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5:53 am, November 6th, 2009, Giles Turnbull
Those crazy MacHeisters are at it again, and this time the deal is even harder to resist.
The first ever MacHeist Nano won’t cost you a penny. You can download, without charge, fully licensed copies of ShoveBox, WriteRoom, Twitterific, TinyGrab, and Hordes of Orcs. If 500,000 people take part (which I think is a pretty safe bet), they’ll throw in a copy of Mariner Write as well.
Sweet deal? I reckon. All of these are great apps. What’s the catch?
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Posted by Giles Turnbull in News, Software, Top stories | 11 Comments »
8:28 pm, November 5th, 2009, Craig Grannell
Extra iPhone screens in iTunes.
A couple of weeks back, I wrote Temporarily Get More iPhone Home Screens Via Cunning Bug Exploit, but had heard staying away from the iTunes Applications tab within my iPhone was probably a Very Good Idea. Reader Larry Pressnell noted that since the most recent iTunes update, his extra screens have been accessible in iTunes.
Since I needed to add some apps to my device, I decided to take the plunge earlier and, sure enough, my experience mirrored Larry’s: 11 home screens were shown, and extra ones were dimmed—see the grab above. Interestingly, items could be dragged from these ‘extra’ screens to the standard ones, with no problems, and a full sync didn’t find my extra pages vanishing into the ether. Whether this has anything to do with Voice Memos (the app used to get extra screens in the first place) being the last app on my final page, or the fact I’ve yet to update my iPhone OS to the latest point release, I’ve no idea.
Are you having fun with extra pages and managing to successfully rearrange your apps in iTunes? If so, let us know in the comments!
Posted by Craig Grannell in How-To, Top stories, iPhone 3G | 1 Comment »
2:28 am, November 5th, 2009, Sayam Aggarwal
I really like Stacks on my Mac. Stacks makes it fast and easy to find files, folders and apps right from the Dock. It makes managing a Mac pretty slick with all sorts of little UI tricks. That’s why I recently gave MobileStack a go on my jailbroken iPhone.
I must say that it lives up to the challenge of making an interface that is intuitive and user friendly enough for the small iPhone screen. In fact, it’s definitely the best excuse to jailbreak.
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Posted by Sayam Aggarwal in Favorites, Top stories, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S, iPhone Apps, iPod Touch | 1 Comment »
1:44 am, November 5th, 2009, Leander Kahney
Is this Steve Jobs driving a tank in a classic Apple TV spot from the late 1990s? That was the rumor at the time: Jobs was making cameos in Apple commercials.
Ken Segall, the TBWA ad man responsible for naming the iMac and Think Different, reveals the truth after the jump. He also shares some rare behind-the-scenes photos he took during the filming of this commercial and another from the same era.
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Posted by Leander Kahney in Advertising, Apple, News, Steve Jobs, Top stories | No Comments »
11:13 pm, November 3rd, 2009, Leander Kahney
Meet Ken Segall — the man who dreamed up the name “iMac” and wrote the famous Think Different campaign.
Segall is a veteran creative director who worked at Apple’s agency, TBWA\Chiat\Day, back in the day.
“I’ve put in 14 years working with Steve Jobs on both Apple and NeXT,” says Segall. “I’m the author of the Think Different campaign and the guy who came up with the whole “i” thing, starting with iMac.”
Segall collaborated closely with advertising legend Lee Clow, chief creative officer of TBWA\Chiat\Day, whose retirement was widely — but prematurely — reported last week.
In this exclusive interview, Segall talks about working with Steve Jobs, how Jobs initially hated the word “iMac,” and the importance of the Think Different campaign to Apple.
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Posted by Leander Kahney in Apple, News, Steve Jobs, Top stories, iMac | 37 Comments »
2:27 pm, November 3rd, 2009, Sayam Aggarwal
George Hotz a.k.a GeoHot has released blackra1n RC3, which is an update to a 1-click jailbreak that adds activation options and an add-on blacksn0w, which unlocks latest iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS baseband version 05.11.07. To use blacksn0w, make sure you have this new baseband (check under Settings –> General –> About –> Modem Firmware) and if not, then update to a stock 3.1.2 firmware.
It is pretty easy to use and worked perfectly with my iPhone 3G. Besides the tool, there’s a blackra1n application that gets automatically installed on the iPhone after jailbreak, which gives you option to install Cydia and some other alternatives like RockYourPhone and the ’sn0w’ option to use blacksn0w unlock solution as well.
Please note that if you have an iPhone 2G, you can still jailbreak using blackra1n but blacksn0w will not unlock for you. You must use BootNeuter available in Cydia for that purpose. Also, if you purchased an iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch (any capacity) in October or later, there is a high probability that you have a new model. Blackra1n currently performs only a tethered jailbreak for these new devices, which means you need to use blackra1n every time you boot the device, otherwise all your jailbreak data gets wiped.
Here’s see how it works.
