Apple

For only US$0.99, the OS X Farensius app is just adorable. It adds a current weather indicator to your menu bar, and offers an optional 5-day forecast in its drop-down. It's exactly what I've been missing on my desktop. I have it set to...
For only US$0.99, the OS X Farensius app is just adorable. It adds a current weather indicator to your menu bar, and offers an optional 5-day forecast in its drop-down. It's exactly what I've been missing on my desktop. I have it set to update every five minutes, and with a tiny glance up and to the right, I can keep track of the current temperature. Farensius is one of two related apps. Its big brother, Farensius Desktop ($1.99) adds the forecast to your desktop wallpaper. For me, my bland white desktop background is a necessity -- so I'm sticking with the basic app for now. Those looking for a whimsical weather-themed backdrop, however, will enjoy this. Not everything was, unfortunately -- and if you forgive the pun, sunny. Farensius Desktop struggled with my multi-monitor set-up, insisting on placing its background only on my secondary monitor. What's more, when I tried adding custom backdrops, the app crashed several times. I had no issues with the menu-bar-only version, which is even now running on my desktop.Farensius adds weather to your Mac menu bar originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 25 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
31 minutes ago
Yahoo has reportedly entered a bid to buy Internet television service Hulu, according to reports. The web giant submitted a bid for Hulu on Friday, sources tell AllThingsD, though the dollar figure for Yahoo's bid was unknown. Should Yah...
Yahoo has reportedly entered a bid to buy Internet television service Hulu, according to reports. The web giant submitted a bid for Hulu on Friday, sources tell AllThingsD, though the dollar figure for Yahoo's bid was unknown. Should Yahoo win the bidding process, Hulu would mark the second large acquisition the company has made since CEO Marissa Mayer came to the helm of the firm....
about 2 hours ago
If you’ve been wishing for an easy way to charge your smartphone when you’re on the go, look no further because now you can with this portable PowerBar smartphone charger offer courtesy of Cult of Mac Deals. Never have your smartphone di...
If you’ve been wishing for an easy way to charge your smartphone when you’re on the go, look no further because now you can with this portable PowerBar smartphone charger offer courtesy of Cult of Mac Deals. Never have your smartphone die on your again with this powerful little portable charger. When you travel as much as I do, this device can be a real plus – now I don’t have to think about how much juice I’ve got left on my smartphone. I can simply plug the PowerBar into my smartphone and the charging will begin. This offer from Cult of Mac Deals saves you 44% on this gadget. It’s only $39 – but only for a limited time. Please note: this promo is available to continental USA customers only. Your PowerBar will charge any of the following phones, and it comes with the adapter to fit any of the following brands: Apple iPhones (4, 4S, & 5) Samsung HTC Nokia BlackBerry LG …and several others The PowerBar is available in three colors: Click here for silver Click here for red Click here for blue There’s lots to love about the PowerBar, and with free shipping to continental USA customers, it makes this offer even sweeter. For all of the technical specifications and other important offer reminders, visit the Deals page. We all hate when our smartphones die, and now we never have to worry about it again with the PowerBar. This little device will definitely buy you the time so you don’t need to “run” home to charge your smartphone. It’s a true game changer – and for just $39 it’s a game changer that won’t break your bank. So what are you waiting for? Pick up the PowerBar from the Cult of Mac Deals today! [subscribebutton]deals[/subscribebutton] The post Keep Your Smartphone Charged With The PowerBar [Deals] appeared first on Cult of Mac.Related StoriesAT&T Adds iPhone, 4G LTE And Visual Voicemail Support To GoPhoneForget The iWatch, Here Are 11 Apple Watches You Can Buy Right Now [Gallery]Smarter Stand Clips: Turn Your Apple Smart Cover Into An iPad Stand [Deals]Five Useful Tips To Master iBooks On Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch [Feature]Ending Soon: The Name Your Own Price Adventure Gamer Bundle [Deals]
about 3 hours ago
What used to be the centerpiece of the living room is quickly transforming into not only smaller, but also portable screens. The TV isn’t what it used to be and more people are turning to their Mac as the [..] Related Posts: A...
What used to be the centerpiece of the living room is quickly transforming into not only smaller, but also portable screens. The TV isn’t what it used to be and more people are turning to their Mac as the [..] Related Posts: Apple refreshes the iMac; featuring faster processor, graphics Tight iMac supply followed by… Next-Generation iMac won’t feature Retina display
about 4 hours ago
One of what's thought to be only six working Apple 1 computers -- hand-built by Steve Wozniak -- flies out of a German auction house for a tidy sum. The last one went for $640,000.
One of what's thought to be only six working Apple 1 computers -- hand-built by Steve Wozniak -- flies out of a German auction house for a tidy sum. The last one went for $640,000.
about 4 hours ago
The popularity of Apple's MacBook Pro and Air laptops is one of the reasons that Mac sales have increased while PC sales are waning. But if there's one thing that the laptop experience is lacking, it's a plethora of USB 3.0 and video por...
