OmniFocus 3 for iOS Adds Batch Editing, Improved Repeating Tasks, More

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The Omni Group just released OmniFocus 3 for the iPhone and iPad, and it’s loaded with new features. The new version of the task management app adds the ability to batch edit multiple tasks, makes it easier to set up repeating tasks, includes customizable inspectors to show just the features you use, improves Forecast view, and more. OmniFocus 3 is a free download with a two-week trial. It offers in-app purchases for the standard version at US$39.99 and the Pro version at $59.99. It’s available at Apple’s iPhone and iPad App Store.

OmniFocus 3 for iOS Adds Batch Editing, Improved Repeating Tasks, More

Sync Your Hue Smart Lights with Videos, Music, and Games with the Philips Hue Sync App for the Mac

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Signify released its Philips Hue Sync app for Mac and Windows on Thursday, giving Philips Hue smart light users a new way to control their lighting experience. The app uses Hue bulbs to add lighting and color effects in real time to music, videos, and games playing on your computer. It also works with televisions if you use AirPlay or connect via HDMI, which is great if your computer and TV aren’t in the same room. The Philips Hue Sync app is free and available for download at the Philips Hue website.

Apple Events App on Apple TV Updated for WWDC 2018 Keynote

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Not everyone is lucky enough to get to watch Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote in person next week, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out. Apple updated its Apple Events app on Apple TV Wednesday morning so it’s ready to go for next Monday’s (June 4th) keynote presentation. The Mac Observer will be there covering the event live, and now you can watch from the comfort of your livingroom. The Apple Events app updates automatically, so you don’t need to do anything to make it happen.

Apple Events App on Apple TV Updated for WWDC 2018 Keynote

Check Out What 1999 Was Supposed to Look Like in 1967

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Check out this great video called (rather ominously) 1999 AD. This was a promo film by the Philco-Ford corporation. Philco was a once-great electronics giant purchased by Ford in 1960, hence Philco-Ford. I’ve posted a couple of these videos, where 1960s companies predicted what the future would be like. This one is interesting, in part, because as far off as it is, it gets a lot of things surprisingly close. I mean, sure, 1999 wasn’t made up of remote workers living in honeycomb modular houses, but check out some of the networked computing ideas, health data being collected and analyzed, flat screens where a computer tells the lady of the house what she can fix and whether that meets their daily nutritional needs. Amara’s Law states, “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.” That’s certainly on display in this video, but you can glean so much about life in the past from looking at how they saw the future. Oh, and check out that super awesome Ford concept car in the opening minutes, right after the scary intro music and dystopian walk along the water’s edge. And remember this was released a year before The Planet of the Apes was released.

Philips Hue Smart Light App Gets New Interface, More

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Philips Hue smart light users got a nice surprise Tuesday morning with a big update to the Hue controller app for the iPhone. Hue 3.0 sports a new interface that’s easier to use, controls for individual lights instead of just groups, an improved color picker, new scenes, the ability to use the art in a room to create light scenes, and more. The Hue 3.0 app is a free download at Apple’s App Store.

Lovepop Has Star Wars Pop Up Greeting Cards, and They're Way Cool

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Are you familiar with Lovepop? They make these amazing greeting cards with pop-up designs in the middle. Trees, bridges, hearts, flowers…there’s some amazing design and engineering going on. I’ve sent a few (with wax seals, because [Bryan]), and they get oohs and ahhs from the people I’ve sent them to. They’re just that good. Anyhoo, the company announced a new line of Star Wars designs on Friday, and they are also way cool. Chewy, an X-Wing fighter, a Stormtrooper, the Millennium Falcon, and Darth Vader and Obi Wan’s showdown. They’re super awesome, but you’re going to pay for that super awesome at $15 a Lovepop (see what I did there?). There’s a discount for buying several cards at once. Click through to the individual cards, and you can see images from different angles to give you an idea of just how amazing they are.

