Cult of Mac

This is Blotter, a new productivity application that’s turned up in the Mac App Store.

It does one job, and that’s display your calendars from iCal on your computer desktop.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFJxt8lZQjg

Jason Bradbury, the self-proclaimed Apple Expert, has discovered a simple hack that allows owners of the iPad 2 to take X-Ray style photographs through clothes. By applying a filter after blasting a subject with infrared light, the iPad 2’s camera can see through clothing. The best part of the hack is that you don’t need any type of training in radiology as it is incredibly simple and utilizes everyday household objects (infrared light and cellophane) to make it work.

The steps are quite simple:

1: Flood a subject with infrared light. Bradbury recommends using a digital camera with a night vision mode, or a children’s toy that uses infrared light. The infrared light penetrates the clothing and will be able to be picked up with the right filter.

2: Cover the camera on your iPad 2 with two layers of cellophane. The cellophane acts filters out the natural light enough to wear the infrared light comes in stronger and is picked up by the iPad 2’s camera lens.

3. Start snapping pictures. With your infrared source in place and your filter setup you are now ready to start taking some amazingly cool photos.

Have you ever found yourself thinking that your Mac takes too much power or that your MacBook battery is draining too quickly? If you have, you’ll want to check out this video. In it, I’ll show you some of the best, yet most overlooked options for saving energy on your Mac.

Twitter for iPhone users, rejoice: the #dickbar is dead.

Officially called the QuickBar, it was nicknamed in honour of Twitter boss Dick Costolo.

It was supposed to be a discovery tool for Twitter users – a way for them to find out what’s happening, to see trending topics and sponsored tweets.

There was only one small problem: pretty much everyone hated it.

We start off the day with two iPad-related deals. First is a 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad for just $529. Next is a 2.4GHz MacBook with for $919. We wrap-up the spotlight with a Luxury iPad convertible flip case for just $7.

Speaking of iPad cases, there are a number today. We also check out some iPhone accessories. As always, details on these and many more items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Calling himself “Steve Jobs’ best customer,” a politician in charge of a government efficiency drive in the U.K. hopes to end the “monopoly” from companies like Microsoft, Fujitsu, BT and HP.

Ian Watmore, former head of the e-Government Unit, is now CEO of the coalition government’s Efficiency and Reform Group. He’s calling for smaller, less expensive IT projects (capping them at £100m), criticizing the previous administration’s “over-ambitious projects.”

If you are wondering just how briskly the iPad 2 is selling, you don’t have to wait until Apple announces official sales figures – just ask the online auction site eBay. Thursday morning, the service announced just under 12,000 of the new generation tablets were sold in the two weeks between the start of U.S. sales and the recent launch in 25 additional countries.

Among the interesting figures, a majority (65 percent) of iPad 2s sold through eBay went to domestic customers, nearly double the 35 percent for the original iPad in 2010. Canada and Russia topped the list of international destinations for the iPad 2. Intriguingly, Russian demand for the iPad 2 is much higher than for the first tablet, according to eBay.

If you’ve been wondering when Adobe’s Photoshop offerings on iOS are going to stop being so lame, don’t worry: Adobe’s working on an awesome new iPad Photoshop App, and they just debuted it at PhotoShop World. Make sure to stick around to the end when they show off the 3D style layers animation at the end. Wow.

[via MacTrast]

Bono Vox reportedly handed over another iPod in the name of diplomacy, this one loaded with music by U2 for Argentina’s  President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

U.S. President Barack Obama famously gave the Queen of England with an iPod, loaded with majesty-friendly music like “Dreamgirls” and “The King and I.”

She is said to have thanked him profusely.

He could have at least given her an iPad2 , maybe loaded with the preview of the Spider Man musical.

Best caption for the above photo of their meeting — keep it clean folks! — wins our gratitude for brightening up a Thursday.

UPDATE: You guys are killing us! We’ve been snickering here at the spacious & airy Cult of Mac offices over this all day…Thanks!

UPDATE 2: Seriously, I haven’t laughed out loud this long in ages…Want to do this every day!

Via Perez Hilton

3D is the newest craze in gadgetdom — or, at the very least, a lot of gadget makers would like it to be — and it looks like even Cupertino is interested in getting in on it. a new patent says that Apple has been exploring a multi-camera system for 3D picture taking, hinting at a future iPhone 3D.

