Innehållsförteckning för Dec-13 från MacLife

The Hottest Articles on MacLife.com The 25 Best Mac App Store Games Under $10 Apple’s Mac storefront features a lot of “budget” games, many of them surprisingly worthwhile—and we’ve scoured the listings to find the best of the bunch. http://www.maclife.com/BestMacAppStoreGamesUnder10 Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Review The Mac sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent is more narrative-driven than its predecessor, dispensing with many of its puzzles. A Machine for Pigs is more point-and-click adventure than survival horror, driven more by players’ resolve than their wits. http://www.maclife.com/AmnesiaMachineforPigs 8 Apps That Teach You How to Play Piano With the help of the apps we’ve rounded up here, people interested in learning piano can feel at home tickling the ivories. Maybe one day you’ll be the one composing music that encourages people to…

The wait is over. After more than three months of anticipation, we no longer have to stare longingly at the images on Apple.com or pore through beta release notes to get our fix—on Sept. 18, iOS 7 was unleashed into the wild, and Apple users everywhere were finally able to get their fingers on all the new features. People have understandably been eager to update—200 million of them hit the download button over the first few days alone—and based on the early reaction, most are liking what Jony Ive’s done with the place (in spite of some minor complaints). Apple routinely touts hundreds of new features in its annual iOS refreshes, but there’s never been one quite like this before. Though we can usually barrel through the new stuff in…

The Internet is growing so fast and the amount of content coursing through it is expanding at such a rate that in a few short years, the world won’t have enough storage capacity to hold it all. That’s the conclusion of Gary Gentry, a top exec at digital storage manufacturer Seagate. According to Gentry, the world is going to need about six zettabytes of storage capacity by 2020, and the bad news is that even with aggressive investments in research and manufacturing, the entire world’s storage capacity will only be half that. A zettabyte is a lot—really a lot. In decimal terms, a gigabyte is a thousand megabytes, a terabyte is a thousand gigabytes, a petabyte is a thousand terabytes, an exabyte is a thousand petabytes, and a zettabyte is…

THE WIDE WORLD OF WI-FI ETHERNET If you can connect devices to your router(s) by Ethernet rather than Wi-Fi, you should. Not only is it faster and more robust than Wi-Fi, but it’s inherently more secure, to boot. MIX OLD AND NEW If you connect an older device such as this iMac G5 to a modern network, everything slows down to its maximum speed. But you can mitigate this by using a simultaneous dual-band router. Turn to page 54 INTERNET CONNECTION Most of us don’t just use our networks to talk to other devices at home; we connect to the Internet, too. We’ll tell you how to get what you pay for from your ISP. We’ll also tell you why your Internet connection slows down in the evening. Turn to…

With the right apps, even the rankest of amateurs can make beautiful pictures on their iPhones. Studio Design is one such option, packing an array of powerful tools and palettes into a deceptively simple interface that will have you generating professional-looking layouts without watching hours of tutorials. Even if you’ve never pushed a pixel, you’ll be able to dive right in. If you choose to use or take a photo, you’ll find a few common ways to manipulate it—like filter, rotate, flip, etc.—but also more advanced saturation and lighting sliders. And that’s only a small part of what it can do. Open the sidebar and an array of effects is revealed, from shapes and frames to textures, crops, and doodles. Each new element is added to its own layer, which…

With its cool retro 2D aesthetic and exhaustive range of open-ended adventuring pursuits to follow, Terraria is a habit-forming romp through massive 16-bit-inspired worlds filled with secrets to discover, crazy stuff to build, and an absurd number of components to collect and build with. Minecraft fans, take note: this is a similarly addictive and creative experience, albeit one viewed through the lens of the Super Nintendo era of gaming. The gist of Terraria is simple. You’re a pint-sized adventurer dropped into a world that’s fully destructible and laden with rich resources for you to harvest. Armed with a few crude tools, you set out to mine, dig, explore, and create. From there, you can pick up tons of raw materials and goodies that let you build houses, new gear, powerful…

