Happy Birthday MAC

The first Macintosh computer was introduced 30 years ago today. Happy birthday MAC. We can't wait to see what you come up with next.

Read about how Apple is bringing jobs to USA

from Apple
“We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people — as remarkable as the telephone.”
— Steve Jobs

1984 - Original Mac - The one that started it all wasn’t just a computer. It was a declaration that the power of the computer now belonged to everyone. At the time, most people didn’t even know how to use one. But thanks to the simple graphical interface of the Macintosh, they didn’t have to. It was approachable and friendly, starting with the smiley face that greeted you.

1985 - Macintosh XL - The design of the Macintosh XL was based on the predecessor of the original Macintosh, the Apple Lisa. Modified to run the Mac operating system, the Macintosh XL featured 1MB of RAM, a 400K disk drive, and a beautiful (for the time) 12-inch monochrome display.

1986 - Macintosh Plus - The first expandable Macintosh, it introduced the SCSI port to the Mac, enabling the connection of external hard drives, scanners, modems, and printers. Thanks to Apple’s new LocalTalk networking technology, anyone with PageMaker software and a LaserWriter printer could design and print documents with beautiful text and graphics. Desktop publishing was born.

1986 - Macintosh II - The Macintosh II featured a new modular design that could support a much broader range of displays — including some that offered color. With the simple addition of a video card, the Macintosh II could display 256 glorious colors from a palette of 16.7 million.

1989 - Macintosh Portable - The Macintosh Portable was Apple’s first battery-powered computer. Weighing almost 16 pounds, it wasn’t nearly as portable as today’s notebooks. But that didn’t stop it from being the first off-the-shelf notebook to be taken into space, aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in 1991. Among other things, it was used to send the very first email from space.

1990 - Macintosh LC - The Macintosh LC dramatically lowered the price of a color-capable Mac, making it available to many more people. Color opened a new world of possibilities, letting users create things they could only imagine before. This computer also introduced built-in audio input to the Mac, making it easier to treat sound as a powerful creative tool.

1991 - PowerBook - The PowerBook was the first truly portable Macintosh. Its innovative design, with the keyboard positioned close to the screen, allowed people to rest their palms while they typed. And the rolling trackball made it possible to move around the screen with more precision than ever.

1992 - Macintosh Quadra 950 - The first Macintosh in a tower design, the Quadra 900 series featured an Ethernet port for high-speed connections to computer networks. For sheer power, it left the previous-generation Macintosh IIfx in the dust — quickly becoming the creative tool of choice for photographers, publishers, and ad agencies.

1993 - Macintosh TV - Not to be confused with today’s Apple TV, this was the first Macintosh with built-in television capabilities. It was an early example of Apple designers combining multiple devices into one, and was the only black Macintosh desktop until the introduction of  the new Mac Pro.

1994 - PowerBook 540c - As the Macintosh turned 10 years old, it showed no signs of slowing down. The PowerBook 540c wasn’t just the first PowerBook with an LCD display and Ethernet — it introduced the revolutionary trackpad that’s still used in notebooks today.

1997 - Macintosh - This Macintosh, celebrating Apple’s 20th birthday, wasn’t like other computers of the day. In fact, it wasn’t like any other Macintosh. It was personally delivered and set up by a white-glove concierge service. With its unique form and custom Bose sound system, it represented a futuristic vision of the desktop computer.

1998 - iMac - The original iMac marked the beginning of a new chapter for Apple and computers. The lowercase i in its name signaled something new and important — the Internet — and showed that the iMac was built for the next age of communication. It was the first computer to do away with floppy disks and popularize the USB port. Its egg-shaped, all-in-one design wasn’t like anything anyone had seen before. The translucent shell came in an eye-catching Bondi Blue, with other colors added later. But the most beautiful part of iMac was its simplicity: You just plugged it in and turned it on.

1999 - Power Mac G4 - The Power Mac G4 was heralded as the world’s first personal supercomputer. It was so powerful it was even classified as a weapon by the U.S. government. Paired with Final Cut Pro, which also debuted this year, it brought Hollywood-quality editing capabilities to a desktop computer.

