Scott Lowe | The Verge The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts. 2012-12-15T03:24:16+00:00 https://www.theverge.com/authors/scott-lowe/rss https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/verge-rss-large_80b47e.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1 Scott Lowe <![CDATA[NASA celebrates Johnson Space Center with ‘Gangnam Style’ parody]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/12/14/3768868/nasa-johnson-style-parody-gangnam-style 2012-12-14T22:24:16-05:00 2012-12-14T22:24:16-05:00
NASA Johnson Style

When NASA isn’t releasing gorgeous satellite photos of Earth or planning new rover missions to Mars, it’s apparently shooting parody videos at its headquarters in Houston, Texas. A new video released to the agency’s official YouTube page, dubbed “Johnson Style,” celebrates the historic facility to the tune of Psy’s wildly popular “Gangnam Style.” Like the original, “Johnson Style” features plenty of horse dancing, but instead of the Gangnam District in Korea, the video was shot inside NASA’s mission control and alongside rockets and advanced flight simulators. The parody was written and performed by students as a means “inform the public about the amazing work going on at NASA and the Johnson Space Center.” Check out the video below.

]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[Verge Favorites: Scott Lowe]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/12/7/3411926/verge-favorites-scott-lowe 2012-12-07T11:30:02-05:00 2012-12-07T11:30:02-05:00

The Verge staffers aren’t just people who love technology. They’re people who love stuff. We spend as much time talking and thinking about our favorite books, music, and movies as we do debating the best smartphone to buy or what point-and-shoot has the tightest macro. We thought it would make sense to share our latest obsessions with Verge readers, and we hope you’re encouraged to share your favorites with us. Thus a long, healthy debate will ensue where we all end up with new things to read, listen to, or try on.

Sound Shapes
Laura_book

I’m an unabashed fan of the PS Vita, though admittedly, there aren’t a ton of ‘must-play’ games. One of the few truly exceptional Vita-specific experiences, however, is Sound Shapes. It has all of the qualities of a traditional platformer, but it adds a somewhat elevated visual style and a soundtrack from the likes of Deadmau5, Beck, Jim Guthrie, and others. As you traverse levels, the tokens you collect, enemies you encounter, and the environments themselves trigger sounds and combine to form a song. There are even integrated level creation and sharing tools, making it unusually robust for a downloadable title for a portable. If you own a Vita, it’s totally worth the $15. Buy it.

Geographer
Josh_album

I saw these guys play at the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco a few months back and I was hooked. I generally avoid excessively indie fare, but they keep the rhythms fairly upbeat and use an interesting combination of synths and strings. If you want to give a few of their tracks a whirl, I’d recommend checking out “Life of Crime” and “Lover’s Game” from their album Myth and “Original Sin” and “Kites” from Animal Shapes.

Snapseed
Josh_album

Earlier this year I decided to experiment with photo editing on the iPad exclusively — transferring shots from my DSLR using an SD card adapter and uploading to services like 500px. My editing app of choice is Snapseed. Instead of trying to mimic traditional desktop software, the developers seem to really embrace the touchscreen control scheme. It uses drop-pins with an expandable radius for spot corrections and multitouch gestures to dictate the range of adjustment. I’m still not convinced the iPad can replace traditional editing methods, but Snapseed comes pretty close.

Aldo Fielden Shoes
Josh_album

I’m not a particularly fashionable guy. I typically cycle through several variations of V-necks, jeans, and Converse shoes — I’m the adult Doug Funny. So when I finally branch out, I get pretty excited about it. I picked these up in preparation for a recent trip to Vegas and I’m loving them thus far. They are about as comfortable as my trusty Chucks, but hey, they look good. They seem to say: “I want to look classy, but I’m prepared to spill whisky on my shoes.”