Strike Team might look like the long-overdue debut of a traditional Call of Duty first-person shooter on iOS, but tap the flying drone button and you’re treated to a mobile-friendly overhead tactical view, which lets you easily plan movements and actions for multiple soldiers at once. It’s a new twist for the series, but it’s one that makes a lot of sense for a single-player-centric offering like this. In fact, it’s the most enjoyable way to play the game. Much as the first-person view captures the look and basic feel of the megahit console franchise, clumsy controls take away from the action, and the enemies don’t offer up much of a challenge. Still, it’s an interesting combo and a very good first attempt. The bottom line. Strike Team is a…

Smartphone aficionados always have a laundry list of requests for their next device, but last year’s iPhone 5 addressed a couple of the biggest lingering ones—4G LTE connectivity and a larger display—with great success. As is often the case with the middle “S” releases, there’s nothing on the iPhone 5s that immediately stands out next to such enhancements, but the Touch ID sensor is a stellar security tweak, the camera is better than ever, and everything moves a little snappier with the 64-bit A7 processor, which should yield even more impressive results as developers explore its possibilities alongside the new M7 motion coprocessor. No doubt, it’s the most feature-rich and powerful iPhone to date, but those without a pending upgrade or pressing need for new tech might resist the urge…

Apple hasn’t been terribly consistent about making its own device cases, so it’s surprising to see both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launch with official protection options. The iPhone 5s case is the standout of the pair, featuring a smooth leather exterior that adds very little bulk to the device. It’s a very snug fit with reinforced sides, and the case clamps on and stays put; a microfiber internal lining is included to help prevent scratching the back of your phone. Pressing the power or volume buttons requires a really firm touch, but it speaks to the sturdiness of the accessory, plus the added heft is thankfully minimal. With its subtle pressed Apple logo on the back, it looks as classy as the phone it houses; the subdued blue…

Rather than discount last year’s model with the introduction of the iPhone 5s, Apple opted to replace it—albeit with a gussied-up and slightly tweaked version. Indeed, the iPhone 5c packs nearly all of the same features and internal tech as last year’s iPhone 5, which makes it one heck of an excellent handset in almost every respect, from the glorious four-inch Retina display to the speedy 4G LTE service and stellar 8-megapixel camera. As for what’s different, need we really point it out? Apple’s tendency toward bold coloring finally extends into the iPhone world after years of black, white, and silver components, with vivid, rounded plastic backings designed to assault your eyes—in a good or bad way, depending your palette preferences. Aside from the comparatively safe white model, the candy-coated…

Reliable backup power in a sleek package So, you got a new iPhone. Yay! We always love getting new iPhones. But more than the snazzy looks of the 5c or the fingerprint scanner on the 5s, our favorite thing about getting a new iPhone is the battery. It lasts all day! Meanwhile, those of us with year-old (or more) phones have to get through by plugging in whenever we can. It’s doable, but if you’re on the go rather than tethered to a desk, power management is always an issue. Patriot’s new lineup of battery packs can help, though, packing good-sized batteries into sleek cases that have plenty of juice to top off your aging iPhone or iPad. The Fuel+ line encompasses seven different batteries, ranging in size from 1500mAh…

Just because you cut a video clip doesn’t mean the audio has to end, too Making a movie is all about cutting. You cut out the clips you don’t want to use, and chances are, you cut the clips you eventually add to your project, preserving just the very best parts and discarding the rest. As you go through your edit, you keep on cutting until you end up with the essence of the story you’re trying to tell, making sure your audience enjoys the show. But just because you cut a visual clip at a specific point, it doesn’t mean you also need to cut the audio at exactly that same location. There may be many reasons why you’d like to edit in such a way. For example, the…

Having a camera in your phone means you always have it on hand should you feel like taking a photo. And despite the fact that such cameras don’t hold a candle to DSLRs, it’s a well-known saying that the best camera is the one you have with you. As such, smartphones like the iPhone are incredibly popular cameras. But there’s a drawback. How do you keep track of all your shots? You could email them to yourself so you have a copy on your Mac, or better still, connect your iPhone to your Mac via a trusty USB cable and transfer your images. But in our increasingly busy lives, who has time for that? It’s more than likely you have a growing number of photos languishing on your phone. Thankfully,…