2001 - PowerBook G4 - The titanium PowerBook G4 was a big departure from the previous black curvilinear models. It was the world’s first widescreen notebook. And it shipped with Mac OS X, a complete reengineering of the operating system that introduced the Aqua user interface and the Dock. The year 2001 also brought iTunes, which would go on to revolutionize the music industry.

2002 - iMac - This iMac looked like no Mac before. Or after. It was the first iMac that featured an LCD screen — an innovation that led to a much thinner profile. When the display was mounted on an adjustable arm above a white hemisphere, the unique form really took shape. It wasn’t just a new iMac, it was instantly iconic.

2003 - Power Mac G5 - The Power Mac G5 was the first desktop computer with 64-bit architecture. It also introduced the tower design that would define pro computing in the years to come. Inside its beautiful anodized aluminum chassis was amazing power and expandability and the engine that would propel a decade of creativity.

2005 - iMac G5 - The iMac G5 was a completely new design, with the logic board mounted behind the flat-panel display and the computer elevated above the desk on an aluminum foot. A remote, which could magnetically attach to the side, gave users one-click access to their photos, music, and videos from anywhere in the room. This was also the first Mac with a built-in iSight camera, integrated with iChat, so anyone could start video chatting right out of the box.

2006 - MacBook Pro - The change to an Intel processor gave this Mac notebook such a massive boost in performance, it needed a new name: MacBook Pro. With up to quadruple the speed of the PowerBook G4, professionals were no longer chained to their desks and had the freedom to create anywhere with a notebook.

2008 - iMac - The redesign of the iMac was radical in every way. It was housed in a stunningly slim enclosure of pure glass and aluminum. In fact, only one screw was visible, and that was on the bottom. Despite its thin profile, it was an incredibly powerful computer for both work and home.

2009 - MacBook Air was the first unibody notebook, crafted from a single piece of aluminum. Instead of a removable battery, it had a streamlined, built-in one. The popularity of downloadable music meant an optical disc drive was no longer needed. And the ubiquity of Wi-Fi networks made an Ethernet port unnecessary. The result of all this? The world’s thinnest notebook. 

2014 – Mac Pro - The new Mac Pro isn’t just a big leap forward, it’s a huge change in direction. It takes the most advanced technologies available today and puts them together like no computer before it. With two workstation-class graphics processors, incredibly fast flash storage, and unprecedented expansion capabilities, it’s designed to create on an epic scale. And we can’t wait to see what you’ll do with it.

Related articles

• Apple's Mac turns 30: How Steve Jobs' baby took its first steps - Register
• 'Celebrate the Mac' Site Offers Photos of Vintage Macs in Celebration of 30th Anniversary [Mac Blog]
• Apple says Happy Birthday, Mac - celebrating 30 years of innovation
• Apple Celebrates Thirty Years of Macintosh with Homepage Tribute, Visual Timeline, 'Mac 30' Video

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The Simpsons: Tapped Out

By EA

Price - Free
Buy it for Apple devices
Buy it for Android from Google

Buy it for Android from Amazon

Category - Game

from Mike
Those who regularly use their iPhones or iPads for games probably have a category of what I like to call "long-term" games. That is to say games that are going to stick around for a while. These aren't the ones you play while waiting in line at the bank. These are the ones you sit down and enjoy to the exclusion of all other distractions.

I've been playing "The Simpsons: Tapped Out" for more than a year, which is like three lifetimes in terms of mobile gaming. When was the last time you played "Angry Birds" or "Draw Something?" The reason I keep going back to "The Simpson: Tapped Out" is because they are continually updating and expanding the game's universe, adding characters, rules and interesting game mechanics. Not only that, but the developers seem to understand that this is the only reason any of us continue to play. Homer and his family break the fourth wall, letting the player know he's in on the joke. Last month the game introduced a new character that was to be featured in an upcoming episode of the TV show. Lisa told Homer about in the game and Homer said "Is that show still on? I thought we were just a game now." To which Lisa replied "No one expected anyone to still be playing this game."

Tapped Out is a villiage building simulation. The premise is that Homer has made a mistake at the nuclear plant and blown Springfield away. It is up to the player to rebuild the town, bring back characters and keep everyone busy and productive. During my year and a half, I've managed to build a good-sized town, the Squidport and even Krusty the clown's theme park "Krustyland."

