Windows Vista was a significant failure for Microsoft, as not only did it suffer critically and commercially, but it also made people lose faith in company. It seems like Windows 8 might be producing this same effect, as Microsoft’s customer satisfaction level has dropped to levels it hasn’t been at since Vista launched in 2007.

While the American Customer Satisfaction Index put Microsoft’s satisfaction rating at a record high in 2011 with 78 out of 100 points, since the launch of Windows 8 in 2012, this number has since dropped to 74 out of 100. This is only one point higher than it was after the launch of Vista.

Even with the low satisfaction ratings, Microsoft has been managing to pull off pretty good sales figures of its new OS. The company is going to have to try and bring these numbers up with the release of its Windows 8.1 update later this year. Microsoft can’t afford to have another PR disaster with its operating system again, especially as Apple continues to gain popularity and market share in the computer market.

The post Windows 8 Has Microsoft Customer Satisfaction Plummeting Back To Vista Levels appeared first on Macgasm.

Apple confirmed today that it will be holding its WWDC keynote presentation on June 10, the opening day of the five day conference.

The news comes as no surprise since Apple always chooses to kick-off the conference with its keynote. Other news about the keynote such as who will be speaking and what exactly will be unveiled are still unknown. We do, however, know for sure that Apple will show off its next version of OS X and iOS at the presentation. Newly updated Macbook Airs with Intel’s Haswell processors also seem like a fair bet. Expect Tim Cook to make an appearance at some point too.

With Apple having not launched a product this spring, there are also rumors that it could choose to unveil a new product like the iWatch at the event. It’s unlikely though.

The event will take place Monday, June 10 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. The exact time of day that the presentation will take place has yet to be announced.

Just over two more weeks until we FINALLY get to see some new stuff out of Apple.

The post Apple Confirms WWDC Keynote For June 10, Big Announcements Incoming appeared first on Macgasm.

Microsoft doesn’t seem quite done bashing the iPad. The company has released another ad that pits the Asus VivoTab Smart against Apple’s tablet, following up yesterday’s ad which made fun of the limitations of Siri.

Today’s ad focuses on comparing a number of features between the two tablets. It shows off how the size and weight of the Asus are better, and then how it is better at things like running Office or mulltitasking. The best diss comes at the end of the video, where each tablet tries to print a picture, and while the Asus tablet successfully prints one out, the iPad displays the on-screen message “No AirPrint Printers Found.”

While the ads obviously show a biased and one-sided argument between the two tablets, I for one sure love me some smack talk in commercials. Hopefully Apple releases some form of marketing retaliation, although we all know it really doesn’t have to at this point.

The post Microsoft Releases Another Windows 8 vs. iPad Ad appeared first on Macgasm.

While Apple is known not to spend as much money lobbying Washington as other large corporations, it seems as though the company is on track to significantly increase this spending amount, by doubling it to $4 million this year.

Apple’s increase in spending comes at a time where the U.S. government has been much tighter on the company, having recently grilled Tim Cook and his company for allegedly having avoided paying $9 billion in U.S. taxes by keeping $100 billion in oversea accounts, despite companies like General Electric keeping 108 billion dollars overseas.

While Apple spent $2 million on lobbying in 2012, Microsoft spent $8.1 million and Google spent $16.5 million in the same year.

Apple is now hiring lobbyists to argue its case on corporate tax reform, stating that it will never bring its money back stateside until the tax system is reformed to the point where it would be a logical choice. Apple’s chief lobbyist, Catherine Novelli, worked for President George W. Bush’s administration as a top trade official.

Even with its relatively small amount spent on lobbying, it will be interesting to see if one of the world’s most powerful companies will be able to make any significant change to America’s tax system.

The post Apple To Double Amount Spent On Lobbying Politicians In 2013 appeared first on Macgasm.

Google has been logging data about popular search trends for quite a while with its Hot Searches page, but now you can see all the hot trends in a sleek full-screen visualization. The full-screen hot trend visualizer shows the same data, but in a full-screen grid that keeps updating.

You can easily change which country you want to see hot trends for at the bottom of the screen, and Google says that it updates trending searches as they happen so you’re always seeing the most up-to-date hot trends.

Along with the new visualization, Google also created a new charts feature that shows you the most-searched items within certain topics for every month, from actors to books to car companies to dog breeds. The chart even shows if the ranking for a given item went up, down or stayed the same as compared to the previous month.

Although not all that useful in a practical sense, it’s pretty interesting to see what the top search trends are around the world.

The post Check Out Google’s New Trend Visualizer appeared first on Macgasm.

Evernote has just been updated to include a new feature for the Mac, iOS, and web versions of the service.  The new update introduces Reminders, which includes the three most requested features that will keep users on task and remind you to update and add new notes.

Evernote Reminders includes three features:

• In-app and email Alarms
• Quick note based to-do lists
• Pinning notes to the top of your note list

Here’s how it works: You can easily add a Reminder to any note by tapping on the new alarm clock icon that you’ll find at the top of the note on your Mac and web versions and the bottom of the note on your iPhone or iPad. If it’s something you don’t want to forget about, set a date and time for when the note needs to be completed.

When a Reminder is set, you’ll get an in-app alarm and you have the option to also receive an email on the day that a Reminder is due. Once a reminder is set, a note title will appear in the new Reminders section at the top of the note list. The order of your Reminders can be changed just by dragging them to a new spot. When a task is completed, just tap on the check or swipe to remove the Reminder from the list if you’re using an iOS device.

Reminders are notebook-based, which means wherever you add a Reminder to a note it’ll show up in the Reminder section of that particular notebook. If you prefer to see all your Reminders together, you can always go to the All Notes view.

If you use Evernote with a group or team, Reminders can be shared with everyone who has access to your notebook so that when a project is due, everyone on the team will be informed.

Get the updated Evernote for your Mac and iPhone now.

Image Credit: MacStories

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Nextdoor, a private social network for neighborhoods in the U.S. only, is going mobile with a brand new iOS app. Before now, Nextdoor was only available through the browser but a mobile app has been one of the most popular requests from users. Nextdoor is already available in more than 12,600 neighborhoods across the U.S. in over 50 states.

If you’ve never heard of Nextdoor, here’s a little background information for you. Nextdoor is like a virtual neighborhood watch for the digital era. It’s a private environment that is designed to protect you and your neighbors. Nextdoor is password protected and only real neighbors are allowed to join by verifying their address. Nextdoor can be used to keep neighborhoods safe, as well as help neighbors connect with each other by sharing local information or recommending a great babysitter or dentist or even helping someone find their dog.

Nextdoor’s iOS app is essentially the web version for mobile, so users will already be familiar with how it functions. It has a simple design where users can share updates about the goings-on of their neighborhood right in the app while posting photos using the device’s camera.

The app comes with notifications and real-time alerts, which will be great in an emergency. Alerts are delivered both as a notification and by SMS to make sure it’s seen. Cities can even pair their law enforcement agencies with Nextdoor to share information. Some cities, like San Diego and Dallas, have already done this.

The company has revealed that 12,600 neighborhoods are already using the service, but won’t give an exact number of actual users, saying only that there are “hundreds of thousands.” The number of neighborhoods alone is impressive without guessing how many individual people each one makes up.

Nextdoor’s iOS app is the first step in expanding the company globally. CEO and co-founder Nirav Tolia said the next step is to release an Android app. Nextdoor is also looking to expand its business internationally later this year. English speaking countries will reportedly be targeted first, including Canada, South Africa, and the UK.

In 2014, the company plans to expand to more countries like Brazil, Japan, and Singapore. Most of these countries are seeing a lot of citizen demand or the government is interested in bringing the service there.

Image Credit: Nextdoor

The post Nextdoor, The Social Network For Neighbourhoods, Is Going Mobile With A New iOS App appeared first on Macgasm.

Rovio’s Angry Birds Space first launched in the App Store last March and today, for the first time, you can get the game for free on both the iPhone and iPad. It probably won’t last long so you should download it now while you have the chance. It’s likely that this title is going free with Apple’s Free App of the Week promotion, which means you’ll only have seven days to get the game for free if that’s the case.

If you’re one of the few people who haven’t yet given this game a test drive, then you’re in for a treat. It has everything you love about the Angry Birds series, as well as some new space-themed game play features and challenges .

Head over to the App Store now to get Angry Birds Space free on your iPhone and iPad.

Image Credit: HDW

The post Get Rovio’s Angry Birds Space For Free In The App Store Now appeared first on Macgasm.

Photo Movie Maker Pro lets you weave photos and music to create memorable movies in no time. Just drag in your photos and music, and Photo Movie Maker Pro will provide the themes and slideshow effects to create something truly stunning. You can also edit your photos right in the app, making the process that much easier. For a limited time, you can get Photo Movie Maker Pro for Mac for half-price, only $19.99. You can grab it here.

The post Deal: Make Photo Movies On Your Mac With This Half-Price App appeared first on Macgasm.

A major update has been released today for Shazam that brings it to version 6.0.0. Shazam is now a universal app and the developers have brought some interesting new features to the iPad, including auto-tagging, running in the background, new home screen and more.

With the new update, Shazam is doing away with the standalone iPad app and rolling the iPhone version out as a universal app. The iPhone will only get the mapping feature for now though.

With auto-tagging, the new Shazam for iPad will now automatically tag every song you listen to and every show you’re watching. When auto-tagging is turned on, the app will automatically listen to everything in reach and find a match for it. Songs, TV shows and other media that are identified are then stored in the Shazam app. Users can then browse through the list to find songs your might have heard and then buy it on iTunes or stream it with your favorite music service.

An interesting aspect of this feature is that it works in the background. You can be checking emails on your iPad, playing a game or even have your iPad on the lock screen and Shazam’s auto-tagging will still function in the same way. Enabling or disabling auto-tagging is done through the red bar on the top of your iPad screen, which signifies that Shazam is using the iPad’s microphone.

Auto-tagging actually seems like a pretty neat feature. You can have Shazam open while watching a TV show and by the end of it you’ll have a list of all the music that played during the episode. The new update also brings an interactive maps so you can zoom around from your current location to other cities and countries to see what else people are listening to. Shazam also has a new home screen. With it, you can browse real time updates of what’s been tagged on TV right now, available only in the US, and the most popular tracks around the world.

You can also flip through your recent matches and add the ones you like best to your favorites list.

Shazam EVP of Marketing, David Jones, said that the iPhone will get auto-tagging later this summer. It was specified when Android will see the new feature, but other features of the new iPad app will make their way to the tablet version of Android in the next two months.

The new Shazam is available now for free in the App Store.

The real question now, however, is just how long it will be until Shazam starts tagging everything we mention while it’s eavesdropping on our media.

The post Shazam’s New Update Makes App Universal, Introduces Auto-Tagging appeared first on Macgasm.

I don’t really enjoy waking up. I prefer to let my good old natural circadian rhythm take its course on a day to day basis. Then I had a kid. Then I started waking up at random times. Then everything went to hell with my natural wakeup schedule. For those of you who have kids to take care of, or god awful 9 to 5 jobs, you’ll need an alarm clock. Wake is a minimalistic, and fine choice of an application.

The application is pretty much all gesture-based and streamlined for easy access to your alarm clocks. The best part of the app is that you get to actually slap your iPhone to snooze, or flip it to turn your alarm clock off. If you want to stop the alarm from chirping you, you can shake your phone to stop the alarm.

The application is two bucks on the App Store.

The post Despite Your Best Efforts To Avoid Waking Up, Wake Wakes You Up Anyway appeared first on Macgasm.

It had to happen sooner or later. Recently acquired by Dropbox, the Mailbox team has been hard at work bringing its GTD-style email application to the iPad. The company has announced today that the iPad version of the application is ready for release.

We haven’t taken the app for a spin just yet, but we’ll be getting a review to you shortly.

You can pick the app up online today once it propagates around Apple’s servers. The application is universal, so you should see a nice update in the App Store waiting for you if you’ve already picked up the iPhone application.

The post Mailbox Now Available For The iPad appeared first on Macgasm.

The official Twitter for Mac app has just been updated to version 2.2.1 and includes support for Notification Center. Notification Center is now supported for incoming @replies and direct messages so you can more easily be informed on what your followers are tweeting you. The update also includes many fixes for Growl notifications and un-favoriting tweets, amongst other minor things.

This is the second time this year that we’ve seen the in-house Twitter app be updated for the Mac. Previously, Twitter for Mac was neglected of updates for months on end, leading many to believe that the app was heading to the graveyard. Last month’s update included Retina Display support, additional language support, and a few design tweaks. These updates show that the folks at Twitter still care enough about the Mac app to keep it up-to-date with the latest Apple technologies like the Retina Display and Notification Center.

Image Source: Engadget

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There has been a ton of speculation about Apple making a smartwatch, called the “iWatch”, by tech pundits. One analyst has made a prediction that we will see the iWatch in 2014.

Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities believes next year will be the year Apple decides to make a wearable computing device. One reason he says that it will come out next year, and not this year, is based on the rumor  that Apple will be making big changes to iOS and needs to focus their resources on their mobile OS instead of putting the finishing touches on the iWatch.

Kuo believes that the screen will be 1.5 to 2.0 inches and will use the iPod nano for inspiration, which isn’t surprising considering the nano is used by people as a watch with third-party watch straps, such as the Lunatik brand. It could also have biometrics to increase the number of situations in which the iWatch could be useful.

Though Apple has said that they will be introducing “exciting new product categories” this year, no one outside of Apple really knows for sure what those categories truly are. For now, people are speculating based on hunches and the past history of Apple. If done right, a watch from Apple could be interesting. We will have to wait and see what happens though.

The post Analyst Predicts We’ll See The iWatch In 2014 appeared first on Macgasm.

Asus has just released a new television ad that attempts to promote the new ASUS VivoTab Smart while bashing Siri and the iPad with Retina Display. The commercial uses Siri’s voice to narrate a series of simulations that make the iPad look pathetic in the functionality department when compared to a Windows 8 tablet. These simulations include editing PowerPoint files and multitasking. At the end of the snarky ad, we’re left with the tagline “Less Talking, More Doing.”

I guess Microsoft is finally getting back at Apple for the “I’m a Mac” days, eh?

Via: CultOfMac

The post Windows 8 Gives Siri The Middle Finger In New Ad appeared first on Macgasm.

