Do you remember when Tonium set some parts of DJ world on fire with their revolutionary Pacemaker handheld controller? And do you also remember feeling so gutted for them when the iPhone and iPad essentially pulled the rug from underneath their best laid and well crafted plans? Thus the hardware disappeared off to the ever-growing digital DJ museum in the sky. But it turns out that the ghost of Tonium past lives on in the Pacemaker app. For BlackBerry Playbook. Yeah I know.
This video explains a little more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se0_MX3ypoQ
It does look slick, and very much in the style of the old hardware, and seems to have everything a fledgling digital DJ would expect to see from a modern DJ app, but done in the inimitable style of the Pacemaker. But given the utter domination of Apple’s iOS domination for smartphones and tablets, why on earth has this been made for the substantially less popular PlayBook platform?
Some digging shows that the Playbook has around 3% of the overall tablet market, and has sold a little over a million units. On first look, targeting your DJ app at the smallest sector of the market may seem crazy, but when you consider that nobody else is likely to be developing for that market, it’s a bit like shooting fish in a barrel – a captive audience of DJs who picked up a Playbook cheap and now want an app.
I’m not a programmer anymore so don’t know the complexities of porting QNX to iOS, but there is a degree of sense in developing for a minor platform, taking the cash from that captive audience to hone the product and then taking it to the wider audience. Given that iOS already has its fair share of good and bad apps,making sure that this Pacemaker app has a fighting chance makes a lot of sense. And they already have an established and strong brand in the DJ scene too.
While I might consider grabbing a Google Nexus 7 for Android app testing, I won’t be picking up a Playbook to review the only DJ app on the platform. This beggars the question – how many of you own a BlackBerry Playbook?
Pacemaker is available now at the BlackBerry app store for $19.99.
Has the Playbook got a main output and a separate headphone out for cueing, like the Pacemaker?
I think I know the answer…..
Not yet, but it will… Already in the works. @jonorberg has already stated that they plan to use HDMI and are working with BlackBerry. So the way I understand it main output will be through HDMI leaving the headphone jack for well the headphone. … It’s gonna be way cool!
The Pacemaker was super easy to use, really intuitive and great fun. Shame it didn’t really take off. I’d try out the app for Android when it happens, but I’m intrigued to see how they’ll work it with only one output.
I did my research a couple of days ago, seeing as it was recently released for RIMs Playbook device. The developer stated that the OS for the playback is better suited for their Pacemaker App. Its not your usual Android OS. Honestly, these DJ Apps for iOS or Playbook or Android are worthless to me unless they use an external 4 channel sound card for true 2 Deck DJ mixing use. Their Press Release quote: “PlayBook is based upon QNX, the only true real-time operating system running on a mobile device.
When developing a DJ system it is very important to have the kind of control that the BlackBerry
PlayBook delivers,” says Jonas.
“The Pacemaker App on the BlackBerry PlayBook is fluid, alive and fun. It not only serves the needs
of professional DJs, but will appeal to anyone wanting to create their own amazing content,” says
Martyn Mallick, VP, Global Alliances & Business Development at RIM.
Another Engadget url: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/14/pacemaker-dj-app-for-blackberry-playbook-launch/
Engadget url http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/pacemaker-dj-app-for-blackberry-playbook/
Hummm… no, not me.
I’ve been thinking about this post for the last several days and to say the least I am disappointed in the lack of real information on the PaceMaker App. Mr. Settle states “For BlackBerry Playbook. Yeah I know.” and “…why on earth has this been made for the substantially less popular PlayBook platform?” which tells us of his dislike for the BlackBerry PlayBook which is fine, you don’t have to like everything you review. I find it interesting that with all the features of the PaceMaker App there are no mention of these features. It makes me wonder if Mr. Settle has even used the PaceMaker App? Even the video is not showing, it looks as if the code is just a little off “[enbed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se0_MX3ypoQ[/embed]”
If asked, I would be more than happy to write a review that would tell the good and bad of the PaceMaker App.
Kind Regards,
Jerry
Firstly, thanks for the heads up on the code. I had fixed that code once but I guess it didn’t take.
Secondly, I posted as much information as I wanted to without doing an entire cut and paste of the whole site. Nothing has been formally sent to me, but I did link to the Pacemaker app site and store page, so that if people are interested, they can click for themselves.
Review? Not at all. It’s a news story with opinion on the decision to develop for the hugely minority mobile platform. It’s certainly not a review, as that would require a PlayBook and the app, and would end up at over 2000 words with lots of pictures. I even put a positive spin on this decision, where it would have been much easier to spin the story out into wider issues of RIM’s financial troubles. But that’s not how I roll – I’m a positive guy.
I have no feelings about the BlackBerry, PlayBook or QNX, so to twist my commentary into “dislike” is quite wrong. The PlayBook looks great, but given that I have no use for tablets, and only have an iPad for review purposes, why would I spend so much cash on something that I would only use once?
So I’m sorry if this article didn’t quite gush endlessly about BlackBerry, the PlayBook and the Pacemaker app. It only got posted at all because you championed it so much and had legacy interest. Without the Pacemaker link, I doubt anyone would have cared. It’s not like we cover heaps of iOS apps either.
i picked it up and must say its supper easy to use ! that coupled with the awesome stereo speakers on the playbook make this a very portable mixing tablet (i dont always have access to a good audio output when im hanging out with my mates)