The developers offer four major updates a year to coincide with the seasons or to tie in to the television show. In the winter, snow covers the ground and you can decorate many of the houses with lights. They did updates for Valentine's Day where you could send and collect valentine cards from other players via your EA Origins account. There was a Whacking Day event where you wack snakes to collect town features only available for a month. They did the same for St. Patrick's Day and Halloween.

Each building produces money which can be used to buy more buildings. Decorations and features such as lamp posts, mailboxes, newspaper dispensors, trees, flowers etc... add to the amount of money collected. Character are given jobs which also produce money and experience points. In addition, you can earn donuts by advancing levels and completing quests. Donuts can be used to buy premium content such as special buildings, characters and decorations or to speed up the waiting process for buildings to produce money. Donuts can be purchased for real-world dollars, but I've never found it necessary to spend any money on the game to enjoy it.

The Simpson's cosmology is such that they are never likely to run out of fresh content to push and everything has the Simpson's flavor of humor. When you tap on Homer and give him a job, he might say "Work? But I thought this was a game!" or "I wish this was a shooter game" or "Well, beats doing my real job." Part of the fun is collecting as many of the Springfield residents as possible and hearing them complain about living inside the game.

You can visit the Springfields of your friends and vandalize their buildings or help them collect money and experience points. The more friends you have playing, the more money and experience you can collect.

EA doesn't have the most sterling of reputations when it comes to mobile apps, but they hit it out of Isotopes Stadium with this one. It is a must for any Simpsons fan and a great free game for your iOS device.

Read Mike's review of the Stitcher Radio app HERE

from Developer
D’OH! Homer accidently caused a meltdown that wiped out Springfield. Now, it’s up to you to rebuild it!

From the writers of The Simpsons, tap into a city building game that lets you create your own living, breathing Springfield... for FREE.

Recreate Springfield just like you want it, as you help Homer find Marge, Bart and the rest of his family and friends. Complete comic quests like making Apu work ridiculously long shifts at Kwik-E-Mart, growing and harvesting Tomacco on Cletus’s Farm, partying down with Duffman at Duff Brewery, and more. Finish jobs and tasks to earn currency and… mmm, donuts.

We told you that this game is life-ruiningly fun.

Related articles

• The Simpsons: Tapped Out(Android, iOS)
• Why Tapped Out Might be the Best Simpsons Game Ever - Article
• How to Unlock Judge Snyder in The Simpsons: Tapped Out
• LEGO Simpsons!?

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Kickstarter Glyph

Checkout the Glyph Kickstarter HERE

from Greg
I would like to support the Kickstarter on this one but the $500 price is a little steep for me right now. That being said I think this is a great product. The Kickstarter project achieved full funding in less than 24 hours so the product will go to production. Glyph will work with any device that supports HDMI. Hook it directly to your cable box or Apple TV and you are off to the movies.

Beats music app goes live Read more HERE

from Developer
Experience stark, vivid images like nothing you've ever seen combined with premium audio in a unique flip down form factor.

Since the beginning of personal display technology, screens have been getting smaller and closer to our eyes but with one limitation: image quality. At Avegant we've solved that problem using a new technology that mimics the way that we as humans naturally see light. Using a Virtual Retinal Display we've figured out how to project images directly onto your retina, creating sharp, stark images unlike anything you've seen before.

Over the past two years we've worked to miniaturize the technology to fit into a portable headset good for mobile or home use. The product of our work is the Glyph. Combining a unique flip-down form factor, super sharp imagery and premium noise-cancelling audio, we created a device that is a revolution in personal display technology.

The Glyph uses a simple HDMI input to display anything in your content library, from the movies that you already own to streamed Netflix over your iPhone to the desktop environment in your Mac or PC. The Glyph is also great for gaming, whether in playing Call of Duty Ghosts on your Playstation or Real Racing on your mobile phone. And with an integrated 9 Degree of Freedom head-tracker, a whole world of interactive gaming, Point of View (PoV) imaging and interactive storytelling is within our reach.