I love the thinness of the iPhone 5, but hate how fragile the device can be at times. Though I don’t drop my iPhone often, it has happened, and the only thing that has saved my mobile connection to the world is my case. As a frequent iPod, iPhone and iPad user, I’ve gone through my fair share of cases and have come to the conclusion that most of them are either bulky, flimsy, or just plan ugly. However, Designed by M aims to fix this issue with its new case: the AL13.

The AL13 is a bumper-style case that is crafted from aerospace grade aluminum. This means that the case will feel solid and protect your iPhone from damage due to drops and bumps. This material is also lightweight due to the fact that is doesn’t cover the front or back of the device. However, because of this, the back of your iPhone is open to scratching and damage.

If you’d like to purchase an AL13 case for your iPhone 4/4S or iPhone 5, expect to drop $79.99. The case is available in five different colors: black, red, blue, white and gray. The AL13 case was originally a Kickstarter project that reached $86,250, quite a bit over its $20,000 goal. The $86,250 was reached in February 2013, and the case actually shipped on time.

The post Keep Your iPhone Sleek And Protected With The AL13 Case appeared first on Macgasm.

The folks at Realmac Software have pushed an update to its popular to-do app Clear. This update has been pushed to both iPhone and Mac users bringing them to version 1.2.2 and 1.0.1 respectively. The update is pretty minor, but it brings one much requested feature to the app: the ability to share lists via email.

On the iPhone, simply shake your device while viewing a list to email it. On the Mac, the email option resides in the Actions menu. When you receive a Clear list via email, you will be able to open it on the Clear app installed on your device, whether it be a Mac or an iPhone

Aside from email sharing, this update brings iCloud fixes to the Mac app and new themes to the iPhone app. In the change log, the Realmac Software team also made a sneaky announcement that Clear is on its way to iPad, making it available on all Apple devices. Realmac Software hasn’t yet given us a release window for the iPad app.

Clear is a simple to-do app for iOS and Mac. The app is completely gesture based and features a pristine user-interface. Due to this, the app doesn’t have as many features as other to-do apps like Reminders or Omnifocus. However, Clear is perfect for those who likes no-frills list making.

The post Clear Updated To Version 1.2.2, Brings Email Sharing appeared first on Macgasm.

Google Reader is going away in July. There are many products coming out to fill the void. One such product is Feed Wrangler by the indie iOS and Mac developer David Smith. Will Feed Wrangler meet the needs of RSS users?

After purchasing a yearlong subscription for $19, I imported my feeds from Google Reader. One problem right off the bat is that Feed Wrangler does not import your groups. Instead, you have to manually sort them into Feed Wrangler’s version of groups called “Smart Streams”. Your feeds are separated by groups, but are seen as a stream of content.

The look of Feed Wrangler is basic. It has no frills, but this can be seen as a good thing, as the design is simple and does not get in your way. It is definitely a nicer interface than Google Reader but without the clutter.

There is a free iOS app that works once you have an account with a subscription. The app acts similarly to the site, but also has the option to see the content of each individual feed. An article can be viewed in the app via a mobilizer text-only view or an in-app browser, but cannot be opened in Safari or Chrome. One of the nicer things about the app is that it syncs between devices and syncs with articles you have queued up in Instapaper or Pocket.

Filters, available in Feed Wrangler, are a nice option to have and they’re not in other RSS reader sites that I have seen to date. Filters allow you to mark items as read automatically when they match a search term. This helps to reduce the number of unwanted articles in your feeds. If you’re a newsy this helps eliminate a lot of the echo chamber.

There are a few issues with Feed Wrangler. There are no unread counts, so you have no way of easily knowing how many articles you have to read. Also, only the most recent articles are shown, which is different from Google Reader that goes much further back in a feed’s history to show articles.

Managing feeds can be a pain too, unfortunately. There is no bulk delete of feeds, so you have to unsubscribe from feeds one by one. This is certainly a pain for someone like me that has over 100 feeds and needs to delete many feeds that are no longer useful or have not been updated in a while.

Also, even though I have RSS feeds that worked with other RSS reader sites, Feed Wrangler did not import all my feeds, saying, “No feed was found”. This is certainly frustrating as it is important for me to see all my feeds that I enjoy.

Will Feed Wrangler satisfy users? Some people will be satisfied with this solid product, but it definitely feels like a 1.0 release. The current negatives are deal breakers for me, and without Reeder support it makes it an even tougher sell.

There is an API that will be released, so hopefully Reeder ends up supporting Feed Wrangler. There is also a Mac app coming out for Feed Wrangler, but that will not be this site’s saving grace. The problems with the service are repairable and can be remedied in the future. For now, there are other free and paid options for people to try out, including Feedbin, Feedly, Fever, and The Old Reader.

The post Feed Wrangler Off To A Solid Start appeared first on Macgasm.

Otterbox is known for its durable cases that provide much more protection than your typical case. The company has expanded its portfolio by announcing that they have bought rival LifeProof. The purchase was announced at the CITA conference today. Terms of the deal remain confidential.

According to a press release from LifeProof:

“The joining of OtterBox and LifeProof is a way to combine two great brands and provide customers with even more great products, services and choices for smartphone accessories,” OtterBox CEO Brian Thomas said. “Both companies are successful because we foster an environment where everyone takes pride in being part of a culture that knows how to identify opportunities and grow them quickly. Our goal in this acquisition is to create more value for our customers than we ever could have generated while operating individually.”

Otterbox has been around since 1998, and has focused on making cases for a variety of gadgets, including phones and tablets. They claim to own 23% of the case market. This deal helps solidify its position as the leader in durable cases.

The post Otterbox To Purchase Rival Casemaker LifeProof appeared first on Macgasm.

According to Google, Voice Search for Google Chrome will be making its way to iOS within “the coming days” in the form of a software update. Google has also announced that this new build of Chrome for iOS will bring better use of the cache, allow for third-party apps to launch URLs in Google Chrome, as well as bring improved page loading times. Google also plans on bringing similar voice search functionality to Google.com in the web browser as well.

Chrome for iOS users will be able to use Voice Search by tapping the new Voice Search button that will appear above the iOS keyboard. After being tapped, the user can tell their phone what they would like to search. In some cases, Chrome will speak your results to you. For instance, if you ask for the weather in a specific city, Chrome would tell you the current forecast.

Previously, Google Voice Search was only available to Google Chrome users on Android devices. However, at Google I/O 2013, the company announced that it plans on bringing its Voice Search functionality to Chrome users on iOS and the desktop.

The post Google Voice Search Is On Its Way To iOS appeared first on Macgasm.

If you’re concerned you might accidentally fall asleep while at the wheel of your car, perhaps you should try the iOS app Drive Awake. It comes complete with a watchful noisy parrot as well as a coffee shop locator.

The app works by setting up your iPhone on the dashboard of your car so that it has a clear view of your face. The app then senses for signs that you’re getting drowsy by monitoring your eyes to see if they’re starting to get more closed. To help wake you back up, the app unleashes a loud and annoying parrot squawk until you’re focused again. The app then directs you to the nearest Cafe Amazon (the makers of the app) so you can energize yourself with some caffeine.

If you’re so tired that you’re at risk of falling asleep, my personal advice is that you simply choose not to drive rather than putting your life in the hands (or claws) of a virtual parrot. Also, stopping at the nearest gas station for coffee instead of going all the way to the nearest Cafe Amazon would probably be a smarter idea. Even if the Cafe Amazon parrot did save your life.

If a trusty parrot companion is just what your car is missing, you can download the app for free here.

Image Credit: Gizmodo

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Apparently working as an analyst for Gartner is a big first step towards working for Apple’s marketing department. According to Forbes, Michael Gartenberg is now working on Apple’s marketing team under Phil Schiller.

Sounds like he has his own office and everything:

Gartenberg didn’t immediately reply to a voicemail message left at his office at Apple asking him to talk about his new role for the Cupertino, California-based company. He is working on the marketing team under Apple’s global marketing chief Phil Schiller, according to sources.

Gartenberg has also worked at Microsoft as an “enthusiastic evangelist” back in 2007, so this isn’t his first stint at a major technology company. I guess that’s short for he’s been around the block.

The post Gartner Analyst Joins Apple Marketing Team appeared first on Macgasm.

Following Pandora’s big iOS update today, competitor Rdio has come out with an update of its own, albeit more minor. The 2.2 update brings a slicker UI and a couple of other features and bug fixes to the iPad and iPhone app.

The main UI changes have taken place in the slide-out side navigation bar, which has been updated with a cleaner and nicer look. The update also brings with it the ability to search for music by record labels, in case there’s one label you find you really like the sound of.

There’s also a new feature called “Find People”, which helps make it a lot easier to find friends and artists to follow.

“Tap Find People, a new addition to the side navigation, to see a curated list of recommended friends and their music taste (based on your connected Twitter and Facebook) alongside hand-picked artists and influencers like Exclaim! and Arts & Crafts Records.”

- Find People. New feature makes following friends and artists easier than ever.
- Labels. Search for a record label to find its top albums and artists.
- Various minor bug fixes and UI improvements, including new, cleaner look for sliding side navigation.

Music streaming apps are going to have to come out with more updates than ever now if they want to stay competitive in the increasingly competitive market.

The post Rdio For iOS Gets Improved UI, New Features In Update appeared first on Macgasm.

Intel hasn’t revealed much about its plans for a new devices unit, but we do know that Mike Bell, a former Apple executive, will head up the new Smart Devices Unit. Bell last worked at Apple in 2007 and then went over to Palm after that. Most recently he has been co-leading Intel’s mobile chip business.

The new division will look at new technologies and product trends, including ultra-mobile products, Intel explained. “The group will be tasked with turning cool technology and business model innovations into products that shape and lead markets” the chipmaker told AllThingsD. Intel didn’t have much more to say about the new unit.

The mobile chip unit will now be run by Hermann Eul, who had been co-leading it will Bell. These new changes in the company are part of a larger series of organizational changes that are being made by Brian Krzanich, the company’s new CEO.

Image Credit: Intel

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Google has created a couple new ways for you to see what the rest of the world (actually right now just the U.S.) is wasting their time Googling. With Google Top Charts, you can now see the top 10 things people searched for each month in a variety of different categories.

Similar to Google’s annual year-end roundup that shows the year’s most popular search terms, Top Charts shows the month by month top searches in a number of different categories, such as reality shows, politicians, medications and kids’ TV shows. For example, the top searched kids’ show of this past April was Spongebob Squarepants and the top reality show was Dance Moms.

What’s cool is that even though the feature just came out, you’re still able to select any month between now and 2004. You can also view the stats for the entire year if you wish, which shows that Spongebob Squarepants was still by far the most popular kids show even nine years ago.

In total, there are over 40 different categories that you can view stats for.

Google has also created a cool visualizer that lets you sit in front of a pretty screen and see what other people are searching for at that moment across the world. You can change the region to a specific country, or you can just keep it on worldwide as you see a bunch of foreign characters come across your screen.

If you want to stay on top with the cool kids and know what’s popular, check out all of Google’s new Trend features.

The post Google Top Trends, A New Way To See What The World Is Searching appeared first on Macgasm.

It looks like Apple is starting to offer the option to pay with PayPal on its Apple Online Store. The feature was first discovered on the German Online Store, and seems to be limited there for now, but it’s probably indicative of a broader roll out to other countries at some point.

For a while now, users in the U.S. have been able to set up PayPal as a payment option for their Apple ID on the desktop, which allows for purchasing content on iTunes and the Mac App Store. Apple also allows education customers to use PayPal for purchases of iOS apps, but there service hasn’t yet extended to Apple’s Online Store.

Users in Germany will find an explanation on Apple’s help page for how to choose PayPal at checkout. Instead of setting up a PayPal account as a payment option for their Apple ID, they will be redirected to log in using their PayPal username and password when purchasing something.

Hopefully other countries will start seeing PayPal as an option for the Apple Online Store soon too.

The post Apple Starting To Offer PayPal For Apple Online Store Purchases appeared first on Macgasm.

It looks like the Star Wars role-playing game “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” is about to be released for the iPad, according to an e-mail sent out from Aspyr. The e-mail was a newsletter announcing a sale on Call of Duty games, but also included the Star Wars news.

Right at the top of the e-mail was written:

“The critically-acclaimed Star Wars RPG is now available on iPad…”

While it doesn’t actually specify which Star Wars game it’s referring to, Aspyr Media previously brought the classic PC game to the Mac. It also already has its foot in the App Store door with its own game, Sushi Mushi, so it’s likeily that they would be porting the game to the iPad.

At this point, nothing has been confirmed or denied by Aspyr Media, so keep your eyes open.

Image Credit: IGN

The post Is “Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic” Coming To iPad? appeared first on Macgasm.

Google recently, and quietly, launched its new conversational search feature in the latest version of its Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Chrome users will now see a small microphone symbol in the right-hand side of the search field on the Google homepage and at the top of any page that has search results. Before enabling any conversational searches, it will ask for permission to access a connected, always-on microphone.

With this new feature, you can now browse the web and ask Google questions from the desktop using just your voice. The point is that people can ask questions in a way that they would in an everyday conversation. For instance, just ask how to get somewhere and Google will pull up the route information from Google Maps. Like Google Now, this feature also pulls from information that is stored through other Google products and services, so if you ask what you have planned on a certain day it will automatically search through your Google calendar.

You can start your following questions with the phrase “Okay Google.” Google is definitely working towards developing a very capable personal assistant. With this new feature, it opens the door for a whole new way of searching the web, without having to lift a finger.

Image Credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images

The post Google Quietly Adds New Conversational Search Feature To Chrome appeared first on Macgasm.

The Dot is a Kickstarter project that has finally hit the mainstream. Just snap the Dot onto your iPhone 4/4S and your phone will instantly be able to shot 360 degree video. The video is interactive, letting you swipe across the screen to swivel around. Or you can switch modes and see the full 360 degrees at once in super-widescreen. Normally priced at $39, for a limited time you can get the Dot for only $27.99. You can grab the Dot here.

The post Deal: Shoot 360 Degree Video On Your iPhone 4/4S With The Dot appeared first on Macgasm.

Pandora Radio for iPhone has just been updated, the most significant overhaul the app has seen in a long time. With the new update, Pandora Radio is getting a whole lot more social and informative.

