse, too!

Designer: Philips

AR Surgery

Thanks to Hollywood, many people probably imagine surgery in the world of AR and the Metaverse as involving doctors doing procedures miles or even countries away from the patient. While that could have life-saving benefits, we don’t really need to go that far yet to reap the benefits of the technology in the operating room. Simply being able to see more information than what’s physically in front of us goes a long way in improving our knowledge and understanding, which is really the heart of augmented reality, without the hype and sensationalism.

Doctors require a lot of imagination when working on patients, and not in the flights of fantasy kind of way. They might not have a clear view of what they’re operating on, or they have to work with microscopic materials that would be impossible to see with the naked eye. Although these professionals have been working like these for decades, that doesn’t mean things have to stay that way, especially if technology can help ease the burden.

AR-assisted surgeries have already been performed with much success, but you often don’t hear about those in contrast to news about this or that new Metaverse platform. Being able to see where to drill inside a bone or where to put a screw can make procedures faster and safer. Of course, you’ll need better AR glasses to make that happen because the current consumer models we have just won’t cut it on the operating table, pun intended.

Designer: Augmedics (via John Hopkins Medicine)

Blockchain Records

Not everything about the Metaverse has to be visible, or at least not in its real forms. Of course, the Metaverse can be reduced down to 1s and 0s, just like any computer program, but most people that experience it will be focused on digital artifacts like VR objects. One of the “non-visible” technologies that are being associated with the Metaverse is blockchain, and despite misconceptions, it actually has the potential to protect virtual people and data, including medical records.

Designer: ChenKai Zhang

Blockchain has gotten a lot of flak because of its association with controversial applications like cryptocurrencies and, more recently, NFTs. Like any other tool, however, it is really agnostic. Blockchains are more concerned about keeping a record of transactions joined together by cryptography in a chain. Each node in a blockchain network contains a copy of that chain and is updated with new transactions all the time. The decentralized and cryptographic nature of blockchains makes them almost perfect for protecting data, such as sensitive medical records.

Of course, that’s the ideal scenario, but blockchains are so new to the hearing and minds of anyone outside the computing industry that its applications to things like financial and medical records are still blowing people’s, especially legislators’, minds. Given the highly sensitive nature of medical data, this might take a while before a stable and trustworthy blockchain system is accepted and put in place.

Designer: Functionland Design

Gamification

The Metaverse being about having fun and games isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when done in moderation. In fact, playing games isn’t a bad thing, despite the connotations and prejudices surrounding even just the word. People have learned long ago that games, or specifically gameful activities, can be beneficial to learning and adapting to new things. It can even help people cope with trauma or stress.

Gamification, or the application of game thinking and game mechanics to non-game activities, has been around for years now. From leaderboards to levels to high scores, these small things can give a sense of accomplishment that reinforces the new knowledge that we just gained. And since the very same technologies that are used to make games also make the Metaverse, the intersection of gamification and the Metaverse is pretty much in the bag.

NASA, for example, has enlisted a game developer that specializes in using games to train people, particularly doctors, in diagnosing and treating different conditions. The idea is to train astronauts to have enough medical knowledge in an emergency, in case it’s the onboard doctor that needs treatment. These educational tools have all the hallmarks of typical mobile games, except it trains you with serious, life-saving skills rather than just mashing the screen to get kills.

Designer: Level Ex

Wrap-up

The Metaverse might sound new, but it’s actually built on old technology. AR and VR have been around for decades, but it’s only now that they’re becoming more commercially available. Blockchain technologies are finally becoming more comprehensible even to lawmakers. The psychology of games has been lurking in plain sight in productivity tools and educational materials. You just never considered them to be formal games.

The hype around the Metaverse might have many people rolling their eyes, but all that focus has some benefits. It puts a spotlight on what the Metaverse can actually do, even separate from all the social and entertainment aspects. It brings to light how these technologies have actually been working in the background in different fields, including medicine, and how the Metaverse can be used not only to improve lives but also to save them.

Sony remains a popular brand in consumer electronics. It’s one of those few tech giants that has entered multiple industries, from entertainment to gaming to appliances to mobile devices.

Sony hasn’t left the smartphone arena, and we believe it will continue to do so until people patronize the Xperia line. This smartphone series is a favorite among mobile photography enthusiasts for its professional and DSLR-level features. The latest is the Xperia 1 IV, another powerful premium phone running on Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.

Designer: Sony

The Xperia phone series’ aesthetics have not changed much, but this new model reminds us a bit of an iPhone. There is no more of that familiar pointed boxy form because the corners are now curved. If you know the Sony Xperia 5 III, this new phone looks more like it, especially with the same pill-shaped camera module.

The Xperia 1 IV is expensive compared to the latest flagship phones in the market. It costs $1,600, which is about the same price as a premium foldable smartphone. This flagship device has a 6.5-inch 4K OLED screen 120Hz refresh rate and a 21:9 aspect ratio. It uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset with 512GB storage and 12GB of RAM. The onboard memory is expandable up to 1TB with a microSD card.

The Xperia 1 IV boasts a triple camera system on the rear when it comes to imaging. All lenses are 12MP but come with 16mm ultra-wide 16mm + 24mm wide-angle 24mm+ telephoto with 85-125mm true optical zoom. This means shooting with zoom will yield improved results.

The phone runs on a 5000mAh battery with wireless and fast charging support. Mobile security is accessible via the power button with an embedded fingerprint scanner. Other features include a dedicated camera shutter button, dual front-facing speakers, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Music Pro enhances the audio experience as it can record songs studio-style. The phone can capture 4K HDR 120fps video on all cameras. There’s also live video streaming, Eye AF, and Object tracking technologies. The latter can be helpful to videographers as the camera features are easy to understand and operate. Object Tracking helps in tracking a moving subject automatically. The feature helps keep objects in sharp focus even if they are not still.

The phone also features built-in live streaming features for mobile gamers and videographers. Specifically, the Videography Pro features are for creative control in video streaming and recording. The display is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass VictuS and IP65/68 water resistance. There’s also the standard Bluetooth connectivity, 3.5mm headphone jack, and full-stage stereo speakers. The 360 Reality Audio support is also available and very evident with the full-stage front-facing stereo speakers.