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How to craft the perfect parallax wallpaper for your iPhone and iPad
Sick of stretched, blurry or otherwise lame wallpapers on your iPhone or iPad? Apple's decision to make your background come alive with the parallax effect in iOS 7 means that using your standard wallpapers ends up giving you some not-so-sharp effects. But fear not: You can create a wallpaper of your own using any high-resolution photos you can find online. Below, you'll find the perfect resolutions for both static and parallax wallpapers as well as some tips on how to create the perfect background image for your device. iPhone 4s Static: 960 x 640 Parallax: 1,196 x 740 iPhone 5/5s/5c Static: 1,136 x 640 Parallax: 1,392 x 744 iPad 2/iPad mini Static: 1,024 x 1,024 Parallax: 1,262 x 1,262 iPad 3/4/Air/mini 2 Static: 2,048 x 2,048 Parallax: 2,524 x 2,524 Once you've found an image that fits your needs, it's time to cut it to the perfect size. There are plenty of free tools available to help you tweak it: Preview -- The Preview application on OS X lets you crop and resize images without a hassle, and there's even a handy formatting tool to resize images based on several iPhone and iPad resolutions. Unfortunately, it doesn't take the parallax effect into account. Paint -- If you don't have a Mac handy, you can always use this free Windows tool to slice up your images. Gimp -- For a little more control over your image editing, Gimp is a great solution. It's free, powerful and works on OS X, Windows and Linux. Snapseed or Skitch -- On iOS, either of these will allow you to crop, straighten or add effects to an image. A few things to keep in mind: iOS 7 will do its best to add contrast to the lock screen text and status bar, but it's not perfect. Make sure your wallpaper doesn't leave your clock or battery bar unreadable. If you use a static, screen-sized image with the parallax effect, it will automatically apply a bit of zoom to it, leaving it blurry. iPad wallpapers need to be square to account for the tablet's screen orientation. If you choose a non-square image, you'll likely be left with a stretched image once you turn your screen.
Wallgram: Convert Instagram shots into iOS 7 parallax wallpaper
Are you at a loss for wallpapers to decorate your lock and home screens? Wallgram (US$1.99) is a new app that resolves that problem by letting you convert any Instagram photo -- your own included -- into attractive and functional iOS 7 parallax wallpaper. The app, from developer Capable Bits, is rather simple, but does a really good job of preparing those photos for life as wallpaper. After launching Wallgram, you're greeted with a simple UI and asked to let Wallgram have access to your Instagram account. Once that's done, a "Home" button displays the timeline of Instagram photos from those people you follow; a "My Photos" button does the same for your Instagram images; and you can also tap an "Explore" button to view a feed of popular Instagrams. Regardless of how you discover the picture you want to turn into wallpaper, you just tap a large green button emblazoned with a white plus sign and the image is "awesomized" and added to your camera roll. What does "awesomization" entail? Basically, it takes the outer fringes of the photo and blurs them while keeping the center of the image quite sharp. At this point, you can just go to your cameral roll, tap on the image, tap the share button and select Use as Wallpaper. Just move the image so that it looks the best to you -- in most cases, this will be with the sharp portion of the image in the center of your iPhone screen and the top and bottom blurred -- and tap the Set button to save the image as your home screen, your lock screen or both. If there's one complaint I have about the "awesomization" process, it's that I wish that the blur was adjustable. The transition between blurred and non-blurred photo seems a bit abrupt, and I'd like to see the ability to adjust that transition as well as what parts of the image are blurred or not. But for the most part, Wallgram does exactly what it's supposed to do -- let you convert Instagram photos to iOS 7 parallax-view iPhone wallpaper in as few steps as possible. When you consider that you have an almost endless supply of wallpaper images to choose from each day from Instagram, that $1.99 price tag seems like a heck of a deal. Those wallpapers can theoretically be shared via Twitter, Facebook and email -- I say "theoretically" because the sharing features were not working in the version I downloaded for review. Wallgram requires iOS 7, and is optimized for iPhone 5.
