I/O Robot for Android: Low Latency Audio

[Prestidigitweeze]

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Reading e-books is important, but since efficient e-reader apps are available for every tablet and phone, other activities often determine which devices we choose. Android is a great choice for a smartphone, but musicians haven't been able to choose a tablet like the Nexus 7 over an iPad because the former isn't practical for music creation. Sonoma Wine Works is the first company to address that issue and, given the popularity of Android, are far from the last.

Latency is one of the main problems with music creation in Android. It is one of the few remaining areas where iOS still has an edge. I hope to see that edge minimized by Google, and by companies like SWW, until basic music creation/production on Android becomes viable.

Side note: Since audio latency, like UI responsiveness, is largely a timing issue, it will be interesting to see whether the focus on decreasing it will have any effect whatsoever on audiobook and e-book integration. Imagine a reading/audiobook app that could highlight every paragraph, line or even word as it’s being read aloud.