With the new update, Pandora Radio now supports Facebook sharing, so you can publish and share what stations you’re listening to and the music you like best directly on the social network. You can help friends discover new music and even find some new tunes for yourself. You can easily customize what you want to share on Facebook in the Pandora privacy settings.

Now when you’re listening to a new song and want to learn more about it, just tap on the album artwork to see additional music details, like lyrics, artist information, and more.

The update also adds easy access to the enhanced track menu to create a new station or share, purchase, and bookmark your music. And as always, Pandora Radio’s update also includes the usual performance improvements and bug fixes.

The update Pandora Radio for iPhone is now available in the App Store and it’s a free download if you don’t already have it.

Image Credit: CNET

The post Pandora Radio For iPhone Adds Facebook Sharing, Music Details, More appeared first on Macgasm.

Two hundred and ten days, 22 hours, 33 minutes and 22 seconds

No that’s not how long since the last Fast and the Furious sequel, it is the excruciating time lapsed since the last major Apple product launch.

On October 23, 2012, the world was a kinder and more joyous place. We were months away from the next major release by Psy, Barack Obama was still in danger of being a one-term president, and there had yet to be a music video filmed in space.

On that day, Tim Cook unveiled the iPad Mini, a device that we all hated until we actually tried it, and everything was right in the world.

Yet here we sit, waiting.

One of the downsides of supporting a company with near Kremlin-level security and doublespeak is the fact that during these long stretches there is a tendency to assume absolutely nothing is happening. Whereas Google, Samsung or Microsoft might have a half dozen sneak peeks, product launches and improvised official comments (uhh ya we’re building a smart watch too!) a quarter, we are left to wonder if everyone at Cupertino is just running around trying to figure out how to make a five inch mobile phone.

The proliferation of tech blogs, Twitter and 24-hour business news means that if you’re not saying anything you’re not doing anything.

Of course we all know this is bullshit.

The tech world is littered with the corpses of products and services that were teased, demoed and proof of concept’d. Real in every way except the one that matters in the hands of consumers.

All that said, there is something different about the most reason Apple silence.

Whereas in previous years Apple was so far ahead of the competition in virtually every product area, this year things are aren’t so simple.

The gap between Apple and the competition has narrowed to its smallest degree in the post-iPod era. This is undoubtedly a good thing as competition breeds innovation, but maybe it is also time to revisit Apple’s timing and communication strategy.

When you’re lapping the competition, as was the case until recently, you can afford to make people wait, to be opaque to the point of frustration.

However now, as the wait nears seven months, we are left hoping Congress might force Time Cook to reveal the launch of the next iPhone under oath during his corporate tax hearing.

So what’s the solution?

No one wants to see Apple start putting out heavily edited concept videos of vapourware, but the current pace of announcements is untenable for financial markets and those with thousands of dollars burning holes in our pockets waiting to be thrown at the next shiny aluminum Apple talisman.

One thing that Google seems to have learned lately is that software is king. The recent upgrades to their iOS app suite as well as the Maps changes, Hangouts and their new, ridiculously named streaming music service, show that you can keep things fresh with software far easier than having to release a new incremental hardware improvement every six months.

Where this gets tricky is the fact that Apple makes most of its money on hardware, not software. So unlike a lot of suggestions on the Internet, how do we actually take this one and rationalize it with Apple’s corporate self-interest?

First, having to wait an entire year for major iOS features or upgrades is just not acceptable anymore. With a few exceptions, such as iOS 4.1, the only features added in a 0.1 update have been those generally promised for the 1.0 but that missed their ship date.

From a hardware perspective, I’m largely happy with my iPhone 5. Sure a fingerprint scanner or slightly larger screen might be nice, but the majority of my frustrations can be solved through software.

Perhaps the time has come for Apple to begin rolling out a 0.5 release every six months with a couple of major features and a lot of nagging fixes to keep their devices fresher during the long droughts.

There could even be a charge for downloading the update, a kind of early adopter tax, whereby you might pay $2 to $5 for access to this new software. All the updates would still be available in the next full release for free to those who wanted to wait, but it would provide a way for Apple to essentially fund its feature testing with early adopters.

There really is no reason I should have to wait a full year to get a “delete all” button in Notification Center.

A second possibility would be to decouple Apple’s stock apps, which are getting very long in the tooth, with iOS itself.

If Photos, Calendar, Mail, Weather, etc, were standalone apps they could be updated outside the standard iOS release schedule.

Charging for these stock apps is probably not a good idea as they are a standard part of any mobile operating system. However, providing in-app purchases for feature upgrades or enhanced “pro” versions that iOS could use as system defaults would provide revenue opportunities that could justify splitting their development off from the iOS product.

At the very least, Apple needs to start being more responsive to developers, who have expressed frustration at the impenetrable wall that they come across when trying to submit bugs and frustrations with iOS.

We all want the shiny new gadget, and I’m certain Apple has some great things coming for us, but when I see some of the great work being done with Google Now it reminds me of just how much of the “wow factor” is associated with software and services, not hardware.

As a company that makes the seamless integration of hardware and software a priority, it may be time to start putting a little more emphasis on the part of that equation that can be updated and rolled out far easier than having to ramp up production lines in Shenzhen.

This strategy fits quite well with Apple’s culture of secrecy as software updates are much less likely to be leaked in advance. Whereas nearly every piece of Apple hardware gets splayed out for its blurry cam shots long before it ever struts on the stage, software is still a closed shop.

More timely software updates can keep Apple in the news, continue to show progress and keep its fans at bay.

In the meantime my Apple mad money sits in a savings account, waiting, earning a measly 0.05 percent as I count down the days to WWDC.

The post How To Numb the Pain Of The Apple Waiting Game appeared first on Macgasm.

Knowing the model of your Apple device is obviously important. It is especially good to know when you are having an issue with your device and need to look for help in a book or online. Apple does not print the exact model name, such as “iPhone 5,” or generation on its products.

Apple hasn’t left you out in the cold completely, however. There are a few ways to determine what model you have of your product. This is done differently depending on the product you are looking up. For Macs, you can go to the “System Information” app in the Utilities folder and the overview section tells you the name of your computer. This can be done for Macs running a more recent version of OS X. When I looked up my computer, I saw that it is a MacBook Pro Retina (Mid 2012).

There are also guides online at Apple’s support site that help you identify models of iMacs, MacBooks, MacBook Pros, Mac minis, Mac Pros (8-core), iPhones, iPods, and iPads. For instance, iPods can be identified by storage capacity, clip, camera, and how the iPod is navigated.

Though Apple doesn’t always make thing easy, there is usually a way to get help from them through their support site.

The post Here’s How To Identify Your Apple Gear appeared first on Macgasm.

There has been some confusion today about whether gamers will be able to sell and trade used games for the newly announced Xbox One. Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President Phil Harrison clarified the situation with Kotaku.

First, a little background on how the Xbox One will work. When a game is bought, there is a code that will be used to tie the game to your Xbox Live account, through an online activation process. The game will actually be installed on your console and the disc will no longer be needed. Other users on the same console will also be able to play the game without needing to pay anything extra.

What can you do with the disc then? Here is where the clarification comes in from Harrison.  The disc can be used to install the game on a friend’s console, for example, but they won’t be getting a free game. The game is installed but the rights to play the game still need to be purchased for that console. Instead, your friend will have to purchase the game through Xbox Live at full price. But, as Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, pointed out, there is no fee to play the game at your friend’s house if you are signed into your account there. It’s just when you go home and take your account with you that your friend is out of luck. There will also be a solution to sell and trade games online that Microsoft will probably tell us more about at E3.

This move will surely rile gamers, especially since there are many people out there that believe that video games are too expensive for consoles. These gamers rely on used games instead of buying more expensive new copies. These new restrictions may really crimp their gaming style.

The post Microsoft Clarifies Xbox One Used Games Situation appeared first on Macgasm.

It seems that Apple may be opening up its third party integration to a couple new services with iOS 7. Joining the likes of Facebook and Twitter, word is Flickr and Vimeo might also become integrated system-wide with Apple’s upcoming OS update.

Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac reports that both Flickr and Vimeo will become integrated to the OS in iOS 7 and that users will be able to do a one time sign-in to these accounts from the settings menu. They will then be able to easily share photos directly to Flickr or videos directly to Vimeo without any need for a third party app.

This would be a clear move by Apple to try and push non-Google app alternatives onto users, rather than having them use things such as YouTube or Google+ for their videos and photos.

Both Flickr and Vimeo will now also be integrated deeply into the new operating system, so users will be able to sign into the respective networks via iOS 7′s built-in Settings application. Like with iOS’s Facebook and Twitter ties, Apple customers will be able to log-in one time into each social network and have full sharing access.

Vimeo and Flickr are both already integrated into OS X, so the rumor seems to be quite plausible. Only two more weeks until WWDC where we’ll then know for sure… hopefully…

Image Credit: Today’s iPhone

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After weeks of buildup, Microsoft finally had its Xbox reveal event today where it unveiled its new console, the Xbox One.

Hardware

Unlike Sony’s announcement with the PS4, Microsoft chose to actually show off the physical hardware of the Xbox One at the event. The console has a very flat and sleek look, likely influenced by Microsoft’s standard Windows 8 tile design. It has a “few” USB 3.0 ports, a 500GB hard drive, and a Blu-ray player, along with 8GB of RAM to rival that of the Playstation 4 as well as an 8 core CPU. The system is also built using the X86 architecture,  which confirms that it will not be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games. The console will also include a slightly updated version of the Xbox controller, with 40 new enhancements to make it more ergonomic and responsive.

The console will also come with another piece of hardware in the box, the new Xbox Kinect, which is now included with all systems. The new Kinect is said to be much more capable and is able to better sense movement. It can now track things such as movements of your wrists and it can even measure things like your heart rate and can tell when you shift your weight to one side. The new Kinect can also capture 1080p video at 30 fps, far superior to the VGA video quality that was capable from the 360′s Kinect. The Kinect will also play a big role in voice commands and gestures when navigating around the new Xbox.

Software and Features

Xbox One’s main dashboard looks fairly identical to the current tiled design that the 360′s menu has; however, now that each console comes packed in with a Kinect, Microsoft is pushing voice commands. Users can now turn on the Xbox from what appears to be a sleep mode simply by saying, “Xbox on.” Not only that, but Kinect is now able to identify people just from their voices, so the console will automatically load up the right profile depending on who is speaking to it. Users can also near instantaneously switch between apps just through voice commands. Commands like “go to movie”, “go to game”, “go to Skype” will have your Xbox jumping back and forth between different apps just as fast as switching the channel on your TV.

Intelligent TV is another big push by Microsoft. It allows for users to watch their TV subscription directly through their Xbox and lets them do things such as mark favorite shows and channels and see what the most popular shows are with the rest of Xbox users. It also incorporates the Kinect voice features so that you can quickly hop between channels just by saying things like “play MTV.” Through exclusive partnerships with companies like the NFL, Xbox will also provide interactive elements to certain shows, such as letting you scroll through auto-updating stats and your fantasy team while watching football.

As for games, Microsoft’s own in-house developer Microsoft Studios has announced that it will be bringing a massive 15 new exclusive titles to the Xbox One within the first year of its release, with eight of these titles being new franchises. These games include Forza Motorsport 5 and the new game Quantum Break from Max Payne/Alan Wake developer Remedy. Microsoft also announced more exclusive DLC for the upcoming Call of Duty: Ghosts.

The console will come with its own feature to try to deter used games by forcing users to download entire discs to the hard drive in order to play them. Users will be able to associate each game they buy to one Xbox profile, and if they want to play it on others, they will be forced to pay a fee. You, however, will no longer require your disc to be in the console in order to play a game.

Other announcements included a new live action Halo TV series with Steven Spielberg working as an executive producer, and that the Xbox One will include game play recording features like those prominently shown for the PS4, although not as robust.

Expect to hear a lot more about the console and the games being developed for it at E3 starting June 11. The Xbox One is set to hit store shelves sometime before the end of this year.

Watch Microsoft’s complete reveal of the console here.

The post Next Generation Xbox One Unveiled, Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Macgasm.

If your Instagram pics just aren’t quite pro enough for you, check out this video course. It will teach you how to get the most out of your iPhone’s camera. It will also introduce you to a ton of iOS apps that will help you add a little something extra to your favorite shots. The course includes over 93 lectures and 8 hours of content that will teach you everything, from the ins and outs of using your iPhone to take pictures to developing a creative eye. Normally priced at $39, for a limited time you can get this video course for only $19. You can grab it here.

The post Deal: Master iPhone Photography With This Course appeared first on Macgasm.

When Google first announced Google Play Music All Access it was to the disappointment of many iOS users as it was an Android-only club. Now, thanks to third-party app gMusic, iPhone users will be able to get their hands on Google’s All Access music subscription service.

gMusic already plays the songs you’ve uploaded to Google Music, but since Google’s All Access announcement last week, developer James Clancey has been working on a new update that will support the music subscription service. As indicated on the gMusic’s iTunes preview page, the update has already been submitted to the App Store.

The update will bring a Web Search feature that uses the subscription-based All Access song database so all you have to do is a quick web search from inside the app.

Google will probably make All Access available on iOS itself at some point since it’s limiting a potentially larger user base by making it only available for Android users. For now, though, gMusic is your best option to get access to Google’s music subscription service if you’re an iPhone user.

If you don’t already have it downloaded, gMusic will cost you $1.99 from the App Store, but keep in mind that the update that will let you access Google Play Music All Access was only submitted to the App Store yesterday so you’ll have to wait a little while before the app actually gets updated.

Image Credit: gMusic

The post gMusic Is Bringing Google Play Music All Access To The iPhone appeared first on Macgasm.

François Beaufort, a member of the Google Chrome team, posted a new image to his Google+ page revealing that Google is working on bringing the Chrome App Launcher to the Mac. Chrome users can even try out a beta version of it now by installing Chromium and then running a quick command in terminal. You’ll also need to download at least one app from the Chrome Web Store in addition to Chromium.

Once downloaded, clicking the dock icon will bring up a grid of installed apps. When you click on one of those apps it will open the browser window in full with the app you selected. The icon will then go back to is usual purpose of bringing Chromium windows to the forefront. To open other apps you’ll have to do it from the browser window itself.

It’s not clear when exactly a full version of the Chrome App Launcher will be available for the Mac, but with a beta version now available it’ll likely be here pretty soon.

