Category: Mac

FileMaker Inc, a subsidiary of Apple Inc, has just released the latest reincarnation of its popular database program for Mac computers, with a wealth of new and improved features ready and waiting to greet us. The new version, FileMaker Pro 12 is available for instant download or as an upgrade from FileMaker Pro 9, 10 or 11 from their website.

There are plenty of new features worth shouting about in this release and may make people more inclined to part with the steep asking price for the product (the full standalone version retails at $299). Let’s take a look and see what’s new.

New Themes and Starter Solutions

FileMaker Pro 12 features 40 new, professionally-designed themes which give your database a touch of style and class. Several of these themes also have “touch” themes which are enhanced for the new FileMaker Go iOS app (more on this below) and FileMaker have followed Apple’s own Human Interface Guidelines tightly, ensuring that the themes conform to all of Apple’s strict rules and regulations regarding GUI design.

The new Starter Solutions means that it is far easier to start creating a database without having to learn all about how FileMaker Pro works first. The included solutions, of which there are 16 in total, are basically templates for a load of different requirements, whether it would be managing contacts, projects, digital content or inventories.

FileMaker claims that half of its users use their templates as a starting point for their databases and given the 16 new ones in the 12 version, it seems like this figure may well rise among FileMaker Pro users.

New Charts and Design Tools

FileMaker Pro 12 comes along with new design tools, such as gradients, image slicing and dynamic grids design which make lighter work of making your databases look the part. There is also a new set of guides and rules (known as “stencils” in FileMaker Pro 12) which help users of the program fit their databases to mobile devices. All you have to do is let FileMaker Pro know what device you are using, and it will customise your database for the target device.

Quick charts are another feature of FileMaker Pro, making it easier to create stylish and professional-looking graphs from the data in the program. There are 5 new chart styles included in this release, including bubble, scatter, positive/negative and stacked bar and column charts.

Enhanced Container Tools

The enhanced Container Fields in FileMaker Pro 12 allow for tighter multimedia integration into your database and supports a wider range of files, including photos, videos, documents, music and much more.

You can drag and drop multimedia files straight into the program and FileMaker Pro 12 also automatically manages and encrypts any remote files not stored on your computer using AES-128 encryption technology.

FileMaker Go for iOS

This release of FileMaker Pro 12 also saw the release of FileMaker Go 12 for the iPad and iPhone, allowing users of these devices to view databases hosted either using the Pro or Server version on the go on Wi-Fi and 3G.

The built-in design tools in FileMaker Pro 12 ensure that your databases look great on no matter device you are using and FileMaker Go 12 is now a free app, compared to $19.99 with the iPhone version or $39.99 for the iPad version of Go 11.

I Want In!

Critics are calling FileMaker Pro 12 the best release yet and to get a piece of this action, head over to their website, where you can download a 30-day, no obligation free trial. If you’re thinking about getting the program, then it is currently retailing at $299 RRP, or $179 if you’re upgrading from either FileMaker Pro 9, 10 or 11 (be aware, though, if you’re upgrading from version 9 – this upgrade deal ends on 27 September).

Be sure to let us know your thoughts and opinion about this new release in the comments section below!

There has been some heated debate over the extent to which iOS and OS X will merge in the coming years. Whatever Apple has up its sleeves for the future, it is undeniable that the company is at least trying to make its apps and branding more unified across both systems.

With Lion, Apple brought FaceTime to the Mac, and remodeled Mail, Address Book, and iCal after their iOS counterparts. With the upcoming release of Mountain Lion, Apple has made nearly identical ports of Game Center, Reminders, and Notes for the Mac. It has also changed the names of several Mac apps to match the iOS offerings, rebranding iCal, Address Book, and iChat with the more generic names Calendar, Contacts, and Messages.

So if Apple’s intention is to completely unify the app experience across operating systems, what apps, names, or interfaces have not yet crossed over?

iBooks

When you buy eBooks from the Google or Amazon marketplaces, you can instantly access them across all of your devices. Google’s web versions of books are available on any device with a browser, and Amazon offers a range of Kindle apps that allow you to read its eBooks on various devices.

Unfortunately, eBooks purchased from Apple’s iBookstore have never been so accessible on the Mac. This is due to the fact that Apple has never provided a Mac version of iBooks to open the ePub files it sells. While the iPhone and iPad may be more convenient devices to read on, not everyone owns an iOS device, and there are times when I already have my Mac out and wish I could just read an eBook there.

As for books in Apple’s proprietary IBA format, which are interactive eBooks created using the recently-announced iBooks Author app, I find it unlikely that these would be supported on the Mac; the touch gestures probably would not translate perfectly to a cursor-based operating system. However, there is no reason why simple text and image ePub files could not be natively supported.

iTunes U

With the iTunes U section of the iTunes Store, Apple has created an invaluable ecosystem of educational videos, courses, and other resources. Since many schools use Mac hardware, either offering Macbooks to students or iMacs in classrooms, Apple could make a great impact on education if it provided an official iTunes U app for Mac to help students and teachers find, manage, and open content.

At present, you can only reach iTunes U on a Mac through the iTunes Store, which can be a distracting and unintuitive process for students. On top of that, iTunes cannot even open all types of content downloaded from iTunes U courses (such as ePub files). Having an official app designated for education could only make Macs even more popular with students and schools.

Trailers

Just like iBooks and iTunes U, Trailers is an official, but optional app that can be downloaded for free from the App Store. I am not sure why Apple decided to create a website and app for watching movie trailers in the first place, but they nailed it, and probably offer the best trailer watching experience around.

If Apple decided to release an official Trailers app for Mac, I think that many users would enjoy browsing and viewing the trailers in a native app on larger screens (we used to do this in Front Row before they canned it).

Weather, Stocks, & Maps

These three simple apps have never made it to the Mac, and somewhat surprisingly, Weather and Stocks have never even made an appearance on the iPad. While these particular apps probably do get accessed more frequently on iPhones while people are on the go, I can imagine situations where users would enjoy viewing them on the larger screens of their Macs.

Microsoft has shown off versions of each on Windows 8, and I think it did a nice job of demonstrating how the interfaces could translate to a screen with more real estate.

