We’ve all been there, in a meeting or a quiet house and we just want to turn the volume down. The whole point is that we want to make things quieter.

We hit the F11 media “Volume Down” key on the keyboard to just keep quiet and all we hear is the Pop Pop Pop sound as the volume decreases.

Annoying.

Luckily, it’s super easy to fix in OS X Mavericks.

The official Flappy Bird might well be dead, but if you thought that was the last you’d see of it, you can think again.

Since the game’s creator announced it would be pulled over the weekend, countless clones have been popping up all over the place. Even the Pebble smartwatch has one called Tiny Bird, and it’s available now for free through the Pebble appstore.

Perhaps paying homage to its fallen brother Flappy Bird, award-winning iOS flapping game Badland is currently priced 50% off its usual cost of $3.99.

That’s not all. In time for Valentine’s Day, Badland adds a new friendly multiplayer level where the aim is to cooperate with — rather than compete against — friends, along with a new “lovely” main menu to get you in the mood for amore.

Ever wondered if somebody you thought you could trust is going through your phone when it’s out of sight?

That’s the (all too pertinent) premise behind Catchr, a new app designed to give users peace of mind while they are away from their iPhone. While the app won’t protect against “leaky apps” or other forms of government eavesdropping, it can tell you whether your phone has been moved, and which applications have been started or stopped during your absence — along with plotting on a map where your iPhone has been during the time Catchr is running.

The general thought process when it comes to iOS 7 game controllers is this: “I would like one of those, but they’re horribly expensive.”

MOGA is apparently trying to do something about that, since it has just dropped the price of its Ace Power iOS 7 controller from $99.99 to $79.99. That’s still $40 more than you can buy a PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 wireless controller for (which you can then use to play iOS games provided you’re willing to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod Touch), but if cost is the one factor that’s been holding back your decision to buy an Ace Power controller, this may help sway you in the right direction.

Apple has lost its latest bid to put court-appointed antitrust monitor Michael Bromwich on hold, with a federal appeals court rejecting Apple’s claim that the monitor’s work was causing irreparable harm.

In a brief order, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said that Bromwich (the former U.S. attorney and Justice Department inspector general given the job of ensuring antitrust compliance regarding e-book price fixing) may continue to examine Apple’s antitrust compliance policies, while Apple pursues a broader appeal seeking to remove him altogether.

Carl Icahn has backed off campaigning Apple to increase its stock buyback — citing the company’s recent repurchases, along with influential proxy adviser ISS’s call against his proposal.

In a letter directed to Apple shareholders, Icahn noted that he was ditching his non-binding proposal to get Apple to add a further $50 billion to its buyback plan — down from the original $150 billion he was initially requesting.

How hot is Sigma’s new DP2 Quattro camera? [Licks fingertip, mimes touching object, makes “tssss” sound with mouth.] That hot! The crazy-looking new camera not only has a whacked-out body design that looks like it’d be real comfy to hold, it has a crazy new take on Sigma’s already weird Foveon sensor inside.

Shortcut-S is the kind of devices that is born when engineers get to make whatever they want. It’s a huge monster of a keyboard, with 319 keys all dedicated to separate Photoshop functions. It’s as if somebody took the piano and added a key to play every chord and note of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony. Would that actually make it easier to play?

Kim Dotcom’s Mega app for iOS now lets you auto-upload your photographs from your iDevice, just like Dropbox, Jottacloud and Google Drive. Only unlike those other cloud services, Mega comes with 50GB free storage, and jumps to 500GB when you sign up for the $11-per-month paid tier.

Chaatz is yet another mobile messaging service like WhatsApp and iMessage. Only it also comes with any number of custom phone numbers so you never need to use your real one, and it also lets you receive messages on your iPad. Neat huh?

It’s tough working in the dark on a Mac. The screen can blind you in the dark, and while apps like Flux make it easier on the eyes, it’s not enough.

Tranquility is a new app that sits in your menu bar and allows you to instantly switch to a dark, monochrome theme — something like iOS 7’s night mode. Unlike OS X”s built-in accessibility feature allowing you to invert colors, you can change the color pallette, go straight monochrome, adjust shadows and more.

If you’re a night owl, Tranquility is pretty great, and best yet, it’s free. Download it at the link below.

Source: Pixio

Do you mine Bitcoins? Be careful: a new Mac trojian in the wild is looking to steal them.

Unlike on iOS, it’s easy to change your homescreen’s theme on Android without a jailbreak using apps like Themer. Well, at least it was: Google has pulled Themer from the Google Play Store following a copyright complaint from Apple, which made Android devices look almost identical to iOS 7.