An awful lot of Apple news broke over the past month, and while we touch on much of it later in this issue, I thought I’d give my personal views on some of what went down. First observation: analysts never learn. Every time Apple announces that it’s about to unveil something, the supposed experts practically demand that the company introduce another world-changing device like the iPhone or iPad. When that doesn’t happen, they say the sky is falling, bemoan the loss of Steve Jobs, and seem to enjoy saying, “I told you so” as Apple’s stock plummets. Then, when Apple launches the product (in this case, it was the iPhone 5s and 5c), it breaks sales records, sends Apple’s stock straight back up, and analysts are somehow shocked…even though this…

Twitter, the service that allows you to share your thoughts with others, 140 characters at a time, continues to dominate the social-media landscape. Those who don’t understand it still think it’s only about sharing pictures of what you had for lunch, while for those who use it, Twitter can be an invaluable tool to communicate with others about shared interests, promote your brand and interact with your customers, or even to help promote social change. But despite the fact that you can communicate with anyone at any time, Twitter is very similar to live conversations because although everything is recorded, finding old tweets or reading through past conversations can be incredibly difficult to do. Twitter’s own search tools are frustratingly poor, limiting you to the last few days of activity…

SLIMED!: AN ORAL HISTORY OF NICKELODEON’S GOLDEN AGE Matthew Klickstein $10.99 Double Dare, Rugrats, You Can’t Do That on Television, Clarissa Explains It All, Are You Afraid of the Dark?—does the mere mention of these shows hit your nostalgia nerve? If so, this book is for you. Author Matthew Klickstein interviews more than 200 folks who worked on the Nickelodeon programs of the ’80s and ’90s, revealing the ups and downs of what would become the television network for a generation. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS $19.99 Trekkers may have been dissatisfied with the film, but I enjoyed Star Trek Into Darkness. This time around, the crew of the USS Enterprise contends with the calculating Khan as played by Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch. While Into Darkness is available in many formats, the…

The fact that Safari is baked into iOS creates a thorny problem for competing web browsers looking to innovate on the platform. Although Opera has a capable “mini” version of its own product, the company takes a bolder step toward reinventing iPad browsing with Coast—even if it leaves a bit too much of the past behind. Unlike competing browser apps, Coast by Opera abandons the majority of the desktop-style UI conventions that have thus far been a staple on the iPad. All that remains is an omnibar field for search or direct URL entry, plus square icons that offer one-tap access to favorite websites. It’s a novel approach, and one Apple should have taken when the iPad first launched in 2010. After all, why should there be navigation buttons at…

Apple TV makes it easy to show off pictures taken with iOS devices via AirPlay, but the built-in Photos app leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to managing how those images actually appear. Enter PhotoPresenter, a universal app that offers you full control over how your photos are displayed, using a clutter-free, drop-dead simple user interface. As a second screen app, the device display is used for controlling playback, while images are displayed elsewhere for an audience to view. Rather than swipe to display the next image, you can tap any thumbnail and the previous image pleasantly dissolves into the next. You can also pull up a preview for your eyes only before pushing it to the external display. The bottom line. PhotoPresenter is super simple, but…

Angry Birds Star Wars II is again a colorful, pull-and-fling interpretation of the films, this time focusing on the events and characters of the prequel trilogy. But while it’s another amusing, well-produced nod to the Star Wars franchise, the quality of the core game experience lacks that inspired edge of its predecessor. In fact, it lacks nearly any edge at all, as the expected puzzle-solving aspect that typically defines Angry Birds is rarely seen throughout. More stages than ever can be cleared with a single and typically obvious opening shot, and while it’s entertaining to watch the destruction, such an approach fails to tax the brain to any real extent. Perhaps it’s an unfortunate side effect of needing to create environments that can be ably smashed by more than 30…

