Geekazine

Just like last year, HBO has created a great immersive event in the Bleed for the Throne. Part blood drive, part reenactment of Kings Landing, where you pledge your allegiance. 

The Red Cross was on hand to help with the donations. Those giving blood got at Game of Thrones T-Shirt, and then went through the halls to get the special pin commemorating the event.  The final part to the event was an outdoor interactive area with burgers from Shake Shack. 

If you donate now until 3-12 through the Red Cross, you can also get a GOT T-shirt. 

For those that still have Snapchat on their phones, they could take pictures for an augmented reality look of banners and other items. While it was fun to do, the Snapchat part didn’t really enhance the experience, and many in my group didn’t even have the app installed anymore. 

This was not as extravagant as last year’s Westworld event, but it was just as fun. Giant Spoon LLC, the agency that put this all together, also created Ready Player One activation at SXSW 2018, and Blade Runner at Comic Con 2018. 

The event brings excitement to the April 17th premiere for the final season. HBO has done a great job in bringing George R.R. Martin’s vision to life. And Game of Thrones has set a new standard for TV and movies to match the power and grit of this series. 

For those who experienced Bleed for the Throne in my group, they really enjoyed the experience and are excited to see how it all ends. One person in the group, who had not seen one episode, is ready to binge for the season. #FortheThrone

 Are you ready to see who gets to sit upon the iron throne before it’s over? What was the best part of this activation for you? Let me know! 

There are many levels to SXSW, including the education vertical, which runs the first 4 days. EDU has a lot of tech for students, and a lot of cool ideas. The SXSW EDU Expo was going on today, and I got to check out the companies that participated. Some I already knew. For example, Beatbox, which I interviewed at NAMM, and Catch Box who I talked with last year.  Here are some of the companies I looked at during the EDU expo. 

Stem Education Works

Stem Education Works Teaches Robotics

There was a variety of companies showing off robotic projects. One group at Stem Education Works had a cool assembly line robot system that would drop off and pick up blocks. Sensors would see the block when it approached, and the robotic arm went into action to put it in it’s assigned cup.

The system was designed to see the color of the block, and put it in it’s correct container. This could be the start of a child’s career in assembly line robotics. 

MakeBlock Steam Kits 

Robots that can react, including moving, and flying drones, are what this company is about. They had a soccer field, with two robots kicking a ball around. Another – a kitten/panda hybrid – was working within the barriers of a square box. 

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Weird Enough Productions Makes Comics

The league of comic writers work hard on a comic that is more in line with any graphic novel out there. The focus is to teach young adults, but not talk down to them. 

These comic books can be read online, and teens can join in on the social aspect. They can introduce new topics, too. And when the issue is released, the characters in the comic match any book out there. Great storytelling whilst learning about issues they may have. 

Badgr Issues Badges and Certificates

Badgr works with some big name companies already, such as Cisco, Microsoft, Mozilla, and more. The idea is to bring an internal accomplishment system into the company. If you work on a project, for example, you could get a badge of accomplishment. 

Badgr helps give small rewards for employees, influencers, and others. So instead of saying that you have 5 years of experience, you can show it with a Badgr. 

Lovot is a Robot That Makes You Happy

These little guys are cute – plain and simple. They roam around, interacting with you when they see you in their camera eye. 

LOVOT reacts to your moods, and helps you feel comfortable and loved.  

Lovot

Pocket Points Rewards Being off your Phone

Of course, I didn’t have this issue when I was a teen, but we all want to simply bury our faces into our phones nowadays. Pocket Points helps put the phone down, with an award system for staying off your phone. 

Teachers can set up rewards for students. When they don’t check their phones in class (for example), they could be rewarded with pizza, movies, or more. 

If you’re a musician who is partial to the piano, the Artesia xkey 25 and 37 key Bluetooth models are pretty cool. They work with Garage Band or any other type of audio recording software. Of course, they connect to any smart device via Bluetooth as well.

They are also sleek, lightweight and easy to use. You can take them with you anywhere whether you’re a traveling musician or just out with friends and having fun. Just pull it out whenever you get inspired and start playing. You could be on a tour bus, a plane, in the park, anywhere the mood hits you. That’s pretty damn cool if you are the musically creative type. You’ll never be without a keyboard ever again.

Both are about 1.8 inches thick and weigh just over a pound. I told you they were lightweight. Take it with you in your backpack or in some luggage. This form factor makes it possible to make music anywhere. You have to love the sleek design and ease of use, because portability is nothing if it’s a pain.

Both models also come in USB versions as well. You’ll be happy to know that the Bluetooth models have nearly zero latency so the keys are very responsive.

The company also showed off a variety of microphones, studio speakers, electronic drums and more, many of which you can buy in bundles so that you get everything you need in one shot.

