Teenage Engineering’s tiny handheld TX-6 mixer offers an instrument tuner

Teenage Engineering has a reputation for surprising and whimsical devices, and that apparently extends to music creation on the go. The company has introduced a TX-6 mixer that’s not only tiny enough to fit in your hand, but includes more than you might expect from some decidedly larger counterparts. It includes an instrument tuner, for a start, along with built-in synth, digital effect, drum machine and sequencer functions. It’s billed as the portable 32-bit, 48kHz pro mixer with this level of capability — a niche claim, to be sure, but worth noting if you like to take your studio with you.

You can control the the TX-6 over USB-C through external MIDI devices or iOS hardware. You’ll also find six stereo inputs, two outputs, a headphone jack and Bluetooth. While the display is unsurprisingly a very small 48×64 monochrome panel, that sacrifice might be worthwhile when Teenage Engineering claims you’ll eke out eight hours of battery life. You can even use the TX-6 as an ultra-compact DJ mixer by turning it on its side.

The TX-6 is available now for $1,199. That’s a lot to spend on a mixer this small and it’s easy to find mini-mixers from Behringer, Yamaha and others with control and port combos that may be more to your liking. The sheer variety of features might prove alluring, though, and it’s hard to deny that Teenage Engineering’s signature design could make a difference.

Uber Green rides now cost the same as UberX trips

Uber has announced some Earth Week initiatives and while some of the measures won’t be around for the long haul, it’s making a permanent change to Uber Green rides. Those will now cost the same as UberX rides, no matter the level of demand.

Uber Green allows users to request a more environmentally friendly car, such as a hybrid or electric vehicle. When Uber brought the feature to the US and Canada in 2020, it said those requesting an Uber Green ride would need to pay a $1 surcharge. That’s no longer the case.

Elsewhere, Uber is offering a $1-per-journey discount on Uber Green, Lime e-bike and Lime e-scooter trips booked through its app until April 30th. You’ll need to use the promo code GoGreen22. The company says it will change the Uber Green icon and add green routes to the app as well.

In addition, Uber says users in Los Angeles, Miami and Washington DC who request an Uber Green ride on Earth Day (Friday) will have the opportunity to take in an “impromptu adventure” on their journey. “The Uber Green rides will give the illusion of adventuring in some of the planet’s most precious places – from the Arctic to the Serengeti or the Great Barrier Reef,” Uber wrote in a blog post. 

It’s not entirely clear what that means. The company shared an image depicting an underwater scene on the underside of a car’s roof, so these experiences could temporarily make trips slightly more relaxing while offering a reminder of the natural world’s beauty.

Uber Green
Uber

Razer’s new soundbar makes your desk a home theater

Razer has increasingly gone from a specialized gaming accessory maker to more of a lifestyle brand. In addition to keyboards, mice, headsets and controllers, you can buy chairs, backpacks and even a wearable air purifier. But with this recent expansion…

BTS dance lessons are coming to Apple Fitness+

Get ready for a Dynamite workout. Apple has a few updates for Fitness+ timed with International Dance Day, which is coming up on April 29th, and arguably the most interesting are the new Dance workouts set to Korean pop sensation BTS’ music. Through its existing relationship with BTS, Apple will be teaching users the actual choreography from videos for songs like “Dynamite,” “Mic Drop” and, very aptly, “Permission to Dance.” 

The first of the BTS dance workouts will arrive next week, but Apple is also bringing new content to its Artist Spotlight series. In addition to music from BTS, Fitness+ is also getting playlists from ABBA and Queen. Every Monday over the next four weeks, there will be new workouts featuring each artist across categories like Strength, HIIT, Treadmill, Cycling, Yoga, Pilates and Dance. 

There will be new dance workouts featuring music from other musicians too, including sessions led by trainer Jhon Gonzalez set to genres like cumbia, tango and Indian pop. While the Fitness+ team generally comes up with their own choreography, for the BTS videos they will be teaching the band’s own smooth-like-Butter moves. 

Those who work hard enough and shed some Blood, Sweat and Tears (okay, hopefully no blood) on April 29th will be eligible to earn limited-edition awards and animated Messages stickers. You’ll have to be On the workout for at least 20 minutes, and Fitness+ will highlight six sessions of that duration to help you Go get those rewards.

On April 25, which by the way is the perfect date for a Spring Day, Apple will also release a new collection of workouts to ease beginners into dancing with three 20-minute guides. There will also be three 30-minute options that focus more on performance, and span categories like 80’s classics, Latin music and hip hop. That last one is great for Hip Hop Lovers.

If BTS is your Idol, this news is probably Dope. Or Fire. Apple may add more workouts based on the band’s music so Stay tuned for more. And if BTS or dance are not your thing, then Life Goes On.

Elon Musk says he has the financial backing for his proposed Twitter takeover

Elon Musk now has access to the funds he’d need to buy Twitter. According to an SEC filing, Musk has received “commitment letters” that would supply about $46.5 billion to buy all of Twitter’s outstanding common stock and take control. The Tesla CEO is “exploring” this tender offer following a lack of response from Twitter, the filing reads.

We’ve asked Twitter for comment. While the company hasn’t directly addressed Musk’s offer, initially pegged at $43 billion, it recently approved a temporary “poison pill” measure intended to discourage hostile takeovers. The plan would let some shareholders buy more stock if anyone buys more than 15 percent of outstanding stock without the board of directors’ approval, diluting the value of Musk’s stake. He’s already the largest individual shareholder with 9.2 percent ownership.

Musk made the offer claiming that it was meant to protect free speech, and has suggested he could unlock Twitter’s potential with features like an edit button (which Twitter was already working on) and an open source algorithm. However, it also comes as the executive fights the SEC over alleged finance rule violations that frequently relate to his tweets. The entrepreneur has multiple strong incentives to purchase Twitter, and the financial backing illustrates just how serious he is.

