Attention, number crunchers and bean counters! Thanks to an inadvertent slip of the webmaster’s finger, Apple may have just unwittingly revealed the semi-imminent release of Filemaker Pro 13, Apple’s in-house database software for Mac, PC, Web and iPad.
CNNMoney Tells Apple To Focus On Its “Mediocre Software”
CNNMoney has hit out at Apple by saying that it should momentarily forget about its position as an acclaimed product manufacturer and instead “focus on its mediocre software.”
While acknowledging that Apple builds some of the most coveted laptops, tablets, and smartphones around, writer Adrian Covert nevertheless singled out the company’s suite of software applications as the “one dark cloud” which looms over Apple. Although apps like iPhoto, Pages, iCal and Mail are functional enough, Covert claims, better alternatives exist, while iTunes and defunct social network Ping are varying degrees of broken.
Apple Seeds iPhoto 9.4.7 For OS X Mavericks GM Compatibility
As we reported last night, the OS X Mavericks GM (Gold Master) seed is now available for developers to test the final version of the operating system before it is ready for general distribution later this month.
Track Your Work Time With OfficeTime For Mac And iOS [Review]
For those whose income is based on billable time or on a per-project basis, some kind of time/project tracker app is a basic necessity. OfficeTime combines meat-and-potatoes time and project management with greatly customizable billing and reporting features, and is one of the few apps in this category available on all Apple devices—iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Amazon U.K. Users Can Now Download Apps & Games To Their Mac
Amazon expanded its digital software marketplace to the United Kingdom today, allowing Brits to download apps and games directly to their Mac or PC—just like U.S. users have been doing for some time. The process for purchasing digital items is no different, but once you’ve paid for your order, you’ll be able to download it right away.
Tim Cook Explains What It Takes To Be A Great Collaborator At Apple [Video]
Ever since Tim Cook ousted Scott Forstall last year, the Apple CEO has preached a lot about how collaboration within Apple is one of the most important aspects of the company’s culture.
Speaking at a reunion for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Tim Cook outlined what kind of attributes he looks for in employees and what it takes to be a great collaborator.
Here’s what Cook had to say about collaboration:
Newest Ticket to Ride Pocket Game Goes Free This Weekend [Daily Freebie]
If you haven’t played Ticket to Ride yet, all you need to know is that the iPad version is the most addictive board game I’ve played on the device. On the iPhone? Nothing even comes close (O.K., except maybe chess and Words with Friends).
This weekend the newest version of the game to hit the iPhone, Ticket to Ride Europe Pocket, goes from $2 to free. Don’t miss out on this one — and make sure you tell a buddy so you can play ’em.
Just Like The iPhone Version, FX Photo Studio HD for for iPad Goes Free Too [Daily Freebie]
Last week saw popular photo-editing iPhone app FX Photo Studio go free for a day. MacPhun, the app’s developer, then extended that free day indefinitely — a result, they say, of the app’s overwhelming popularity as it’s blown through a million new downloads since going free.
Now the developer’s doing the same thing with the even-more-fantastic iPad version of the app, FX Photo Studio HD. Only this time, they say the app will be free until it hits 10 million new downloads. Since this is such a stellar app, ten million is not nearly as steep as it seems.
Griffin’s Amazing Crayola Light Marker for iPad Lets Your Kid Paint With Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O70X7JY4re0&feature=youtu.be
It won’t let your kid paint with light in the traditional, photographic sense — using a light source to burn magical images into a photograph.
Instead, Griffin’s new Crayola Light Marker turns an iPad into a canvas that’s transformed with light — a form of light painting, and just as magical.
Iron Man 3’s 18 Different Armor Suits Will Soon Land On Your Android, iOS Device
The release of Iron Man 3 for Android and iOS is almost upon us, and Gameloft sent us a sneak peak of the 18 different Iron Man armor suits available to the player in the game.
These gorgeous images augment the trailer Gameloft released of their endless runner (the category of game Iron Man 3 falls into) last month. The game’s out on April 25; no word about price yet. More suits to get you drooling below.
Bazzillion-Filter FX Photo Studio for iPhone Free Today Only [Daily Freebie]
There’re few photo apps better than MacPhun’s FX Photo Studio for the casual photographer. It’s got a pretty interface, it’s super-simple to use and it’s stuffed with way more filters than any other iPhone app at the App Store (pretty sure this is true; if you think you know of one with more filters, let me know). Normally the app is $2, but today it’s free.
Sneak Peek Of Photoshop’s New Shake-Reduction Tool
Check out Adobe’s amazing new blur-reduction tool. Likely coming to the next version of Photoshop, the feature examines your shaky photo, analyzes just how badly you screwed it up and applies a fix to clear things up again.
The video below shows a quick look at it in action.
Free Project Collaboration App Moxtra Now Collaborates With Evernote and Salesforce
Moxtra is a great, free app that allows groups of users to collaborate using files — video clips, images, PDFs — that they’ve stored in virtual notebooks; some collaboration can even be conducted in realtime.
Back in January, when Moxtra launched, I described the app as a sort of Evernote-Pinterest blend. Now there’s even more blending with the former, because Evernote has added Moxtra integration.
Meet Pocket Ranger, Your Helpful Little State Park Guide [Daily Freebie]
Looks like this whiteout winter may finally be waning. Time to soak up a little sunshine; so grab your bike, backpack, rod, oars, harness and a Pocket Ranger official State Park Guide app for Android or iOS and get yourself outside. Why a Pocket Ranger app? Because it’s stuffed full of info about anything and everything related to state parks in your area — for free.