The popularity of Apple's MacBook Pro and Air laptops is one of the reasons that Mac sales have increased while PC sales are waning. But if there's one thing that the laptop experience is lacking, it's a plethora of USB 3.0 and video ports. Kensington's USB 3.0 Docking Station with DVI/HDMI/VGA Video (Model sd3500v, US$199.99) has been around for a while to help out PC laptop users; the recent availability for OS X drivers for the DisplayLink hardware inside the unit now gives MacBook owners a piece of the action. Design The Docking Station is a slim vertical black tower that's unobtrusive on any desktop. On the front of the unit are a pair of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports as well as connectors for a pair of headphones and a microphone (or headset). Like many a good bar, all the action is in the back -- there are four USB 3.0 ports, a gigabit Ethernet adapter, a DVI port that can be used for VGA or HDMI output with included adapters, and a separate HDMI port. All of this port activity requires some power, so there's also a 5V AC adapter included that plugs into the back of the unit. The unit has a good, solid feel. Since it's made by Kensington, there's a standard Kensington lock port on one side as well so the dock won't "walk away" from your desk over a weekend. Functionality The best way to test a multi-port docking station of this type is to hook it up and play with it. Prior to connecting, Mac users will need to download and install the free DisplayLink USB 3.0 for Mac OS X driver. Plugging the docking station into power turns on a blue indicator light on the front of the tower, while connecting a USB 3.0 cable from your MacBook to the dock illuminates a small green USB indicator light. From this point on, you can start plugging in your choice of devices. I tested the docking station with a VGA connection to an external monitor, and was able to drive that monitor at 1920 x 1080 while my MacBook Pro happily supported its own Retina display. For even more fun, I plugged in an old VGA monitor while driving the external monitor via HDMI. The three displays (built-in, HDMI, VGA) all worked properly, although resolution on the old, cheap VGA monitor was a bit off -- that's more of an issue of the monitor and not the docking station. I plugged in a variety of USB 3.0 and 2.0 devices -- hard drives, flash drives, even a printer -- and all worked like a champ with the docking station. If you need one less video port (for instance, you may already have a mini-DisplayPort to HDMI or VGA adapter that you want to use), Kensington also sells a model (sd3000v) that has a single DVI port and adapters for VGA or HDMI priced at $169.99. Conclusion For MacBook Pro or Air owners looking for a way to easily connect an array of monitors and USB devices to their laptops with a single plugin, the Kensington USB 3.0 Docking Station with Dual DVI/HDMI/VGA Video is a compact and high-functioning peripheral. Pros Compact vertical design takes up very little desktop space Two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and four "regular" USB 3.0/2.0 ports provide a lot of expansion capability Theoretically, using the two ports on this device as well as the two Thunderbolt ports and HDMI-out on the MacBook Pro, you can drive up to five external monitors (note, this was not tested...) Cons None to speak of Who is it for? Owners of USB 3.0-equipped MacBook Pro or MacBook Air notebooks who want a fast way to connect multiple monitors and devices Giveaway Our review unit is up for grabs for one lucky TUAW reader. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before May 28, 2013 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Kensington USB 3.0 Docking Station with Dual DVI/
about 5 hours ago
Macworld UK’s David Price has posted an omnibus guide to addressing questions those facing the iPad vs. iPad mini conundrum may have. Specifically, do you go with the iPad 4 with Retina display, the iPad 2, or the iPad mini? Or, is it pr...
Macworld UK’s David Price has posted an omnibus guide to addressing questions those facing the iPad vs. iPad mini conundrum may have. Specifically, do you go with the iPad 4 with Retina display, the iPad 2, or the iPad mini? Or, is it prudent to wait for the iPad mini 2 or iPad 5? Should you even get a new iPad at all if you already have one? What storage capacity should you go with? Will Wi-Fi be adequate, or do you need cellular connectivity? The overview answer is along the lines of “different strokes for different folks,” and there’s no one size fits all solution. The right iPad for you depends on your needs and tastes. First, do you need one at all? I dithered about this for a year before deciding to take the plunge with an iPad 2, and I’ve never regretted it. My first love is still my Mac laptops, but I’ve become totally addicted to the iPad and would now hate to be without it, although it remains very much a complementary device to my anchor Macs. In my estimation, trying to replace a PC totally with an iPad would simply impose too many compromises and limitations. Other than the obvious portability advantages, there’s really not anything you can do with an iPad that you can’t do—probably more efficiently—with a MacBook, so in that sense I agree with David Price when he says he’s not convinced anyone truly needs an iPad, noting that more than a computer, it feels like a luxury device. While you can derive great joy from one, “need” is a strong word. However, an exception (and likely a fairly common one) is that if your…Continue reading Which to buy: iPad vs. iPad mini, or wait for next generation updates?Related posts:Why did Apple upgrade the iPad this quickly?AT&T will offer $100 discount on any 4G iPad LTE modelsAre tablets now disposable computing devices?
about 5 hours ago
One iBooks to rule them all. Apple’s iBooks provides one of the best, most accessible ereading experience on the iPad, in my opinion, and it’s pretty darn simple to use. That said, there’s always room to learn just a f...
