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The iWatch is dead, long live the iWatch
Up until Apple officially unveils a wearable, this little beauty is a close as any of us have ever gotten to an Apple smartwatch. The 6th generation iPod nano is still a pretty impressive little device, and with the ability to view photos, track calories burned, count your steps, play music and record voice memos, it's actually more feature-packed than many devices flying under the smartwatch banner. If (or when) Apple pulls the curtain back on the iWatch, the device it most closely resembles probably won't be something Samsung, Motorola or LG has recently launch, but instead the tiny little media device it introduced way back in 2010. Ahead of its time? Perhaps. Now it's time for round two. [Photo credit: Aaron Muszalski]
Facebook Messenger's new trick brings doodles to your photos
Still looking for a reason to use Facebook's now-unbundled Messenger app? A new feature learns from competition including Snapchat and Facebook's own Slingshot by adding easy annotation on shared photos. Just click the picture icon like you normally do, then hit the edit button instead of send, and you can doodle with your finger (remember Draw Something? Is anyone still playing that?) or just type in some text before sending. Right now the tweak is Android-only, and should already be live if you're running the most recent version of the app.
Explore the Great Depression in photos with this interactive map
Imagine today's government backing a program to document the plight of modern day farmers. Many might malign such use of resources, or the value of the endeavor. But, that's exactly what the Farm Security Administration did between 1935 and 1944 (i.e. the great depression). Photographers were distributed across the land, and negatives sent back to Washington. Of the estimated 170,000 shots taken, around 88,000 were developed and manually classified (remember that next time you moan about corrupt EXIF data). The collection has since been digitized, along with the manually-taken data for each picture, which a team at Yale has now used to create an interactive map. The wonder of modern technology means you can see where, and by whom, every picture was taken right from the comfort of your den. A sober reminder of what different times we live in. Probably a few years later than planned, but the Internet finally provides the perfect way to complete the FSA's original goal of "introducing America to Americans."
PowerBook takes a dive
Ever wonder what a PowerBook would look like after falling from the top of a building? Apparently that's exactly what happened to this poor fella. The photographer who snapped this tragic picture doesn't provide much detail beyond the fact that it was thrown, but judging by the damage the laptop suffered, it looks like it tumbled from higher than the second or third floor. [Photo credit: Aaronx]
Smiley Alarm Clock is how the selfie generation wakes up
Capitalizing on the selfie craze, the Smiley Alarm Clock aims to start your morning off with a smile. Unfortunately, the app, which requires iOS 7.1 and works on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, leads to frustration and general annoyance. The concept is simple. When the alarm goes off you grab your phone and pose for a morning selfie. In theory, the app snaps a photo and the alarm turns off when it detects your smile. Once Smiley Alarm Clock takes your photo you can share the picture on Instagram or Facebook. Undoubtedly you'll include the hashtag #iwokeuplike this, or something similar. But who wants to take a picture of their morning face, let alone share it with the world? Not me. You couldn't even pay me to do it, as is evident by the loads of makeup I'm wearing in these pictures. I'm sure there are people who do this under the safety of Instagram filters, but Smiley Alarm Clock has zero filters to hide the bags under your eyes. Beyond the problematic concept, there are two major flaws with the app itself. You'll notice that I used the phrase "in theory" earlier and that's because the app doesn't do what it says it does. I spent a full 60 seconds smiling my face off and the app never took a photo and never shut off the alarm. You can manually shut off the alarm, but then what's the point of the app? This happened more than once, leaving me extremely frustrated. I tested this out in the afternoon; pretty sure it would've left me enraged had this happened at 7am. The second flaw is somewhat amusing but mostly annoying. You would think that the app would take your photo when your face is positioned nicely in the center of the screen and you look awesome. Nope. I took about 15 test shots and all but two of them turned out decently. A few of them only captured my forehead and eyes because the app didn't wait for me to position my phone correctly. Considering the camera is supposed to be triggered by a smile, those were pretty odd photos for it to take. Most of the time, I had to move my phone around randomly until it took a picture. These were the most unflattering pictures ever and were taken from very weird angles. They will never see the light of day. I wouldn't be surprised if the developer is deliberately trolling us here. Oh, and you don't even have to smile for it to work. Incidentally, this image sums up exactly how I feel about this app. When you're already not a morning person, the last thing you want is to fake a smile and pretend you don't hate how you look when you haven't had your first cup of coffee. However, if you are really into how you look in the morning, Smiley Alarm Clock is available for free in the App Store with an in-app purchase for extra alarm sounds.