And this is just the beginning. The future of content possible with the Glyph is limitless. Imagine directors being able to produce 360 movies where you can not only watch actors interact in a cafe but look around the environment as the story unfolds around you. Imagine integrating an LTE chip into the Glyph and making calls straight from your headset. Imagine integrating a camera on the front of the visor and clicking a button to see not just the world in front of you but ultraviolet and infrared signatures in real time.

Backers of this project are more than consumers and testers. You're investing in the future of display technology and participating in what can change the world of vision as we currently know it. We'll make you part of that community as we build it from the ground up, from interactive testing and feedback to online forums to member-only events and perks.

At the end of this campaign, those who pledge $499 or more will receive a fully functional Beta Glyph Prototype, a device that integrates fluidly with any content of your choice, displays vivid 3D and symbolizes the first step in truly integrated and stylish mobile near-eye display technology.

Accolade from the Media

Reviewed.com, part of USA TODAY, January 9th - Editor's Choice Award at CES: "As far as clarity, there is definitely a 'wow factor' when you first experience the image projected by the Glyph. It’s quite amazing to realize that you aren’t staring at a screen, and that the projected image is reflecting off the back of your retina. Since it projects into each eye independently, you can view images and video in full 3-D."

THE VERGE, December 18th:  “The picture I see already looks beautiful: high-res, colorful, and accurate, with none of the screen-door effect or pixellation of a device like the Rift.”

What is a Virtual Retinal Display?

The Glyph's Virtual Retinal Display uses one million micromirrors in each eye piece to reflect a sharp, vivid and lifelike image directly onto the back of your retina. It's an advanced, safe and innovative process that results in extremely comfortable light yielding very little eyestrain. Users of the Glyph prototypes have worn devices comfortably for hours with no nausea or disorientation when transitioning back to normal vision.

Watch this video to see how it works:

What To Expect From The Deliverable Glyph Beta

We've spent a long time perfecting the science and the design that goes into the Glyph, and we're proud to bring you a device that reflects our passion.

The Glyph Beta that you receive in the mail later this year will have all of the trademarks of a fully developed and tested product, including re-engineered ergonomics and a slimmer, more efficient design than what you see above. Compared to the physical alpha prototype now in our hands, Avegant plans to deliver:

A comfortable, balanced fit that applies minimal pressure to the user's nose and ears while still looking great

Slimmer ear cans reduced approximately 50% in thickness

A thinner, more lightweight visor with a cover that minimally impacts your head and hair during audio mode use

One slim cable that connects to either an HDMI/MHL cable or an audio jack

Renderings of the deliverable beta prototype that you'll get are on our homepage!

We need to be clear with one thing: what you'll receive at the end of this year is a beta product. The Glyph Alpha works magnificently in its current state and will be an order of magnitude better when it reaches your hands as the Glyph Beta. But it's still going to be a beta device with room for growth.

Backers of this project are early testers and adopters. We hope to work with you over and after the campaign to learn about your experiences, refine the product and help bring this to the mainstream store shelves. It should be a great adventure.

FAQ

What is a Virtual Retinal Display? A Virtual Retinal Display uses a micromirror array and a combination of optics to reflect an image directly onto your retina, effectively using the back of your eyeball as a screen. The resulting picture is extremely sharp and vivid, unlike anything a conventional display can produce. In particular, the 3D images are exceptionally clear.

What sort of content works with the Glyph? The Glyph is made to be media agnostic, meaning that it can plug into any HDMI source and display any current content natively. This means sources from an XBox to a Playstation to a MacBook to an iPhone to an Android device may be used while content from Blu-ray DVDs to video games to streaming movies can be watched.
For how long can it be worn? The reflected light produced from the Glyph is very comfortable and natural feeling. Many users who experience eye strain or nausea in looking at a conventional display feel no similar effect using this technology.
What about battery life? The beta headset will have enough battery life to power a full-length feature film, about three hours.

What sort of cables will I need? The beta headset will have one MHL/HDMI cable that will plug into any HDMI source. An adapter will be included to go to a micro-HDMI connection.

Will there be head tracking for gaming or immersive reality? Yes. We have already tested the current prototypes with head tracking and assorted console games. They work great!

