ZOMG! Now we’ve seen it all. Walt Disney would roll in his own grave if he wasn’t already a zombie. This Snow White only eats Apple Fan Boy hearts! A creepy twist on a popular genre and look at the scary detail on this thing! But in all seriousness, this is creepy cool - just peel and stick this die-cut vinyl decal on your iPad. It’s from Etsy for $15 and also available for MacBooks and iPhones.
Apple Bans Charity Donations in iPhone Apps
Apple has banned charity donations on its iPhone apps, and nonprofit organizations that rely on monetary gifts to help them with their causes claim this could hurt their business, according to a recent New York Times report.
According to the article, people who use the iPhone apps created by charities or organizations cannot donate money directly through the application, they are re-directed to the organization’s website.
“When you’re popped out of an app, you then have to go through a whole bunch of clicks to make a donation,” Beth Kanter, CEO of consulting firm for nonprofits Zoetica, told the Times. “It’s cumbersome and it doesn’t have to be.”
She plans on replacing her iPhone with an Android device, which allows app users to donate directly through apps. Kanter has started an online petition to get the attention of Apple to convince them a policies change.
An Apple spokesperson declined to explain Apple’s reasoning for this ban but told the NY Times, “We are proud to have many applications on our App Store which accept charitable donations via their Web sites.”
Earlier this year, after the earthquake in Haiti, Apple asked for donations for the American Red Cross through iTunes, establishing what some considered as a model for iPhone-assisted donations. That increased speculation that the real issue was money.
Apple takes 30 percent of purchases made from the App Store, and that would be frowned upon if it were to be taken out of a charitable donation.
I can understand why Apple won’t let charity donations work through iPhone apps - they set a precedent in their rules and if you bend it for one group, how many others will also try something similar. A few extra taps aren’t going to ruin your experience or busy day.
[via The New York Times]
Apple Has Plenty of ‘TIME’ for Great Gadgets
TIME magazine has listed 50 Top 10 lists on their web site this year - 50! Surely an Apple product made it into at least one of these lists, right? Of course, we wouldn’t have posted this unless there was. Silly question.
Time’s Top 10 Gadgets (for 2010) listed not one, but four, Apple products in this category. The iPad took top honors (of course!), the newly-revamped 11-in. MacBook Air took third place, the iPhone 4 took sixth place and the new Apple TV took seventh (with a much improved form factor, capacity and functions). That’s much respect to Apple, and well deserved. You can see the entire list below. Read more
Commodore Amiga Emulator Coming to iOS
Mobile developer Manomio is releasing a Commodore Amiga emulator and TouchArcade has the first hands-on. Manomio also developed the Commodore 64 emulator for iOS that was originally rejected from the App Store. After some changes to the App Store policy, Manomio’s Commodore 64 emulator returned. Read more
iTunes Rolling Out 90 Second Song Previews
Back in November we reported that Apple sent notifications out to music labels to tell them that Apple is getting ready to extend iTunes Music previews from 30 seconds to 90 seconds for songs that are at least 2 minutes and 30 seconds long.
Today, still unofficially unannounced, Apple has begun to roll out the extended song previews in the iTunes Store. All of iTunes’ current top albums have the 90 second previews, but most songs still have the original 30 second previews. Apple has yet to issue a press release announcing the feature but we can expect one before the week’s end. Keep checking Apple’s PR page or just keep watching on our site.
Angry Birds: 12+ Million Copies Sold (Most on iOS)
Do you know the story behind Angry Birds? It started off with a screenshot from one of their game designers - a picture of some angry-looking birds. Then the game mechanics were developed behind the idea. Everyone at Rovio really loved the characters, so a game was developed around it. Read more
Hardware Orientation Lock for iPad Returns … As a Case
MacLocks just added what it calls “The First iPad Security Cable Lock”, the iPad Lock - a clear plastic iPad case that can be closed with a lock (same locking mechanism as a bike lock) and tethered to whatever your heart desires with a coated steel cable. In Apple-fashion, “This makes the iPad Lock flexible and light, not to mention stylish, so you can easily pack it in your bag and take it with you wherever you go!” Once it’s secured, the only way to remove your iPad is with a key. The case itself is $39.95, or you can purchase the bundle (case & lock) from MacLocks for $64.95.
Apple’s Future Berkeley, CA Store - $1.7M
Apple is planning on spending $1.7 million US to renovate a building in Berkeley, California, the northern part of the state, for its new store. The building is 4,455 square feet of retail space.
Turn Your iDevice into a Monitor with WiFi Baby
I remember when our 2 kids were infants, we monitored them with audio-only monitors, and that wasn’t too long ago. I remember seeing some units that let you install a video monitor but they seemed very expensive at the time. Now Y-Cam has released the WiFi Baby 3G, a Wi-Fi enabled baby monitor that displays HD quality video and audio for daytime and even uses night-vision technology for night-time monitoring.
