Cult of Mac

ComiXology has long been one of my favorite iOS apps, but I’m not a big fan of the latest update, which makes it impossible to purchase comics from within the app.

For the longest time, ComiXology was the easiest and best way to buy comics on a mobile device. Now the app has become solely a comic book reader: You must visit ComiXology’s website to buy new issues. You can still browse comics in the app, and download free ones, but the actual payment part must be done elsewhere.

Why has ComiXology gone all supervillain on us?

HTML5 is a language that is designed to work on all platforms. That means you can code your app or website and it will work on mobile devices, tables and computers. The best part is that you can put these HTML 5 apps right into an Xcode project – meaning you can design and program an HTML 5 app and upload it to the App Store – without having to write more than a couple lines of code in Objective-C. You won’t find a more efficient way to publish your hit app idea – and Cult of Mac Deals has a video course on sale that will help you deliver the goods!

With over 12 hours of content, the Master Web Apps Video Course will show you how to code in HTML 5 and deploy it to a native environment. Right now you can can get this course from Cult of Mac Deals for just $69 – a savings of 86%!

For the moment, the Apple doom-mongers have been silenced by another record quarter. But there’s one area where things are down, and still dropping. It’s the iPod division, and it’s the closest thing Apple has to a dead man walking.

Sales of the music player continue to plummet as more people buy iPhones than ever, and listeners move away from music downloads toward streaming services like Spotify, Pandora and iTunes Radio.

Should Apple ditch the iconic product line that first signaled Apple’s expansion beyond computers — or is there some way the business can be turned around?

Read on to find out where things currently stand.

Hundreds of new games come out every week in the App Store. A select few are the next must-play title that everyone will be talking about for the foreseeable future. Most of them are perfectly decent but may not receive the attention they deserve. And then you have the third group: games so odd, bizarre, and head-scratching that you’re not sure what to make of or do with them.

They aren’t necessarily bad; they’re just confusing and weird. And worst of all, people may never know that they exist. But that’s why we’re here.

Here are some of the strangest games to drop into the App Store this week, and they’re all weirdo versions of other titles. What you do with this information is between you and your iPhone.

Take this with a pinch of iSalt, perhaps, but a new set of alleged iPhone 6 renderings have surfaced online.

Hailing from the Ukrainian website UkrainianiPhone, they confirm a lot of what we’re already expecting — including the relocated sleep/wake button (moved to the side to make it more easily usable with the larger form factor) and a circular iSight flash.

One notable difference between this design and the mock-ups we’ve seen in the past, however, relates to the device’s rear shell. While previous renderings show a solid back cover, these shots suggest that Apple is leaving breaks in the chassis for the antenna.

We never thought they’d do it, but Apple is splitting their stock 7-to-1—and on our newest CultCast, we discuss that and other surprising (and non-boring) notes from their recent financial call. Plus, the best way to get the Apple stuff you want at lower prices; OS X betas now available to all; Apple Maps spots Nessie; Apple celebrates Earth Day with some great new marketing; why we’re crazy about Apple Campus 2; and forget Ashton, how about Leonardo DiCaprio as the next Steve Jobs?

LOL 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 audio adventure begin!

And thanks to our friends at New Relic for sponsoring this episode. Yes, New Relic, the all-in-one web application performance management tool that lets you see performance from the end user experience, through servers, and down to the line of application code. Put simply, New Relic helps the people who build modern software understand the stories their data is trying to tell them. If you’re ready to make your software run better, head over to https://newrelic.com/cultcast for a free 30 day trial.

Click on for the show notes.

The weekend is upon us, and Cult of Mac Deals has a few select offers that you’re going to want to check out while you can.

We’ve got special pricing on Mac Video Converter Ultimate, an app that allows you to easily convert movies and videos for any format or device. You can get it for 66% off – just $19.99. We’ve also got the Essential Shock-Proof Case, a case that will always keep your iPhone 5/5s protected, for only $15.99.

When Nike announced it was shutting down its FuelBand division and exiting the hardware business, many speculated that the company would be teaming up with Apple for the long-awaited iWatch.

Nike didn’t exactly do much to cool the rumors either — issuing a statement that claimed the two companies would “continue to partner on emerging technologies to create better solutions for all athletes.”

Now Nike Chief Executive Officer Mark Parker has poured more fuel on the fire, saying that sportswear company is committed to focusing on software, and is “excited” about its relationship with Apple.

SITU — a smart food scale created by a former Apple employee — is close to reaching its Kickstarter goal, and there’s still time to get involved.

An attractive Bluetooth scale which talks to your iPad, SITU works by showing you the exact nutrition content of any food you place on it — letting you see the exact number of calories, sugar, salt, protein, vitamins and minerals of whatever it is that you’re about to eat.

With just six days left to go, and £32,124 ($54K) already raised of the £35,000 ($59K) target, creator Michael Grothaus spoke with Cult of Mac about the project, and his history with Apple.

Does your iPhone 5 suffer from a dodgy power button? If so, Apple will repair it free of charge, according to a new announcement made by the company.

“Apple has determined that the sleep/wake button mechanism on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models may stop working or work intermittently,” Apple states. “iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 may be affected by this issue.”

iPhone users experiencing the problem can visit Apple’s website, enter their phone’s serial number and — hey presto! — see if their device is one of the faulty ones Apple is referring to.

You know what time of year it is? Spring. And you know what kind of product is perfect to launch in your store during spring? According to the folks at Reign23 who sent me the PR email, the perfect spring accessory is gloves. Warm, hand-toasting gloves.

Or rather, a dab-on liquid which turns any gloves into touchscreen-friendly gloves.

Roll the dice, as many times as you like, and add the results together to create a huge attack number. Use that number (and a ridiculously large sword) to bash in the heads of random dungeon monsters.

