The iPhone has become a vehicle for not just texting and calling but also for social media and taking tons of pictures. And you certainly don’t need a Hollywood budget to make Hollywood-quality movies anymore. There are plenty of us out there who strive to take the best pictures (and make the best videos) possible and with the Phocus 3 Plus Lens Kit, that is what you’re going to get.
These three Phocus lenses and specially designed housing unit will get you there, and give you the ability to shoot photos and videos from your iPhone that will amaze even you. And Cult of Mac Deals has this package for just $99.95.
Facebook Messenger, the iOS messaging app for the ubiquitous social network, has just updated with a couple of new cool features that will help cement the app’s place on your iPhone home screen.
While it already updated just a little while ago, there are some new additions that will make you sit up and take notice.
The hit bird slinging game Angry Birds has found its way on devices everywhere. While the Angry Birds series has brought developing company Rovio so much popularity, their branch company Rovio Stars aims to share the spotlight. The newest application from Rovio Stars is Word Monsters, a game that combines competitive head-to-head gameplay with word puzzles and monsters. Do you think you can beat all your friends and top the high score charts?
Take a look at the video and find out what you think.
This is a Cult of Mac video review of the iOS application Word Monsters – Rovio Stars Ltd., brought to you by Joshua Smith of TechBytes W/ Jsmith.
The stunningly gorgeous Yahoo! Weather app that inspired Apple’s own new iOS 7 app for iPhone and iPad has just gotten another update, adding some great features that only enhance the usability and beauty of the app.
Sure, you can ask Siri to call one of your contacts; it’s one of the ways I make calls handsfree in the car. Simply say, “Call Kim” (or the name of the contact you’d like to call–you may not know Kim), and Siri will place a voice call to that Contact.
Did you know, however, that Siri can handle even more complexity? Yes, yes it can.
"I actually don’t think that anybody except for Apple was capable of building the iPhone," says Andy Grignon at DENT 2014 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Photo: Kris Krug
When he set out to create the iPhone, Steve Jobs deliberately picked engineers with no mobile phone industry experience because he didn’t want Apple’s smartphone to be “tainted” by old ideas about what could and could not be achieved, says a former software engineer who worked on the project.
“We had the opportunity to hire people from Palm, from Nokia, to help us build this thing. [But] Steve said, ‘No, no, we don’t need to do that,'” Andy Grignon told me during a recent onstage interview at the DENT conference on innovation in Sun Valley, Idaho.
We all have busy days, and going to sleep at night is the perfect remedy for having to do it all over the next day. While regular alarm clocks can serve their purpose in waking you up, they can’t ensure they’ll do it at the most convenient time in your sleep. The app Sleep Cycle strives to wake you up while you’re in your lightest sleep, resulting in a better awakening. Simply place your phone on your bed and let the app do the rest. Will Sleep Cycle become your go-to alarm clock?
Take a look at the video and find out what you think.
This is a Cult of Mac video review of the iOS application Sleep Cycle, brought to you by Joshua Smith of TechBytes W/ Jsmith.
SAN FRANCISCO — It’s that time of year when the biggest Apple fans in the world congregate on Moscone North for a three day celebration of all things Apple. This year’s Macworld/iWorld show offers a little something for everyone from hands-on tutorials for taking better iPhone photos or live-recording with an iPad, to parties, tons of exhibitors, games, and more.
Cult of Mac will be covering all the Macworld festivities starting today on our live-blog, but if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about for Macworld, an event that even Apple doesn’t attend anymore, here six things that you won’t want to miss this year:
When it comes to emoji, Apple supports everything from a smiling pile of feces to intricately detailed sunset landscapes. But if you’re looking for racial diversity there’s not a black person to be found and we’re not sure if the dude with the thick mustache is supposed to be latino, but if you scroll through the collection you’ll get the point.
The lack of racial diversity in emojis was not lost on MTV Act’s Joey Parker who decided to email Tim Cook about the controversy and was surprised to get a response the next day about Apple’s efforts to make emoji more diverse.
Here’s what Apple PR Queen Katie Cotton had to say about the emoji controversy:
The iPhone 5c wasn't quite the ultra-cheap smartphone some had predicted.
Selling a half-billion of anything is impressive, especially when you can do it in less than seven years. That’s exactly what Apple has managed to do with the iPhone.
Apple had sold 472 million iPhones in total at the end of 2013, and given analysts estimates of 38-42 million units sold this current quarter, the 500 million milestone has most certainly been reached.
Next time you are traveling somewhere or commuting your way to work, look around you. It’s evident that the number of book lovers who have taken to reading on a digital format has risen significantly over the years. In 2011 and 2012, Amazon said it sold 105 books for its Kindle e-reader for every 100 hardcover and paperback books, excluding free eBooks.
Though it has become apparent in recent years that there is a slight fall in the growth of eBook sales (particularly so in 2013), eBooks are still far too compelling to die out, and today we tend to use more than one medium to consume the same thing. So next time you’re hesitating to pull out your Kindle or iPad mini on the bus or train due to the watchful eyes of a “book snob,” just remember that it’s not possible to please everyone, and that there are still thousands of benefits to the electronic book format.
Seeing how far you can go has been a common theme in many games in the App Store. Since the release of hit apps like Temple Run and Subway Surfers, players everywhere have become fans of this “endless runner” genre. The app The Collider is an original endless runner that has players dodge obstacles for as long as possible while in a rocket. Do you think you can handle the increase in speed and climb the high-score charts?
Take a look at The Collider and find out what you think.
This is a Cult Of Mac video review of the iOS application The Collider, brought to you by Joshua Smith of TechBytes W/ Jsmith.
Need a way to hold your iPhone up in portrait or landscape mode? Hate wrapping it in some bulky case that hides the natural tech-beauty of Apple’s best smartphone design?