The Bluetooth version of xkeys will cost you $199. for the 25 key and $299. for the 37 key model. Get Artesia Xkey on Amazon

At NAMM 2019, I had a great conversation with the folks at AirTurn. They specialize in Bluetooth page turn pedals, and tablet/computer stands, and were showing off several new models this year. We talked with them over the new products they came out with. 

Airturn Bluetooth Pedals

Airturn makes page turn pedals, and this year, came out with the BT-200|S series. This is a multi-button pedal that can be controlled however you want. S-2, S-4, and S-6 button interfaces for you to turn pages, possibly pause audio, maybe change a pedal in your virtual rig, change your light patterns, or even start and stop loops. Anything that can be controlled via Bluetooth MIDI.

The buttons on the AirTurn BT-200|S series are the same as any guitar pedal. The pedal runs on the rechargable LiPo battery with 200 hours, or plug the 9V USB in to keep on rocking. 

BT200S series starts at $69. Get the BT-200|S on Amazon

Airturn goStand

Airturn also makes innovative stands for your computer or tablet. Some are compact enough and light enough you can fit in your airline bag or carry-on. It extends out to 57 inches (over 5 feet tall). This is perfect if you are a travelling musician, or a content creator like myself – you can have all your gear with you at a gig. 

Get the goStand for $55 on Amazon

Wilkinson Baking Company showed off a very cool machine called “The Breadbot”, and it makes me want to eat carbs right now. Loads of carbs. Who doesn’t love bread? I learn more about this new appliance at CES 2019

The Breadbot came about when a certain kid would wake up at 2 AM every night and wanted baked bread, but it was a hassle at that time of night. His dad was an engineer so he asked his dad to make him something to make life easier. Then the company took over the idea and the Breadbox was born.

It’s an idea that will make a lot of dough, both literally and figuratively. This machine bakes bread in the store locally, doing away with all of the shipping and distribution, so your bread will be fresher and tastier. It won’t replace your local baker. I mean you can’t beat that bread. But stores will really benefit from this.

Customers can watch the process from rolling dough all the way to becoming a finished loaf. It goes from dry-mix to a finished loaf of bread in about 90 minutes. It can apparently do 14 varieties of bread too so it’s not just a one trick pony.

They are even working on a system where the customer can customize their bread and place an order, then pick it up in the store. Even better, they are working on bagging it and delivering it to people.

This may just be the future of bread in stores I’ve never tasted it myself, but it does look delicious. I would love to try some.

PreSonus is getting into the MIDI controller game, and they have an item in ATOM that will be your new, best production tool. I got to see this in action at NAMM 2019, as well as play around with it. This pad controller could launch PreSonus into a new area of music and control. 

About the PreSonus ATOM 

This is a 16 pad controller that will allow you to make beats, add instrument sounds, trigger sounds, and more. USB cable connected, the ATOM has 20 assignable buttons, and 4 programmable rotary encoders. 

I love these pads not only as a musician, but also a video producer, as I can use them as assignable pads for any program I can use hotkeys. The RGB button can change colors so you can have a visual guide. 

ATOM is for PC and Mac, but there have been unofficial instances where it works with iOS apps. With the Studio One software, you can program your ATOM from the screen as well as the controller. 

PreSonus ATOM is $149 and available now at Amazon

You can also get ATOM at B&H. 

Check out the Presonus ATOM page. 

At the DJI booth, there was a new remote for the Mavic 2 series drone. It’s a sleek looking universal smart remote with a built-in color screen. This eliminates the need to have your smartphone in addition to the remote. Now your phone doesn’t have to lose it’s battery when you want to play with your drone on a nice day. That’s great news for drone enthusiasts everywhere.

DJI Mavic 2 Controller

It has an ultra-bright display measuring 5.5 inches and they say that daylight won’t be a problem when you are looking at that screen. You should be able to see everything clearly. This remote accepts SD cards, has an HDMI out port, and a standard USB slot. It has two dials on the shoulder and two more buttons in back, making it look like an odd gaming controller/tablet combo.

Battery life is 2 hours, but it has a quick charge function that will charge it up in about an hour. 2 hours otherwise. This is probably the coolest drone controller you’ve ever seen. It will cost you $649. Not bad at all.

Osmo Pocket

But that wasn’t all that they were showing off at CES this year. The Osmo Pocket is another new device. It’s a stabilized 3 axis camera that fits in the palm of your hand, assuring smooth video no matter how you are moving around. There’s a 1 inch color touchscreen in back that lets you access the various menus and settings. It can plug right into your iPhone and will connect with Android devices with an adapter.

