First announced last week, Chair Entertainment’s incredible hack-and-slash game Infinity Blade III has received a massive update today, adding 3 new quests, 9 new enemies, new modes, skills, goals, potions, gems, and more to an already feature-packed game.
A video has surfaced showing Bill Clinton speaking to Time magazine about Steve Jobs shortly after Jobs’ death.
The interview sees Clinton touch on various topics: his own interaction with Jobs over the years, the launch of the original iPhone, and Jobs’ fight against cancer.
The new Mac Pro is finally here, and considering the fact that it looks exactly like a trash can, what better way to celebrate its release than to replace your Mac’s current trash icon with Apple’s stealthy, space-age new super computer?
Real Racing 3 for iOS has received a stocking-filler of a Christmas update in the form of a handful of new features and tweaks — the major one being the addition of a multiplayer mode allowing users to race against multiple friends in realtime via Game Center.
Apple’s “fastest Mac ever” is now available to order from the Apple online store, with prices starting at $2,999. The high-end desktop, which is assembled in the United States in Austin, Texas, is currently shipping before the end of the year.
You can also pick one up today from your local Apple retail store, or from an Apple authorized reseller.
Browsing the App Store can be a bit overwhelming. Which apps are new? Which ones are good? Are the paid ones worth paying for, or do they have a free, lite version that will work well enough?
Well, if you stop interrogating me for a second, hypothetical App Store shopper, I can tell you about this thing we do here.
Every week, we highlight some of the most interesting new apps and collect them here for your consideration. This time, our picks include something to help you make good choices, a simple flight locator, and instructions for keeping your hands really super clean.
Here you go:
Smart Decisions — Productivity — Free
I clearly have a lot on my mind — I can’t even decide which pants to wear. Luckily, Smart Decisions exists. It’s an app that breaks up your major (or minor) quandaries into their component parts and helps you reach conclusions simply and methodically. First you identify the problem, and then you list out the alternatives. After that, you figure out the most important factors to consider and rank them in order of importance. The app then has you compare two options at a time based on the factors you listed. After you’ve exhausted all combinations, it tells you what your best choice is.
Apparently, I want cereal more than pancakes. That was a surprise.
Hand Wash — Health & Fitness — Free
Cold and flu season is upon us, and you might not know this, but that thing where you just hold your hands under the water for a second before wiping them off on your pants? That’s not doing a darn thing.
If you’d like to know a better way to wash your hands, Hand Wash is here for you. It trains you in the World Health Organization’s Five Moments method, and it even contains a little game that will grade your mastery of washing technique and duration.
Now, stop using your hand as a tissue and go clean up. I want to sneeze just looking at you.
Where Is My Flight — Utilities — Free
Where Is My Flight is a pie-simple tracker with a single box. You put the flight number in there, and it tells you where and when to find it. If you’re the one flying, you might find it helpful that the app tells you which terminal you’ll be in so that you can plan your overpriced airport meals accordingly.
If you’re not the one flying, you’ll find the landing-time estimates handy so you can time your pick-up accordingly. It’s just a simple, useful app, and anything that removes any of the annoyances of air travel is worth checking out.
Thyme — Utilities — Free
Here’s an app that might come in useful for any big meals you might be planning.
Thyme lets you set individual timers for each burner of your stove and your oven so that you can see at a glance how much longer everything has to go. It sure beats my usual method of setting one timer on the microwave, one on my phone, one on the back of the stove (which never works, anyway), and then just watching the clock.
We’re all about simplifying here, people.
Thyme: A kitchen timer for your culinary arts
Billy: The Bill Samurai — Utilities — Free
So you go out to dinner with a bunch of your friends, and when the bill arrives, you decide to save time and just pay the whole thing yourself. But you’re a little obsessive-compulsive, so you insist that your friends pay you back exactly what they owe. But how do you figure it out? That’s a lot of math to fit into one head.
This app has you covered. You just enter in the menu price of every item, tell it who ordered what, and enter in the tip and tax percentages, and it gives you the exact amount each person needs to pay you back, to the cent. And nothing screams “friendship” quite like making change.
Have you been looking for a way to make your photos jump off the page? Are you serious about showcasing your photography skills? Then this Cult of Mac Deals offer is exactly what you’re looking for.
This promotion will help you create striking images and showcase your work online. That’s because you’re going to get Intensify Pro and 3 months of Zenfolio for 54% off the regular price – just $44.99 – with The Intense Photography Pack.
You’ve got a new iPad, now what?
Sure, with those sleek, lean lines it looks great naked. But once you take it outside your house, it’s a good idea to have some protection, an easy way to prop it up and carry it. And speakers!
Here’s a hand-picked selection of all the iPad accessories Cult of Mac reviewed this year — but only the best ones. These add-ons all received the highest rating, or a full four stars, from our gadget-weary team of reviewers. Shine on!
