Spread the word: Microsoft Excel isn’t just for green eyeshade types. This stop-motion animation video from YouTube favorite MysteryGuitarMan shows the creative possibilities of what is normally characterized as a spreadsheet app. And it only took a little less than five hours to complete! Maybe MGM can work his magic on PowerPoint next. [Via YouTube Trends ] Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/08/10/music-video-microsoft-excel/
Even without dropping any hardware this week, Apple made a ton of news at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, unveiling Mac OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 — along with many accompanying features in each. But how will these updates affect your Apple experience? Mashable hosted a MashTalk Hangout on Air Wednesday to answer these questions, and also discuss how these moves will impact other companies. What questions do you have about Apple’s latest unveilings? Share them in the comments below or tweet them with the hashtag #MashTalk. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/06/04/apple-wwdc-2014-hangout/
History of Windows Startup Sounds 1. Microsoft Windows 3.1 Startup Sound Back in 1992, 3.1’s startup sound was jarring and unpopular. This prompted Microsoft to create a more aurally pleasing version for its next operating system. 2. Microsoft Windows 95 Startup Sound In 1994 Microsoft asked Brian Eno to create a piece of music that was (in his words) “inspiring, universal, blah- blah, da-da-da, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental [and] emotional.” The resulting seven seconds — about twice as long as Microsoft’s initial brief requested — has made tech history as a recognizable “sonic logo.” 3. Microsoft Windows NT Startup Sound In 1996, Windows NT 4.0 revealed a fresh, futuristic sound. Legend has it that the shutdown sound played the startup sound backwards. 4. Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Sound Microsoft audio producer Ken Kato is credited with the creation of the Windows 98 sound. 5. Microsoft Windows 2000 Startup Sound Microsoft tinkled the ivories with its professional “2000” operating system. 6. Microsoft Windows ME Startup Sound The consumer-aimed “Millennium Edition” shared the same audio. 7. Microsoft Windows XP Startup Sound The startup chime (and other system sounds within XP) are based on live orchestral recordings. Composer Bill Brown worked with Emmy-award winning sound designer Tom Ozanich to create the audio. 8. Microsoft Windows Vista Startup Sound The Vista startup sound was a collaboration among progressive rock guitarist Robert Fripp, record producer, musician and composer Tucker Martine and Microsoft’s own engineer (and musician) Steve Ball. In a blog post, Microsoft described the tune as having “two parallel melodies played in an intentional ‘Win-dows Vis-ta’ rhythm,” with four chords — one for each color in the Windows flag. 9. Microsoft Windows 7 Startup Sound Finally, Windows 7’s default startup audio is the same as Vista’s. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/24/windows-startup-sounds/
Kevin Rose on the Old Digg, the New Digg and Google Kevin Rose’s Biggest Regret About Digg Kevin Rose answered questions in an AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit, responding to some queries on YouTube. Here he talks about what happened with the troubled launch of Digg v4 in 2010, seen as the biggest mistake in the company’s history. Kevin Rose’s Thoughts on the New Digg Kevin Rose on Google Kevin Rose on Future Diggnation Episodes Kevin Rose on His Businessweek Cover Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/08/02/digg-kevin-rose-reddit/
MakerBot CEO Jenny LawtonJenny Lawton took a somewhat circuitous route to the helm of 3D printing leader MakerBot. Before joining the company as “Head of People” in 2011, Lawton spent ten years in retail, running her own bookstore in Greenwich, Connecticut. And though physical book selling might appear the polar opposite of 3D printing, which takes digital ideas and makes them physical, Lawton told me she learned a lot in the “down and dirty” retail business. “Retail is tough, tough work,” said Lawton and her bookstore taught her valuable lessons about small business, inventory management and the critical nature of customer relations. Lawton was able to layer that knowledge on top of a rather rich and impressive background in startups and technology. The 51 year old Quantico, Virginia, native studied applied math at Union College before going to work at the MIT in the late 1980s. In 1991, Lawton (along with Christopher Caldwell) launched the Web consulting firm Net Daemon Associates and rode the Internet wave (they created Monster.com) and subsequent bubble right up to the 1999 burst when Lawton sold the company to Interliant. After that, Lawton spent a couple of years in venture capital. Then 9/11 happened. It was, for Lawton, a pivotal experience. She been living what she called a “a go-go” lifestyle. After the terrorists attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, Lawton took stock and thought, “Hey, there’s a different way to do this.” Her love of reading led her to buy the bookstore and build it into a community based service. “I can’t tell you how cool it is to turn a kid onto reading.” A different passion Now, however, Lawton is turned on by the sound of 3D printers and whenever she gets to bring kids into her home to show them any of her five 3D printers in action. She’s also excited about the future of MakerBot, even if the short