Brookstone has some cool new gadgets on the way, Apple employees are getting a hefty discount on their next Mac or iPad, Tweetbot for Mac may be on the way and OMG! There's a new Centipede game in the App Store from Atari! Excuse us, we've got to go now… sorry for the rush, just sit back and enjoy the news for Thursday, June 21, 2012, won't you?
Once, a long time ago, there was a young boy who frequented a pizza shop near his parents' home. Inside that pizza shop was Centipede, the classic Atari video game that introduced most of us to the trackball. While the young boy is now a middle-aged man, he still enjoys a good game of Centipede now and again -- and for the cost of only four games back in the '80s, he can buy the classic all over again and enjoy it on his iPhone, iPod touch or iPad anytime he likes. That's because Atari has today released Centipede: Origins, a modernized version of the bug shooting epic available as a universal app for all devices running iOS 4.0 or later. Won't you share in the memories of a tired old fan and purchase a copy for your very own?
While working at an Apple retail store probably isn't as cool as some of us might imagine, we can't help but turn green with envy whenever we read stories like this. 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple's new employee discount plan kicked in this week, offering a $500 discount on eligible Macs (basically everything except the Mac mini and the latest MacBook Pro with Retina Display) or $250 off an iPad -- and that's on top of the company's already generous 25 percent discount for working there. Before you start scheming to get hired, work a few days and cash in on those sweet deals, note that employees have to stick it out through a probationary period before the discounts kick in, so be prepared to work for The Man for a bit before you cash in.
Gadget lovers might want to head to their nearest Brookstone retail outlet this summer, because the company has announced a pair of nifty accessories that you surely won't want to live without. First up is the $299.99 HDMI Pocket Projector, a rechargeable, portable device for projecting movies, presentations and games with a crisp image up 60 inches on any flat surface. Paired with Apple's Digital AV Adapter, an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad can become a big-screen, 1080p marvel. Or maybe you're looking for a swanky new keyboard for your phone or tablet, such as the $99.99 Brookstone Virtual Keyboard? Featuring a 72-key, full-size QWERTY keyboard with a Lithium-ion battery rechargeable via USB for more than two hours of typing via Bluetooth, it's sure to be a hit with business travelers and those averse to hardware keyboards. The HDMI Pocket Projector hits stores on July 1, while the Virtual Keyboard slides into view in August; both are also available from the company's online store.
Just when the controversy surrounding Apple's manufacturing in China finally starts to subside, leave it to TIME magazine to stir things up again. This week's cover story focuses the spotlight squarely back on Apple and China, where Beijing bureau chief Hannah Beech claims "the cult of Apple is booming" -- not that they needed to tell us that. “People in China buy Apple because it symbolizes an individualistic Western lifestyle,” says Yang Xi, a 29-year-old in Beijing who owns more Apple products than most Americans. “In China, there are so many people. We like the idea of something that makes you special, that you can make your own.” Should be an interesting read, although the full article is only available online to subscribers at the moment.
Now here's a curious turn of events: Despite developer Tapbots previously claiming they had no interest in developing Tweetbot for Mac, several members of the company have been quietly tweeting away from just such an application, which culminated today with a screenshot posted by designer Mark Jardine showing off how the app looks on his new MacBook Pro with Retina Display. "The screen on the retina MBP is just gorgeous," Jardine tweeted coyly earlier today, showing off what clearly appears to be a Mac version of the popular third-party Twitter app. Although we're partial to Echofon ourselves because of the Mac to iOS timeline syncing, we might have to rethink that dedication should Tweetbot for Mac arrive in the near future. (And no, we have no idea when it might be released…)
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llee
August 02, 2012 at 11:17am
Surely the Brookstone Virtual Keyboard is recordable with playback shortcuts. No? That's the security nightmare I've been waiting for since I was knee-high to a password field.
