Apple has announced the winners of this year's Apple Design Awards, which recognize the iOS apps that "raise the bar in design, technology and innovation."

Eleven apps were chosen this year: WWF Together, Procreate, Badland, Yahoo! Weather, Letterpress, Ridiculous Fishing, Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders, Coda 2, Evernote, Finish. and mosaic.io.

Winners include two apps from student developers — Ryan Orbuch and Michael Hansen for Finish and Ishaan Gulrajani, Alex List, and Zain Shah for mosaic.io.

Apple also highlighted three winners of student scholarships, who were asked to develop an app describing their background and experience in just eight days. The winners are 17-year old Louis Harboe from University of Chicago Laboratory High School, 19-year old Bryan Keller who attends Marist College in New York, and 13-year old Puck Meerburg from Delft, Netherlands Read more...

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Wandering into the young adult section of your local bookstore is never something to be embarrassed about — even if you haven't actually been a teen in years

In fact, if you've left high school behind, you don't have to read Beowulf between now and September, which frees up time to check out the YA titles below

And if you're really paranoid about fellow beachgoers judging your teen-title, there's always the anonymity of a cover-less ereader. Although, unless they're reading War and Peace surf-side, they're really in no position to criticize. Read more...

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The dance floor can be an uncomfortable place. But not for this little kid, who clearly feels no shame

A YouTube user recently uploaded the video, which was apparently recorded in the 90s — and it's been making the Internet 'rounds ever since. For a full 1:15, watch this dude put his hands in the air like he just don't care.

Killer dance moves? Rockin' shades? 90s cheesiness? Check, check, and check

With moves like this, we'd like to see what this kid is up to nowadays. Maybe he's busy twerking.

Read more...

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This one's for you, dad

You've been there through it all: the Little League games, the rebellious period, the hormone-fueled teen years, the second rebellious period, the moped incident(s). And let's not forget about the emo phase — I couldn't have made it to all those Good Charlotte concerts without you.

GIF courtesy of Cheezeburger.com

The point is: You're great. So, for Father's Day this year, sit back, relax and enjoy* these gifts. They're similar in genre to what you'd expect — golf, menswear, the great outdoors — but include some high-tech flare Read more...

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CSS' simplicity is one of its defining features, and a big reason for its popularity. However, as websites and applications become more complex, the size and complexity of stylesheets also increase. CSS can quickly become verbose and repetitive

But a preprocessor like Sass expands the capabilities of CSS by allowing you to use variables to store values, create mixins for common snippets, nest declarations and help improve the maintainability of the entire project

Created in 2006, Sass has two syntaxes: the original (also called the "indented syntax") and SCSS, or "Sassy CSS," the more popular of the two, as it makes converting an existing website to Sass simple (by changing the file extension from .css to .scss). It doesn't depend on indentation — it's written just like CSS, making it easier to adopt Read more...

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Editor's Note: Thomas Backlund is an entrepreneur, a coder and homeless by choice. He currently lives off a trail called Sörmlandsleden, near Stockholm. The following story was originally hosted on a listserve. While it's rather unconventional for Mashable to publish a piece in this format, we found Backlund's prose intriguing as we're always looking for new stories of entrepreneurship. We chose to keep it in his original voice (save some minor style and grammatical edits).

I recently quit my job and my apartment to live in the forest in a tent.

Actually, tonight, I'm in a wind shelter by a still and beautiful lake, and in front of me there is a small fire; the sun is setting.
And on my lap, my laptop. Read more...

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Apple has shown the world the future of its iOS software — and it's gorgeous

As Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice-president of software engineering, took us through slides during the WWDC keynote that revealed beautiful translucent layers and genuinely useful features such the Control Center, I'm sure I wasn't the only iPhone user thinking, "Take my money now."

Now that we're moving further away from the reality distortion field that accompanies every Apple event, however, it's worth asking: What did Apple really unveil at WWDC 2013? Is iOS 7 truly innovative in mobile? Read more...

Stop Me if You've Seen This...

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Destiny, the new game from Bungie — best known for its Halo series of games — has debuted its first gameplay trailer

Launched after Sony's press conference at E3, the nearly three-minute-long trailer provides details about Destiny's plot. The game revolves around a huge, mysterious sphere called "The Traveler" that protects the last city on Earth, after all of its colonies have fallen prey to an alien enemy. Wielding The Traveler's power, users play as one of the guardians of the last city. They are tasked with exploring and destroying threatening forces.