Bing for Android now refreshes your wallpaper once a day
Tired of staring at your smartphone's wallpaper, but can't bring yourself to change it? Microsoft is remedying what is surely the most first-world of first-world problems with an update to Bing for Android. Version 4.2.0 of the app not only gets a redesigned user interface, but will now, like the Windows edition, swap out your home screen background for Bing's image of the day. That means you can get back to devoting your time to your grand project -- petitioning Starbucks to keep the Pumpkin Spice Latte as an option all year round.
Photo Blur for iPhone lets you create cool wallpapers
Photo Blur (free) is a clever app that uses your existing pictures to create nice-looking wallpaper on your iOS device. The app is simple to use. Select a photo from your library, or take a picture directly from the app using the iPhone's camera. You'll see a slider that lets you determine the amount of blur, and another one to shift the colors. You can also select a pattern to overlay your image. One pattern is provided, and more require an in-app purchase. The results depend on the photo you seed the app with. I found some of my landscape photos looked great after processing with Photo Blur. You also get the satisfaction of knowing the wallpaper is your creation, not something taken from the web. Of course, I also use some of my own unblurred photos as wallpaper, but the backgrounds can be a bit busy and can make text on the screen hard to read. Photo Blur solves that with a soft image and vibrant colors. I did just fine using the free version of the app, and did not feel the need to invest further. Photo Blur requires iOS 7 and is optimized for the iPhone 5. It is not a universal app, so the best results will be on iPhones and the iPod touch. For free, Photo Blur is worth a download, and my wallpaper has been nicely upgraded.
15 Minutes of Fame: Shooting Azeroth in all its HD glory
WoW wallpaper sites come, and WoW wallpaper sites go. You can always download a fresh look for your screen directly from Blizzard. But as satisfying as it is to set a novel desktop wallpaper that truly delights, I enjoy the process of poking around to find wallpapers from people who are passionate about WoW -- like WoWScapes, the passion project of a former raider and amateur photographer who's become fascinated with taking and sharing high-quality screenshots that showcase the striking beauty of Azeroth. WoWScapes creator Jeremy (aka Rotted of Sen'jin-US) specializes in bringing eye-popping images to players who don't have the hardware or haven't slowed down enough to savor Azeroth's splendor. "In a way, I feel sorry for people who use low-end hardware and cannot thoroughly enjoy the beauty this game displays," he notes. "So with that being said, I have turned many heads and had many people say, 'Is that really what WoW looks like on max settings? All this time, I have been playing and have never seen blades of grass on the ground or bark on the trees.' It's responses like this that make me happy about sharing my 'photos.'" Jeremy is currently adding two screenshots per week to WoWScapes. "I never had intentions to make money off of the website," he says. "It is strictly something I enjoy doing in my free time -- usually while my wife is raiding. Every wallpaper is free to download."
Download iOS 7 wallpapers now
If you watched yesterday's Apple event, you probably noticed the colorful and dramatic wallpapers that were shown on each of the iPhones displayed on the screen. Those wallpapers are all available in the iOS 7 Gold Master (GM) that shipped yesterday to developers. Dom Esposito of MacMixing.com has made all of those wallpapers available for download so you can install them on your device today. I can vouch for the quality of the iOS 7 wallpapers -- after installing iOS 7 GM on my iPhone last night, I wasted a good hour of time browsing wallpapers and playing with the new alert and alarm tones. Have fun getting your iPhone "dressed up" before next Wednesday's general release of iOS 7.
