The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Limited edition 'Batman' PlayStation 4 scratches that superhero itch Posted: 31 Mar 2015 02:41 PM PDT If you missed out on that coveted 20th Anniversary PlayStation 4, don't fret: there's another special-run model coming soon. Sony has unveiled a limited edition Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 bundle that gives you a "steel grey" console emblazoned with th...

'Un Chien Andalou' inspires a surreal indie game from Russian devs Posted: 31 Mar 2015 02:14 PM PDT In 1929, famed artist Salvador Dalí and filmmaker Luis Buñuel awoke from a night of strange dreams, Buñuel recalling the image of a razor blade cloud slicing through the moon as if it were an eyeball, and Dalí describing a human hand covered in ants....

Apple opens the floodgates to Watch-friendly apps Posted: 31 Mar 2015 01:41 PM PDT You may have noticed a few Apple Watch-friendly iOS apps trickle out, but brace yourself: you're about to face a torrent of them. Apple has opened up WatchKit app submissions to all developers (not just the handful of early partners from before), so ...

Buy an LG G3 in the US, get a free VR headset Posted: 31 Mar 2015 01:09 PM PDT LG's new mobile VR headset -- which is basically just a plastic version of Google's cardboard VR viewer -- is finally hitting American shores. The company just announced that it'll be throwing in a free headset, simply called the VR for G3, with the ...

Flickr gives you the choice to put photos in the public domain Posted: 31 Mar 2015 12:40 PM PDT Flickr has long had ways to let others use and tweak your photos, but if you want to give up your copyright altogether? You can now do just that. In the wake of Elon Musk releasing SpaceX's photos to public domain, Flickr has added options for public...

Patent reveals GoPro's working on a 'square profile' camera design Posted: 31 Mar 2015 12:08 PM PDT GoPro doesn't make square, cube-like cameras, but if it did, the picture (after the break) is probably what they'd look like. The image comes from a patent granted to GoPro today. The protection covers a "Camera housing for a square-profile camera," ...

JXE Streams: Boldly exploring space in 'Sid Meier's Starships' Posted: 31 Mar 2015 11:30 AM PDT Sid Meier scares the crap out of me. I'm deeply familiar with the famed strategy game creator's resume -- from the history-spanning Civilization series to the high seas simulations in Sid Meier's Pirates! -- but I've only ever played one of his games...

MacBook Pro with Retina display review (13-inch, 2015) Posted: 31 Mar 2015 11:00 AM PDT Nope, it's not the new MacBook. That review will need to wait until next month. What we have here is the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. For all intents and purposes, it's the same one we last tested in late 2013, except for one important th...

Charter buys a cable company to make up for losing Time Warner Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:45 AM PDT Charter lost out on its chance to snatch Time Warner Cable before Comcast made its move, so it's settling for the next best thing. The company just unveiled plans to acquire Bright House Networks, a cable provider that's mostly big in Florida, for ab...

Microsoft technology gives Seattle 5,000 times faster public WiFi Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:24 AM PDT Techie culture-vultures aren't likely to encounter Vine upload fails anymore at Seattle's home to arts, culture and the Space Needle thanks to Microsoft. The city's biggest patron has installed a new WiFi service at the Seattle Center that uses new t...

Google reveals budget Chromebooks including a $249 ASUS convertible Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:00 AM PDT Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for some new Chromebooks. Yep, Google has just announced four new Chrome OS laptops, all of which lean toward the budget-friendly end of the spectrum. They are the ASUS Chromebook Flip, the ASUS Chromebook C201, the Hi...

Google puts Chrome OS on your TV with its own HDMI stick Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:00 AM PDT Google has unveiled a whole new type of Chrome device, and it's one that can fit in your pocket. It's called the Chromebit, and it's essentially a Chromebook crammed in a dongle. This tiny little package contains a Rockchip 3288 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16GB...

BSXinsight's calf-worn workout intensity sensor is now available Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:00 AM PDT When you're doing an exercise upon yourself, your body generates lactic acid, the levels of which are considered to be the most accurate way to measure your performance during a workout. Unfortunately, you can only test lactate levels with a blood te...

