Apple Watch Ultra teardown confirms it’s rugged, but not easily repaired

The Apple Watch Ultra is built to survive outdoors adventures, but you’ll want to forget about repairing it yourself if you take a tumble. iFixit has completed a video teardown indicating that the Ultra isn’t significantly more repairable than its regular counterparts. While there are external screws on the back, you’re going to wreck a waterproofing gasket if you pry the rear open. And don’t even think of getting through the front — it’s difficult to avoid breaking the screen, at least without special tools.

It’s also tricky to access the battery and other components. The teardown also illustrates just how much larger the speaker array is on the Apple Watch Ultra compared to the Series 8. Even if you’re unlikely to ever use the siren feature those speakers are meant for, it should help with call quality and other audio-driven apps.

This isn’t the advancement in fix-it-yourself friendliness you saw in the base iPhone 14, then. You’ll need to take this to a pro repair shop if you land badly during a hike. Even so, iFixit is optimistic the Watch Ultra represents a path toward more repairable Apple wristwear. While it’s not clear if future smartwatches will make that leap, it won’t be shocking given mounting political pressure on the tech industry to create more easily maintained devices.

Aphex Twin’s free ‘sample mashing’ app feeds on your music library

Aphex Twin is finally ready to offer his mutation-driven music software to the world. Pitchforknotes Aphex Twin (aka Richard James) and engineer Dave Griffiths have released Samplebrain, a free “sample mashing” app that turns audio files from your computer into sample blocks you can use for projects. You can recreate a sample using tracks in your music library, or craft a “303 riff” from unexpected sounds.

The app is available in ready-to-use versions for Mac and Windows computers. You can build a Linux-friendly edition as well. As Pitchfork warns, you may need some technical know-how to use the app — this isn’t for rookie musicians.

Samplebrain has been a long time coming, to put it mildly. James said he first envisioned the app in 2002, back when Drukqs was his latest release. He revealed that he’d hired an engineer to work on the software in 2014 (when he returned to music with Syro), but didn’t say much else until now. There’s a good reason for that, apparently. James and Griffiths realized the project became “slightly out of control” as they added more and more parameters, and James admitted he hasn’t had much time to “explore [Samplebrain] properly.” This is a bid to finally put the tool in creators’ hands, even if it’s in a rough form.

iPhone 14 Pro、Watch Ultra、AirPods Pro 2 全開箱 + 用後感分享｜Engadget Update EP153

Apple 2022 年的手機、耳機、手錶新品 iPhone 14 Pro、Watch Ultra、AirPods Pro 2 都已經正式開賣了，小編也使用了有一星期的時間，最近還是有很多朋友在問「值得升級嗎？」、「好用嗎？」等等。今天的 Engadget Update 就跟大家一起分享一下使用心得，還有一些新配件可以給大家參考看看，要怎樣一併升級喔！…

Major Audacity update makes it a much better audio production tool

Audacity is best known as a free app to do quick audio edits and record audio, but the latest update makes it more viable as a full on production tool, parent Muse Group has announced. Version 3.2 now supports non-destructive editing, real-time effects and enhanced VST3 support, along with user interface improvements and faster audio sharing via a new service, audio.com.

The most welcome addition is non-destructive audio capabilities that allow creators to adjust effects without the changes being permanently baked into the audio file. It also supports real-time playback of effects and crossfades as you adjust them, allowing for more accurate edits while listening to audio. That compares to previous versions, which required that you render the effect before you could hear it.

The company has completely rewritten the code base for VST plugins to improve stability and reliability, while adding improved support for VST3. It also addressed concerns about what we’ve called its “ugly and a bit archaic” user interface. And it now offers a “clearer and more consistent set of visuals” in the top bar for editing, with a new “Audio Setup” option that makes it easier to change input, mic and output settings. 

Finally, the new audio.com site lets you easily share audio files by sending a link rather than the entire file. You can share files either publicly or privately, or use your account for cloud storage. (Muse Group recently updated its privacy policy, promising it wouldn’t sell any of the “very limited” data it collects from users.) The new version of the app is now available as a free download. 

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 falls to a new low of $250

If you have your eye on Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 5 but were waiting for a deal, one has already arrived. Amazon’s Woot portal is selling the 40mm model in several colors (Grey, Pink Gold and Silver) for $250, a savings of $30 or 11 percent off the regular price. 

Buy Galaxy Watch 5 at Woot – $250

The Galaxy Watch 5 scored a solid 85 in our Engadget review, and we once again called it “the best non-Apple smartwatch.” Samsung was focused more on perfecting it over the Watch 4, adding extra battery life (a runtime of up to 80 hours), greater durability with Sapphire Crystal glass and an inactive temperature sensor. 

Otherwise, it carries the same design and features as before, which is a good thing. Powered by a responsive 5-nanometer Exynos processor and running Wear OS, it uses Samsung’s bezel-based navigation with a touch-sensitive ring framing the screen. That gives you access to numerous apps, along with sleep-tracking and coaching plus health and activity tracking. You can get your body composition reading using the body-impedance analysis tool, take ECG scans, reply to messages, control music playback and more. 

The lightly curved underside keeps the sensors in contact with your wrist, and it’s rated IP68, 5ATM and MIL-STD-810H for durability (water, dust and pressure resistance). The main downside is that battery life is considerably lower with the always-on display compared to the Apple Watch 7. Still, it’s the best Android smartwatch available and it’s rare to see a discount on such a new device. Bear in mind that sales from Woot are time limited and have a different return policy from parent Amazon.

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iPhone 15 ‘Ultra’ could replace next year’s Pro Max model

Next year’s iPhone could introduce a change to Apple’s naming convention. According to Bloombergreporter Mark Gurman, the company could call its largest and most expensive device in 2023 the iPhone 15 Ultra instead of the iPhone 15 Pro Max as you would…

How to stream tonight’s historic Yankees-Red Sox game on Apple TV+ for free

Don’t panic that you might miss out on tonight’s potentially legendary match-up between the Yankees and Red Sox just because it’s on Apple TV+ — there’s a good chance you can tune in for free. Apple is streaming the game at no charge as part of its weekly Friday Night Baseball feature, with coverage starting at 6:25PM Eastern and the action starting in earnest at 7PM. It’ll require a little bit of work and a compatible device, but you too can see if Aaron Judge will break Roger Maris’ American League home run record. Here’s how to watch.

You’ll need to either sign into or create a free Apple ID account at the Apple TV+ website or a supporting app. You may be prompted to add a credit card, but Apple won’t charge you for this or any Friday Night Baseball game. The service is available on the web for Android- and computer-based viewers. iPhone, iPad and Mac users can also try the native app.

You also have many choices for watching in the living room. On top of Apple TV boxes, you can also tune into the Yankees-Red Sox game using the app for recent smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, HiSense, Panasonic and Vizio. PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S owners can also watch, as can people with Fire TV, Google TV and Roku media players. Receivers for Comcast’s Xfinity and T-Mobile’s Magenta TV similarly offer Apple TV+ apps.

The free viewing might just head off some controversy. New York State Attorney General Letitia James has been worried enough about the TV+ exclusive to issue a statement asking Apple and the MLB to make the game available on the Yankees-oriented YES Network, calling the deal “wrong and unfair.” However, James incorrectly claimed people need to “pay extra” to watch — if you’re reading her press release or tweet (i.e. you have internet access), you can stream the potentially history-making showdown at no charge. The exclusive is only really a problem if all your devices are too old to use either the app or the web client.