Macgasm

Airfoil Speakers is an app from Rogue Amoeba that lets you turn your device into an AirPlay receiver. The iOS version has been in the app store since 2009, but unfortunately that has changed as of today.

Paul Kafasis, Rogue Amoeba:

This highlights one of the biggest issues for developers on the app store. Even if you follow all of Apple’s written guidelines, they still have ultimate say on your fate. Sadly, they have shown that they aren’t worried about removing apps for seemingly arbitrary reasons or no reason at all. Apple controls the vertical and the horizontal, and sometimes that means developers (and users) get the short end of the stick. Let’s hope that Apple reverses their decision here so we can get back to rocking out using AirPlay.

The iPhone 4 and, to a greater extent, the iPhone 4S are excellent point and shoot cameras. For most cases, they are exactly what you want in a camera. Your phone is always with you, it is easy to go from 0 to record, and the clarity is acceptable in pretty much all situations. But what about some edge cases? Should you really buy a whole other camera when you’re mostly content with your iPhone? Well, consider the Olloclip.

Originally a Kickstarter project, the Olloclip is now available at good ol’ Thinkgeek for only $69.99 USD. This quick-connect lens system that attaches to your phone comes with three different lenses for your photographic fringe cases. Wide-angle, fisheye, and macro lenses can easily be attached to your iPhone in a snap, and you’re good to go. When you just can’t get that small knick-knack in focus, switch to the macro lens, and the problem is solved. When you need to take a group shot, switch to the wide-angle lens, and your iPhone becomes the best consumer camera you’ve ever owned.

If you like the Olloclip, or any other product we cover, please take a moment to hit us up on Twitter. When you take the time to give us feedback, our coverage will get even better, so don’t hesitate. We love to hear from readers.

Microsoft is hilariously late to the tablet market with anything resembling a modern tablet OS. Sure, Bill Gates loved the idea of a Windows desktop with a stylus, but that ain’t no tablet, sonny! As Windows 8 (RT BBQ Edition for Tablets of Beloved Fearless Leader Of The Motherland 2008 Server Edition) was revealed, Microsoft went on and on about how duct-taping Metro to the classic Windows OS was all about choice and no compromise and blah blah blah. That said, they had the good sense to make the ARM version of Windows free from plug-ins. Most of us assumed that would mean Microsoft would join Apple’s fight to wrestle the web away from Adobe, but it turns out they’re compromising.

Rafael Rivera, Within Windows:

Yuck, yuck, yuck. So a half-working sorta version of Flash will be rolled into Internet Explorer 10, and Flash continues to limp its bloodied corpse forward another long, long year. This is less than happy news for those of us who fight with Flash on a daily basis. I’m sure that Windows tablets will be super fun to use, and we’ll all be punching chimps and watching splash screens for decades to come.

Source: Within Windows

On The Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness

The first in a planned quadrilogy of games, episode one of On The Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness (Or Otterspod) set the bar high. Clever writing and lovely comic strip styled cut scenes made this game beloved by quite a number of gamers. Episode two was released, and then a long wait without any news happened. Then, sadly, it was announced that the developer, Hothead Games, had canceled the last two games in the series. Luckily, Zeboyd Games picked up the franchise, and we’ll be seeing episode 3 in a new form this summer. If you want to kick off your adventure, all you need to do is drop $1.99 USD on the App Store.

DLC Quest

This game is all about playing with the tropes of the game industry. Inside jokes, satire, and sassy dialog are the bread and butter of DLC quest. To gain features like audio and the ability to move left, you need to “buy DLC packs” with coins you find in game. It’s extremely clever, and absolutely worth the $1.99 USD asking price in the App Store. If you’re a gamer, you’ll find yourself chuckling the entire way through.

If you need to keep track of your environment from afar, your options aren’t great. Multiple devices would need to be purchased, assembled, and a workflow would need to be thought out on how to combine all of the data and send it to you. Knut is looking to make it simpler.

Knut is a tiny little sensor hub that operates on two AAA batteries, connects to your Wi-Fi network, and sends you the data it collects. A thermometer and battery level sensor are built into the device, and then additional sensors can be attached.

Here are the additional sensors they’re currently making available for Knut:

• Waterproof thermometer
• Humidity sensor
• 3-Axis Accelerometer
• Door switch sensor
• Water pressure sensor
• A breakout board (A device that allows you to attach your own sensors to the Knut)

Once it collects enough data, it then sends it as a CSV file to a designated email address over your local Wi-Fi network. Sadly, the device is 802.11b-only, but should spend most of its time sleeping, so it shouldn’t drag down your G or N networks too much. Then, you can view and manipulate the data using the Knut app on Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android.

If you want a Knut of your own, you need to pledge $95 or more on Kickstarter. Shipping is free in the US, $10 USD for Candian shipping, and $15 USD for shipping elsewhere. As of writing, they have raised just under $10,000 of their $25,000 USD minimum funding goal. The project ends on July 5th, so don’t wait too long to order yours. [...]

If you’re a proud owner of a third generation iPad, you’ll know that non-Retina applications stick out like sore thumbs. You’ll be reading your beautiful smooth text, and then your eyes stumble across a low resolution button. Oh, the jaggies! Up until recently, the premium service Hulu Plus was delivered on your iPad via a non-Retina app. All of the eyes were sad. Good news, though! Hulu Plus has been updated this week to take advantage of the third generation iPad’s 2048×1536 display.

Along with Retina support comes genre-based browsing of content, a re-written video player, a revamped graphical user interface, improved AirPlay and HDMI output support, and a handful of bug fixes. The app, of course, is free, but you need to subscribe to the $7.99 Hulu Plus service. It’s available in the US, but it almost certainly doesn’t work anywhere else — unless you know what you’re doing.

Is Hulu Plus not providing enough entertainment? Well, why don’t you check out Macgasm TV? We have dozens of videos with useful information and hilarious banter. If you’re not already subscribed, you can get it directly in iTunes if that is what blows your skirt up.

Limbo

Mystery is this game’s bread and butter. When you look at the description in the App Store, you only get one sentence: “Uncertain of his sister’s fate, a boy enters LIMBO.” This indie platformer is dark — both in theme and luminance. Taking place in the monochrome world of Limbo, this art style is fantastically creepy. Clearly, this takes the fundamentals of the classic genre, and brings them to a mature audience. Limbo is available on the Mac App Store for only $9.99 USD.

Civilization IV

Ah, Civilization. This franchise is beloved and revered as an enormous time sink. If you’re looking for lots of bang for your buck, you’re in for a treat. Civilization IV is on sale for only $7.99 today on the Mac App Store. You’ll be busy for dozens of hours trying to get George Washington to build the first library before Napoleon discovers nuclear weapons. This is a wonderful game, and the price can’t be argued with.

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If you like the idea of a kind-of steampunk iPhone, this case will tickle your fancy. Available from Zazzle, this Rotary Dial iPhone Case brings the ascetic appeal of an old-fashioned rotary telephone to the back of your iPhone. Combined with the Rotary Dialer app for only $0.99 USD, you’re in good shape in the retro department.

If you want your very own Rotary iPhone case, you’re going to need to drop $51.40 on Zazzle.com. Shipping and handling prices will vary, and don’t expect international shipping to be cheap. That said, you can almost always find a decent deal for Zazzle on RetailMeNot.com.

Is this the iPhone case of your dreams, or are you much too hip and modern? Maybe you prefer something else? If you think you’ve found a case that we should know about, don’t hesitate to drop us a tip. We love to hear from readers, and we’ll certainly credit you if you spur us to write an article about something.