Yamazaki
Josh_album

Speaking of whisky, a former colleague first introduced me to Yamazaki a few years ago and I recently rediscovered it. While I’m hardly a connoisseur of brown liquors, Yamazaki 12 has the perfect smooth to smokey ratio for my preference. Most bars in San Francisco carry it and despite being imported from Japan, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s also made by Suntory, the company Bill Murray is promoting in Lost in Translation, so there’s some film nerd novelty to it. Should you ever find yourself in relaxing times, make it Yamazaki time.
]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[Steam kicks off autumn sale with $12.49 ‘The Walking Dead’ season pass and more]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/21/3678100/steam-autumn-sale-xcom-walking-dead 2012-11-21T21:20:13-05:00 2012-11-21T21:20:13-05:00
steam autumn sale

While consumers across the country are gearing up for Black Friday sales at retailers nationwide, PC gamers can start reaping the benefits now with Valve’s autumn sale. From now until November 26th, Valve is cutting prices on a large number of the service’s catalog, including daily specials and hours-long flash deals. To kick things off, the company is offering XCOM: Enemy Unknown for $33.49, the full season of The Walking Dead for Mac or Windows for $12.49, and countless other at discounts of up to 75 percent. In July, Valve offered similar deals as part of its annual summer sale. Keep a close eye on the steam website, desktop client, or mobile app to catch all of the limited-time deals.

]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[Amazon ends trial of $7.99 monthly Prime subscriptions]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/16/3656436/amazon-ends-trial-of-7-99-monthly-prime-subscriptions 2012-11-16T20:55:10-05:00 2012-11-16T20:55:10-05:00
amazon prime monthly

Those that weren’t fortunate enough to snag Amazon’s limited trial of $7.99 per-month Prime subscriptions are now officially out of luck. Representatives have confirmed to AllThingsD that the company is no longer offering the monthly rate to new subscribers. Last month, it was discovered that the company had begun offering its premium streaming video and membership service, Amazon Prime, for a fixed monthly rate — a notable departure from its long-standing annual fee of $79. The pricing structure was believed to be a direct response to Hulu Plus and Netflix, who offer similarly priced monthly plans. Amazon says it has concluded the trial but has offered no further comment with regards to when, or if, it’ll offer it as a standard option in the future.

]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[Nokia launching Here maps app on iPhone and Android SDK]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/13/3640938/nokia-here-maps-android-ios-mozilla-os 2012-11-13T13:07:25-05:00 2012-11-13T13:07:25-05:00
Nokia Here Mozilla Stock

As part of its announcement of its new mapping platform, Here, Nokia has confirmed that it will be extending the service beyond Windows Phone platform with dedicated apps for iPhone and Android, and a web-version that will support Mozilla’s Firefox OS sometime next year. The iOS app will offer turn-by-turn directions, public transportation information, and will be available “soon,” pending approval by Apple. The company will also be offering Android OEMs access to a dedicated SDK, allowing them to integrate the service with the full array of features and POI information into their apps and devices.

As previously reported, Nokia’s new Here platform combines both local and cloud-based data and rendering, which allows for faster 3D rendering and a robust offline mode. So robust, in fact, that Nokia says that the Windows Phone app consumes up to 2.2GB of storage. Whether or not the same hefty app package will be found in the native iOS and Android apps, however, remains to be seen.

]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[Nokia rebrands maps platform as Here, introduces collaborative mapping system]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/13/3640698/nokia-here-mapping-platform-cloud 2012-11-13T12:34:24-05:00 2012-11-13T12:34:24-05:00
nokia here event stock

Today at an event in San Francisco, Nokia announced the expansion to its existing mapping platform, which it is calling Here. While many of the functions and services are consistent with prior releases, the company has used a recent acquisition of POV mapping technology company EarthMine to create Street View-style experiences. The platform comes accompanied by a new web portal, which is already live at Here.com. The website syncs with a user’s Nokia account, allowing you to access your personalized maps data from any device. It also includes a new tool called Map Creator, which allows users to take stock maps and satellite imagery, identifying streets and adding various attributes, like traffic direction. Using the collaborative user-submitted data, Nokia takes the information and integrates it into its own official maps. It also integrates an updated 3D mapping feature, creating rendered models of buildings.

Under the hood, Nokia is touting its “capture, compute, experience” system, which combines both local and cloud-based computing. The method, Nokia says, offers faster local rendering, low-bandwidth requirements, and a more robust offline experience. The same system will also be extended beyond Windows Phone, with Nokia planning to release dedicated Here apps on Android, iOS, and Mozilla’s Firefox OS (Here is also accessible through mobile web browsers).

During some brief testing on a Mac, we found that Here’s new 3D option to be a significant step up from the similar mode available in Nokia Maps. Not only does the service not require the installation of Nokia’s own specialized plugin, but it also appeared to be much more responsive than its predecessor.

