Why I Started Using Hazel for Mac

Over the weekend, I have started using an application several MacStories readers and friends of mine suggested for a very long time: Hazel. Following Ben Brooks’ excellent roundup of what can be accomplished with Noodlesoft’s Hazel and a series of great tips I’ve found on the Internet, I decided it was about time to take what many call “the most precious time-saving utility for the Mac” for a spin. The results, even in a short 3-day testing timeframe, are quite impressive.

This is not meant to be a review of Hazel, as I believe the app can go really in-depth with its feature set and I need a few more weeks before writing a proper article. Still, I think I should share my thoughts on why I started using it, especially considering how it’s difficult to find on blogs the reasons why you need Hazel, rather than a list of all the things this utility can do. Last week, when I was not a “Hazel user”, I couldn’t find a single post about getting started with Hazel, and why you should give it a try. So here it is. Read more

Gmail’s Priority Inbox Comes To The iPhone

Great news from the Google Mobile team today: the Gmail webapp for iPhone has now Priority Inbox support built-in. Priority Inbox for mobile will import all the sections you have created on the desktop and it will also display the “important and read” or “important and unread” markers you’ve got used to see in Gmail.

Now, once you set up Priority Inbox in the desktop version of Gmail, you’ll see Priority Inbox sections when you visit gmail.com from your phone’s browser and click on the ‘Menu’ screen. You’ll also see importance markers in your inbox, so you can quickly identify which messages are important.

The new feature is available to Android and iOS devices. iOS 3 or later is required.

#MacStoriesDeals - Monday

So what did you like better - The Super Bowl’s commercials or the game? Here’s today’s deals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot! Read more

Angry Birds “Valentine’s Day Edition” Now Available→

Angry Birds Seasons “Valentine’s Edition” Now Available

The much anticipated Valentine’s Day update for Angry Birds Seasons just went live in the App Store. It includes 15 “lovely” new levels, a Valentine’s Day theme, new achievements. Oh, and a new icon featuring a sexy female Angry Bird.

Get ready for the most heartfelt episode in Angry Birds Seasons so far: the Valentine’s Day edition! After the shenanigans of Halloween and Christmas, Angry Birds Seasons continue in the spirit of Love! As usual, Angry Birds gives the most generous updates of any app!

Go download the update here. Seasons HD for iPad is also available.

Permalink

Fake iPhones and iPods Worth $10 Million Seized By L.A. Police

The Los Angeles Port police has seized thousands of fake iPhones and iPods coming from China in an operation that prevented these counterfeit models from ending up on the U.S. market and generate $10 million in revenue. The models, shipped from China as “replacement parts” and re-assembled to look like old Apple devices, were so similar to the original ones buyers could recognize the scam only when trying to sync them with iTunes.

Two brothers were charged for the sale of counterfeit goods and bank account records also revealed the operation had already generated $7 million in revenue. That’s quite a business for fake Chinese iPods. Apparently, the guys behind these devices thought it might be a good idea to replicate older iPods and iPhones rather than the most recent iterations.

We have seen lots of fake Apple products in the past, and it’s good to know police is always working to prevent them from ending up on customers’ hands. With the iPad 2 coming soon, I guess we’ll see several fake “used iPad 1” in 2012. [via Cult of Mac]

Apple’s Next Initiative: Eliminate Retail Box Inventory

With the recent popularity of the Mac App Store and continued success of iTunes App Store, Apple’s long term future sales for software are going to be digital distribution. MacRumors is saying that Apple is planning on making the move to all digital sooner that expected at their retail locations. They want to rid of boxed software and focus sales directly through the Mac App Store. Read more

Smartr Twitter App Is Like Flipboard for iPhone

I was surprised when I found this app in the App Store last week. Smartr, a free app by Factyle, is a full-featured Twitter client that, unlike the usual Twitterrific or other Twitter apps, is entirely aimed at letting you read in an uncluttered and mobile-friendly view all the links shared in your timeline or lists. In fact, Smartr might just be the closest thing to a “Flipboard for iPhone” we’ve seen yet. Read more

Score Good Grades & Touchdowns with an iPad

Apple is in talks with legislators in Georgia to adopt iPads as textbook replacements in public schools. Think of it - the school system would save a lot of money in textbook costs over one device that could store all the student’s textbooks on one device. Imagine how much lighter your book bag would be every day. NFL coaches must play way too much Madden on their iPads, because now NFL coaches in Dallas are looking at replacing their paper playbooks with iPads as well. Read more

Vivid Gives Your iPhone A Wallpaper A Day

Vivid, a $0.99 app for the iPhone released last week, is a simple utility to get a new wallpaper on your iPhone every day. If you’re that kind of user who’s always searching for new backgrounds and lockscreen walls to make your iPhone a little more personalized, Vivid might just be what you’ve been looking for. Once you fire up the app you’re given a preview of the daily wallpaper, usually a photograph from an internet database the app connects to, which you can save to your Camera Roll, email, send via MMS and print. An archive button in the bottom toolbar lets you see previous images, and you can hit the “Today” button to make sure you’re staying up to date with Vivid’s daily offerings.

Vivid is a simple app that accomplishes the simple task of pushing new wallpapers to your iPhone every day. Go download it here.