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GTA V Online 1.17 Update Is Make or Break for Rockstar

It’s no secret that Grand Theft Auto Online has been going through up and down periods this past summer, but lately things seem to be getting stale.  Rockstar continued to push Heists for Spring, and now that 1 year is approaching for GTA Online players are dropping off left and right with Rockstar failing to deliver.

Most players moved on to Destiny, but it looks as if Heists may just make it to…

There are clues and obvious traits the iWatch will have in aspects of design.  However, much word is circulating about the battery life of the iWatch being incredibly bad.  Something Samsung actually tried to mock with the iPhone, by utilizing a black and white display feature to save battery on a Galaxy S5.  (Who wants to see videos in monochrome?  Nobody that’s who.)

A new video circulated out of China with a possible clone or working model of the iPhone 6 being shown off in a video review.  It shows off the vastly improved camera, as well as the overall feel of the device compared to the iPhone 5S.  With the detail shown, you can expect the iWatch to mimic the design of the bevels and soft curves to make an awesome smart watch.

Gallery of iPhone 6 Design:

Video source:

iPhone 6 Improvements:

Bigger display

Vastly improved camera

Saphire glass

More ram and faster processor

Smooth design

Crisp feeling buttons and interaction

Bigger Battery

What to expect with iWatch’s design after iPhone 6 Leak:

Same sides/curved bezels as iPhone 6/iPad

Fair battery life, full on iOS capability

3rd party apps to flood App Store for iWatch

Hopes for iWatch:

Slap bracelet/interchangeable wrist bands and affordable price point (under $300).

What do you think of the iWatch and iPhone leaks?  Leave a comment!

  Don’t hug me so hard, I might lose HP. #Gaming

— downHoard (@downHoard) August 21, 2014

MEGA Sync Client for Mac OS X

Finally a desktop cloud sync client that doesn’t suck.

The long awaited release of MEGA’s Mac OS X sync client is here and yes it is OS X Yosemite ready.  The battery impact is low, and the upload speed is just as incredible as using it through Safari/Chrome so there’s no worry of sacrificing anything you need.

With MEGA sync creating it’s own directory folder in the sidebar of your Finder you…

Apple’s Micro Social Network iMessage

With Facebook on the way out like MySpace, Twitter staying true to tweeting and Google+ still being the redheaded step child, people are wondering where to turn to next.  Instagram is nice but you don’t really care about pictures of your friends kids, and liking those pictures just becomes a fucking job.  People are wondering what is next?  Will it have people to follow?

Well.  Yes and no.  Apple…

Apple’s Small iCloud Disappointment from WWDC 2014

With WWDC 2014 being a massive deal for developers, and iCloud getting a huge boost by turning into iCloud drive, there were some disappointments at least on my end.

Why was I disappointed (slightly)?  Because Apple did what Mega Syncalready does.  Being able to save files that aren’t really iOS accessible to a cloud device via e-mail or Safari (what have you).  Given that iCloud backs up your…

iOS 8, OS X 10.10 and Developer Rumor WWDC Preview

With iOS 7 being a huge leap for Apple, iOS 8 may be complimentary to it instead of a radical addition of features.  Rather the focus may be more on OS X, and the long outdated design of the desktop.  iOS 8 is expected to have HealthBook to go along with the iWatch that should release this Fall, but here’s more on what to possibly expect.

With HealthBookit will pretty much be like carrying a…

With rumors getting heavier about the iPhone 6, and even stronger rumors of an OS X re-vamp in design to closer match the subtle layer style of iOS 7/8.  Rumors are also coming around of iOS 8 including multi-screen or picture in picture functionality, but with limited use as to iPhone generations.

 This means is that multi-screen/PiP is probably only going to be released on the iPhone 6 (and…

Now the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a built in heart rate monitor (primarily software) as they use the same technique the iPhone 5S uses to measure heart rate by pressing your fingertip against the iPhone camera/dual LED flash.  This however, will introduce automatic readings of heart rate and blood pressure sensors in the most logical and accurate of arteries the Carotid.

Seeing as how when a person is checked for a pulse they usually check the carotid artery (neck), which is just where the current EarPods drape over with their cord.  This will leave a person handsfree to Siri their heart rate and blood pressure as they are exercising for instance.  No more picking up your phone and using the camera to check your levels.

