Monthly Archives: September 2022

Marshall’s latest Willen wireless speaker is a palm-sized powerhouse of sound

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The company’s smallest speaker yet, the Marshall Willen still promises to pack a punch with a 2-inch driver, two passive radiators, and IP67 water and dust resistance. Armed with the signature amplifier-inspired faux-leather finish, this palm-sized speaker goes wherever you go, and can even be strapped to yourself, your bag, or random poles to create a unique hands-free soundscape.

Just about as small as a slice of regular bread (that’s the best size comparison I could come up with), the Marshall Willen is the company’s tiniest portable speaker ever made. However, the UK-based audio tech giant doesn’t want the Willen’s size to be its main talking point. Instead, the company is focusing on what the Willen can do, in spite of its tiny footprint.

Designer: Marshall

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Like all of Marshall’s portable speakers, the Willen is focused on letting you carry your music wherever you go. However, measuring just 4-inches tall and 3.96 inches wide, the Willen is just the ideal type of compact, and can slip right into bags, backpacks, and even jacket pockets.

With its iconic guitar-amp-inspired design, the Willen lets you carry your love for audio around with you. It weighs a mere 0.68 lb (310 grams) and comes with a rubber strap that lets you secure it pretty much anywhere. On the inside, the Willen houses a 2-inch driver powered by a 10W amp, and two passive radiators that help deliver the punch of a much larger speaker. There’s no WiFi connectivity or voice-command compatibility on this one, but given its size and price, that would really feel like asking for too much.

The Willen comes in two colors – a classic black and a hipster cream, with a single brass multifunctional knob on the top right that lets you control volume and playback as well as accept/reject calls. A built-in rechargeable battery gives the Willen more than 15 hours of playback, while IP67 water and dust resistance mean the Willen isn’t afraid of being near a pool, on the beach, or in light rain.

The Marshall Willen comes with Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity and even boasts of an Android/iOS app to help fine-tune your audio to perfection. In fact, one of its more impressive features is its ability to pair with other Willen speakers in what Marshall calls a ‘Stack Mode’. This effectively allows you to build your own soundstage, giving you power in numbers, and letting you turn the small 4-inch mono wireless speaker into something much more immersive and enjoyable…

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The post Marshall’s latest Willen wireless speaker is a palm-sized powerhouse of sound first appeared on Yanko Design.

This tiny cabin raised on stilts provides stunning views of a Canadian river and forest

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Located in the midst of a boreal forest, in the heart of Charlevoix, Canada is a tiny cabin raised on stilts called ‘UHU’. Quite literally translating to ‘owl’ in the Innu language, the UHU cabin is nested 12 meters in the air, with stunning views of the Saint-Laurence river to greet you every morning. Designed by Repère Boréal, UHU is the ultimate weekend getaway you’ve been searching for.

Designer: Repère Boréal

The triangular cabin features a glazed facade which allows for generous views of the surrounding forest and green landscape. You can enter the cabin via an enclosed spiral staircase, and a 6-meter bridge. Although compact in size, the UHU cabin is equipped with all the amenities you need for a comfortable and cozy stay. It features a large bed, a fully equipped kitchen, a heated floor, and a shower under the stars. What makes UHU unique is, the fact, that it provides you with a one-of-a-kind experience – one which involves sleeping in the treetops, and truly enjoying the natural beauty of the boreal forest. It is supported by stilts, allowing it to be comfortably positioned 12 meters in the air, so the views from within the cabin are going to be undoubtedly exquisite.

A whole wall of windows guided by the angle of the roof allows a generous amount of sunlight to stream in through the day and lets you genuinely connect with the nature around you. The surrounding landscape is green in spring, and completely covered with snow in winter – so there is lots to admire irrespective of the time of the year you visit.

Described as  “haven of peace, hidden in the treetops”, the UHU micro cabin is the perfect destination to simply unwind, relax, and reconnect with nature. If you’re looking for a break from your hectic city life, then the UHU cabin is definitely a great getaway option – one that perfectly combines comfort, aesthetics, and solitude.

The post This tiny cabin raised on stilts provides stunning views of a Canadian river and forest first appeared on Yanko Design.

This minimal bell-shaped lamp functions as three lighting designs in one

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I truly believe the secret to uplifting a desk or any small space is a lamp. I know, sounds super simplistic, but the right kind of lamp can really do wonders to a tiny space. Whether it’s your work desk, your bedside table, or a little nook in your home – adding a lamp to it can elevate it by manifolds, and add a burst of character to it. Whether you’re an extravagant soul who loves a bit of jazz and glamour or the more simple kind who prefers minimalistic designs – selecting the right lamp according to your personal taste and preference can boost not only your living space but your mood too! I’m from the latter group, and I love a minimal yet brilliantly designed lamp. And, the Bell Lamp by Seiki Ishii seems to tick all the checkboxes for me.

