Macgasm

I used to think of comics as something limited to printed paper. The iPhone has changed that mindset. Comics, a free app by comixology, lets you read dozens of free comics from the palm of your hand, with the option of buying a full-print version later. Some comics might cost something to view, but all the same, you might discover new comics you never heard of with their relatively comic-laden storefront.

First, what I liked: choose a comic and the app will download it for you easily, provided that you are using an always-connected phone or that you have Wifi. The comic book reader is simple to use. Graphics are great, and the layout of the app is fantastic. It lets you auto-rotate, zoom in, and more. The variety of comics available are great; I’m not a big comic book fan but I’ve found a lot of good stuff here. Also, having a printed copy and being able to preview digital copies of comics is a must-have for the big comics fan.

Here’s what I didn’t like as much, but what could be fixed easily: I don’t know how many pages are left in any particular comic, and perhaps that would be something useful to add. Also, it’s not easy to delete comics you’ve downloaded. The ability to delete them is hidden in a Settings screen. That’s not a big deal, though, but I’d think that right-swipe should delete it from the listed comics screen.

Overall, though, it’s a great app, and comixology did a great job with it. They should do this with books too. There’s a lot of potential for this app. :)

If you’re new to the Mac you might have noticed that when you try to watch a video online that has been encoded for Windows Media Player you’re kind of out of luck.  Well the guys at Telestrem have a great application called Flip4Mac WMV.  This application integrates with QuickTime, which allows you to watch WMV encoded videos.  They also have other WMV products that will allow you to import and convert WMV to QuickTime format.  This is only one of several applications that they offer.  Unfortunately, you will be charged for these other products.  It’s kind of like the free version of QuickTime 7 Player, and the full version of QuickTime 7.  The other great thing about this application is that you can also listen to audio that is encoded for Windows Media Player.

If you just upgraded to Snow Leopard, or bought a new Mac with Snow Leopard don’t worry.  They offer Snow Leopard compatible versions.  They had a Snow Leopard beta version of Flip4Mac the day Snow Leopard launched.  So no more will you have to tell your Windows friends that you can’t watch the video that they emailed you.

When you click URLs does the wrong browser launch? Well, you can change your default web browser right from Safari. Press CMD+, to get to Safari’s preferences. In the General pane, click the Default web browser drop-down menu, and then select your browser of choice.

But what about your default mail client? It’s just as easy. In Mail.app, press CMD+, to bring up the preferences. In the General pane, click the Default email reader drop-down menu, and then select your mail client of choice.

Photo Credit: TheGiantVermin

Macgasm is happy to announce that we’re media partners for the App Star Awards, a competition intended to reward brilliant upcoming iPhone/iPod touch applications. If you have an up-and-coming iPhone or iPod touch application that you’d be submitting to the App Store in due time, hold off. It may be worth your while to wait.

Here’s how it works: If you’re currently developing an iPhone application, don’t send it to Apple right away. Instead, create a 30-second video to demo the application, and submit this to the App Star website. Thirty apps will be preselected and a jury of 19 bloggers will then select their favorite app in three categories (games, entertainment, utilities/other). Winners in each category win $1500 and an ad campaign on partner sites, including Macgasm.

I’m pleased to announce that I have been selected to be on the jury with several other prestigious bloggers and avid iPhone users. If you are interested in knowing more, keep an eye on the App Star Awards page or sign up to receive a notification.

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In this episode, we talk about customizing your VoiceOver pronunciation.

[00.8 MB] [00:02:20] [Hosted by: Josh Schnell & Grant Brunner] [Subscribe]

Run Run Sheep ($0.99) is one of those games you hate to love and love to hate — but it’s all a good thing with the challenges brought forth with this game.

Run Run Sheep is not your typical puzzle game. You’re a shepherd, if you will, with a bunch of sheep that need to be brought to their goal. The thing is, these sheep aren’t the brightest. They only move around in a clockwise direction. It’s your job as their shepherd to put arrows on the board game so that they don’t run into potholes, get attacked by foxes, and the like.

You might think this is simple, but let me add this: you can’t put those arrows on the board game once the sheep start running. You need to take a look at the screen, envision what the sheep would do based on your knowledge of how they move around, and then put the arrows in the right place. For what it’s worth, once you lose or find out that you need to reset the board, you can start over with a little more knowledge than last time, but you can’t do that to boot. And there are over 100 levels so don’t expect to memorize every move. In other words, next time, you’ll probably have to start over again, though you might be a little smarter than the last!

This is a cute game. It reminds me of a game I used to play on the PalmOS called Super Slyder, one that I couldn’t put down. But Run Run Sheep adds awesome sound effects (those sheep will baa baa all day long), great graphics, and a good dose of fun.

Retrevo has recently released some statistics that highlight the market expectations for the price point of the rumoured Apple Tablet and the correlations between the cost and purchases based on a key separation, the PC User group, and the Mac User group.

While most are talking about the price point as the key element being prices and how they’ll influence market penetration for an Apple based Tablet, I think there’s more to this then most are letting on.

The key differentiation between the PC User and the Mac User and the price expectation as well as the Mac users relative acceptance of the “Apple Tax” is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Forty-one percent of Apple users would buy an Apple tablet if it cost more than $800.00 compared to a lowly twenty percent for PC users. That’s a huge difference for consumers who don’t have a whole lot of difference, but I think it’s a key indicator in the general happiness and faith Mac users have in the machines Apple are churning out these days.

While the price is partially effected by the general push downward in prices for crappy netbooks, and the market expectations of PC users, I’m hard pressed to believe that that’s the only cause here.

Some might say we’re more gullible, and tote the party line a little too much, but historically, I’ve had a lot less problems with my Apple products than I have had with non-Apple products, and I think these numbers point that out more than Retrevo has accounted for. Mac users are willing to pay more because they have complete faith in the products success, based on past performance.

This graph has a lot more to do with consumer’s feeling confident in their purchases than it does budget size.

Graph in question

Way back in my very first post, I told you about iPhone icon paperclips I’d found on Etsy. Now the creator of those little designs has made my headlines again with these iPhone icon magnets. Proving very popular, they’re sold on Bear Duck Designs and cost a nifty $38 (that’s about £23).

The pack contains all 20 standard icons (SMS, calendar, mail, safari etc.) and comes in a handy little tin shaped like an iPhone! Trinkets like these can brighten up a room or desk-space of the most die hard mac fan, and Bear Duck Designs advise you cover your fridge, lamp, garbage can, or anything metal.

Like the paperclips, these magnets are made from strong materials like neodymium, so you won’t see anything falling loose from their grip. Measuring 13mm square and standing 3mm tall, they’re perfect for holding up the shopping list, and since it’s that time of year they’re ideal as stocking fillers!

If you don’t fancy owning all 20 of the icons (but I really don’t know why…), Bear Duck Designs offer 4 icons of your choice from the 20 listed for $8 (£4)