Apple’s new EarPods will have sensors in them, for heart rate & blood pressure. Also iBeacons so they don’t get lost. They will require the lightning port, it’s why the audio jack was moved to the bottom. It stores the data in a similar way to thumbprint point data, fully encrypted and nothing identifiable. But nice to send to your doctor to keep track of at which point your blood pressure started rising for example.  Redesigned remote too. Extra mic for better noise canceling.

It is plausible to say that there will be 2 versions of the EarPods with slight re-designs.  One with just a redesigned remote and mic for better noise canceling, and the other carrying those along with the blood pressure and heart rate monitors at a higher price tag.

Apple has had remnants of patents filed from 2006/2007 of sensors being implements to products to collect physiological data, so this is nothing insanely new as far as technology is concerned.  However, it is extremely convenient for keeping up with your doctors if you suffer from health problems or are just basically a health nut.

Since iOS 7′s release a HealthBook has been heavily rumored for iOS 8 with a mass amount of health-related information.  The upcoming heavily rumored iWatch is expected to have biometrics included, and this can launch a unified health related technology platform for Apple that has been rumored for years now.

Now there are some notes to point out:

The iWatch C looks like it came from a cereal box with the wrist band

The first iWatch ad shown in the gallery has Vodafone NL

The premium version of the iWatch looks very sleek and classy, but Apple may have a slap bracelet that reflects the current leather look in their iPhone 5S cases

iWatch C store ad looks distorted

Screenshots are very plausible however as they mimic the iOS 7 look and feel (also missing a comma in the digital clock screenshot)

So yet another but yet possibly close concept to the Apple iWatch has been released, but the iOS 7 screenshots look close to what could be the UI of the iWatch.

This is a far shot from the slap bracelet outlined in their patent Application from back in February 2013, but it could be a great competitor still for the Samsung Galaxy Watch that is currently available to the public.

Watch out (no pun intended) and look out for 3D rendered leaks, and follow @MacMurmur on twitter for more as Apple news develops.

Comcast Streaming TV to Apple TV in 2015

Comcast will be streaming live TV through Apple TV in 2015 as per a inside source.  Comcast has been in talks with Apple for a long time going, and the only thing holding Apple from streaming is Comcast’s infrastructure.  Comcast definitely has the technology to stream TV to the Apple set-top box, but it’s still in it’s infancy as far as being able to handle the data.

Basically the live TV data…

GTA V Online Money Guide

Here’s a guide to help you get the best missions that pay up and give you a great time with other players online.  The ever popular missions are going to be listed, as well as how to access any mission from GTA V Online (that you have unlocked).

Go to: Online>Jobs>Host Job>Rockstar Created>Missions

These are the best paying/experience giving missions in GTA V Online, and if you don’t see them in…

Rather than spoil the story, let us just talk about the sheer addictiveness and fun from playing a tripped out M. C. Escher experience.  At first you might check your drink and think somebody slipped you some crazy hallucinogen, but have no fear it’s all an illusion to begin with.  The careful attention to detail is noticeable from the splash game when you first launch the app.  Crisp, clean and well-timed animation sequences give a relaxing yet mentally intriguing experience bending perception like no other.

Basically you need to navigate princess Ida around Crow People by manipulating the world around you to find your path in the maze.  The ability to rotate your game play and manipulate is subtle yet in a perfect position to make you look for clues in unorthodox visual perceptions.

The sound effects are clean, precisely timed and pleasant to the ear, so there’s no worry about annoying sounds that are repetitive.  You’ll have 10 brain screwing puzzles to navigate and manipulate which is pretty good when you consider the overall quality of the game and the challenge it gives.  In some examples below in the gallery you’ll see how one level (same colors) can drastically change when you’re only about half way done with getting through it.

Not being a big fan of most puzzle games on iOS I found this to be surprisingly one of the best games I had ever played on an iPhone or iPad. There’s no score.  No leaderboards.  Just brain teasing fun.  You can even save your favorite puzzle visuals by screen shot in the game from the Top Left navigation menu.  Share it instantly with friends from Facebook or Twitter and show them what they’re missing out on.

