Buster Hein - page 244

For a very brief moment in time, the Nokia 900 reigned supreme in the eyes of Siri. When asked what the best smartphone ever is, Siri replied back that the Nokia 900 4G was the best. Apple fixed that problem pretty quickly and made sure that Siri now replies that the iPhone 4S is lord of all smartphones. Now Nokia is pissed and says that Apple is conspiring against the truth, and if Siri’s opinions on smartphones can’t be trusted, what can? It’ll be anarchy.

Ever fantasized about owning your own Apple Store so you could do whatever the hell you want inside? Maybe you’d throw a cool party, dress up as Steve Jobs and chill with Vanilla Ice and Johnny Ive while crashing through the iPod tables playing a drunken game of Red Rover. I don’t know what you’d wanna do inside, this is your fantasy.

If you’re in the market to buy a pristine, almost-genuine Apple Store, my local third-party Apple retailer, The iStore, has sadly closed its doors after 17 years of business and is liquidating all their furniture. You can buy all the signage, fixtures, displays, and Genius Bar for only $38,500. Think about that for a second – for less than $40k you can have your own Genius Bar. Admit it, you want one.

Here’s some pictures of the Apple Store goodies your $38.5k will get you:

Today has been a huge news day for the MacBook Pro, but the rumormill isn’t done churning just yet. A new report is claiming that Apple will release updated MacBook Pros this summer and that they will make the switch from using AMD GPUs to Nvidia graphics.

Late this afternoon The Verge confirmed Joanna Stern’s report that the new MacBook Pros will feature new Nvidia graphic chips. The report cannot confirm which specific chip will be used, but it is believed to be similar to the 28nm GeForce GT 650M – a chip that provides similar power and performance efficiency to the 28nm GeForce GT 640M.

iMessages is really cool, and apparently it gives AT&T’s CEO bad dreams of happy customers because it gives us sweet little SMS messages for free. For the most part, iMessages works really well, except there are times when messages get all delayed you miss some important conversations between friends. Brian Chen at the New York Times’ and a number of other iMessage users have been experiencing frequent delays lately with their messages, but here’s a quick way to fix it.

You probably hate cable just as much as I hate cable, right? There’s like five shows on this planet that I want to watch, but I have to wait around for them to air or record them to my DVR, and I can’t take them with me unless I want to be naughty and download them illegally. Getting video wherever, whenever you want it should be a staple of the 21st century but cable companies aren’t making that easy because they refuse to embrace new technologies like Apple’s AirPlay service.

In a telling interview, Time Warner Cable’s CEO, Glenn Britt, admitted he doesn’t know what the heck AirPlay is, and thinks it’s too hard to get video from your computer to play on your TV.

New iMacs are coming pretty soon, with Ivy Bridge processors that will make them faster than a jack rabbit hyped up on Mountain Dew. Apple is expected to release the new iMacs sometime this summer, but it looks like benchmarks for the new machines have already been revealed, giving us a glimpse at just how speedy Apple’s new all-in-one PCs will be.

In what might be a move to clear out current inventory to make room for the upcoming line of Ivy Bridge Macs, Best Buy has slashed prices on all current generation Macs. Every single machine has been reduced in price, and while most discounts aren’t astounding, the extra $100-$200 saved on a new MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini, or Mac Pro, might be enough to entice customers who can’t wait another minute for a new Mac.

These type of discounts usually don’t happen without some involvement by Apple. It’s not uncommon for Apple to notify vendors of expected supply shortages before a transition to a new product line. Apple is expected to release new Macs this summer that utilize Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processors, so buy with caution.  You can purchase the discounted Macs at your local Best Buy, or online.

Here’s a break down of the discounts you’ll find online:

Ashton Kutcher was spotted walking around Los Angeles this morning dressed head-to-toe in full Steve Jobs apparel. Apparently Kutcher was on his way to the set of his new indie Steve Jobs biopic –  Jobs: Get Inspired. From the late 90’s and onward Jobs was known to wear Levi 501 jeans, and a black turtleneck during public appearances. Jobs also mostly wore New Balance 991’s, but it looks like Kutcher is wearing Asics.

It’s lunch time on the West Coast. I’m starving. Like, I could eat a zebra-porcupine hybrid right now, that’s how hungry I am. Things are only getting worse after I ran into this trove of beautiful iPhone app icon concepts that make my iPhone and iPad good enough to eat. The steak icon looks so tender. So succulent. I’m going to go grab a burrito before I start trying to eat my iPad like that poor little Taiwanese girl, but you should definitely check out these gorgeous app icons.