A look at OS X desktop pictures
Thomas Brand at Egg Freckles has written a short history of Apple desktop pictures through the years. "Mavericks' New Wave" talks about how the Apple desktop has evolved since Mac OS 8 and the quality of the desktop patterns and photos. Thomas includes download links to copies of the desktop picture backgrounds used in different Mac OS X systems via his dropbox account. He thinks that the new OS X 10.9 Mavericks Wave desktop picture is the "best default desktop wallpaper the Mac has seen in a long time." In his TUAW article, "Grab the OS X Mavericks wallpaper now," Michael Grothaus relates that the "beautiful image of a cresting wave [for] OS X 10.9 Mavericks is meant to represent the surfing spot that the OS is named after." Unfortunately, the link in that article to download the desktop no longer works, so please use Brand's link to his copy of the Mavericks Wave [direct download link]. On Another Note For those of you who are still interested in enhancing your Mountain Lion Desktop, I found an article from 2012 on OSX Daily that may interest you. The article, titled "43 Amazingly Gorgeous Secret Wallpapers Hidden in OS X Mountain Lion," contains instructions for locating four folders that contain 3,200 × 2,000 resolution images you can use as your desktop pictures. These are the images used in Mountain Lion's screen savers, but can be used individually. Thumbnails of the available images and instructions for using the files appear in the link above. Interesting Related Resources Screenshots of Mac OS System 1 through Mac OS X 10.3 [Guidebook by Marcin Wichary] Apple Mac OS X: a history in pictures [Telegraph Media Group Limited]
Grab the OS X Mavericks wallpaper now
That beautiful image of a cresting wave that you've seen on banners and promo shots of OS X 10.9 Mavericks is meant to represent the surfing spot that the OS is named after. As with all OS X operating systems, Apple usually spotlights one wallpaper as the default desktop image for marketing material. This image is always included as a new wallpaper in the OS when it ships. However, if you don't want to wait for OS X 10.9 Mavericks in the fall, you can download the wallpaper directly from Apple now. What's interesting about this wallpaper is that it comes in 5,120 x 2,880 resolution, which is higher than the resolution of any Mac currently on the market. Is this a sign of Retina display iMacs to come? Could be.
2048px.com lets you customize iPad wallpaper
Tired of the same old wallpaper on your Retina display iPad? 2048px.com may be just the place to visit in order to turn your wallpaper from boring to WOW! The site is the brainchild of Kal Michael, Joe Workman and former TUAWite David Chartier. To quote the "About" page on the website, "Apple released the new iPad in March 2012 and the internet called out for a way to give it beautiful, Retina-quality wallpapers. We answered with 2048px.com." The site is now at version 2.0, and has a number of new features to make it even more useful. There's a selection of nice wallpapers, including some great ones from one of my favorite artists, David Lanham. Once you've selected one you really like, there's an option to tap a small triangular "fx" tab in the upper left corner of the image to add either pixelation or blurriness to varying degrees and even add grain, lines or a mesh to the image. Once it looks just the way you want it, the wallpaper can be downloaded with a tap (yes, you can do this all on your iPad), emailed or shared via Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. There's no charge for 2048px -- it's ad-supported -- and the proprietors are actively seeking submissions from artists. If you're bored of your current iPad wallpaper, give 2048px.com a whirl.
Daily iPhone App: ScreenDIY lets you beautify your iPhone homescreen
If you want to spruce up your home screen or add some flair to your iPhone's lock screen, then you should check out ScreenDIY from SoftEase. The app has a repository of retina wallpapers, but at 152 images, it's not an overwhelming amount. You'll find a nice mix of frames, patterns and professional images. There's also a decent selection of App shelves and icon skins if you prefer a snazzier look. The wallpaper selection is constantly being updated by the developer, so there's always something fresh and new for you to browse. Besides stock wallpapers, ScreenDIY also lets you customize both your homescreen and lock screen wallpapers by mixing and matching the stock images. You can select the DIY option and choose a custom background, a matching icon skin and more. You can also add a personal touch by importing a photo from your camera roll or by taking a photo on the fly using the camera. A preview button lets you see the skin in action. When you are done, you can save the custom skin to your camera roll and then set it manually as your background. You can also share it via Facebook, Twitter Flickr, Sina weibo and Tencent weibo. Though I usually don't install wallpaper apps, I decided to check out ScreenDIY because it had some attractive backgrounds and, at 6.6 MB, it wasn't going to take up too much space on my 16 GB iPhone. I'm happy with the app and look forward to the new wallpapers that are added each week. ScreenDIY is available for 99-cents from the iOS App Store.