The Big Picture: Gorgeous shot captures a drone's fiery flight Posted: 31 Mar 2015 09:41 AM PDT Photographer Calder Wilson added an explosive new method to his long exposure "light paintings" earlier this year when he was struck by a brilliant notion: Strap some leftover New Year's fireworks to the back of a UAV, light them up and then lift off...

Relax: De La Soul's album's already smashed its Kickstarter goal Posted: 31 Mar 2015 09:22 AM PDT De La Soul love sampling, so much so that they feel as if a whole branch of copyright law was invented just for them. The sample-heavy trio (for three is the magic number) didn't want to have to compromise their artistic vision for their ninth album,...

Dropbox updates document preview so that you can do more than just preview Posted: 31 Mar 2015 09:00 AM PDT If you accessed a document today on Dropbox.com, you might notice that it looks a little different -- the preview screen real estate is a little larger, the design is a little cleaner and oh wait, is that a new toolbar? That's because the cloud stora...

Google Maps turned your streets into Pac-Man today Posted: 31 Mar 2015 08:45 AM PDT Your streets can be an iconic arcade game right now. Google Maps has a Pac-Man option just in time for April Fool's Day. With the click of a button, your streets will be dotted with yellow pellets and the four famous ghosts. New York City, with its p...

Court rules that UberPOP cars can still pick you up in Paris Posted: 31 Mar 2015 08:28 AM PDT Uber's Paris headquarters were recently raided by 25 policemen, but a court has now ruled that its disputed UberPOP service is actually honky-dory -- for now. The company's low-cost ridesharing option uses non-professional drivers, a practice that Fr...

Re-order everyday items from Amazon with the 'Dash Button' Posted: 31 Mar 2015 08:22 AM PDT Amazon is rolling out the Dash Button, a physical device that allows customers to re-order items like toilet paper, diapers and laundry detergent as soon as they run out, with a simple press. The Dash Button is adhesive, and when pressed, customers r...

Engadget giveaway: win a Shield Tablet gaming package courtesy of NVIDIA! Posted: 31 Mar 2015 08:00 AM PDT Spring has sprung and while you may have been huddled by your PC's GPU all winter for some scant warmth, you can now continue your gaming sessions under the sun's rays. NVIDIA's GRID gaming service streams popular PC games right to its Shield devices...

LG and Samsung end their war over broken washing machines Posted: 31 Mar 2015 07:35 AM PDT LG and Samsung just can't stay mad at each other over a few broken washing machines. The two electronics giants have agreed to end the legal disputes that emerged after Samsung accused an LG exec of willfully wrecking its washers at the IFA trade sho...

Nintendo squashes browser-based Mario tribute game Posted: 31 Mar 2015 07:04 AM PDT While Nintendo proper might be willing to let some folk make a Mario game, we're a long way from that extending to free browser-based versions of the company's best-known franchise. As such, that Super Mario 64 HD tribute that popped up last Friday i...

Apple is reportedly trying to poach artists from Jay Z's music service Posted: 31 Mar 2015 06:33 AM PDT The streaming music business is getting particularly cutthroat, it seems. According to Billboard, Apple exec Jimmy Iovine has been trying to lure the first-tier musicians from Jay Z's artist-owned Tidal service (possibly for an upcoming streaming opt...

The making of Surface 3: Microsoft's little tablet grows up Posted: 31 Mar 2015 06:00 AM PDT Microsoft knows there's a lot riding on the Surface 3. And it looks like the company's finally listened to feedback from people who have asked for a little more oomph from these devices. Nearly three years after Surface with Windows RT was born, Micr...

Microsoft's new Surface 3 tablet runs full Windows, not RT Posted: 31 Mar 2015 06:00 AM PDT How many times have we said that the Surface would be great, if not for its OS? The truth is, the Surface RT and Surface 2 were lovely, well-crafted things, with great screens, solid build quality and long battery life. We just wished they could run ...