Most of us have kind of moved on from the iPod. It was really freaking awesome for a while, but then Apple came out with the iPhone and iPad. Since then iPod sales have slowly dropped, because why spend $150 on an iPod when an extra hundo will get you an iPod Touch? Some people still really really love their iPods though. Some in more crazy ways than others. Like Dave Hurban for example, who had four holes drilled into his wrist and plugged with magnets, just so he doesn’t have to bother with iPod Nano watch bands. Dave’s “invention” is called the iDermal, and it’s crazy, original, and pretty weird.

Eat your heart out Pebble, and check out the video below.

Remember your first trip to the Apple Store? The glass and metal. Clean floors and every Apple gadget waiting for you to play with it. Maybe the novelty of visiting the Apple Store has worn off for you, maybe it hasn’t, but there’s no denying Apple has created the coolest retail experience in the world. Apple Stores are a like a Disneyland for fanboys. With their unique architecture and building materials, each Apple Store provides a truly magical experience to customers. Here are 20 captivating images that showcase just how magical the Apple Store can really be.

It’s always tempting to avoid the high prices of a Genius Bar screen repair and find a third-party repair center that can fix your iPhone for fraction of the price. I’ve done it. You might want to think twice before you take your iPhone repair off the grid, though.

Late last year news broke of an iPhone that ignited into flame on board an Australian flight. No one was hurt, and at the time no one knew what caused the iPhone to spontaneously erupt. After further investigation though, it looks like a careless third-party repair agent might be the one to blame.

Kids – iPads should not be used as chew toys. They’re made of metal, and glass. Both of which don’t like to play friendly games inside your mouth. Apparently this whole thing needs to be stated for children and parents alike, because some people like putting their iPad in their mouth to hold it.

A little girl from Taiwan obliterated her front teeth while she was laying on her bed playing with her iPad. She got tired of holding it and slipped down to her mouth and found out the iPad treats teeth like sledgehammer would.

This morning Samsung announced their newest high-end Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy S III. With a release date of May 29th, the new phone comes with a lot of crazy new features, like Smart Stay, that uses facial recognition to determine if you’re looking at it, and if not, it’ll turn the screen off. But topping the list of awesome new features is the “innovative” voice recognition feature. It’s innovative because you can say things like, “Hi Mr. Galaxy phone, what’s the weather gonna be like today?” and S Voice will pop-up a screen that looks exactly like Apple’s Siri feature does on the iPhone 4S.

Keep it up Samsung.

Source: Sebastiaan de With

Via: Rene Ritchie

Practically every mobile phone carrier in the U.S. has relied on the iPhone to boost their sales numbers and increase customer satisfaction in recent years (sorry, T-Mobile). It turns out that betting on the iPhone isn’t just great because it gives customers the pretty device they want, but converting users into iPhone owners might mean that they will be more likely to stay with your carrier in the long run even when your service sucks. On the other hand, BlackBerry and Android owners are quicker to jump ship when the service has problems.

Transferring files from your Mac to your iPhone is supposed to be an easy process thanks to iCloud, but sometimes the lack of a physical connection between your devices can make the process feel daunting. Or that’s what Ishac Bertran thinks, anyway. He’s come up with a neat concept idea that is simple and clever for tranferring photos, webpages, music, etc., to your iPhone or iPad, even if it’s not what users really need anymore. Ishac claims,

Our devices are well connected virtually, through services like DropBox or iCloud. Those offer wireless synchronization for data, but the devices that contain this data still miss a tangible connection. I thought that a representation of a physical connection would facilitate a more intuitive interaction based on traditional mental models from the physical world.

Here’s a video of Bertran’s concept in action:

Deep down in my soul, I want to believe that Apple is going to come out with a holographic iPad and iPhone someday just so I can watch three dimensional Lady Gaga dance parties unfold in Lilliputian fashion. CES totally sold me on the idea, and even if we have to wait 15 years for a holographic iPad, I’m cool with that.

LA-based 3D artist Mike Ko decided to take it up a notch though, and envisioned what it would be like if three dimensional objects could blossom into life from the iPhone’s screen. Objects like, say, a miniature city with whimsical little cars zipping around the streets. Check out Mike’s iPhone 3D video masterpiece below and let us know what you think.

Did you know that Steve Jobs played the role of FDR in a colossal World War II styled Apple commercial? We’ve seen glimpses of Steve in his FDR costume from a video made to celebrate Jobs’s 30th birthday, but we never knew the context of why Jobs was dressed up like the former-U.S. President until now.

