Yves vs. Ive: 10 of the best product designs not from Cupertino
Recently, a clever little Pokemon clone called Micromon shot to the top of the App Store bestseller list. If the success of Micromon proved anything, it’s that an official Pokemon game would be very well received if it came to the App Store.
If that’s something that appeals to you, good news. A version of the Pokemon online trading card game is coming to the iPad sometime soon.
Anand Sharma has eaten 17 burritos in the last 141 days. An avid runner and rock climber, the San Francisco-based designer has visited parks seven times this month. He weighed 153.9 pounds and was at 18.4% bodyfat after his 5.5-mile run yesterday. He burned 688 calories during that run.
He gets around a lot, too: On July 15, he flew from Hong Kong to Changi, Singapore. Then he grabbed a bite at the Kampong Glam Cafe. He also spent 94 minutes in a car and 70 minutes on the Lomprayah high-speed ferry that day. During his long day of travel, his heart rate hit a high of 94 and a low of 66 (averaging a slightly higher than usual 79). He didn’t share any photos on Instagram, but he pushed 25 commits to code-sharing site Github.
Sharma, who was 24.382007813 years old as of this writing, is already the most transparent human being on Earth, and he’s just getting started. Fully embracing the data-hungry demands of the quantified-self movement as well as the constant spotlight of social media, he routinely shares every little detail about his life, from his travels and meals to his vital signs and work, on the slickly designed April Zero website he launched last month. Now he wants to invite you to his way of life. He’s working on a new app that will make it easy for anyone to have their own version of April Zero.
Cult of Mac talked with Sharma about April Zero, the benefits of living in public, and the possibilities of Apple’s long-rumored health-centric wearable.
Last week, we told you about shots that had leaked from within Foxconn, which reportedly showed new Lightning cables developed by Apple that featured fully reversible USB connectors.
We were excited, but there was only one problem: the images seemed a little sketchy. But a new image from reliable leaker Sonny Dickson‘s Twitter feed indicates that the reversible USB plug is indeed coming to new Lightning cables, perhaps as early as the iPhone 6.
Amongst Cupertino’s many other accomplishments, you can now chalk up Emmy Award Winner. Apple has just won the Most Outstanding Commercial of the Year award for its wonderful iPhone 5s ad, “Misunderstood.”
The LG G Watch has been on sale for less than two months, but according to a new report from Korea, an LG executive has confirmed the company is already working on its second Android Wear device. Expected to launch this fall at IFA, the G Watch 2 is being labeled a “serious game changer,” and it’s being designed with Apple’s iWatch in mind.
Beginning just moments after the shocking end of last week’s episode of True Blood, the final season’s second-to-last entry tightens down on the remaining relationships: Sookie and Bill. Hoyt and Jessica. Eric and Pam (and Ginger!). Jason and new girl. A little Lafayette and James, a tiny smattering of Arlene and Keith. Couples are the way to go in Bon Temps.
Once again, we’ve got character dialogue that sounds like a love letter to the fans from the writers of this HBO-powered vampire drama that airs Sunday nights.
“As much as I appreciate compelling character drama,” says Pam in full sarcasm mode, “but the Yakuza are upstairs, so need I remind you to keep it the f*ck down, volume-wise?”
Spoilers below, so don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Where does the time go? Another week of deals that will save you money on things you need and want is over.
Do not fret, we’re highlighting a few of the best so you won’t miss out. You can also go to the Cult of Mac Deals page to see all of the amazing gadgets, software, and training packages available right now.
A little over two weeks ago, we posted our ‘Shoot Like a Pro’ video series, where we gave you iPhone photography tips along with the chance to win a $500 Swivl.
We had over 140 entries, all of which where entered into a randomiser and one winner has prevailed, check out today’s video to see who won! But stick around to find out about our huge 25k Giveaway, for your chance to win some awesome gear. Just leave a comment on the video and share our Youtube channel to help us reach 25,000 subscribers before September 9th.
Subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to catch all our latest videos.
This week: Robin Williams. We remember the incredible passion, talent, comedy and heartbreak of one of life’s great artists. Then, stay tuned for this week’s best iPhone 6 and iPad rumors; Oculus Rift comes to OS X; the good, bad, and ugly of iTunes Family Sharing; and we pitch our favorite gadgets and apps in an all-new Faves N’Raves.
Join us and Youtube gadget-reviewer extrordinaire, Lewis Hilsenteger (aka UnboxTherapy), for this very fun and heart-filled CultCast. 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 chuckles begin.
Our thanks to Automatic for supporting this episode. Plug Automatic’s Link adapter into your car’s data port, and paired with their beautiful app, you’ll be able to find your parked car, learn how to save fuel with tips based on your actual driving, and even diagnose and turn off your car’s check engine light. See it out in action and save 20% off your new Automatic now at Automatic.com/cultcast.

Whether at work or school, Notebook 4 is the easiest way to get more efficient. It gives you everything you need to stay ultra-organized, without nearly as much effort as taking notes with pen and paper.
NoteBook 4 stores your information in electronic notebooks that are just like the paper ones you’ve used all your life. Best of all, you can get NoteBook 4 now, but not for much longer, at Cult of Mac Deals for just $19.99!