Screen protectors are the best way to keep your device’s display in great condition, but applying them is a pain in the butt. It’s hard enough ensuring they go down straight, but you also have to worry about trapping dirt, dust, and bubbles beneath them. But not with the Tru-Fit. Inside the packaging is the Tru-Fit Film Applicator, which is essentially a plastic frame the shape of your iPad. You place the film inside the frame, then clean your iPad’s display using the included microfiber cloth.
Unlike other screen protectors, the Tru-Fit also comes with a sticky sheet that you can use on your front of your iPad’s display to ensure you’ve removed any dust and debris, and to prevent anything from settling on it while you’re getting the protector ready. It’s durable, anti-glare and has a terrific grip. Available for the iPad Air, iPad 2/3/4 and iPad Mini.
The Acase for iPad mini is a beautiful case. Its high-quality leather design provides an elegant look while providing your device with protection from head to toe — for only $40. It fits like a glove, and the iPad mini is held securely inside with a leather flap that slips in behind the device.
The build quality is excellent; the stitching is strong and neat, and I have no worries about it falling apart after months of heavy use. Acase has clearly used the best materials and built this thing to last. Reviews editor Charlie Sorrel recommends the “vintage brown” version of the case, which has a soft matte leather finish, over the black and chestnut brown versions. The vintage one gains character with a bit of wear, the other two probably won’t.
If you’re looking for excellent protection for all iPad models (plus most iPhones, too), check out Loop Attachment’s Mummy Case, which swathes your device in oops-proof rubber. What sets it apart from the cheap silicone cases on eBay for a few dollars: a special coating that not only makes it super soft and smooth, but also keeps out dirt and grime.
Reviewer Killian Bell says: “I’ll happily hand my iPad to my kids while it’s in the Mummy Case, safe in the knowledge that if they drop it on the kitchen floor, it’s not going to get damaged.” The Mummy covers a large portion of your iPad’s front bezel, which provides some protection for its display. It should be more than enough to prevent it from getting damaged if it lands flat on its face, but for added peace of mind, you can combine the Mummy with a Smart Cover.
If putting together those Lego sets hasn’t left you completely exhausted, the HiRise is the docking station for you.
Twelve South’s HiRise for iPhone and iPad mini, is a combination dock and stand that looks great, is made of solid materials, fits both an iPad and an iPhone at the same time, works with cases, and best of all, will almost definitely work with all future iterations of iPhone and iPad that have a Lightning connector.
It also works with most cases, so you don’t have to dance the on-off fumble every time you need a charge. One caveat: putting it together. While beautifully packaged, the HiRise comes disassembled, like something you’d buy from IKEA. The screws didn’t want to fit, the hexwrenches were so small that they hurt my fingers to use, and even after I put the HiRise together, the two arms were very slightly crooked from one another.
“Once the HiRise is put together, I don’t have a single complaint about it. But I never want to put one together again,” says reviewer John Brownlee.
Your iPad can double as a music maker — if you grab a decent speaker. To get some serious sound from your device, check out the UE Boom by Ultimate Ears/Logitech.
“Where this intensity comes in handy is outside,” says reviewer Rob LeFebvre. “I’ve used the UE Boom in my yard, on my bike, and in my car and it’s loud and lovely in every location. I was able to provide music for a smaller outdoor BBQ just the other day with only the Boom as our speaker of choice.”
The fact that up to eight Bluetooth devices can pair with the UE Boom at one time is yet another killer feature, as it let several of the BBQ guests play their favorite tunes through the device, without ever having to re-pair between users. I let my iPhone 5, iPad mini, and Macbook Air all pair with the UE Boom so I can send audio from any one of these devices at a moment’s notice, without having to re-pair or mess with configurations.
It’s not the cheapest of speakers – coming in at a pricey $171 – but it may be the only one you’ll ever need.
Buy from: Amazon ($171.99)
The Logitech Bluetooth Easy-Switch Keyboard K811 was so nice we reviewed it twice. Both Killian and Charlie found it the best keyboard they’d ever used – whether it was for stay-at-home or cafe-airport-train use. It’s lightweight, reliable, has a great feel.
And it works across iDevices, so you can connect it to whatever you need to type with while on the go. Charlie says, “Buy it. There’s almost no way you’ll be disappointed. Quite the opposite in fact: you’ll look forward to using it.”
Buy from: Logitech
The new Walking Dead: The Game Trailer looks creepy as hell.
It’s been a year since Telltale’s first Walking Dead game came out and scared the crap out of all of us. Now Telltale has just released the first episode of the second season, titled appropriately enough The Walking Dead: Season Two.
Check out the trailer (rated M) below.
Billy: The Bill Samurai — Utilities — Free
So you go out to dinner with a bunch of your friends, and when the bill arrives, you decide to save time and just pay the whole thing yourself. But you’re a little obsessive-compulsive, so you insist that your friends pay you back exactly what they owe. But how do you figure it out? That’s a lot of math to fit into one head.
This app has you covered. You just enter in the menu price of every item, tell it who ordered what, and enter in the tip and tax percentages, and it gives you the exact amount each person needs to pay you back, to the cent. And nothing screams “friendship” quite like making change.