A stellar virtual recreation of Roland's classic analog beast - the Jupiter 8 - with plenty of additional modulation goodies thrown in for big, sonic fun!
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We evaluate the audio and video cable market and discover that higher prices don't mean higher fidelity. See why the jig is up for Monster's cable empire...
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CD Spotlight
The title of Annie Lenox's fifth solo record, Songs Of Mass Destruction, evokes apocalypse, or worse, but it is a little heavy-handed and overblown for the well-crafted,
multi-dimensional tracks found on this release. Songs Of Mass Destruction could almost be labeled a Best Of... compilation of new material since it showcases her mastery of
a wide variety of genres. Songs range on Destruction from smokey ballads, to driving power pop that recalls some of her best work with Dave Stewart. Glen Ballard's production
gives Lenox a grainy, rougher sound that recalls some of his work with Alanis Morissette, and creates a new depth that contrasts with her undeniable vocal in profound ways.
Look for the album's remixes, which could be this year's standouts. LISTEN!
CD Spotlight
The three CD Balance platform is the perfect vehicle to showcase Lee Burridge's taste in wonky music, and his measured mixing style. Instead of packing
20 or more tracks on each CD, Burridge chose to flow about 12 groggy cuts that accurately demonstrate what it's like to see him spin at a venue. Lee, who along with
his partner-in-crime Craig Richards, officially broke into the electronic music scene by hosting the famed Tryant parties in London, has been fine-tuning his DJing
lately by embarking on what he dubbed the 365 tour. Instead of bouncing from city to city for one-off, Burridge would move into a town for a month for a number of
play dates, before moving onto the next spot. This approach allowed him to get to know, and understand, a city and its electronic music community more intimately.
For fans of Burridge and his deep, dark tech-house sound, at least one of these CDs will transport you back to a sweaty, dank night in your past, for the uninitiated,
you'll be privy to a very personal experience with the man and his music... LISTEN!
September 24, 2007
../ iClones Threaten Apple's iPhone Rollout In Asia
Chinese Counterfeiters Take A Bite Out Of Apple
In Taiwan, you could buy an "iPhone" six months before the official debut of
the much-anticipated multimedia mobile in the United States. The iClones, as they have become known, sell for about $250 dollars in Taiwan, and only $125 in mainland
China and Hong Kong.
One of the first "iClones" to appear on the market
As soon as Apple released pictures of the mobile to the public to fan the hype flames, counterfeiters went to work imitating the sleek
design. The most difficult part is not the interior components. Most sophisticated knock-off artists are well versed in intricate electronics.
The trick is duplicating the outer design so that it cannot be distinguished from the original.
Faking The Funk
Some iClones are good enough to fake the funk to most casual observers, right down
to the Apple logo on the back. However, careful inspection reveals obvious differences. There have been reports that some knock-offs are exact
duplicates, raising the question of "shrinkage" at Hon Hai Precision Industry Company, the world's largest contract maker of electronics, including
Apple's iPhones, iPods and computers, but we couldn't locate any hard evidence.
Now Hon Hai is not in the business of selling its client's wares on the side, but
when you have a factory/city of close to 500,000 employees, things are bound to slip through the cracks. A single pilfered iPhone can then be sold
to a counterfeiting operation who's got a back-end deal with a dodgy factory, and the next thing you know...iClones.
A iClone from Taiwan has tighter "reveals" — how closely the components fit together — but they still couldn't get the stem position correct in the Apple logo
Most iClones are being sold online to customers in Japan, Australia, China, Hong Kong,
Malaysia and Singapore — basically any market that's got severe iPhone fever. Apple doesn't intend to premier the iPhone in Asia until
sometime in 2008 according to preliminary reports, so the opportunity is just too good to deny for underground manufacturers.
Despite protests to the World Trade Organization by the United States and others,
rampant counterfeiting goes on unbridled in China. Apple is well aware of the problem and has several methods for reporting illicit hardware on their
website. However, with little means of actively policing China, very little can be done to stop the wanton pirating.
Fake iPods, which are much easier to copy, are even more rampant. Bogus second-generation
iPod nano's were seen in the Hong Kong and Shanghai markets, just days after Apple's September 5th media event. In the early Spring of 2006, a massive
supply of fake first-generation iPod nano's and shuffles hit the
US shores and wound up on eBay and other online venues. A savvy customer could easily spot the
fake, but reports of hapless buyers who took the forged products to Apple stores because "they didn't work right" abounded.
Its apparent from the above video, that the imposters lack the polished iPhone OS,
but its only a matter of time before underground programmers duplicate the GUI and functionality of the real deal. That gives the criminals at least
6 months until the earliest official iPhone debut in Asia, an eternity in "Counterfeiter Years."
TestDrive will feature the lab results of our Audio Experiments so that everyone can get in on the action. Take the latest electronic music releases, mix vigorously
with bleeding-edge music production technology in a large beeker, and then cook the hell out of it! Check out our latest review: LennarDigital Sylenth1