Infinity Blade III concludes the hack-and-slash dueling trilogy in expectedly slick fashion. The single-player quest trumps its predecessor as the best-looking iOS game to date, with fantastic detail throughout the environments and an array of wide, sweeping camera shots to create the sense of an epic scale on even a small iPhone screen. And while the combat remains reliably enjoyable, the grinding nature of the series’ campaign approach makes this third entry feel a bit more tiresome amidst the overall triumph. That’s somewhat surprising, because on the surface, Infinity Blade III injects a bit more variety into the adventure than in the past. You’ll control two separate heroes in smaller, self-contained mission arcs, which are complemented by side events like social Clash Mob quests, solo combat trials, and potion-crafting sequences.…

Our iPhones might still be a few years away from self-parking, but they can already do a lot of incredible things behind the wheel. iOS in the Car is on the verge of taking over our dashboards, and car manufacturers have long been using connected apps to add value to navigation systems, letting us lock our doors or monitor our engine health from afar. But for all we can do with them, iPhones haven’t actually made us better drivers. They’ve certainly made our rides more entertaining, but for the most part, our cars are still great unknowns; we fill the tank when the gauge tells us to and try to keep our speed within reason. Automatic looks to change all that. Even if you still use a cassette adapter to…

Faster, and a whole lot more convenient, as well Between Apple’s Boot Camp and third-party “virtual machine” solutions that allow Mac users to run Windows alongside OS X, it’s hard to remember the dark days when attempting to emulate other platforms was a buggy, awkward, and, worst of all, painfully slow affair. Parallels Desktop 9 continues its neverending quest for better performance and more compatibility while running Windows, Linux, or even other flavors of OS X on the Mac. Just when we thought they’d pretty much done it all, this year’s release is ready for the latest OS X Mavericks 10.9 and Windows 8.1 operating systems. If that were all Parallels 9 accomplished, it would be worth the upgrade for frequent users—but thankfully, the company didn’t stop there. From a…

It’s been only a few days since I took this job, and already things have gone from bad to worse. After my first day, it seemed more important to spend the money to feed my family than to heat our state-issued apartment. The next day, my son became sick, forcing me to consider a new expense: medicine. The day after that, my mother-in-law and uncle caught whatever my son had. I couldn’t save them all on a civil servant’s salary, so I did the unthinkable: I accepted a bribe from a smuggler. But corruption came too late to save everyone—when I returned home that night, only my wife was still alive. Unfortunately, my family is just one of many things that require constant vigilance and tough decisions in Papers, Please,…

Whenever I’m on an airplane, as soon as passengers are allowed to use electronics, at least a half-dozen pairs of Bose’s Quiet Comfort headphones pop out of carryon bags. Despite increased competition, Bose’s noise-canceling headphones are pretty much the standard for air travel. The new 20i in-ear headphones mark the first time Bose has shrunk their noise-canceling technology down to earbud size—well, sort of. Near the plug end of the 20i is a Control Module that no doubt houses some electronics, as well as a rechargeable battery to power the noise-cancellation features. The battery charges in a couple of hours via an included microUSB cable, and according to Bose, can run for up to 16 hours on a single charge. While the capacity is admirable, the module itself is rather…

Apple’s iTunes Match is great...when it works, if it’s available in your country, if it fully matches your existing collection, and if you can afford it. However, there is an alternative. StreamToMe is a combination of a local server and an iOS app that provides similar functionality to iTunes Match. On setting up the system—something that takes a few minutes and only costs $2.99 for the iOS app—you get access to all your music in iTunes, from wherever there’s an Internet connection. The only caveat is your Mac must be awake. Beyond the lack of a rolling fee, StreamToMe has other advantages—your music is streamed, meaning it doesn’t at any point take up room on your iOS device. Also, the system isn’t restricted to music and iTunes. In the Mac-based…

After months of rumors and speculation, the new iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s finally landed in stores on September 20. You can see what our critics thought of Apple’s latest hardware by checking our reviews in this very issue, but what does the rest of the world think? We checked in with our readers online, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. Here’s what some of you had to say. "5s is the most beautiful hardware Apple has ever shipped.” —Abraham Murillo “Loving my iPhone 5s and iOS 7. The slow-motion camera is awesome. The new photos app organizes my photos beautifully. So many improvements to talk about. And then there is the fact that Apple now gives you all the iWork apps for free. No one’s talking about that much,…

