Gotham can be a scary place after dark, but thanks to the Dark Knight, it could be a whole lot worse. Now the famed super hero and all of his villainous arch-enemies are even larger than life thanks to hi-resolution updates for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows Vista. Talos’ previously released icon sets based on the WB’s popular Batman cartoon have been given the super-size treatment and are ready for action and adventure. In addition, each set has a cool new custom dock style for use with Panic’s CandyBar application. So if you’re a fan of all things Batman, head on over and download Batman Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 today for your Mac or PC desktop.
The Breakroom
One Month to Go! (hopefully)
January 28, 2008
We’re now only a month or so away from the release of Apple’s official Software Development Kit for the wildly popular iPhone mobile platform. Needless to say, we’re on pins and needles over here with anticipation.
There was an interesting piece from Forbes this morning regarding the SDK that featured a quote from our friend and colleague Cabel Sasser, about Panic’s eagerness to develop for the iPhone. Given Panic’s amazing track record with software development for the Macintosh, we simply can’t wait to see what those talented folks up in Portland will come up with for the iPhone.
Our own Craig Hockenberry is also keeping himself occupied while the hours tick away until the official release. You can be sure that Twitterrific for the iPhone is high on our list of things to do, right up there with an official, native version of Frenzic. Now if there was just a way to speed up time or deep freeze ourselves until the end of February…
More Agua Por Favor!
January 22, 2008
Can’t get enough of the clean, crisp stylings of David Lanham’s Agua series of system replacement icons? Then you’re in luck, because we have a treat in store for you today. David has expanded his popular Agua genre into the realm of face-on Leopard Folders. The result is a massive set of system replacement folders that could easily become a permanent fixture on your desktop. Head on over and download this latest addition to the Agua universe for your Mac or PC desktop or as a searchable CandyBar iContainer today. Now that’s what we call refreshing!
Logica Stock Family Completed
January 17, 2008
Stockicons.com has released the latest collections in the Logica family of royalty-free stock icons. The addition of the Logica Database, Multimedia and Finance EPS sets extends and completes the Logica family and adds scalable vector icons covering such concepts such as tables, records, mixing, effects, assets and many others. All three of these scalable EPS sets can be used in large format, print and web applications. Logica Database, Multimedia and Finance EPS are available today for $129 each.
Logica was designed with rich shading and a tailored range of lively, modern colors to give it a fresh visual feel. The family is quite versatile and brings vibrancy and style to any project. The family has a unified appearance with crisp lines and bold metaphors making Logica a smart choice.
Stockicons.com provides developers and designers with high-quality, affordable, royalty-free collections of icons for use in software applications, website designs and interactive presentations. The site offers free downloadable samples of each stock collection so that developers can easily test the usability of the collections they are interested in.
Candybar 3 Revved
January 11, 2008
Panic has been under the hood of the latest version of Candybar again and has another quick update ready to go. Version 3.1.2 patches a few bugs and fixes a few reliability issues and is a free update for registered Candybar 3 users. Check the release notes to see what has been polished and visit Panic’s site to download the latest version of this handy icon customization/organization powerhouse.
Arcade Daze Gets Rad Update
January 9, 2008
Video warriors assemble! If you enjoyed the recently updated Arcade Daze Galaxian, then you’re in for a special treat. Ged has now updated the original Arcade Daze, set that started it all with new, super-pixel sizes for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows Vista. Now Mario doesn’t need to eat power mushrooms to grow huge, he just needs Apple’s Coverflow!
Users of Panic and the Iconfactory’s CandyBar desktop app will also be pleased by a wicked custom dock style included in the update. So stop reading and go pump some quarters into the machine while you enjoy these updated sprites for your Mac or PC desktop. Awesome dude!
Sink Your Teeth Into CandyBar
January 4, 2008
The fine folks over at MacThemes have published an excellent look at CandyBar, the icon customization and organization tool from Panic and the Iconfactory. Our very own Foreman, Gedeon Maheux and the co-founder of Panic Software, Cabel Sasser, sat down with Austin Heller and Luis Sosa (virtually at least) to answer tons of questions about CandyBar’s development.
