A closer look at Apple’s new HomePod

The first time I got close to one of Apple’s HomePods was in a secluded meeting room at WWDC. Sonically, at least, it blew away the competition. After seven months — not to mention the introduction of other impressive smart speakers — Apple invited me to spend another hour with a near-final HomePod, and it still sounds like the one to beat. There’s much more to the HomePod than just its stellar sound quality, though, and my time spent with Apple’s new speaker provided answers to some key lingering questions. But first: the basics.

Roli Blocks is an affordable, modular way to make electronic music

British music-gear company Roli is mostly known for its attempts at reimagining the piano. The full-size Seaboard and smaller Seaboard Risemay bear similarities to traditional keyboards, but their rubberized, touch-sensitive buttons let you modulate, pitch-bend and slide between notes in a way that’s far different from what you can do on a standard keyboard or synthesizer. However, price is a big barrier to entry — the Seaboard Rise starts at $800, while its full-size counterpart will set you back $2,000 or more.

Panasonic’s new prototype TV can hide in plain sight

Panasonic has shown off a transparent TV before, but the company has since improved the image quality to the extent that the idea of a television built into your furniture’s glass panes is not only possible — it’s right here.

The True Beat Goes On: Hands-On with the Arnold & Son TBTE

For a watchmaking force like Arnold & Son, things move fast. Really fast. In the past three years alone, we’ve witnessed around 20 new movements coming out of this progressive manufacture; each with a distinct architecture and set of functions. While this ensures that both the press as well as the collector community continue paying attention to the brand, it does mean that some of its watches get less attention than they deserve. The Arnold & Son TBTE, released during Baslworld 2015, is one such piece.

Lupe Fiasco – AUTOBOTO

Benny The Butcher – Bust A Brick Nick

Tory Lanez – Mucky James

Lupe Fiasco – 100 Chicagos

Sauce Walka – “Mirror Effect”

21 Savage – “No Debate” / “Big Smoke”

Flamingo at the Cincinnati Zoo

Mt. Gang Rinpoche (Tibet)

Smithsonian.com

Morning Hour

The first one

POLAR BEAR ON ICEBERG

Ibis Fight