Now it is fairly short for some people, but there is a big chance that we could see more puzzles added in later dates.  It will run you $3.99 (US) on the App Store [Direct App Store Link]

Check out the trailer here as well

The app uses both .ttf (TrueTypeFont) and .otf (OpenTypeFont) formats as profiles to use on your iPhone and iPad.  This won’t however, change the system font on your iPad or iPhone like some have hoped to do.

The app is super easy to use and you can even use apps like Mega Cloud Service to download your font files directly to your iPhone.  Simply tap to download, tap once more upon completion and tap Open with AnyFont (With Mega, Mail and Dropbox etc..).  

You’ll be prompted to approve and install a profile, and it may require your passcode if you have it set.  Just a minor security precaution, and nothing more to worry about.  If you need a walkthrough, then here’s a video for your assurance.

If you’re worried that you’ll have to enter in each font individually, then fear not.  You can upload multiple fonts in a .Zip file to save you time.  You can even preview each font in the AnyFont preview option.

AnyFont is available on the App Store for $1.99 and it’s well worth your while if you’re big with the new Office Suite Pro, iWork and much more.  You can download it here and give it a good rating for enabling a more open typography platform on mobile devices. AnyFont [Direct Link]

Some fonts using Cyrillic or Asian characters are not supported by this way of installing fonts.

If you have friends that always hang around your usual spots, you can now be on alert for your own mental state to avoid those you would rather not bump into on the street.  Now, it’s only for Instagram and Foursquare so far (more to be added in future updates) since they are location based social networks.  With Twitter giving users the power to turn off location data, the information is so vague that it’s hard to pin point where the person may actually be.  With Twitter not included it is sort of a downfall, but understandable for the most part.  Maybe they will add it in the future just in case for those users.

After testing it out, it’s actually really good at keeping tabs on your friends or people you don’t care for.  It did take a little bit to get the notifications, but timely nonetheless.  Also recommended is to create a dummy account to follow anonymously and help keep you even more secretive.

Try it out for free and download it here to give ignoring your friends, “friends” and people you just hate a shot.  Download Cloak Incognito Mode for Real Life here:  [Direct Link]

The Lost Designs of Apple’s Past

If you’re a fan of Apple’s designs, you may want to take a look back and see the possibilities that could have arose back in 1983.  When cellphones were no where near as popular, Apple seemed to have already thought of the flip-phone style long before the early 2000′s when the Motorola Razor was super popular. The phone was designed by Hartmut Esslinger and frog design in 1983 for a flip phone…

Free Web Design Tools and Apps To Make CSS Easy

After holding off from learning web design/development I finally caved in within the past few months and came across some really awesome tools to share.

Let’s start off strong with my absolute favorite tool as of late which is  Base64, and this is so strings can be made out of your .PNG files for HTML/CSS embedding.  This helps protect your pieces of work from making it on Google Images to be…

The menu screen is really cool and unlike most iOS games, where the player can just tap the dots that cascade down without even hitting the Play button to bring up game modes.  The simplicity of the game compliments the unique ideas behind the design of the game, giving a pleasant feel to it.

Another plus that will win most iOS gamers over is no in-app purchases needed.  You only acquire Dot Points and it helps keep the leaderboards even instead of being able to purchase your way to the top.  Your points are also distributed with how well you perform during the game.  Basically the more red dots you tap, the lower your score.

Of course as the game progresses it will become increasingly difficult, but the rewards acquired change the design of the game and give it an interesting feel to keep things new and fresh.  This includes 6 new game skins and 3 power up items to use during your gameplay, along with 18 challenges to complete with 5 skills to upgrade.

You can even play online against friends or strangers with use of Apple’s Game Center, or you can play the other game modes such as Classic or Arcade.

Gameplay is incredibly fun and you’ll find your face inches away from the screen concentrating to keep up.  The dots aren’t just simply cascading down, but also over/underlap each other to get you to mistakenly tap a red dot to bring down your score.  This really keeps things interesting, and the game speed may get you almost as frustrated as Flappy Bird may have.

Use power ups to bring your scores up, slow the dots down or penalize you for your mistakes.  And compete online on an even playing field with Falling Dots.

I highly recommend downloading this game, and hopefully we may see some minor sound effects for when you tap some dots to keep your attention.  Download it here from the App Store for free: [Direct Link]