Just as they did yesterday with the iOS App Store0, Apple today has launched their Best of 2012 awards for the Mac App Store… and this time, the clear winners are actually clear winners instead of head-scratching WTFs.
Ok, so we may not be rockstars (yet), but we just hit 1,000,000 downloads of The CultCast, our fun, quirky, totally off-base podcast covering everything in the wonderful world of Apple. That’s like earning a platinum record! Now we know what Led Zeppelin felt like… But we couldn’t have done it without our smart, good-looking, worldwide audience supporting us all the way. If you’ve ever listened to an episode of The CultCast, thank you, we love you, and we would like to hold your hand.
But enough self sycophancy! On our newest episode, we talk Google Maps reborn on iOS. We’ll tell you what we love, what we don’t, and if it scratches the itch we’ve all had since the demise of the last Google Maps.
Plus: why Twitter wants to be your next Instagram, and a new Flickr app rises from the ashes—but is it too little too late?
Join us on our newest CultCast! Subscribe now on iTunes, or easily stream new and previous episodes via Apple’s free Podcasts App.
Year in review lists are usually pretty exhausting, but with millions of apps to choose from in the App Store there’s a pretty good chance you missed some great new apps that came out in 2012. Apple just unveiled their App Store Best of 2012 page and it’s packed with goodies.
The App Store Best of 2012 is divided into numerous categories of apps so everyone will find something they enjoy. Apple didn’t stop with just the App Store though. The Best of 2012 list also includes selections from Music, Movies, TV Shows, Books, and even Podcast.
You can check out all the goodies right here.
Are you constantly sending your buddies in the office links to funny Imgur pictures or hilarious YouTube videos? Is that why your office IT department shut down any non-corporate instant messaging services on the office network? Do you still want to send your co-workers funny links to lighten the monotony of the cubicle farm you all work in?
Whatever the reason, if you want to be able to send and receive links quickly and easily without having to copy and paste them into an IM client or email, The Great Link may be the app for you. It’s easy to set up and simple to use. Here’s how.
One of the better Yuletide traditions is the venerable holiday Advent Calendar, in which each day of December leading up to Christmas is marked off on a special calendar by opening its corresponding door to find a small gift, toy or chocolate squirreled away inside.
This year, we here at Cult of Mac decided we wanted to give our readers their very own Apple-themed advent calendar, filled with the year’s best apps, gadgets, stories and other curios. So each day in December, we’re going to lovingly peel back the door on the Cult of Mac 2012 Advent Calendar to reveal another delicious morsel, something really special that came out this year that we think every one of you should enjoy.
What do we have in store for you for Day 9 (admittedly, going up a day late)? FTL for Mac, about the closest experience to sitting down in the Captain’s Chair on the U.S.S. Enterprise you’re likely to find on any platform for less than $10.
If you’re an Apple TV owner, you’ve likely been looking forward to the day when Apple finally announces support for apps and games. We don’t know why it’s taking so long, but it looks as though the new feature could be just around the corner. Visit the store on your Apple TV, and you’ll notice Apple has added a number of banners advertising apps and games for the holiday season.
Either Apple’s trying to tell us a big feature is on its way, or someone inside Cupertino has gotten their graphics all mixed up.
The iNotebook from Targus is yet another attempt to solve the old problem of hand-writing on your iPad. This one comes in the form of a folio with a pad of paper, a special pen and a sensor up top to record your ink strokes in digital format.
The trouble is, it looks like another “faster horse and carriage” solution.
Snapseed, the best damn photo editor on all of iOS, has gotten an update. V1.5 adds Google+ sharing, a whole new Retrolux filter, better frames, and a new icon. Oh, and it’s now free, so if you were too cheap to download it before, go grab it now.
One thing that nobody sees to have noticed with yesterday’s iOS iWork update is that Pages now tracks changes. And not just changes from other Pages documents, either – it’ll import and export tracked changes from Microsoft Word documents.
This could be huge. Or maybe it just won’t work at all.
Netflix’s streaming service isn’t exactly known for having quality content. Their catalog of movies is reminiscent of the bargain DVD bin at your local Walmart. Netflix has been struggling to land any quality licensing agreements and has actually been losing a few. With Redbox Instant on the horizon, Netflix desperately needs to give its members a reason to stick around.
Perch is a new way to use your old iOS device. Got an iPod Touch or unused iPhone/iPad laying around the house with nothing to do? Perch is an app which turns it into an always-on portal, letting you just walk up to it and show things to other Perch users in your network.
The idea is to keep this on a wall at home and treat it as a window on your family.
The new TonePrint app lets you download guitar-pedal presets to your iPhone and then squirt them into your actual pedal via the pickup of your guitar. This magical-sounding ability is actually pretty simple, but that doesn’t make it any less useful.
