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Synthesizer giant Roland just announced a fairly bizarre contraption. The Mood Pan is the company's digital take on an acoustic handpan. For the uninitiated, a handpan is a version of the steelpan instrument that's been popular in Trinidad and Tobago since the 1930s. It's widely considered to be the only truly new acoustic instrument invented in the 20th century.

However, handpans and steelpans take serious skill to play. Roland's Mood Pan is much easier to play, thanks to clearly visible pads that represent notes. These nine pads can be set to different musical scales, making it impossible to hit a wrong note. The company says that this simpler design requires "no previous musical skills."

There's a built-in 2.1 speaker system and a Bluetooth receiver, which lets users stream audio from external sources. The sound engine offers "tranquil tones," with multiple sound variations and effects.

The Mood Pan allows access to a number of different percussive instruments like the tongue drum, gamelan, crystal bowl and singing bowl, along with unique tunings. It can also emulate stuff like sitars, orchestral strings and synth pads. There's an affiliated app for changing up sounds and for fine-tuning pad sensitivity.

It's played with finger taps, just like many of its acoustic cousins. The instrument is small enough to be placed directly on a lap, though also works on a table. Roland claims this is the perfect gadget for "musical exploration, relaxation and meditation." As for those last two, the Mood Pan can play built-in environmental music and nature sounds. The company says these modes are for "mornings, evenings, relaxing and yoga sessions."

This being a modern digital instrument, there's a USB-C MIDI port for triggering sounds on computers or via other gadgets. It's powered by six AA batteries or via USB-C connection. The instrument is available to order right now, but shipments won't be going out for a few weeks. The Mood Pan costs $660.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/roland-just-released-a-weird-little-riff-on-an-acoustic-handpan-180051436.html?src=rss

Malware-ridden apps are sneaking on to official app storesSparkKitty will steal photos to crack into your crypto walletOne infected app was downloaded over 10,000 timesA dangerous new malware strain targeting smartphone users has managed to sneak on to both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store without being detected, experts have warned.SparkKitty was first spotted by cybersecurity experts at Kaspersky in January 2025, and uses optical character recognition to scan through your photos and harvest cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases.Most crypto currency exchanges will tell a user to write down a memorable phrase when creating an account for recovery purposes, but many users will simply screenshot their memorable phrase - making it super easy for SparkKitty to steal.Snooping through photos and stealing cryptoKaspersky says the SparkKitty malware has been actively distributed across both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store since February 2024, and has also been distributed through unofficial means as well.The infected apps have since been removed from both app stores.In many cases, the apps appeared to be legitimate and were designed for numerous purposes. One infected app called SOEX was downloaded over 10,000 times on the Google Play Store, and appeared to be a messaging app with cryptocurrency trading and exchange features - the perfect disguise for a malware designed to target cryptocurrency wallets.Once installed on a user's device, the app will ask for permission to access and modify the image library on both iOS and Android devices. After being granted access, the app then scans the image library and will re-scan if it detects modifications being made to the image library, such as new images being added or deleted.Obviously, outside of the threat to crypto wallets there is the threat of users being extorted using other images that could be found in their image library, but there is no evidence of this happening so far.Hackers are constantly developing new tactics to hide their malware on applications that can be distributed through trusted platforms such as the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.Always remember to double check that the application you are downloading is made by a trusted developer, is definitely the authentic version of the app you are looking for, and has trustworthy reviews. If in doubt, don’t download it.Also be wary of apps that ask for more permissions than they actually need, or apps that request permission to create new configuration profiles and certificates. Finally, when creating a memorable phrase for recovering an account, don’t keep it stored where it can be easily stolen.Many of the best cloud storage services and best password managers offer encrypted storage vaults for storing important phrases.You might also likeGet rid of that pesky virus with the best endpoint protection toolsThe best antivirus software can keep your devices malware freeScreen reading malware found in iOS app stores for first time - and it might steal your cryptocurrency

Anthropic has received a mixed result in a class action lawsuit brought by a group of authors who claimed the company used their copyrighted creations without permission. On the positive side for the artificial intelligence company, senior district judge William Alsup of the US District Court for the Northern District of California determined that Anthropic's training of its AI tools on copyrighted works was protected as fair use.

Developing large language models for artificial intelligence has created a copyright law boondoggle as creators attempt to protect their works and tech companies skirt rules or find loopholes to gather more training materials. Alsup's ruling is one of the first that will likely set the foundation for legal precedents around what AI tools can and cannot do.

