Ready for the Mac App Store launch on Thursday? We are! Here’s today’s deals on iOS & Mac apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot! Read more
#MacStoriesDeals - Tuesday
Let a SuperHero Back Up Your iPhone While You Sleep
At MacStories, we tend to sync our various Apple gadgets to our Macs quite often because we’re blanketed in apps to review. But you guys might not have to deal with the kind of chaos we deal with between iTunes, 6 shots of espresso, and sync cables, so we’ll offer a middleman.
The Iomega SuperHero cuts out iTunes as a dock you won’t be ashamed to sit your iPhone in. As a bonus, this slick gadget backs up your iPhone so iTunes doesn’t have to! Wake up in the morning knowing that your data is backed up and safe at home - that’s the kind of convenience we aim for right? The SuperHero Backup and Charger is now available for $69.99, and works in combination with Iomega’s SuperHero app for the iPhone.
Mac App Store Preview: QuickMark QR Code Reader
Currently waiting in Apple’s review queue and hopefully launching on the Mac App Store on January 6, QuickMark is a new app that will let your Mac “read” the increasingly popular QR codes. Thanks to the built-in iSight every Mac (which Apple is apparently rebranding as “FaceTime camera”) will be able to recognize 2D barcode images or, if a Mac doesn’t come with an iSight, load an image file and scan it. You can also create your own 2D codes, if you wish.
QuickMark’s reader is capable of doing a bunch of stuff with a correctly scanned code, too. For example, the app can follow a web link with a Mac’s default browser, send an email or add a contact to the Address Book. The app also sports a neat Skype integration as it can send SMS and make a phone call; if you don’t like making phone calls and you’re more for meeting your friends in person, the app can also navigate to a Google Maps’ specific point of interest.
QuickMark for Mac should be available in the App Store soon.
Logitech’s HD Pro Webcam Adds Mac Support - FaceTime in Hi-Def
The iSight is okay if you’re casually chatting with friends and family, but why not kick it up a notch with Logitech’s version of Microsoft’s 1080p LifeCam Studio?
The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 gains Mac support, allowing you to record 1080p video, while streaming live in glorious 720p. Compatible with Skype, FaceTime, Gmail Voice and Video Chat, the Logitech HD Pro Webcam autofocuses to produce the best images while recording stereo audio thanks to its dual mics. Logitech’s Webcam Software enables simple one-click uploading to Facebook and Youtube as well for sharing those awesome MacStories product reviews, and if you’re into photos, you can snap 10 megapixel shots of that morning mug.
This is a solid offering from Logitech (especially for iMac owners) that brings high-definition to your favorite Macintosh. You can read the full press-release over at BusinessWire for more information. [via BusinessWire]
Mac App Store Preview: Tembo, A New Take On Spotlight
Coming to the Mac App Store this Thursday, Tembo is a new app from the guys behind popular OS X software like HoudahGeo and HoudahSpot that aims at providing a fast, fun and easy interface for Spotlight. Tembo will allow you to easily find music, mail messages, documents and bookmarks through a window that resembles the Spotlight UI you were used to on OS X Tiger.
Search results are grouped by categories, and you can enable, disable or reorder these categories in the app’s Preferences. A top bar for each category in the search results window will let you filter through these results already neatly organized in categories. It’s really powerful, but user-friendly at the same time. Tembo can list up to 2500 items in a single group, and can work as an extension to Mail and iChat to find messages and conversations, or Safari to search through bookmarks and history.
Tembo will be available on January 6 at $20 with a free trial available on the developers’ website.
iPhone 4 Becomes A Skateboard
On iOS, a device becomes the app it’s currently running. Are you using a calculator app? The iPhone looks like a digital calculator then. A GPS map? A TV remote? Full-screen apps can turn an iOS device into, well, anything. What about hardware accessories, though? Can a rather simple accessory like a case turn an iPhone into something else?
The Skateboard Series for iPhone 4 is a new case available on Etsy made out of laser-cut grip tape and actual wood. It looks like a mini-skateboard, only it’s an iPhone and it doesn’t have wheels. Build quality looks impressive, too.
When combined with a wood grain vinyl edge wrap this design actually gives your iPhone 4 the illusion of being a skateboard, all you need now are the wheels. The only advice we can give you is not to slide this phone against your grandma’s table because this material is very rough.
Whether or not you think the grip tape on the back of the device could make it a little harder to get it out of your pockets, this mod can be yours for only $20. Available now on Etsy. [via Reddit]
Steve Jobs’ New Year’s Resolutions for 2011
Scoopertino makes up some funny stories, and this one is no different. It’s actually quite hilarious. Steve Jobs wrote down his 2011 New Year’s Resolutions on a napkin and someone in Starbucks has retrieved it. Hmm, sounds like another joke about an iPhone prototype and a bar. Enjoy the fake news of the day. Or is it? Read more
Eye Scope Adds 8x Optical Zoom To Your iPhone
If you’ve ever wished you could spy on your neighbor’s house or simply take better photos of distant objects with your iPhone (yes, we’re going to pretend your never thought of spying on people using an Apple device), you might want to consider the Eye Scope, a $45 (£29) accessory that can add 8x optical zoom to the iPhone’s lens.
Available for iPhone 3G / 3GS / 4 owners,the Eye Scope is basically a case with an attached optical lens that promises to cover 246 meters ahead of you and your iPhone. Not bad, huh? In the package, you’ll also get a tripod mount and a lens cloth to keep everything clean and well focused.
If you want to go ahead and buy it, the Eye Scope for iPhone is available on online retailer Firebox. [via Ubergizmo]
iHealth: An Apple A Day Will Keep The Doctor Away
Apple iDevices are finally being prescribed more and more for medical applications. Last week we told you about the iphonECG and now there’s the iHealth, a blood pressure monitoring system that uses a special dock and your iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad to monitor and track your blood pressure wherever you may be. Looking at the iHealth website, the UI looks clean, simple and easy to use. You can look good and feel better (hopefully) about your health at the same time, ha!
The iHealth unit will be available sometime today on their online store for $99.95 plus a free iOS app that will be available any day.
[via Engadget]