Borderlands 2, one of the most anticipated games to hit consoles and the PC this year is now coming to the Mac. The fact that it’ll be available for download two months after the game saw its main release speaks volumes about the attention the Mac gaming market is beginning to get. More importantly though, it means Mac gamers can get ready to blast their pants off this holiday season.
Rubata Keyboard Case For iPad Mini, Too Small And Too Cheap?
I have a feeling that there are going to be many, many misguided attempts at making iPad Mini cases. Exhibit A: The Rubata Mini case from Padacs, a cheap and extraordinarily ugly keyboard case which turns the little iPad into a tiny laptop.
Where am I going with this? One word: netbooks.
LG Super-Wide Panoramic Monitor Accepts Two Inputs At Once
The “world’s first panoramic monitor” might not sound appropriate for the Cult of Mac, but when you find out about some of its tricks, you’ll see why I’m bothering to tell you about it.
The monitor is from LG, measures 29-inches on the diagonal and has a wide, wide aspect ratio of 21:9, and a rather lame resolution of 2,560 x 1,080.
Make Your Own Papercraft iPhone 4/4S/5 Dock
Still looking for an iPhone 5 dock? Yeah, me too. But I have found a BIY dock that not only looks cool but is pretty much free. If you have a printer and a sheet of thick paper around the house that is. And you don’t mid paying for the PDF.
Real Tilt Shift Camera Miniaturizes Anything
We’re used to cheap software mimicking expensive hardware, and nowhere has that been truer than with tilt-shift photography. What was once an effect needing super-expensive and unwieldy architectural camera gear is now a free filter in many free apps.
But the trend sometimes goes the other way. Here’s the Tilt Shift camera from Photojojo, an actual physical digital camera with a tilt-shift lens. For $150.
Neat USB Hub Almost As Handsome As Your MacBook
In the age of tiny, efficient Thunderbolt and Lightning ports, stuffing a full-sized USB plug into a Mac now seems so very very old fashioned. Still, USB is still the oversized and awkward norm, and stuff them into our Macs we must.
Which is where Satechi’s “Premium 4-Port Aluminum USB 2.0 Hub” comes in.
Blue Microphones Releases the Spark Digital, Its First Serious, Studio Microphone for The iPad
Just like Blue Microphone’s non-digital Spark, the new, Digital Spark microphone has been put together with an armful of we’re-not-playing-around components and features. Things like a beefed-up condenser capsule, a Focus selector that toggles between a low-frequency bias and a detail bias, and an adjustable desk stand with shock mount. But this Spark is built for iPads (or iPhones); though its USB connector means it’ll work just fine with your MacBook Pro, iMac, Sony Vaio, Samsung Galaxy Tab or anything else with a USB input.
Shadowgun’s Multiplayer DeadZone Exiting Beta On November 15, Official Launch Trailer Now Available
Shadowgun: Deadzone is just about ready to exit public beta and frag its way to primetime. Many of you have already been enjoying the beta and perfecting your skills, but for those of you who’ve refrained from playing gaming guinea pig, the full version is set to hit Android and iOS on November 15th.
Drift HD Ghost Looks Like One of The Most Fully-Loaded Action Cams We’ve Seen
Unlike some of the other newcomers to the quickly growing action-cam party (Sony, we’re looking at you), Drift has been making robust little video cameras for a while now. Their latest incarnation is the 1080p Drift HD Ghost, which looks like it’s been packaged with everything but the kitchen sink — including a large built-in screen and a wearable remote.
Tally Ho! Counting App For iPhone From Developer Of Drafts
I’ll be honest. The real reason I’m writing this post is because I get to say “Tally Ho!” in the headline, and to tell you an interesting fact about place names and exclamation points. But more on that in a second.
Tally is a new iPhone app from Agile Tortoise, the developer behind the most essential iOS app there is: Drafts. Tally is a very simple app designed to do one thing: count.
Braeburn Acoustic Dock For iPhone 5
Still looking for an iPhone 5 dock that isn’t just your iPhone 4 dock, a Lightning adapter and a cable tie? Me too. Or I was, until Chris Jung from Braeburn Acoustics mailed me about his cool-looking acoustic amplifying iPhone stand.
Clutch iPad Case: Awesome Utility Balanced By Fugliness
Sometimes a problem is solved by sweating the details until a solution is reached. A solution so elegant that it appears to be the only possible answer to the problem. A solution so thoroughly worked through that it seems effortless.
Other times, the designer will think of something, grab the first parts that comes to hand and call it good. The solution might work, but it won’t be getting stocked at the Apple Store any time soon. The Clutch is one such solution.
