The soft, gray days of winter give way to warmer temperatures and the world turns green. Just like a friendly season, Kate England has returned with an update to her popular Soon Spring! icon set. The re-release of Soon Spring! contains 5 all new flowers including the Snowdrop, Scilla and Daffodil and now features large sizes for Mac OS Leopard and Windows Vista. Kate’s also provided a companion desktop over at Marmalade Moon called A Sea of Scilla for your pleasure. Soak up the sun and enjoy Soon Spring! for your Mac, PC or CandyBar iContainer for your desktop today!
The Breakroom
xScope 2.1 Now Available
April 3, 2008
Since its release in January, xScope 2 has been taking the design and development community by storm. Today we are pleased to announce that ARTIS Software and the Iconfactory have updated our powerful set of on screen tools to version 2.1. This new version brings a host of improvements and fixes which will make xScope a regular staple of your day to day workflow.
Here are just some of the improvements included in xScope 2.1:
- Toolbar can be displayed vertically
- Shift-Control-Arrow key can be used to resize Rulers and Frames
- Screens now show content area size along with screen size
- Fixed bugs associated with multiple monitor setups
- Many more improvements and bug fixes
xScope 2.1 is a free update for registered users of version 2. The software is available today to new users for $26.95 USD. Registered users of version 1.x can upgrade to version 2.1 for $10.00. Users who have lost track of their 1.x serial number can find it via our online Registration Lookup form.
Never Gonna Rick You Up!
April 1, 2008
We have to admit that we’re not huge fans of April Fool’s day, but this year seems to be different. Our favorite game company, Blizzard, posted a hilarious fake game trailer for World of Warcraft: Molten Core (move in any of 8 unique directions!), and YouTube has somehow managed to Rickroll the entire world.
And since Mr. Astley seems to be the new king of April Fool’s Day, what better way to celebrate than to stick his suave 80’s face in your Dock, as your AIM buddy or Twitter Avatar or even as a desktop pattern! Head on over to the Freeware page to download our latest QuickPix, make that RickPix, and join in the fools day fun!
Update Your Folders with Refresh
March 25, 2008
Dave Brasgalla has been hard at work creating an all new style of desktop folders just for Leopard. Designed to be slick and easy to read at a glance, Refresh is the first in a long line of new additions coming to the Iconfactory.
Dave has created over 20 folders that will feel right at home in the new operating system along with a custom dock style for all you CandyBar users out there. In addition, you can complete your Refresh make over thanks to the companion desktop available in widescreen, fullscreen or iPhone version today. We invite you to download Refresh for your Mac, PC or CandyBar iContainer and change those boring Leopard icons. You’ll be glad you did!
Macworld’s Dan Frakes Tours CandyBar
March 24, 2008
Good news for users who are still on the fence about CandyBar. Macworld’s own Dan Frakes has posted an excellent six minute video tour of CandyBar 3.1.2 and why the software is perfect for Mac icon collectors and customizers. The screen cast covers the basic ins and outs of the user interface, customizing OS X’s dock, and searching for and applying icons via the QuickDrop panel. The tour is a great way for beginners to decide if this Mac “gem”, as Dan puts it, is right for them. Head on over to Macworld for the tour then onto Panic to download CandyBar if the mood should strike you. CandyBar 3 is available for Mac OS X Leopard for $29.
Ged Talks Twitterrific with Apple Universe
March 23, 2008
If you just can’t get enough of the Internet phenomenon that is Twitter, or are looking for the latest skinny on Twitterrific, then today’s your lucky day. This week, Ged sat down via Skype with the Apple Universe’s own Daniel Brusilovsky to answer a whole range of Twitterrific related questions. Ged provides insight on the software’s explosive growth, where we’re heading next and hints at upcoming goodies at the Iconfactory. The podcast of episode #110 is 22 minutes long and is now available at the Apple Universe website.
A Hair of the Green
March 17, 2008
Yep, it’s that time of the year again. Time to pull out your green attire and get ready to party the day and night away, because it’s St. Patrick’s Day! To celebrate, Mindy has whipped up a special desktop picture just for the occasion based on her anime bunny series. Head on over and grab the St. Patty’s Day Bunny desktop for your Mac, PC or iPhone today.
Leopard gets Smooth
March 11, 2008
The Smooth gets even smoother! We have been literally flooded with email over the past few months from eager fans wondering if or when the beloved sketchy goodness that is the Smoothicon style would make the leap to Mac OS X Leopard. The answer is yes and the day is today!
Corey has been hard at work resizing and tweaking and is happy to offer an updated version of the Smoothicons system replacement set released back in early 2003. This set had been updated with all the current icons required to give your Mac OS X Leopard desktop complete smoothness. It also includes a snazzy custom dock for CandyBar users. You can finally get your Smoothicon fix today!
Iconfactory Comes to TMUG in Raleigh
March 6, 2008
With all the appearances we’ve been putting in lately you’d think we have a book or a blockbuster film coming out. Sadly neither of these are true, but the upside is we’ve been invited to speak at the next Triangle Mac Users Group meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina.
We invite you to join Ged and Anthony for a short presentation about the Iconfactory next week. We’ll cover how we got started, some of our more well known projects, and highlight a few of our software products. If you’re one of the few Mac users not heading to SXSW next week, and are in the Raleigh area, then please join us Monday, March 10th at 6:30pm on the campus of NC State University for what should be a fun evening. You can get all the details about the event, including directions, on the TMUG home page. We hope to get to meet some of you in person and look forward to answering your questions!
UPDATE: We think it’s safe to say our presentation was a success. We shared our experiences in icon design, showed work and gave away a ton of goodies. We got to meet Mac users from a wide range of backgrounds, and age ranges, all of whom were engaging and asked many great questions. Thanks to the Triangle Mac Users Group for inviting us out, we had a great time and hope you did too. Thanks!
