Anyone with even a passing knowledge of electronic musical instruments knows the name Roger Linn.  He created the LM-1, Linndrum, and Linn 9000 drum machines, which became synonymous with 80′s pop music from the likes of Prince, Madonna, and Michael Jackson.  However, that’s not even his most famous creation.   His most marked design would be the MPC, an instrument that molded and forever changed hip-hop production to the point where it is hard to imagine what it would be like without Linn’s creation.  In recent years, with the design of open-source instruments like the Monome or the Jazzmutant Lemur, there has begun to be a greater interest in moving away from the traditional keyboard as a pitch-generating solution for creating music.  Now, Linn is throwing his hat into the ring with this prototype for a multitouch, tone-generation pad that has some unique abilities when it comes to expressiveness (a point which is generally lacking in other multitouch solutions like the iPad and Lemur).  Production heads everywhere will be keeping a close eye on this one as it develops.

As expected, Steve Jobs announced another gadget kids will be lining up for on release day, the new iPhone 4. You’ve no doubt seen the sensational Next iPhone story leak all over the web, and today at Apple’s annual WWDC the hammer was dropped, officially. This new iPhone is almost as revolutionary as the first 3, with an almost retro-inspired square body made of glass (front and back) and stainless steel. You also don’t have to be a geek to be impressed with its guts; a new “Retina” display at an incredible 326 pixels per inch (300 is the limit of the human eye), improved battery time, 24% thinner than your current iPhone, front-facing 5 mega-pixel camera with 5x zoom and capable of 720p at 30 fps (that’s HD video folks), LED flash, 2 internal microphones (second mic for noise-cancellation), 6-axis motion sensing, and a few more technical specs that should make any Apple Fanboy wet his pants. We’re already getting our tents ready for the lineup. Available June 24, 2010, with pre-orders next week.

This isn’t an announcement. This is the co-sign. Wired Magazine‘s new iPad application is unlike anything you think it will be and manages to be everything you expect.  This goes beyond  digitizing their print format. When they could have just as easily made this one big pdf and be done with it, they’ve instead chosen to create an immersive, interactive reading experience that is unlike anything you’ve ever gotten from a print magazine. Now, this isn’t the forum to start a debate regarding the end of print, but this is the place to endorse a well executed idea. And that it is. Conjuring up descriptions for each individual interactive article in the issue draws parallels to characteristics normally reserved for Apple – well thought out, easy, designed with the user in mind, fun. Articles come to life with animation, audio and video clips enrich the content, and as difficult as it is to believe, some of the come-to-life ads are engaging. Get on it. Available here.

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The perfect complement to your bulky DSLR, Leica’s V-Lux 20 takes all the features you’ll ever need, combines them with stunning design and high-quality pictures, all in a compact package perfect for any situation. It’s no secret that when it comes to looks, there isn’t anything on the market that beats that vintage-inspired aesthetic of Leica; a timeless look that’ll satisfy the harshest critic. Yet this isn’t like the girls you pick up in the clubs, the V-Lux 20 has some serious brains inside that gorgeous case: high-performance 12x Super-zoom Leica DC-Vario-Elmar lens with a focal range from 25 -300 mm, ergonomically-positioned controls, 12.1 effective megapixel sensor, 720p HD movie recording, and integrated GPS tagging functionality to go with all the regular standard features you expect. Definitely an interesting option for the design-savvy amateur photographer.

Available in May at Leica dealers worldwide.

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So you’re one of the lucky few who scored an iPad in last the couple of weeks (753,080 at the time of this post to be exact), you’re probably waiting anxiously for developers to release apps native to the iPad environment. Granimator is a creative sound based wallpaper creator that allows you use touch and sound to create wallpaper art for your device. Created by UK-based creative studio ustwo, the app consists of an extremely large set of graphical elements (styles, shapes, backgrounds), which appear on your canvas by a simple touch, pinch or drag onto the screen, all to the tune of unique sounds. Very intuitive and slightly addictive, the results makes full use of the iPad brilliantly large screen. Once you’ve created your masterpiece, the app allows you to not only save it, but to share directly through Twitter, Flickr, with the Top designs going up on Granimator.com. While there still are a few bugs to correct, it’s one of the better creative apps on the market to date.

Available for free on the App Store.

Making the rounds and causing quite a buzz is Noktor’s new HyperPrime 50mm lens, with a maximum aperture of f/0.95. This astoundingly fast lens renders pictures (and video) with a unique aesthetic, a sort of dream-like mood where night becomes day. In fact, the lens exceeds the perception of the human eye in low-light situations allowing you to capture scenes that were impossible previously.

Priced at a modest $750, the only drawback is that it is currently designed in Micro Four Thirds mounts only (Panasonic and Olympus PEN cameras). However, with the majority of photographers using different mounts, you can be sure to see some Nikon and Canon editions shortly. Take a look at pictures and a video taken in extreme low-light conditions after the jump.