What is the field of view? Looking into the device you’ll see an image that looks like an 80 inch screen 8 feet away from you. That translates to about a 45 degree field of view.

Can you make that field of view bigger? Yes. We promise to look into developing it. But right now we want to focus on bringing a broad spectrum of already-existing content to the broad user base, and we don't want to constrain the image. Support us in our efforts now and you'll see the fruit of our development down the road.

Does this technology work with Virtual Reality? Yes. The high resolution, lack of screen-door effect and low latency of our technology makes it great for VR.
Is it safe? Yes. The light source is simply a low powered Light Emitting Diode (LED) – something like you would see at the end of a keychain light. The micromirror array and optics together create the unique image.

How does the Glyph work with glasses? You’ll be able to adjust the diopters in the Glyph to accommodate a wide variety of prescriptions and pupillary distances. In short: you won’t need your glasses. Note: at this point we cannot account for astigmatic eyesight.

Isn’t a micromiror array the same thing as a DLP? Yes. We’re working with TI utilizing brand new, unreleased, cutting-edge micromirror technology.

Stretch Goals
* Originally we planned to include noise cancelling at $1M of funding, but because the messaging was unclear at the outset we'll include it with all of the shipped devices from here on out. More stretch goals to come!

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
We at Avegant were fortunate to have the support of our friends and family to get the initial engineering prototypes built and tested. To date, we've already integrated and tested all of the optics, electronics and audio components needed to make the Glyph Alpha functional.

Our challenges through delivery primarily lie in designing and testing a fit that will be comfortable for the widest spectrum of users and also scaling up manufacturing.

Everyone has a different set of fit parameters that work optimally for the Glyph. To accommodate that, we've integrated diopters into the eyepieces to adjust focus and sliders to adjust IPD (interpupillary distance), and that will cover 99% of users. But if you have a unique ocular condition or IPD then the image may not come into perfect focus for you.

We have mitigated most of our manufacturing challenges by setting up groups throughout the states that can ramp up product at the drop of a hat. If we end up scaling through the roof, we'll need to pivot to a different manufacturing profile, but we already have deep connections in production across the planet. We have strong confidence that the Glyph Beta will ship prior to Christmas this year.

Related articles

• Glyph developers raise more than $258k on opening day of kickstarter, plan product demo for tonight
• Glyph virtual retinal display leaps onto Kickstarter for $500
• Avegant Introduces Glyph Head Mounted Virtual Retinal Display Technology
• Glyph Mobile Personal Theater Blasts Past Funding Goal (video)

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Megacity HD tablet certified

By ColePowered

Price - $0.99
Buy it for Apple devices
Buy it for Android from Google

Buy it for Android from Amazon
Buy it for Windows phones

Category - Game

Greg's Review
Megacity HD game app is tablet certified.

Here is a great mash-up game that has me hooked big time. A combination of Simcity and Tetris. Can you believe that combo? Better than chocolate and peanut butter. You have to match up residential, commercial, and industrial properties to clear neighborhoods. The more you clear the higher the score and hard the play. Easy to learn but impossible to master.

Warning! Do not start playing this game unless you have a bunch of free time because it will suck you in!

Read the tablet certified review of Pacific Skies game app

From Developer
"addictive iPhone gaming at its peak." 9/10 - AppGamer

"going to make the hours melt away." 9/10 - 148Apps

MegaCity is a highly original and fun 'one-more-go' style city building puzzle game.

It's easy to learn but hard to master and features gameplay that sees you inadvertently creating your own puzzles!

Place requested buildings in the queue to earn points, but watch out: Nobody wants to live next to a landfill site or industrial estate! Everybody wants a nice park or school nearby, but the city's budget is limited.

This is where you come in...

Megacity is a game of planning and thinking ahead to squeeze the most points of out your citizens by clever town planning. And if it all goes wrong, it's their fault for electing you mayor, right?

Megacity is a real thinking person's game, which appeals to and is suitable for all ages.

Features:
-Dozens of different buildings
-10 unlockable buildings
-New challenge puzzle mode
-Achievements, local & online high scores.

Related articles

• Japan Shows the Way to Affordable Megacities
• Android App 4 Pics 1 Word Review
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