LETTER OF THE MONTH The “Adios, Adobe?” article (October 2013) could not have come at a better time for me. I am an art teacher who has been faced with a huge dilemma regarding Adobe’s move to the horrid subscription-only business model. Schools are not going to be comfortable with the payout that’s required, so the alternative apps you listed have given me some needed options. I also want to point out that the article failed to mention GIMP as one of the alternatives to Photoshop. I have made the move to GIMP (and now Pixlr on Chrome, which is remarkably similar to GIMP) for my Digital Photography students. Both options are free. The only limitation that I have found with GIMP is that it has no built-in ability to…

ROBIN MECAM www.mecam.me $49.99–$69.99 >>>Wearable tech is supposed to be the next big thing, but the MeCam is already here. Capable of taking 720p video as well as stills, this diminutive camera is designed to be clipped to your clothing or worn around your neck so you never miss a second of what’s going on. It features infrared LEDs for nighttime recording, and it’s available in three capacities (4GB, 8GB, and 16GB) and five colors. JOHN PENCLIC MOUSE B2 www.penclic.se $89 >>>A regular mouse gets the job done, but the Penclic Mouse B2 combines the functionality of a mouse with the comfort and tactile familiarity of holding a pen. It’s designed to be more precise and ergonomically sound than a traditional mouse, plus it’s Bluetooth compatible and can run for…

No matter how many times you may have watched Apple’s promotional video, nothing can really prepare you for the shock of iOS 7. While the foundation may be the same—neat rows of square app icons that launch with just a tap—virtually everything else is different, and it can take a while to absorb it all. But aside from the obvious visual changes—a new set of minimal icons, brighter colors, and lighter fonts freshening up the somewhat stale springboard—iOS 7 brings much more to our iPhones than a simple face-lift. Even if Jony Ive hadn’t had his way with the interface, there would still be more than enough new features to make it one of the most significant upgrades we’ve ever seen. You’ll find surprises hiding around every corner. There are…

Accessing Mac or Windows desktop applications from an iPad can be an exercise in frustration. Luckily, the folks behind Parallels Desktop have come up with an ingenious solution to this situation—but only for those who can afford the rather daunting per-computer subscription fee. Together with a Mac or Windows-based agent, Parallels Access “applifies” desktop applications to make them iPad-friendly, complete with audio. Applications (including those from Parallels virtual machines) are presented in an App Launcher modeled after OS X, which can be customized to display favorites while hiding unused apps, as well as the Finder or Desktop. Tap an app icon and the software opens full-screen, cursor-free, and ready to accept a full range of gesture-based commands. Scrolling is done with a finger, and the iPad keyboard is enhanced with…

Based on samples recorded from a 1979 Martin acoustic dreadnought guitar, Pearl Guitar is one of the best faux six-strings we’ve played on an iPad. Amidio’s software introduces some entropy into the equation: move your iPad around while playing and you’ll hear subtle background sounds of the guitar wood being knocked around a little, or tap the chord buttons and you’ll get the string buzzing sound that happens on a real fretboard. Strumming feels good, and finger-picking is made totally possible by the sensitivity of the virtual strings. However, the lack of a left-handed mode is odd, plus there’s some digital aliasing to the pitch-bend implementation. Moreover, the $6.99 in-app purchase for the chord database feels a little rich on top of the app price. The bottom line. Pearl Guitar…

Rather than a triumphant celebration of the series’ quarter-century of dominance, Madden NFL 25 is a sad, cynical free-to-play affair that sucks the fun out of football by limiting access to most on-field plays, charging coins for some of those that are available, and requiring slowly replenishing energy to even play the game. And the limitations surround what’s not even that great of a representation of the sport. Madden NFL 25 looks slick and executes many of the fundamentals well, plus both the turn-based multiplayer matches and Solo Challenges fit the mobile approach. But the computer opponents don’t play smart, the touch control scheme generates frustrating moments, and the online-connected interface drags throughout. It’s messy, and it’s a major missed opportunity. The bottom line. Madden NFL 25’s excessive limitations actively…