Now that Apple is making products in the U.S.A., every state wants to be in on the action. Especially Arizona, who was so determined to get Cupertino to choose the pretty town of Mesa as the location of its upcoming sapphir glass factory that they offered significant benefits — including tax breaks — to get Apple to move in.

For the iWatch, many expect Apple to unveil the next big thing, the true successor to the iPhone in the wearable age. But a new report citing “limited by direct knowledge of Apple’s plans for the iWatch” claims that Apple’s wristband will be a much simpler affair, more akin to a Nike Fuelband or a FitBit than the standalone “holy grail” device previous reports have indicated.

Borrowing its premise from the Jet Li-starring cult martial arts actioner The One, Only One is a retro-styled arena slasher that pits a sword-wielding hero against waves of enemies on what looks to be a giant floating platform in the sky.

It shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to keep your home or business safe. That’s where Mobiscope comes in. It makes simple, affordable and effective video surveillance available for everyone.

Mobiscope streams live video feeds from IP or web cameras to any mobile device.
Easily connect your iPhone or Android to the Mobiscope app or simply sign into your account on Mobiscope’s website to view your security network cameras or regular webcams – anywhere, anytime. And Cult of Mac Deals is offering you one year of home service and a free webcam from Mobiscope for only $99.

Sure, the Camera app that came with your iPhone has a few filters, but we all know they’re pretty lame.

Instagram (and before that, Hipstamatic) made the quick filter process a no-brainer and popular to boot.

Jelly Bus’ Rookie, though, has all of them beat, with a veritable boat load of filters, effects, and all the settings you can possibly handle. If that’s not enough, there’s a bunch of stickers and text effects you can add to your photos to make even the most ordinary snapshot into a work of art.

Once you tweak and tap your way to photo-nirvana with Rookie, you can save your photo to pretty much every other photo sharing service out there, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.

Best of all? It’s a universal app and it’s free. Check it out now.

Source: App Store: Rookie – Photo Editor | Free | Jelly Bus

Apple announced this morning that its iTunes Radio music service has finally branched out from being available only in the U.S.

Starting today iTunes users in Australia can start using Apple’s free Internet radio service, after iTunes Radio originally debuted in the U.S. last September alongside iOS 7. 

The Flappy Bird saga will not die thanks to one question still on the minds of Flappy Bird fans – how did Flappy Bird’s wild success ruin creator Dong Nguyen’s life?

Nguyen removed the game from the App Store and Google Play on Sunday despite making $50,000 a day off it, saying the game is a success, but it also ruins his simple life.

I can call ‘Flappy Bird’ is a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it.

— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

Theories are boiling as to how the game ruined Dong’s life. Did Nintendo complain? No. Did he sell it? Nope.

Perhap his pockets are simply running out of room for those fat stacks, but a new theory emerged this morning, maybe Dong Nguyen cheated the App Store with bots.

After enjoying a wild ride as one of the most popular iPhone games ever, Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen removed the game from both the App Store and Google Play yesterday, but if you missed the rise of Flappy Bird without getting to actually play it, there’s now a web game to give you a taste of the addiction.

If you’ve been looking to foster your skills in digital photography this year, then Cult of Mac Deals has an offer that’s going to see you through your journey from beginner to advanced shooter.

The Ultimate DSLR Camera Course Bundle packages two courses – one aimed at beginners and one aimed at those ready for more advanced techniques. No matter your skill level, this bundle will help you become a better photographer. And you can take those steps to improve at your own pace, all without breaking the bank because The Ultimate DSLR Camera Course Bundle is only $29.99 for a limited time!

Have you been looking for a great accessory pack that will keep your iPhone, iPad, or iPod charged and powered everywhere – whether it’s in the office, at home, or in the car? Then this Cult of Mac Deals offer is for you.

The iPhone 5/5s Charging + Audio Bundle is an absolutely essential accessory kit for any iPhone 5/5s owner. This bundle includes a pair of iPhone 5 Headphones, a dual USB car charger adapter, a lightning (iPhone 5 and later) charging cable, and a USB wall charger adapter, and all for 57% off the regular price…only $29.99

This story first appeared in Cult of Mac Magazine

I was almost out of gas. I was also almost out of cash. I needed to find the cheapest source of fuel for my beat-up ride so I could get downtown to meet a friend for coffee. I pulled up GasBuddy, and within one tap I found the closest, cheapest gas station near me.

Once I gassed up, I hit a sweet parking spot just a few blocks away from the coffee shop. I launched Honk, swiped across the top to set the time on the meter, and took a photo of my car to make sure I could get back to it.

Sure, fine, it’s not a flying car, but this is as close to the future as this old beater is going to get, and it’s all thanks to my iPhone and a suite of apps.