Image Credit: François Beaufort

The post Chrome App Launcher On Its Way To The Mac appeared first on Macgasm.

TextExpander for iOS has been updated for the first time since its release on the App Store four years ago. Version 2.0 of TextExpander brings a lot of enhancements and improvements, as well as a number of new features that are already found in TextExpander for Mac.

If you’ve never used TextExpander before, its a utility app that automatically expands short abbreviations into long snippets so that you can type faster on your iPhone. TextExpander will sync all your snippets between your iOS and Mac devices through Dropbox.

One of the new changes in version 2.0 is the added support for rich text formatting. Now when composing a snippet or note text in iOS 6.0 or later you can add rich text formatting from the “Format…” menu item. On top of that, formatted text can be copied and emailed directly from TextExpander.

The new TextExpander also adds an “Insert…” menu item for macros like date, time, clipboard contents, and fill-ins. With support for fill-in snippets, you can can now create snippets with text fields, drop-down menus, tick boxes, and other input objects.

Version 2.0 also support renaming and duplication of snippet groups and will display alerts for conflicting snippet abbreviations and duplicate snippets. It also adds handling to resolve in any conflicts and get rid of duplicates.

TextExpander 2.0 also brings a few new minor features, including:

• Supports %\ selection range macro (ie. %| select this text %\)
• Spins the network indicator during Dropbox operations
• Key macros (Enter, Esc, Return, Tab) are handled more gracefully
• Fixes orientations and keyboard exposure issues
• Fix numerous minor bugs

TextExpander 2.0 is now available in the App Store or you can purchase the app for $4.99.

Image Credit: MacStories

The post TextExpander For iOS Gets Major Update, Brings Support For Fill-In Snippets, Rich-Text Formatting, Much More appeared first on Macgasm.

Fans of the Assassin’s Creed game will be happy to know that the movie based on the game series now has an official release date. Ubisoft, which is developing the movie, revealed that the new Assassin’s Creed movie is slated to be released on May 22, 2015.

The film will star Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, Inglorious Basterds), who also happens to be producing the movie and will be distributed by New Regency and Fox. A director for the movie has not been confirmed, but that could change soon with an actual release date.

Not much else is known about the film, other than that Fassbender is expected to play Desmond Miles.

This date can still change though. 2015 is still quite a ways a way and it looks like it’ll be a big summer for blockbuster movies. Disney is reportedly thinking of releasing Star Wars: Episode VII that same weekend and if that’s true then Assassin’s Creed might decide to move to another day.

On top of the Assassin’s Creed movie and the new Star Wars movie, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, The Avengers 2, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, and Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 are also planned for a 2015 release.

Image Credit: GeekTyrant

The post Official Release Date Revealed For Assassin’s Creed Movie appeared first on Macgasm.

Scanner Pro by Readdle for your iPhone and iPad has just been updated to version 4.5, bringing a new feature that makes scanning a lot easier and faster. The new update brings real-time border detection, so now you won’t have to fiddle around with cropping and adjusting your images.

With real-time border detection, Scanner Pro will visually detect borders in real time while you’re making a scan. As you hold your iPhone or iPad over your document or receipt that you need scanned, Scanner Pro will detect and indicate borders. So when you’re in the middle of scanning, you’ll be able to see what part of the page is recognized and see exactly what will be scanned.

With the new Scanner Pro, you can skip manual adjustments and cropping of your images, making scanning much faster. This is especially true in batch mode, which lets your scan multiple pages at a time.

If you prefer to manually adjust your borders, though, just turn real-time border detection off in the app’s settings.

The update is now available for free in the App Store, but if you’re thinking of downloading Scanner Pro by Readdle for the first time, it’ll cost you $6.99.

The post Scanner Pro By Readdle Update Brings Real-Time Border Detection appeared first on Macgasm.

It’s not uncommon for smaller hotels to include iPads in guest rooms as a way to keep guests entertained over the course of their stay. 24 karat gold iPads, however, are a luxury item only available in the richest of hotels, just like the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. Of course, a Dubai hotel has 24 karat gold iPads.

The iPads are embossed with the company logo, and come complete with hotel food menus, and a virtual concierge to make accommodations more enjoyable while guests lounge in their beds before taking off for some daily activities.

From TravelWeekly:

Heinrich Morio, the hotel’s general manager, said: “Our exclusive Burj Al Arab 24-carat gold iPads epitomise Jumeirah’s philosophy of ‘stay different’ and further enhance our guests’ experience during their stay. “We have also recently introduced iMacs inside all our suites to ensure that we offer thoroughly modern guest experiences and keep up with hospitality industry trends.”

The gold iPads will be available in the hotel’s lobby for purchase just in case you forgot your iPad at home before taking off to Dubai. I love my luxury items, but I haven’t been able to add a gold iPad to my Apple collection just yet. Maybe I’ll start saving and pick one up when the iPad hits version 999, or maybe I’ll just wait for the iPad 1000.

Via Macworld UK

The post In Dubai, 24 Karat Gold iPads Adorn ALL The Hotel Rooms At This Establishment appeared first on Macgasm.

Don’t like plugging your phone into a wall to charge? The future is close, but not exactly here yet either. Powermat, a company that builds charging stations so you can just drop your phone or camera onto a mat to charge, has just acquired PowerKiss.

According to Engadget:

The two companies will combine under the Powermat Technologies umbrella, and will, of course, support PMA exclusively. PowerKiss will bring with it 1,000 existing charging spots throughout Europe, along with installations at select McDonald’s locations on the continent.

The PowerKiss concept is pretty cool. You buy the ring that lets you charge your device, and PowerKiss works to get charging stations, also known as a “heart”, into public places that its users tend to visit, including airports, restaurants, and other people hubs. You can, if you’ve got money to burn, buy your own “heart” for 235.00 €. The “Ring”, however, only costs 19.90 €.

The post Powermat Picks Up PowerKiss, Gets A New Heart, Tin Man Too Late appeared first on Macgasm.

Though Apple has not officially been accused of any wrongdoing yet, congressional investigators have found that the company has avoided paying billions in taxes. This has been done through using tax havens and corporate tax loopholes. Investigators even found that Apple has paid less than their public filings would indicate, saving the company billions of dollars every year from 2009 through 2011.

Apple released a statement by Tim Cook that defends the company. Cook denies charges that Apple used any “tax gimmicks” to avoid paying taxes, and that Apple’s largest subsidies do not help them avoid taxes.

Apple recently announced that they are going to give $100 billion back to shareholders over the next 3 years, but decided to take on debt rather then repatriate the money, which helped avoid repatriation taxes.

This news comes as Tim Cook plans to meet with lawmakers on Tuesday to discuss tax reforms for U.S. businesses, including simplifying tax codes and establishing reasonable taxes on overseas earnings.

The post Apple Allegedly Saves Billions Through Tax Shelters appeared first on Macgasm.

Apple India has introduced new iPhone incentives in the country. The company has announced two new incentives: one for students and another for American Express customers. The student incentive increases Apple’s standard smartphone trade-in discount from 7,000 rupees ($130 USD) to 7,777 rupees ($144 USD). In order to be eligible for this discount, the person must be a student and trade in an old smartphone of any brand.

American Express customers in India will also be receiving a pretty decent discount on iPhones. Any American Express user is eligible for a 10% discount on any iPhone 4, 4S or 5 purchased through Apple. Apple will payout a maximum of 6,000 rupees ($100) and these purchases must be made before June 10th.

India has been one of Apple’s most focused-on markets in the recent past. As of Q4 2012, iOS only controlled a mere 15.2% of the Indian smartphone market while its fierce competitor Samsung owned 38.8%. Because of this, we’ve seen Apple offer many discounts in the country. For instance, Apple has been running a standard trade-in program for quite some time in India and has tripled its amount of franchise stores in the country.

Image Source: superstrikertwo

The post Apple Introduces New iPhone Incentives In India appeared first on Macgasm.

Yahoo has pushed major updates to its popular photo sharing service Flickr. These updates include a complete redesign as well as a massive 1TB of storage for free users. In terms of the new design, the photo sharing service has been completely redesigned from the ground up. For instance, the Flickr Photostream will now show off your photos in a seamless layout that allows for endless scrolling through a user’s photo collection. Like Twitter and Facebook, Flickr now allows you to add a cover photo to your profile as well, giving you more self expression on the network.

Beyond the Photostream, the rest of Flickr has been given a more modern look. The new slideshow mode allows Flickr users to effortlessly view their uploaded photos without lifting a finger. Individual photo views and the Activity Feed have both been given new designs and functionalities as well.

Like we mentioned previously, Yahoo has given all free users a whopping 1TB of free storage for their photos and videos. This will allow for uploading of full-resolution photos and massive free photo backups. Flickr has also moved its video limit up from 90-seconds to three-minutes. Free accounts are ad-supported, though these ads can be removed for $49.99 per year. Flickr has also introduced a Doublr account that gives users 2TB of storage for $499.99 per year.

These updates to Flickr along with Yahoo’s purchase of Tumblr shows that the company is trying its best to remain relevant on a rapidly changing web. Flickr has long been one of my favorite Yahoo services, and it has been one of the most modern services in Yahoo’s catalog of web apps.

The post Yahoo! Redesigns Flickr, Gives Users 1TB Of Free Storage appeared first on Macgasm.

A new phone must be around the corner, right? It’s only a matter of time until we hear Apple’s PR people have sent out emails, the beard says “yup”, and we find ourselves on the outside, looking in once again. Until that day comes we get to burry ourselves in rumors, and try and make heads of what exactly is coming down the pipeline with the next iPhone.

This infographic from RIA.Ru shows off the evolution of major features and specs from one iPhone to the next from the original iPhone all the way to the iPhone 5. It tracks things like starting prices, processor speed, wireless technologies, camera and other goodies.

If you’re looking for a one stop place to re-hash the past iPhones, this infographic is a great place to start.

The post Infographic: The Evolution Of The iPhone appeared first on Macgasm.

I have an Intel Mac Pro (1,1) collecting dust. Right now the thing just servers up some cool things we’re working on for Macgasm (more on that at a later date). I’ve thought about doing a lot of things with the beast, but never once has the idea of turning it into a BBQ grilling machine crossed my mind.

Turns out someone’s actually thought it up, and already put meat to aluminum. Not sure if Mr. Jobs would have been impressed or disgusted at this one though.

You can check out the whole step-by-step gallery on Imgur.

The post Check Out This Dude Who Turned A G5 Into A BBQ Grill appeared first on Macgasm.

American Apple Store visitors average a new high of $57 spent per customer. According to Asymco’s Horace Dediu, Apple Stores have risen in revenue by 7% during the last quarter, with each store raking in an average of $13 million per quarter. According to Ascymo, Apple Stores brought in an average of 250,000 customers per store during Q1 2013 while each store has roughly 110 employees. Both of these numbers have increased exponentially since the launch of the iPhone in 2007.

Apple currently brings in the most revenue per square foot over any other American retailer. Asymco has reported that the company is doing twice as well as Tiffany and Co., the second best retailer, and three times better than Lululemon Athletica who ranks third on the list. Personally, I’d like to see Apple’s numbers compared to Microsoft and Samsung’s retail stores.

Via: iMore
Image Source: ping ping

The post American Apple Stores Reach A New High, Bring In An Average Of $57 Per Visitor appeared first on Macgasm.

AT&T has announced that it will begin to allow all Apple, Blackberry and Samsung customers with LTE smart-devices use video chat services via its cellular network. This includes FaceTime, BBM video and ChatOn. This announcement will affect all AT&T LTE plans, including shared, tiered and even grandfathered unlimited data plans. We should see these changes take place in mid-June. LTE-less users or people who aren’t using Apple, BlackBerry or Samsung devices will be able to take advantage of cellular video chat by year-end.

AT&T released the following statement to The Verge on the topic:

For video chat apps that come pre-loaded on devices, we currently give all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share or Tiered plans. Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry have chosen to enable this for their pre-loaded video chat apps. And by mid-June, we’ll have enabled those apps over cellular for our unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices from those three manufacturers.

The popular American mobile carrier has been under fire with customers as well as the FCC over the past few years. This is due to restricting FaceTime-over-Cellular functionality to its expensive Mobile Share plans. Though the company eventually opened this functionality up to its tiered users, users of the classic unlimited data plan have continued to be left out until now.

Better late than never, I guess.

Image Source: Thomas van de Weerd

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Like most on-the-go technology enthusiasts, I have multiple ways to connect to the web. I have my iPhone, my 4G USB card, and whoever’s free internet access I happen to be mooching off of at any particular moment. However, living in an urban environment,  all three of these connections can get really slow at times due to data congestion. This can in turn make me unproductive and forced to deal with a slow connection. However, what if there was a way to combine these three connections to make a decently fast pipeline to the web? Well, now there is with Connectify Switchboard, a promising new Kickstarter project.

Connectify is a new app for Mac and Windows users that allows you to pair multiple internet connections together to give you fast speeds. According to the Kickstarter page, when the app is launched, all of your web activity will be pushed to Connectify’s servers and back through your multiple internet connections. Since Connectify Switchboard works at the packet level, you can use this added speed across all aspects of your web usage: from streaming video, to uploading files to your Dropbox account. Unfortunately, since Connectify Switchboard pushes all of your data through its servers, your usage will be limited on how much server space you decide to purchase per month.

The folks at Connectify Switchboard need to raise $100,000 in order to purchase server space and other tools. There are many different funding options available to you on the Connectify Switchboard Kickstarter page, with each tier giving your more bandwidth. If you’d like access to the early beta, expect to drop at least $90.

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When news of Yahoo purchasing Tumblr came out yesterday, a number of Tumblr users expressed their concern for what was going to happen to their favorite blogging service. Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer took to announce one thing during a company conference call today that you can expect to see change with Tumblr. More Ads. (Yay!)

For Yahoo to make the Tumblr acquisition worthwhile, it’s going to have to greatly increase revenue. Tumblr generated just $13 million in revenue last year, while using barely any ads at all. Yahoo, however, has a goal of increasing this with the help of ads to a revenue of $100 million in 2013. Tumblr’s CEO David Karp has always been hesitant when it comes to traditional advertising, although he says that now the site understands its users enough to embrace a more standard advertising format.