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Posted by Sayam Aggarwal in How tos, How-To, OS X, Top stories, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S, iPhone Apps, iPod Touch | 30 Comments »
12:01 pm, November 3rd, 2009, Sayam Aggarwal
GeoHot, creator of the famous blackra1n jailbreak tool has now released blacksn0w. Blacksn0w is a full fledged software unlock solution for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, having baseband version 05.11.07 found in firmware version 3.1.2. Unlocking the phone enables you to use it with any carrier in the world.
This means if you have older firmware, you can now upgrade to a stock 3.1.2 and still have the ability to remain unlocked. Blacksn0w also enables the tethering option on these iPhones for you to share the data connection with a laptop or desktop computer.
The blackra1n application for iPhone installed as a result of the blackra1n jailbreak process then allows you to run blacksn0w and finally unlock the phone. However, those who already have the old version of blackra1n application installed on the iPhone can upgrade to the latest version by selecting the new ‘ra1n’ option inside the application. After installing the updated version, tap ’sn0w’ in the application to unlock. For those who used the DevTeam’s PwnageTool to jailbreak, blacksn0w will soon be available on Cydia.
To accompany blacksn0w, there is a new hacktivation feature added to blackra1n, which activates the iPhone to be used without the iPhone specific plans from carriers like AT&T, O2 etc. But, if you have an officially activated phone already, this won’t interfere. The update to blackra1n tool also makes it a lot faster, enabling it to jailbreak the iPhone / iPod Touch in just 15 seconds. It also adds support for Mac OS X Tiger and PPC Macs along with the existing Windows and Intel Mac support.
Please note that if you have an iPhone 2G, you can still jailbreak using blackra1n but blacksn0w will not unlock for you. You must use BootNeuter available in Cydia for that purpose. Also, if you purchased an iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch (any capacity) in October or later, there is a high probability that you have a new model. Blackra1n currently performs only a tethered jailbreak for these new devices, which means you need to use blackra1n every time you boot the device, otherwise all your jailbreak data gets wiped.
The new version of blackra1n is available to download at blackra1n.com
Check out our guide on how to jailbreak and unlock using blackra1n and blacksn0w here.
Posted by Sayam Aggarwal in News, Top stories, iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G S, iPhone Apps, iPod Touch | 6 Comments »
7:36 am, November 2nd, 2009, Nicole Martinelli
The fourth in a series of five t-shirt giveaways, correctly name this mystery Apple item and you could win a T-shirt.
Not just any T-shirt: choose from the Apple-inspired designs at might tees, which include the I Love Lisa we wrote about, a retro-style logo and Steve Jobs in typeface.
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Posted by Nicole Martinelli in News, Top stories | 66 Comments »
11:59 pm, November 1st, 2009, Lonnie Lazar
Sean Caine
Earlier in the week we asked readers to post pics of their workspaces on our Facebook page for the chance to win a new Magic Mouse — and the response was great. So far, more than 90 of you have taken the time to become fans of Cult of Mac on Facebook, snap a shot and upload your pictures — thank you!
While everyone is waiting with bated breath to find out who’ll win the Magic Mouse (announcement to come tomorrow, Sunday, November 1), we thought readers might like to see a cool dozen of some of the most interesting.
Let us know what you think in comments below and feel free to continue posting your own shots over at the Facebook fan page.
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Posted by Lonnie Lazar in Apple, Cult of Mac, Desktop Pictures, Mac At Work, News, Top stories | 15 Comments »
4:57 pm, October 31st, 2009, Leander Kahney
The sexiest all-in-one computer has long been the iMac, and last year’s 24-inch model was a beauty. But oh my Lord, the new 27-inch machine induces crazy lust. Look at the size of that screen!
I just returned from the Apple store with one. I went to buy the new Magic Mouse. They were out of stock, so I bought the new iMac instead — it comes with a Magic Mouse.
Crazy, I know. I just couldn’t help myself. We’ve already got a 24-inch model, but the 27-inch is so much… bigger.
Yeah, like 3-inches of extra screen makes a difference. But it does. The screen is simply HUGE. There’s no other word for it. If you’re sitting right in front of it, hunched over the keyboard, you have to physically MOVE YOUR HEAD to look from one corner to the other. You get motion sickness if there’s video playing, like being in the front seats of a movie theater.
Thanks to this big beautiful screen, the sexiest desktop in the world got a lot sexier. The question is though: is the screen too big?
Full review after the jump, including real-world benchmarks and tons of pics.
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Posted by Leander Kahney in Apple, Reviews, Top stories, iMac | 54 Comments »
1:20 am, October 30th, 2009, Leander Kahney
I’m a multitouch junkie. Everything I touch has to be multitouch, or it just ain’t right. I can no longer use a regular laptop trackpad — there’s no two-finger scrolling. It irritates me no end if I can’t point, scroll and double-click with my fingers.
How long will it take then, to get used to the Apple’s new Magic Mouse? So far, it’s been frustrating. It seems like the Magic Mouse would be perfectly natural to use, but it isn’t.
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Posted by Leander Kahney in Apple, Hardware, Reviews, Top stories | 46 Comments »
11:59 pm, October 28th, 2009, Leander Kahney
Print and cut-out your own scary Steve Jobs Halloween mask, courtesy of Dan Draper. http://www.flickr.com/photos/macobyte/2302719050/
Forget Balloon Boy and Billy Mays this Halloween. Dress up as your favorite demonic CEO instead.