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Patrick Molnar is a designer by profession, but at heart he’s a hardcore gamer. Together with fellow German Phil Penninger, a most impressive collection of Videogame Systems and early home computers has been assembled and made available to the masses. Spanning over 35 years, you’ll find all the classics from the US & Japan, complete with photos, original packaging and a biography -all available online and as a nice soft cover coffee-table book. From a pure design perspective, it’s brilliant to see how the gaming industry has evolved over time, and impressive to see how revolutionary the early-systems really were. Sure the games nowadays are insane high-def masterpieces, but nothing will ever beat the classic stylings of the wood-paneling on the Atari VCS.

It pretty much all began with the Magnavox Odyssey, a behemoth of a machine from 1972 that opened the door to a new type of entertainment, something that combined the social aspects of board games, with the new-aged technology of the digital world. There are some great classics in this collection, and some very interesting oddities; from the multiple Pong systems (which was almost an industry in itself), to the self-contained Vectrex which came with its own monitor, to my personal all-time favorite: the Sega Master System 1, which took 8-bit graphics to whole new heights. If you’ve got a few hours, go reminisce about your wasted youth here.

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The wait is finally over. The all new Apple iPad was finally revealed at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco by Steve Jobs. It’s essentially a 0.5-inch thick, 1.5 pound, 9.7-inch tablet with integrated speaker and microphone, Bluetooth, WiFi and 3G, compass and accelerometer. Coming in 16, 32 and 64 GB Flash storage options, it remains to be seen whether or not this truly revolutionizes technology like the iPhone, or if is just an example of the power-house marketing machine Apple has become. Other features include: a 10-hour battery life and a month of standby, compatible with a new keyboard dock accessory for desktop use, syncable with your existing Mac and will be iPhone App compatible.

The Apple iPad will be available for $499 for 16GB, 32GB for $599, and $699 64GB. Adding 3G costs a $130 per model. The WiFi-only model will ship in 60 days, whereas the 3G models will ship in 90 days.

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If you love the look of a Leica, but can’t afford the massive pricetag that comes with it, Pentax has just released your dream camera. The compact point-and-shoot I-10 is obviously inspired by classic film SLRs of the fifties and sixties, complete with a leatherette body in either black or cream to add a classy touch to the retro body. While not a high-end camera, it boasts some great features: 12.1 MP sensor, a large 2.7-inch LCD, face-detection, 720p video-capture and Triple Shake Reduction technology that allows for crisp images in low-light situations. Coming in at only $300, it is the perfect option for the not-so-savvy photographer who’s big on style. Available here.

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Teenage Engineering is a Swedish design company previously best known for their Styrofoam turntable kit and their modular Studio System work lights.  Now they’ve taken their innovative design aesthetics and thrown their hat into the musical instrument ring by creating the OP-1.  The OP-1 is a seriously stylish portable synthesizer, sequencer, and sampler, perfect for writing and creating twisted electronic ditties on the run.  Its most immediate eye-catching feature is the high-contrast, 60 frames per second Amoled display.  In terms of software, it boasts 8 different synth engines, 14 effects, multiple sequencer types, and an intuitive sampler.  One groundbreaking feature is the virtual 4-track ‘tape’ recorder, which can instantly record anything you do for up to 12 minutes at the highest quality setting.  Things get really tripped out when you start to play with the speed and pitch in real-time during playback.  The OP-1 has a USB connection, which allows it to function as a software controller and a mass storage device where you can drag and drop audio files to and from your computer.

Word is that David Möllerstedt, who previously designed much of the software for the Elektron Machinedrum, is behind the OS for the OP-1.  That is a massive point if true because the Machinedrum is widely considered to be the most intuitive electronic music instrument on the market today.  The OP-1 was just on display last weekend at NAMM, the music product industry trade show in Anaheim, California, and Teenage Engineering is hoping it will be available for sale by late 2010.

Video demos after the jump.

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Even with the advent of Digital Recording technology, the portable home studio is an essential part of any aspiring musician’s arsenal. Perhaps the most influential piece of recording equipment was the Tascam Portastudio, an indispensable tool for any band in the 80s. Responsible for millions and millions of demo tapes, it was revolutionary in that artists could record multiple instruments and vocals, then mix them down and record to a built-in audio cassette. Tascam gives the Portastudio a digital facelift with the all new DP-008, an all-digital 8-Track recorder that captures CD-quality audio 2 tracks at a time through built-in internal mics, or XLR inputs. Put in some AA batteries and you’ve got a powerful tool wherever you happen to find yourself. Available here.

With the growing popularity of yet another electronic device will come the inevitable urge to customize and accessorize. And with the hoards of new Kindle users over the Holidays (myself included), the need for higher-end accessories will continue to grow. By far the best product on the market to date comes from Austrian-based Hard Graft, a small but very interesting team of designers of felt and leather lifestyle accessories. The U kindle Case follows the look of most of Hard Graft’s products; made from 100% premium wool felt made in Germany of fine compressed fibers, providing a soft, durable, water repellent, environmentally friendly enclosure to keep your device safe. On the outside panel, a hand-selected, vegetable tanned Italian leather pocket fits your iPod/iPhone perfectly; useful, yet also adds an appreciative touch of luxury. Another brilliant small detail is the herringbone elastic band to hold a pen or headphones, while ensuring your Kindle stays safe where it belongs. Available here.

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