Designer: Seiki Design Studio

“This mobile light was designed with the functionality of Japanese lanterns as a motif, in the hope of creating a light that connects the inside and outside of the house,” said Seiki Design Studio.

Japanese designer Seiki Ishii designed the Bell Lamp for the Seiki Design Studio. Created from recycled glass, it can be used as a floor lamp, table lamp, or wall-mounted light. What instantly grabs my attention is the adorable bell-shaped lampshade, which has been topped with a bright blue loop. The little loop can be used to place the lamp on a wall-mounted hook or floor stand. Or you can switch the lampshade to a tabletop stand as well.

“It can be carried around, hung, or stood up, and fits the situation where you want to illuminate everything from your hand to the space around you,” said Seiki Design Studio.

The Bell Lamp is an extremely versatile lighting design that you can place anywhere in your home or office, depending on your need or requirement. It’s lightweight, minimal, and modular – providing immense utility in its tiny form.

The post This minimal bell-shaped lamp functions as three lighting designs in one first appeared on Yanko Design.

Watch Tesla’s AI Day 2022 event at 9:15PM ET

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Tesla is holding another AI Day, and it'll be particularly easy to tune in. The automaker is streaming its 2022 event tonight at 9:15PM Eastern on YouTube (below) as well as its website. Elon Musk has warned the presentation will be "highly technical" and could last six hours, but you may have multiple reasons to watch even if you're not fond of diagrams and in-depth explanations.

Notably, Musk said in June that Tesla pushed AI Day to September 30th in hopes of having a functional Optimus humanoid robot. It would just be a prototype, but it would show that the company's vision of an autonomous helper exists beyond pretty 3D renders. The machine is meant to handle dangerous or monotonous tasks without requiring step-by-step instructions.

You could also see improvements to Tesla's vehicle technology. The company's Full Self-Driving feature is still rough, and Tesla might explain how it plans to refine the system. You could also see upgrades to Autopilot driver assistance. Behind the scenes, the company may expand the capabilities of the Dojo supercomputer it uses to train vision-based AI systems.

Watch Tesla’s AI Day 2022 event at 9:15PM ET

Posted on by

Tesla is holding another AI Day, and it'll be particularly easy to tune in. The automaker is streaming its 2022 event tonight at 9:15PM Eastern on YouTube (below) as well as its website. Elon Musk has warned the presentation will be "highly technical" and could last six hours, but you may have multiple reasons to watch even if you're not fond of diagrams and in-depth explanations.

Notably, Musk said in June that Tesla pushed AI Day to September 30th in hopes of having a functional Optimus humanoid robot. It would just be a prototype, but it would show that the company's vision of an autonomous helper exists beyond pretty 3D renders. The machine is meant to handle dangerous or monotonous tasks without requiring step-by-step instructions.

You could also see improvements to Tesla's vehicle technology. The company's Full Self-Driving feature is still rough, and Tesla might explain how it plans to refine the system. You could also see upgrades to Autopilot driver assistance. Behind the scenes, the company may expand the capabilities of the Dojo supercomputer it uses to train vision-based AI systems.

A Bruce Willis deepfake could appear in his stead for future film projects (updated)

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Bruce Willis may have retired from acting following a diagnosis of aphasia, but a version of him will live on in future projects. Last year, the actor's "digital twin" appeared in an ad for a Russian telecom created by a company called Deepcake. According to The Telegraph, his digital likeness may appear in future film, advertising and other projects. 

Deepcake told The Hollywood Reporter that, despite reports to the contrary, Willis has not sold his likeness rights to the company. Its involvement with the retired actor "was set up through his representatives at CAA," according to the publication. A representative for the retired actor claimed that Willis "has no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake company.” 

Engineers created the digital double drawing from content in Die Hard and Fifth Element, when Willis was 32 and 42, respectively. With his likeness now on the company's AI platform, it can graft his likeness onto another actor's face in a relatively short amount of time. However, Willis's estate has final approval on any projects. 

In the ad for Megafon, Willis's face was swapped onto actor Konstantin Solovyov. "I liked the precision of my character. It's a great opportunity for me to go back in time," Willis said in a statement on Deepcake. "With the advent of the modern technology, I could communicate, work and participate in filming, even being on another continent. It's a brand new and interesting experience for me, and I grateful to our team."

