Features Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Productivity Tip: Using specialized lists for specific use cases

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (May 7th, 2013)

It's time for this week's Productivity Tips column. While I use OmniFocus for just about everything, there are times when I prefer other task managers to handle certain things. Many productivity gurus advise against using more than one tool to list tasks, but I don't like putting short-term list ...

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: Accessibility edition!

by Kelly Guimont (May 5th, 2013)

Sunday is drawing to a close, and that means it's time for discussing the week that was with Kelly and a few of the usual suspects. This week we'll be joined by Dr. Robert Carter, host of the Tech Doctor Podcast, and discussing accessibility. This week brought a few new features released as part ...

Origin Stories: Naturespace

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (May 3rd, 2013)

I've always been a sucker for soundscapes -- those looping sound effect CD's that whisk you away to the beach, or a rainforest or whatever. As I have a hard time "shutting down" my brain, these sounds give me something to get lost in and focus on, helping relax me. I think it's the same way for a ...

CSI TUAW: Taking iOS microphotographs with Bodelin's ProScope Micro Mobile

by Steven Sande (May 3rd, 2013)

TUAW readers who watched this week's TUAW TV Live got a sneak peek at the nifty device in this review -- Bodelin's ProScope Micro Mobile (US$149), a tool for turning an iPhone (4/4S/5), iPad mini, or 2nd- through 4th-generation iPad into a professional-quality microscope. That's right -- if you ...

Big Nerd Ranch Clash of the Coders: Rule-based lock screens

by Erica Sadun (May 3rd, 2013)

One of the nicest things about hanging out with coders is the exposure to their pet personal projects. Brian James Turner at Big Nerd Ranch has been working on a new take on lock screens. Hosted at github, Turner's project transforms the iOS lockscreen from a series of memorized numbers or ...

Big Nerd Ranch Clash of the Coders: Innovation, fun, inspiration

by Erica Sadun (May 2nd, 2013)

Founded 12 years ago, Atlanta's Big Nerd Ranch is well-known among the Apple developer community as a prime source for corporate and individual training. Created to provide professional services for Apple technologies, its mission has grown to include both contract programming as well as ...

polychord for iPad: an inspiring way to create music

by Matt Tinsley (May 1st, 2013)

polychord (US$9.99) is a virtual instrument for making and creating keyboard / electronic-style music on the iPad. With its easy-to-use approach and layout, polychord makes it painless to get your head around the basics and start making some really lovely sounding and creatively inspiring music. ...

SharePractice wants your doctor to have the best advice on the iPhone

by Michael Rose (Apr 30th, 2013)

Among the startups competing for attention (and funding) at Monday's opening round of the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield, one unusual social app for iPhone stood out. SharePractice, from physician Andrew Brandeis and his team, aims to connect physicians to each other and give them access ...

Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10 pm ET: iTunes store turns 10, quarterly results

by Michael Rose (Apr 28th, 2013)

It's a big 1-0 for everyone's "favorite" music store, which has evolved far beyond its humble Rip, Mix, Burn origins to become the digital hub for a new generation of digital devices. Happy birthday, iTunes Music Store, and here's hoping that you make it out of your adolescence wiser and more ...

Review and giveaway: a trio of iPad mini cases (updated)

by Steven Sande (Apr 27th, 2013)

After a slow start, it appears that every accessory manufacturer on the planet is now up to speed on pumping out shiploads (that is spelled correctly, BTW) of iPad mini cases. Today, for your amusement and my employment, I'll take a look at three of the cases that have come to the attention of ...

Collective for Mac retains your clipboard history, saves you time

by Matt Tinsley (Apr 26th, 2013)

Collective (US$1.99) is a clipboard history utility for Mac. It keeps track of everything you copy to your Mac's clipboard, which in turn allows you to paste different items without having to go back and forth copying and pasting over and over again. Since I've not used a clipboard utility app ...

Friday Favorite: CommandQ for Mac

by Matt Tinsley (Apr 26th, 2013)

CommandQ is a Mac utility that stops you from accidentally quitting apps when using the keyboard shortcut "⌘" (or command) and "Q". Unfortunately, we are all susceptible to moments of human error. This means, with the ⌘ + Q shortcut, we sometimes quit apps we don't mean to. Perhaps when ...

id America's Metropolitan in-ear headphones offer comfort, great sound and a bargain price

by Steven Sande (Apr 26th, 2013)

I am not a fan of the Apple EarPods that come with the iPhone 5, so when id America sent a pair of their new Metropolitan In-Ear Headphones (US$29.95) I was eager to give them a try. My main complaint with the EarPods is that they refuse to stay in my ears, preferring instead to pop out at ...

Crazy Talk 7 puts character animation power on your Mac

by Michael Rose (Apr 25th, 2013)

Putting words in other people's mouths: more of a hobby than a vocation for most people, I'd say. If your work or play involves facial animation, however, you know how much work goes into making fake speech look convincingly real. Although there are impressive pro animation tools for this ...

Just Mobile's HeadStand, AluCup and AluFrame: Accessories that organize, protect

by Steven Sande (Apr 25th, 2013)

As the Northern Hemisphere of the planet wakes up from winter, accessory manufacturers are coming to life with some new or revised products. One of those companies, Just Mobile, has released a crop of accessories that can help to organize your workspace and protect your iPhone 5. There's the ...