Lovepop Has Star Wars Pop Up Greeting Cards, and They’re Way Cool

Leaked 2018 iPhone Images Begin

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Mr. White's Leaked iPhone Image

It’s that time of year, time for leaked images of iPhone to appear on the Interwebs. Twitter user Mr. White posted a photograph (via BGR) of what he called “iPhone X 6.1 OLED,” though it’s frankly unclear if it’s actually an iPhone, actually OLED, or actually 6.1-inches. The next iPhone X is expected to be 5.8-inches, with a Plus model that’s 6.5-inches. That information is not from Apple, so keep a salt lick on hand when considering it. What is the case, however, is that this is about when Apple’s chain starts leaking photographs like this. It could be a real iPhone, it could be test-components for something Apple is messing about with in its labs, it could be a deliberate leak (maybe to flush out leakers), it could be Android device components, or it could be some kind of Apple knock-off component/device being hacked together in the back of a warehouse in China. It could be a prank, joke, lie, or image from 2015. Take your pick!

Tour the Millennium Falcon with Donald Glover

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Solo: A Star Wars Story opens on Friday, May 25th, but you don’t have to wait until Friday to get a look inside the new Millennium Falcon because you can check it out now with Donald Glover. Glover plays Lando Calrissian, the Falcon’s owner in the movie, and he take you on a tour of the ship. You get to see the cockpit, bar, captain’s quarters, and even Lando’s cape closet. And tomorrow you can head to the theater and see the Falcon in action.

Sal Saghoian Launches CMD-D Down-Home Scripting Boot Camp

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Sal Saghoian—the man who’s name is synonymous with AppleScript on the Mac—just announced CMD-D Down-Home Scripting Boot Camp. The three day event is geared for people who are new to scripting and includes hands-on exercises with Sal and Ray Robertson. CMD-D Down-Home Scripting Boot Camp runs from October 15th through 17th in Atlanta and is priced at US$999 through June 18th, and $1,299 for early bird pricing after that. You can register at the CMD-D website.

Sal Saghoian Launches CMD-D Down-Home Scripting Boot Camp

Belkin Intros 3.5 mm Audio Cable With Lightning Connector for iPhone

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Belkin has a new Lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack cable that lets you connect your iPhone to a sound system, car stereo, or other speakers without needing an adapter. The 3.5 mm Audio Cable With Lightning Connector is MFi certified and is available at Belkin’s website now and other stores soon. The cable costs US$29.99 for the 4-foot version, and $34.99 for the 6-foot version.

Belkin Intros 3.5 mm Audio Cable With Lightning Connector for iPhone

These iOS Ringtones Use the Maximum Potential of Your Speakers

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Reddit user u/ILIJAC recently made a post about how he created special iOS ringtones. Mr. Cvetkovski is a sound designer and wanted ringtones that used the full potential of the iPhone X. He did this by testing the frequency range of the iPhone X speakers, and designed the ringtones with a specific EQ and limiter. By using pink noise, he figured out the frequencies in which the speakers sound distorted, and leveled them. Then he boosted the other frequencies where the loudness level is greater. This results in ringtones that are clean and at the maximum safe level the iPhone X allows. All of Mr. Cvetkovski’s ringtones are free to download here.

[iOS 11: How to Install the iPhone X Ringtone on Your iPhone]

These iOS Ringtones Use the Maximum Potential of Your Speakers

Here's How to Watch Mark Zuckerberg's EU Privacy Hearing Live

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is going before the European Parliament today to answer questions about the social network’s privacy policies. The event will be streamed live on the interent from the EP website, which means everyone can watch and see how it compares to the recent U.S. Congressional hearings where he also testified. The live stream starts at 12:20 PM eastern time.

Here’s How to Watch Mark Zuckerberg’s EU Privacy Hearing Live

Apple's New 'Taxi Driver' Commercial: Animoji and Great Song from Korean Band Hyukoh

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Apple has a new commercial out called Taxi Driver to promote Animoji. It’s an intense animated spot with a drawn romp through a city as the backdrop to the Animoji figures. But the reason I love this spot is the tune—called “Citizen Kane,” rather than Taxi Driver—by South Korean band Hyukoh. This isn’t super-produced K-Pop, either. Hyukoh is an indie band with real musicians playing music they wrote. 9to5Mac noted that Citizen Kane dropped over the weekend, a single for an upcoming Hyukoh EP. In any event, I am effectively obsessed with this tune, and I love Apple’s Animoji commercials. Your mileage may vary.

