Barrel for iOS: Graphic Effects when Scrolling the Homepage
I’ve been an iPhone user since the 3GS and will probably never switch to a different phone (mainly because of how much I’ve invested in the App Store and iTunes over the past few years). My work phone, on the other hand, is an Android and I’m going to be honest, I love it. I love the customization capabilities and the graphic effects like the live wallpapers. One of the things I really love about my Android is the cube effect when scrolling between screens from the homescreen. Sadly, this wasn’t an effect that my iPhone was capable of….until now.
Barrel is an iOS application by developer Aaron Ash that adds awesome graphic effects to the Springboard when scrolling through the homescreen of your iOS device. There are several different effects to choose from, take a look at the video for a demonstration of each one.
Unfortunately, Barrel is only available for Jailbroken iOS devices (hopefully iOS 7 will provide similar features). It can be purchased from Cydia and is well worth the $2.99 price tag.
Card Now: A Business Card Production Magic Trick for the iPhone
Do you have an iPhone or iPod? Do you hand out business cards on a regular basis? If you answered yes to both of those questions, then you have to get Card Now by Halskov Apps. Card Now is an iPhone and iPod app that lets you perform an amazing and memorable business card production. Imagine showing your iPhone and “printing” your business card across the screen with the touch of a button, then sliding the card out of the phone to give to the spectator. Take a look at the video for a demonstration.
The trick is incredibly easy to learn and do and is a must for anyone who hands out business cards, regardless of whether or not you’re a magician. At $2.99, it’s definitely worth the price for the reactions it receives. It’s a great way to ensure that your business card won’t be forgotten.
Make Time Lapse Videos on the iPhone with Motion Pics
I’ve always been a huge fan of time lapse photography. I recently came across a phenomenal time lapse video called Asylum by District 7 Media and got inspired to experiment with time lapse on my own. I am researching options for a good remote for my DSLR with the timed interval function (if you recommend one, please leave a comment) but in the meantime I was looking for a time lapse app for my iPhone and iPad to make quick videos and decided to go with Motion Pics by Cosmonaut Software.
Motion Pics is very easy to use since it automatically calculates the settings based on the set number of frames, frame interval and playback frame rate, but a little knowledge on the fundamentals of time lapse photography is very helpful. Once the settings have been made, just hit record and Motion Pics will take the photos in the intervals specified. When it’s done the video will be automatically exported to the Camera Roll.
For an initial experiment with Motion Pics, I made 2 ice cubes from water I dyed red and blue with food coloring and placed them in a glass full of cooking oil. For some reason I was obsessed with the effects of mixing oil and water when I was a kid and memory popped in my head when I was trying to think of something to record.
I take my son on bike rides around the neighborhood almost every day and using my iPhone tripod mount, I can attach my iPhone to the handlebar of my bike to make time lapse videos of our rides. It’s really cool to see our entire hour to hour and a half ride condensed down to a couple of minutes (Warning: if you’re prone to motion sickness, I recommend that you skip this video).
Finally, I wanted to get some smooth panning shots and I saw that modifying kitchen timers was what the cool kids who dabble in time lapse were doing. I picked up a cheap kitchen timer and some hardware and made a very ugly but functional 360 degree panning mount for my iPhone. This was the test video I made using the kitchen timer mount.
Eventually, I came across the Camalapse from camarush.com which is essentially the same thing except much more ascetically pleasing.
I have several more time lapse videos that I’ll be sharing soon. If you have any time lapse videos that you made with Motion Pics, or any other iPhone app, or any time lapse videos at all, leave a comment with the link, I’d love to check them out.
iLoGo: Finally, An iPhone Magic Trick That’s Not An App!
Source: magicgeek.com
I really like using my iPhone to perform magic because I always have my phone with me, which is good for a quick, impromptu performance. The Apple App Store has a good selection of magic tricks, most of which can be performed without any additional props (coins, cards, etc.). I’ve performed several of these iPhone tricks and the problem with most of them is that the spectators are quick to assume that the secrets lie in the technology within the iPhone (and in most cases they’re right). For card trick apps, most spectators I’ve performed for actually believe that the iPhone can “hear” which card was chosen when it is said aloud. The tricks are fun and entertaining but they leave a lot of heat on the the technology which seems to take away from the mystery.
iLoGo, on the other hand, is a magic trick for the iPhone 4 and 4S that uses the actual iPhone for the illusion. With iLoGo, you borrow a spectator’s iPhone and actually move the Apple logo from it’s location on the top-center of the phone towards the bottom, or remove it from the phone completely (returning the spectator’s iPhone in it’s original condition, of course). Watch the video from MagicGeek.com for a quick performance.
iLogo is priced a bit high at $45 but it looks like a strong effect and with the millions of iPhone 4 and 4S users out there, I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding spectators.
How to Make a Tripod Mount for the iPhone
Making cinemagraphs has become my new favorite thing to do. I work in the downtown area of Springfield, Ohio where there’s a lot of activity and scenes for me to record and turn into cinemagraphs. I was in the market for a tripod mount for my iPhone 4 so I could leave a tripod in my car in case I was in the mood to capture some video at lunch or after work. There were several on ebay and Amazon but I wanted one STAT to record some live music at the City Hall plaza. Luckily, I had some parts left over from a kitchen renovation that I used to make a simple tripod mount and I went to Lowes for the rest of the material I needed.
Materials:
- One 1.5 inch corner bracket with quarter inch holes
- One 3 inch T bracket with quarter inch holes
- One quarter inch machine screw, the one I used was a half inch long
- Two quarter inch wingnuts
Finally, I used an old Incase Snap Case as the housing and Advanced Formula Krazy Glue. Depending on the type of case you use will depend on the type of adhesive. The Incase Snap Case is made of hard plastic so the Krazy Glue bonded the case to the metal bracket perfectly. Also, if you don’t have a spare case and need to purchase one for this purpose, I recommend going to somewhere like Walmart or Marshalls where they typically have inexpensive cases.
Now on to the construction: Continue reading
Unable to Install Cydia from JailbreakMe 3.0?
I love JailbreakMe.com. Jailbreaking your iDevice couldn’t be any easier. Unfortunately, I ran into some issues using the recently released JailbreakMe 3.0 to free my phone. I thought I’d post the workaround here in case anyone else ran into the same problems.
After updating my iPhone to iOS 4.3.3, I proceeded to JailbreakMe.com and attempted to perform the jailbreak. Cydia would begin the install on the springboard then the icon would disappear when it was about half way through. Rebooting my phone and computer didn’t seem to help. I ended up making a backup of my iPhone and performing a factory restore. Once the restore was complete and I was prompted to restore from a backup image or set up as a new phone, I performed the jailbreak from JailbreakMe.com and it worked flawlessly. After the jailbreak I selected the option to restore my phone from backup and I was good to go. I also had to sync my apps and music which took some time but in the end I became the proud owner of an up-to-date, jailbroken iPhone.
Stephen Mertens is an IT professional and web design enthusiast. He lives in Springfield, Ohio where he spends most of his time daydreaming that he lives near the ocean.
- The shutterbug
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