Chrome OS update revamps app list and Google Drive saves, allows relentlessly adorable wallpapers
Aw, wouldn't you look at the cute little... wait. Right, there's a Chrome OS update. At its heart, the upgrade to Google's cloud-based platform introduces a streamlined app list that both occupies less space and carries an internet-wide search box. It's also possible to save files directly to Google Drive, and audio can now play through either HDMI or USB. Don't lie to yourself, however: the real reason you'll rush to update your Chromebook today is newly added support for custom wallpapers, which guarantees all-day, everyday viewing of your most favorite dog in the whole wide world. Or at least, a nice change of pace from Google's run-of-the-mill backdrops. Isn't it so sweet?
Gmail 1.3 for iOS now saves image attachments
The official Gmail app for iPhone recently got a nice update, and in addition to a few bugfixes and performance enhancements, users now have the ability to save picture attachments straight to their iPhone (or iPad's) camera reel. That's a nice feature -- it means that you can browse and save attachments more easily. I can imagine some nice use cases as well: You could grab an image from Gmail and put it right into a slideshow on your iPad, or send yourself some images from another computer, and insert them on to your iPhone or iPad's lock screen wallpaper easily. The Gmail app in general is a solid app to have. Though I usually use the Gmail web client in my browser when I'm at home, and Apple's own Mail app when I'm out and about, there are times when I'd just rather have an official Google experience when browsing mail. With this update and a few others lately (the last update added support for Notification Center), Gmail makes an even better case for owning a spot on your home screen. [via The Verge] #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
This is what artists do with their desktops
Need inspiration for a wallpaper refresh? Then you'll find plenty of treats at the source link below, which displays 51 examples of how artists customize their desktops when they just can't resist a tabula rasa. They were collected by Mac-centric creative type Adam Cruces, who wanted to echo an earlier project from 1997 (called "Desktop Is") that has since decayed into mess of broken links. Some of these new desktops are mesmerizing while others are surely too impractical to be real -- but then, who's to say?
Samsung patents phone skins, mood swings, Amazon
See that crazy faceplate with matching wallpaper that sells for two-a-penny on Amazon? Well, Samsung wants to patent something even worse. It's so bad we had to hide it away after the break. (Honestly, don't look at it -- unlike the USPTO, you won't get paid for your trouble.) At first we believed the hype that it was some kind of wild Super-OLED-lenticular-transparent-flexible-display concept for smartphones, but now we're not so sure. The patent application simply refers to a printed "film layer" stuck onto a smartphone's case, which aligns with images on the display and gives the impression of a seamless all-over skin. Refuse to believe that anyone would try to claim exclusive rights over something so old and so commonplace? Go on then, have a gander.
Amazon adds Kindle Fire-specific details to Developer Portal, A's your FAQ
The Kindle Fire may not be hitting the market until November, but Amazon has already updated its Developer Portal FAQ page with an entire section devoted to its forthcoming Android tablet. On the new page, you'll find largely standard information on things like the application process and how to set up an Android SDK emulator, though there are a few more salient tidbits, as well. For instance, Amazon says it will review every app in its Appstore for Fire compatibility, as part of an automated process. Rejected apps, Amazon informs us, will include those that rely on a gyroscope, camera, WAN module, Bluetooth, microphone, GPS, or micro SD. Apps are also forbidden from using Google's Mobile Services (and in-app billing), which, if included, will have to be "gracefully" removed. In terms of actual content, Amazon has outlawed all apps that change the tablet's UI in any way (including theme- or wallpaper-based tools), as well as any that demand root access (it remains to be seen how the company will treat the root-dependent apps already in its store). Interested devs can find more information at the source link, below.