term does not include new 3D printing hardware. “I am happy to say that we’re not going to be launching new hardware products at CES,” said Lawton sounding gleeful. She told me that MakerBot introduced five new products at CES 2014, including a giant $7,000 3D printer capable of printing 10 objects at once. All that hardware leaves MakerBot with lots of work to do on many fronts, including solidifying the ecosystem and polishing the projects that are still just rolling out to customers (the mini started shipping in May.) “We really feel like they need time in the market. Next year is not the year of hardware: Focus on ecosystem and material space,” said Lawton. In other words, MakerBot’s new smart extruder will likely take the company well beyond printing with tradition 3D printing materials like the biodegradable PLC. Growing up A little more than a year ago, MakerBot was acquired by another 3D printing company, Stratasys. Little has changed since then, with the notable exception of the company leadership. Over the summer, MakerBot Co-Founder and CEO Bre Pettis […]
Apple kicked off its 25th annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday with a video that serves as a kind of love letter to developers. In the nearly five-minute video, called “Apps We Can’t Live Without,” a series of random users are interviewed about their favorite apps and what they think about the developers behind them. “They make our lives better,” one woman says to the camera. “And they think of things that obviously regular people can’t think of.” Some of the apps highlighted in the video are big names that most users know about, including Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and Airbnb. An architect praises FiftyThree’s Paper app, while one woman says Airbnb “saved my life.” The video then moves on to several niche apps that get less attention. An ocean advocate discusses the usefulness of Marine Debris Tracker, and a student praises Biosim, an app that works with his bionic hand. Overall, the video is a powerful reminder of the wide range of apps that have popped up in the last six years — and the equally wide range of people whose lives are impacted by them. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/06/02/apple-developers-video-wwdc-2014/
There’s probably no better time to run with Zombies, Run! than during Halloween, right? If you agree, then you’re in for a Halloween treat when you install the latest update to the popular zombie-fied fitness app. A product of a successful Kickstarter campaign, Zombies, Run! adds an undead twist to running. Instead of just listening to regular music on your iPhone while running, with Zombies, Run! you can listen to music that’s interspersed with stories set in the zombie apocalypse. So, basically, instead of just running, you’re now running for your life, away from hordes of zombies. Now if that doesn’t make you run better, then you’re probably going to be screwed once the real zombie apocalypse happens. If you can’t see the video embedded above, please click here. But until then, or at least until the next Zombies, Run! update, you can take advantage of the following in the new version of the app: Three new race missions! 5k, 10k and 20k missions that unfold kilometer-by-kilometer. These missions take place toward the end of Season 1 Three MORE purchasable race missions — get more story, and support future Zombies, Run! development Race on a treadmill — estimate the distance you’ve covered from your pace count or running time Looks great on iPhone 5, and now optimized for iOS 6 New built-in music playback — better synchronisation, better mixing, better headset controls GPS issues fixed The new version of Zombies, Run! is out now in the App Store. Note that it is available for $3.99 (half its regular price) until Halloween. Image courtesy of Zombies, Run!. Homepage image courtesy Flickr, rodolpho.reis Kairosoft’s new iOS game challenges you to become a Magazine Mogul Evolve: Hunters Quest is your key to unlocking perks in 2K’s upcoming Evolve shooter The Apple Watch may just turn Apple retail stores into jewelry shops Today’s apps gone free: Kingdom Rush Frontiers, Smart PDF Scanner, Gridplay and more This article originally published at AppAdvice here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/30/new-missions-zombies-run/
iPhone apps are cool and all … but when are we going to see some really powerful tricks? Turns out there’s one way, at least, to give your phone heat vision. So that’s a start. Elliott gives his take on it in the newest episode of Mashable Minute. Earlier this week, we told you how you can use baking soda as a shampoo substitute. Check it out: Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/08/15/super-phone-mashable-minute/
In our latest Ask a Dev, Android Engineer Sagar Seth discusses how developers can get ready to build for Android Wear, Android’s new wearables SDK. “While developing for Android Wear, you have to keep one thing in mind — the goal is simplicity,” says Seth. “So no overcrowded UI.” Our developer experts are from Mutual Mobile, a leading development and design firm that builds mobile strategies for top companies such as Audi, Google and Citigroup. The team is eager to answer your questions about mobile, so ping us with your top queries on Twitter, using the hashtag #AskaDev. Don’t forget to check out our Ask a Dev YouTube channel and subscribe. BONUS: What Should I Learn to Develop for Wearables? Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/04/07/android-wear-developer-tips/