Mayer had a few examples to give on how advertising may be implemented on Tumblr:

On Tumblr, there’s a number of different places where we think we can monetize in a way that is meaningful and really addititive to the user experience.
For example, Tumblr has what’s called the “dashboard”, which is their version of the newsfeed — or in old school terms, an “inbox” for the blogs you follow. So basically different bloggers that you follow can all appear there in your feed.
And today, Tumblr already does some advertising, though minimal, in that feed. We would like to look at them and understand how we could introduce ads — in a very light ad load — where the impact is really created, because the ads really fit the users’ expectations and follow the form and function of the dashboard.
We also see some opportunities to possibly work with bloggers who want ads, to provide ads on their Websites. That would always be done with the blogger’s permission.

While this sounds exactly like what Tumblr users were dreading when they first heard of the deal, it’s likely that this is the path Tumblr was going to take regardless of whether it was sold or not. Tumblr is, after all, a free service and it is always looking to maximize revenue in anyway possible. Unfortunately for Yahoo, it’s going to come out looking like the bad guy, completely changing the service for the worse.

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Samsung announced this morning that it will be hosting a global competition to find developers who will create third-party apps specifically for its Galaxy smartphones. The competition will award 10 winners with a combined $800,000 prize. Many consumers are under the impression that Samsung’s apps just aren’t as good as Apple’s, an issue Samsung is hoping to solve with this competition.

Samsung is looking for apps that can be coordinated with its Group Play service, which lets users share content like photos, games and music between devices at the same time.

“We will continue to encourage mobile developers to develop new and innovative applications with newly-launched features of our Galaxy series,” explained Won-Pyo Hong, head of Samsung Electronics’ media solution center.

Samsung’s move to compete more evenly with Apple in the app market comes at the same time as new research from Strategy Analytics is revealed. According to the research, Samsung had a 33.1% global smartphone marketshare last quarter, while Apple only had 17.9%, but analysts estimate that Samsung is falling behind Apple in the high-end market which is where the profit is made.

Samsung hasn’t seen very good reviews for the software in its Galaxy S4, which is a big weakness when compared to Apple. Samsung has always been more of a hardware manufacturer than software developer, but better software would defintely bring it on more equal footing with Apple, its biggest rival.

As for the competition’s prize money, $200,000 will go to the first place winner, with $100,000 awarded to three second place winners and six third place winners will get $50,000. All submitted apps must be free apps, but can use in-app purchasing and advertising. Uniqueness, functionality, usability, commercial potential, and design will help determine the winners, which might get an investment from Samsung’s venture capital arm.

Image Credit: CNET

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A couple of reports today are suggesting that Apple is advancing its development and production of the rumored smart watch. The reports come from the Taiwanese newspaper Economic Times. The first report claims that Apple has started testing 1.5-inch OLED displays from RITEK subsidiary TiRdisplay.

According to the report, RITEK’s joint partnership with RitFast will also supply the touch sensor technology that will be used for the watch.

This report reflects earlier rumors about Apple’s plans for RiTdisplay’s 1.5-inch displays and Intel being involved in the project. Today’s report also mentions that Apple had originally wanted to use a 1.8-inch display in the smart watch. That size proved to be too large, however, so the company decided on a smaller 1.5-inch display.

The second report talked about the smart watch industry as a whole. According to “market rumors,” Foxconn has already received orders for Apple’s smart watch, but only with small volume orders around 1,000 units for small-scale production trial.

The Apple smart watch rumor really picked up speed in December after reports that Apple and Intel were working together to produce it surfaced. Other rumors have suggested that Apple has experimented with curved glass designs for the smart watch’s display. Other than that, the rumor mill has been relatively quiet the last couple of months concerning the Apple smart watch. At the beginning of March, reports claimed that the rumored device could launch this year.

Image Credit: Sizzlehut

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The latest rumor from none other than DigiTimes claims that trial production of Apple’s thinner and lighter fifth-generation iPad will begin soon with production really ramping up in July. As usual, DigiTimes is citing sources at Taiwan’s supply chain for the information.

According to DigiTimes, the new iPad is expected to launch in stores as early as September and will have a 2,048 x 1,536 Retina display, which is the same as the fourth-generation iPad. The new display, however, will reportedly be built on a glass substrate of 0.2mm, which is thinner than the one in the current iPad. Sources also say that the new iPad will have a narrow bezel.

On top of that, the next iPad will supposedly use just one LED light bar for backlighting. As of now, all Retina display iPads feature two LED light bars. All of these reported changes are expected to make the next-generation iPad thinner and 25-33% lighter than the previous model.

LG Display, Samsung Display and Sharp are expected to supply the display panels for the fifth-generation iPad.

Image Credit: gdgt

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Whenever big corporations buy smaller successful companies, many are stricken with fear that this marks the beginning of the end for what they once loved. This is likely why the number of blog posts being imported from Tumblr to WordPress has risen from 400-600 an hour to a whopping 72,000 ever since Tumblr was purchased by Yahoo.

These figures come from WordPress founder Matt Mullenwag, who says that Yahoo made a steal with its $1.1 billion purchase price. “I think it’s a tenth of the value that will be created in these platforms over the coming years,” he says.

Although it’s a massive increase in the usual number of blogs that are exported from Tumblr to WordPress, the numbers are still far too small to indicate any sort of large movement away from the service. Tumblr still manages to get 75 million blog posts per day. Rather, this is likely just a small minority of dedicated users and fans, outraged by Tumblr’s decision to sell.

“I don’t think there will be any sort of exodus from Tumblr. For most folks habits overcome internet-outrage. Even if a million people left, that’s just about a week’s worth of signups,” said Mullenwag.

Yahoo states that it plans to operate Tumblr independantly and that it will retain things such as its current plan and CEO.

The company has also promised ‘not to screw up’ the popular blogging service.

Image Credit: Daniel Posovac

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It’s frustrating when you’re on a pinning frenzy and realize that half the pins you’ve pinned don’t actually contain any useful information, which means that picture of the chocolate cake you found will be stuck on your Pinterest page forever. That’s why Pinterest recently announced that it’s introducing “more useful pins” which contain product information so you can bake that cake or even find out where you can buy a certain shirt. Pinterest is also bringing the Pin It button to mobile apps.

Pinterest has worked with a number of popular websites so you can see more information on some pins. Some of the pins you’ll see containing more information include:

• Product pins so you can see pricing, availability, and where to buy clothes or furniture
• Recipe pins that contain cook time, ingredients, and servings with a link to the original site
• Movie pins which contain ratings, cast members and more

Pinterest has partnered with a variety of different sites, like e-commerce sites eBay, Etsy, Modcloth, and Overstock, entertainment sites like Flixster, Netflix and Rotten Tomatoes, and recipe sites like 101 Cookbooks, Martha Stewart Living, Better Home and Gardens and a whole lot more.

The new pins are only available with Pinterest’s new look, which started appearing in March. Along with the more useful pins, Pinterest is also making the Pin It button available in mobile apps, so you can pin from anywhere

Image Credit: TechCrunch

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Yahoo’s board has approved a $1.1 billion cash deal to buy the blogging site Tumblr, and the company will still be run independently as a business.

David Karp, Chief Excutive of the company, founded Tumblr in 2007 while in a bedroom of his mother’s apartment. The site makes it easy to share content with the world by starting up a blog in less then a few minutes. Early on the site had 75,000 users, but today has around 100 million blogs. The site is also used for social communication.

Larger companies have bought smaller startups in the past, only to see the union fail. Yahoo was known for its purchases of Geocities in 1999, which was a collection of communities that created sites. In 2009, Yahoo closed down Geocities, as they never got their money’s worth on the deal. Hopefully Yahoo does not ruin what makes Tumblr great.

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It was a pretty low key week in Apple News, as Google I/O dominated the news cycle. Ahead of the conference, Google CEO Larry Page had a public discussion about his vocal cord paralysis. This was CEO interview week, as Tim Cook had a discussion with Politico discussing Apple’s US manufacturing plans. There was a little bit of noise when Apple booted the “Bang With Friends” app from the store. On the rumor front we had reports that the iPhone 5S was going to feature a Sapphire fingerprint reading home button, and rumors about a possible new Macbook Air at WWDC surfaced on reports of dwindling stock.

Our Features, Tips, and Funny Posts

• Steve and Steve: A Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak Comic You Have To See To Believe
• This Week in “Nerds Ruin Everything”: iOS Concepts
• How To Add Blank Spaces To Your Home Screen Without Jailbreaking
• Interview With Realmac Software’s Dan Counsell
• Show Folder Sizes In Finder Once And For All

Stories From Around the Web

• Why wearable computing won’t go mainstream, Richard J Anderson looks at the reasons why products like Glass are out of step with mainstream users.
• Gmail at Nine: The Evolution of an Essential Web Service, Harry McCracken gives a rundown of the last nine years of Google’s mail service.
• Can You Replace Photoshop with Pixelmator? TidBIts explores if you can leave the creative cloud behind for Pixelmator.
• Welcome to Google Island, Wired imagines what happens when Google gets their own island.
• Cards Against Humanity has made well more than $12 million, all because some Highland Park 20-somethings wanted to avoid conversation., The Chicago Grid profiles the success of the creators of “Cards Against Humanity.”

Our Weekly Deals

• The MacMate Pro Plan: 100GB Of Cloud Storage
• Slickwraps: $50 Credit For Only $25!
• Cleanup Your iTunes w/ Tunes Cleaner For Mac
• The Mega Design Bundle Upgrade
• Apple Depot Earbuds With Mic & Remote

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The Mega Design Bundle Upgrade is jam-packed with thousands of high quality design resources. It’ll give you the flexibility to tackle any design project. The bundle comes with over 2.5 GB of smooth icons, flashy vector elements, intuitive Photoshop templates and so much more. Normally the resources in this bundle would cost you $1,068, but for a limited time we’re bringing them to you for only $49.99. You can grab the Mega Design Bundle Upgrade here.

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Apple has just kicked Bang With Friends, an app that launched earlier this month, from its home on the App Store. Apple has yet to release why it has removed the app, but judging by its title and purpose, we’re pretty sure you can deduce where Apple’s opinion is on this one.

The folks at Bang With Friends have responded to the removal by saying that the company is working with Apple for a reentry into the store. However, if you still feel the need to use the Facebook-based sex app, you can do so via its web client. In the meantime, you can always try a real relationship.

Bang With Friends is an iPhone and web app that lets you choose which Facebook friends you would like to “bang with” or “hang with.” If the friend you’ve selected would like to bang or hang with you as well, you’ll both get notifications. If not, they’ll never know…

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While Tim Cook had revealed earlier in the year that a “Made In U.S.A” Mac was on its way that would be manufactured in the U.S. rather than overseas, he has now revealed that a number of smaller parts for the Mac will be built within America as well.

Tim Cook sat down yesterday for an interview with Politco, where he said that the Mac will include parts manufactured in various states, in addition to the manufacturing of the entire computer which will also take place in the U.S. Cook states that it is all part of a $100 million investment Apple is putting into domestic manufacturing.

“We’re going very deep in this project,” Cook said, noting that not only will the final product be manufactured in the U.S., but so will many of its components. Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Kentucky are among the states he mentioned as having parts and assembly located.

Production of the Made in U.S.A Mac is set to begin sometime in 2013. Apple has still yet to announce which model Mac will be receiving the treatment, however, the most popular predictions are either the Mac Pro or the Mac mini.

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The Simpsons: Tapped Out for iOS recently received a new update, bringing a new character, new buildings, more quests, and other less important things with it. In today’s new update, EA is bringing the level cap up to 29, which means you can expand your town just a little bit more. The new update also introduces Agnes Skinner.

With Agnes, you can taunt the elderly and win at Bingo. The update also brings a new quest involving the relationship between Agnes and her son Seymour.

With the new buildings, you can watch performances at the Open Air Stage, shop at the Sprawl-Mart and enjoy Silhouette Night at the Skinner House.

If you haven’t yet played The Simpsons: Tapped Out, it’s basically a city simulation game where you build a new Springfield after the first one was blown up. Throughout the game, you’ll meet familiar Simpsons characters and build places you’ll find familiar to those who watch the show on television.

The Simpsons: Tapped Out’s new update is now available for free in the App Store.

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Canadian telecommunications giant Telus is trying to purchase the smaller and relatively new telecomm company Mobilicity for $380 million.

Mobilicity’s chief restructuring officer, William Aziz, states that the company has been losing a “significant amount of money every month” and that he thinks an acquisition by Telus is “the best alternative.”

The deal, however, must first be approved by the CRTC, Canada’s board that ensures the telecommunications market within the country remains fair and competitive. The CRTC has recently been pushing for a more competitive market, so this purchase attempt by Telus is controversial. If the deal goes through, Mobilicity’s 250,000 customers will be transitioned over and Telus will gain the wireless spectrums owned by Mobilicty.

Mobilicity came in to Canada in 2009 and helped disrupt the mobile phone market with its alternative plans and cheaper prices.

The caveat is that since Mobilicity is rapidly losing money, refusing Telus the ability to buy the company could result in Mobilicity going bankrupt. This is why Telus and Mobilicity are arguing that the deal should go through.

While it’s uncertain right now if the CRTC will approve the purchase, it certainly wouldn’t be a good outcome for Canadian customers. With already some of the highest cell phone and internet prices in the world, the country certainly can’t take a decrease in competition.

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It seems as though Apple is prepping to unveil a new version of the Macbook Air at next month’s WWDC. This conclusions comes after almost every major store is reporting that they no longer have any stock of the 13-inch default high-end Air that comes with a 1.8GHz processor and 256GB of flash storage.

One of the most telling signs of an upcoming new Apple product revision is when the current stock for that product starts drying up at stores. Apple always chooses to stop shipping and producing its old computers to ramp up production of their new model and to free up space at retail stores for the new device in the weeks leading up to its release.

AppleInsider reports that the Air is currently sold out at Amazon, B&H, MacConnection, MacMall, and J&R. The only Apple reseller they found that was actually still selling the device was Best Buy.

Rumors have been circling for some time that a new Macbook Air would be unveiled at WWDC and that it would include Intel’s new Haswell processor. The Haswell processors are set to launch in a couple of weeks, so the timing works out perfectly.

Long story short, if you’re thinking about getting a Macbook Air, you should probably wait a month.

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While the word has been that Apple was planning to unveil its “iRadio” music streaming service at WWDC, it seems as though the company may not hit this June date due to licensing agreement problems with music publishers.

