Just when you thought you had heard every wacky app concept going, here’s another you might not have considered: Facebook for dogs.
Okay, it’s not exactly Facebook, but the free Woof iOS app (from developer Woof Labs) is pretty much that — describing itself as “an ecosystem to bring dog lovers closer to their dogs and local dog communities.”
Imagine that your task list was made up of a bunch of little slips of paper that you can slide around in any order, only these slips can’t blow away. That’s the central metaphor for Gneo, a universal task manager app which starts out looking like the ultra-simple Clear app, but hides a lot of power under the hood.
“Great pen, lousy software” was the gist of our review for the Livescribe 3, a.k.a. “The World’s Smartest Pen” when we got the chance to use it recently.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, the Livescribe 3 is a so-called “smart pen” which takes handwritten notes and transfers them from paper to screen on the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. (In other words, it’s something of a next-generation Newton stylus for those old enough to remember Apple’s long-abandoned line of PDAs.)
There are few tech terms more loaded than “user privacy” here in 2013.
Back in January Cult of Mac reported that Apple had lost its spot on a list of the 20 most trusted companies when it comes to user information. That was long before the revelations of Edward Snowden and PRISMgate (the subject of an entire recent issue of our Newsstand magazine), which made everyone super-jumpy about data collection and what it means for personal liberties.
Here’s a riddle to start Thanksgiving in style: what looks like an iPad mini, costs only $177, ships anywhere in the world, and runs… Android?
It’s none other than the Chuwi V88, and it’s a Chinese tablet designed to appeal to the would-be iPad owner on a budget — or at least a would-be Android owner, who wants people to think that they’re really an iPad owner.
Would you pay $100 for a cutting board with a few holes drilled in it? No? Are you sure? Because somebody certainly does. In fact, as of this writing, 349 people have ponied up between $68 and $98 to pre-order the Slate Mobile AirDesk on Kickstarter, a wooden laptop tray that lets you put your laptop on your lap. Like a sap.
TenOne Design’s new updated Pogo stylus is gonna be great for heavy stylus users, people who love magnets, and folks with shirt pockets. Why? Read on:
Ever wished that there was an app like Diptic, only it let you put videos together in a grid instead of just photos? No, me neither, but if we had, then we’d love Diptic video.
Apple is all about the dollars; something that usually pleases its shareholders no end.
However that same behavior may be exactly what has wound up getting the company on the wrong side of Brazil’s Consumer Protection Secretariat department.
Boxer, my current and all-time favorite iOS e-mail client, has now added Sanebox to its list of features. Sanebox, if you don’t know it, is a service that weeds out the crap from your e-mail inbox and presses it into a solid nugget that can be easily disposed of, after you’ve picked it over for anything good. And you can now try it out without signing up, right inside Boxer itself.
I bought the original version of Lomo’s make-it-yourself Konstruktor camera, made it, shot a roll of film, loved the results, and gave the thing to a thrift store.
Why? Because film is a pain. In fact, I probably should have bought this limited-edition see-through version instead, as it would at least had a life beyond one single 36-exposure roll of film.
Songkick Concerts — Music — Free
Like live music? Got an iOS device full of music? Songkick Concerts looks like the app for you, then, as it trawls your music library to find concerts in your area. Be the first one to grab tickets to hot events, all based on your own music preferences. Sounds good, right?
If you’re traveling to a new city, never fear, as you can use Songkick Concerts to search your destination for upcoming concerts from those very same artists. Want to see Kanye West in Madison Square Garden? I mean, who wouldn’t? Use this app to find out when and where he’s playing, and tap through to buy tickets right within the app itself.
Of course, you’ll want to use Songkick Concerts to bargain shop as well, since it lets you compare venues and prices for all the artists you must obviously want to go see, since they’re in your music library.
The holy grail of mobile devices like the iPad mini, in my opinion, is a bulk-free, cable-less charging system that can position Apple’s diminutive tablet in various ways.
The iPort Charge Case tries to make this dream come true, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. While the iPort stand can indeed hold my iPad mini in both portrait and landscape orientation at a wide range of viewing angles, the need to place my gorgeously designed device into a bulky plastic case sort of kills the whole idea of “mini.”
The iPort Charge Case and Stand does indeed have some very valid uses in and around the home, but ultimately, due to the way it changes the use experience of the iPad mini, it isn’t quite the world-changer it hopes to be.
It’s a widely established fact that Android dominates the mobile landscape’s market share globally. IDC’s most recent numbers say Android accounted for 80% of the market in the third quarter of 2013, while iOS only accounted for 13%.
But there’s much more to consider than just market share when determining who’s winning the mobile wars. For instance, Apple brings in the lion’s share of mobile profits. We told you just earlier today why developers pick iOS to make apps on before Android: apps on Android generally make only a fraction of the money that can be mined from App Store users.
Adfonic tracked third-quarter mobile ad impressions and found that iOS received twice the number of ad impressions of Android. That means there’s a much higher level of user engagement on iOS.
I’m usually turned off a game by overbearing mustache adoration, but Puffington appreciates much more than the very impressive mustache supported by the dapper protagonist. You play as Puffington, a sea gentleman who is dismayed when ruffians kidnap the lovely lady worm he’s set his eyes on. Like any love-stricken fish, Puffington sets out to rescue her by collecting coins and gizmos scattered through increasingly tricky levels.
Puffington is a platformer, and plays like the underwater levels in the Super Mario Bros. games. Tapping the screen makes Puffington inflate, which will make him rise up a bit. Tapping repeatedly will give you a burst of speed which is handy when you’re trying to outrun the edge of the perpetually scrolling level.