Apple appears to be doing its part to revive the U.S. economy. Taiwan-based chipmaker Samsung reportedly will hired 300 new technicians in its Austin, Tex. plant to fill a growing number of orders for the iPad 2. Meanwhile, the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant is paying a little-known company three to four times the going price for LCD screens destined for the new tablet.

Samsung Austin Semiconductor plans to hire 300 more engineers, with most of the plant’s chip production reportedly going to Apple. The new workers follow more than 600 hired in 2010, brining the plant’s total payroll to around 1,700. Although rumor suggested Apple may have used its own A5 chip in the iPad 2, closer x-ray examination found Samsung still powering the next-generation device. Apple is expected to spend $7.8 billion with Samsung this year, purchasing processors, flash memory and LCDs.

Apple has released the next beta version of Mac OS X Lion. The new release dubbed Developer Preview 2 build number 11A419 is available to registered Mac OS X developers through the Mac App Store. Developers wishing to acquire this release must visit developer.apple.com and request a redemption code.

In addition to the above Apple has also made Mac OS X Lion Server Developer Preview 2 with the same 11A419 build number available. Both releases are accompanied by Xcode 4.1 Preview 2 which is the pre-release version of Apple’s Mac OS X development suite.

Contrary to rumors none of these releases have been labeled as Gold Masters. Instead according to developers the builds still have a number of issues that are outstanding and unresolved.

The release of Mac OS X 10.6.7 isn’t even two weeks old and Apple has issued a supplemental update that patches the latest OS release. The patch fixes problems encountered by late 2010 13-inch MacBook Air users who upon launching iTunes experienced crashes that left their computers completely frozen and unresponsive.

I even experienced it myself before the problem mysteriously disappeared after forcing the machine to restart by powering it off and then on again. Since then I haven’t had a problem, but for some the problem persists. Luckily Apple has a fix.

According to Apple:

This update addresses an issue that makes the system unresponsive when using iTunes. It is recommended for all 13″ MacBook Air (Late 2010) users running Mac OS X v10.6.7.

You can grab this update via Software Update on your Mac or download it directly via this support page.

With April 1st just around the corner, it’s time to start planning your attacks on friends, colleagues, and even loved ones to ensure they’re suitably mocked, embarrassed, and shamed on April Fools’ Day. We want to make sure that no one gets off lightly this year, so to help you formulate your plan, we’ve put together a list of the best tech-related pranks and practical jokes for your disposal.

They’re all quick and easy to perform with minimal effort, and ensure your April Fools’ Day victims don’t get away from a little light-hearted pranking.

The Annoy-a-Tron from ThinkGeek

The Annoy-a-tron is essentially a high-tech fart machine, but with a little more taste. It’s $12.99 from ThinkGeek and features 6 annoying sounds that go off at random to irritate anyone within earshot. Turn it on, hide it under a co-worker’s desk, and observe them as they try to work out where the sound of a cricket is coming from. It’s a tiny device that’s easy to conceal, and if your target does manage to find it, they won’t have a clue what it is.

Check out the rest of our pranks after the break!

So you just got your iPad, and have loaded it up apps. Now what? It may seem like a hassle to hunt around for the apps you want and to page through all of those home screens. Well, there is an easier way. In this video, you’ll find out the best way to arrange your apps on your iPad.

We start out another day of dealing with an offer on a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini. The desktop unit is $599. Also in the spotlight is a deal on a Harman Kardon speaker system for the iPod – just $169.95. Finally, Monkey Island returns as a free item from MacUpdate.com.

Along the way, we’ll also check into more cases for your iPod, as well as charger cases for the iPhone 4. As always, details on these and many other item can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Roqbo, a jukebox app with the inevitable social media component that debuted at SXWX, is now animating one San Francisco bar.

CTO Ketu Patel got the brainwave for it because walking over to select the right tunes on the jukebox at the bowling alley in his small California town was ruining his game mojo.

Instead of waddling around with change for the jukebox, you can buy credits or earn them by interacting with the app – confirm your email address, rate songs on the bar’s playlist, or post your picks to Facebook or Twitter and you get more DJ credits.

Roqbot runs on any internet connected computer, iPod Touch, or Roku hooked up to the locale’s speaker system and owners can choose what music plays when from 20 catalogues or create their own playlist. The app is free to download for users and available for iPhone and Android.

The app currently is getting the most traction at San Francisco SOMA watering hole Bar Basic, where the six top spinners there have been playing stuff like Lil Wayne “A Milli” and Far East Movement “Girls on the Dance Floor.”

Anyone up for a Cult of Mac meetup and DJ-off there?