Cooliris Gets Even Cooler, Adds Support for Dropbox [Daily Freebie]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4ja6Sy2JwEc
Imagine dining at a sumptuous, football-field-sized smorgasbord where all your friends and acquaintances have made and brought tantalizing morsels for you. And it’s all yours to sample, as you glide past table after stacked table. On ice skates.
Now replace the food with photos, and you’ll understand the draw of Cooliris (assuming you like looking at photos; and since the toaster is probably the last remaining electric gadget not equipped with either a camera or a way to display images, it’s a safe assumption).
And the iOS app is even cooler now that it’s just been seamlessly integrated with Dropbox.
New Borderlands 2 Update Brings Back Windows Multiplayer, Adds New Weapons
Hardcore Vault Hunters may have noticed that the opportunity to venture forth with their PC-based comrades — a huge boon that arrived in an update almost two months ago — was no longer an option as of early this month, when the latest Borderlands 2 patch hit PCs, throwing the two operating systems out of sync again.
But the two platforms are now synced again, thanks to Aspyr’s lightning-fast release of a Mac-side patch. They’ve also brought us the $5, Steam-only Ultimate Vault Hunter’s Pack DLC, which raises the level cap and adds a “super-rare line of weapons.” Yeehaw.
BMWs, Minis Get Glympse One-Touch Location-Broadcast Feature
Glympse is a clever — and potentially lifesaving — feature that we’d love to see in more smartphone-connected cars.
It started out as a free app that can broadcast the user’s location to selected contacts, Facebook friends or Twitter followers. But it’s become a valuable tool for drivers of smartphone-connected Fords and Merecedes-Benzes, allowing them to broadcast their location without taking their hands off the steering wheel.
Now BMW and Mini have partnered with Glympse, raising the marque total to four.
Cool iOS App From Autodesk Teaches Kids Mechanics, First of a Series [Daily Freebie]
Autodesk has a stunning — and I’m not using the word lightly here — catalog of free design-focused iOS apps that do everything from applying filters to photos, to drawing on your iPad — or even turning the subject of an iPhone photo into a 3D model. Now, they’re taking their deep knowledge of modeling, physics and mechanics and using it to make iPad apps that’ll teach your kids cool stuff. For free.
Firaxis, Developer of Civilization Games, Announces Monster-Themed iOS Strategy Game
The fact that we’re mentioning this game really hinges on one fact: It’s being released by Firaxis and 2K Games, two names behind some of the greatest games ever made: Sid Meier’s Pirates, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and of course, the Civilization series (and for a little bit here, let’s just forget that 2K is also responsible for the somewhat poorly received Borderlands Legends).
Heavy-Duty Do Not Disturb iPhone App ‘Call Bliss’ Adds Blacklist, Maps
Call Bliss is an app with its own, industrial-strength take on the iPhone’s newish Do Not Disturb feature. It takes Apple’s basic concept — blocking calls with the flick of a switch, or only letting through calls from selected contacts — and infuses it with management features and more powerful options. And now the app adds two more tricks.
You Can Get Microsoft Office For Mac 2011 Right Now For $60 Off [Deals]
Whether you love it or hate it, the world still runs most of its computer “work” through Microsoft’s Office suite of apps. It’s pricey, and Office 365 requires a monthly subscription, but you can get the latest version of Office, Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, for cheap right now.
Apple Seeds Another OS X 10.8.3 Beta Build To Developers
Apple is taking its sweet time with OS X 10.8.3. We’ve already had more beta builds than we care to remember, but Apple’s still trying to get the software right.
Apple seeded another OS X 10.8.3 beta(12D78) to developers today, making it the 14th beta build of OS X 10.8.3. The first beta seed of 10.8.3 was released way back in November. There’s still no official word on when OS X 10.8.3 will be released to the public, but at this rate, we’re more likely to see OS X 10.9 Lion-O before it comes out.
Source: Apple
Via: MacTrast
Beautiful Disney Toy Story: Smash It! 3D Block-Breaker Game Arrives on iOS and Android
We got it wrong last week, when we thought a cryptic Disney teaser was a clue to something we’ve been salivating over for a few months: the arrival of Android and iOS at Disney’s Infinity platform.
Instead, Disney has released a beautiful Toy Story 3D puzzler game for iOS and Android; and even though it’s not exactly what we’ve been waiting for, it still looks really freaking cool.
Aspyr Releases Civ 5 Gold Edition, Huge Sale On All Other Civilization Titles
Maybe you’ve never played what is, inarguably, the best series of empire-building games ever created, and want to see what all the fuss is about. Or maybe you’ve been meaning to try that Vikings expansion pack. If any of the above fit, now is the time: Aspyr has cut the prices of all their Civilization titles by half to coincide with the release of the Civilization V: Gold Edition.
ST-Ericsson Will Have First Phone With Augmented Reality Chip, Maybe This Year
There’s this really cool, funny, slick video made by a bunch of Israelis called Sight, in which a guy walks around in a world where everything he sees is overlayed by augmented reality. Everything. All the time. Sounds far-fetched? Not so much anymore.
Today, Metaio announced that their new augmented-reality chip, called the Metaio AREngine, will make its debut in ST-Ericsson phones — in a handset(s) that may be available to the public as soon as the end of this year, or early 2014 if things move more slowly.