Cult of Mac

You know about Magnetyze, right? It’s a system that lets you charge an iPhone 4/S or Galaxy S3 without the need for a cord. Pop your iPhone into the provided case, then drop the case on the magnetic charging base and your iPhone will charge (and sync) — it works kind of like the MagSafe power adapter on a MacBook. It’s really cool on the S3, because the Magnetyze case replaces the S3’s original back, so there’s almost zero extra bulk. Neat.

If you’ve got a hankering for a Missile-Command-styled arcade action game on your iPhone or iPad without engaging any emulation or lame vector graphics, Ballpit Monster’s Frog Orbs might be the game for you. Plus, if you’re in the mood for some holiday-themed fun, you can grab a special Valentine’s heart hat for your frog, along with a staff shaped like, you guessed it, a heart.

Rumors have started to pick up regarding Apple’s foray into wearable technology. Over the weekend, both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is working on an ‘iWatch’ product.

Now a third report on the mysterious device has surfaced, and it speaks to the level of focus Apple is giving the top secret project.

The idea was simple, create a brush and stylus combo tool that gives users an authentic painting experience on the iPad. Born on Kickstarter, the Sensu artist brush for iPad ($40) cruised well past its $7,500 funding goal, sitting pretty at just under $66,000 by the end of its funding deadline.

I now sit here with the product of that idea and Kickstarter cash, and after days of testing and tinkering with it, I can say with all sincerity—the Sensu team was definitely on to something special.

The Pebble smartwatch has been creating a lot of hype lately, and while we’re still waiting to try it out in the Cult of Mac offices, other early reviews have been pretty positive. Apple is rumored to be working on an iWatch, and we’re just starting to get a glimpse of the future of wearable technology with the likes of Pebble.

Pebble is cool because it connects with your iPhone or Android device to display incoming notifications, control music, etc. A new jailbreak tweak takes it one step farther by letting you see all incoming notifications—no matter the app—via Pebble on your wrist.

HBO has been holding out on embracing the future of technology and AirPlay, but it looks like they’re ready to get serious about customer who want to cut the cord.

While speaking at All Things D’s Dive Into Media conference today, HBO’s Eric Kessler announced that starting today, the company will be enabling AirPlay for HBO Go.

What’s a better way to strike fear and admiration into your house guests than a portait of Steve Jobs dressed as a Russian Army General? Nothing, that’s what. Except maybe a flamethrower, or pet crocodile. But you don’t have either of those do you?

Replaceface is now selling prints, canvases, cards, cases, skins and even pillows of the portrait of Steve Jobs as a Russian Army General, so you can carry General Steve with you everywhere.

“I was only checking Twitter,” I exclaimed in shock, as she threw my iPhone across the room, shattering it against the brick wall.

“It’s either me, or the iPhone,” she emphatically declared.

I didn’t know what to say. I had only checked Tweetbot while she was looking at her menu. It had finally come to this. Now I had a broken iPhone and a pissed-off girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.

That little story may not have actually happened to me, but I certainly don’t want it to happen in the future. Like many of you, I’m kind of addicted to my iPhone. It can be a problem sometimes. But I have found a way to conquer my addiction and keep my girlfriend happy. No one wants to face the sadness and/or wrath of a loved one who feels neglected. Love is in the air this week with Valentine’s Day, and you want your romantic endeavors with your significant other to be as meaningful as possible. That’s why you need to use your iPhone like a gentleman.

Fashion! It’s something we all either dread or avoid, right? Ok, maybe not all of us. But what of those among you who have no clue how to dress up for a fancy date or dinner or night out? How will you ever find out?

iPhone apps, of course! Whether you’re gearing up for a fancy night on the town for Valentine’s Day or beginning a more thorough process of bringing your wardrobe up to date, here are three apps that will help you increase your sartorial intelligence just a bit more, making you even more desirable to those you want to impress

The Chef’s Sleeve is a lot like a Wizard’s Sleeve, only it’s usually covered in gravy and blood. And the Chef Sleeve (singular) is a disposable plastic bag which protects your iPad as you cook. Now, the makers of the Chef Sleeve (the bag, not the actual sleeve) will sell you a cutting board with a built-in iPad stand. What could possibly go wrong?

Evasi0n has been updated to support the iOS 6.1.1 firmware that was released for the iPhone 4S on Monday. This allows users who are suffering the 3G connection issues to update their iPhone’s software and then instantly restore their jailbreak.

Have you ever wanted to start a blog? Do you have an idea that you’d like to get on the web but don’t know where to begin in terms of design? Have you ever wanted to get a website up and running? Perhaps you’re looking for a new theme to change up your current design?