The Breffo GumStick aims to solve your problems, friends, with a minimalist iPhone stand that looks–and works–like a stick of gum.
“The Breffo GumStick is deceptively simple to use,” said Breffo CEO Patrick Mathews in a statement. “It feels perfect in your hand and entices you to want to hold it and mold it.”
This Cult of Mac Deals promotion is going to do its part to bring your speakers back to life.
The Griffin Twenty is a system that takes your existing speakers and allows you to do something new with them. You don’t need an iPhone speaker dock, or Bluetooth speakers, or cables. Connect your favorite speakers to Twenty, and it acts as your stereo receiver for pure digital sound. And right now you can get The Griffin Twenty for 30% off – just $69.99.
Artist's impression of what a future Apple battery production line might look like.
Apple is set to start producing all its iPhone batteries on automated production lines starting later this year, according to a report from DigiTimes.
The decision is reportedly related to minimum wages rising in China — combined with labor shortages and high turnovers of staff, who have to be trained to use the manufacturing machinery.
RoomScan is a crazy app that seems like it should never work. It lets you use your iPhone to measure the rooms in your home and turn them into floor plans, and all you have to do is walk around and tap the iPhone on the walls.
It looks like paying for burgers using your iPhone is the next big trend in fast food.
Following Burger King’s announcement last week that it would be releasing a dedicate mobile app, Wendy’s has followed suit, unveiling their own iPhone-based payment app that will allow you to pay for Big Bacon Classics at any of Wendy’s 5,800 locations.
A curious download hit Apple’s App Store this week: a messaging app called FireChat.
It’s a new kind of app because it uses an iOS feature unavailable until version 7: the Multipeer Connectivity Framework. The app was developed by the crowdsourced connectivity provider Open Garden and this is their first iOS app.
The Multipeer Connectivity Framework enables users to flexibly use WiFi and Bluetooth peer-to-peer connections to chat and share photos even without an Internet connection. Big deal, right?
But here’s the really big deal — it can enable two users to chat not only without an Internet connection, but also when they are far beyond WiFi and Bluetooth range from each other — connected with a chain of peer-to-peer users between one user and a far-away Internet connection.
It’s called wireless mesh networking. And Apple has mainstreamed it in iOS 7. It’s going to change everything. Here’s why.
Secret sauce—it’s the reason Apple keeps winning where others fail, and on our newest CultCast, we discuss the recipe that keeps Apple ahead of the pack. Plus, iOS 8 rumors detail some powerful new features; whispers of an impossibly thin iPhone 6; A-list musicians praise Pono as the digital music player for audiophiles; iPad 4 makes a comeback; and we reveal our favorite Cult movies on a all-new Get To Know Your Cultist!
Guffaw your way through each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the uproarious good time commence.
And thanks to FreshBooks for sponsoring this episode! That’s right, Fresbooks the simple online accounting solution built for small business owners – just like you – who want to skip the headache of tax time. For a limited time, try FreshBooks free 60 days, and enter “CultCast” in the “How Did You Hear About Us” section.
Show notes up next!
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Episode
CultCast #118 – The Secret Sauce
On The CultCast this week
Leander Kahney – Cult of Mac Editor-in-Chief, loyal subject of the Queen. Erfon Elijah – Cult of Mac writer and host of The CultCast. Buster Heine – Cult of Mac writer and community manager.
This Week’s Stories
iOS 8 Apple considers Notification Center Messages tweaks removing Game Center app (Discussion)
This Cult of Mac Deals offer is going to do its part to keep everyone energized. all oyu ave to do is pick one up to make that happen.
The PowerShare Charging Bundle includes the PowerShare Reactor and the PowerShare Adapter. Like its name suggests, the PowerShare Reactor provides ample power to your Apple, Android, or otherwise USB-charged devices, simultaneously. The PowerShare Adapter is a great home and away companion to help save outlet space. Being able to charge two (2) devices from one iPhone charger is critical sometimes. And when that happens, the Adapter comes through. And you can get both of these handy little devices for only $49.99 during this limited time offer.
Side-by-side comparisons show how the Ember (right) stacks up against the existing iPhone flash (left)
Want to take good night photos using your iPhone, but find that the device’s in-built flash — consisting of a couple of LEDs — doesn’t result in the kind of pictures you want?
If so, you may be interested in this Kickstarter campaign to build a new iPhone 5/5s case, packing a whopping 56 LEDs into a hard case to provide a bright panel of lights for all your nocturnal photographic needs.
Medium, the publishing platform from Twitter co-founder Ev Williams, has finally released its official iPhone app. As you would expect from a site that prides itself on clean, minimalistic aesthetics, the app is quite nice.
It is also incredibly limited.
There are no editing or posting options for actually sharing content on Medium. The app is solely for reading, at least for now.
Amazon has been rumored for years to be making its own smartphone, but now, according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it’s actually going to happen.
But the weirdest thing isn’t that Amazon’s planning on releasing a smartphone… it’s that they are going to release a smartphone with six cameras per unit. What what?
Q) What’s safer than keeping your iPhone in a soft case to protect against unexpected falls and impacts? A) a soft case that just happens to give you accidental damage insurance.
That’s the neat concept behind iSkin’s new Claro GearCare combo, which combines the clarity of a hard plastic case, the protection of a soft-gel case and the security of, well, a good warranty service — thanks to an included GearCare Accidental Damage Warranty Service.
The diffr3nt|sleeve is going to be your MacBook Pro’s best friend.
The ideal combination of minimal design and durable protection, these sleeves keep your MacBook safe from the daily torment of scratches from desks, notebooks, purses and backpacks alike. And Cult of Mac Deals has the diffr3nt|sleeve for just $29.99 for a limited time.