Roll a one, though, and your turn is over. This cost-benefit system comes right out of a slot machine in Vegas and it’s got me hooked.

As the game editor here at Cult of Mac, I spend a lot of time with a controller or touch screen in my hand. Of all the fun games out this week on the iPhone and iPad, I’ve got to say, Tiny Dice Dungeon is the one I’ve spent the most time playing.

If I was forced, say, to choose my iOS Game of the Week (and I’m not), I’d pick this one.

Amazon’s rumored smartphone might be loaded with radical new hardware and strange UI gestures, but its most powerful feature could be its ability to drive down mobile data prices.

A specialized data plan called Amazon Prime Data will make its debut on Amazon’s phone, according to a report from BGR attributed to “multiple trusted sources.” If the anonymous sources’ information proves accurate, Prime Data could take the sting out of binging on streaming movies, TV shows and music. More importantly, Amazon’s bold initiative could force the entire industry to lower prices, much like Bezos has done with books, online shopping and tablets.

Recycling is generally perceived as a good practice to help save the Earth. In the new game Scrap Squad, it’s quite the opposite: You sort and recycle to dominate the world.

Tap and drag bottles, cans, paper and other refuse down a conveyor belt and into corresponding colored robots as fast as you can. Do you think you’re a good enough evil genius to top the high-score charts?

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

Charging cords get caught or tripped on all the time. It’s time to eliminate the tangled mess and start charging with a hassle free wireless alternative – and the WiQiQi wireless charger offers a new era of powering up your iPhone.

And this tiny little powerhouse – the receiver is smaller than a credit card – is available from Cult of Mac Deals for a very limited time at the low price of $54.99!

I kinda like the little Modulo. It’s a set of battery packs for charging your gadgets, with the gimmick that they are stackable and work on concert, letting your tune the weight/power ratio depending on which gadgets you’re using, and how long you’ll be away from mains power.

They also look cool, like little game carts from the 1980s.

Wood. It’s just better.

This portable bluetooth speaker uses sustainable bamboo to wrap a pretty great little speaker up in the warm resonance of wood. Kickstarted and made by the folks at Otis & Eleanor, the Bongo portable bluetooth is capable and beautiful at the same time.

There are Bongo designs for everyone, some with dark brown stain, some with black, and some with no stain at all. The speaker grilles come in a variety of ’60s and ’70s-inspired fabric with colors straight out of your mom’s old living room. The unit we got to spend time with comes with brown, copper, gold and red tweed covered speakers and fits in just about any decor we can throw at it around the house. It also looks stunning in a hotel room, what with its classic retro look.

Remember the Slate Mobile AirDesk, which I described as resembling a “neatly-drilled chopping board”? Did you look at it and think “I like that. I could see myself using one of those, if only it was a little smaller, so I could carry it in my bag.”

If the answer to either of these is yes (or to the second question, mostly), then you will be ecstatic at the news of the SlateGo, a slightly smaller version of the laptop lap-desk.

You know the old saying: “Give a man a router, and he’ll turn a piece of wood into a perfectly-designed desk for the iPad-toting Mac user”?

Or was it “Give a man a router and he’ll set up a wireless network in your home office”?

No, wait, it was “Offer a man a router, and he’ll be forced to infer from context which device you mean to give him.”

Anyway, it’s a good saying, and it might apply to Artifox’s Desk 01, a desk which is equal parts beautiful and functional.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the OnePlus One. Its design and specifications make it one of the most exciting smartphones we’ve seen this year; it’s equipped to compete with rivals like the HTC One M8 and the Samsung Galaxy S5. In addition, it’s a steal at $299.

But we know it’s not going to be easy to get hold of one — at least not initially.

You may be tempted to take part in the OnePlus “Smash the Past” competition that gives you the chance to win the new device by smashing up your old one, then — but it’s a downright stupid idea, and you shouldn’t even think about taking part.

The Leap Motion Controller adds a whole new layer to your digital world, transforming the way you interact with your computer into a 3D interactive experience. That wide-open space between you and your computer is now your virtual canvas. Play, create and explore as you reach into another world without actually touching anything.

And right now Cult of Mac Deals has this revolutionary device for only $79.99. Plus, Leap Motion is offering a $20 credit free to their App Store with this promotion, so you can start exploring right out of the box!

The Mobile Home is a one-thing-well kind of product. It connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth and lets you trigger Siri remotely. Which brings me to that excellent name – this is literally a mobile home button.

Snoozing is great, but oversleeping isn’t. That’s why Alarm Clock Reboot approaches rousing you from your slumber in a different way. Instead of waking you up when you tell it to, it starts the process with a series of smaller alarms spread out before your wake time. You tell it when you want to wake up, and it starts the process before that with a series of snooze alarms that build in intensity until they reach your desired alarm time.

It’s a cool idea. The lens flares may be a bit much, but they are pretty sweet.

Source:Alarm Clock Reboot – $0.99 | Every Penny Apps

David is a brilliant and challenging game about a little square facing off against some giant, cheap-as-hell foes with nothing but a minimalist game version of a slingshot.

You can see what they’re going for here, but it’s more than just David and Goliath; this plucky little game reminded me a lot of Shadow of the Colossus, one of my favorite-ever PlayStation 2 games. It was also about a little guy killing giant things, but unlike that title, which is ambiguous about whether or not you should be destroying these beasts, David is pretty confident that these geometric a-holes gotta die.

And killing them will not be at all easy.

There are two great things about Hulu Plus. First up is the content, which is getting better and better on a regular basis. Secondly is just how easy it is to access.

To help with this second point, Hulu has just updated its Hulu Plus mobile apps to version 3.5.2 — providing a new remote control feature that lets you control Hulu Plus on your Xbox One, PS3 or PS4 console using your smartphone or tablet.