Macgasm

To be honest, I hate screen shields and can’t think of anyone who doesn’t. Unfortunately, I still use them so I don’t have to be in constant fear of scratching my iPhone when throwing it into my pocket with my keys. So while I was aimlessly browsing the web for an alternative way to protect my iPhone’s screen, I just so happened to come across the Spigen SGP GLAS.t screen shield which has made me completely change my negative view towards screen shields.

iPhone with the GLAS.t Installed

If you couldn’t tell from the title, the GLAS.t is made from real glass. This glass feels and looks almost identical to the iPhone’s original glass screen, and everyone I’ve shown it to agrees. The glass is tempered, however, to avoid slicing your finger if cracked. In my testing, I’ve yet to have the GLAS.t crack or chip even after a (unintentional) three foot drop onto concrete. While the GLAS.t won’t prevent a minor heart attack after dropping your iPhone, I can assure you it will protect your iPhone’s screen.

GLAS.t Installation Kit

The GLAS.t makes your iPhone slightly thicker, but it’s not enough to make the iPhone incompatible with cases. The only problem I’ve come across when using the GLAS.t is that the home button becomes recessed and hard to press. Fortunately for us, Spigen has their bases covered by supplying six raised home button stickers, making the home button easier to press. These stickers also add a bit of style, as Spigen includes four different colored home buttons: green, pink, black and white.

The GLAS.t is extremely easy to install. Instead of messing around with a flimsy piece of plastic, you’re given a solid sheet of glass. This makes aligning and installing the GLAS.t simple. The GLAS.t also includes an alcohol swab, microfiber cleaning cloth and a squeegee to make sure your iPhone is completely clean before installation and bubble free after installation.

Now that we’ve covered the many “pros” of the GLAS.t, let’s go over the very few cons. To start, the GLAS.t costs an arm and a leg at $27.99 for the iPhone 4/4S and $69.99 for the upcoming iPad model. This is definitely a tough price to swallow, considering all you’re buying is a screen shield and installation kit.

All in all, the Spigen SGP GLAS.t screen shield for the iPhone 4/4S is a must have for any iPhone user who wants to fully protect his or her investment. While the GLAS.t is pretty expensive, it all pays off in the end by allowing you to fully enjoy the glass beauty of your iPhone with no compromises. If you want to pick the GLAS.t up for yourself, head over to Spigen’s website.

About computers and music
There was a time when learning an instrument was a pretty straightforward venture: Pick it up, practice, sound horrible for a while and, if you keep at it, eventually improve. This reliable maxim took a side-trip as computers started playing a significant role in the creation and shaping of music over the last 40 years. Now, if one is willing to surrender some nuances of individual expression to let computers automate certain musical formulas (like timing and tuning), computers can turn the average joe into a Hipster Stravinski.

Interestingly, we seem to be okay with taking short-cuts to musical genius. Even Apple’s GarageBand (especially the iOS version) is loaded with “Here, let me make this easier for you” options that encourage novices to enjoy the thrill of making music. And not only is there nothing wrong with that, but it could potentially whet a talented person’s appetite for going further. In short: It’s a good thing.

Propellerhead’s Figure is designed with a sublime grasp on how to make music creation intuitive and simple while still producing euphonic and emotive results. It’s sole focus on techno sounds makes it better than GarageBand as a resource for beginners to get a taste of musicianship (so long as they like techno music). Alas, Figure does lack a few key features that GarageBand doesn’t and is therefore relegated to the C-list of iOS music doo-dads.

And that’s a shame.

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A few weeks ago I wrote a review of Remarks, a PDF-based note taking and markup application for the iPad. In the review I wrote that the software becomes really useful when using a stylus, because it allows for natural handwriting and that it’s also very useful when editing and marking up PDFs.

The stylus I’m using is the Cosmonaut by Studio Neat. This pen for capacitive touchscreens started as a Kickstarter project and received tremendous support, mostly — and rightfully — because of the great success the two inventors had with their first Kickstarter project, the Glif. In December 2011, the first styluses were shipped out to customers. I bought mine about two months ago and these are my impressions. [...]

I love Instagram because of its retro filters, stellar interface and awesome social integration. In fact, some of the best pictures I’ve ever taken are on my Instagram account. This is because I love snapping tons of on-the-go photos with Instagram and sending them off to my Twitter and Facebook profiles. Unfortunately, not everybody has a Facebook or Twitter account, making it hard to share your creative Instagram shots with them. This is when Postagram comes into play.

Postagram is a neat Instagram app that allows you to instantly mail postcards to your friends and relatives for a minimal price. Below, I will be giving you an in-depth look at this application as well as the process of ordering a postcard.

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The new iPad has been out for a couple of days now, and while most early adopters have had their minds made up since the announcement a couple of weeks ago, there are still a lot of people on the fence about whether or not the new iPad is worth the upgrade. Instead of giving you just one opinion throughout the review, Grant Brunner and myself teamed up to provide you with a collborative review of the new iPad. Who says what isn’t that important, but we’re hoping that it provides a more even keel to our review. We also provide three very distinct conclusions in our footer so you can see what a few of our writers think about the new iPad.

We hope you enjoy what we have to say. Let’s get started.
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A few weeks ago Readdle, the company behind apps like PDF Expert for iPad, released an app called Remarks, a highly flexible note taking app that stores your notes as PDF files.

One feature that didn’t make it into version 1.0 of the application was the ability to synchronise folders from Dropbox or WebDAV servers with the app. Last week Readdle notified us that an update was available, adding this functionality and a few other tweaks. So let’s take a look at this app.

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Two days ago Fishlabs released an update to its award winning game Galaxy on Fire 2 HD. The update added two in app purchases: The long-awaited ‘Valkyrie’ extension and the ‘Kaamo Club’. After already having completely reworked the basic Galaxy on Fire 2 to take advantage of the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S’s improved graphics capabilities, the developers have now performed their magic on the extension.

The Valkyrie extension has been available for the standard definition version of the game for a while, adding a new storyline, new star systems, new equipment and new ships to the already deep game.

The Kaamo Club, which had been introduced with the release of the Valkyrie extension in the SD version, is basically your own space station. There you can store ships, equipment and resources, giving you a handy place to build and finish all the nice blueprints for equipment that you can collect throughout the game.

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You may not be old enough to remember the popular ghetto blaster, which could be described as one of the most recognizable icons of the 80s, and if that’s true, iHome would like to introduce you to their version of the boombox, the glorious iP4. This over the top (in every way that is awesome) contraption is a mashup of new school technology and old school styling.

Having actually had the priviledge to carry around a ghetto blaster back in the day, the iHome iP4 is a welcome throwback to a simpler time, clad in zebra print and head spins.  The unit is deceptively lightweight, ringing in at 7.5 pounds, and is clad in a rubber material that has a truly unique “give” feel to it.  The iP4 also comes with a handy shoulder strap for when your arm gets tired of holding it next to your head! Oh and of course, you can keep the jams going when you’re on the move via 6 D-sized batteries.

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