While previous reports have said that Apple has already signed a deal with Universal Music Group, The Verge is now reporting that the largest music publisher, Sony/ATV, has recently rejected signing to Apple’s current terms. The report also states that the fourth largest publisher, WMG, is still holding out on closing the deal as well.

If the deals cannot be made soon, we may either not see iRadio at WWDC at all, or we may see it launch with a limited selection as the companies continue to negotiate.

Apple is likely more keen than ever now to get its streaming service out into the world, with Google’s recent launch of its own music streaming service.

WWDC is just less than a month away, stay tuned.

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Earlier this month, Samsung and BlackBerry devices received Pentagon approval for military use and today the U.S. Department of Defense announced that Apple’s devices running iOS 6 or later have also been approved for use on government networks. It looks like Apple’s rivalry with Samsung and BlackBerry will continue in a whole new space.

This market has long been dominated by BlackBerry, but with Samsung and now Apple’s approval, there might be a shift. The Department of Defense has over 600,000 mobile devices, which includes 470,000 BlackBerrys, 41,000 Apple products and 8,700 devices running Google’s Android operating system. A lot of the Apple and Android devices in use aren’t connected to military networks except for testing.

The military has said that it wants its employees to have more flexibility and choice to use commercial products on its networks. According to Bloomberg, it’s planning to create a military mobile applications store and hire a contractor to build a system that could handle as many as 8 million devices.

Image Credit: TweakTown

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You’ve probably all been on crowd funding website Kickstarter at one point in your life to take a look at either a weird or wonderful project requiring a little bit of money in return for some kind of reward. Every so often, a really genius idea crops up that achieves its funding goal quickly — and deservedly so — but the rest are sometimes lacking in the sanity department.

With so wannabe entrepreneurs making use of app integration to improve their projects, it’s easy to see the same inspiring or ridiculous iOS-based concepts. So, here’s a list of particularly outstanding app-based ideas from Kickstarter.

Ubooly

Here’s a project that will be a big hit with the kids, but probably scare adults. Essentially, you place your iPhone into a cuddly toy body, and an iPhone app make the smartphone an interactive face. Ubooly will read or play games with children designed to make them think, which is a noble idea. Of course, the obvious issue here is the trust you place in your kids handling your precious iPhone

This project reached its funding goal and is now available to buy on its own website.

Melon

Ever wondered how much you waste at work being distracted instead of knuckling down? The Melon headband and mobile app could help answer that. You put the headband on, fire up the iOS app and get to work. Once you’re done, the Melon app will show you how focused you were, and can compare the activity to previous sessions to see if you focused better. This could be useful if you need to know when you work best, but wearing the headband in public might be tricky if you’re easily embarrassed.

Pixel Press

This app idea will probably appeal to everyone. How does an iPhone and iPad app that lets you draw your own video game — no code required — sound to you? Start by doodling five “floors” of your game on provided graph paper, and then take a photo with the Pixel Press app. The app digitizes the design into a playable game, so all you have to do next is color it in and pick the music. If you don’t want to build your own, you can play other users’ games too. Hopefully this one will reach its $100,000 goal.

Friend Your Pet

Looks like the meme Text From Dog (language NSFW) had a lasting effect on some people. If you ever wanted to talk to your cat, hamster, bird and so on as though they could hold human conversations, Friend Your Pet is for you. You basically fill in information about your pet, and it then sends you texts throughout the day as though it’s your housebound animal companion.  You can reply to them too! Of course, telling your co-workers that last text conversation was between you and a gerbil will make you the crazy one to avoid, so it’s doubtful this project will hit its funding target.

Pebble Watch

How could we forget the Pebble Watch? This project made Kickstarter history for not only achieving its goal of $100,000 quickly, but also surpassing it by over ten million dollars. This proves the simplest ideas tend to win out: it’s just a app-customizable smartwatch that connects to your iPhone and can alert you to the likes of incoming calls, emails and messages.

Of course there are plenty of rumors about Apple and other companies building their own iterations of smartwatches, but until those come true, this is the alternative.

Focus Microscope Camera

If you like looking at microbes and such up close wand wish to demonstrate your findings, the Focus Microscope camera puts your iPad to great use. The camera plugs into your microscope and streams to the iPad Focus app, so you can save images or make annotations or measurements. Seeing as this could be useful in not only labs and bedrooms but educational institutions, creator Exo Labs will donate a number of these apps and cameras to schools too. Best of luck to them gaining the backing needed.

The post Six Wacky and Wonderful Kickstarter Projects Using iOS Apps appeared first on Macgasm.

Though I’m usually not a huge fan of iPad sleeves, there are a few that really stick out from the crowd. One of these sleeves is the Bowden by the folks at FineGrain, a relatively new startup that focuses on iPad sleeves. The Bowden is a sleeve that is handcrafted from a mix of leather, aircraft grade aluminum and wood, giving a hip and minimalistic look.

The Bowden’s design is quite unique. To insert your iPad into the case, you’ll have to flip open the leather front flap and slide your tablet to the felt coated interior. This material ensures that the Bowden will stay free of any rough materials that could damage your iPad. The edges of the case are crafted from aluminum frames and hold together a real wooden slab that looks classy and provides protection from damage due to drops. This wooden slab also makes up the back of the case.

If you’d like to purchase a Bowden case for your iPad, expect to spend $190 via FineGrain’s website. While I do agree that this sleeve is out-of-this-world expensive, you’re getting premium materials in a very nice package. The case is also available in four different color options, each of which uses a different combination of wood type and leather color. As of now, the case is only available to iPad 2, 3 and 4 users. FineGrain has not yet started to produce this case for the iPad mini.

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We have a diverse array of apps for you this week. Fans of classic Mac OS will be entertained by our iPhone app. On the iPad we have an app to assist with that early summer star gazing. For the Mac we have a clipboard utility, and on the web we have a robot editor for your writing. Our game of the week is a look back to the classics.

iPhone/iPod Touch: Classic Note

Considering how many note taking apps that are out there, I am surprised it took this long for someone to think this up. Classic Note is a simple note taking app that recreates the look and feel of the Classic Mac OS.

If you’re looking for a serious app to manage your meeting notes, this likely isn’t for you. This app is pretty solidly in the novelty category, but it also boasts a simple calculator. The app also features a fortune generator and a game to wrangle the class Mac mascot the Dogcow.

Classic Note is $0.99 on the App Store

iPad: Sky Guide

Summer is coming in the Northern Hemisphere, which means some nice clear nights to hang out in the backyard and do some star gazing. Sky Guide is a handy app the maps the various constellations, planets, and other celestial objects.

If you live in the city, this app’s great graphics are far better than anything you’ll see in the sky. You can at least rotate around and let the app show you what you’re missing. The informational portion of the app is really in-depth. There are a lot of apps in this category, but this is among the best looking. The only drawback is that it has a soundtrack of New Age music, disable it right away.

Sky Guide is $0.99 in the App Store.

Mac: TextScrub

This might be one of those tech writer first world problems, but sometimes you just want the text you’re copying, not the array of formatting and other data that comes along for the ride. TextScrub removes that cruft with a quick keyboard shortcut, allowing you to past the plain text.

You create the custom keyboard shortcut, but if you’re more the mousing type, you can simply use the menu bar icon for TextScrub. For more common tasks you can also set it to automatically replace words in your copied text. This is a specialized but useful app.

You can grab TextScrub for $2.99 from the App Store.

Web: Slick Write

Writing is a solitary task, and often you don’t notice the small problems that can creep into your writing. Slick Write is an online editor that can help you dig into your writing. It will give you concrete statistics on your grammar, style, and complexity.

You simply go to the site, enter your text into an editor and you get back the text highlighted with your problem areas. You can than dig right into your problems, or click over and look at the raw statistics of your writing.

Slick Web is free, check it our here.

Game: B&W Dungeon

If you played games back when your only UI was a blinking cursor, B&W Dungeon should transport you instantly to the past. You name your character and venture into the dungeon with a wood stick. Repeat until you level up.

That’s really the extent of it, like that D&D campaign when the DM forgot his Ritalin, all combat. You can buy new weapons as you play through the dungeon, and you can rest at the inn. This might be the world’s most “minimal” game. For nostalgia’s sake this is a lot of fun.

B&W Dungeon is free on the App Store

The post Apps of the Week 5-17-2013 appeared first on Macgasm.

Apple’s iPad can be used in place of a lot of things, like physical books, magazines, and maps. It sounds like it can also save you a ton of cash. The U.S. Air Force is using the popular tablet to save $50 million by replacing flight manuals. Last year the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command awarded a $9.36 million contract for up to 18,000 iPads for the project. As a result, Apple’s iPad is expected to save the U.S. Air Force over $50 million in cost saving over the next ten years.

The Air Mobility Command provides Air Force cargo, passenger transport, refuelling and aeromedical evacuation services. In a phone interview with The Street, the Air Force’s Mobility Command said that using iPads instead of paper flight manuals with amount to $750,000 savings annually on fuel alone thanks to decreased weight. On top of that, not having to print flight manuals anymore will save $5 million a year.

Major Brian Moritz, manager of the AMC’s electronic flight bag program, said it will save “about 90 pounds of paper per aircraft and [limits] the need for each crew member to carry a 30 to 40 pound paper file.”

About 16,000 third-generation iPads with Retina displays are now being used by the AMC crew. The other 2,000 units have been deployed across other Air Force units.

Image Credit: TheStreet

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If you’re iTunes is a constant mess, full of duplicate songs and a ton of unnamed tracks, then check out this deal. For only $30 $5, you can pick up Leawo Tunes Cleaner for Mac and in no time your iTunes will be organized and non-headache-inducing. It’ll delete those duplicate songs, add missing album covers and artwork, and update track info. You can grab Tunes Cleaner here.

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Citing the elusive “Taiwan-based supply chain sources,” DigiTimes is reporting that AU Optronics is seeing decreased shipment orders of iPad mini panels, going from four million units in the first quarter of 2013 to 2.5-2.8 million units in the second quarter. The supplier is also rumored to be getting dropped by Apple as a major panel supplier for the next-generation iPad mini.

The iPad mini is also expected to see a drop in overall shipments of around 20-30% as we enter a period that is traditionally “a slow purchasing period for consumers.”

AU Optronics has reportedly faced issues in producing iPad mini display panels, which is why LG and Sharp might step in to replace the supplier. According to DigiTimes, AU Optrinics is “not expected” to remain an iPad mini panel supplier though.

Despite the issues that the supplier has faced, AU Optronics has still reportedly submitted panels for use in the next-iPad mini for Apple certification. So far though, sources say that LG and Sharp are the only ones that have been chosen as panel suppliers for the next-generation iPad mini.

Image Credit: Mobile Orchard

The post AU Optronics Sees Next iPad Mini Display Order Cuts, LG And Sharp To Pick Up The Slack appeared first on Macgasm.

For a limited time only, Gameloft is making two of its iOS games free. Starting today, and only for this weekend, you can download Gangster Rio: City of Saints and N.O.V.A. 3 for free if you don’t already have them downloaded.  Downloading these games this weekend will save you about $12.00. Gangster Rio normally sells for $4.00 and N.O.V.A. 3 is a “steep” $6.99. Both are universal games so they can be played on any iOS device.

Gangster Rio: City of Saints is similar to Grand Theft Auto. Set in 3D environment in Rio de Janeiro, you’ll encounter corrupt politicians that you’ll have to kill people, save witnesses, steal cars and stay alive in 60 different missions using different weapons.

N.O.V.A. 3 is a first person shooter game with 10 different levels. You can play up to 12 players in 7 different multiplayer modes. The game features in-game voice chats so you can keep in contact with friends while playing.

Both Gangster Rio: City of Saints and N.O.V.A. 3 are now available on the App Store for free this weekend only, so get ‘em while they’re hot!

Image Credit: Mob

The post Two Of Gameloft’s Games Are Free This Weekend Only appeared first on Macgasm.

It’s no secret that iOS games, and phone-based gaming in general, are the future. According to the second edition of the ongoing quarterly AppAnnie & IDC Portable Gaming Report, there is a clear shift in consumer spending from gaming-optimized handhelds to phone-based devices.

The app analysis firm looked at consumer spending on games in the fourth quarter of 2012 and compared it to the first quarter of 2013. The results showed an obvious increase in iOS game spending with a significant decrease in on traditional handheld games.

According to the report:

• iOS and Google Play both saw growth in game downloads and consumer spending
• iOS is now the leader in consumer spending on games, with Google Play likely to surpass gaming-optimized handhelds in 2Q13
• Gaming-optimized handhelds experienced significant decreases in consumer spending and packaged game shipments due to seasonality

iOS and Android gaming isn’t really affected by “seasonality” since developers put new games out throughout the whole year.

Image Credit: Mashable

The post Report: Gamers Spend More Money On iOS Games Than Handheld Games appeared first on Macgasm.

If there’s one thing that leaves me scratching my head with OS X’s Finder, it’s the lack of a display for the size of folders and subsequent files within them. It drives me crazy.

Yesterday, on LifeHacker, there was a snazzy little tip that turns on the size readings and I thought I’d pass it along.

1. Open a Finder window
2. Switch to List View
3. Click on the Gear icon
4. Click on Show View Options in the menu
5. Check the box titled, ‘Calculate All Sizes’

Why this isn’t on by default absolutely boggles the mind.

The post Show Folder Sizes In Finder Once And For All appeared first on Macgasm.

Though Apple was already tangling with the DOJ over alleged pricing fixing in the iBooks store, Tim Cook is set to testify in front of the Senate next week regarding tax reform. At issue is Apple’s vast overseas cash stores, something many senators feel is a tax avoidance scheme.

Tim Cook was quoted in a Politico article, ““I can tell you unequivocally Apple does not funnel its domestic profits overseas. We don’t do that. We pay taxes on all the products we sell in the U.S., and we pay every dollar that we owe. And so I’d like to be really clear on that.”

This is a bit of a change for Apple, a company that hasn’t traditionally played a big role in Washington. In the last year the company has spent nearly a million dollars launching its lobbying efforts, and it appears that Cook is prepared to make a charm offensive. He is quick to point out that Apple is not only one of the largest US taxpayers, but it was also investing $100 million in US manufacturing.