You’ll scare the pants off work colleagues when you walk in the elevator, and the neighboorhood kids will be in a bag of hurt when you give them apple slices instead of sickly sweet candy.
Hit the jump for a full-size mask that you can print and cut out.
Thanks Dan Draper for the fantastic image of Steve Jobs and Forbes for the idea.
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Posted by Leander Kahney in Apple, Steve Jobs, Top stories | 2 Comments »
5:59 am, October 28th, 2009, Lonnie Lazar
The singer Beyonce Knowles -- one of the biggest celebrities in the world -- uses her MacBook at the pool.
When you’re among the top achievers in your given field of endeavor it only stands to reason you probably choose the best tools available to do whatever it is you do, both professionally and personally.
Our survey of some of the best of the best across a wide range of endeavors shows lots of those at the top of their games choose Apple gear when it comes to computing and entertainment and we offer here a gallery of 10 top machers from the fields of media, sports, entertainment, politics and elsewhere who choose Apple products to enhance and enable their achievements.
There’s a reason the game is called Follow the Leader, isn’t it?
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Posted by Lonnie Lazar in Apple, Cult of Mac, Macintosh, Steve Jobs, Top stories | 11 Comments »
4:58 am, October 27th, 2009, Nicole Martinelli
On October 3, a collector bought a rare Apple 1 on eBay for $18,000. The computer, one of about 50 thought to be still in existence, had an estimated value of $14,000 – $16,000.
Back in July 1976, the Apple I sold for $666.66; there were 200 of them hand made by Steve Wozniak. Sold in a kit, it came with 4KB standard memory, you could bump up to 8KB or 48KB with expansion cards. You had to add your own case, keyboard and display. (If you’d like to see one, check out the Smithsonian.)
The seller of this Apple 1, Monroe Postman, wasn’t even sure if it would still work.
So, who would pay $18,000 for an Apple I?
A self-defined “PC person,” who believes that today’s Macs are overpriced. The collector, who wishes to remain anonymous for now, may one day launch a computer museum.
And perhaps trade that PC for a modern Mac.
Interview by Leander Kahney.
CoM: Why did you buy it?
I have been collecting vintage computers for number of years. Obviously, original Apple I is a dream for any serious computer collector and for me, this dream came through.
I have 150+ vintage computers in my collection, which I try to maintain in working order. Occasionally, I take some to local middle and high schools to show to the students. I have an exact working Apple I replica, which is always a hit. Students love playing Lunar Lander.
CoM: What are you going to do with it?
One of those days, I am planning to open a real “museum” for public and the Apple I will take one of the central places.
CoM: What does your spouse/significant other think of it?
Even though my wife is in the computer business herself, she does not pay much attention to my hobby. Obviously, $18K raised her brow, but she understood it in the end.
More pics, full interview after the jump.
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Posted by Nicole Martinelli in News, Top stories, Vintage Tech | 9 Comments »
6:26 am, October 24th, 2009, Craig Grannell
Under threat yet again: Edge by Mobigame.
We’ve reported before about the legal spat between Mobigame, makers of fine indie game Edge, and Tim Langdell, who appears to make his money by suing anyone daring to use the name Edge in a videogame, and makes rather spurious claims regarding how he ‘spawned’ almost any major property with the word ‘Edge’ in its title, including Edge magazine by Future Publishing, Marvel comic Edge, and, er, 1997 Anthony Hopkins movie turkey The Edge. (He’s also laughably stated in the past how he has come to an ‘understanding’ with a guitarist of a very popular rock band.) TIGSource has a great overview of the madness.
Edge returned to the App Store recently, and Langdell will next year be battling EA, a company that’s had enough. Rather than just dealing with issues relating to EA game Mirror’s Edge—Langdell started advertising a game called Mirrors (a game by) Edge, which still doesn’t exist, and yet was in no way an effort to promote mark confusion—EA’s aiming to have Langdell stripped of all his Edge-related marks.
EA’s documentation cites numerous examples of Langdell filing out-of-date and falsified specimens, and the fact Edge Games isn’t a viable commercial concern. (ChaosEdge offers running commentary regarding Langdell’s so-called commercial concerns—a Mythora ‘reissue’ they bought from Edge Games was a home-made burned disc; and despite Langdell claiming its game Racers had sold out, the second purchase ChaosEdge made days later had an order number only one higher than their pre-Racers order.) Last month, company spokesman Jeff Brown said: “While this seems like a small issue for EA, we think that filing the complaint is the right thing to do for the developer community.”
Sadly, Langdell still won’t back down. We today heard Mobigame’s Edge is again under threat, with Apple giving the company five days to respond to yet another threat from Langdell. If you’ve an iPhone or iPod touch, get in there fast, because chances are that Edge is about to vanish yet again, and it may take an EA battering in court next year for Langdell to finally stop harassing indie developers.
Edge is available on the App Store for $4.99. It’s really good, so go and buy it before it’s too late.
Posted by Craig Grannell in News, Opinions, Top stories, iPhone Apps | 7 Comments »
