mac.iLounge

Do yourself a favor. Go up that  in the top left corner of your screen. Click Software Update. Install Security Update 2011-003 (Free). You’ll thank us. All done? Alright, let’s talk about it. This Security Update has one purpose: to get rid of the Mac Defender malware. Read More

Your Mac probably has something to do with the fact that you can’t sleep at night, so you might as well use it to wake you up better in the morning. That’s exactly what Sleeptracker’s Sleeptracker Elite ($179) is for; it’s a computer-assisted intelligent alarm clock-like solution that analyzes your sleep patterns. If the technology sounds like something out of a dream, don’t fear—we’ve actually been testing one, and it works. Read More

Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Paper Mario demonstrated that cartoony games can actually be pretty compelling. Cobra Mobile’s Storm in a Teacup ($2) got the memo. It may be cutesy, but it’s a solid little platformer that will appeal to casual “I’ve got five minutes to kill” gamers and harder-core players alike. Read More

As the number one game publisher for iOS devices, Gameloft knows a few things about making retina-blasting games on small displays… and now it’s ready to conquer huge monitors, too. Modern Combat: Domination ($13) is the Mac version of Gameloft’s signature first-person shooter series, now focused solely on squad-based deathmatch-style missions rather than a traditional single-player campaign. If you’re familiar with the iPhone Modern Combat titles, you’ll be blown away by Domination’s use of the high-resolution, effects-laden graphics cards inside new Macs, which let the company produce wind, smoke, and explosion effects that put the earlier games to shame—say nothing of all the detailed, realistic characters who appear on screen here at once. Read More

Looking for a way to move the fun and functionality of the iPad’s Djay app over to your Mac? The Gemini FirstMix USB DJ Controller ($100) is a good place to start. Thanks to a simple USB connection, included Cross LE DJ software, and compatibility with a number of Mac DJ apps—including the Mac counterpart of the aforementioned Djay—it can accomodate DJs of any skill level. Read More

Maybe you’re a jet setter, or perhaps you just don’t want to be locked into a cellular data contract. Either way, Nova Media’s iCON 461 (€179/$257) 3G USB modem could be a good choice if you want to access the Internet while traveling. What’s so special about it? It’s fully unlocked, meaning you can use any data-enabled SIM card to get online—a good way to go month to month on service, saving a few bucks on the road. Read More

Now that Apple is out of the 30” display game, Mac fans have to search a little to find the right giant, pro-grade monitor. Thankfully, NEC has stepped up to the plate with its tongue-twisting 30” Widescreen Color-Critical Desktop Monitor with SpectraViewII ($2,449, aka LCD3090WQXi). Sure, it’s more expensive than the $1,799 Apple was charging for the 30” Cinema Display before the behemoth was discontinued, but the enhancements NEC includes for graphics professionals may very well be worth the extra cash to you. Read More

It feels great to hit the Genius button in iTunes and get a perfect playlist. Now imagine if you could do the same thing with YouTube videos—start on one cute cat video and wind up with an endless stream of paws and whiskers just waiting to eat your day away. That’s exactly what you’ll get with Minitube ($10) from developer Flavio Tordini. It’s a desktop YouTube viewer that offers a totally new way to watch Google’s time-sucking video vault. Read More

You don’t need to be a longtime Mac user to recognize Apple’s “Think Different” slogan — the advertising campaign that accompanied it remains one of the most memorable in history, so much so that references to it are still made in Apple-oriented articles today. Now you can own a piece of this legacy with these Apple Think Different Posters ($20-$900). Read More

It may be a little early for the Mac App Store to start shaking in its boots, but Amazon has launched its own competing service, the Mac Download Store. Split into software and game sections, the browser-based store is starting with around 250 titles, and Amazon’s offering a couple of specials: $5 off of your first paid download through June 1, and a completely free copy of Airport Mania: First Flight. Read More

If you’ve ever bought a stabilizing rig for your DSLR, you know the choice can be tough: if you make the wrong decision or need additional add-ons, the cost is all on you. Redrock Micro has eased some of the pressure with its Nano Universal Bundle ($1,276), which helps you grip a camera while reducing the natural shakiness introduced by quivering hands and your heartbeat. The entry cost is steep, but you get parts to build seven of the company’s popular small rigs, and enjoy a dramatic savings of close to $1,500 compared to buying each rig separately. Read More

Sure, Apple’s free Mail app for Macs is quite good, but its starch-white look is getting kind of old. Sparrow ($10) takes all of Mail’s best features and combines them with Twitter’s and Reeder’s Mac aesthetics. The result? A minimalist email client that lets you get in and out of your messages in a flash, with support for the most popular providers including Gmail, Mobile Me, Yahoo, and AOL. Read More

We chuckled a little at Twelve South’s original version of BookBook—a MacBook case designed to look like an oversized, aged book—but every iteration gets a little better. Today’s just-announced BookBook for Air ($80) is the coolest one yet, sold in separate versions for the 11” and 13” MacBook Air. Each is made from padded genuine leather, and the 11” version is small enough to actually pass for a book. Or at least a “short story,” as the company puts it. Read More

Back in the old days—say, last year—the idea of a Mac running four displays was impossible unless you had a customized Mac Pro. But now that Kanex has released mLinq ($99), which adds an HDMI adapter to any Mac with an open USB port, it’s possible that even current 27-inch iMac users will be able to pull off that feat. Most recent Mac owners will be capable of running up to three displays at once. Read More

A hundred thousand throwaway mousepads have been designed for PCs. Only a few have been created specifically for Apple’s mice. Vaja’s entirely leather Mouse Pad ($69) is one of the best of them. Offered in twin tones—one for the border, one for the center—the Mouse Pad can be had in a white and red color combination immediately, or customized with 18 border and 5 center colors. All of the colors are in Vaja’s soft, wonderfully padded Caterina leather, which the company notes is more sensitive to showing marks in lighter colors; after two years of active use, our sample (originally covered here) is still in pretty great shape. Read More