StudioTrack 1.5 Update Save $9.99 on StudioTrack and $4.99 on FourTrack

Big news from our friends at Sonoma WireWorks as they've just announced the release of a new version of StudioTrack, the highly acclaimed multitrack recording app for iPad, developed in partnership with Retronyms!

The new version includes:

• GuitarTone Amps & Effects: Interpretations of essential vintage and custom amps and pedals. GuitarTone includes three free amps ('60 Slant, Custom and Tweed Blues) and three free effects (UltraPhase, Drive+ and Va-Room), with additional tones available for $9.99 per 12-pack. Amp and effect packs purchased in the GuitarTone app are activated in FourTrack and StudioTrack. GuitarJack activates $19.98 worth of GuitarTone amps and effects while connected.
• Free High Visibility Tuner: Fast, accurate tuning.
• GuitarJack Control Panel - Adjust the input settings and modes for Sonoma's GuitarJack high quality interface that connects a wide range of instruments, microphones, and other audio hardware to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Select 1/4-inch line in, stereo 1/8-inch line in for mono or stereo recording, or use both inputs for simultaneous voice and instrument recording onto two tracks at once. GuitarJack's 1/8-inch stereo line/headphone output offers increased drive for headphones. GuitarJack features Lo-Z and Hi-Z modes, 60 dB of continuous level control, a 12 dB pad for 72 dB of adjustment, a 24-bit AD/DA converter, and the highest quality sound when compared to alternative accessories.

To celebrate, StudioTrack and FourTrack are half off for a limited time. Save $9.99 on StudioTrack (was $19.99) and save $4.99 on FourTrack (was $9.99).

iPad 2 Announced Today

As expected, today's Apple announcement revealed the iPad 2.  The new device will be released in the United States next Friday, March 11 and will be available internationally a couple weeks later on March 25.

New features include front and rear-facing cameras with HD video recording, slimmer size (thinner than the iPhone 4), A5 chip (making it run twice as fast while retaining the 10hr battery life), gyroscope, and the option of black or white.  3G models will run on both AT&T and Verizon's networks, with the same price point of $499 for the 16GB wifi-only iPad.  There's a couple new accessories as well: an HDMI output cable and a smart cover that wakes up the iPad or puts it to sleep when you open or close it.

Complementing the release of the iPad 2 is the release of iOS 4.3, also set to come out 3.11.  It'll have better Safari performance, AirPlay improvements, and the option to make an iPhone 4 a personal hotspot.  Of particular interest to iPad owners will be the availability of two very useful Mac apps - iMovie and GarageBand, both of which you can get for $4.99.  Oh, and PhotoBooth will be another new app addition.  Random House has also partnered with Apple to bring some 17,000 new ebooks to the store.

That pretty much wraps up the news, details can be found all over the internets, and here are the CNET, Engadget, and Guardian articles to start you off.

Dokobots Review in PCMag

Be sure to take a few minutes to check out the great write-up!

Verizon iPhone No Longer a Rumor

That's right, after years of false reports, or maybe just wishful thinking, we've finally got the official announcement that Verizon will be the second US carrier for the iPhone. 

The CDMA phone will be available February 10, and current Verizon customers can preorder February 3.  The device won't be on Verizon's new 4G LTE network, so you won't be able to use voice and data at the same time.  Some might consider this as a fair trade off in exchange for the ability to use the phone as a wifi hotspot for up to five devices though.

The announcement seemed to do a lot reassuring that the company's ready for the release - stating that they've been testing the network for a year now and are currently getting their employees ready for the big day.  Other potentially noteworthy points: no reported antenna issues, no preinstalled Verizon software, and here's a little roundup of pricing comparisons to ATT.

Check out our new app Dokobots!

Woohoo!  Our new app Dokobots is in the App Store!  This is the secret project we've been mentioning from time to time, and we're really excited for its release.  The app is a departure from our line of audio products and returns to the realm of location-based games, but Dokobots is very much a different game than Seek 'n Spell.

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Retronyms Interview in SF Weekly!

SF Weekly has a great interview with one of our co-founders out today!  If you've ever wondered about the origins of Retronyms or our products, take a minute to check out the article.

A Car, an iPhone, and Open Roads

My wife and I recently got back from our first coast-to-coast road trip, we’ll not quite. We made it as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico before catching a plane back to San Francisco. For some people, bay area commuters and the like, the idea of sitting in a car throughout the day doesn’t seem like much of a vacation. However, for me getting out from behind the desk and experiencing the freedom of the open roads was a refreshing break.

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