If you’ve ever been curious about what goes on behind the scenes to bring a program like CandyBar to your desktop, or you’re just looking for a brief glimpse into the pixelated world of Macintosh customization, then head on over and check it out. The staff at MacThemes have put together a great piece that highlights the strengths of both companies, hints at where we’re headed and offers some historical perspective. Enjoy!
Scheduled Iconfactory Downtime
December 26, 2007
Panic and The Iconfactory will be moving our web hosting services in the next few days. As a result, all of the Iconfactory websites will experience 24-48 hours of scheduled downtime. This maintenance will effect users attempting to visit The Iconfactory, Stockicons.com, Frenzic.com and MarbleofDoom.com. We’ll do our best to make this downtime as quick and painless as possible for all involved. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
UPDATE: If you’re reading this, the server move is complete. Please let us know if you encounter any problems. Thanks for your patience and enjoy our speedy new connection!
Year In Review for 2007
December 21, 2007
It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating our 10th anniversary and writing our traditional year ending post for 2006. Now, another year has flown by and it’s time to let the pixels rest until we meet again in 2008. Looking back on the past twelve months reveals new software, icons, desktops and even a new website devoted to our glassy overlord.
Perhaps the biggest news of 2007 was our first foray into Mac gaming with our partner, ARTIS Software. Frenzic launched in February of 2007 to rave reviews. WIRED Magazine called Frenzic “Mac-only crack”, which only helped to cement our savvy marketing campaign of “Addiction never felt so right.” Frenzic is now played by thousands of Mac users all around the globe, and in November, we launched a free iPhone demo of the game with the help of Robert Neagu.
Frenzic wasn’t the only new software we unleashed on the world last year. Way back in January, Craig Hockenberry put together an unassuming little application that tied into the social networking phenomena that was Twitter. The rest, as they say, is history. Twitterrific has now become one of our most popular pieces of software. That little blue bird has flown far and wide and we have big plans for him in 2008, so stay tuned!
But what would the Iconfactory be without tons of free icons and desktop pictures to keep you’re GUI hunger satisfied? The workers shifted into over time this year and managed to pump out 25 all-new icon sets for a grand total of 470 free, desktop icons just for you. Notable releases this year included Naruto, Doctor Who, Sticker System, the iPhonica Series, Leopard Folders, Float and a slew of Halloween treats. Mindy and company created 15 new desktop pictures and even introduced a new format just for our favorite gadget of 2007, the iPhone. All this plus updates to dozens of existing collections to take advantage of Vista, Leopard and CandyBar 3 with custom styled docks. Whew!
Speaking of CandyBar, November saw the release of CandyBar 3, which combined the best of Pixadex and CandyBar 2, into one incredible application. The talented folks at Panic worked hard to produce one of the finest Leopard-only apps available anywhere. Incredible features like Core Animation, Dock customization, support for 512×512 icons and more made CandyBar 3 an instant hit. We’ll continue to update our icon sets and create new, cool docks in 2008, so be sure to bookmark the freeware page for the latest and greatest.
Of course, all of these efforts would be pointless without you, our fans. Your support over the years leaves us speechless. You drive us to create new software, imaginative original icon sets, desktop pictures and even fun side projects like the Marble of Doom website. Our thanks go out to everyone who has taken the time to send us feedback, bookmark the site or register Frenzic, Twitterrific, CandyBar 3 or any of our other pieces of software. Because of you, we’ll be back with even more creations next year and beyond. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and see you in 2008!
Knicks and Knacks of 2007
December 20, 2007
It’s that time of the year again. The workers have shut down their Macs and put their WACOM tablets into cold storage so they can spend time with their families this holiday season. But before we leave, we’ve dutifully rounded up all of the various one-offs we released this year and packaged them up in one convenient download. 2007’s QuickPix covered the gamut from Frenzic powerups to Apple’s gadget of the year, the iPhone, with a few other goodies thrown in for good measure. If you missed any of the single releases this year, then this release is for you. Watch for lots more QuickPix in the year ahead, you never know what will pop off the assembly line next. Go get em!