Of course, there are popular websites and third party apps (like Weather HD) that can be accessed on a Mac. And I don’t know if anyone would really be ecstatic over the prospect of a native weather app for Mac, but I think a lot of people would make use of these kinds of apps.

Music

Of all the Mac apps that have a counterpart on iOS, iTunes on the Mac and Music on iOS are certainly the most disjointed pair. Despite Steve’s claim during the announcement of iCloud that the Mac would no longer serve as your hub for digital content, iTunes on the Mac remains the mothership of every form of digital media, while the Music app for iOS has kept things simple and focused on audio.

To make matters worse, Apple actually called an app on iOS “iTunes” that is not a music player, but is in fact the iTunes Store. So while Apple is generally trying to unify the naming of apps across operating systems, this is a messy situation where it is actually using the same name for two different apps, potentially confusing users.

I think that it is time for Apple to finally trim a lot of the fat that has accumulated on iTunes over the years, and possibly even split the iTunes Store into a separate app as it is in iOS. Since Apple tends to be going with more generic names for core apps (as with Messages, Calendar, and Contacts in Mountain Lion), I would not be surprised if it rebranded iTunes on the Mac as “Music”, and remodeled it to match the simpler Music app on the iPad.

Photos & Videos

Apple recently announced iPhoto for iOS, bringing more advanced photo management and editing features to iPhones and iPads. I found it interesting that Apple chose to release iPhoto as a separate app, rather than incorporating its editing features into the existing Photos app that comes on these devices. This suggests that Apple believes there is a need for both tiers: a bare-bones photo management app, and a separate, more advanced app that provides some editing features.

If this distinction exists on iOS, could we one day see the bare-bones Photos app come to the Mac? And for that matter, what about the minimal video management app Videos? You may be thinking that the Mac does not need these apps, since they would just be glorified versions of your Pictures and Movies folders in Finder. But think about it, what is Launchpad on the Mac but a glorified Applications folder?

Launchpad could have been an indication that Apple is trying to move people away from Finder, and towards apps that are specially designed to display a certain kinds of files or media. So the question is, will the Music, Photos, and Videos apps forever only exist on iOS, or will Apple eventually bring this media app trifecta to the Mac?

Settings

This is one “app” that might get overlooked, but it certainly looks and behaves very differently between OS X and iOS. For starters, the app is called “System Preferences” on the Mac, and I would guess that Apple might eventually rebrand it with the shorter, more-generic iOS name of “Settings”. They could also include app preferences as Settings does on iOS, allowing users to change system and app settings in one location.

In terms of the design, System Preferences on the Mac has long shown a grid of icons to provide access to different sections of preferences. On iOS however, Apple is using the paradigm of a left-side navigation pane for accessing sections. Considering several apps have adopted similar-looking side panes in OS X, such as Mail and Messages, it would not be surprising if we saw a revamped Settings app for the Mac use this design as well.

Conclusion

So there you have it. I have tried to present every case I could think of where a gap existed between an app offering on iOS and OS X. Apple has stated that they want to release OS X updates more frequently, and I can imagine that we could see a few of these new apps or changes in the next update.

As some people have pointed out, the idea exchange between iOS and OS X does not just go one way. As we recently saw with iPhoto, there are some great Mac apps and features that could improve the iOS experience as well. In any case, it seems that Apple is trying to make the same apps available on both operating systems, and the content between them synced with iCloud, allowing users to do many of the same things regardless of what device they are on.

Many thanks to Tyler Murphy, who provided mockups for this piece.

We’d like to say a big thank you to last month’s Mac.AppStorm sponsors, and the great software they create! If you’re interested in advertising, you can purchase a banner advertisement through BuySellAds, or sign up for a Weekly Sponsorship slot.

Thank you to the fantastic applications we had sponsoring each week during the month, all of which we personally recommend you download and try out!

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Finally, thanks to you for reading AppStorm this month, and for checking out the software that our sponsors create. I really appreciate it – you make the site what it is!

In contrast to the common consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation, iOS devices have popularized a more casual style of games. Mac gaming has come a long way in recent years, but this trend towards a more relaxed gameplay has been clearly influenced by iOS games. The Mac App Store has seen a surge of these casual games, some even directly ported from the iPad or iPhone.

BombSquad, a game by Eric Froemling, involves using different types of bombs to blow up your opponents. It takes this simple premise and expands it into various game formats. It won’t be mistaken for a blockbuster console game, but its simplicity lends itself to a less serious iOS-like diversion.

The Basics

BombSquad mixes several different game formats, from Melee to a couple types of sports. You command a miniature gladiator who must use a collection of bombs to destroy your enemies. A melee-style mission puts you inside a setting, such as a raised platform or a wooden tray, and forces you to defend yourself from various types of opponents.

You’ll face everything from fast-moving, bomb-wielding ninjas to slow Sumo wrestlers who just want to smack you with their bare hands. You have four controls that you will use: Punch, for when you are face-to-face with someone and can’t use a bomb; Jump, to get across spaces; Lift, for picking up objects (or an enemy if you want to toss him off a ledge); and of course, Bomb, which lets you toss your explosives.

Making the game much more interesting is the random appearance of “power-ups,” which are just boxes that will temporarily grant you new powers, new bombs, restore your health, and more. The full list includes:

Med Pack – Fully restores your health
Shield – Creates a protective bubble around your character
Boxing Gloves – Increases punching damage
Triple Bombs – Lets you throw multiple bombs at once
Ice Bombs – Freezes any opponent that it deals damage to
Sticky Bombs – Sticks to whatever it hits, (the ground, power-ups, opponents, yourself if you’re not careful, etc.)
Trigger Bombs – Instead of waiting for a fuse, these just blow up the second they touch something
Land Mines – Blow up when someone steps on them

Gameplay

The controls certainly take some getting used to because of the physics of the game. Your character doesn’t turn on a dime when he runs, so you have to anticipate a little bit of a slide. Throwing bombs is a matter of facing the direction you want to aim, running forward, and using your momentum to force the bomb forward.]

Your default bomb is an old-fashioned bowling ball shape with a long fuse, so timing becomes important if you want to land your shot right in front of someone. These bombs will roll as well, so harder throws have a tendency to roll too far.

