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WebSaver turns web content into a screensaver, free promotion right now
Sandwich Lab sent along word of their app WebSaver, which allows you to create a custom screensaver out of any web content you want. Once you install the screensaver, you can then go into the options and add URLs (like your Twitter feed, a Facebook page, or anything really -- you can make the front page of TUAW pop up as your screensaver), and then choose durations for each of them to show, from just a few seconds up to much longer. And you can control the brightness of the webpages, as well as disable Javascript or Flash as you want. You can even add web-based content like Vimeo videos or a webcam feed. It's surprisingly powerful and very easy to use. It's free for a limited time, too -- they've got a Twitter promotion going on, so if you RT their message, you can pick up a free copy to try. There's also a trial version to check out as well that limits you to just four different sources, but in the full version you can cycle through to as many as you want, and even calibrate the view so you can get it just right. If you're looking for a screensaver that's a little more functional for your Mac, WebSaver may be it.
University of Oregon shows off engraved MacBook Pros
I've always been jealous of the folks who get free laptops from their work or school (back when I was in school, I used a paper notebook and a pen and liked it!), but I'm especially jealous of the folks from the University of Oregon's Center for Student Athletes, who not only get some sweet MacBook Pros to use courtesy of Apple and Nike, but have each one laser engraved with the school's symbolic O. The engraving isn't just aesthetic; it's useful, too. In addition to the school branding, each laptop has a specific number engraved on the bottom of it, which helps prevent theft and helps the school track down wayward laptops. Cult of Mac has a great little interview with the engraver, with some fun insider info about how this is all done (he's even engraved fingernails, which sounds a little gross). We've seen some cool engraving projects before, but I like this one; functional and good-looking.
App Store: "Demo" no, "Lite" yes
Our dear friend Erica Sadun has outlined one of Apple's more sticky App Store policies over at Ars Technica. There's been a lot of customer pressure, as we've said before, to put "try it" versions of apps on the App Store, and quite a few developers have done exactly that, by releasing a "Free" or "Lite" version of the paid app along with the real thing. But Apple has some pretty strict rules about doing so: every app on the store needs to be fully functional and stand on its own. You can leave out some levels of your game, for example, but you can't put a timed limit on it or remove features that are central to the app itself.Of course, there's a grey area there -- what features are central to the app, exactly? But Erica boils it down to words: putting "Lite" or "Free" in the title are fine, but releasing "Demo" or "Beta" versions are not.It's too bad Apple hasn't fleshed this out more -- everything we've heard about how people are buying these apps shows that if customers have a chance to try the app, they're much more likely to spend money on it later on. But right now, developers have to keep up two different versions, and they have to dodge the pitfalls of deciding what goes in each one, while keeping them both "fully functional."
Fender's modeling VG Stratocaster gets inspected
A legend in the guitar industry pairing up with a heralded name in the modeling biz? No, it's not too good to be true, as Fender and Roland have teamed up to create the first modeling stratocaster. Just weeks after Gibson's own digital axe finally went on sale, the VG Stratocaster is built to look, feel, and play exactly like the strats of old always have, but a few subtle (albeit substantial) alterations open up a whole new world of riff creations. The six-string gurus over at GuitarGearCentral have taken the time to carefully inspect the changes, and it looks to us that even the purists could find something here to love. The thin Roland GK pickup mounted at the bridge provides the ability to emulate "37 Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, humbucking, 12-string, and acoustic sounds,"while a pair of LED status lights provide a bit of flash and a new duo of knobs (Mode Control and Tuning Function) are used to further dictate the sounds. Dubbed a "Swiss Army knife of tone," this instrument allows you to dial-in alternate sounds and tunings on the fly, giving players the ability to add some chunk with Drop D tuning sans fiddling with the tuning head. Although the crew admired the simplicity Fender somehow managed to achieve with all the complex features that have been added, they still would test out a few more guitars to make sure this is your bag before throwing down the (admittedly reasonable) $1,699 required to take one home.