]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[Google announces Acer C7 Chromebook, available tomorrow for $199]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/12/3636136/google-acer-c7-chromebook 2012-11-12T13:32:19-05:00 2012-11-12T13:32:19-05:00
acer chromebook

Just over a month since it introduced the new Samsung Chromebook, Google is expanding its lineup again with the Acer C7 Chromebook. Like Samsung’s latest effort, the Acer C7 Chromebook includes an 11.6-inch display with 1366 x 768 resolution. It’s powered by an unspecified Intel Core processor and comes with the expected array of features, like a built-in HD camera, dual-band Wi-Fi, and HDMI output. Where it differs largely from its Samsung sibling, however, is storage and battery life. While the Samsung Chromebook offers 16GB of SSD storage and 6.5 hours of battery, the Acer C7 incorporates a massive 320GB hard disk drive and has an estimated usage time of 3.5 hours. Google will offer all new Chromebook owners 100GB of free Google Drive storage for two years. The Acer C7 Chromebook will be available tomorrow, November 13, for $199 on Google Play and various electronics retailers in the US and UK.

Acer C7 Chromebook images Acer C7 Chromebook images Acer C7 Chromebook images Acer C7 Chromebook images Acer C7 Chromebook images Acer C7 Chromebook images


]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[Lucasfilm confirms ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ will be written by ‘Toy Story 3’ scribe Michael Arndt]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/9/3625562/lucasfilm-star-wars-episode-7-michael-arndt 2012-11-09T22:23:30-05:00 2012-11-09T22:23:30-05:00
Star Wars logo

It seems Lucasfilm’s forthcoming installment in the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: Episode VII, has found a writer. In a blog post today, Lucasfilm confirmed that Toy Story 3 and Little Miss Sunshine writer Michael Arndt would be penning the script. According to Lucasfilm, producers Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas have already begun development discussions with Arndt. Late last month, Disney announced its acquisition of Lucasfilm for roughly $4.05 billion in cash and stock, with plans to release three new films in the Star Wars series, as well as additional movie, television, and games projects based on the franchise. Star Wars: Episode VII is slated for release in 2015.

]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[The Glitch Mob’s Justin Boreta on Mirrogram and merging music and apps]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/9/3614190/glitch-mob-justin-boreta-interview-five-minutes-on-the-verge 2012-11-09T11:13:15-05:00 2012-11-09T11:13:15-05:00
justin boreta glitch mob stock

Justin Boreta is a music producer and a founding member of The Glitch Mob, a Los Angeles-based electronic group. But when he isn’t helping to create tracks like “Derezzed (The Glitch Mob Remix)” and “Drive It Like You Stole It,” he moonlights as an app developer, dreaming up new ways to compliment music with technology. His first effort, Mirrorgram, debuted on iTunes in early October, enabling users to capture mirrored images with Instagram-like filters. You can find him on Twitter at @Boreta.

Where are you?

Silverlake, Los Angeles.

What are you listening to currently?

Four Tet’s new record.

What device / gadget would you die without?

iPhone 5 (is that too obvious?).

What headphones/earphones do you use?

Ultrasone Pro 750.

What’s the best movie you’ve seen in theaters recently?

Samsara.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen online lately?

Mike Relm’s Honey Boo Boo vs. Gangnam Style video mashup.

Obviously, The Glitch Mob has seen incredible success over the last few years, and your solo work is well known, what was the motivation for developing your own original photography app? Do you feel that the realms of music — or specifically electronic music — and technology are merging?

While on long international tours around the world you find ways to pass the time, and iPhone photography became something that we did a lot of. Especially after Instagram took hold. Beyond that, I have always been fascinated with symmetry and how it can take almost anything and turn it into a cool piece of art. I’m not a Photoshop master so I was repurposing other photo apps because there wasn’t really a great way to make mirrored images. We were all posting a lot of these photos and people kept asking how we make them so at some point I just decided to make my own.

“Downloading an app and downloading a song are exactly the same process.”

I was curious to see how our fans would react to having a band like us create an app. The reception has been surprisingly warm — I can’t help but think that it’s because downloading an app and downloading a song are exactly the same process.

Mirrorgram is really a creative tool so it’s definitely part of the larger Glitch Mob vision. A few years ago, one of my favorite bands was selling a coloring book with their album art in it. I freaking loved it. Mirrorgram is the 2012 version of this, but it extends further because you don’t have to know or care about our music to have fun with it. If you do, there’s some added layers there.