If you’ve answered yes to any of those questions…keep at it because thanks to this Cult of Mac Deals offer for only $29 you can choose any two WordPress themes of your liking.

The popular jailbreak tweak Zephyr has today been updated to squash a number of incompatibility issues with iOS 6, and to bring the iPad’s four-finger gestures to the iPhone. It now allows you to close apps and swipe between the ones you have running without touching the home button.

The Smarter Stand for iPhone really is smart. It was designed to solve two problems: tangled earbud cords and a slab-like iPhone which insists on slipping off anything you try to prop it against. And it does all this whilst remaining a flat, pocketable piece of plastic.

Google has two founders — and a split personality.

There’s the Sergey Google — the idealistic, Google Glass wearing, Vibram-loving Google where a campus full of brainy geeks invent the future.

Then there’s the Larry Google — the pragmatic, realist Google where starry-eyed optimism is balanced with sound business sense and smart strategic investment, enabling the company to adapt and grow in a changing global marketplace.

Should Google “Larrify” its Android policy and start denying Android access to companies that Google finds harmful to the world — and its business? 

Amazon has topped a poll for the best reputation among 14,000 U.S. consumers, narrowly beating Apple who was last year’s number one. The retail giant achieved an 82.62% positive reputation, according to research firm Harris Interactive, while Apple achieved 82.54%. Google nabbed fourth place with a vote of 81.32%.

Ever feeling down and need an immediate injection of happiness? According to Tim Cook you should just head over to the Apple Store because it’s just like taking a Prozac.

During his presentation at the Goldman Sachs Technology Conference, Cook explained why the Apple Store has been so successful because it’s become more than just a store, it’s a place where people can gather and learn about Apple. Kind of like a fantasyland for tech.

New interface ideas are few and far between on the App Store these days, but productivity app Sooner is crammed full of them. It’s also elegant and speedy and rather fun to use.

During today’s annual Goldman Sachs conference, Tim Cook spoke about the culture of innovation at Apple. While Wall Street has started losing faith in the company’s ability to grow, Cook has “never been more bullish on Apple.”

Cook still sees Apple as the leading innovator in the tech sector, and he believes there are two key aspects that fuel the company’s success.

Unclutter is the app which will finally – finally! – tidy up the embarrassing mess that is your Mac’s desktop. It does exactly what its name suggests, sweeping your unfiled files under its virtual rug, and giving quick access to a notepad and your clipboard.

At the end of his presentation this morning at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, Tim Cook was asked what he’s most proud of at Apple now that he’s had a full year under his belt as CEO.

Cook was emotional during his response and fought back some tears as he described the things that he’s been the most proud of during his past year at Apple. Above all, Cook said that he’s proud of his employees, but then he gushed for a few minutes on all the great things Apple’s doing, like taking a stand for workers in China.

Samsung EVP David Eun, who is currently part of the company’s Open Innovation Center, believes the ongoing litigation between Apple and Samsung is “a loss” to innovation. Eun was probed for his opinion on the subject during an interview today at the D:Dive Into Media conference in Dana Point, California, and although he wouldn’t say much about the ongoing battles between the two consumer tech giants, he made it clear that he didn’t approve of it.

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One of the more intriguing and, in our minds, controversial comments Tim Cook made during his interview at Goldman Sach’s conference:

“The innovation has moved away from PC development to the tablets and smartphones. Who is making PC apps now? No one, except the usual suspects.”

That’s a bold thing to say. When Cook refers to “PC development” the context of this question makes it clear the’s also referring to Mac development. That’s a strange comment to make when one of the legs on Apple’s stool of businesses is the Mac App Store, which is a lucrative business in its own right for Apple.

But is Tim Cook right? Have Mac and PC developers stopped innovating? Are all the innovators working on iPhone and iPad apps now? Take part in our poll, then please feel free to give us your thoughts in the comments.

Tim Cook is speaking at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference this morning. He was just asked about whether or not Apple will make an iPhone with a bigger screen. Of course Timmy wouldn’t just spill the details on Apple’s future plans, but he didn’t say Apple wouldn’t make a 5-inch iPhone either.

“The only thing Apple will not do is make a crappy product,” Cook explained. Maybe he hasn’t heard of Apple Maps and Siri, but we digress. Cook explained that the only thing that matters to Apple is the customer experience, regardless of how big the screen is.

Continuing his remarks at Goldman Sachs’ conference, Tim Cook made a series of comments in regards to whether or not Apple had reached its limit. His response?

“Apple has made products for years that people didn’t know they wanted and now they can’t live without. We don’t believe in limits.”