Destiny is a first-person shooter with MMO elements in which the player can choose one of three classes: Hunter, Warlock or Titan. The gameplay offers a co-op mode, while fighting is a combination of shooting and melee attacks reminiscent of Halo. Read more...

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PlayStation 4 is set to come out swinging with a wide variety of games that will include mainstream and indie titles alike.

Shu Yoshida, president of Sony Worldwide Studios, said the company already has 20 exclusive games lined up for PS4 in the first year of its launchSony spent much of the presentation highlighting all of them, which we describe, below

The Order

This brand new title by Santa Monica Studio, creator of God of War, features a mix of high and low technology. At first, we saw horses and buggies in The Order, but then got a glimpse of some high-tech weaponry, as onscreen soldiers are attacked by an unseen force Read more...

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Touting itself as "the anus that made Britain great," UK chocolatier Edible Anus is selling gourmet versions of the human derriere

Five boxes of these cringe-triggering candies — crafted in Belgian dark, milk and white chocolate — sell for $36, plus tax and shipping. Seems like a pretty steep price to pay for chocolate shaped like a human orifice.

Edible Anus isn't alone in crafting candies not meant for the feeble stomached. The world of candy making is full of other oddities intended to disgust and thrill even the most adventurous eaters. From gummy boogers to candy ashes, these 10 candies will leave you grossed out (and maybe a bit hungry, weirdos). Read more...

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Now that we know there are people out there potentially spying on our every keystroke, we all want to find out how to be safer online

iTwin Connect is a simple measure for keeping your data more secure. The device consists of two identical halves connected by USB that help create a Virtual Private Network (VPN). In order to set up the secure network, plug the device into a USB port on a computer; at the office, for instance. Detach one half of the device and plug it into your home computer — a secure VPN tunnel is instantly created between the two.

Read more...

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Fitness trends come in and out of fashion, but your instinct to avoid them is forever

You might view exercise as a waste of time you that could be spending online, doing something both more enjoyable and less painful. But a little movement couldn't hurt, especially when the moves take into consideration your special set of skills.

Grab your sweatband and prepare to perspirate, geek style.

1. Do the "laptop charger dash" to warm up.

Put your charger as far away from your laptop as possible. Don't go to get it until your computer is about to power down. You'll discover speed you never knew you had. Read more...

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If you’re still debating between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Sony may have made the decision a little easier for you.

During its press conference at E3 Monday night, the company announced that the PS4 will cost just $399 — $100 less than Microsoft’s Xbox One.

While Sony officially announced the PS4 this February, Monday marked the first time we were able to see the console.

The PS4 has an X86 processor, enhanced PC GPU and 8GB of high-speed unified memory. It also features a dual-shock controller that includes a touchpad, headphone jack and share button.

Upon release, a number of big titles will make their way to the console, including Destiny, Watch Dogs, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Kingdom Hearts 3. Read more...

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Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 will not place any restrictions on used games, and won't require a constant connection

A direct challenge to the policies of Microsoft's Xbox One, the announcement was made during Sony's E3 presentation to thunderous applause.

Company CEO Jack Trenton said Sony wanted gamers to do whatever they wanted with their game discs after they purchased them.

"Gamers should be free to trade in their games, sell them or loan them to friends," he said. "We want to support the retail models already in place."

Trenton also announced that the PS4 would not need a constant Internet connection to play single-player games. Read more...

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Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has expressed his concern over the the recently revealed secret NSA surveillance systems.

"Unwarranted government surveillance is an intrusion on basic human rights that threatens the very foundations of a democratic society," Berners-Lee told the Financial Times. The Internet guru also argued that these type of government intrusion threaten "the very foundations of a democratic society."

Berners-Lee's words came just one day after The Guardian revealed Edward Snowden as the source of last week's major leaks. Snowden opened a pandora's box of surveillance, from a court order that compelled Verizon Business to turn over all telephone records to the government, to an Internet communications snooping system called PRISM Read more...