One of the better Yuletide traditions is the venerable holiday Advent Calendar, in which each day of December leading up to Christmas is marked off on a special calendar by opening its corresponding door to find a small gift, toy or chocolate squirreled away inside.
This year, we here at Cult Of Mac decided we wanted to give our readers their very own Apple-themed advent calendar, filled with the year’s best apps, gadgets, stories and other curios. So each day in December, we’re going to lovingly peel back the door on the Cult Of Mac 2012 Advent Calendar to reveal another delicious morsel, something really special that came out this year that we think every one of you should enjoy.
What’s on the other side of the door for Day 3? It’s Jasmine, an exquisitely designed, utterly beautiful app that will make you rediscover how cool YouTube can really be.
When most people think of Apple they think of hardware. Apple’s got the iPhone, iPad, and iMac — and they also make their own software to power those devices — but one of Apple’s secret weapons is its gigantic media division.
iTunes was just updated last week, and you already know that it sells everything from books, Apps, newspapers, music, TV shows, movies and more. But did you know that iTunes would be one of the largest and most profitable media companies in the world if Apple decided to set up iTunes as a separate company?
The bad news? Instagram has a vulnerability that could allow a hacker to take over your account. The good news? That hacker would have to be close enough that he could just walk over and punch you to do so.
Apple’s App Store has been the undisputed revenue king since its inception, however, its once enormous lead is now quickly shrinking. That leading edge over Android is an argument that’s becoming moot as the Play’s revenue continues to grow at a ravenous rate. According to App Annie, an industry leader in app store analytics and marketing, Google Play’s revenues have skyrocketed 311% in the last year, compared to the App Store’s more conservative 12.9%.
Because I’m not dead, I love music. But since I have no friends (at least not any friends with good musical taste), I have no idea what to listen to. Which means I’m pretty much stuck playing old (and still fantastic) Talking Heads tracks, and that XX album from a year or two back.
But now that Hype Machine has redesigned its app, I now have a new, musical-savvy friend.
Rovio is gearing up to release its first new episode for their most recent hit, Angry Birds Star Wars. This new episode includes our favorite snowy planet Hoth, chock full of pig driven AT-AT walkers. The update is set to go live sometime tomorrow and should keep you Rebel Alliance Angry Birds lovers busy for a bit.
Do you trust the translations you see on Chinese menus? I don’t. Why? Because my local Chinese restaurant — which lists dishes in Chinese, English and Spanish — manages to write a different description for each one.
Luckily, Waigo is here to help, with it’s augmented-reality translation. Or is that “here to confuse”?
It’s not very often you can find a series of apps that has 16 utilities in one bundle, but this soon-to-end Cult of Mac Deals offer has 16 utilities all in one application! MacKeeper has got you covered in more ways than one – and you can get it for just $24 – and you’ll have the use of it for two of your Macs to boot!
The feature set that MacKeeper offers is almost limitless!
With all the junk floating out there at the Apple App Store and Google Play (Android users, you get the nastier end of the shaft in this case), it’s no wonder good apps can often go undiscovered and neglected, withering pitifully under a heap of flashy debris.
One way to find diamond-in-the-rough apps — or apps that actually do what you want them to — is to regularly read blogs like either of the Cult twins. But there’s another way, and it involves using an app discovery tool like Hubbl.
If you’re looking to pick up a few of Gameloft’s hit titles at a fraction of the cost, you might want to check out the holiday sale they have going on right now. Starting today and running throughout the weekend, Gameloft is offering up a few hit titles for $0.99 each. Titles include The Amazing Spider-Man, BackStab, and more. Gameloft is certainly among the top publishers of console quality mobile games, so don’t miss out on this great deal.
If you’re a Comcast subscriber and have been using the XFINITY TV Player app on Android or iOS, there’s a sweet little update waiting for in your respective app market. Sometimes the only thing getting in the way of enjoying one of your favorite TV shows or movies on your mobile device is a bad connection or no WiFi. Thankfully, Comcast is taking care of this issue by allowing users to download some of their favorite content straight to their device to be viewed at a time when a connection may not be available.
For quickly punching up a photo on your iPad or iPhone, it’s hard to beat the amazing Snapseed. At other times, you want a little more control, so you may pick something like Photogene. But what if you kinda want both? Then go grab Pixlr.
Memory. Not only do you have one, but you’ve probably played any number of card-flipping memory games in your life… possibly on the App Store, where there are over 50 of such games that promise to test the limits of your recollections.
Those games are now under attack, as Apple is sending notices to developers demanding that they remove the word “Memory” from their titles. It’s not Apple’s fault, though: rather, a German company is gunning for them, claiming it owns the trademark for the word in dozens of European, African and South American countries.