I don’t really like using iPad cases; I tend to put one on just before I hand my device over to my kids, and then it comes off again as soon as they’re done. One of the best things about the iPad mini is its form factor, but that’s lost when you slap on a big, bulky case.

But although I like my iPad to be naked when I use it, I need some protection when I’m on the go and carrying it around. That’s when I’m most likely to drop it — and when it’s most susceptible to getting scratched up in the bottom of my bag.

I’ve found the COTE leather sleeve from BUKcase to be the perfect solution to this problem.

Along with the OS X Mavericks update it released this morning, Apple also published a new version of iTunes that will make sure you never miss an episode of your favorite podcast again.

iTunes 11.2 adds a couple of improvements to the Podcast section of iTunes that make browsing between subscribed podcasts easier by showing you which episodes you haven’t listened to, thanks to a new Unplayed tab.

After months of beta testing Apple has finally made OS X 10.9.3 available for public release.

The update is light on new features but does pave the way for 4K to come to the iMac in the future thanks to new support for a full range of Retina scaling modes for 4K monitors, allowing users to juice their extra pixels to make things crisper instead of just smaller.

Foursquare is reinventing itself, and a new app called Swarm is the first piece of the puzzle.

Launched today in the App Store, Swarm is a tool for finding friends based on their general location and check-ins. While Apple’s Find My Friends pinpoints you exactly on a map, Swarm takes a different, more friendly approach.

One of the easiest ways to become more productive is by automating simple tasks you perform every day, and that’s exactly what this power pack of 12 Mac apps is designed to do.

Whether you need to manage your finances, keep track of daily tasks, efficiently manage your social media and email accounts, or work towards personal goals, there’s an app for that. And right now you can get The Productive Life Mac Bundle for only $24.99 for a limited time courtesy of Cult of Mac Deals!

Hey bike thieves – if you see a Skylock on my bike, then go ahead and cut through my frame and leave the lock behind. Why? Because my shitty beater cost like €50 and the Skylock is $250, that’s why.

$250? Yup, although you get a lot of tech for that money.

Maybe you have a busy life, and you need some help making time for the things that matter. Like, a lot of help. I’m talking about zero willpower here.

PlayTimer is for you. It locks your phone down but good so that you can play with your kid or focus on other things for a while. You just set the interval, press the cute smiley face, and you’re off. If you touch your phone, an alarm sounds unless you show the app your unlock key.

The unlock key is your child’s face, and that’s kinda weird, but I do like the idea.

Source:PlayTimer – Free | UNICEF Sverige

I know I’ve said it before, but video games hate bricks.

And to that end, here’s yet another title about destroying those square bastards. It’s called Bricks, and it has a novel approach to smashing things that gets as fast-paced and exciting as it does embarrassing to be seen playing.

It’s probably not that bad if someone catches you, but you may raise some eyebrows. Here’s why.

Sometimes, not very often, old technology beats the heck out of new technology.

Okay, so it’s not an entirely fair test to base technological superiority on who comes out intact in a confrontation between a present generation iMac and a WWII anti-tank rifle, but it sure makes for a fun video.

When your girlfriend grabs the iPad and won’t give it back, you know you’ve got a hit game in your hands. Well, her hands. Seriously, I had to arm-wrestle her to get the iPad back so I could do this review.

Demons vs Fairyland seems at first glance to be yet another cute, fixed-path tower defense game with free-to-play in-app purchases, but the sheer breadth of options available to upgrade your tower defenses, along with the adorably cute artwork and epic music, take this game to a whole new level of awesome.

But seriously, she still won’t give the iPad back.

Just yesterday I had the experience of sending a text message to the wrong person. Okay, luckily it wasn’t a compromising message in any sense, but it goes to show what happens when you’re carrying out too many text conversations at the same time.

Clearly someone at Apple has had a similar experience, because a patent published Thursday reveals how future iOS devices might incorporate background images of the people you’re messaging, to ensure you don’t send out misdirected messages.

A lot of people I know used to use Birdbrain as their iOS Twitter client back in the day, but in recent times it’s fallen by the wayside due to a lack of updates.

Well, it’s back — and it’s just received a major revamp, adding support and optimization for iOS 7, brand new graphs showing Twitter statistics, and more.

They’re big, they’re unwieldy, and they represent one-third of all handsets presently available worldwide.

According to new research undertaken by Canalys, around 34% of smartphones shipped worldwide have screens measuring upwards of five inches diagnoally. The rise in popularity of the so-called “phablet” (describing a smartphone with a screen between 5.0 and 6.9 inches) bodes very well for Apple, ahead of its eagerly anticipated 5.5-inch iPhone 6, which we fully expect to see arrive this September.

Apple’s much-discussed acquisition of Beats Electronics might not be finalised until next week, according to “people familiar with the transaction.”