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What a difference a year makes

At WWDC 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook's keynote opened with a comedian. Her name was Siri. She warmed up the crowd with jokes about Samsung's new fridge, and speculation that the new flavors of Android OS were being dreamed up by Ben and Jerry's. It went on to feature the up-and-coming executive Scott Forstall loudly proclaiming how fantastic his new iOS 6 app — Apple Maps — was going to be.

The WWDC 2013 Cook keynote couldn't have been more different. It opened with a video devoted to Apple's design principles

"Designing something requires focus," it read over a quiet piano soundtrack. "It takes time. There are a thousand 'no's for every 'yes.'" Read more...

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Just eighteen months after he became a global sports phenomenon both online and in real life, Tim Tebow's NFL future was very much in question

A disappointing 2012 season with the New York Jets coupled with long-standing doubts about his pro quarterbacking ability had sports pundits debating whether or not he would ever get another NFL shot. The New England Patriots, however, seem to have ended that debate for now after reports that they'll sign Tebow to a contract this week. That set off a mini-hysteria on Twitter after the news hit Monday afternoon

Read more...

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LOS ANGELES — During a press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Sony finally debuted the PlayStation 4, the latest version of its popular console.

Sony announced the the device during a press event in late February. The company began developing the PS4 shortly after it released the PlayStation 3 in 2006. While we learned a bit about the fourth-generation console in February, Sony didn't reveal it at the time

The PS4 has an X86 processor, enhanced PC GPU and 8GB of high-speed unified memory. It also includes a dual-shock controller that includes a touchpad, headphone jack and share button. Read more...

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Sports Illustrated swimsuit covergirl Kate Upton turned 21 on Monday, and Twitter was full of wonderfully awkward pickup lines from her smitten fans

Upton, of course, is no stranger to causing a stir on social media. There's the time she tweeted a photo of a Russian doppelganger, sending male admirers the world over into hysterics. There's the time a Final Four hero used his moment in the spotlight to hit on her via Twitter. Then there's the enterprising young man who made a YouTube video asking her to prom (she declined, but he bagged another model instead)

Read more...

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The anticipation for the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference conference was high and the expectations higher. After weeks of rumors, the conference finally cleared the air and made some pretty big announcements. While the surprises on the hardware side were minimal, there were some major overhauls with the software

Here’s a roundup of the five biggest moments from the keynote at WWDC 2013:

OS X Maverick

Apple’s new operating system will be called Mavericks, reflecting its California production. Its features place priority on search and navigation, incorporating tags and multiple tabs in the Finder window. The new OS also supports multiple full-screen display Read more...

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Who knew starships came with power windows?

These (inter)stellar Photoshop creations by Benjamin “The Frogman” Grelle launch dogs into space faster than the speed of light

And from the looks on these floppy faces, it seems to have been one of the most exciting days of their lives. Well, all except for the corgi — he doesn't find your silly outer space very impressive.

This guy, on the other hand:

Sorry, Justin Bieber, these pups are lightyears ahead of you.

Images courtesy of Benjamin Grelle, thefrogman.me Read more...

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In February, Sony announced its next-generation console, the PlayStation 4. While we know a lot about the PlayStation 4, we still haven’t seen what the final console looks like, nor do we know when it will be in gamers' hands.

All that may change Monday night, when Sony takes the stage for its E3 press conference.

Join games reporter Chelsea Stark and tech reporter Emily Price at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET for a live chat during Sony's Playstation press conference at E3. We’ll hopefully hear more about Sony’s next console, and the games we can expect to see on the platform when it arrives. Read more...

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Actress Alyssa Milano gets Twitter — she's far more adept at the social network's terminology and capabilities than many of her celebrity counterparts, that's for certain. Remember when she taught late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that the "number sign" is a hashtag? Or when the National Hockey League let her takeover its Twitter account?

Mashable caught up with Milano, who is now using her social prowess to interact with fans of her new Monday night drama Mistresses (10 p.m. ET on ABC)

In this snappy Q&A, we discuss the TV show, her 2-year-old son's tech habits, her favorite apps, Netflix and her just announced Project Runway All Stars hosting gig Read more...

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LOS ANGELES — In a day full of E3 press conferences, Sony gets to play the closing act. Let's see if they saved the best for last

The event, set to begin at 6 p.m PT / 9 p.m. ET, is Sony's opportunity to showcase all things PlayStation — and perhaps they'll finally give us a glimpse of its next generation console, the PlayStation 4.