My biggest frustration with the gameplay was the bomb-throwing. The fact that you have to run and toss a bomb made things awkward. Perhaps touchscreens are starting to spoil us, because I found myself wishing I could use a flicking motion to vary the power at which I tossed a bomb. Perhaps having the ability to hold down a button in order to increase the throw’s distance would alleviate the issue for me.

This challenge often led to me just running in a circle until I could adjust my path towards an enemy. The inability to increase the power of a throw also meant that I would often just drop a sticky bomb right on my head because of a lack of momentum, killing myself instantly. In maps where there are little towers with enemies tossing bombs at you from above, getting your own bomb to reach them was a serious challenge.

The blast radius is relatively small, so it usually takes several bombs to kill a character. Punches can be a useful alternative, but only when you are facing someone one-on-one. Getting ganged up on in close hand-to-hand fights will usually mean a very fast death.

The standard melees occur in waves, so you might get through the first five of six, only to die and have to start all over. It would be nice to be able to save your progress as you complete each wave.

Other types of games you’ll find include football, hockey, capture-the-flag, and more. Sports like football involve carrying a flag to the end zone while avoiding increasing numbers of attackers. These add an exciting layer of strategy, as you have to deal with dropping the flag at times to deal with an opponent who poses a threat to your forward progress.

Controls

By default, you will use both hands on the keyboard to move your character, as well as to punch, throw, etc. This leads to a couple of issues. First, you are playing in an environment that involves 360 degrees. You will need to be able to run and attack in all directions, but being limited to four buttons on a keyboard means that you really can only move in eight directions (up, down, left, right, and the combination of any two).

The designer anticipated this problem and offered a solution to players who own an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. You can download a free controller app that will connect to your computer via your home network. I tried out this controller and was very pleased at how easily it connected to my computer and how seamless the controls were.

Of course, the downside is that you will be looking at your computer’s screen and using your touchscreen in your hands without looking. Screens don’t offer the tactile feedback of a console’s raised buttons, which often led to me pushing the wrong controls as I lost track of where my fingers were on the screen.

The computer missions are fun, but multiplayer gameplay makes things even more exciting. You can connect up to eight controllers to the game and blow up your friends. I only got as far as a four player game, but the performance was just as good as one player missions. Playing with your friends means you can either team up to take on the computer, or create two teams and fight each other.

Graphics

The graphical theme of the game is pretty great. It certainly won’t blow you away with detail (pun intended), but the bombs and certain graphical elements look like they have been molded out of clay, making it appear as though you are watching something that has been filmed with tiny sets.

Explosions have nice detail and are fluid in their animations. The only visual disappointment is the characters, whose polygons are a bit too clunky. The upside to the simplistic characters is that performance never stutters, the game loads very quickly, and I never experienced any crashes.

Conclusion

Don’t expect this game to suck you in the way huge titles will. Think of it like a fun time waster like many of the games on your iDevice. The game has its shortcomings, mostly in the area of controls, but will certainly entertain you. Sometimes the best way to let off steam after a tough day at work is blowing up little guys on your computer, and this game will let you do that with style.

With the recent release of iBooks Author from Apple, I started to think more about using Apple products as learning tools. The iBooks Author announcement and accompanying video certainly generate some excitement at the possibilities using the iPad in classrooms and that is great, but I became curious as to what type of applications were currently available in the Mac App Store.

I began exploring and trolling for educational applications. We’ve done roundups on educational tools, such as note taking aids and other utilities of that nature, so I wanted to focus more on applications that directly help you to learn something. This wasn’t an easy task as they proved to be quite difficult to find. Here’s a list of fifty to get you started.

I decided to restrict my search for educational applications to the Mac App Store. I searched for just about everything I could think of and naturally the applications I discovered fell into some fairly clear defined categories. If you’re searching for something in a category that I don’t have listed that means I had trouble finding anything that fit into that category.

This is definitely not a definitive list, but it is a pretty good cross-section of this space. There are a mix of paid and free applications, but a large majority of the apps that I found are paid and some are rather expensive in fact. Some are very well and thoughtfully designed and some could arguably use a little work on that side of things. There’s a very wide variety of applications in this list and I hope it encourages you to explore the App Store even more and learn some things using your Mac.

Art

Astronomy

Biology

Chemistry and Physics

Geography

History

Languages

Literature

Mathematics

What Have You Learned Lately?

There you have it! These fifty apps should enable you to learn a new language, brush up on your history, master those pesky math problems and even explore the galaxy all right from the comfort of your desk.

Leave a comment below and let us know if you’ve tried any of the apps above. Also be sure to tell us about other Mac apps that have taught you something recently.

Rome Total War was originally released on PC back in 2004, but for many years Mac owners were unable to get in on the action and enjoy this game which combines elements of classic turn-based strategy and live battle. Luckily for us, Feral Interactive eventually stepped in and ported a robust Mac OS X version, which was subsequently added to the Mac App Store to almost uniformly strong reviews, despite the game’s age.

Rome Total War Gold packages both the main game and a second expansion pack, Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion, the latter ramping up the tension and the terror to an almost unmanageable position as the player is tasked with holding a quickly crumbling Roman Empire together. So, how well can this eight year old title hold up today? Let’s find out.

Welcome To Rome

The complexity of Rome Total War (or RTW) makes a thorough detailing of each aspect of its gameplay difficult, but a quick rundown of the basics is in order. RTW places the player at the head of a distinguished ancient Roman family, with one being able to choose between leading the Julii, Brutii or Scipionis to victory – names which will be familiar to anyone with even a passing interest in this great civilization’s history. Upon choosing a family, the player is tasked with conquering territory and thus expanding the Roman Empire for the glory of its people. This is achieved by mastering the twin tenets of the Total War gaming experience, both strategy and battle.

While doing all the above, it is also necessary to take orders from the Roman Senate and sometimes this will mean performing actions which do not immediately benefit your faction. By placating the Senate however, your family will be able to grow in power until the moment that you’re able to gain enough popularity, territory and power to march on Rome and take power to reign supreme as the undisputed leader of Rome.