Sam Sung, the most ironically named Apple retail employee on Earth, is giving away his work shirt, badge and business card to raise money for charity. The eBay auction ended last night with a winning bid of $2,653.
“I had a great time working for Apple and would recommend it to anyone,” said Sung in the auction description. “I hope my old business card will go to another fellow Apple enthusiast with a sense of humour and the desire to help raise some money for a good cause.”
All proceeds from the auction will go to The Children’s Wish Foundation, a nonprofit group that “provides children living with life threatening illnesses the opportunity to realize their most heartfelt wish.”
So you don't have to slog through a lake of reviews to find something you’re just going to put down after 10 minutes, Cult of Mac has waded through the iTunes Store to compile a list of the best new books, movies and music to come out this week.
This week we've found a documentary one of the world’s most iconic bearded faces, an other-worldly album from Fka Twigs, a book about the birth of Korea’s cool pop culture, the funniest summer comedy of the year and much more.Enjoy!
Cooking, charging, carrying and, uh, cufflinking. Yes, this week’s Gadget Watch is all about the c-word. We even have a cubic camera, a keyboard with a nipple (which doesn’t start with "C" but it’s close -- and clicky).
Beats Music is now the first app to greet iOS users browsing the ‘Apps Made by Apple’ section of the App Store, giving the streaming music prime real estate on iTunes that should help it reel in more users than ever.
iTunes added the Beats Music app to its list of homegrown apps today that can be found on both the iOS App Store and iTunes desktop, placing it at the top of the featured list that also includes Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and more.
iPads have quickly replaced gigantic flight manuals in cockpits across the globe, but all that easy access to information, photos and loads of games nearly proved fatal on a recent Jet Airways flight that took an unexpected dip over a busy air route to Europe .
The two Jet Airways pilots were suspended after the plane they were flying from Mumbai to Brussels plunged 5,000 as the pilot dozed off while the co-pilot was busy playing on her iPad.
Less than an hour ago, Microsoft founder and super rich guy Bill Gates took the ice bucket challenge, which has various famous folks dumping cold water over their heads to raise awareness for Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS).
While Tim Cook completed the challenge himself at an Apple employee event, Bill Gates has gone even further — he built a crazy contraption to dump a ton of ice water on his head. The video (below) shows his planning attempts, complete with Comic Sans blueprints and a Surface tablet to do all the work and YouTubery.
Watch the full video below:
A group of Apple shareholders are ready to add to the company’s anti-hiring controversy woes with a new class action lawsuit of their own that alleges Apple leadership mislead investors and hurt the stock’s overall value.
The lawsuit was filed by attorneys for plaintiff R. Andre Klein with U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California this week, and accuses Apple’s senior management, including Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, of grossly mismanaging Apple’s resources when it struck an agreement not to hire employees from competing corporations.
Apple doesn’t have an official retail presence in the Middle East… yet. Recent job listings spotted by ifoAppleStore indicate that the company is looking to open at least one store in the United Arab Emirates by next year.
For the horde! This trailer for the upcoming expansion to massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft is utterly fantastic.
Blizzard has a long history of creating amazing cinematic mini-movies for all its games and expansions, and this new one pretty much tops it all.
Even if you don’t know what the heck the orcs in the trailer are talking about, surely you can get behind how gorgeous it looks and how realistic these creatures seem. You’ll root for these monstrous humanoids in their bid for freedom, even if you’re not keen on them conquering the world in the process.
Check out the trailer below to see what we mean.
Apple is now using China Telecom’s servers instead of its own to power iCloud for Chinese customers. The switch took place on August 8th, and now the carrier is Apple’s only cloud service provider in China.
The decision is likely a direct response to the Chinese state-controlled media recently lashing out at Apple over national security concerns.
To go along with its Diversity week celebrations that have included Tim Cook taking an icy bath, Apple has added a little diversity to its executive leadership page today, by adding a new tier full of fresh faces.
The Apple executive profiles page has been expanded to include five of the most notable VPs at the mothership, including VP of Environmental Initiatives, Lisa Jackson, and Denise Young Smith who serves as VP of Worldwide Human Resources and the narrator of Apple’s new Diversity video.
You probably take great photographs with your smartphone. Compare your smartphone pictures with those of a digital SLR camera, though, and you soon realize that there is no comparison.
Without a doubt, the best photography is done with a digital SLR camera. Now, you can get a Canon DSLR of your very own with The Rebel Photographer Giveaway at Cult of Mac Deals.
Steve Jobs was known for speaking out loud, dreaming big and acting upon his thoughts. While it’s been just a few short years since his passing, fans have been able to see his characteristics shine through other personalities. The late comedian and actor Robin Williams lived a life similar to Jobs’ life: With every movie and every off-camera activity, Williams showed a passion for anything he did.
Watch today’s Cult of Mac news roundup to see how Apple pays tribute to Williams, as well as some crazy stories regarding the iPhone 6 and even how one new app is truly showing that life really is a box of chocolates.
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Love Lego? Love iOS? Prepare to get your chocolate in your peanut butter.
Lego has just started selling Lego Fusion, a series of toys that blend everyone’s favorite plastic bricks with iOS gaming.