Awaken
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'Awaken' takes time-lapse filmmaking to new heights
If you're a fan of wordless cinematic meditations on modern society, like Samsara and Baraka, Tom Lowe's Awaken should be on your radar. Filmed over the course of five years in more than 30 countries, it's a documentary that explores humanity's connection with technology and nature with some gorgeous imagery. It's also a showpiece for new time-lapse cinematography innovations by Lowe, including gimbal technology that allowed him to shoot astrophotography scenes from a moving helicopter. The trailer alone shows off some astounding imagery, including a starry scene from the Sierra Nevada at dusk and a camera zooming above Dubai's skyline.
Awaken 1.2 for iPhone adds options to alarm clock app
A couple of years ago I used the Mac version of Awaken from Embraceware to get myself out of bed in the morning. It's a well-done app that uses your computer as an alarm clock with lots of programmable options, a tidy full-screen mode and more. Then I had kids, and Awaken slipped off my radar; the sound of screaming is even more effective (but less customizable) than my favorite podcast. Therefore, I missed Awaken for iPhone and iPod touch. Earlier this week, Embraceware released version 1.2 with a number of improvements, including landscape mode, new "8-bit" and "Classic LCD" display mode (I'm loving the 8-bit), and three new flashlight modes, including a clever CF bulb for the eco-anxious. Shake the phone to turn the flashlight on and off. As is the case for all third-party iPhone alarm clocks, the app needs to be running to activate the alarm (you can use sleep mode to drift off to music). There's much more to version 1.2 which you can check out here, including some pesky bugs squashed. Awaken for iPhone and iPod touch is available now [iTunes link] for $1.99US. And if that won't get you out of bed, try having some kids.
Guitar Hero: World Tour gets free Activision music
Guitar Hero: World Tour gets a fresh injection of DLC with the Activision Track Pack today, which features music from actual Activision employees' bands. Perhaps the most noteworthy quality of this newest track pack, however, is its low, low price of free. Here's what you'll get: Awaken's "The Silence is Deafening" H is Orange's "Nothing All the Time" Hundred Reasons' "I'll Never Know" Oh, and Activision's press release also mentions Steve Ouimette's "Dueling Banjos" will release next week. It will be the last DLC release before the release of Guitar Hero 5 on September 1.
Last day to buy MacHeist Bundle
Today is the last day to buy the much coveted MacHeist application bundle. MacHeist has decided to sweeten the deal by unlocking SoundStudio early and offering $5 off any Insanely Great Tee. If you are a registered member of the MacHeist site you can also get early access to Headline (an RSS reader).The MacHeist Bundle currently includes the following Mac apps: VectorDesigner DEVONthink XSlimmer CoverSutra Awaken iClip Overflow Cha-Ching WriteRoom Enigmo Bugdom 2 Nanosaur 2 TextExpander SoundStudio The MacHeist Bundle costs $49 and 25% of your purchase will be donated to your choice of charity. Currently, MacHeist has sold over 4,000 bundles and raised over $50,000 for charity. You can purchase a bundle at the MacHeist website.
Tabulator: Alarm clock showdown
Mac users must be extremely heavy sleepers, because there is no shortage of alarm clock software for your Mac. If you need to wake up, your Mac will get you up. But which one rules the rooster?Aurora, a popular choice, recently updated to version 4, and went from donationware to a licensing setup (a single copy will now run you EU$15.00. And Awaken was recently included in the Macheist bundle, but could it be that a donationware app like Alarm Clock 2 will do what you want, or is Koingo Software's Alarm Clock Pro the way to go?We decided to wrap them all up into one big table-- app vs. app vs. app vs. app for a wakeup showdown. After the jump, find our first Tabulator battle (thanks to sister site Joystiq for the slick formatting) and discover which clock and timer program deserves to press play on your wakeup playlist.
How to: Create a smart podcast playlist in iTunes
I picked up Awaken with the recent Macheist deal, and with it I planned to do something I've been thinking about doing for a long time with iTunes: try and figure out a way to wake myself up with a short roundup of the daily podcasts I never seem to find a time to listen to during the day itself.Getting your Mac to play a playlist on demand at a certain time isn't hard at all (Awaken will do it easily, or Alarm Clock 2 will do it as donationware), but the tough part is getting your podcasts rounded up into a playlist so you can hear all the new shows all in one go. What I wanted to do was create a playlist that contained one of each of the daily podcast shows that iTunes had downloaded for me most recently, and to have that playlist update as the podcasts did, so that every day I had a playlist full of new show episodes set to play one after another.Easier said than done (and it's not even that easy to say). But I got it done, just by manipulating a few iTunes smart playlists. Here's my short tutorial how.
Embraceware releases Awaken 4
When it comes to alarm-clock applications for the Mac, we've got two very fine choices -- Alarm Clock Pro from Koingo Software, and Awaken from Embraceware. For most people, using your Mac as an alarm clock may seem a little unusual, but at the time I happened to be at University I lived in fear of my regular alarm clock's tone. So, with my Mac on the desk a few feet away, I set about finding a suitable Mac alarm clock application. I eventually settled with Awaken, and since then it's interrupted plentiful hours of slumber with music of my choosing.You can imagine my joy then, to discover that Awaken was updated on Sunday to a whole new version: version 4. A significant re-write under-the-hood and a new UI cap a feature list that now includes: the ability to run scripts with alarms; the ability to select specific podcasts (not just music as with prior versions); better Apple Remote support and an improved full-screen mode.Best of all, the update from version 3.x to 4 is free for registered users (though, you will need to re-enter your registration information and alarms after updating), and costs just $12.95.
Reminder: talkcast tonight at 9:30, win a copy of Awaken
Don't forget, our weekly talkcast will be kicking it Wednesday style tonight at 9:30 pm ET. We'll be introducing TUAW's newest bloggers (ooo!), welcoming special guests (aah!) and giving away a couple of delightful prizes (wow!). You need to register for a Talkshoe PIN prior to the show, so go ahead and do that now. We'll wait. Might as well download the Gizmo Project SIP client too; that way you can dial in to the show without paying SkypeOut or toll charges, or burning your cellphone minutes (you can always listen for free via the Talkshoe client, and if the stars align you can chat back with the embedded Shoephone VoIP tool).Thanks to the fine folk at Embraceware, our two trivia contest winners tonight will receive licenses for Awaken, the iTunes alarm clock tool, at the end of the show. Awaken is also up on MacZot today at a $5 discount, if you don't trust your Mac trivia mojo. Besides, if you buy a license now, you can set your alarm so you remember to join the talkcast! See how it all fits together?Thanks Jerry & Hakim for tonight's giveaway!
