Sometimes it’s difficult to fall asleep, even after a long day. While listening to music can help some, they wake only to find their device’s battery dead from playing all night. In this episode of Cult of Mac’s how-to, find out how to use your iPhone’s hidden sleep timer, thanks to our quick and easy steps.
Take a look at the video to see what to do.
Few new details can be determined from the photo, but the relocated power button on the side of the device can be seen, and it is clearly a high-quality mockup given differing materials and colors used for various features such as the rear camera and flash. The size of the device is not given, but just based on the look in the hand it appears to be the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 rather than the even larger 5.5-5.7 inch version depicted in the less refined physical mockup from earlier today.
The latest mockup is reportedly the work of a case manufacturer, understands that mockups have been refined over a period of months. According to the source, the version shown in the photo is considered to be “final” for the purposes of ensuring case and accessory compatibility with the expected design of the iPhone 6.
In practice, this model would be made molds of the latest cases and tested the prototypes of the enclosures to verify their compatibility with the real iPhone 6. It is not uncommon that during the process of engineering accessories manufacturers are forced to progressively refine their plans, as they come, of course, under the table, information on the specifications of the phones. In practical terms, it was explained, in recent months there have been various “versions” experienced by manufacturers of accessories (and these were modeled and rendered drawings of the iPhone 6), but there is now confidence that this one located final.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is reportedly scheduled to launch around the usual September timeframe, while the larger 5.5-inch is rumored to be arriving several months later.
Apple today refreshed its MacBook Air line, adding slightly faster processors and improved battery life to the portable computers. Apple also dropped the price on each model by US$100, with the base 11-inch MacBook Air starting at $899.
All base models of the MacBook Air now ship with a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor instead of the 1.3GHz of the 2013 model. These standard models still include 4GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 5000 and either 128GB oo 256GB of flash-based storage.
Pricing on the 11-inch MacBook Air starts at $899, while the 13-inch entry-level model costs $999. All updated models are available today online and in retail stores.
Microsoft today has released the first update to its Office for iPad apps, adding AirPrint printing support to all three apps, while also adding SmartGuides in PowerPoint, AutoFit in Excel, and the ever popular bug fixes and stability improvements.
Your top request is here! You can now print Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations to an AirPrint printer. In Word for iPad, you can choose to print a document with or without markup. In Excel, print a selected range, a single worksheet or an entire spreadsheet. Of course, you can select the pages or slides you want to print.
SmartGuides in PowerPoint help you align pictures, shapes, and textboxes as you move them around on a slide.
AutoFit in Excel allows you to adjust the width of multiple rows or the height of multiple columns at the same time.
All of the Microsoft Office for iPad apps are available FREE for the iPad in the App Store. [DIRECT LINK]
Good afternoon, everyone. This week we’ve got Skype going all “Google+” with the video chats and Apple Maps expands its flyover feature a bit.
Skype has made group video calling free for all users. This used to be a premium feature for users on Windows, OS X and XBox One. The service is now free on those devices, and the company says it will add additional platforms soon.
Stonehenge has been added to Apple Maps flyover feature. Now you can explore the mysterious structure from home. Just don’t crush it.
These new flexible wooden sleeves from Grovemade are amazing. Look at them. Just look.
They’re made from veneers of maple or walnut, lined with felted wool and have leather and brass straps to pull out the MacBook or iPad within in one easy yank.
The best part is that the case is made from wood, yet flexes as if it were plastic. This is thanks to the laser-etched sections, cut geometrically to allow it to bend at these joints.
Inside, protecting the iPad or MacBook as well as giving something for the wood to stick to, is a layer of felted wool. And that leather strap actually runs inside the case so that you can pull it to eject the device inside.
Here’s the price list: $79 for the iPad Mini, $89 for the iPad Air, and $99 for the 13” MacBook Air.
Not bad, considering the quality materials and the rather fancy design. I’d totally put my MacBook in one of these. As for the iPad, I find the wake/sleep of the Smart Cover too convenient to use a sleeve case, but that’s just me.
When Tim Cook takes the stage at WWDC in a couple months, everyone is expecting him to unveil the latest iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 8… the first major update to the OS since Jony Ive drastically overhauled it.
Most of us at this point have come around to iOS 7 being an improvement on iOS 6, but even so, there’s lots of room for improvement. And if iOS 8 ends up looking anything nearly as good as this concept video from TechRadar, I think we’ll all be very pleased indeed.
While most concept videos of upcoming Apple software releases are fanboy fantasies, Techradar’s video limits itself to envisioning new features in iOS 8 that are either heavily rumored or solidly reported.
For example, the video shows Siri recognizing a song utilizing its new Song ID integration, courtesy of Shazam. It shows the new Healthbook app syncing with the iWatch. It also shows the operating system providing full support for CarPlay, and a completely redesigned Notification Center.
Source: Cult of Mac.
THINK CONSOLE EXCLUSIVES ONLY EXIST ON PLAYSTATION OR XBOX? NOPE. IOS HAS ‘EM TOO. HERE ARE TEN OF THE BEST!
Console exclusives are a big deal in the game world, but they’re not unique to Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita. iOS gets them too — exclusives you can only play on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. With the help of Simon Sage, I’ve written up a list of the top ten games that you can only play on iOS.
More interactive fiction than conventional game, Device 6 puts you in the roll of Anna, an amnesiac who wakes up on an island. The game requires you to think your way through it, resolving puzzles as you learn what happens in Anna’s story using a combination of text, still images and videos presented in an entirely unique and compelling way.