Electronic musicians, by nature of what they do, have a close relationship with technology. As the tools get easier and cheaper, I think you’re going to see a lot more stuff like this emerge. I’m personally very excited to see the lines between music, technology and art become blurry.

Speaking of the intersection of music, technology, and art, how were you involved with the production of Mirrorgram? Did you delve into coding or were you primarily responsible for creative direction?

I couldn’t code my way out of a box! I teamed up with a friend of mine named Tom Giles who has a company named StageBloc. StageBloc makes apps among other things. My role is really firmly on the creative side of things.

What features were missing in other apps that you thought were essential for Mirrorgram? What do you think sets it apart?

Mirrorgram is the only app out there that has the live camera mirroring which is really my favorite part. There’s something a lot of fun about turning that on and messing around. You can get some really crazy results that you simply can’t get from loading a photo from your library.

“Beyond that, we just wanted to make something slick and simple.”

Beyond that, we just wanted to make something slick and simple. We had some really awesome designers work on this to make it feel sexy — design is really important to me. Joyce Su who does a lot of work for Glitch Mob designed the logo as well as the overall look, so it feels like an extension of our music.

Aside from Mirrorgram, what apps do you use the most? Are you primarily an iOS user or Android? Which device?

I’m all iPhone 5 all the way — dyed in the wool Apple user.

I love all things photo related — Instagram, Snapseed, VSCO Cam, Camera+, TrueHDR. Aside from that I use Dropbox, Spotify, Sonos, and Shazam on a daily basis. Evernote for ideas, Uber and Tripit for travel.

A lot of artists have begun to experiment with smartphone and tablet music production apps in the studio, have you (or the Glitch Mob) tried using them while recording? If so, which?

Apps can be a lot of fun in the studio, especially for sketching and getting ideas down. We use the Lemur app as a controller — you can get some really crazy results with it. We’ve used the Animoog a bunch, their apps are really top notch. Beatmaker and Nanostudio are fun for getting creative and traveling. Pro Chords is something we use for testing out chord progressions.

When you’re on the road or at home and just want to experiment, do you find yourself using apps or more traditional production software? If so, which?

If I just want to doodle I’ll use Animoog or Konkreet Performer because they are such unique, hands-on ways to manipulate sound. iOS apps are great for that. When I really want to start sketching the basis for a new track though, I use Ableton Live. Everything in Ableton is so modular it’s easy to save ideas for later and use them in new places. Glitch Mob keeps everything shared on Dropbox so sometimes if we hit a wall we’ll dig through the sketch archives.

“[Apps] are such unique, hands-on ways to manipulate sound.”

Well, now that you’re in the app making business, would you consider making a music creation app for iOS of your own? The Glitch Mob: The App, perhaps?

Oh yeah, for sure. We’ve been brainstorming on ideas for apps to involve people in the live music experience for a while now. After making Mirrorgram, I have a lot of ideas on where things could go.

I’d ask for an example, but I’m guessing you’d rather not give away the farm. Are these app experiences we may come to see integrated into your live shows in the near-future or just concepts currently?

We’re always looking for cool new ways to extend the creative and interactive experience for everyone. There’s some cool stuff cooking, but I can’t get into details just yet.

When can we expect the new album, and by extension, a new tour?

The new album will be done in the next month or two, so keep an eye out for tour dates starting in 2013!

Read more 5 Minutes on the Verge

]]> Scott Lowe <![CDATA[Samsung touts 30 million Galaxy S III sales worldwide]]> https://www.theverge.com/2012/11/2/3593096/samsung-galaxy-s-III-30-million-sales 2012-11-02T20:43:30-04:00 2012-11-02T20:43:30-04:00
Samsung Galaxy S III white (STOCK)

Just under two months after it claimed over 20 million global sales for the Galaxy S III, Samsung has announced yet another milestone for its flagship smartphone. According to the official Twitter account for Samsung Poland, the company has sold over 30 million Galaxy S III units worldwide since its debut in May. While the company has not specified whether the statistic constitutes units sold or units shipped, Samsung is clearly enjoying a significant degree of success with the handset. Whether or not consumers will react as favorably to the forthcoming Galaxy S III Mini, however, remains to be seen.

Thanks, C.Flat!

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