Osmo Pocket is available for 4350. Get Osmo Pocket at Amazon or get Osmo Pocket at B&H

Sony PCM-A10

I talked with Andy at NAMM 2019 about the new line of hi-res handheld recorders for musicians, podcasters, videographers, and more. The newest versions of recorders, with adjustable mics, XLR support (PCM-D10), and remote use with the Sony REC recording app. All with 24-bit sound.

Sony PCM-A10

Small and lightweight, this is a great way to capture the audio, and keep the device in your pocket. For musicians, it’s a perfect mobile practice device, and reporters will like the ability to get the interview. 

The directional microphones can be adjusted to capture audio in the direction you need. Each device can record in FLAC lossless audio. 16 GB internal memory with microSDXC card support, and USB-to-PC transfer support. 

The PCM-A10 has a 15 hour battery life, and records in LPCM 96 kHZ/24-bit mode. Connect to the device via Bluetooth, so you can listen to your recordings quick and easy. You can also connect headphones and speakers as well. 

PCM-A10 is available now for $230 – Get the Sony PCM-A10 on Amazon, or PCM-A10 on B&H

Sony PCM-D10

Sony PCM-D10

Later this spring, Sony will update their A larger version, and ability to connect 2 microphones to the device, this is a great add-on for a camera shoot, or those remote podcast interviews. The PCM-D10 records ukp to 192 kHZ/24-bit and can accept 2 microphones with +48V phantom power. A digital limiter function is also on-board to help control the sound of a noisy room. 

The PCM-D10 has a 3 peak level indicator, at -20dB, -12dB, and Over. Both left and right inputs will have independant peak level displays, and REC volume control.

On the side of the recorder is an analog volume to help dial in the sound. It cannot be controlled by the app, but once it’s set, you can work the digital side. 

The PCM-D10 will be available later this spring starting at $500

Here’s a fun music project for you DIYers out there. Beatbox Instruments is a cost-effective device that you can build yourself. When you are done, you have an awesome device that can make beats with the push of a button. 

What started out as a college project turned into an Austin startup. Beatbox boxes cost less than $100, and can be built under an hour. Best part is all the parts will be in the box that eventually becomes the case! 

And the end result sounds awesome. We heard Travis making some beats (at the beginning of the video), so you can hear how great this device sounds. 

The Beatbox is in prototype phase. They are redesigning the circuit board, and looking for part distributors. Best part is how portable this can be to make great music. 

Watch out for the crowdfund of Beatbox. In the meantime, check out Beatbox Instruments website. 

Lenovo had quite a few things to show off this year. They have accessories, notebooks, displays, gaming products and more.

The Lenovo Smart Clock runs Google assistant. It has a 4″ touchscreen display(480×800 resolution). It’s also 2.4 and 5G wireless. It has a USB port for charging your phone as well. The Lenovo Smart Display gives you a bigger screen and a speaker.

Accessories include a USB-C powered hub with HDMI 2.0, VGA, USB-C powered base pass-through and other ports. Then there’s the Yoga Mouse Laser Presenter, which can act as a mouse or a laser presenter. It twists to switch between modes.

The Lenovo Ultra-Portable Bluetooth Speaker at only 11 nano-meters thin. It sports Bluetooth 5.0 with NFC connection. Up to two devices simultaneously. It fast charges in just 2 hours and runs for 8 hours. It is also IPX2 splash-resistant and compatible with Siri and Goggle Assistant.

The Lenovo VOIP 360 camera/speaker with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, 30 frames per second. Some features include 4 display modes, 360 soundcaster, supports Skype, Amazon Chime, Cisco Jabber, and Google Hangouts.

The Lenovo Legion Y540 15″ laptop has an Intel Core processor, a display of 144 Hz, Dolby vision HDR, Windows 10, up to 32 GB DDR4 2666 MHz, Up to 512 GB PCIe SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, and Harman speakers with Dolby Atmos.

The Lenovo Legion H500 with 7.1 Surround Sound has 7.1 surround sound and a retractable mic. It also packs in dynamic 50mm drivers, memory foam ear cups with protein leather.

The Yoga A940 is a new All-In-One. It’s perfect for audio,video, drawing and other creative uses. The large screen tilts down so you can use a stylus comfortably. It has an Intel 8th Gen Core i7, AMD Radeon RX 560, up to 32GB DDR4 , 27-inch UHD (3840×2160) IPS touchscreen, Dolby Vision HDR , up to 2TB SATA HDD storage and much more.

The new laptops include the Lenovo C730, the Yoga S940, ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the ThinkPad X1 Yoga.

The Lenovo Thinkvision P44W monitor is 43.4″ and boasts a 3,840×1,200 resolution, a refresh rate of 144Hz, LED backlighting, DisplayHDR 400 and much more for all of your entertainment needs.

Check out Lenovo on Amazon. Also check out the Lenovo website.