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Korg is a name that typically brings to mind synths, keyboards and production tools, but ahead of NAMM 2025, the company announced new turntables. These aren't just your typical shelf-bound, plugged-into-speakers vinyl spinners though. Under the Handytraxx brand, Korg will soon offer portable turntables for listening, archiving and DJing, and some are equipped with the company's Nutube vacuum tubes. The series of turntables gets its name from the original Handy Trax from Vestax. Korg says former Vestax president and co-developer of that OG model, Toshihide Nakama, was working with the company on "an all-new kind of record player." Nakama passed away in 2023 during the development of the Handytraxx Play, but Korg continued to merge its digital processing and audio tech with "the spirit" of the Handy Trax. The Handytraxx Play ($400) is the DJ-focused member of the group and appears to be ready for the masses after a cameo at NAMM last year. Designed for scratching, the turntable is equipped with a Nakama-designed fader as well as three types of filters, delay, playback control and a built-in audio looper. The tonearm was made to minimize needle skipping and the belt-driven motor has digital rotation correction to keep things in check. The Play supports both ceramic and MM cartridges (some soldering required to swap them) and Korg allows you to flip the control panel for right- or left-handed configurations. Korg Handytraxx Play Korg If your vinyl habit is more listening than scratching, the Handytraxx Tube ($800) "bridges the gap between modern convenience and analogue fascination," according to Korg. This model gets its name from the tiny Nutube vacuum tube that lends its power to the phono amplifier and its warmth to the overall sound. A die-cast aluminum platter, balanced tone arm and MM cartridge serve as the main components. Bass and treble controls are right on the deck and there's a dedicated knob for fine-tuning the Nutube's output. And if you want to convert your records to digital files, the Tube connects to a computer via USB for that purpose. There's also a special edition of the Handytraxx Tube that Korg calls the Handytraxx Tube J ($1,200). This model looks very similar to the Tube, but it's equipped with a JICO Clipper MM Cartridge. "The cartridges unique design balances the center of gravity between the left and right channels, while its Tapered-S Cantilever ensures accurate vibration reproduction, creating a truly immersive Hi-Fi soundstage," Korg explains. In other words, this is an option for audiophiles in of the group. Lastly, the Handytraxx 1bit ($1,00) is what Korg calls the flagship model in the new series. The company explains that this unit blends high-quality playback with 5.6 MHz/1-bit recording for archivists. The 1bit works with Korg's AudioGate 4 high-res audio conversion software after you connect the turntable to your computer via USB. That complete setup supports both recording and playback in 5.6 MHz and 2.8 MHz DSD in addition to PCM formats up to 192 kHz/24-bit. The Handytraxx 1bit has a JICO J44A 7 MM cartridge and, like the Handytraxx Tube, there's a built-in Nutube. As is the case on that more affordable model, there are bass, treble and tube controls right up top on the 1bit version. Korg Handytraxx 1bit Korg Like I mentioned, the entire Handytraxx series is portable thanks to built-in 2.5-watt speakers. You can power them with included AC adapters or employ six AA batteries for a true on-the-go kit. There are appropriate inputs and outputs on each model if you want a stationary setup, including an on/off switch for the speakers. The Handytraxx Play, Tube and 1bit are scheduled to arrive in May with the Tube J following in June. All four are currently available for preorder from B&H Photo. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/korg-joins-the-turntable-craze-with-portable-options-for-archiving-djing-and-more-172443992.html?src=rss
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Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, has been cooking up a whole new fantasy universe, and the first book set in it is out now. Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown, is an anthology that reads like a collection of myths and folklore. The stories are macabre with a touch of whimsy (as in, occasional animal narrators), ranging from a boys bizarre adventure after he becomes the unexpected wielder of a powerful dead hand, to the creation of the world and gods in the eponymous Lands Unknown. Mignola said when the project was announced last year that it all started with an Italian folktale about a boy who goes bowling with corpses, which he wanted to adapt, but also to play fast and loose in doing so. So I created a whole new world, he said. Bowling with Corpses hits comic stores today, and you can read a snippet from Una and the Devil (one of my favorite stories in the book) below. Unsurprisingly, Mignolas style lends itself well to the concept of creepy folk tales, and there are some really stunning visuals that bring it all to life: a woman rising from a blood-filled casket; a man following a floating dagger through a forest bathed in red; a newly transformed creature of the night spreading her wings for the first time. The book contains eight stories across its 112 pages (and a promise for more to come!), so theres plenty of good stuff to sink your teeth into. Mignola collaborated once again with Ben Stenbeck (Our Bones Dust) to create the Lands Unknown universe, and the book is the first to be published under Mignolas new imprint, Curious Objects, from Dark Horse Comics. Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown was written and illustrated by Mignola, colored by Dave Stewart and lettered by Clem Robins. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/heres-a-look-at-mike-mignolas-new-book-set-in-a-macabre-folklore-inspired-universe-170009280.html?src=rss