Strategy

The initial capture of territory from its rightful owners is just the first step to carving out an empire and the natural inhabitants will usually fight back, attempting to reclaim their land and perhaps even take some of yours in the process. Cities that are won come with their own particular benefits and challenges and in order to progress in the game one must match battle skills with a keen sense of bureaucracy, managing taxes, building both practical structures and those designed to increase the happiness of each city’s occupants.

Upon capturing a settlement, there are three options for a would be conqueror: enslave the occupants, kill some occupants and enslave others, or put most of the population to the sword, gaining maximum short-term profits but with a resulting reduction in taxes until the city grows in population once again.

While the real action is found in RTW’s Battle game style, a particularly nice touch of the Strategy map is that one can dispatch teams of diplomats to gain trade agreements, make or break alliances and let loose the inner Machiavelli in order to extort, bribe or threaten weaker states into performing one’s will. There are also spy’s and assassins which can be made use of in a similar manner.

Battle

Battles eschew the familiar turn-based strategy gameplay of the map view in favour of real time action. At the beginning of the battle, a budding general must choose carefully where to place one’s legions as it can make a real difference as to the outcome of the battle. For example, if the enemy chooses to attack and you place your troops all the way up a steep slope, your soldiers will be able to launch projectiles from above and by the time the two sides meet, the enemy will be significantly more tired than your own troops.

Battles are not limited to open ground however and if one wishes to besiege a city or currently has ownership of a city which is being besieged by an attacking army, siege warfare will thus commence. From the point of view of the defender, a siege will usually entail a frantic and often quite desperate attempt to keep a marauding army at bay with a few archers and perhaps some legionaries too, often with surprising and unexpected results – such as a tiny unit successfully halting the advance of attackers much larger in size.

Battles are not mandatory and those who would rather let RTW decide the outcome from weighing up both sides’ relative strengths can do so with a click of a button.

The player can micromanage each unit’s actions or place soldiers under the control of the computer AI and the controls are surprisingly easy to get the hang of considering the complexity of controlling an army. A help dialogue gives advice and tips, while speed can be increased to zoom past any lulls in the action (of which there are few).

Barbarian Invasion

RTW also comes bundled with the Barbarian Invasion expansion pack which adds significant mileage to the title. Taking place further along Rome’s history, the player is placed at the head of either the Western Roman Empire or Eastern Roman Empire and tasked with forestalling the damage incurred to the empire from huge tribes of migrating barbarians and the dreaded Huns. Mirroring real-life events, the Western Empire is by far the harder choice and poses a real challenge even to hardened strategy game fans. Religion is also given a revamp in RTW: Barbarian Invasion and one can choose to maintain the Pagan tradition or let Christianity take root, in addition to Zoroastrianism, if playing in the east. If playing Barbarian Invasion, it is also possible to take the place of a barbarian chieftain and guide a tribe such as the Gauls, Goths or Saxons to victory.

In addition to this official expansion pack included within the RTW purchase, there is also a thriving community of modders who have thus far created several campaigns available for download under the ‘Rome Total Realism’ (or RTR) moniker. As of writing, the latest installment of the RTR series is not available for Mac, but this still leaves several campaigns which bring increased historical accuracy and tweaked gameplay to OS X. For more information on the Rome Total Realism series, visit the project’s website here.

Conclusion

As a fan of such games as Civilization, Caesar and most of the Total War series, I believe that Rome Total War offers both a challenging game for hardcore strategists and perhaps the most user-friendly gaming experience for novices to the genre. There are a few minor issues with RTW which prevent it being scored a perfect ten, such as its now dated graphics and occasionally frustrating AI, but these minor quibbles cannot detract from a game which offers an impressive depth and longevity.

It should also be noted that Rome Total War does contain a popular online multiplayer option but due to a sub-standard Internet connection, I was unfortunately not able to put it through its paces for this review.

Siri is a delightful little piece of technology. Sure, it can be a bit troublesome at times but for the most part it is a great addition to the iPhone. Whether you want to find a good restaurant, ask about the weather, set a reminder, or get directions, Siri provides a quick, nearly hands free way to get it done, often with a bit of wit and humor thrown in.

The question that’s on everyone’s mind regarding Siri is whether or not it has found a permanent home on the iPhone or will eventually make rounds to the rest of Apple’s line of products. Some iPad fans were disappointed that the recently released “New iPad” received a pass on Siri, though others claim that it wouldn’t really be useful in this context. Apple did provide a watered down piece of Siri in the Voice Dictation feature, but that’s a far cry from the full Siri experience.

Today I want to push the question beyond iOS and ask what you think about the possibility of Siri on a Mac. Do you think that Siri will ever find it’s way to OS X? It would be nice to hit a keyboard shortcut on your Mac, tell Siri to fire off an email or create an appointment, then get back to what you were doing.

Cast your vote in the poll and let us know if you think this will ever happen, then leave a comment below and tell us whether or not you would find this feature to be helpful in your daily workflow.

Almost every Mac user has heard of terminal commands – short commands you enter directly in OS X’s terminal which can add little extras to existing Mac programs or help improve system functionality. Although Apple doesn’t boast about them specifically, they are simply little hacks designed to make using your Mac a more pleasant experience (a favourite of mine was the X-ray folders, where if you hit Space you could see the entire contents of a folder without having to go into it).

The best part about terminal commands is that you can easily deactivate them if you don’t particularly fancy them, and now, the Belgium-based web developer Mathias Bynens has released a new list of terminal commands for OS X (or “hackers defaults” as he likes to call them).

There are some old favourites on there, such as the 2D dock and the ability to enable iTunes song notifications in the dock as well as some new ones, such as my personal favourite:

file=/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/check.icns
[ -e "$file" ] && mv -f "$file" "$file.bak"
unset file

Which gets rid of that annoying green tick next to every file you’ve got on Dropbox.

For the full range of Terminal commands, head over to Mathias’s page on GitHub. And remember, if you want to deactivate any command you enter, just change the true string to false.

Happy hacking!

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Git. If you hail from the US, perhaps you’re thinking of the word “get” being said with a southern accent. Or if you’re from the UK then maybe you’re thinking of the rather unpleasant slang term.

I don’t mean either. I’m talking about the distributed version control system called Git. Or more specifically, I’m speaking of the hosted version of that software known as GitHub.

