Expenses Planner

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Cool app that helps you plan ahead for upcoming expenses. I like apps like this that do one thing and does it well.

The Loop Magazine: The Future of the Human Interface, Part 2

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In this issue, Rene Ritchie looks at the future of human interface and how iOS 7 has given him a glimpse into the future; Matt Gemmell remembers Dire Straits’ Alchemy Live; Canadian rock star, Ra McGuire from Trooper, talks about his life with the F-Word; Chris Domico is frustrated about how the Internet has turned us into idiots; and Matt Dusenbury analyzes Apple’s “Designed in California” ad campaign.

You can preview all of the articles online or download the app for iPhone and iPad, and subscribe with a seven-day free trial.

The Loop issue 8 v1

Freaky YouTube Easter Egg

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This is just weird. Go to any YouTube video and when it starts playing type:

1980

A missile command game comes up and starts to attack the video. You may have to type it in a few times before it works.

youtube

Defending iOS

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Benedict Evans:

A new, cheaper, high-volume iPhone would have the potential to mitigate or even reverse this trend. Clearly, like current low-end Android, it would sell to a demographic with a lower average engagement and purchase rate and so the average iOS rates would drop. However, it would mean that iOS’s reach would expand significantly at the expense of Android. How would a $200 or $300 iPhone sell? Easily double digit millions, possible up to 50m units a quarter.

Great article.

App Store vs. Google Play revenue

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Headlines blazed across the Internet this week that Google Play revenue grew by 67 percent, while Apple’s App Store only grew by 15 percent during the same time. Something about that seemed odd to me.

iCloud Beta goes iOS 7

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It looks pretty good. I still think Calendar and Contacts look a bit stark, but not as much on the Web site with the subtle color changes.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

Daylite 4.3

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Marketcircle makes some great products for Mac and iOS.

Nexus 7 gets stellar reviews despite faults, jitters, lagging apps

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Reports of “faulty” GPS, “buggy” multitouch, “jittery” scrolling and an ecosystem that “still lags iOS” weren’t enough to stop Google’s latest Nexus 7 from getting a stellar review on par with Apple’s iPad mini.

I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. Now we wait to get it.

“Absolutely evil”

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Larry Ellison talking about Google’s Larry Page:

“We just think they took our stuff, and that was wrong,” Ellison said in an interview with Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning,” which was aired on Tuesday.

When asked if he thought Page was evil, Ellison replied: “I think what they did was absolutely evil.” He fell short of vilifying the man himself as evil.

Microsoft sued on behalf of shareholders over Surface RT

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Paul Thurrott:

A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Microsoft on behalf of its shareholders, alleging that the firm lied about the financial performance of its Surface RT tablet. The surprise revelation that sales were much less than expected came months later than required by law, the suit says, and immediately “eviscerated” $34 billion of Microsoft’s market value, materially impacting shareholders.

The suit names Microsoft as well as Steve Ballmer, Peter Klein, Frank Brod and Tami Reller as defendants.

The news for Microsoft and the Surface RT just keeps getting worse.

Lower-cost iPhone

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Very smart article from John Gruber. Also note that Gruber refers to a possible new iPhone as “lower-cost” and “lower-priced”—I don’t expect this phone to be cheap in any way.

Universal Audio brings out ENGL amp plug-in

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Every time Universal Audio asks what I want next from them, the first thing on my list is an amplifier plug-in—today they delivered. With a tagline of “No Pain. All Gain.”, UA released the ENGL amplifier plug-in.

UA does the best emulations of analog gear in the business, so I’m sure this will quickly become one of my favorites. I’m going to download and try it out.

About Larry Ellison’s comments on Steve Jobs

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Larry Ellison’s comments about Apple without Steve Jobs are causing quite a stir this morning. I agree with some of the things that Ellison said, like “He was brilliant, he was our Edison, he was our Picasso.”

eleMount

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This universal mount raises the bar, allowing gadgets to be placed on a premium pedestal that matches their beautiful design and quality. One of the most user friendly mount ever designed, eleMount sticks to any flat surface and doesn’t care if you prefer Apple or Android or like to keep your case on. eleMount works just as you’d expect. No suction cups, no locks, no instruction manual. You only need one hand to mount your device.

I like the look of this. I don’t want ugly clamps and plastic pedestals—I’d rather buy a mount from a company that cares as much about design as the company that made my iPhone.

How BlackBerry fell

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Vauhini Vara for The New Yorker:

“In terms of a sort of a sea change for BlackBerry,” the company’s co-C.E.O Jim Balsillie said at the time, referring to the iPhone’s impact on the industry, “I would think that’s overstating it.”

To me, the reason that BlackBerry fell is the attitude of it’s co-CEOs at the time. That was the company’s downfall and it went on so long, they may never be able to recover.

20 injured at LG phone giveaway

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But what must have sounded like a good idea in the marketing meeting quickly dissolved into chaos. People aren’t stupid. They figured out that the only way to get the voucher was to burst the balloons, and they showed up equipped to do so with BB guns, knives on sticks, and other tools.

That’s never going to end well.

The Hyperloop

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The solar-powered system, which Musk previously described as a cross between a Concorde, rail gun and air-hockey table, would shoot as many as 28 passengers in each enclosed capsule through a low-pressure steel tube at up to 800 miles per hour, according to the 57-page design plan.

It will be very interesting to see if Elon Musk or someone else will actually build this.

Storm Sim [Sponsor]

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Storm Sim is the audio experience of a thunderstorm in your pocket. The app is more than a pre-recorded loop; it dynamically generates storms in real-time so it’s always unique and it never repeats.

It supports nearly infinite customization. Add more lightning, dial back the rain, or include a splash of freight train; get that perfect night’s sleep or just relax after a busy day.

Includes sleep and wake timers, AirPlay, LED Clock, add-on packs, and more. It’s a Universal app for iPhone and iPad that supports iOS 5 or higher.

Jim’s note: I showed this app to my wife and not only did she like it, she said she wished she had when the kids were smaller.

Auto Adjust: A photo rescuing app for iPhone and iPad

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Auto Adjust is a photo rescuing app for iPhone and iPad designed to fix photos as fast and as pain free possible. Contrast stretching, levels, curves, color correction, and noise reduction are right at your fingertips without having to dig through menus and popovers. There are no “Projects” or photo libraries that are stuck in the app. Photos are saved to your camera roll and photo stream at their original size with all EXIF and metadata preserved.

Samsung’s copy of Apple’s Passbook goes live

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Samsung Wallet hit the Google Play Store on Thursday and bears a strong resemblance to the Passbook feature Apple includes on iOS. The app was announced in beta for developers back in February, but it has only just now made it to the Play Store. It is compatible with the Galaxy S3, S4, Note, and Note 2.