One iBooks to rule them all. Apple’s iBooks provides one of the best, most accessible ereading experience on the iPad, in my opinion, and it’s pretty darn simple to use. That said, there’s always room to learn just a few more tricks to make the experience even better for you. Here, then, are five tips to master iBooks on your iOS device of choice. Study Better – Highlight, Search, And Make Notes In The Text iBooks is not only a fantastic e-reading app on your iPhone or iPad, but it’s also a fantastic study tool. If you need to read books for class or your own learning objectives, you can use iBooks to highlight words or passages, search the text for specific words or phrases, and make notes that appear in the margins as little colored sticky notes. Using these tools could help you become a much more organized studier, letting you go back to a passage in a book to remember the important things with a couple of taps. Here’s how, using iBooks 3.1, the latest version of iBooks. When reading an iBook, tap and hold on any text you want to select, like you would in Safari or Pages. A pop up bar will appear, letting you Copy, Define, Highlight, make a Note, Search, or Share the text you chose. Tap on Highlight. The pop up bar will change to give you new highlighting options, which include changing the color of the highlight or adding a note, itself in the same color as the highlight. You can also Share to Mail, Message, Twitter, or Facebook from this menu, as well. If you tap away from the selected word and lose the pop up menu, simply tap the colored highlighted area again to bring the highlight menu up again. Tap the notecard icon, helpfully the same color as the text you just highlighted, and type in any notes you want in the resulting pop up note card. Tap away from the note card to close the text entry window, and you’ll see a little colored sticky note icon in the margin next to your highlighted text. If you want to search for a given word in the text, tap and hold on a word in the body of the book and select Search from the pop up menu. You can also tap the magnifying glass icon in the upper right of the screen and type in a search term or text string. iBooks will look for it in the book itself. If you want to search the web, or Wikipedia, there are buttons at the bottom of the search window to send that term out to Safari. Categorize And Manage Your Larger iBooks Library With Ease Is your iBooks library starting to outgrow those beautiful skeuomorphic wooden bookshelves that Apple provided for you? Have you purchased way too many Star Wars novels, only to find them crowding out your beloved Jane Eyre collection? Well, there’s a simple way to manage an epic, ever-growing iBook collection, of course (why else would I be writing this), and here’s how. First of all, decide what categories make the most sense for you, based on the books you own. Should you categorize by genre, subject matter, have a list of favorites? It’s up to you, and you can of course create categories for anything, like “books my mom likes,” or “books that no one should ever see me reading, but that I love anyway.” Ahem. Once you decide, then, head on over to your iOS device and tap the “Collections” button (on an iPad) the “Books” button on an iPhone or iPod touch. You can then create your own collections by tapping the “New” button, or edit the collection names you’ve already created by tapping on the (duh) “Edit” button. The default categories are Books and PDFs. You can be more creative than that, right? Of course you can. Once you’ve created the categories, it’s time to start organizing your books. Return to your shelves and tap the Edit button in the upper right hand corner of the iPad screen, or the upper left hand corner of your iPhone or iPod Touch screen. Tap all the books on the shelves tha
about 6 hours ago
We don't have a name for this week's Caturday model, but owner Baz Francis of Adelaide, South Australia says that "he's a two month old ginger kitten who loves watching my partner play World of Warcraft on my 15" MacBook Pro. When he's n...
We don't have a name for this week's Caturday model, but owner Baz Francis of Adelaide, South Australia says that "he's a two month old ginger kitten who loves watching my partner play World of Warcraft on my 15" MacBook Pro. When he's not intently staring at the screen with his head tilted or clawing at the weird characters, he's lying on his back dreaming that he's a Mac superman." This looks like just the cat for our very own gamer extraordinaire, Mike Schramm! If you've got a Caturday nominee to share, let us know via our feedback page. For security reasons we can't accept inbound attachments, so you should host the photo (Dropbox, Flickr, iPhoto Journals, etc.) and send us the link. Thanks, Baz! Caturday: Me-WoW! originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 25 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments
about 7 hours ago
That’s right, it’s business time! And by that the Macalope sadly means trying to figure out why business folks never get Apple. Sorry for any confusion. Hope you weren’t thinking of something else. Any-hoo, we’ll first look at a consulta...
That’s right, it’s business time! And by that the Macalope sadly means trying to figure out why business folks never get Apple. Sorry for any confusion. Hope you weren’t thinking of something else. Any-hoo, we’ll first look at a consultant with a surprising motivation in talking about Apple (note: not that surprising). Then the brain trust at Business Insider takes it to the max, and, finally, the folks from Bloomberg are back! And they’ve learned nothing. Attention grabbing disorder Throw this piece by Steve Colquhoun on the bonfire of the vanities of people still asking questions in headlines: “Is shiny Apple rotting at its core?” (tip o’ the antlers to @appleshk) Get it? Because apples are shiny, and so are the things that Apple makes and, uh, apples have a core. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
about 7 hours ago