After an intense round of judging by Gedeon and a host of other judges from the online Macintosh community, blogger Phil Ryu has posted the winners in the Fake Leopard Screen Shot contest. Entries showcased a range of ideas for the new OS as well as some fresh and clever new takes on the user interface in general. Head on over to take a look at the winners and runners-up and read what the judges had to say about each. Now its time for the real thing!
The Breakroom
Leopard Fake Screen Shot Winners Announced
July 26, 2006
The Future Is Amora
July 22, 2006
We are pleased to bring you the latest incredible set of system replacement icons from resident icon artist David Lanham. Amora is a highly detailed and imaginative set of over 120 system and application replacements that conjures images of the future both wondrous and disturbing. David has been fine tuning this set for months and the results show in the attention to detail as well as its crisp desktop appearance. Amora works wonders with CandyBar, but also contains 26 application icons that can be easily accessed via Pixadex.
David has also completed an accompanying Mac OS X Shapeshifter theme over at dlanham.com that will help GUI freaks completely transform their desktops and prepare for the imminent robotic take-over. We invite you to download Amora and check it out for yourself today, you won’t be disappointed.
Something’s Coming…
July 20, 2006
You may have noticed a slight decrease in the output of freeware goodies from the workers these last few weeks. There is a reason for that as you will see starting next week. We’re reminded of an exchange between HAL and Bowman from 2010: The Year We Make Contact:
“I’m afraid Dave.”
“Don’t be. Something is going to happen.”
“What is going to happen Dave?”
“Something… wonderful!”
“Elegant and beautiful…”
July 19, 2006
We wanted to take a moment to mention an outstanding review of our Mac OS X monitoring utility iPulse, posted over at Skinyourscreen.com. While the review touches on the many aspects of iPulse that let you keep tabs on what OS X is doing, it also digs deep into iPulse’s other major attraction, jackets.
Unlike similar monitoring applications, iPulse’s ability to be visually customized is unmatched, yet rarely mentioned among online reviews. We’re pleased that someone has finally “gotten it” when it comes to iPulse’s concise user interface. If you’ve always wondered what makes iPulse stand heads above the competition, look no further. We encourage you to head over and check it out.
Want to Say Hi?
July 17, 2006
Corey and Craig will be making the annual pilgrimage to San Francisco for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on August 6th to marvel at the upcoming wonders of Leopard. While Craig is busy absorbing all the new info about Apple’s latest, Corey will be roaming the halls and talking to developers about icon design. If you plan to be there and want to say hello drop us a note or look for us on iChat (account name: iconfactory) at the conference. Engage Reality Distortion Field!
Changing Leopard’s Spots
July 10, 2006
Mac developer and friend of the Iconfactory, Phill Ryu, has announced a new and original contest over at his recently launched blog. The ‘Fake Leopard Screenshot Contest’ promises to showcase fun and wishful ideas for Apple’s upcoming operating system release, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard).
To help the Mac community get in the spirit of the contest, Phil has garnered almost $1000 worth of prizes from a host of developers including the Iconfactory and Stockicons.com. The entry deadline is 12pm EST on Saturday, July 22nd, which gives hopefuls just 12 days to get their pen and paintbrush tools shaking. Winners will be decided by a panel of judges including our very own Gedeon Maheux and will be judged on believability, creativity and the “insanely great” factor on 10 point scale.
Winners will be announced on Monday, July 24th, and given the creativity and ingenuity of Mac users, we’re sure to be in for some amazing, crazy stuff! Contest details as well as the complete prize list can be found over at Phill’s blog, so be sure to check it out. Have fun everyone!
Back to the Futurama!
June 23, 2006
You just can’t keep a good robot down! That appears to be the skinny out of Hollywood this morning as several sources are reporting that Comedy Central has agreed to order thirteen new episodes of Fox’s cult hit Futurama. Although canceled several years ago (before its time we might add), the show has gained popularity once again through its nightly showings on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and its successful DVD sales. No one is happier about this than Gedeon as his Futurama icon sets have been a fan favorite since their release. With any luck, we’ll all be crowding around the TV to watch Fry, Leela and Bender in new adventures before you can say “Bite my shiny metal ass!”.
Look, Up in the Sky!
June 21, 2006
“Its a bird! Its a plane! Its Superman!” With the upcoming release of Brian Singer’s new epic film, Superman Returns, we thought the time was right for an all new picture to bring the Man of Steel to your desktop. Artist and Foreman, Gedeon Maheux, brings the Big Guy to life in this dramatic image from Superman the Animated Series to help guard your files. Enjoy, and see you at the movies!
Contour Database and EPS Stock Sets Released
June 14, 2006
StockIcons.com has released a set of 52 add-on icons to extend the original Contour collection into the realm of databases. With icons covering concepts such as tables, scripts, records, and many others this is an important addition for anyone needing icons for database software development. Contour Database is available today as an electronic download for $179.00. Contour Database is also available in scalable EPS format for use in large format, print and web applications. Contour Database EPS is available for $129.00.
Cars Conspiracy
June 11, 2006
A quick detour from the world of icons for a moment to talk about the new PIXAR film Cars. Some of the workers saw the latest animated feature from the wizards at Steve’s other place of work this weekend and we have to say we were impressed. This comes as a relief since ever since the original teaser trailer premiered, we’ve been a little worried. Whomever put this trailer together really should be scrapped, (sorry) because we’re happy to say it did no justice to the final product. Cars is a thoroughly enjoyable, albeit a bit long, journey into the surrealistic world of these friendly automobiles.
The animation is top notch (of course), the voice work is spot on, and the story while not totally original, warms the heart. Combine this plus tons of visual eye candy for car lovers, some awesome music from Sheryl Crow plus the usual assortment of “in-jokes” and you’ve got yourself another winner in the Disney / PIXAR line up. Critical reviews for Cars have been mixed, but we say to them “get off your high horse and smell the motor oil man!”. Taken for what it is, Cars is great from start to finish and it is worthy of a visit to the theater AND a place in our DVD collection. Lighten up dudes! For more on Cars and general news about PIXAR, check out the blog Luxo. Lots of information about their films, company culture and just general cool stuff.
