As reported on The Verge. By Dann Berg Back to the Mac again It’s been almost exactly a year since Scott Forstall left Apple and Jony Ive and Craig Federighi were put in charge of both iOS and OS X. That gave Apple a chance to create a single, unified design, to make the iPad and Mac into one. Apple’s long talked about “bringing together the OS teams” and bringing iOS features “back to the Mac,” and converging…
As reported on TechCrunch. by DARRELL ETHERINGTON The new iMac Apple introduced without much fanfare a couple of weeks ago is an evolutionary upgrade, retaining the slimline design it debuted with last year’s pre-holiday refresh, and introducing some major specification bumps under the hood. For owners of any of those machines, it probably won’t be surprising to hear that this year’s upgrade takes what was a great computer and makes it even better, especially for demanding users.…
As reported on TechCrunch. by MATT BURNS It was hovering. Just sitting there. The livery was different. A black body with different color blades. Something was clearly different about this Parrot A.R. Drone 2.0. It wasn’t as colorful as the ones he had seen before. He sat there for a lot longer. This drone was clearly hiding something under the piano-black shell. Eight minutes passed. 16 minutes passed. Then, just before the 36 minute mark, the drone,…
As reported on The Verge. By Bryan Bishop The director of ‘District 9’ turns Matt Damon into man and machine Four years ago District 9 hit theaters, heralding the arrival of a new voice in contemporary science fiction. Writer-director Neill Blomkamp’s alien-invasion film impressed visually, portraying a gritty, realistic world that seamlessly blended humans and digital creations. More importantly, it carried on in some of the best traditions of the genre by serving as intriguing social commentary…
As reported on The Verge. By Tom Warren Microsoft is taking over San Francisco’s Moscone Center today to introduce a preview version of Windows 8.1. Although the company has revealed most of the features in the upcoming update to Windows 8, I’ve had a chance to get well acquainted with the Windows 8.1 preview to learn more about the changes involved. In my previous look at 8.1 I summarized that the preview brings many small tweaks…
As reported on The Verge. By David Pierce Apple’s latest desktop OS isn’t an overhaul — it’s a tune-up The 10th version of OS X, Mavericks, felt like an afterthought in the midst ofApple’s radical overhaul of its mobile operating system. In this case, rather than completely overhaul the look and feel of the entire platform, Apple has instead picked its spots, removing and adding features in particular places while all the while tuning for performance and…
As reported on TechCrunch. by DARRELL ETHERINGTON The MacBook Air was the only new Apple hardware to be announced and launched at WWDC this year (besides the new AirPort Extreme), and while it isn’t a big change from the previous version, it packs some crucial improvements that really cater to the Air’s existing strengths. The 2013 Air is really Apple pushing the envelope with its ultraportable, and that has helped make one of the best computers in the…
As reported on The Verge. By Bryan Bishop J.J. Abrams’ latest keeps looking back when it could be forging ahead In 2009 J.J. Abrams reimagined Star Trek, turning Gene Roddenberry’s near-utopian vision into a high-octane summer action ride. Rather than simply creating a prequel, however, Abrams opted to fork the Trek universe with a bit of time travel trickery and some heavy lifting from Leonard Nimoy. The result was a massive hit that set the stage for a new…
As reported on Wired. reviewed by: Christopher Null 600 Bucks, and Worth Every Penny Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired While jaded tech writers and reviewers have become accustomed to seeing $1,000-plus price tags on laptops, the reality is that the vast majority of the rest of the world’s buyers aren’t ready to pay such lofty prices. For years, the average selling price of a Windows laptop has hovered around a mere $500, according to NPD Group, a…
As reported on Wired. Wired Product Reviews. Left Image: Nike+ Running. Right Image: Strava Cycling. Use these apps to tap into your phone’s GPS, and use the resulting data to tap into your inner athlete. Nike+ Running Fire up this app and you’re taken to a simple interface that tracks time, distance, and route via GPS—no Nike+ sensor required. Excellent integration with Twitter, Facebook, and Path keeps your friends updated on your…