Intel has officially launched its new range of Ivy Bridge quad-core processors and some sources have revealed that Apple is busy eyeing up the new chips for use in its new range of iMacs and MacBook Pros, which are expected to be released this summer. Five new processors are due to be produced – three i5 varieties (with processor speeds ranging from 3.1 – 3.8 GHz) and two i7 varieties (with processor speeds ranging from 3.4 – 3.9 GHz).
Podcasting is all of rage these days. Podcasts are professional and fun, and have become easier to create with the right apps. The Mac has always been a creative tool and with the apps in this roundup, it can become your own radio headquarters and production studio.
To make the process as easy as possible, we recommend taking a look at these five apps, which perform all kinds of tasks from recording audio and screencasts to adding live sound effects. So get ready and read on because, your’re on the air!
I’ve been a gamer for a long time. I’v always been interested in heavy duty PC gaming and console gaming. However, the more time I spend on my Mac and various iOS devices, the more I find that my gaming focus is shifting to lighter weight games that require less of a time investment, both long term and on a ‘per sitting’ basis.
The perfect example of what I mean by this is Cubemen, a tower defense/real time strategy hybrid from 3Sprockets. Cubemen is a real time game played on a board of square spaces between you and another player or computer, and the object is to overwhelm your opponents forces. Read on to find out more about how Cubemen works.
Our featured sponsor this week is Instant, an awesome app that brings the fun of Polaroid instant cameras to your desktop.
There was something great about the old instant Polaroid cameras, an allure that still lasts to this day. Instant is an officially licensed Polaroid app that seeks to bring this timelessly enjoyable experience to the Mac by mimicking the workflow of a real Polaroid camera.
You simply drag your digital photos to the big camera, choose your field of view, then hit the “Shoot” button and a Polaroid image will pop out of the camera. You can watch it develop as the image fades into existence just like in the old days! I personally own Instant and think it’s a blast to play with. It gives me a taste of the enjoyable retro photography experience without the cost of film!
Instant provides you with 8 Polaroid effect filters look ridiculously close to the real Polaroid styles and 20 other generic vintage filters that produce equally impressive results, all with the Polaroid classic border. You can even add handwriting to the images, choosing from ten different fonts. After you’re finished, you can effortlessly share your photos to Flickr.
See Instant In Action!
If you’d like to see this awesome app work its magic, check out this quick YouTube video, which walks you through the major features.
When you’re ready to join the Polaroid movement, you’ll find Instant on the Mac App Store.
As a writer about Mac, iPhone and iPad applications you sometimes think you’ve seen it all, apps being very similar, especially when they perform basically the same tasks. I should know better – it’s the details that can make all the difference and I tried to highlight that fact in an article I wrote a couple of weeks ago in which I compared five outlining apps for Mac.
They all had their strengths and weaknesses, but all of them will suit a different set of needs. Being only human, it seems I overlooked a rather popular choice: Scribe. Today, I want to remedy that faux pas and take a closer look at an outliner that comes with a lot of features and is quite simple to use.
After several sneak previews and a fully-functional beta version, Adobe has today officially announced the latest reincarnation of its popular Creative Suite software package, version 6, which sports among other things a whole wealth of new features, a massive overhaul to the default user interface and integration with Adobe’s new cloud service.
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If you are a fan of Last.fm’s scrobbling service, like me, you’ve probably not been quite satisfied with the official app that has been around for quite some time now. Instead, you might have tried your luck with plugins or third party apps like Bowtie that allow you to scrobble without having to deal with the official app.
All that’s (hopefully) about to change with the new Audioscrobbler for Mac, which is in beta right now. Want to check it out? Let’s take a look!
Everyone wants to be rich. That’s a great goal to have, but it usually takes a multitude of consistent steps over an extended period of time to actually get there. One half of the equation is to earn more than what you are making right now, and fast. From freelancing to running a business fulltime, there are so many options to explore when it comes to creating a new revenue stream.
Another half of the equation is taking control of your fund outflow by managing expenses. It might be a cliche, but a penny saved is indeed equivalent to a penny earned. Either way, you will have to keep track of both the income and expenses diligently. Squirrel helps you track and plan your finances on your Mac, let’s check it out.
Online streaming, subscription based music delivery services are making an attempt to become the golden ticket solution for music lovers everywhere. Having access to a gigantic library of music is well worth the subscription fee for a lot of people and as the music libraries of these services grow they continue to gather steam.
The two big competitors in this field right now are Rdio and Spotify. Rdio released a major interface update recently that is a big step forward to separate itself from Spotify (only paid subscribers get a sneak peek). The interface changed substantially for the better with new features added and others more prominently placed. Not only is the update quite beautiful, it makes discovering new music an even more social experience. Let’s take a spin through the new Rdio.
Thanks to everyone who took part in the giveaway this week, and special thanks to Brett Terpstra, the developer of Marked! I’m excited to let you know that the winners have now been chosen. If your Twitter user name is listed below, you’ll be receiving an email shortly with instructions for claiming your prize:
Congratulations to the lucky winners. Sorry to those who missed out, be sure to check back for more great competitions!