What’s GitHub you ask? And why are we talking about it on Mac.AppStorm? Well, the answer to the fist question is a bit long, so if you’ll humor me, I’ll address the second question first: we’re discussing Git and GitHub because the fine folks at GitHub have released a Mac app. And that’s what we’re all about here at Mac.AppStorm. So before we dive into GitHub for Mac, allow me to briefly explain just what Git is in the first place.

What Is Git?

So what exactly is Git? Well, Git’s homepage describes it this way:

“Git is a free & open source, distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.”

I suppose for some of our readers I would need to take a step back and explain what a version control system is. Essentially it tracks changes to versions of files — generally files related to computer programing — and then allows a person to manage those versions in different ways.

For a more in-depth explanation, I highly recommend Wikipedia’s extensive explanation.

GitHub for Mac

That brings us back to GitHub for Mac. Where does that come into all of this? Well, the part I left out in my explanation of Git is that the tool is used by a person strictly via a command line interface.

“Ok, so what’s the problem,” many might ask. Well, for the most part, the people who use version control systems are developers, the type of people who aren’t afraid of a command prompt and lots of text. But with the advent of sites like GitHub that make version control so easy, more and more less experienced developers have been making use of it.

The user base of GitHub has been expanding to encompass web designers and even graphic designers, people who are command line averse, but who understand and value the benefits of version control for their software development projects.

Enter GitHub for Mac. This is the tool for them, a GUI to Git. Let’s look a little closer at it.

The Interface

True to typical Mac form, the GitHub for Mac UI is beautifully polished. In the initial interface, a two paned Finder-esque view displays sources for repositories on the left and choices of repositories on the right.

Once you click on a repository, things start to get interesting.

Another view slides in very iOS like and we see a new series of options that tie into the management of a repository. On the left is a vertical navigation we have the commit log appears first, followed by the change log, the list of branches and the settings for the repository are at the bottom of the vertical list. On the right is the main content view which changes in conjunction with the navigation on the left.

All in all, GitHub for Mac’s user interface is quite clearly inspired by iOS user interface conventions, and considering Mac OS X 10.7 as well as 10.8 are as well, I think this is a smart, and forward-looking style choice on GitHub’s part.

The Feature Set

The nice thing about GitHub for Mac is that when it comes to features, it’s not lacking. Git itself is an extremely full-featured piece of software. And if you’re already familiar with it and all that it can do, then perhaps GitHub for Mac isn’t the tool for you.

That isn’t to say that anything essential is missing from GitHub for Mac. It has all of the essentials. Repository creation and cloning, change logs, commit management, branch creation, visual merging, I could go on.

The beauty of it all is that GitHub for Mac does a standup job of interpreting these features that are naturally expressed as a serious of obtuse commands in a terminal view into intuitive visual representations.

Verdict

For anyone who feels more at home in a command line interface, then GitHub for Mac probably isn’t for them. It doesn’t offer a GUI for every single option that Git has to offer. But it does allow for robust creation and management of Git repositories.

Anyone who is working in the web design or software development field today is at the very least familiar with Git, and it’s taking a lot of development teams by storm. If a command line scares you but your boss is telling you that using Git has just become a job requirement of yours, don’t fear. GitHub for Mac is here to the rescue offering the utility and flexibility of Git with the visual polish and ease-of-use that quality Mac apps are known for.

This week has seen quite a few updates to popular Mac apps, such as iTunes and Safari as well as a sneak preview of some new upcoming Adobe software. As always, here’s Mac AppStorm’s weekly roundup of the goings-on in the world of Mac software.

Apple pushes updates for iTunes, Safari and iPhoto

This week saw updates to two of Apple’s popular program’s, iTunes and Safari. iTunes 10.6.1, which was released on Thursday via OS X Software update, offers fixes for glitches that may cause iTunes to unexpectedly quit when playing videos, changing artwork size in Grid view, and syncing photos to devices.

It also corrects an issue in which some iTunes interface elements are incorrectly described by VoiceOver and WindowEyes, and fixes a bug that caused iTunes to become unresponsive when syncing the iPod nano or iPod shuffle. Most of the bug fixes in this release are to patch up errors from iTunes 10.6, released just after the new iPad and Apple TV announcement which brought, among other things, 1080p playback and improvements in iTunes Match.

Apple also pushed out Safari 5.1.5 on Thursday of this week, which corrects 32-bit stability after numerous reports of websites not running properly under 32-bit mode. The new version for OS X Snow Leopard and Lion can be obtained either through Software Update or by heading over to the source link for direct download from Apple’s website.

In a third round of updates, iPhoto 9.2.3 was also released this week as well, which brings overall stability improvements as well as fixes a bug that caused iPhoto to quit unexpectedly on systems with multiple user accounts.

Source: iTunes 10.6.1 (Apple Support)
Source: Safari 5.1.5 (Apple Support)
Source: iPhoto 9.2.3 (Apple Support)

Adobe Previews Illustrator CS6

Since Photoshop CS6 was released last week (and downloaded over half a million times), Adobe has teased us with another sneak peak video of the upcoming Creative Suite 6 software suite on a MacBook Pro, Illustrator CS6.

Illustrator CS6 seems to sport the same dark interface as Photoshop CS6 and one of the main features of this release seems to be a new pattern creation tool, which will make designers’ lives a lot easier. Unfortunately there’s no information about a release date for the public beta (or whether there will ever be one), so until then, feast your eyes on the preview above. We’ll keep you posted about updates to this story.

Source: Adobe Illustrator CS6 Sneak Peek (YouTube)

Google Chrome 18 Released

Google has released yet another new version of its popular web browser, Chrome 18, which patches up nine vulnerabilities as well as boosts the speed of the browser’s hardware acceleration. If you’ve got Chrome installed, then the update should download automatically – otherwise head over to the source link to grab yourself the latest version.

Chrome 18 features accelerated support for Canvas 2D on Mac systems with compatible graphics cards and ensures that multimedia content played inside the browser, such as in-built games, will run smoother and with less jutter. For older systems, the update includes better support for the WebGL 3D standard.

