I wanted to wish all of our American friends and citizens here at Mactropolis a very ‘Happy Independence Day’! Hope you have a good one… sit back, relax, and enjoy the fireworks!

July 11th is almost here….

Enter our contest to win 1 of 2 iPhone 3G’s >

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: 4th of July, Independence Day

Could Apple be taking a few steps backward?
According to an Apple insider, Steve Jobs is currently testing a version of the iPhone with a slide out keyboard, apparently aimed at the corporate world (But when he says the ‘Corporate World’, we all know he means the ‘BlackBerry World’).

“What he is apparently doing is canvassing the idea with operators. And he has taken this beyond just chatting: actual prototypes - not just mockups - have been sent to senior executives at some operators. I’m not allowed to even hint which operators… but I can report that the keyboard has “issues” which are not yet resolved.”

Issues being that Apple is even trying out the keyboard! I think its a stupid idea and wouldn’t expect to see it anytime soon. I don’t think a keyboard will ever be as sexy as a touch screen.

Note from Mr. Mayor:
At the same time, having a physical QWERTY keyboard is the one of the main things BlackBerry users hanker for. Touchscreen aint their ‘cup of tea’. With a fully functional QWERTY keyboard in-tow, could this new device take a bigger chunk of the corporate, Berry-loving market to the Apple side of the fence? Without a doubt this is what Apple has in their sights.

[via The iPhone Blog]

written by Councillor Ben \\ tags: iPhone, iSlider, QWERTY Keyboard, Rumors

Last week I received a copy of CodeWeavers most recent release for Mac, CrossOver 7.0.  In case you know nothing about CrossOver or the Wine project let me help you out a little.

Wine project started development a little over 15 years ago and basically allows Mac and Linux users to run Windows .exe files on their computers without actually having Windows installed.  Until recently however the software has been pretty unstable and un-usable for Mac users.  On June 17, 2008 however the developers of the Wine Project released Wine 1.0 as free software to the general public under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License.  The compete works of the developers were then available for future developers and users to use freely as they liked.  Although stable and usable, Wine 1.0 is still very confusing and not very “user friendly” in its most stripped form.

CrossOver Mac 6.0 is a user friendly, easy to use, specifically made build of Wine for Mac users who want to run Windows programs.  Once installed the CrossOver application allows you to install Windows .exe files and alike via the CrossOver software.  “How is this done?”, i hear you ask.  CrossOver creates a fake C: Drive tricking your computer into thinking its a PC, allowing you to install and use programs you usually couldn’t.

CrossOver makes this all very simple and easy, provided you are using 1 of the 13 software applications that CrossOver officially supports.  Such as Internet Explorer 6, Microsoft Office, InDesign and a few others.  However, if your using unsupported software your almost completely in the dark.  Yes, you can still install your windows programs with ease and yes, it may open but to get the software to actually work you may have to do some minor (or major) tweaking.

If your application is supported, then your in the clear.  CrossOver will walk you through the installation process, step-by- step, creating the right kind of environment for the job.  When it’s done, you get a double- click able Mac application.  Piece of cake!

I tried a few programs myself.  All officially supported software worked fine; such as Microsoft Word and Windows Media Player.  I even was able to get uTorrent to work.  However once i tried to install AnyDVD and CloneDVD I was way over my head.  I had none such luck.

All the while however, I felt as though I was doing something naughty.  Like I was doing something I shouldn’t have been.  It was like putting my crappy Daihatsu up for display in a Ferrari showroom.  It just didn’t feel like it was meant to be there.  It made my computer feel……..dirty….and slow!

However, with all that Mac vs. PC stuff out of the way, CrossOver could actually be a great program.  All the beginnings are there.  It just doesn’t support enough applications!  Maybe in a few more releases time, when there is more support and more programs listed.  At the moment though it just doesn’t seem worth it, when all their supported programs are already available for Mac.

Here’s what i suggest you do.  Download the trial version, check it out, have a play with it.  If it supports the applications or games you need it for..buy a full version.  If not, I’d stick to Parallels or Bootcamp until the program is a bit more developed.  That’s it from me.

If your still interested check it out here at the CrossOver Official Website. I’d love to know what you think of it, so post your thoughts in the comment section.

written by Councillor Ben \\ tags: CrossOver, OSX, Software

The new motion picture ‘WALL-E’ is out in theaters today, and I’ve read a few reports that ‘WALL-E’ is a mac. When he boots up, there’s the ever familiar Mac ‘dong’… or is it ‘ding’… or is it more of a ‘hummm’…. You know what I mean. So hard to put into words

Also, Senior Vice President of Industrial Design Jonathan Ive is said to have consulted on the design of WALL-E’s love interest in the movie ‘EVE’… and WALL-E himself is said to carry around a clunky first gen iPod.

One shouldn’t be surprised if there are many design cues reminiscent of Mac design. Steve Jobs owns 7% of Disney stock, and sits on their board of directors (Disney owns Pixar). Naturally I’m sure he has some pull.

At any rate, thought this was a bit interesting. If any of you out there go check out the movie be sure to leave comments here on what you saw. Can you confirm or deny that WALL-E is a mac!?

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: Apple Design, Disney, Jonathan Ive, Pixar, Steve Jobs, WALL-E

Yes, Apple users love their iPods. Often a little too much. We sleep with them, we shower with them and often we may even occasionally listen to them, but in essence they aren’t really ‘ours’. They all look the same, come in the same colors and often sound the same. With the amount of iPods in peoples pockets at the moment it can be quiet easy to confuse yours with someone else’s.

