Kris Holt

Reports over the last couple of years have suggested that not only was Meta working on a smartwatch, it was developing one with two cameras. However, that project is on hold, according to Bloomberg, as Meta is focusing on other wearables instead.

The long-rumored smartwatch was pegged as a possible Apple Watch competitor and the report suggests it was expected to go on sale next spring for around $349. A prototype was said to have features including activity tracking, a calendar, photo gallery and heart rate monitoring. It’s believed to have had an 18-hour battery life.

Apps included Spotify, as well as ones for Meta’s own WhatsApp and Instagram Stories. The prototype reportedly did not have a native app store. Instead, the idea was that you’d manage the device using your Facebook account. Naturally, you would have been able to post to Facebook and Instagram from the watch.

The device reportedly had WiFi, GPS and eSIM support and a removable watch face with two side buttons, one of which was a circular control (it’s unclear if this was an Apple Watch crown-style dial). It was said to feature a five-megapixel camera on the watch face and a 12-megapixel one on the rear. The latter was designed to be usable after the watch face was removed.

That second camera appears to have caused issues during development — its positioning reportedly interfered with sensors that turned feedback from the wearer’s nerves into digital signals. The company has mulled the idea of using smartwatches as input devices for its take on the metaverse, with users being able to control avatars or engage with VR spaces through gestures.

Along with technical complications, it seems that broader issues at Meta played a role in the device being put on hold. A report last month suggested the company has killed off some Meta Reality Labs projects as it looks to rein in spending. Meta has shaken up its leadership team in recent weeks as well.

Still, the work of the engineers who were on the dual-camera watch project may not be in vain. Meta may use some of the features in other wearables. There’s a possibility of the project being revived at a later date too.

Meanwhile, Meta is also said to have scaled back on its ambitions for augmented reality glasses. According to The Information, the company is no longer expected to release its first-generation augmented reality glasses in 2024. That device is now said to be earmarked for use as a demo product. The report suggests Meta is instead focusing on the second-gen AR glasses, meaning it could be several years before the device hits the market. 

In addition, the report suggests Meta will no longer make Portal devices for consumers. The company is said to be planning to turn Portal smart displays into a product line aimed at businesses.

Akai is bringing some notable features to the MPC series, which are among the most significant samplers in the music world. The updates could help the devices better compete with products from other companies and provide existing users with a batch of useful tools.

Given that MPC samplers are already widely used by hip-hop acts, the introduction of a plugin effect called AIR Flavor is significant. Akai says users will be able to add lo-fi vinyl simulation effects to any sound source. You’ll be able to apply “flutter, tube saturation, distortion and more for rich, textured manipulation from 30 different timbers,” according to the company.

A similar vinyl sim is a big draw for Roland’s SP sampler. Novation’s Circuit Rhythm has such a feature too. The addition of AIR Flavor could prompt some musicians to stick with or delve into the MPC ecosystem. It’s a key feature that Akai perhaps should have had long before now.

The other plugin that’s coming as part of MPC 2.11 is the AIR Amp Sim insert effect. It’s designed to replicate the effect of a guitar amplifier and will allow users to add “sweet and crunchy distortion, EQ and tone color” to any sound source.

Elsewhere, Akai will roll out another feature that should bring the MPC closer into lockstep with other modern samplers. Most other devices already offer probability and ratcheting features, which enable users to bring rolls and unpredictability to melodies and rhythms. The idea is that you’ll introduce some variance to repeated beats, rhythms and melody lines. This should help add more texture to your music.

The Sounds Mode brings all MPC instruments to the forefront in the browser. With the touchscreen, you’ll be able to navigate and load plugin instruments and browse your presets and categories. You can save up to 256 of your favorite presets in a dedicated tab and there will be menu customization options.

Also new is a one-touch tuner that should help you keep stringed instruments and analog synthesizers and modules in tune. Meanwhile, WiFi-enabled devices will support Ableton Link 3.0 to help you keep your devices in sync.

MPC 2.11 will be available on June 23rd. It’s free for all registered MPC hardware users.

Google Cloud developer advocate Emma Haruka Iwao and her colleagues once again claim to have calculated Pi to a new record number of digits. Iwao says that the team has calculated the mathematical constant to 100 trillion digital decimal places.

Iwao and her team previously set the record in 2019 when they carried out a calculation to an accuracy of 31.4 trillion digits. The benchmark has been broken a few times since then, including when researchers from a Swiss university calculated Pi to 82.8 trillion digits last year — twice as many as the Google team attained a few years back. Iwao and her team are working with Guinness World Records for official validation of their achievement as a world record.

In a blog post, Iwao wrote that finding as many digits of Pi as possible is a way to measure the progress of compute power. Her job involves showing off what Google Cloud is capable of, so it’s not too surprising that Iwao tapped into the power of the platform to perform the calculation. 

In 2019, the calculation (which figured out a third as many digits as the most recent attempt) took 121 days. This time around, the calculation ran for 157 days, 23 hours, 31 minutes and 7.651 seconds, meaning the computers were running more than twice as quickly despite Iwao using “the same tools and techniques.” Around 82,000 terabytes of data were processed overall. 

Iwao also notes that reading all 100 trillion digits out loud at a rate of one per second would take more than 3.1 million years. And in case you’re wondering, the 100-trillionth decimal place of Pi is 0.