In March, Willis's family announced that he was retiring from acting to due a diagnosis of aphasia, which impairs communication and comprehension. In the last few years, the 67-year-old has appeared in a series of projects amid concern about his cognitive state.

Actors have already appeared as digital versions of themselves, notably in The Book of Boba Fett with a young Mark Hamill. Digital versions of Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing also appeared in Star Wars: Rogue One, despite the fact that both are deceased. James Earl Jones recently sold Disney the right to recreate his voice using AI, so he could retire. 

The practice has stoked controversy. Deepfakes vary widely in quality, but many approach the "uncanny valley" where characters don't look quite right because of stiff movements, dead eyes and other issues. There's also the question of rights, as deceased actors can't turn down posthumous film roles, even if the family or estate approves. 

Update 10/2 1:35PM ET: The Hollywood Reporter clarified that Willis did not sell his likeness rights to Deepcake. Rather, Deepcake says it "hired" a digital twin of the star. Willis or his estate will need to sign off on future use of his likeness.

A Bruce Willis deepfake could appear in his stead for future film projects (updated)

Posted on by

Bruce Willis may have retired from acting following a diagnosis of aphasia, but a version of him will live on in future projects. Last year, the actor's "digital twin" appeared in an ad for a Russian telecom created by a company called Deepcake. According to The Telegraph, his digital likeness may appear in future film, advertising and other projects. 

Deepcake told The Hollywood Reporter that, despite reports to the contrary, Willis has not sold his likeness rights to the company. Its involvement with the retired actor "was set up through his representatives at CAA," according to the publication. A representative for the retired actor claimed that Willis "has no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake company.” 

Engineers created the digital double drawing from content in Die Hard and Fifth Element, when Willis was 32 and 42, respectively. With his likeness now on the company's AI platform, it can graft his likeness onto another actor's face in a relatively short amount of time. However, Willis's estate has final approval on any projects. 

In the ad for Megafon, Willis's face was swapped onto actor Konstantin Solovyov. "I liked the precision of my character. It's a great opportunity for me to go back in time," Willis said in a statement on Deepcake. "With the advent of the modern technology, I could communicate, work and participate in filming, even being on another continent. It's a brand new and interesting experience for me, and I grateful to our team."

In March, Willis's family announced that he was retiring from acting to due a diagnosis of aphasia, which impairs communication and comprehension. In the last few years, the 67-year-old has appeared in a series of projects amid concern about his cognitive state.

Actors have already appeared as digital versions of themselves, notably in The Book of Boba Fett with a young Mark Hamill. Digital versions of Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing also appeared in Star Wars: Rogue One, despite the fact that both are deceased. James Earl Jones recently sold Disney the right to recreate his voice using AI, so he could retire. 

The practice has stoked controversy. Deepfakes vary widely in quality, but many approach the "uncanny valley" where characters don't look quite right because of stiff movements, dead eyes and other issues. There's also the question of rights, as deceased actors can't turn down posthumous film roles, even if the family or estate approves. 

Update 10/2 1:35PM ET: The Hollywood Reporter clarified that Willis did not sell his likeness rights to Deepcake. Rather, Deepcake says it "hired" a digital twin of the star. Willis or his estate will need to sign off on future use of his likeness.

Ubisoft will help jilted Stadia users transfer their purchases to PC

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Stadia, Google's ill-fated attempt at a cloud gaming service, will shut down in January. Players will be refunded for all their hardware and software purchases, except for Stadia Pro subscriptions. As it turns out, some folks will be able to keep playing certain games elsewhere. Ubisoft will help people who bought its titles on Stadia to transfer their purchases to PC.

“While Stadia will shut down on January 18th, 2023, we’re happy to share that we’re currently working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect,” Ubisoft senior corporate communications manager Jessica Roache told The Verge. “We’ll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.” Google has already shut down the Stadia store, so if you were thinking of buying an Ubisoft game, getting a refund, then gaining access to the PC version for free, you're out of luck.

Ubisoft hasn't revealed when it will offer Stadia players access to their games on Ubisoft Connect. It also hasn't confirmed whether Stadians will be able to transfer their save data over to PC. That said, the Ubisoft+ subscription service includes a cloud save feature, so hopefully the company can figure out a way to maintain players' progress if they switch to a PC version.

While this is a nice gesture from Ubisoft, it might come as a small comfort to some of those who've been enjoying the likes of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Siege on Stadia. One of the big advantages of many cloud gaming services, including Stadia, is that they work on almost any computer, phone or tablet as long as you have a good internet connection. However, folks who don't have a capable gaming PC might not be able to take advantage of this offer.