Via Urban Daddy

Those of you of a certain age might remember the Game Boy Camera, an ingenious add-on for the original Nintendo Game Boy that snapped tiny 128×112 pictures.

It was briefly one of the most exciting ideas in handheld consoles – suddenly the Game Boy wasn’t just for games, it was for other fun stuff too!

Better still, if you had the money to spare, you could buy a Game Boy Printer and print out your pixellated works of art to give to friends.

All that’s ancient history, which is precisely what makes it the ideal starting point for an iOS app.

It’s called 8 Bit Pocket Camera, and it’s lots of fun and, at just a dollar, excellent value.

Word that Apple may not release the iPhone 5 as early as expected prompted some observers to talk of a “delay.” Naturally, Wall Street’s sensitive rumor tripwire went into action, the result the start of analysts downgrading estimates for the iPhone.

Piper Jeffries’ Peter Misek Wednesday morning shaved four percent from his fiscal year 2011 revenue projection, telling investors he expects the Cupertino, Calif. company to rake in $103 billion, rather than his previously estimated $106.9 billion. The fiscal year ends September. More dramatic is the analyst’s double-digit refiguring of iPhone shipments.

A thief fleeing with an iPhone pushed a woman to her death down a flight of metro stairs in Chicago.

At rush hour on Monday, a man snatched an iPhone from a woman who was using it at Fullerton station platform in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.

As he ran off, the man knocked over Sally Katona-King, 68, on her way home from her church receptionist’s job.

Katona-King died yesterday after tumbling down the station stairs. Hospital officials believe that she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.

“It’s a worldwide problem where iPhones are being taken, resold to fences, which are then resold for a higher price,” detective Cmdr. Gary Yamashiroya said. “It’s something that police departments across the country are trying to find solutions to.”

Police have not located the perp, though they hope video surveillance footage will help lead them to him.

Via Chicago Daily News

For months we’ve been reporting that iPad sales are eroding demand for traditional PCs, such as netbooks. Little wonder then top executives have begun sniping at Apple as inflexible and only for consumers with oodles of cash. The most vocal sour grapes come from the sales and marketing heads at HP and Dell.

“I can say that it really feels like they’re [Apple] holding you hostage sometimes,” said Stephen DeWitt, senior vice president of HP’s Americas Solution Partners, talking in an interview about the difference between how the PC maker and the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant work.

Now here’s a relationship that’s off to a good start. 9to5Mac reports on a couple of lovely geeks – or a couple of geeks in love – who just got engaged with the assistance of an iPad 2 and Apple’s custom engraving. Lucky groom-to-be Jordan wrote to tell them the story:

I stayed up all night to order my iPad with the inscription “Will You Marry Me?” Received mine this Monday, Took my then-girlfriend, Jessica, up to the National Redwood Forrest in Northern CA. After having to cross a river on a downed Redwood and dealing with the intermettant rain I found the largest tree in the world I kneeled down and gave it my best!

Whether it was something I said or “Apple’s Magic” in action she gushed and said YES, now give me my iPad!!

Congrats to the happy couple, and good work Jordan! Another reason to order your iPad online and avoid standing in line.

[via 9to5Mac.com]

There’s been a lot of press lately about Time Warner Cable’s foray into portability by offering its subscribers access to their programming via their iPads.

With iPhones and other devices replacing watches as personal timepieces for most people, analog craftsmen of yore are looking for other ways to ply their trades. Juxtaposing timekeeping technology across the centuries, luxury watchmaker De Bethune has introduced a new iPhone case that incorporates their DB 1024 pocket watch mechanism directly into the back panel of an alligator leather sleeve. It’s rather… unique. For those who can’t decide whether you prefer analog or digital, now you won’t have to make the choice.

I’m not sure the watch would provide good impact protection during a fall, however – for itself or the iPhone’s rear glass. Would that require another case to protect the first one?

[via Born Rich] [Gentleman’s Gadgets]

Everybody’s favorite jumping-as-high-as-possible iOS game, Doodle Jump, has just been updated with something cool: two player mode.

You can now challenge other Doodle Jumpers via Game Center, using your iDevice’s wifi connection. In two-player mode there’s a finish line, first player to reach it is the winner.

To spice things up, power-ups are shared between the two players. He who jumps higher, faster, gets to use them first.

“What a shame there’s no Doodle Jump for iPad,” you might whisper sadly. Whisper not: makers Lima Sky say Doodle Jump for iPad is on its way to us right now.