Acer's Liquid Mini gets Ferrari-fied, doesn't get any faster
Acer's Liquid Mini won't be breaking speed records anytime soon, but at least it can look like a red hot racer, now that it's received the Ferrari treatment. Following in the Liquid E's skid marks, this Liquid Mini Ferrari Edition features a vibrant red exterior emblazoned with the automaker's iconic shield, and ships preloaded with engine ringtones, racing-themed wallpaper and other apps. Under the hood, however, lies the same, Gingerbread-based handset, replete with 512MB of RAM, a 3.2-inch display, five megapixel camera and rather underwhelming 600MHz processor. No word yet on when the device will be hitting the raceway, but you can get a closer look at the source link, below.
OS X Lion wallpaper missing a few astronomical bodies
Just like the default iPad wallpaper comes from a real lake called Pyramid Lake (which is supposed to be in Nevada, though I'm sure I pass signs for it every time I drive up to San Fran from here in LA), so too is the default Lion wallpaper based on a real picture of a real galaxy, specifically the Andromeda Galaxy. Boing Boing found a real image of the galaxy taken by astrophotographer Robert Gendler, and when it lined up the Lion image with the real thing, it found that Apple actually deleted a few stars and galaxies from the sky, just for Lion. Don't worry -- Apple didn't actually delete the real stars (though with its market value, it could probably at least put a dent in them). Obviously, it was just a Photoshop job to make the wallpaper a little smoother and more pleasing to the eye. But it is interesting that someone at Apple said, "You know, if that star weren't there, the universe would actually look a lot better!" What if we did have a universe designed by Cupertino? [via MacStories]
Nexon unveils Vindictus' EU website
European players eager to get their hands on Vindictus have a good reason to get pumped up today, as Nexon Europe has launched the Vindictus EU teaser site for the upcoming MMO regional release. The gorgeous website boasts both English and German language options, has an overview of the game and characters, and is prepared to inject fans with screenshots, wallpapers and a rocking trailer to keep the excitement level high. Players looking to put in for extra credit may sign up for the game's newsletter and Facebook page as well. Seeing as how incredibly popular Vindictus has been in both the Asian and North American markets, Europe should prepare to fall in love with the fast-paced action MMO. Vindictus will launch in Europe sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, and is prepared to make a splashy appearance at next month's Gamescom in Germany.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar-powered Supertrees, hydrogen racecars and LED-studded shoes
The hot summer sun sparked blazing advances in solar energy this week as Inhabitat reported that a crop of incredible solar-powered Supertrees sprouted at Singapore's Gardens by the Bay conservatory. We also saw designers float plans for a series of gorgeous sun collecting water lily islands, and speaking of flowers, we learned that scientists are breeding cold-resistant super bees that can withstand mites and disease. Scotland made waves as well when it unveiled the next-generation Oyster 800 wave energy plant, and Japan's Prime Minister signaled a sea change as he called for a complete phase-out of nuclear power. Several cities took steps away from car culture this week as a Spanish town offered residents lifetime tram passes in exchange for their cars, and JetBlue launched a set of dubious $4 flights to offset the closing of the 405 freeway in Los Angeles. We also took a look at the green technologies launched by NASA's soon to be extinct space shuttle program and we saw the unveiling of the world's first student-built hydrogen racecar. In other news, we peered into the future of consumer tech as we counted down our six most desired green upgrades for the Phone 5 and we saw Jawbone launch an app-powered wristband that promotes healthy living. LED technology also lit up our lives as Philips rolled out a beautiful new breed of luminous wallpaper and Chanel kicked of its latest fashion show with a line of LED-studded shoes. Last but not least, we spotted a set of magnetic building blocks that help Honduran families, and this week gadget expert and Engadget founder Peter Rojas closed our Ask a Tech Geek column with a look at six great ways to charge your gadgets with renewable energy. If you're thirsting for more, don't miss Peter's posts about fine tuning your laptop to save energy, vanquishing vampire energy drain, and recycling your old cables and chargers!
Final issue of Curse of the Worgen now available
Curse of the Worgen is a pretty cool look at the worgen story and the lead-up to Cataclysm from the Gilnean point of view, and the series' final issue is now available. Not only that, but to celebrate this great series coming to an end, Blizzard has a treat for everyone: hi-res wallpapers of each of the Curse of the Worgen covers.