It appears that Apple is suffering from being the big kid on the block. The senators feel that the tech industry as a whole uses offshore holdings to avoid taxes. Cook is joining in the chorus of voices in tech that are asking for clearer tax rules, and help bring their tax burdens in line with overseas competitors.

The post Tim Cook speaks out about taxes appeared first on Macgasm.

As if things couldn’t get worse for Nintendo, Kotaku has just confirmed, straight from EA, that the company does not have any games in development for the Nintendo Wii U.

From to Kotaku:

We have no games in development for the Wii U currently,” company spokesperson Jeff Brown told Kotaku yesterday. He did not rule out the chances of EA developing for the Wii U again. EA publishes many of gaming’s biggest franchises, including Madden, The Sims, andBattlefield.

Nintendo recently lowered its sales forecast for its hardware,  and has only managed to sell 3.45 million consoles worldwide from November 2012 until March 31, 2013.

Though EA made a few games for the Wii U early on, this move parallels a similar situation that played out years ago with the Sega Dreamcast in 1999.

EA decided to stop supporting the console entirely, figuring it wouldn’t be worth its efforts, and recouping costs would be unlikely. The Dreamcast ended up being Sega’s last console, despite a bevy of quality, albeit niche, titles.

This is not a telltale sign that Nintendo’s fate will be the same as the one that plagued its competitor; Sega’s problems were building for years. Ultimately, the first time around the move led to Sega leaving the console behind them, and eventually developing games for iOS.

I’m not going to lie, Nintendo games for iOS would be amazing.

The post Confirmed: EA Not Currently Developing Games For The Wii U appeared first on Macgasm.

If you’re a music enthusiast, chances are you like to listen to music when you’re on the go. And while you probably use headphones to fulfill this need, they can’t be used when hanging out with music-loving friends and family when at the park or beach. In these types of situations, you’ll probably want to use a Bluetooth speaker to play music. Unfortunately, most Bluetooth speaker options on the market are pretty expensive with some retailing for over $200. However, the folks at Divoom are aiming to fix this issue with the $80 Onbeat-200.

The Onbeat-200 is a Bluetooth and AUX compatible portable speaker. It’s designed similar to the ever so popular Jawbone Jambox, though it has rounded edges. The device’s audio controls are on the top and allow you to control volume and perform other functions. The Onbeat-200 is available in a variety of color options including blue, red, black and silver.

As far as audio quality goes, the Onbeat-200 looks to pack a punch for its price tag. The speaker can output 8W of audio and features 50mm drivers with a passive bass radiator. The speaker is powered by a rechargeable battery that can last through roughly 6-hours of music playtime or 8-hours of speakerphone usage.

Not only can you use the Onbeat-200 for listening to music, but you can use it as a speakerphone as well. When connected to a smartphone, users can use the speaker’s built-in microphone to talk to friends, family and colleagues.

The post Play Your Tunes Wirelessly With The Onbeat-200 appeared first on Macgasm.

The Angry Birds phenomena is everywhere. From shirts, to toys, to blankets, to TV shows and commercial, and of course any system that plays games, those infuriated birds are easy to find. Now the birds have been confirmed to be coming to the big screen, with Sony Pictures Entertainment announcing that they have signed on to distribute the film.

Not much is currently known about the movie, besides that its anticipated release date is set for July 1, 2016 and that it will be in 3D. Gamespot also reports that Iron Man producer David Maisel will be working on the project as executive producer and that Despicable Me producer John Cohen will also be helping produce the film. The film itself will be self-produced by the game’s developer Rovio, who has its own large video animation team.

Sony Pictures reportedly won the rights to the film through a bidding war with several other movie studios. Sony Pictures’ CEO and co-chairman Amy Pascal released a statement sharing their excitement over the acquisition.

“”Every studio in town would love to add Angry Birds to their slate. There are few titles out there that bring this kind of excitement, brand awareness and built-in audience to the table. We’re thrilled to be distributing this film and we hope this is just the beginning of what will be a long relationship with Rovio as we look for ways to work on future projects together.”

Banking on Angry Birds and 3D to still be hugely popular in 2016 sounds like a slight gamble to me, but people sure damn love those birds.

The post The Angry Birds Movie Is Happening, Coming To Theatres in 2016 appeared first on Macgasm.

Apple has released another minor update for iTunes, this time with a couple visual enhancements.

The biggest update of iTunes 11.0.3 comes to MiniPlayer, the tiny sized iTunes player that lets you play songs without having the fullscreen iTunes open. Besides general aesthetic improvements, MiniPlayer now comes with a new, slightly larger view that also incorporates album artwork. You can also now see a song’s progress bar within iTunes.

Other improvements include the ability to see album artwork when browsing through the Songs list, better support for multi-disc albums, and some typical bug fixes.

This version of iTunes comes with several new features and improvements, including:

• New MiniPlayer. MiniPlayer now includes a beautiful new view that showcases your album artwork. In addition, a progress bar is now built right into MiniPlayer.
• Improved Songs View. You can now enjoy your album artwork while in Songs view.
• Multi-Disc Albums. Albums with multiple discs now appear as a single album.

This update also provides performance improvements when searching and sorting large iTunes libraries.”

There you have it. Get your update on…

The post iTunes 11.0.3 Released, Brings Better MiniPlayer And Songs View appeared first on Macgasm.

Google has announced a number of new apps for Google Glass, joining the currently incredibly short list of Path and The New York Times. Google says that apps for Facebook, Twitter, CNN, Tumblr, Evernote and Elle will all be available for Glass users starting today.

With the Facebook app, Glass users will now be able to upload photos they take directly to Facebook, rather than the current default Google+.

The Twitter app will allow users to select certain people that they want to receive tweets pop-up from, as well as letting users transcribe their own tweets with voice.

With Evernote, users will be able to create notes from their desktops using Evernote and then save them to be viewed on Google Glass later. An example would be creating your shopping list online, then having it in front of your eyes at the grocery store thanks to Glass.

The CNN app will let you pick what type of news updates you want to see, such as technology or politics, and it will then send them to you at a specified time of day. Users will then be able to read or hear a summary of the story, as well as watch an associated video clip.

The Tumblr app simply allows you to view a person’s Tumblr feed.

The Elle app will give you extensive options for reading the magazine, such as letting you choose your preferred section of the magazine, letting you swipe through photos from a story, reading stories to you aloud, letting you save a story for later or share it with a friend etc… There will also be a dedicated team at Elle making edited down Glass versions of posts for quick consumption.

Another app talked about is called “Ice Breaker” which encourages you to go up to other Glass wearers in real life and take pictures with them to earn points. You then also rate the conversation you had with the person. It’s an interesting and entirely creepy sounding idea.

It’s good to finally hear about some new apps, since they will surely end up deciding whether Glass succeeds or not.

The post Facebook, Twitter, CNN, Tumblr And Other Apps Unveiled For Google Glass At Google I/O appeared first on Macgasm.

I’ve had a long relationship with Realmac Software, and their applications. The first time I came across one of their products with Little Snapper, which I’m pretty sure showed up in my email because of a MacHeist bundle I had purchased early on in my Mac life.

Since then, I’ve come to rely on Courier for moving files around to multiple web services, and Analog for our header images on Macgasm. Let’s not forget about Clear either, that’s a fine, fine application.

This week, Dan Counsell and his team at Realmac Software released a teaser about a soon to be released iOS application called Analog Camera.

I thought it would be a good time to send him some questions about his new app, his company, and where he sees this industry going in the future.

Q: There’s probably a bazillion filter apps, and camera apps on the App Store for iOS and the iPhone in particular, why release a competitor now?

A: For a while now the trend in camera apps has been to add as many features as possible, it’s like they are in an arms race. We’ve taken exactly the opposite approach, and removed all but the essential features and focused on making an app that’s quick and fun to use.

Q: None seem to be as simple and straight forward as Analog Camera. What lessons have you learned from Clear that you were able to apply to this particular project?

A: Don’t be afraid to throw out features and strip things back to the essentials.

Q: Everyone’s relying pretty heavily on Apps and web services these days for their photos. Having a 17 month old daughter, close to 99.9% of all of the photos I’ve taken of her are on my phone or in the cloud. Am I setting myself up for misery for trusting them there? How do you save your precious photos and videos?

A: Probably, especially if it’s a free service. I store all my Photos in Aperture, and use TimeMachine and CrashPlanPro to backup everything – You can never have too many backups!

Q: Analog camera seems to have (feel free to correct me) the typical sharing features –– Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, etc –– can we expect an iPad app too, more in line with the desktop version of Analog, that will let us send photos there for editing on a bigger screen?

A: I couldn’t possibly comment on that at this time, but I will say that I’m a strong believer in the iPad being a great replacement for the Mac.

Q: I’m a huge fan of most of your apps. It all started with Little Snapper, then followed up with Courier, Analog and now Clear. There seems to be a focus change underway from focusing on Mac apps to iOS apps for a lot of developers lately, including you guys. With the new Analog for iOS release, can we expect that trend to continue at Realmac Software?

A: Not at all, it just so happens that a few of our iOS projects are finishing up right now, so they’ll be first out the door. Later this year we’ll have plenty to talk about on the Mac.

Q: Is it less profitable, and a bigger risk these days to develop for the Mac?

A: I don’t think so, on the Mac it’s the same as it’s ever was. I think it’s far more risky to develop for iOS, competition is fierce and it’s much harder to stand out from the crowd.

Q: Have any exciting new projects on the horizon for the Mac?

A: Yup.

Q: Do you think we’re on a collision course with the PC? Can people really live their lives with nothing but a phone and tablet?

A: Without a doubt. Right now it’s harder for content creators, such as designers and coders but it’s getting easier everyday. Tablets area still very much in their infancy, and while Macs are not going away anytime soon, I can easily see a future without them.

Q: How does that influence your decision to build new apps?

A: It doesn’t really, as a company we’re committed to fully supporting both Mac and iOS.

Q: If you were starting-up Realmac Software today, would you start with building Mac apps or iOS apps?

A: I love both platforms and I’ve always been a diehard Apple fan and still am. But if I’m honest I think it’d be iOS first.

Q: Or, what about web apps? There was a post on your blog from Ben that explained why Native apps were winning these days. Is there any hope for web apps at all, or is it a lot of wishful thinking?

A: For the foreseeable future it’s just wishful thinking in my opinion. Users want great experiences and only native apps can truly offer that. I mean, when was the last time you used a web app that offered a better experience than a native app?

Q: What are you rocking on your home screen?

A: Evernote, 1Password, Fantastical, Pocket, Flipboard, Instagram, Analog, and Clear.

Q: What’s your most used app (excluding Realmac Software applications) these days?

A: Don’t know, possibly Mail.app, Safari, or Photoshop, or maybe iTunes… they are all open pretty much 24/7.

Realmac Software will be taking on some monstrous competitors with Analog Camera in the coming days. We’re big fans of their apps around here, and we certainly wish them the best of luck with anything they plan on releasing in the near future.

The post Interview With Realmac Software’s Dan Counsell appeared first on Macgasm.

Apple has reportedly submitted plans to open a new store in San Francisco’s Union Square, replacing the current flagship location it has on Stockton and Ellis just a few blocks away.

The new location will be both bigger and will feature a much more unique design, with glass making up the entirety of the building’s front facing wall. The store will be roughly 45% bigger than its old location, and will go from 350 employees to 400.

The old store has been in operation for nine years, and is one of the three total Apple stores located within the city.

City officials are reportedly excited about the move, hoping that it will bring significant amounts of business to Union Square thanks to all the additional foot traffic.

Apple is likely making the move to deal with its problem of being “too popular” and having too much of a crowded location, something that Tim Cook stated has been a problem with a number of Apple’s stores.

The post Apple Relocating Flagship Store In San Francisco, Giving It A Glass Makeover appeared first on Macgasm.

Pudding Monsters, the deliciously addictive puzzle game for iOS, has been updated. In this release, you’ll see brand new levels with the Sky High update as the Pudding Monsters are venturing outside for a whole new adventure.

The app, made by Zeptolab, the same creators of Cut the Rope, was first released last December and got its first update in February, which brought the Monsters to the city.

In this update, you’ll see the Pudding Monsters hitting the great outdoors as you help them climb mountains and reach for the sky in 25 new Sky View levels. The new levels introduce a brand new monster, Mr. Powerlifter Monster, and challenging new gameplay elements.

Pudding Monsters for the iPhone and iPad are usually priced at $1.99 each, but until May 22 you can get both versions of the game for free with Apple’s App of the Week promotion.

The post Pudding Monsters Gets 25 New Levels, Free For The First Time appeared first on Macgasm.

Amazon has announced that it will be bringing more NBC shows to its Prime Instant Video thanks to an expanded content licensing agreement with NBCUniversal & New Media Distribution.

All previous seasons are exclusive to Amazon and Prime subscribers will have access to the following:

• NBC’s dark fantasy drama Grimm, based on the collection of Grimm Fairy Tales, available today
• USA Network’s legal drama Suits and serialized spy thriller Covert Affairs, available today
• NBC’s new psychological thriller Hannibal, based on the novels by Thomas Harris and produced byGaumont International Television, available later this year
• Syfy’s new futuristic sci-fi and drama series Defiance, available early next year

“Our expanded agreement with NBCUniversal gives Prime members access to even more exclusive content that they can stream instantly, at no additional cost. Compelling shows like Covert Affairs, Defiance, Grimm, Hannibal and Suits are big wins for our customers and we look forward to adding more titles soon,” explained Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon.

Amazon’s Prime Instant Video offers more than 40,000 movies and TV shows. An annual subscription costs $79 a year.

Image Credit: Caprica TV

The post Amazon Adds More NBC Shows To Prime Instant Video Streaming Cataloge appeared first on Macgasm.

Moving to the cloud makes everything easier. Having all of your files accessible on every device you use throughout your week just makes sense. MacMate offers easy-to-use cloud storage, but they don’t stop there, because MacMate also covers your web hosting, email, graphic galleries and more. Normally cloud services like this don’t come cheap, but for a limited time, you can get 2 years of cloud service with MacMate for only $59. That’s 85% off the regular price of $398. You can get your MacMate Pro Plan here.

The post Deal: Get 2 Years Of Cloud Service With MacMate At A Huge Discount appeared first on Macgasm.

Apple has released an official statement announcing the winner of the $10,000 iTunes gift card for downloading the 50 billionth app from the App Store.