I’ve stumbled upon a solution. Personalized stickers available through Shufflesome.com, a website devoted to stickers designed specifically to personalize both your iPod Nano’s and iPod shuffles. The stickers are designed by artists from all over the globe and suit a range of tastes and styles. The stickers are edgy and offer style to your music lifestyle. They’re not only really cool but there also really easy to use and are quiet inexpensive. Check them out at www.ShuffleSome.com

written by Councillor Ben \\ tags: iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Stickers, ShuffleSome

Our bud Kevin Andersson sent me a message the other day alerting me to some new cool stuff he has going on.

After the announcement of OS X Snow Leopard a last week, Kevin decided to honor this with 6 amazing wallpapers for your beloved mac. We see new X wallpapers every year, but Kevin’s work is both well-designed and well-timed. Head over to blog.kevinandersson.dk to download the wallpaper pack, iPhone Wallpapers, and a whole lot more.

We’re going to be working closely with Kevin on our iPhone Wallpaper Gallery and Mac Wallpaper Gallery… So stay tuned for more

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: iPhone Wallpapers, Kevin Andersson, Mac Wallpapers, OS X Snow Leopard, Wallpaper Packs

Yesterday, I commented on a portable classroom design that seemed to be heavily influenced by the iPod. Today however I’ve found a product which not only seems to be influenced by the same chic Apple design but is also made for Apple users.

Its called MILK.

A 51×31 inch desk designed specifically as a personalized work space for lovers of Macs, MacBooks, Ipods and all other Apple accessories. A fully functional, fully personalized work station, made specifically to match your Mac.

The desk was designed by Holmris Hasen of Scandinavia not for commercial or business use but as a personal desk for himself. “I needed a desk that was simple but never boring. Smart but never overly sophisticated. I wanted a desk that was worth falling for.”

Since then however MILK has matured and is now being sold online. You can now buy your own MILK workstation direct from the Milkman with all the bells and whistles to make your home office, a Mac home office.

written by Councillor Ben \\ tags: Apple, design, desk, Holmris Hasen, milk, workstation

Although pictures may suggest that the future classroom could have been designed and made by the same designers as the ipod. The mobile classroom or the iclassroom as I’ve loving  dubbed it was designed by London architect, Gollifer Langston. The prototype ‘Transportable Classroom of the Future’ will deliver information and communication technology on a flatbed truck in the form of a gray pod. Currently being tested in Camden, UK the prototype aims to provide mainly high school students with a place to explore music and film making.

When the classroom arrives onsite, it is nothing more than an enclosed box. Computer control systems activate hydraulic legs that position the container onto the ground, and allow sections of the wall and roof to expand and open. The side wall of the container also opens out to enable an external audience to view films on a small cinema sized monitor from within the shell. Unlike however the ipod which could hold up to 40, 000 songs, the iclassroom only holds a maximum of 15 students.

Being an information and communication technology classroom i wonder if it will be decked out with Macs??? Something maybe Apple should look into.

written by Councillor Ben \\ tags: Transportable Classroom of the Future, Transportable Classrooms

Ok so I know you’re familiar with the Mac vs. PC commercials Apple has been running again and again… and again. I like ‘em… But just a few minutes ago I came upon the UK version of the same commercials. I’m not sure if it’s the accent, or what it is, but I like these ones much more. I do have a soft spot for British comedies, so I’m positive that has something to do with it.

At any rate, the video below is an aggregation of all UK commercials and it is roughly 8 minutes long. My favorite quote from the 3rd commercial, roughly 1:09 in:

‘This light grey area could represent shinanigans and tom-foolery, while this dark grey area could represent hijinks… and you see here we further divided hijinks into capers, monkey-business, and… just larking about’

Love it. Watch the vid below.

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: Apple Commercials, UK Apple Commercials

I’ve had the NES emulator sitting on my iPhone for some time now, but I had no ROMs to speak of. I knew it was a piece of cake to find them, but the installation did require a few steps, and to tell you the truth I simply wasn’t interested enough to take the time.

I found the situation much like the original jailbreaking processes… Do this, then do this, hold down this button and stand on your right foot. I can’t say I enjoyed going through that regamarole… Until great apps like ZiPhone came out that made the process insanely easy.

The same thing is going on now with the NES Emulator for iPhone. Installing the app and ROMs is now incredibly easy.

First, you need to start with a jailbroken iPhone (of course). If your phone isn’t jailbroken, check out ZiPhone for a quick and painless method of jailbreaking.

Second, install the NES Emulator from installer.app. I believe the application is in the games folder.

Third, click on the ’sources’ button in installer.app. Click ‘edit’, then ‘add’ a source. When the URL entry screen pops up enter http://123locker.com and add the source.

Fourth, after you’ve added the source, go ahead and browse all packages available. Look for ‘NES Roms’ in the list and install. This might take some time as I think the source is getting bombarded with downloads. A side note here, I can’t guarantee the source will be up forever, so go ahead and get it now if you’re interested in playing a bunch of vintage NES games on your iPhone!

Finally, after the package is installed, open your NES Emulator and voila, check out all the games you have available! There’s a bunch, from Bubble Bobble, to Castlevania, Pinball, Mortal Kombat, Burger Time… and well, you get the picture. I haven’t counted but I’d guess there’s well over 50 titles for you to enjoy.

I’ve played some of the games and so far while I’ve got a kick out of it, I have to admit I find the controls a little hard with no actual tactile buttons. I find myself pressing in the wrong place to move left, move right, or what have you… But still, the emulator is a cool little app and the NES ROMs are all classics.

If you install this let me know what you think… and if you have any installation problems let me know!

Discuss the iPhone NES Emulator in the Forums >

[via VulturesonaCarousel.com]

written by Mr. Mayor \\ tags: iPhone, NES Emulator, ROMs