Oceanhorn is as close to a Legend of Zelda-style game that we have for the iPhone and iPad. It’s a beautiful action adventure game that follows a boy who explores the islands of the Uncharted Seas, discovers ancient treasures, solves puzzles and fights monsters.
$8.99 –Download now
Hack and slash action in this third installment of the iOS-only series from Epic Games and Chair Entertainment. The three-part series reaches an epic crescendo as you learn more about the Infinity Blade’s origin as you square off against the Worker of Secrets and try to save the world.
A stealth-action game that’s incredibly topical: It’s about the effects of government surveillance in the age of the Internet. You must guide Hope through danger after danger in this five-episode series. One-touch controls with gameplay mechanics developed by folks who worked on Metal Gear Solid 4 and SOCOM.
NaturalMotion’s adorable, klutzy ninja in training needs help to learn his skills so he can find his friend Kira. The ninja character reacts quite naturally (and comically) to being picked up and tossed around, tickled and more.
Kumobius, makers of Bean’s Quest and Time Surfer, are back with an elegant and minimalistic game in which you navigate two orbiting spheres through a maze of falling objects. 50 stages over 9 chapters and a terrific soundtrack will keep you engaged for hours.
If you’ve never tried it, Andreas Illiger’s Tiny Wings is an addictive, simple and fun game in which you have to help a bird with wings too small to fly normally. To that end, you use hills to gain speed and tap in time to make the bird dive.
The next ice age has arrived, and you’re a very cold survivor on a bike. It’s a contemporary take on retro style bike games that challenges your skill and your memory.
If you’ve ever played Super Hexagon, you’ll appreciate what Wave Wave’s developers are doing. It’s a rhythm-based action game in which you must guide a line through obstacles, set to a pulse-pounding chiptune soundtrack. Perspectives shift, orientation changes – this is twitch gaming at its very finest.
Princess Ida needs to make her way through a world of castles and fortresses as she outsmarts the Crow People. Each level is a puzzle, one that can solve by rotating parts of the scene into shapes that should be impossible. If you’ve played Fez then you might have a sense of some of what to expect, but the game’s designers have taken it a step further by forcing an isometric perspective. The net result is a bit like being inside M.C. Escher’s famous Relativity lithograph — surreal and a bit mind-bending. Monument Valley is coming to Android, but for right now it’s an iOS exclusive.
Source: iMore.
Does your iPhone 5 suffer from a dodgy power button? If so, Apple will repair it free of charge, according to a new announcement made by the company.
“Apple has determined that the sleep/wake button mechanism on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models may stop working or work intermittently,” Apple states. “iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 may be affected by this issue.”
iPhone users experiencing the problem can visit Apple’s website, enter their phone’s serial number and — hey presto! — see if their device is one of the faulty ones Apple is referring to.
Replacing devices isn’t usually Apple’s style. The move isn’t unprecedented, however.
Following the “Antennagate” incident of 2010, Apple gave iPhone 4 users free cases to alleviate the problem. In 2011, Apple issued a recall of MacBook MagSafe power adapters that were prone to splitting. And in October last year, the company recalled flash memory drives for certain models of MacBook Air.
North American customers can take advantage of the iPhone 5s replacement program this instant. People in other countries need to wait until May 2. Users can take their iPhones into their local Apple Store or other authorized Apple dealer, or else mail them in.
There is one extra note, though: if you have otherwise damaged your iPhone by, for example, cracking its screen, and see this as a chance for a no-questions-asked fix, Apple points out that other issues will need to be resolved (possibly at a cost) prior to the sleep/wake button replacement.
Source: Cult of Mac.
Everyone knows how to play a platform-style game; you move in one direction and avoid the things that can kill you. In that respect, Leo’s Fortune is a lot like most platformers on the App Store, but what most other games can’t hold a candle to is the game’s wealth of personality and jaw-dropping visuals.
In Leo’s Fortune you control Leo, a small fluff ball with an eastern European accent and a grudge. His gold has been stolen and the prime suspects are his own relatives. As Leo, you embark on a journey to find your treasure. Cut scenes and gameplay are punctuated by fantastic voice acting and story sequences that are so well done you’ll forget you’re playing an app.
The controls are simple: Your left thumb controls the direction Leo moves and your right thumb prompts him to either puff up, which provides a boost upwards, or slam your body downwards. The corridors and open areas you move through are filled with hazards like spikes and huge pits, as well as physics puzzles you must solve in order to proceed.
These mechanics are very easy to grasp and the game ends up feeling like a cross between Sonic The Hedgehog and LocoRoco, but the real star of the show is the stunning graphics. Everything in the world is rendered with almost absurd detail. As you breeze through the world you’ll often be tempted to stop and stare, or perhaps even take a screenshot for posterity.
Small touches like Leo’s occasional mumbles and the faux-3D effect created as blurry objects pass close by the camera add to the atmosphere and create a world that you’ll enjoy spending time in, even if you die a dozen times on the way to the exit.
The game features 19 main story levels spread across a handful of chapters, along with additional bonus levels which can be unlocked based on your performance. There are no in-app purchases, bonuses, or other nonsense to worry about, so the US$4.99 price tag is well justified. The only downside of finishing the game is that you’ll undoubtedly be hungry for more almost immediately.
iRumors Now 