Update 4/21 11:28AM ET: A Twitter spokesperson tells Engadget the company has received Musk’s updated proposal, but that it’s still conducting a “careful, comprehensive and deliberate review” of the offer. You can read the full statement below.

“We are in receipt of the updated, non-binding proposal from Elon Musk, which provides additional information regarding the original proposal and new information on potential financing. As previously announced and communicated to Mr. Musk directly, the Board is committed to conducting a careful, comprehensive and deliberate review to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the Company and all Twitter stockholders.”

Apple’s AirPods Max are $99 off at Amazon

Apple’s AirPods Max over-ear headphones are once again on sale. The price has dropped by $99 at Amazon, where they’re currently $450. One important thing to note is that you’ll only get the full discount with two of the color options. The silver and space gray versions have a $29 voucher that’s applied at checkout. The other colorways are $479 for the time being.

Buy Apple Airpods Max at Amazon – $450

While this isn’t the lowest price we’ve seen for AirPods Max to date, it’s a good deal on a solid set of premium headphones. The price was one of our biggest sticking points when we reviewed the cans in December 2020 and gave them a score of 84. They deliver excellent audio quality and have good Active Noise Cancellation. We found the battery life to be solid, while features like deep iOS integration are useful.

As with other AirPods, these headphones don’t support Apple Music Lossless due to Bluetooth codec compression. They do, however, support Dolby Atmos spatial audio.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Spotify opens video podcast publishing to more creators

Spotify is ready to let anyone offer video podcasts — and this time, you won’t need to apply. As of today, all creators in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can publish video podcasts through Anchor. You can charge for access using Spotify’s podcast subscription system, too. There are also some meaningful upgrades that should help you both produce and watch these podcasts.

Interactive features like polls and Q&A sessions will be available for video podcasts, for starters. Embedded podcasts now play on websites, so you won’t have to launch Spotify to view them. Producers can now use Riverside’s web-based recording to publish podcasts for free, with Anchor serving as the conduit. You an also replace audio podcasts en masse with their video versions if you have an extensive back catalog.

People in other countries will get to upload video podcasts sometime “in the future,” according to Spotify. There are also promises of more ways for creators to make money beyond subscriptions.

The move should help Spotify’s video podcast platform reach its full potential. Spotify introduced video podcasts in July 2020, but only for a handful of shows. While the firm technically expanded access to all creators in October 2021, the application requirement still served as a barrier to podcasters who simply wanted to share video editions of their shows. Now, it’s just a question of whether or not Spotify is an appealing platform in the first place.

A bunch of Google Nest devices are on sale for as low as $80

If you’re looking for new devices to add to your smart home setup, you can get a few Nest gadgets for less right now. Amazon, Adorama and B&H Photo have discounted a handful of Google smart home gadgets, including the Nest Cam Indoor, which is $20 off and down to $80. The Nest Cam Outdoor and the Video Doorbell Battery are both $30 off and down to $150, too.

Buy Nest Cam Outdoor at Amazon – $150Buy Nest Cam Outdoor at Adorama – $150Buy Nest Cam Outdoor at B&H – $150Buy Nest Cam Indoor at Amazon – $80Buy Nest Cam Indoor at Adorama – $80Buy nest Video Doorbell Battery at Amazon – $150Buy Nest Video Doorbell Battery at Adorama – $150Buy Nest Video Doorbell Battery at B&H – $150

The Nest Cams on sale are quite similar, but the Nest Cam Outdoor has a weatherproof design so you can place it anywhere outside your home, plus expanded Night Vision and an internal battery. The latter means you don’t have to place the camera near an outlet, instead, you can snap it into place on its base and leave it be. Google estimates you’ll get up to seven months of battery life, depending on how much activity the camera records regularly, before you’ll need to recharge it.

Both the Indoor and Outdoor cams record at 1080p and they’ll send alerts to your phone when motion is detected in their line of site. Both also have built in speakers and microphones, so you can hear what’s going on and speak to people on the other end of the camera.

As for the Video Doorbell, it lets you keep an eye on what’s going on outside any door. Since the model on sale runs on a rechargeable battery, installation is pretty easy and you can use it with any door — not just your front door. As with the security cameras, the Nest Video Doorbell will send you alerts when you have a visitor and you can chat with them through your phone and the device’s built-in speaker and microphone. Google’s “intelligent alerts” can also differentiate between a visitor, a package being delivered, an animal sighting and more, so you’ll always know what’s happening and if it requires your immediate attention.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

‘It Takes Two’ will reportedly become an Amazon movie (updated)

The plans for an It Takes Two movie appear to be solidifying. Deadline and Variety sources claim Amazon Studios and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions have taken up the game-to-movie adaptation alongside Sonic the Hedgehog production company dj2 Entertainment. There’s even a chance Johnson could star in the movie, the insiders said.

We’ve asked Amazon for comment. The Prime Video operator’s involvement would make sense when dj2 has a “first look” deal with Amazon, as do the movie’s executive producers (and writers) Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios’ Josef Fares and Oskar Wolontis will also executive produce.

It’s still not certain when a movie might launch. The project might stand a better chance of succeeding than some big-screen game adaptations, though. Casey and Miller are widely credited with the success of the two Sonic the Hedgehog movies. Moreover, It Takes Two‘s plot could be well-suited to a movie format — it sees a couple on the brink of divorce embark on a fantastical journey that helps them rediscover each other. It’s just a question of whether or not Amazon, dj2 and Seven Bucks can translate the co-op game’s concept to a passive entertainment format.

Update 4/21 12:25PM ET: Amazon has confirmed the production details, although it’s still not clear if Johnson will act in the movie.