Chrome is becoming an ever-more popular browser for both Windows and Mac users – the latest user statistics put it in second place at 29.84% of global browser usage and on March 21 it briefly became the world’s most popular web browser, surpassing even the mighty reign of Internet Explorer (which is still in top place at 35.75%). Firefox and Safari have remained in third and fourth place respectively, with 24.88% and 6.77% of global browser usage in February 2012.

Source: Google Chrome

Autodesk Inc. releases its 2013 suite of software

Autodesk has released a wealth of updates to its popular range of professional software, including new versions of AutoCAD (a powerful computer-aided-design program), Maya (3D computer graphics) and 3ds Max (another 3D graphics software package which is often used in game design).

New features across the range of software include tighter Autodesk 360 integration, a synchronisation service for your files with improved features brought to each individual programs. AutoCAD 2013 now, for example, gives you the ability to create section views from individual drawing views, allowing a more detailed and thorough view of your technical drawing.

Another great thing about Autodesk is that if you are a student at an educational institution recognised by them, then you can download pretty much all of their software for absolutely no cost at all (including AutoCAD 2013, 3ds Max and Maya). Simply head over to the students section of their website to register and download your software.

There is one catch though, all files created with the educational version will bear a digital watermark making it inappropriate for commercial use. However if you simply want to try out this great range of software, then the deal doesn’t seem too shabby, especially when you consider that AutoCAD 2013 retails at $3,995.

Source: Autodesk 2013 products

Over half of American households own an Apple product

And in non-related Mac software news, according to CNBC’s All-American Economic Survey, over half of American households now owns an Apple product, whether it’d be a iPad, iPhone, iPod or Mac computer. That works out at an average of 55 million homes in the United States, and a tenth of the households who currently don’t own an Apple product are planning to buy one sometime in the coming year.

The typical Apple owner tends to be young males with a college education. Social demographics also plays a role as well: 77% of people earning over $75,000 a year own an Apple product, compared with those earning under $30,000 a year, where the figure is a mere 28% (no prizes for guessing why).

The figures, which were obtained through telephone polls last week, are encouraging for Apple and will really help in identifying their target market. With more and more younger people turning towards Apple (especially given RIM’s dire financial results from this week), it seems that Apple do know the way to go with their technology: flashy, cutting-edge and, most importantly of all, bling.

Angry Birds needs little introduction, it is without doubt one of the most popular games for iOS, Mac and Android platforms, with the total number of downloads exceeding 500 million. It is easy to play, fun and addicting. For those readers who aren’t familiar with the concept, you control a flock of birds who are ‘angry’ at a group of green pigs who have stolen your eggs. You somehow manage to build a slingshot to fire yourselves kamikaze style at the pigs and the buildings where they live in order to destroy the pigs and get your eggs back.

Angry Birds Space is the latest incarnation of the franchise from Rovio, which in my opinion is the first true sequel to the original Angry Birds (I personally didn’t buy into the whole Angry Birds: Seasons thing). As a fan of the original game, when the chance came to review Angry Birds Space I couldn’t resist. Read on for what I thought.

What’s New?

As the name suggests, Angry Birds Space is set in outer space, which dramatically changes the physics of the game from that of previous versions. The normal trajectory of the birds has gone out of the window, for most shots the birds travel along a straight path, with the curved trajectories familiar to players of the first Angry Birds only making an appearance when the birds are inside the gravitational pull of a planet. This definitely livens up the game play a bit, especially when two gravity fields overlap, allowing you to sort of slingshot the bird around one planet and into the gravity of the next one.

The inclusion of gravity fields, which look a little bit like atmospheres around each moon/planet, also allows you to get creative when destroying the pigs. Simply knock a pig into the pull of a planet and it will be sent plummeting planet bound. Or if you’re feeling particularly cruel you can burst the bubble any free floating pig is in to let it freeze to death. After all, they did steal your eggs.

Aside from the setting, the birds themselves have also undergone a revamp. Most of the original cast are present, but now sport cool space visors and suits. Presumably left on Earth are the boomerang bird, egg bombing bird and orange bird (apologies to die hard Angry Birds fans if these names aren’t correct). I can’t say I’m disappointed in the exclusions as the egg bombing bird was possibly the most useless waste of space ever. With the new setting however, the way you use each bird has changed, the black bomb bird for example is now more effective at sending space debris flying rather than blowing the hell out of a pig stronghold.

What I Like

The new setting first and foremost is probably my favorite new feature in Angry Birds Space. Not only does it make the game feel like a true sequel to the original Angry Birds, it also livens up a concept that, while popular, was beginning to feel a little tired (no matter how many versions of Seasons were released). The graphics too look amazing, with the artwork really giving the impression that the developers spent plenty of time with this version of Angry Birds. Long gone are the days where each level was more or less the same with a few minor variations. The soundtrack also fits very well with the space setting, using lots of synths to remind the player of the eeriness and coldness of space.

What I Don’t Like

The price. The game is currently on the Mac App Store for $4.99. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t exactly bank breaking, but the whole point of Angry Birds is that it’s supposed to be a fun, addictive and critically cheap game. $4.99 just feels a tad too expensive especially when the very same game can be had on other devices for less, which brings me onto my other gripe with Angry Birds Space. The pricing strategy that Rovio has introduced is annoying. It seems that as the screen size on your device goes up they feel justified in hiking the price. For example, the iPhone version is a modest $0.99 while the iPad version costs $2.99.

Until Retina Display Macs are released (and consequently a HD version of Angry Birds Space) I would have expected the Mac and iPad Versions to cost roughly the same. While there seems to be a lot of chatter regarding an in app purchase for the third stage of the game on other devices, with the Mac version this third stage seems to be left out completely. Another annoyance considering the higher purchase price.

Conclusion

Overall the game is extremely enjoyable, the graphics are awesome and the new gameplay dynamic is amazing. The team at Rovio have done a great job of reviving a series that in my opinion at least seemed to be getting tired. The price could do with being reduced just a tad for the Mac and iPad versions in my opinion, but otherwise it’s definitely a worthy successor. What do you think about the latest Angry Birds adventure?

When it comes to FTP clients, there are too many of them to count. You could go with FileZilla, since it’s free, but it’s really not the greatest solution out there since it lacks quite a few features that advanced users seek. Cyberduck, on the other hand, is another great client – and it’s open source, though you really should donate to help out the developers.

