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.
Last month, Sir Lancelot’s Armor, a maker of screen protectors for smartphones, emailed Ars Technica and asked them if they would review the “first reusable screen protector for iPhones and iPads made out of bulletproof glass.”
So how bulletproof was their screen protector? Ars Technica put it to the test the only way they knew how… by firing a full clip from a Beretta into it at the range. Here’s how it did.
Have you ever seen this message when you’ve bought a third party cable for your iOS device?
“This cable or accessory is not certified and may not work reliably with this iPhone.”
This Cult of Mac Deals offer is delivering a cable and charger combination that is MFi-Certified so you know the quality is up to Apple standards. The Apple-Approved Lightning Cable and AC Charger is the ideal solution for your iOS charging needs – and Cult of Mac Deals has it for only $26.99.
Want to be able to order and pay for burgers using your iPhone?
Burger King has announced that it will be releasing a dedicated mobile app, featuring a Passbook-style virtual card that allows users to load on cash and then use this to make payments.
According to an article published by Bloomberg, the Burger King app will also include “coupons for deals, such as $1 any-size drinks and free fries, as well as nutrition facts.” A feature allowing you to place an order for pick-up at a later time will additionally be included.
We first glimpsed the Highline way back in 2012, when we reviewed the 30-pin-dock-connector version of the leash for iDevices. Now, back in the future, the Lightning Highline has just launched, helping to save the butterfingered and terminally distracted from losing or smashing their iPhone.
When playing games on your devices it’s common for the most challenging to be the most played. The game Bouncing Slime: Impossible Levels is an arcade game that boasts incredibly challenging levels. Simply tap to help the ball of slime surpass dangerous platforms and enemies to reach a checkered flag. Do you think you can pass every level?
Take a look at Bouncing Slime: Impossible Levels and find out what you think.
This is a Cult Of Mac video review of the iOS application Bouncing Slime: Impossible Levels brought to you by Joshua Smith of “TechBytes W/Jsmith.”
Jot is an iOS text editor that adds a red trackball nubbin to the iPhone keyboard. No kidding – it’s just like a ThinkPad, only in software not hardware. And it also looks like a fantastic way to solve the frustrations of iPhone text selection.
Ever “hefted” the standard North American iPhone charging cube in your hand and thought, “Boy, this thing would be way better if the prongs would fold up, and maybe if the thing could juice an iPad as well as my iPhone. And hey, why not make it black so I can lose it more easily too?”
Well, you’re not alone, because somebody at Scosche thought the exact same thing, and the superCUBE flip was born.
LifePrint might finally have invented a printer that you’ll want to use. It’s a wireless, internet-connected box that lets you print pictures from your iPhone (or Android phone), and you can also send photos direct to the printers of your friends and family.
Did your mother ask you to send her your baby photos? You can just print them out on the LifePrint she has sat in the hallway, on top of that lace doily.
Asphalt 8: Airborne for iOShas become the first mobile title to adopt Twitch in-game streaming. The feature allows players to beam their gameplay to Twitch viewers all over the world, and all that’s required is an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.
To celebrate the update, developerGameloft is live-streaming the game for 24 hours.
This time ’round on The CultCast: all that we love about iOS 7.1; more rumors swirl of a 4.7 and 5.7-inch iPhone 6; an intriguing new iPod challenger gets a ton of buzz; why Flappy Bird might fly back into the App Store; 2014 brings a new MS Office; and iTunes Radio is more popular than you thought…
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 Lynda.com for sponsoring this episode. Learn at your own pace from expert-taught video tutorials at Lynda.com.