Apple Drops Lightning to USB-C Cable from $25 to $19

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The cost for a Lightning to USB-C cable to connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your new Mac isn’t as expensive as it used to be. Last month, the cable cost $25, and now it’s $19. That’s great because it seems like a cable should’ve included. If we take a big logic leap, maybe it’s also a hint that Apple is dropping USB A from more Mac models soon.

Apple Drops Lightning to USB-C Cable from $25 to $19

Marked 2 Beefs Up Markdown Support for MarsEdit, Scrivener, More

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Brett Terpstra’s Marked 2.5.11 app is out, and it’s loaded with new features. The Markdown editing app improved supporty for IA Writer, MarsEdit 4, and Scrivener 4, lets you embed CSV files and convert them to Markdown tables, includes a new Custom Style via links, and more. Marked 2 costs US$13.99 and it’s available at Apple’s Mac App Store, in SetApp, and at the Marked 2 website.

Marked 2 Beefs Up Markdown Support for MarsEdit, Scrivener, More

Samsung Thinks Galaxy S9 Is at Least Better than iPhone 6

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Check it out. Samsung is positioning its two-month old flagship Galaxy S9 against an iPhone. And when I say “iPhone,” I mean iPhone 6 [via MacRumors]. The ad appears to be a pitch to owners of old iPhones, but it feels more like a Freudian slip to me. “This,” Samsung appears to believe, “is all we can do.” Even if the psychology behind the ad isn’t as twisted and warped as my Samsung-loathing mind wants it to be, comparing a brand new flagship device to a three-and-a-half year old competitor is terrible, awful, absurd positioning. Perhaps that’s part of why iPhone 7 is still selling as well as the Galaxy S9, let alone the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X, all of which handily outsell the Samsung device. Anyhoo, you can watch it and judge for yourself.

Unboxing Photos of a Pristine Original 1984 Macintosh

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Oh, wow. This is so cool! I’m talking about photographs of an original Macintosh unboxing event. It wasn’t a “new in box” Mac, or anything, but it was an immaculately cared for device, including the 34 year old box! The owner recently sold the Mac to Imgur user edifyyo, who then documented his initial unboxing. How cool, right? He posted the pics in two batches, the first focusing on the box and unpacking the device. Part 2 included closeups of the Mac itself. As I mentioned up top, it was immaculately cared for, and even includes the original “ELECTRICALLY SAFETY CHECKED” sticker, which I can’t recall having seen before. Check it out! Thanks to Jim Tanous for the heads up.

Unboxing Photos of a Pristine Original 1984 Macintosh

Yanny or Laurel? How About Either with this Online Tool

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Not to be left out of the mem fun, the New York Times made a tool that lets you hear Yanny or Laurel. Just slide to the right to hear “Yanny,” and to the left for “Laurel.” It’s interesting to hear how the sound changes as you cut out the higher or lower frequencies. The “Yanny” in the NYT tool sounds more like “Hugh-We” to me. Regardless, it sounds less and less like “Laurel” as you slide farther to the right.

Yanny or Laurel? How About Either with this Online Tool

Deadpool Takes Over Stephen Colbert's Monologue

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It’s Friday, so that can mean only one thing: Deadpool 2 opens in theaters today. To celebrate—and shamelessly promote—the premiere, Deadpool himself paid a visit to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and took over the opening monologue. Turns out Deadpool can hold his own against a late night talk show host. Makes sense considering he’s a superhero.

Headed to WWDC? Get Your Tickets for the App Camp for Girls Fundraiser Concert

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Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference is just a couple weeks away, and that means the James Dempsey and the Breakpoints concert to raise funds for App Camp for Girls is about to happen. The concert coincides with WWDC every year and is the biggest fund raising event for the coding camp. It’s loads of fun so get your tickets right away before they’re sold out.

Headed to WWDC? Get Your Tickets for the App Camp for Girls Fundraiser Concert