Up until now, I used Cyberduck for all my connections, assuming that it was the best free solution available. Well, if you’re willing to pay $9.99, then there’s something much better out there. It’s called Flow and it’s developed by Five Details. In my experience, this has been the best FTP client that I’ve ever used on the Mac. Read on to find out why.

Connecting

Let’s start with the basic FTP/SFTP connection and then I’ll get into the more advanced features of Flow a little later on. You can connect to virtually any server out there (excluding Amazon S3 or WebDAV, which I don’t see as a big problem since most servers use the FTP or SFTP protocol anyway), so just input all your credentials into the corresponding fields and click “Connect”.

If you’ve already used the same username in another FTP client, then all you have to do is put in the address and username and your keychain should come up asking if you’ll allow Flow to access the saved passwords.

Bookmarks

If you happen to have bookmarks on another FTP client, then all you have to do is click “Bookmarks” in the menu of Flow and then click “Import Bookmarks…”. Depending on the client, you should see them in the pop-up and can easily import them either by clicking “Import” beside each one or “Import All” in the bottom right corner.

If you don’t have any set up, then it’s pretty easy to get started. All you have to do is click the little “+” button in the bottom left of the screen and then click “New Bookmark”. Once you’ve done this, the connection screen will slide to the right and reveal a bookmark creation form. All you have to do differently this time is put in a name that you’d like to appear in the sidebar when opening Flow; this helps to keep things organized and you should name it something like “work server”.

Additionally, if you’re a true enterprise user and would like to add a folder for your bookmarks, then you can simply click the “+” button again and this time click “New Bookmark Folder”, finishing by naming the folder in the sidebar. Truly advanced users will find this feature very useful if they have many connections to maintain.

Built-In Editor

Have you ever wanted to just use an FTP client instead of switching between it and a code editor? Then you’re going to love Flow. Not only is its editor very useful and in-app, it also gives you a preview of the page you’re modifying. And on top of that, there’s a great little shortcut to OS X’s color palette for a quick way to change something without the need of a tool like ColorSnapper.

While Flow’s editor isn’t the most powerful one I’ve used, it’s definitely a convenient feature and is my favorite element of the app.

Droplets

Yet another amazing feature of Flow is Droplets. Instead of having to open the app and then navigate to the directory where you’d like to upload a file, you can create a bookmark at a certain directory in one of your servers and then create a Droplet from it telling the mini-app where to upload the file.

To create a Droplet, select the bookmark that you’d like to use and then right click it and select “Save Bookmark as Droplet…”. Now navigate to the folder you’d like to store the Droplet (somewhere like Applications or Desktop). All you have to do to upload a file is drag it and drop it on the Droplet you’ve created — pretty simple, right? One other thing Droplets will do is automatically copy a link to the file so you can email it or share it on a social network.

The Droplets feature has proved to be extremely useful for users that need to upload things quickly or even want to use their own server as an alternative to CloudApp or Droplr.

Other Features

I’ve already discussed the major features of Flow, but I’d also like to take a look at some of the more covert ones like URL copying, the options available for its built-in editor, and more. I won’t go into too much depth here, but instead just give you a basic idea of what’s available.

• File URL copying: You can quickly copy a link to your remote file simply by right clicking it and selecting “
• QuickLook: You know that great feature in OS X that allows you to preview nearly any file with a simple tap of the spacebar? Well, Flow has that too. Just click the item and hit the spacebar to take a peek at what’s inside. Do keep in mind that this isn’t an editor though.
• Built-in editor options: If you feel like the built-in editor is a limited, then you’re not quite correct because you can perform a bit of customization in the Editing tab of Flow’s Preferences menu. For instance, you can change the preview pane orientation, make it full width or half width, change the font, and more.

User Interface

One thing this app isn’t the best in is user interface. I’m not saying that it’s terrible, but it’s far from original in design. I really love the layout of everything, but the actual graphics are just not as great as they could be. I just like to see a few more custom elements inside apps, that’s all.

As for the transitions, I really like them. When you sign in to a server, the screen slides to the left smoothly and reveals your server’s public_html folder. These transitions are very nice to see and even work well on my older Mac.

Things I’d Like to See in the Future

There are a few things that are missing in this app that I’d like to see in future updates. Most of them aren’t too urgent or anything, but they’d certainly help. Here’s a tidy list:

• Fullscreen mode: I’m rather surprised that the developer didn’t include this in Flow because most apps for Lion tend to have it. It’s not that Flow needs fullscreen mode badly, but just that it would help to unify the way users are accustomed to using their apps. And since Flow has a built-in browser in the sidebar, it would work perfect in fullscreen as well. Also, a fullscreen editor would be very nice.
• Up a level in navigation: When in list view instead of column view, it would be very nice to have a button that take you up a level instead of having to click the folder you want to go back to. I’ve always found this to be useful for navigating in Cyberduck.

Conclusion

Flow is the best and most stable FTP client that I’ve encountered. I really love the features and work that the developer has put into it and see a great future for it. And as for those transfer speeds that it claims are “the fastest”, they are. I noticed a significant difference between Flow and alternatives like Cyberduck and FileZilla. Droplets and the built-in editor make this app unique and it fends off competition easily — especially for the price of $9.99, so go check it out today!

What happens when you put together a worm, a heavy metal frontman and a good old fashioned mace? The newest game from 10tons, apparently. Ironworm is a 2D platformer in which you must swing your mace to smash insects and complete levels.

From the graphics and storyline to the main character, Ironworm is certainly a strange and unique game. That being said, there is a lot to the game. Read on to learn more about the game, the method of play, the graphics and more.

How the Game Works

Your character is comprised of a heavy metal musician’s head, a vulnerable worm-like body and a spikey mace that can easily destroy insects. Your goal is to traverse from floating platform to floating platform, all while utilizing the mace to destroy insects and protect the body and head from damage and loss of lives. The level ends when you reach the elevator exit at the end.

The enemies are insects that can move, dive, explode and shoot. The enemies start out easy, as expected, but quickly become very difficult to destroy thanks to increased defenses and sheer quantity. The controls are fairly intuitive, using a simple click and drag method to move around the worm.