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The clickety-clacking sounds of mechanical keyboards are satisfying for a lot of people, even if the prices of many such devices may not be. So its nice to see some discounts of up to 63 percent on select Keychron models at Woot. For example, the Q2 Wired keyboard has dropped by 63 percent from $200 to $75. But why stop there? New Woot customers can get an extra ten bucks off through the end of this month by using the code KEYCHRONTEN at checkout. If you prefer a split keyboard format, you can scoop up the Q8 Alice layout model for $95, which is $125 (or 57 percent) off the usual price. Again, the $10 offer applies for Woot newbies. Keychron makes some of our favorite mechanical keyboards. In fact, the brand accounts for three of the five spots on our list of the best mechanical keyboards. None of the specific models we highlight in our guide are included in Woot's sale, unfortunately, but Keychron models are popular for good reason. There is one major downside worth bearing in mind when it comes to Keychron mechanical keyboards. They only come with a 12-month manufacturer's warranty, which isn't ideal for products that have lots of moving parts. That said, the sale runs until 1AM ET on February 1, so you might have a little time to decide whether to pick one up while they're less pricey than usual. However, some models have already sold out. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/keychron-mechanical-keyboards-are-up-to-63-percent-off-right-now-164647272.html?src=rss
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The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (MCA), a watchdog agency which has repeatedly probed Amazon's business dealings, will now be run by former Amazon executive Doug Gurr. that makes sense, right? Gurr will serve as interim chair "in a bid to boost growth and support the economy. "The decision comes alongside reports that the UK government ousted former chair, Marcus Bokkerink, whose resignation was simultaneously announced. Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, explained the appointment in a statement. "This Government has a clear Plan for Change to boost growth for businesses and communities across the UK. As weve set out, we want to see regulators including the CMA supercharging the economy with pro-business decisions that will drive prosperity and growth, putting more money in peoples pockets." The CMA is responsible for investigating any potential breaches of antitrust regulations, vetting mergers and protecting consumers from any unfair trading practices. It has taken action against Amazon multiple times, including the period Gurr worked there. Recently, the CMA has probed Amazon for not protecting customers from fake reviews and whether Amazon gives its own brands preference over third-party products in its marketplace the latter resolved with agreed upon changes from the tech giant. Last year, the CMA looked at Amazon's $4 billion investment into Anthropic, ruling it didn't qualify as a merger. The CMA is currently investigating Google for antitrust practices in regards to its search services. Gurr joined Amazon in 2011, serving as the President of Amazon China from 2014 to 2016 and finally as Country Manager of Amazon UK until he left the company in 2020. Most recently, he served as director of the Natural History Museum in London. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/former-amazon-executive-to-run-uks-antitrust-agency-163433153.html?src=rss
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YouTube is rolling out new perks for paying users, starting with the ability to switch on more than one experiment. If you're paying for a Premium subscription, you can test out the video streaming service's experimental features by going to youtube.com/new. It was only previously possible to try one experiment at a time, but now you can activate multiple options so you can try out a few at once. YouTube even added new features you can test out now that you can activate more than one, including the ability to play music videos with your audio set to 256kbps. Previously, you could only listen to 256kbps audio on YouTube Music. Another new test feature is Picture-in-Picture for YouTube Shorts on iOS, so you can watch short-form videos while you have other apps open. You can also activate Smart Downloads on iOS if you want YouTube to automatically save recommended Shorts on your phone to view offline. Another thing YouTube is testing is "Jump ahead" for web viewing, which lets you skip ahead to specific parts of a video. It used to be exclusively available on YouTube apps. Finally, you'll soon be able to play videos even faster on mobile, with expanded playback options of up to 4x the speed. If you're in the US, take note that Google is rolling out a bundle with YouTube Premium and 2 TB of cloud storage with Google One, which will cost you $21.98 a month. That's slightly less than the typical price of $24 a month together ($10 for Google One and $14 for the YouTube Premium individual plan). This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-premium-adds-256kbps-audio-experiment-for-music-videos-160043945.html?src=rss
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