Using copyright materials can be deemed fair use if the output is determined to be "transformative," or not a substitute for the original work. "The technology at issue was among the most transformative many of us will see in our lifetimes,” Alsup wrote.

Despite the fair use designation, the ruling does still provide some recourse for the writers; they can choose to take Anthropic to court for piracy. "Anthropic downloaded over seven million pirated copies of books, paid nothing, and kept these pirated copies in its library even after deciding it would not use them to train its AI (at all or ever again)," Alsup wrote. "Authors argue Anthropic should have paid for these pirated library copies. This order agrees."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/judge-rules-anthropics-ai-training-on-copyrighted-materials-is-fair-use-182602056.html?src=rss

When Philips Hue’s US prices go up next month, you can officially know who to blame. (Hint: It rhymes with "rump.") Parent company Signify told Hueblog (via The Verge) that its price increases are "a direct result of tariffs." See how easy that was, Amazon?

Before that confirmation, the company vaguely referred to an upcoming price increase. "Hurry, prices go up on July 1," marketing copy from earlier this month stated.

Signify’s statement to Hueblog doesn’t mince words about Trump’s trade war being the culprit. "Signify will increase prices on our Philips Hue portfolio in the US, effective July 1, 2025, as a direct result of tariffs," it wrote. "We remain committed to providing consumers with high-quality products and features that make smart lighting extraordinary. Signify reserves the right to modify prices based on new or additional tariffs becoming effective in the future."

We don’t yet know the exact price increases. The company says it will reveal them when they take effect on July 1. But there are some hints. The newly upgraded Hue smart button costs $32 compared to the old model’s $25. If you think that’s because it’s a new version, the product stayed at the same €21.99 as its predecessor in Europe. Up to this point, the company’s US pricing had been around a 1:1 conversion.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/philips-hue-says-us-prices-will-go-up-in-july-because-of-tariffs-183434777.html?src=rss

Built in California, powered by Linux, the Liberty Phone says no to tech giantsWith no Android or iOS, it’s the loneliest smartphone on the market todayIt costs more, does less, and still claims to be the best smartphone for privacyDespite rising political pressure to bring tech manufacturing back to the US, building a premium smartphone domestically remains a costly and technically difficult challenge.The Liberty Phone by Purism, priced at $1,999, offers a rare example of how close a company can get to building an America-made device, but it comes with significant trade-offs in performance and practicality.Unlike the widely promoted but questionable $499 Trump Phone, the Liberty Phone is at least verifiably assembled in the US, although it lacks flagship-level features.Still not 100% "Made In USA!"Todd Weaver, Purism’s founder, is upfront about the limitations, noting, “Someone who needs a wicked-strong camera is not our audience.”Weaver estimates the Liberty Phone costs around $650 to produce, higher than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which TechInsights says costs about $550 to build in China.This discrepancy is driven largely by US labor costs, with savings made by using lower-spec components such as a basic camera and a low-resolution screen.This may suit its core user base, including security geeks, older users, kids, and those who want to distance themselves from major tech brands, but it is nowhere near mainstream Android alternatives - for anyone expecting the best smartphone for business or multimedia tasks, the Liberty Phone is unlikely to compete.Part of Purism’s appeal lies in its transparent and partially domestic supply chain - the motherboard is built at the company's California site, the chip is sourced from NXP’s Austin, Texas, facility, and the final assembly is local.But some critical components, like the camera from South Korea and the display and battery from China, still depend on global sourcing.“There are just some parts that don’t yet have a supply chain,” says Weaver. “We’re gonna keep incrementing there until we can get to that point.”It runs PureOS, a Linux-based operating system that supports basic tasks like calling, texting, and web browsing, but without support for Android or iOS apps, it’s a hard sell for anyone needing a broad app ecosystem or high-end performance.Nonetheless, Weaver believes a niche market exists and claims that about half of Purism’s customers are US government agencies.Even though tariffs might someday narrow the cost gap, the continuity of this project is not certain.“We don’t have factories here building application processors, high-end displays or most of the other things in your smartphone,” said Jeff Fieldhack of Counterpoint Research, showing his skepticism.At the moment, the Liberty Phone is more of a philosophical gesture than a practical solution, and only Americans or those loyal to the US will give it a second look.Via Wall Street JournalYou might also likeWe’ve also listed the best business tablets aroundCheck out the best Raspberry Pi distros available right nowI almost always say thanks to ChatGPT - but most people have sworn at AI chatbots at least once