At this point, there are 30 levels in the game. Often when I open up a game like this and see that there are only 30 levels, I quickly get disappointed as I know how quickly I will likely beat the game. Ironworm is a nice break however. While the first few levels seem incredibly simple, the difficulty increases at a rapid rate beginning around level 4. This is done in part by the increased number of insects and in part by the app’s fantastically timed introduction of new elements. Whether it is a new object or a new enemy, the elements are introduced at just the right pace to keep the game exciting without overwhelming the player.

To compound the rapidly increasing difficulty, Ironworm brings a level of strategic gameplay that isn’t often found in 2D platformers. Rather than rapidly moving through the levels you must take your time to plot and plan the perfect position and timing. While both ends of the worm can be used to hold onto platforms, only the mace can be used to kill insects. Thanks to this factor and the very specific length of the worm this strategy is especially important to complete the level perfectly.

Ups and Downs

My opinions about Ironworm are mostly positive. The uniqueness of the game certainly makes it stand out. The art style is cohesive throughout the game, and while it seems an unexpected choice it works surprisingly well with the game. The qualities of heavy metal and gothic art are found throughout, from the font choices to the colors and character design. However, while the artistic and graphic style works extremely well, the soundtrack isn’t quite so great. It’s a generic heavy metal soundtrack that doesn’t seem to have much thought put into it. I ended up turning the sound off so it wouldn’t detract from the rest of my experience.

The game has a fantastic degree of challenge. The levels are difficult but not seemingly impossible. Elements are introduced at a fantastically planned rate, and the strategy required to complete a level perfectly is tough but still quite enjoyable. The controls are a bit lacking.

The game plays much better on a touchscreen, so using the trackpad on my laptop was a bit of a challenge. I did also try a mouse which was even worse. Once you get used to the controls you don’t notice the difficulty of movement as much, but it can still be a challenge to maneuver in exactly the way you choose. Finally, while the game is certainly enjoyable overall, like most dollar apps it can quickly become repetitive. Luckily the game boots quickly so if you just want to play a level or two at a time it’s great for that style of gameplay.

Final Thoughts

When compared to the current world of 2D platformers, Ironworm certainly brings something new and unique to the table. Ironworm has all of the elements needed to make a game successful. The artistic style is unique, gameplay is innovative without being too out there, the strategy required is the perfect level for this type of game and elements are added at a great rate. The few downsides – soundtrack, occasionally difficult controls and some repetitiveness – are minor and don’t really detract from the game as a whole.

Overall, I recommend this game. For being only a dollar in the App Store it’s certainly worth it. However, I certainly want to hear from you. Have you played it, or will you be checking it out? Please share your thoughts below!

If you take a look at the Buyers Guide on MacRumors, you’ll notice that the iMac has been lying dormant for just under a year (since May 2011 to be precise), the longest period of silence since before 2008. The site recommends that any potential iMac buyers hold off for the time being, seeing as ”updates are due soon”. This would tie in with Apple’s product refresh cycle, which usually occurs every year.

But this hibernation got me thinking about two things. Firstly, are we due to see a massive overhaul of the iMac product line sometime in May/June and secondly, have Apple forgotten about their fantastic range of desktop computers?

Where Are The New iMacs?

Desktop computers are, in some people’s eyes, becoming a bit of a dying breed. Mobility and portability is a real bonus when it comes to technology (seeing as most technology companies are obsessed with making their devices as thin and light as possible) and it’s true that you can’t lug your desktop computer around with you when you go to work – it stays on your desk for pretty much the whole year. However, I like having a fixed computer at home (which is, at the moment, a bog-standard MacBook) and if I need to do any work on the move, then my iPad steps in.

But this doesn’t really answer the question as to why has Apple left such a big gap in the release dates. Since the release of the last iMac, we have seen new releases of pretty much the whole product line, including the iPhone (the 4S version), the iPad, the iPod nano, the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. Even the Mac Mini, Apple’s entry-range desktop computer which ships sans monitor and keyboard got a refresh in July 2011. So why has the iMac been left behind?

There are rumours flitting around that both the iMac as well as the MacBook range of computers will be kitted out with retina displays, similar to those on the new iPad and iPhone 4 and 4S (and there’s even elementary evidence in the developer preview of Mountain Lion that suggests this).

A theoretical retina display on a 21-inch iMac would have a resolution of roughly 3200 x 2000 pixels, or 163 pixels per inch (in comparison, the iPhone 4S has 326 ppi). This mean that the user will have to sit approximately 21 inches (or 54 cm) away from the screen to get the full benefits of it. iPhones and iPads are designed to be used at close vicinity, so naturally the retina display has to be noticeable from a shorter distance (which means upping the PPI count).

Apple have, however, been holding off a retina display for Macs for good reason. It’s unchartered territory. No other hardware manufacturer has made a display with a resolution this powerful and there is currently no processor on the market which would support such a massive resolution. However, Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processors, which are slated for release sometime this summer, will theoretically support multiple 4K video playback at up to a resolution of 4,096 x 4,096.

Another possible reason could be the rumoured Intel chip shortage which may be pushing the iMac release date further back into the year. The Ivy Bridge processors were due to be released next month however a senior Intel executive confirmed that the delay was due to a more complicated manufacturing process involved in making the new chips, not due to a lack of demand.

This strongly suggests that Apple has been eyeing up these chips for use in its new models and seeing as the delay only affects dual-core chips (remember the iMac uses quad-core ones), only the 13-inch MacBook Pro may be affected (though Apple may be kitting these out with quad-core processors as well).

Something To Look Forward To

Whatever the reason may be, I am sure that the iMac won’t be banished into the Apple history books like the PowerBook and white MacBook (which still upsets me slightly, seeing as I am the proud owner of one). The iMac raked in around $2 billion in revenue for Apple in Q1 2012 and this figure has been increasing steadily quarter-on-quarter. I’m sure that given this long delay, and the rumours about Intel’s new processors and retina displays for Macs, the refresh will be a big one and one that was definitely worth waiting for.

What are your thoughts on all this? Are you one of the many who are eagerly awaiting the 2012 iMacs? What reasons are behind the delay and when do you think we’ll finally see them?