Every year, Apple hosts an epic music festival that lasts for an entire month. Last year, stars like Norah Jones, One Direction and Jack White took the stage to perform for millions of fans worldwide. This September, Justin Timberlake, Jack Johnson, and about 60 more rock stars will party for 30 days at the 2013 iTunes Festival.
Welcome back to another installment of PadGadget’s Sound Stage. Each week, we bring news and information on apps and accessories for the iPad that are geared toward musicians and fans of music. Last week, we told you about Ultimate Ears’ Social Music Experiment and the launch of their new portable speaker, the UE BOOM.
This week, we have a fun entertainment app for those of you who have always wished you could play guitar, but don’t know how. If you were an expert at Guitar Hero, Smule has an app that will make you feel like a rock star.
Accessory maker iGear recently did some market research with regards to the perfect iPad case. Consumers want something sturdy, lightweight, and with a keyboard. One additional feature that consumers across the survey said they wanted was customizable covers. So, iGear created an ultra-thin aluminum keyboard case with the option to add full color images to the back.
Last night, AllThingsD hosted an hour-long Q & A with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. This is Cooks’ second year at the D Conference. Last year was his first in-depth interview and the down-home CEO gave hope to viewers with his optimistic outlook on the future of Apple. This year, Cook has had some time under the microscope and the company is getting some negative vibes from the financial world. Cook sat down with AllThingsD to explain how he sees it.
Accessory maker ZAGG has just announced the upcoming launch of a new audio system that gives you the power of a rich, full-featured home speaker with the portability of a travel speaker. The Two-in-One Sound System brings you the best of both worlds.
Digital? Print? Book lovers don’t really care; we just want more books. A digital-print combo, however, is certain to capture our attention. Portugal-based engageLab unites the two modes of reading with Bridging Book, and app that allows the reader to turn the pages of a printed book while, through the magic of magnets, the app follows along, extending the book into the iPad’s screen.
Ironhide Game Studio, maker of the popular tower defense game Kingdom Rush, recently announced the upcoming launch of a new version of the game that takes it to a whole new level. The brand new adventure is set to launch in the App Store on June 6. Grab your crossbow and cannon launcher and get ready for Kingdom Rush: Frontiers.
With the extra day off this past weekend, did you complete any DIY projects? If so, please feel free to share them with us. I’m working on a couple of DIY iPad projects myself. If they work out, I’ll be sure to share them with you. Last week, we told you about a complex electronics-based iPad project using a modified solar powered lamp. I don’ think I’ll be trying that any time soon.
This week we found a helpful DIY project on YouTube that shows you how to turn your iPad into a document camera. Get out your PVC pipes and power saw because you’ll be going into the workshop for this one.
Students or professionals who use the iPad to record video while note taking know that this variety of multitasking requires more than a little juggling on the part of the user. RHP Multimedia’s MirrorCase for iPad plans to solve this (decidedly first world) problem, and they’ve turned to Kickstarter to raise the necessary funds to produce this useful iPad accessory. MirrorCase lets you use the rear camera while the iPad is in the horizontal position, affording the notetaker a chance to record while he writes.
While the MirrorCase has already bested its modest 5K goal by more than 50 percent, the funding period ends in less than two days! There’s still time to back this project and get your own MirrorCase as soon as it’s ready to market and for less than MSRP.
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