After the success of their 1984 Super Bowl commercial, Apple created a broad-cast quality production titled “1944” that was designed to motivate Apple’s international sales force during a 1984 company meeting in Hawaii. Apple supposedly spent $50,000 on the production that used a mix of professional actors alongside prominent Apple figures. The 9-minute commericial uses a World War II theme to focus on the battle between Apple and IBM, with El Jobso taking up the mantle of FDR. The entire video is pretty bizarre and terribly corny, but definitely worth watching.

During last week’s earnings call Tim Cook was asked what he thought about Windows 8 being “optimized” for tablets. Cook humorously responded that, “anything can be forced to converge, but the problem is that products are about tradeoffs, and you begin to make tradeoffs to the point where what you have left at the end of the day does not please the user. You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user.

Well, guess what, Timmy? A couple of genius engineers over at The Brydge went out and combined two of the greatest kitchen appliances of our time — the toaster and the fridge —  and came up with the glory of The Froaster. Eat those words! Eat them!

Maybe for some odd reason you decided to buy an Android phone rather than the iPhone 4S. Maybe you wanted a phone with 3D video and 16 processing cores so you could dual-boot the same crappy games in both Android and Ubuntu at the same time. I do not know your reasons, but if you’re suffering from iPhone envy there’s a new app that can transform your ugly Android device into an iOS styled phone so you can be like the rest of us at Cult of Mac.

This entire week we’ve been showing you guys how to take your DVD movie collection, rip the movie files off your DVDs, and get those movies playing on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Thanks to the software gurus at Digiarty, the entire process is free this week to Cult of Mac readers because Digiarty is giving away their popular MacX DVD Ripper Pro Stream Edition software absolutely free to anyone who reads Cult of Mac and has a pretty smile.

Yesterday we showed you how to rip your DVDs onto your computer, but what if you don’t want to waste all your iPhone or iPad’s storage space on movie files you might not watch for a while? Well, Digiarty has an easy-to-use solution which solves that dilemma. Air Playit is part of the free giveaway package Digiarty is handing out, and it turns your Mac into a server that will stream your ripped DVD movie files straight to your iPad or iPhone. It’s so simple your grandma can do.

Follow these three steps to get your ripped DVDs streaming to your iPad or iPhone right now:

Remember back in the day when Apple and Google were all chummy? Back when the original iPhone was released in 2007, and Google wasn’t in the smartphone business? That all changed once Google betrayed Apple’s trust and launched the Android operating system, and ever since then Google has held the stance that they never copied the iPhone. It’s hard to prove that a company wasn’t thinking about something, but newly released designs of Google’s original concept phone from 2006 show that Google wasn’t even considering the creation of a touchscreen smartphone back when the iPhone was unveiled, so they stole Apple’s designs instead once they saw them.

What do you do when you have a huge DVD collection that you’ve been building for years, and combine it with Apple’s resolutionary new iPad? Your favorite movies are stuck in a physical format and you can’t even totally enjoy the awesome new Apple gadget you just bought. Repurchasing all your movies on iTunes would cost more than new iMac, but fortunately there’s a simple answer that is totally free.

This week we’re going to teach you how to take your DVDs, rip the movie files off them, and stream them to your iPad or iPhone courtesy of the folks at Digiarty. For the next 7 days Cult of Mac readers can get a free copy of MacX DVD Ripper Pro Streamer Edition provided by Digiarty, which will help change the way you watch movies.

Once you’ve downloaded your free software you’re going to need to know how to rip your old DVDs. It’s super easy, but we’re here to help you out. To get rip your movies from DVD to your Mac follow these 4 simple steps using MacX DVD Ripper Pro.

Meet Sharleen – the terrifying quadrocopter that you’ll want on your side during Armageddon or the impending zombie apocalypse. Made by the guys at FPSRussia, Sharleen is a modified quadrocopter that has been equipped with a submachine and a 100-round magazine. Sharleen is built to thrill and kill, and it’s also completely controlled with an iPad so you can squash your enemies from the comfort of your lazy boy while mayhem spreads on your city streets. Just check out how insane this robot is in the video below.

Everyone is hoping that the next generation iPhone will be unveiled with significant design changes. Maybe an aluminum backing, a bigger screen, or even a haptic home button will make an appearance on a redesigned iPhone. Details are scant on what the “iPhone 5” will look like, but if these newest leaks are to be believed it looks like the next iPhone will still have a home button.

New part leaks were spotted today on TVC Mall that show black and white home buttons for the iPhone 5. At first glance the buttons look like those found on the newest iPhone 4S, but closer inspection shows a few differences.