The $5 PowerBook
I love my MacBook Air, but I couldn't possibly turn down a deal like this. A fiver for a gorgeous machine like that? Look at that screen, those massive hinges, and that classic trackball embedded right in the center. What a beauty. [Photo credit: Oskay]
Two Apple keyboards, 24 years apart
Here we have an Apple Lisa keyboard alongside one of the company's current offerings. There's something about those old, massive keyboards that still feels great. The massive key travel distance, the satisfying snap of a keystroke, and the fact that you could probably live through a zombie attack by using it as a weapon -- what a fantastic piece of hardware. [Photo credit: Blake Patterson]
The Apple robot
If your old Mac is too busted, too slow, or too ancient to be repurposed or sold, what can you do with it? Turn it into a goofy robot, apparently. The Harman Kardon Soundsticks subwoofer as a head is a beautiful touch, I must say. [Photo credit: Turner Burns]
Likes downloads Instagram pictures you have liked
Likes fixes a glaring problem with Instagram and it's free. The app is designed for iPhone 5 and up and for iOS 7 and up. In Instagram, you cannot save pictures you've liked. I save pictures because they inspire me, amuse me, because I want to later attempt to emulate them to improve my own photography, or because they are pictures of or by my friends and family and I want to remember them. But at any time, anyone can remove their pictures from Instagram and I will lose access to those photographs. Instagram only keeps track of your most recent likes so you cannot go back in time to see pictures you liked in an earlier time. Likes does one thing and one thing only: It downloads to your camera roll any pictures you want from the list of pictures you have liked. When you first run Likes, it asks you to authenticate yourself with Instagram. Once that is done, it presents a list of your favorited photos. A single tap downloads the picture to the "Likes" album in your camera roll (which it creates if it is not already there). A long tap and hold loads that picture in Instragram. And that's it! It's probably the simplest app I have ever used. Pictures that you can download are presented in a grid. Pictures that are in the process of downloading have a red circle that fills in radially (as with iTunes and the App Store). Pictures that are already downloaded have a check mark. The only problem I found with Likes is that it doesn't remember between sessions what has already been downloaded. The grid is clear as if nothing had been downloaded though all of the pictures I'd already downloaded were still in the "Likes" album in my camera roll. I also would like a feature where it periodically checks in the background for new pictures I have liked and sends a notification event to remind me to download the new liked pictures. Of course, this is easily automated using If This Than That. But for people who are not willing or interested in learning to use a service like IFTTT.com, Likes is an excellent solution.
How not to use rice to save your iPhone
Here's the thing: Rice can indeed dry out your iDevice if it ends up taking an unexpected tumble into a pool, pond, or -- tech gods forbid -- toilet. That being said, this is not the way to do it. Leave your device off for as long as possible, and certainly until you're confident there is no more moisture left inside the device. Leaving it on is not a good idea, but I have a feeling the photo was just taken for the effect. Oh, and the great macro with the rice grains. [Photo credit: Steven Depolo]
Apple tattoo makes it permanent
According to our poll, over half of you think that Flickr user Terry Johnston is crazy for expressing his devotion to Apple in such a way. I, for one, don't find it nearly as strange, though it would seem to be more appropriate if we could pick out our own bodies, and have Jony Ive design one himself. [Photo credit: Terry Johnston]
The adorable MacBook bear
I'm enormously jealous of the bear on the right. Not because he's adorable, leads a carefree life, and has a friend he surfs the internet with -- no, that's all fine. I'm jealous of him because he has a black MacBook, and I don't. [Photo credit: Izzyplante]
Tesla may soon let you start your car with your iPhone
If you're obsessed with feeling like a secret agent, you might already be interested in one of Tesla's sexy electric cars, but if these images of the company's upcoming 6.0 software update are to be believed, you're going to really want one. That's because -- according to a user on the Tesla Motors Club who allegedly has access to the update already -- you'll be able to use your iPhone to start up your vehicle, 007-style. In the images posted, the update's patch notes describe the ability to use a Tesla Mobile App in place of a standard keyfob if needed. "The new Calendar app also requires use of a new Tesla Mobile App (currently available for iPhone only) - which also has new notifications functionality and the ability to start your car (in case you forget your keyfob)." Forget the keyfob? How about I leave the keyfob on the countertop and impress all the latte-sippers at the local Starbucks when I tap my iPhone and my Tesla roars to life (or, you know, hums to life)? Yeah, that sounds like a fantastic idea to me.
Sir, I believe your Mac may be broken
I'm not a certified Apple repair technician, but I'm going to go ahead and say that this is not a good sign. However, on the bright side, there is 45 GB of free disc space available, so that's a plus. [Photo credit: Beghin]
An act of pure treason
This Mac is forever tainted, and should be quarantined until it can be properly disposed of. Preferably with napalm and a lot of swearing. [Photo credit: Djenan]
The poor $10,000 Apple Lisa
A tragic end for one particular Apple Lisa. Not a very fitting end for a computer that once cost US$10,000. [Photo credit: Daniel Rehn]
iShadow?
It's been a while since Apple sued someone for copying its iOS design copyrights, but it looks like department store makeup could be the next target. iShadow, anyone?
Monitor overkill?
A wise man once told me that for every additional monitor on your desk, your productivity is cut in half. If that's true, then nobody is getting any work done in this office. I'm all for having an obnoxious amount of screen real estate at your disposal, but this might be pushing things a bit. Bonus points for the wallpaper which seems to fit perfectly in each window, but the question remains: How many monitors is too many? [Photo credit: Blakespot]
How Apple laptops interfaced with phones in 1999
1999 doesn't seem all that long ago, but it was -- it really was. Here we see a PowerBook 550c (1995/1996) getting frisky with an NTT Personal PALDiO (1999) Japanese flip phone in its PCMCIA slot. Not exactly as slick as an iPhone wirelessly chatting with a MacBook, but it was probably pretty damn cool at the time. [Photo credit: raneko]
The iMac iPhone
This absolutely unofficial case is still officially awesome. Now all I can think about is an iPhone with a translucent plastic body, offered in a variety of colors. I want one. [Photo credit: Whity]