The winner is Brandon Ashmore of Mentor, Ohio. The landmark app download that he downloaded was Say the Same by Space Inch, LLC.

Apple revealed that customers were downloading more than 800 apps per second at a rate of over two billion apps per month on the App Store.

“Apple would like to thank our incredible customers and developers for topping 50 billion apps downloaded,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, said. “The App Store completely transformed how people use their mobile devices and created a thriving app ecosystem that has paid out over nine billion dollars to developers. We’re absolutely floored to cross this milestone in less than five years.”

The following 50 customers to download apps will also receive $500 gift certificates. Apple officially reached this milestone yesterday, having started the promo on May 2.

The post Apple Announces The Winner Of $10,000 iTunes Gift Card appeared first on Macgasm.

Rovio has finally released the much teased update for the Angry Birds Seasons app. The update brings 36 new “magical” levels where the bad piggies are making eggs disappear.

An exciting new feature in these levels is the new magic portals, which sucks the birds in one end and shoots them out the other. There are 36 new levels, plus six more unlockable stages.

The levels are carnival themed and the magic portals bring a whole new twist to the Angry Birds Seasons. There’s also a new power-up called AllakaBAM, which is a magic box that explodes when you hit it.

The addition of the portals was first teased by Rovio a few weeks ago with an interesting video that was posted on Twitter.

Rovio’s new carnival-themed season is now available in the App Store. It’s free for those who already bought the game or it can be downloaded for $0.99 for the iPhone or $2.99 on the iPad.

The post New Abra-Ca-Bacon Levels Added To Angry Birds Seasons appeared first on Macgasm.

I love a good fight. I’ve been in a few myself on Twitter. Yesterday was a different kind of fight altogether as Google’s IO conference was streaming across the globe. Nerds everywhere were singing praises, or hurdling damning tweets in Google’s direction, but they were doing it in parallel.

I fall somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to my opinions about IO yesterday, and found the bickering to be somewhat amusing. I took to Twitter to joke about it, and Victor Agreda Jr., Editor-In-Chief over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog, shared the video above with me.

He couldn’t be more right.

The post Funny: This Is Exactly What It Was Like On Twitter During Google IO Yesterday appeared first on Macgasm.

Anomaly 2 has just been released for Mac, Linux and PC users via Steam. Sequel to the iOS hit Anomaly Warzone Earth, the game is currently retailing for $13.49, though the price will rise to $15.00 next week. This deal is available on both Steam and directly from the developer’s store.

Anomaly 2 is a tower defense/offense game in which you defend the human race from extinction from a horde of aliens. While the game may look like a traditional tower defense game, it sure doesn’t feel like one due to its fast-paced nature and action packed world of vehicles, power-ups, and morphing war mechs. Anomaly 2 includes both a single-player campaign and a multiplayer battle mode. When playing multiplayer, you can choose to be either the human race or an evil pack of aliens.

Since its days on iOS, Anomaly 2 now runs on a new and improved graphics engine, making the entire world more beautiful. However, even with the new graphics engine, most Mac users will be able to run the game due to the fact that Anomaly 2 only requires 2GB of RAM, a 2.4GHz Intel dual-core CPU and a 512MB of graphics memory.

Via: Cult of Mac

The post Anomaly 2 Out For Mac, Linux and PC appeared first on Macgasm.

Not everyone has a smartphone, but Verizon is helping push people in that direction. Gotta Be Mobile has received confirmation that Verizon will be offering a 50% discount on the 16 GB iPhone 5 to select customers. Who qualifies as a select customer? Well, according to Verizon the company is only targeting people who are looking to upgrade from their dumbphones. People rocking retro phones from the 90s and early 2000s will be offered the iPhone 5 for $99.99.

Most of the money spent on a cell phone is for the service plan, but people still balk at the upfront cost of buying the device. This temporary deal will help ease people into their first smartphone purchase, and usher in a contract long remorse once they see their first bill.

The deal is presumably not being done to clear inventory; it’s only a temporary deal and Apple will likely continue to sell the iPhone 5 when the next iPhone launches later this year.

The next iPhone is rumored to be announced at WWDC, but will probably instead be announced some time in the fall, as Apple has wisely moved their key product announcements to the fall in order to sync up with the Christmas buying season.

The post A Sweet iPhone 5 Deal for Select Verizon Customers appeared first on Macgasm.

If you’re an avid cyclist, chances are you carry a U-lock to keep your bicycle secure when running into the grocery store or your favorite coffee shop. While U-locks do a nice job of protecting your bicycle, they can be pretty heavy and can be awkward to carry on a U-lock holder that attaches to your bike frame. However, the folks at Incase have developed a new messenger bag that can not only hold your gadgets, but your U-lock as well.

The Range Messenger by Incase is a weatherproof messenger bag designed for cycling. It’s made with a twill material and is coated with a tarp liner that ensures your MacBook and iPad will stay free from water when you have to make your commute home in the rain. The bag’s strap is padded and has a stabilizer to keep your bag centered on your back.

As far as pockets go, the Range Messenger has an external pocket that’s used for storing and carrying U-locks. This gives you easy access to your lock and lets you carry it without having to strap it to your belt. Internally, the bag has a padded, zipper pocket that can store up to a 15-inch MacBook Pro. The bag also has a large center compartment and two smaller pockets that allow you to store your iPad and other essentials.

Beyond the U-lock holder, the Range Messenger has a few other perks for cyclists as well. The bag is highly reflective, allowing motorists on the road to easily see you in the dark. The bag also has a clip that can be used to hold bike lights.

If you’d like to purchase a Range Messenger for yourself, you’ll have to drop roughly $120 for one via Amazon.com. Incase also makes a Range Messenger for the 13-inch MacBook Pro that retails for $90. The bag is available in both green and black.

The post The Range Messenger Gives You Easy Access To Your Gadgets And Bike Lock appeared first on Macgasm.

Here is a smartphone with an interesting, but old-tech kind of feature: NEC has just announced the Medias X 06E, an Android device that is the world’s first smartphone with a water-cooled CPU. Oh, and its also targeted towards women.

The goal of a water-cooled CPU is to keep heat away from the CPU so it can run at higher speeds without overheating. Running at an optimal temperature is important for any device, though your typical gadget today does not need nearly as much cooling as a PC from the early 2000s.

What makes this a phone for women? It has 2 different light-up pendants, which include a Tokyo Skytree and an earring. The phone also comes in both pink and white colors.

I know that you are probably wondering if water-cooling is even necessary in this phone, and frankly we have no idea. But, other smartphones with the same quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor haven’t needed to include any type of water cooling system to keep temperatures down.

It kind of makes the addition of water-cooling more of a spec boasting, chest-thumping claim to fame than anything included out of necessity.   For anyone interested, NEC’s newest creation is only available in Japan and will launch on NTT Docomo in June.

Also, Dafuq?

The post Introducing The World’s First Water-Cooled Smartphone appeared first on Macgasm.

Apple has just announced that the App Store has hit 50 billion application downloads, ending the $10,000 iTunes gift card giveaway promo. This promotion was announced on May 2nd and was set to end whenever the App Store hit the 50 billion download mark. The person who downloaded the 50 billionth app will receive a $10,000 gift card, while 50 others will receive $500 gift certificates.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Apple run promotions for its milestone download numbers. The company celebrated in a similar way for its 25 billionth app download, which took place just 14 months ago. We’ve also seen the company celebrate iTunes music store milestones with giveaways.

Apple released the following statement on the 50 billion app download page:

It’s official—the 50 billionth app has been downloaded. Check back soon when we announce the winner of the $10,000 App Store Card. Plus, check out the most popular paid and free apps—each one having played a big role in achieving this historic benchmark.

Apple has yet to announce the winner of the 50 billion application download promotion, but we’ll let you know when the name is announced.

The post App Store Hits 50 Billion Downloads, Promo Winner Not Yet Announced appeared first on Macgasm.

If you’re looking to add blank spaces to your iOS home screen, instead of having all the applications line up one after another, a newly found bug in iOS has made it possible.

1. Put your apps in this order in the bottom row of an iOS page: App, Group with two apps in it, app, app.
2. Move an app out of the folder, and onto the last app in the row to create a new folder.
3. While maintaining your touch on the screen, drag the application back to its original position.
4. Go back to the newly created folder, tap and hold the application inside it, and move it to the location where you want the space to appear on your home screen.

Boom.

Frankly, it’s completely asinine that we even have to do this sort of thing to get a spacer onto our home screens.  This is a great find by Dom Esposito over at App Advice.

Via App Advice

The post How To Add Blank Spaces To Your Home Screen Without Jailbreaking appeared first on Macgasm.

If you’re a big fan of Google, today is basically your Superbowl. Google held its annual Google I/O event today, and with it came a number of big announcements from the tech giant.

Starting off with a hardware announcement, Google unveiled its next Nexus phone, which turns out to actually just be a rebranded Samsung Galaxy S4. The device will feature the same hardware as the recently released Galaxy S4; however, in typical Nexus fashion, the OS will run a stock Android experience. The device will come completely unlocked and will be able to run on both T-Mobile and AT&T’s LTE networks. The device, which is yet to have an official name, is set to go on sale June 26th for $649.

Google’s Music Streaming Service

Image Credit: http://www.androidcentral.com/google-play-music-all-access-unveiled

Another big announcement out of the conference was Google’s new music streaming service Google Play Music All Access. The service is designed to rival sites like Spotify and Rdio, and will cost users a monthly subscription fee of $9.99. The service acts as an extension of the existing Google Play music store, with members getting access to unlimited music on their desktops and Android devices. The service will also put emphasis on guiding users to recommended music that they haven’t heard before. Another cool feature is that when using the app on Android, it will seamlessly merge the user’s song library on his phone with the service’s online streaming library. Google also took a slight jab at Apple’s rumored ad-driven music service, touting how the app can let users create their own radio stations with their favorite artists, without any ads or restrictions. Those interested can sign up for a free 30 day trial right here. (U.S. users only for now, sorry)

Google Plus Design Overhaul And New Photo Features

Google’s social network Google+ is also receiving a major update, complete with an overhauled layout and significant improvements to photos. The new design features a 3 card layout, that has 3 horizontal columns giving users more information to see on screen and getting rid of the old vertical list of posts. It also puts more of an emphasis on photos and video. Google has also added some flashy animations to the desktop version, such as having cards literally flip over to reveal the comments section.

Photos have also gotten significant updates in the Google+ update. Whenever users upload new pictures, they’ll have the option to automatically use a new feature called Auto Enhance, which essentially just adjusts sliders like brightness, contrast, saturation etc… to make for a better looking picture. Google also showed off how the feature will remove things like zits from an image. Another cool feature is “Auto Awesome”, which automatically does a number of cool things depending on the photos you upload. It will automatically make a GIF for you if you upload a sequence of pictures taken in a short time and if you upload a number of similar group pictures, it will provide you with one perfect group picture that ensures every one is smiling. The feature “Auto Highlight” will make sure that if you upload an album with a ton of pictures, the best quality ones will be prominently shown off while blurry ones will not.

Massive Google Maps Redesign

Next is Google Maps, which will be receiving a massive update to the desktop version. Maps is getting a complete redesign that will incorporate the entire page of your web browser, and a major focus on having Maps get more intelligent the more you use it is being put into effect. It will do things like make a nearby bowling alley more visible on the map if you search for a bar that is close to it. It will also make locations you frequent like your house and work more prominent on the map so that you can use them as landmarks when going somewhere. Google says that it’s adding a ton of new features like this with the intention that the average user doesn’t even notice them, rather that they just subconsciously use them. The new version of Maps is currently in a preview build that people can sign up for to help get it ready for public release. Here’s a video that shows you what the new Maps is all about.

Hangouts Messaging Service For iOS And Android

Google also announced the release of the new Hangouts app, available today on iOS and Android. The app is essentially a unified messenging app made to replace Google Talk, Google+ Messenger and the old Google+ hangout video chat feature. Download it today and watch the video here to see what it’s all about.

While those are what we thought were the biggest announcements out of Google’s I/O, other announcements included “Google Play services,” which is pretty much Google’s version of Game Center for Android and newly announced functionality for Google’s Siri competitor Google Now, bringing things like Public Transit Support and the ability to make reminders.

If you have some spare time, you can watch the full event right here.

The post Google I/O: Everything You Need To Know From A New Nexus Phone To A Massive Google Maps Redesign appeared first on Macgasm.

If you’re like us, and just finished watching the epic-length fireside at Google IO where Larry Page waxed philosophical about interoperability and not always being about the money, this next bit of news may have you scratching your head.

According to The Verge, Google has demanded that Microsoft remove its YouTube application from Windows Phone because it doesn’t show advertisements:

Google’s complaint centers on the lack of ads in Microsoft’s YouTube app, something it claims is a direct violation of the terms and conditions of the company’s YouTube API. The Verge has learned that Microsoft created the app without Google’s consent with features that specifically prevent ads from playing. The lack of ads clearly hits Google’s own revenues, but also those of its third-party content creators that are paid through the company’s AdSense program.

Well now I’m conflicted. Which is it? Should we live on Google’s fantasy island without rules and regulations, or should we live in a world where companies have their hands held behind their backs because of lawyers and laws? It sounds to me like Larry Page, despite his excellent fireside comments about the state of technology, may be a little bit confused himself these days.

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Microsoft Points, Microsoft’s controversial virtual currency system for the Xbox, seems like it’s on the way out. The Verge is reporting that Microsoft plans to switch over to a gift card system like Apple’s iTunes gift cards that uses real currency as opposed to Microsoft’s magical fairy money.

Microsoft Points have been criticized for trying to trick people into spending more money than they think they are. Instead of spending $1 on the Xbox Marketplace, Microsoft has its users spend 80 Microsoft Points. This makes it harder to realize how much money you’re actually spending, and makes it harder to tell how much things in the store actually cost. If the average user sees a game in the store that costs 2400 Microsoft Points, they’re going to have no idea how much that actually is in real dollars.

Microsoft is reportedly planning to get rid of this system, however, as they plan to adopt a gift card method that uses real currency. Customers would go to the store and buy a $20 Microsoft Card, that would not only allow them to buy things on the Xbox Marketplace, but also the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store.

The switch in currency would likely be set to happen in time for the release of Microsoft’s next Xbox console, which is expected to be released sometime this fall.

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