This is Cult of Mac’s exclusive column written by an actual Apple Store Genius who answers all your questions about working at an Apple Store. Our genius must remain anonymous, but other than “Who are you, anyway?” ask anything you want about what goes on behind that slick store facade.
This week our Genius dishes on how whether working at the Apple Store could get you a gig working in Cupertino as well as Apple’s motivations for never offering big sales on its iDevices and Macs. Then our Genius will take you on a tour of the secret little features at the Apple Store you might not have noticed on your last visit.
Got a question you want the inside scoop on? Send us your questions and the answers will be published first in Cult of Mac’s Magazine on Newsstand. Send your questions to newsATcultofmac.com with “genius” in the subject line.
Will working at the Apple Store help me land my dream job of working for Apple in Cupertino?
Probably not. Apple Retail is an entirely separate division of Apple Corporate. Growth within the retail store happens, although rare. I have met a couple of managers who have gone from specialist to genius and then on to leadership roles. However, most managerial and other leadership positions are filled by candidates with leadership experience at other retailers. They may know how to command a team of workers and how to talk to customers, but they often lack familiarity with the ins and outs of Apple’s retail procedures on a low level. Transferring from a retail position to a corporate position is unheard of, as far as I know.
In the past, Apple’s Black Friday deals have been modest, to say the least. Why would a company that struggles to manufacture enough products just to keep up with the demand discount these phenomenal full price products that seem to sell themselves? They don’t need “door busters” to bring people into their stores but if a meager discount can bring in just a few more, why not?
Apple Stores sell more during the last quarter than any other. Any large discounts would take away from their already stellar holiday revenue.
If your wallet is hurting this season, check out your options in the Online Apple Store in the refurbished and clearance section. These deals are often much better than any offered on Black Friday and still have the full Apple warranty.
Otherwise, you’re more likely to find a better deal at another retailer. If you’re set on buying from Apple and want to avoid lines, I recommend purchasing your stuff online and avoiding the craziness altogether. Try personal pickup to get your product from your closest Apple Store without waiting in lines if you’re worried about getting a $2,000 Mac stolen from your porch.
What are some hidden “features” of the Apple Store that most customers don’t know about/notice?
Apple Stores are designed to be more and more efficient every day. Next time you visit a store, take a look around to see some of the hidden features that help the wood-and-steel adorned stores sell as many iDevices as possible. It’s easy to spot our portable Point of Sale (POS) systems which consist of an encased iPod with dedicated apps that allow us to scan products and swipe cards.
What you might not see is the cash drawers at the end of the display tables. With one click these drawers pop open wirelessly for cash transactions. Our special iPods, called EasyPays, can also print receipts to the hidden printers underneath the product tables.
The tote bags that are given to carry out purchases can also be found here. The tables also house security alarms that are triggered if a device is removed from the table. Inside, there’s also a network and power hubs for the display products. You can usually find a couple of card terminals around the store that are used in case of EasyPay issues.
If you’re at the Genius Bar, in the training or setup area and need a quick charge, check under the tables – or bar depending on the store – to find hidden power outlets and ethernet ports for wired network connections, cables not included.
It’s a day for giving thanks, here in the US, and a ton of iOS developers have decided to thank us all by putting their fantastic games on sale for the iOS platform. We’ve slogged through the sales out there for this weekend and put together a list of the best deals and sales on games we could find.
We’ll keep updating this post as we get more great gaming deals to send your way.
Using the latest Tweetbot release in bed will be a much more enjoyable experience after today, thanks to the latest update that introduces a brand new night theme. The version 3.2 release also makes it faster to switch between multiple accounts, and allows you to reorder them for your convenience.
Recent reports have claimed that Apple’s had some difficulties manufacturing the new iPad mini with Retina display, which is why it didn’t shout too loudly about its launch earlier this month, and why the device hasn’t been too easy to get hold of in many markets.
But now that the initial supply constraints are easing, the Cupertino company will produce 4 million units during November alone, according to supply chain sources in Taiwan.
The external monitor support in Mavericks is much improved, as we noted in yesterday’s tip on getting the Dock to show up on your second monitor.
The menu bar itself will dim when you’re not actively on a specific monitor, as well. In other words, if you’re using monitor A, the menu bar will look opaque, as per usual, while it will dim and go see-through on monitor B. When you switch your active focus by using the cursor on monitor B, though, the menu bar will brighten and not let you see through it, while the menubar on monitor A will go semi-transparent and dim.
There is a way, however, to just hide the menu bar altogether on your secondary monitor, if that’s how you want things to work. The preference is in an unintuitive place, though.
The Google Chrome browser for Mac and PC now understands your “Ok Google” voice commands thanks to an official “Voice Search Hotword extension” that’s available to download now from the Chrome Web Store. You can use it to make handsfree web searches, quick conversions, and even to set reminders.
When people talk about Android being bad for developers, this handy chart explains in a nutshell what they’re talking about: across the board, in every metric, Android developers make less money than iOS developers… often by a lot.
Despite some initial rumors that Apple would be opening nearly all of its retail stores on Thanksgiving Day, Apple’s retail outlets will remain open on Turkey Day.
But Apple still wants to get the jump on the holiday shopping season, which is why most Apple Stores this year will open before dawn across the country on the day after Thanksgiving.
2013 has been a rocky year for Apple Stock, but it looks like Wall Street might be ending the year bullish on Wall Street, with shares of AAPL closing at an all-time high last night.
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday come creeping up on us, so do some of the best app deals, as developers slash prices on their software to get us all geared up for the holidays. One of the first great deals of the season is now here: if you love turn-based-strategy and want to help the Earth repel a wave of alien invaders, XCOM: Enemy Unknown has dropped to just $9.99.