Ubisoft hasn't been put off the idea of cloud gaming after the collapse of Stadia. Its Ubisoft+ channel is available on Amazon Luna, for one thing. “We believe in the power of streaming and cloud gaming and will continue to push the boundaries on bringing amazing experiences to our players, wherever they are,” Roache said. 

While Google has abandoned Stadia, it will still license the solid game-streaming tech to other companies through an initiative called Immersive Stream for Games. AT&T and Capcom have utilized the white-label version of the tech. Perhaps Ubisoft, whose Assassin's Creed Odyssey was used in the first public test of what would become Stadia, will be interested in taking Google up on the offer too.

Ubisoft will help jilted Stadia users transfer their purchases to PC

Posted on by

Stadia, Google's ill-fated attempt at a cloud gaming service, will shut down in January. Players will be refunded for all their hardware and software purchases, except for Stadia Pro subscriptions. As it turns out, some folks will be able to keep playing certain games elsewhere. Ubisoft will help people who bought its titles on Stadia to transfer their purchases to PC.

“While Stadia will shut down on January 18th, 2023, we’re happy to share that we’re currently working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect,” Ubisoft senior corporate communications manager Jessica Roache told The Verge. “We’ll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.” Google has already shut down the Stadia store, so if you were thinking of buying an Ubisoft game, getting a refund, then gaining access to the PC version for free, you're out of luck.

Ubisoft hasn't revealed when it will offer Stadia players access to their games on Ubisoft Connect. It also hasn't confirmed whether Stadians will be able to transfer their save data over to PC. That said, the Ubisoft+ subscription service includes a cloud save feature, so hopefully the company can figure out a way to maintain players' progress if they switch to a PC version.

While this is a nice gesture from Ubisoft, it might come as a small comfort to some of those who've been enjoying the likes of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Siege on Stadia. One of the big advantages of many cloud gaming services, including Stadia, is that they work on almost any computer, phone or tablet as long as you have a good internet connection. However, folks who don't have a capable gaming PC might not be able to take advantage of this offer.

Ubisoft hasn't been put off the idea of cloud gaming after the collapse of Stadia. Its Ubisoft+ channel is available on Amazon Luna, for one thing. “We believe in the power of streaming and cloud gaming and will continue to push the boundaries on bringing amazing experiences to our players, wherever they are,” Roache said. 

While Google has abandoned Stadia, it will still license the solid game-streaming tech to other companies through an initiative called Immersive Stream for Games. AT&T and Capcom have utilized the white-label version of the tech. Perhaps Ubisoft, whose Assassin's Creed Odyssey was used in the first public test of what would become Stadia, will be interested in taking Google up on the offer too.

Magic Leap’s smaller, lighter second-gen AR glasses are now available

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Magic Leap's second take on augmented reality eyewear is available. The company has started selling Magic Leap 2 in 19 countries, including the US, UK and EU nations. The glasses are still aimed at developers and pros, but they include a number of design upgrades that make them considerably more practical — and point to where AR might be headed.

The design is 50 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than the original. It should be more comfortable to wear over long periods, then. Magic Leap also promises better visibility for AR in bright light (think a well-lit office) thanks to "dynamic dimming" that makes virtual content appear more solid. Lens optics supposedly deliver higher quality imagery with easier-to-read text, and the company touts a wider field of view (70 degrees diagonal) than comparable wearables.

You can expect decent power that includes a quad-core AMD Zen 2-based processor in the "compute pack," a 12.6MP camera (plus a host of cameras for depth, eye tracking and field-of-view) and 60FPS hand tracking for gestures. You'll only get 3.5 hours of non-stop use, but the 256GB of storage (the most in any dedicated AR device, Magic Leap claims) provides room for more sophisticated apps.

As you might guess, this won't be a casual purchase. The Magic Leap 2 Base model costs $3,299, while developers who want extra tools, enterprise features and early access for internal use will want to pay $4,099 for the Developer Pro edition. Corporate buyers will want to buy a $4,999 Enterprise model that includes regular, managed updates and two years of business features.

You won't buy this for personal use as a result. This is more for healthcare, industry, retail and other spaces where the price could easily be offset by profits. However, it joins projects from Qualcomm, Google and others in showing where AR technology is going. Where early tech tended to be bulky and only ideal for a narrow set of circumstances, hardware like Magic Leap 2 appears to be considerably more usable in the real world.