When you’re truly interested in a particular subject, learning something new can be a lot of fun. Stuffy classrooms, early-morning schedules, and dull courses, however, are a major drag. College taught me a lot, but many of the coolest skills kicking around my noggin have come from elsewhere. Brewing my own beer? Recording my band’s debut album? Building a raised-bed garden? Self-publishing my first book? I certainly didn’t pick up those things in a classroom. Everyone has a different learning style that works best for them, and the portability of iOS devices makes it easy to soak up the skills and information you want to learn from the comfort of your cozy couch, a train seat, or pretty much anywhere. Feel like finding out how to create games, decorate cakes,…

The fast and the furious of image healing, now in the host software of your choice We’ve reviewed Snapheal twice in the past, and each time praised the Mac photo editor as an inexpensive, easy-to-use method for performing digital magic on photos. MacPhun is back with a Pro version of the application, but is it a sequel worthy of upgrading its previous Excellent score to a flat-out Awesome? The short answer is yes, now that Snapheal Pro can now do all of its object removal, enhancement, and masking tricks as a standalone application or as a plugin from within popular image-editing software from Adobe and Apple. The lack of such functionality certainly didn’t hold back the original Snapheal from being first-rate, but for those of us who prefer to stay…

Wireless, paperless productivity has arrived—but is your wallet ready for it? Users are increasingly moving to the cloud, so why shouldn’t your receipts, documents, and other scraps of paper follow you there? That’s the premise behind NeatConnect, the latest digital filing system solution from Neat that adds wireless scanning to its cloud-connected, paperless ecosystem. The hardware is stylishly designed to look great and save space on any desk, taking up a mere 17x11x10.5 inches with both front and rear paper trays extended. NeatConnect includes predesignated slots for scanning up to 15 documents, receipts, or business cards at 600 DPI, but the top third of the panel pops off easily to allow automatic feed of up to 50 letter-sized pages. NeatConnect costs $100 more than the company’s previous NeatDesk offering, presumably…

As confusing as the real thing Even with the technical issues hammered out from its messy launch on PC, SimCity is a surprisingly rigid take on fantasy metropolis planning. You will build roads, manage residential, commercial, and industrial zones, and keep the electricity and water running for an ever-increasing number of residents. SimCity is divided into multiple “regions,” with several player-run cities in each. In theory, players can trade, share resources, and collaborate with their neighbors—a solid Internet connection is required to play the game at all—and many of SimCity’s mechanics operate with online multiplayer in mind. SimCity’s biggest issue is that its nuances aren’t always communicated effectively. Menus and tooltips abound, but it’s often easier to search the web to figure out why, for example, residents complain about unemployment…

>>>OPEN SESAME! I have the iPhone 5 and an iMac running OS X. When I connect the phone to iTunes, it doesn’t automatically open, and neither does iPhoto, but they did at one time. Is there a way to change this so that it opens these applications on plugging in my device, or are these options no longer available? With newer versions of these applications, the preferences have changed a little. Specifically, in iTunes, you now select whether you want iTunes to open or not on a per-device preference. To do this, connect your device and open iTunes. Select the device in the top bar beside of the iTunes Store button in your library (or, if you have the sidebar activated, by going to View > Show Sidebar, and select…

The spreadsheet you’ve spent hours painstakingly building now needs to be presented. What’s the best way to display its data? Tables of numbers just don’t cut it during that crucial pitch to clients. A good chart, on the other hand, is worth a thousand words. Excel can produce a range of different multicolored charts, in two and three dimensions. Before you dive straight into making one, however, consider the data it will display and the story you want it to tell. If, for example, you want to demonstrate how well your sales have grown in recent years, a line chart is perfect. Plotting sales figures on the y-axis against time on the x-axis will clearly show the trend. If, on the other hand, you want to emphasize how much of…