Lightning Insert Makes Elevation Dock iPhone 5 Friendly
I’m so desperate for a dock for my new iPhone 5 that I have closely studied the little perspex stands in the local Apple Store and scoured the local hardware emporiums for something — anything — that comes close to its acrylic simplicity.
I have so far failed, and am currently using the box the iPhone came in as a pretty handy stand. But I’m not really that serious about docks, unlike the people who dropped cash and patience on the Elevation Dock from Kickstarter, only to have it obsoleted by the new Lightning connector weeks after it shipped.
Anyway, all of this lede-burying is preamble to one thing: you can now buy a Lightning insert for your Elevation Dock.
Rubbery Bumper Case Is A Perfect Match For The iPad Mini
With its pocket-sized price and pocket-sized, uh, size, the new iPad Mini looks to be the ideal iPad to carry naked. It’s tough, it can be gripped easily, and it never needs to be left face-down on the kitchen countertop as long as your pants have normal-sized pockets available.
But of course you’re going to buy a case. And if it’s bumps and scratches you’re worried about, perhaps you might consider the Smooth Series case from Ballistic.
Simply Write, A Fast, Barebones Handwriting App For iPad
Simply Write for the iPad is just about the closest you’ll get to an electronic piece of paper. The app is designed for handwriting, and for getting out of the way. And its clever close-up writing method for text input makes sure it does both.
Save And Search Your Texts In Evernote With MySMS
If you use Evernote, it’s possible that you store everything in there that you possibly can. Now, thanks to the MySMS service, you can also archive your text messages in your favorite everything-bucket.
Nikon Improves Everything In New D5200
Nikon keeps busting out the new SLRs with the D5200, an upgrade to the D5100 that is bigger than the mere 100 extra numbers in its name would suggest.
New Second Version of HDR Express Is a Ghostbuster
No, it’s not Egon. HDR Express, the enthusiast-level high dynamic range Mac app from Unified Color Technologies, is now out in a new version with improved de-ghosting algorithms for images with moving subjects, among a handful of other interesting new features.
Federal Judge Tosses Out Apple’s Lawsuit Against Motorola Mobility
Thankfully, it’s been some time since I’ve written about an Apple patent lawsuit, however, that doesn’t mean they’ve magically disappeared. The latest in Apple’s crusade against Google (via Motorola Mobility), leads us to a U.S. District Court in Madison, Wisconsin. Apple was slated to go up against Motorola Mobility with allegations of unfair licensing practices, however, Judge Barbara Crabb has dismissed Apple’s lawsuit with prejudice — meaning the case is over at the trial court level.
Unmonday: Gorgeous Ceramic AirPlay Speakers From Finland
The Unmonday 4.3L is a $700 ceramic AirPlay speaker which comes with its own leather carrying case. It is gorgeous, and if you want to use it to its full potential, you’re going to have to buy another four of them.
Rovio Teases Official Gameplay Trailer For Angry Birds Star Wars Ahead Of Thursday’s Launch
Rovio has released the official gameplay trailer for Angry Birds Star Wars, and while it blends all the familiar Angry Birds’ physics we’ve come to love, it looks to be the most feature-rich one yet. you’ll find a slew of new abilities, powers, and even a cameo by the Millennium Falcon. An array of Star Wars themed Angry Birds characters are present and ready to take down the Ham-Empire and any Porkside treachery it has to throw at them.
iShredder Claims To Shred Your iPhone or iPad’s Data
IShredder is a curious app. It claims to securely erase the files on your iOS device using better-than-military grade algorithms. The idea is that you can then sell your device without leaving sensitive data behind.
The problem is that this is already built in to iOS.
QuickerTek’s MacBook Air Battery, Now With MagSafe 2
The MagSafe 2 power plug is so intent on escaping from its socket that it doesn’t seem a great idea to hook it up to a portable battery, but if you need the extra power, you need the extra power. And right now pretty much the only way to get it is to grab one of QuickerTek’s MacBook Air batteries.
Quick Route Beats Maps App In Every Way
Quick Route is my new favorite routing app, not least because it’s so bike and pedestrian friendly (regular readers will know how I feel about those death boxes they call “cars.”) It’s optimized for the iPhone 5, it exhibits the level of design and polish you’d expect from a developer who also works for Panic, and it has a unique and neat way to pick your origin and destination.
Time Magazine Photographers Capture Sandy With iPhones And Instagram
Instagram: gimmicky retro filter-fest or serious social network? Time Magazine seems to thing it’s the latter, and despatched five pro photographers to go out and shoot the aftermath of super-storm Sandy with their iPhones, posting the results to Time’s Instagram feed.