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Twelve South unveils Rutledge BookBook case that gives your MacBook unique look

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2014

It's all too easy to get lost in a dizzying array of accessories for Apple devices, especially with too many companies rehashing same old ideas and doing the exact same thing. That's why my initial experience with Twelve South instantly made me a believer.

They've been crafting gorgeous, functional accessories exclusively for Apple products since 2009, prompting big media like Forbes to suggest that Apple should just buy them outright.

And not because of the profits, but due to Twelve South's thoughtful design which is often reminiscent of the utmost care that can be observed in every aspect of Apple's industrial design.

On Thursday, the Charleston, South Carolina firm launched the Rutledge BookBook, a new edition of its popular BookBook case for MacBooks, hand-distressed to give each one a slightly different appearance, so no two look exactly alike...

Plex update adds free Chromecast support, automatic photo uploads and more

Cody Lee ∙ March 13, 2014

Good news for Plex users this afternoon. The popular streaming media platform has updated its iOS client, bringing the app to version 3.4. The update brings about a number of changes, including free Chromecast support, as well as support for play queues & shuffle support.

While the Plex app previously supported Google's Chromecast digital media player, the feature required a [paid] Plex Pass subscription. But now, it's available to everyone for free, allowing all users to stream videos, photos and music from their iOS devices to their television sets...

T-Mobile plans to have most of its 2G network upgraded to LTE by mid-2015

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

T-Mobile announced today that it has plans to upgrade its entire 2G/EDGE network to 4G LTE. The carrier, which is the fourth largest in the US, says it hopes to be halfway complete with the upgrade by the end of 2014 and expects to be substantially complete by the middle of next year.

The promise to quickly bring its network up to speed with its competitors should help appease customers, who complain of lower speeds in rural and suburban areas. While T-Mobile currently has LTE in many major US cities, a lot of its coverage map is still made up of EDGE and HSPA...

Google cuts prices for Drive storage, putting pressure on Dropbox and others

Cody Lee ∙ March 13, 2014

Google announced some drastic price cuts for its Drive cloud storage today, dropping its 100GB plan down to just $1.99 per month. The service now significantly undercuts rivals like Dropbox, which charges $10 per month for 100GB, and iCloud, which doesn't even offer a 100GB option.

To be fair, Google's Drive pricing was already lower than Dropbox, with a 100GB plan costing $4.99 per month vs. $9.99. But that extra $3 per-month savings equates out to $36 per year, making it even more attractive. Don't mind paying $9.99 monthly? Drive now offers 1TB at that price...

PhotoAlbums+ for iOS 7: move, secure, and share photos more efficiently

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 13, 2014

I have to be honest with you and state that for whatever reason, I've never been a big fan of PhotoAlbums+. I've never been big on taking photos with my iPhone, and I certainly don't take photos that I care about hiding from others. That being said, PhotoAlbums+ contains features that jailbreakers should definitely be aware of—features that may help your workflow when it comes to photo management on iOS.

The iOS 7 compatible version of PhotoAlbums+ just recently touched down for both the iPhone and the iPad. Check past the break as we go hands-on in our video walkthrough...

Titanfall for Mac? You bet!

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2014

Released with great fanfare on Tuesday, Titanfall is seemingly destined to become the next smash hit for super publisher Electronic Arts and developer Respawn Entertainment (of the Call of Duty fame). For the uninitiated, Titanfall is a fast-paced first-person shooter multiplayer video game which has players fighting as mech-style Titans and their pilots in six-on-six multiplayer skirmishes.

You can assume control of the Titan's pilot or the Titan itself at any time. When playing as a Titan's pilot, you can run along walls and link jumps together parkour-style. After entering your Titan - well, what can I say - all hell breaks loose as you shatter your opponents to pieces using destructive armaments and special protective shields.

And now, Respawn's co-founder Vince Zampella has officially confirmed that the studio is in talks with Aspyr Media on delivering a Mac version of Titanfall.

Count us excited!

Fox and TinyCo reveal first images of upcoming ‘Family Guy’ game

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Back in December, Fox and San Francisco-based mobile gaming studio TinyCo announced that they were partnering up to build a Family Guy game. They didn't offer up many details about the title, but they did say that it would launch sometime in 2014.

Today, we get to see our first screenshots of the game, and we have to say it looks exactly like we imagined it. In the image above you can see Peter doing his popular injured leg gag, and Chris, Quagmire and Mort all fighting outside of the Drunken Clam...

Darklings goes free until next Thursday in Apple’s App of the Week promo, grab it now

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

There have been some justifiable complaints lately among our commenters about the value, or the lack of it, in Apple's ongoing Free App of the Week promotion. Indeed, Apple's last few picks have been - and I'm putting it mildly - less then stellar.

Just a few examples: Wonderkind's Tiny Firefighters, Sega's Go Dance and Square Enix’s Mini Ninjas. Right.

That being said, you most definitely won't want to miss this one. Created by Mildmania and built on the Unity engine, Darklings was released last November to some rather glowing reviews (currently, a 4-star rating in the App Store) and has since gone to win several awards for its mechanics and interesting concept.

The universal app normally costs 99 cents and is now available free of charge until next Thursday, courtesy of the App Store's Free App of the Week promo.

Darklings is a gesture-driven endless atmospheric adventure game incorporating visually enticing Noire-style graphics (think Limbo or Badland) that puts you in the world of Lum as he tries to save the light. You'll be traveling through forests and caves battling darklings as you try to bring light back to the world.

What do I mean, Darklings is a heavily gesture-driven game? Well, you're mostly drawing various symbols in order to posses and purge your enemies. Read on...

Suspected iOS 8 screenies show Preview, TextEdit and Healthbook app icons

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2014

Following a credible report earlier this morning claiming that the Mac's Preview and TextEdit applications will make their way into iOS 8 with full iCloud support minus editing functionality, a pair of supposed screenshots allegedly depicting the iOS 8 Home screen has popped up on a Weibo account.

The images, included below the fold, are believed to depict purported prototype iOS 8 Home screen icons for the previously rumored Healthbook app, as well as the suspected Preview and TextEdit applications. By the way, iOS 8 is thought to be codenamed 'Okemo' after a ski resort in Vermont.

On the surface, the screenies look genuine. However, as we can't vouch for their authenticity, you're definitely advised to take them with a grain of salt, even though multiple reliable sources have allegedly confirmed their legitimacy.

We're only reposting them here for entertainment purposes so join us in comments...

Toyota says CarPlay coming to 2015 vehicles, then changes its mind

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

You probably know by now that Apple's CarPlay feature in iOS 7.1 has 100 percent guaranteed support from Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz in their select 2014 models.

The company also hinted in a media release that BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp will be bringing CarPlay to their drivers "down the road."

It now looks like one of the aforementioned manufacturers, Toyota, may have officially joined the initiative. According to the car maker's original announcement, CarPlay was supposed to be "coming soon" to select 2015 vehicles, but it's quickly backpedalled on the claim without saying when exactly CarPlay will hit the dashboard of its vehicles...

iOS 8: Apple apparently working on TextEdit and Preview apps with iCloud integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 13, 2014

After reporting yesterday that Apple is considering moving iTunes Radio to its own standalone app in iOS 8, the same reliable blogger is now citing sources with knowledge of Apple's initiatives as claiming that the next major revision to Apple's mobile operating system will bring two apps over from the Mac - Preview and TextEdit - both supporting Documents in the Cloud, a feature that lets software store documents in iCloud to be readily available on all devices.

Preview and TextEdit in OS X Mavericks already have support for iCloud documents so this development indicates Apple's intent to make iOS 8 and OS X even more tightly integrated...