Monday morning, Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One would be released in November 2013, and provided a list of exclusive titles headed to the console.

Will Sony do the same? Tune in here to watch the action go down from the comfort of your favorite laptop, and be sure to join games reporter Chelsea Stark and tech reporter Emily Price on our liveblog from the event discussing all the fun as it happens. Read more...

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Gamers: Get out your credit cards. Microsoft's Xbox One is now available for pre-order.

For $499.99, you can pre-order the limited Day One edition of the Xbox One from the Microsoft Store and get it on the day it's released in November. This early-adopter deal includes the actual Xbox One console, the Kinect sensor, an HDMI cable, a bonus commemorative controller and an unspecified exclusive achievementIGN reports that this exclusive "Day One achievement" won't be tied to a specific game but could be a system-level reward.

In addition to the Microsoft Store, you can also pre-order from Best Buy, Amazon, GameStop, Target, Walmart and Toys "R" UsEngadget reports it's also available from British retailers GAME and ShopTo. Read more...

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Apple kicked off WWDC, its annual developer conference, with a few product unveilings and innovation announcements — including iOS 7, which CEO Tim Cook called "the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone," the latest version of OS X (OS X Mavericks), and its streaming music service (iTunes Radio)

But what may have been overlooked during Apple's keynote is the music playlist that accompanied the event — it's actually quite good

So for those of you who want to review Apple's latest announcements with a little music, this week's Music Monday is dedicated to the music of Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote address. We have collected all the songs played before and during the event. Enjoy! Read more...

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There is, I believe, a perfect mobile operating system, one ideal way of handling mobile activities on a smartphone or tablet. Apple, Google and Microsoft, maybe even Blackberry, are all headed to this common destination

But on Monday at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, Apple proved that it’s the furthest down that road. And that should surprise no one.

iOS 7, the most radical reimagining of iOS since its inception in 2007, was met with cheers of approval and, in some spots in the cavernous Moscone hall, standing ovations. From where I sat, it was deserved.

We all knew this was coming: A flattening of the interface: Less overt polish and skeuomorphism, a new look and feel brought to you by the architect of Apple aesthetic, Jony Ive. Personally, I was worried. Apple’s iPhone interface remains my favorite among smartphone platforms. I didn’t see enough wrong with it to require a rethink, but then I probably wasn’t thinking deeply enough about the mobile OS. Read more...

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If you love rock and metal and if the idea of playing a game of pinball gets you a bit misty-eyed for the past, you'll be glad to know that Sony Music's upcoming Pinball Rocks combines those into one rockin' game. The iOS app, developed by Game Prom, features tables inspired by rock legends and their music

Gamers can play on pinball tables inspired by Alice in Chains, Bullet for My Valentine, AC/DC and Slayer. Each table is crafted to pay homage to the respective band's music.

The game will also feature rotating songs from Sony Music's stable of rock artists. When the game launches June 13, fans can play along with tracks by Chevelle, The Sword, Filter, Red, All That Remains, Hatebreed and Nonpoint. Fans also can purchase songs from the app through iTunes. Read more...

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Troubled NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones landed in the crime blotter again on Monday when news broke that he'd been arrested for assaulting a woman outside of a Cincinnati bar last week

Prosecutors allege that Jones punched the woman last Wednesday night after a Cincinnati Reds baseball game. His agent Peter Schaffer told reporters Monday that Jones was approached by two women for a photograph outside a bar after the game, but they became unruly when he declined. Schaffer told USA Today that Jones said he was hit by a bottle from close range, then turned around swinging before he saw who'd struck him Read more...

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Apple debuted its new Mac Pro Monday at WWDC 2013. The completely overhauled design had the Internet craning its neck and squinting its eyes trying to figure out what the heck the futuristic desktop looked like

It looked a little something like this:

Image courtesy of blogspot

Twitter users were quick to share their thoughts, comparing the revamped design to everything from a trashcan to Darth Vader's Diaper Genie.

1.

The new Mac Pro looks like something out of Star Trek. I want.

— Robert Lo Bue (@RobLoBue) June 10, 2013

2.

The new Mac Pro looks like a can of deodorant.

— James Smith (@loopj) June 10, 2013 Read more...

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