Whether you’re listening to music or watching a video on your iPhone, sometimes you just want to have the volume loud. While your iPhone may have decent sound on it’s own, Speck’s new CandyShell AMPED case claims to have a fix to boost your volume even more. Advertised to have up to 2X louder sound and clarity, all while maintaining quality protection, will this become your new go-to iPhone case?

Take a look at the video to see what you think.

Facebook is fine-tuning not only how you share stuff, but what content you see after you share.

That’s the goal of an update to its iOS app that is designed to cut down on accidental oversharing by giving users a preview of their posts before they go live. It could be something you don’t want the whole Facebook world seeing, like the embarrassing TV show you’re currently watching.

In a related experiment, some users of the main Facebook app are also seeing additional content suggestions from Facebook after posting.

The most addicting game to ever hit the App Store will make its triumphant return in August. Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen tells CNBC that he has a new version in the works, but this time it won’t be as addictive.

While the world has gone crazy over iOS games like Flappy Bird and 2048, it’s inevitable for a newcomer to steal the spotlight. The new app 100 Balls is a simplistic yet challenging new arcade game that has stormed the app charts. Tap to release balls into rotating cups making sure not to leave a cup amiss. How long do you think you can last?

Take a look at the video to see what you think.

Sure, the health benefits of not sitting all day are substantial, even if the positives of standing all day are inconclusive. The trick, it seems, is to change position often, or maybe even to walk while you work.

The Rebel Crank-Up 1000 standing desk is a boon to those who want to be able to work in an erect posture but still sit down when they need to; sitting improves fine motor control and lessens leaning, for example.

As I stood at the review unit Rebel Desk sent my way, I couldn’t help but feel cooler, hipper, and more upright than I had in various office jobs over the years. Whether I’ll lose any weight from standing all day or not is debatable — one study showed an extra 50 calories burned per hour of standing — but at least I’ll have less time in the saddle than I used to. That can’t be a bad thing, can it?

The Rebel Desk makes all of this standing and sitting again super easy with a thick tempered glass top (it comes in a Teak model, too) and some seriously sturdy desk legs. This is one solid piece of office furniture.

iPhone 6 case leaks have been sprouting up like spring flowers this May, and while we still have a long wait until Apple reveals the date of its iPhone 6 event, its retail stores might already be prepping for a Fall launch.

Apple retail stores have started blacking out vacation dates for employees in September, pointing to a probable September launch for Apple’s bigger screened iPhone.

The ZBoard Classic is the ultimate electric powered skateboard.

Lean forward to go, lean back to stop. With its Weight-Sensing Electric Skateboard technology you can go for miles by simply putting your foot on one of two sensor pads. With a top speed of 17 mph and a range of up to 5 miles per charge, the ZBoard is a fast, fun, and a convenient way to get around. And Cult of Mac Deals has it for just $550 during this limited time offer.

Answer: because the new standalone ToonsTV iOS app, for iPhone and iPad, is only available in Finland.

If you happen to have a Finnish iTunes account, though, you can now download your very own standalone iOS app to watch Rovio’s surprisingly broad offerings of animated entertainment, ToonsTV.

I have at least three apps set to auto-upload my iPhone photos whenever I reach a Wi-Fi connection. That’s three apps running in the background and using bandwidth to send my pictures up to the cloud, and they all run in addition to Apple’s own Photo Stream.

There’s nothing really wrong with this system: After all, bandwidth over Wi-Fi isn’t limited, and redundancy is good. But what if you could somehow consolidate all these services, and at the same save all your iPhone photos to a folder on your Mac? That’s what we’ll do today, with PhotoStream2Folder and a few other apps. We’ll take your Photo Stream, grab all the photos and save them to a folder on your Mac, then auto-upload them to Flickr, Dropbox and anywhere else you want.

As the nation grows more obese yet car culture still rules, here’s the nudge of the hour: your car and your fitness app talking to each other, reminding you that you’re not moving enough.

Automatic’s smart driving assistant can turn your old hunk of junk into a smart car, but the company announced today that it’s teamed up with Jawbone to whip your belly rolls into shape by giving drivers more insight into how your physical activity and driving patterns are connected.

With Gesture Alarm Clock, you set wakeup alerts by drawing numbers on the screen. It has a sleep timer that plays a variety of soothing music and sounds to lull you off. Plus, it has three different vibration strengths, several gesture-based snoozes, and if you think you’d wake up easier if your iPhone’s flashlight turned on, it’ll do that for you, too.

It will also automatically wake you up earlier if it detects traffic delays, and it displays the current weather.

But it won’t cook my breakfast, so I can’t really recommend it.

Source:Gesture Alarm Clock – Free ($1.99 upgrade for full features) | RV AppStudios LLC