The Mac has plenty of games, but it’ll always get short shrift compared to Windows. If you want to play the latest games on your Mac, you have no choice but to install Windows…or do you? There are actually a few ways you can play Windows games on your Mac without having to dedicate a partition to Boot Camp or giving away huge amounts of hard drive space to a virtual machine app like VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop. Here’s how.

Almost since the first Intel-based Macs appeared in 2006, we’ve been able to run Windows on our Macs. Apple provides the software to do so right built-in: Boot Camp, which enables you to partition off a segment of your hard drive and install Windows on it.

That’s great provided you have plenty of hard drive space to dedicate to Windows and, oh yeah, spend the money to get a Windows license, and you’re comfortable having to take care of a separate instance of Windows on your Mac. What’s more, it’s kind of a pain in the butt to use, since you have to restart your Mac with the option key held down every time you want to run Windows.

VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop are virtual machine programs, and they run many games reasonably well (though not as fast as you can “natively” with Boot Camp). As far as expense is concerned, you’re still in the same boat with Boot Camp: You need to have a separate Windows license in order to run. What’s more, Fusion and Desktop are commercial apps, so you have to pay for them too. (The free VirtualBox app I’ve written about before leaves a lot to be desired in terms of gaming performance, and isn’t something I recommend.)

So there are a few other options for playing Windows games on your Mac, without the hassle or expense of having to install Windows.

OnLive

One way to do it is to get a subscription to OnLive. OnLive is a cloud gaming service that enables you to play your games anywhere. OnLive works essentially by remote control: Games are run on its own computers, streamed to your local device over the Internet. You play remotely. And it works with the Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and various other Internet-connected devices like TVs.

OnLive has a couple of different subscription models available. One is called CloudLift, and it enables you to play games you already own on Steam in the cloud; you can also buy download codes directly through OnLive. It costs $7.95 per month.

PlayPack, which costs $9.95 per month, includes a library of over 250 games. No download codes or Steam account is necessary; they’re all available for playback.

Does OnLive work? Yes, it does. It’s dependent on having a stable, low-latency connection to the Internet, but as long as you do, it’s suitable. You’ll need a Mac running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or later to work.

Wine

The Mac isn’t the only computer whose users have wanted to run software designed for Windows. More than 20 years ago, a project was started to enable Windows software to work on POSIX-compliant operating systems like Linux. It’s called The Wine Project, and the effort continues to this day. OS X is POSIX-compliant, too (it’s Unix underneath all of Apple’s gleam, after all), so Wine will run on the Mac too.

Wine is a recursive acronym that stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator. It’s been around the Unix world for a very long time, and because OS X is a Unix-based operating system, it works on the Mac too.

As the name suggests, Wine isn’t an emulator. The easiest way to think about it is as a compatibility layer that translates Windows Application Programming Interface (API) calls into something that the Mac can understand. So when a game says “draw a square on the screen,” the Mac does what it’s told.

You can use straight-up Wine if you’re really technically minded. It isn’t for the faint of heart — there are instructions online and some kind souls have set up tutorials, which you can find using Google. Wine doesn’t work with all games, so the best bet is for you to start searching for which games you’d like to play, and whether anyone’s gotten instructions to get it working on the Mac using Wine yet.

CrossOver

CodeWeavers takes some of the sting out of Wine by making their own Wine-derived app called CrossOver Mac. CrossOver Mac is basically Wine with specialized Mac support. Like Wine, it’s a Windows compatibility layer for the Mac that enables some games to run.

CodeWeavers has modified the source code to Wine, made some improvements to configuration to make it easier, and provides support for their product, so you shouldn’t be totally out in the cold if you have trouble getting things to run.

My experience with CrossOver — like Wine — is somewhat hit or miss. Its list of actual supported games is pretty small. Many other unsupported games work; the CrossOver community has many notes about what to do or how to get them to work, which are referenced by the installation program. But still, if you’re more comfortable with an app that’s supported by a company, CrossOver may be worth a try. What’s more, a free trial is available for download, so you won’t be on the hook to pay anything to give it a shot.

Boxer

If you’re an old-school gamer and you have a hankering to play DOS-based PC games on your Mac, you may have good luck with Boxer. Boxer is a straight up emulator designed especially for the Mac, designed to make it possible to run DOS games without having to do anything in the way of configuring, installing extra software or messing around in the Mac Terminal app.

With Boxer, you can just drag and drop CD-ROMs (or disk images) from the DOS games you’d like to play. It also wraps them into self-contained “gameboxes” to make them easy to play in the future, and gives you a clean interface to find the games you have installed.

Boxer is built using DOSBox, a DOS emulation project that gets a lot of use over at GOG.com, a commercial game download service that houses hundreds of older PC games that work with the Mac. So if you’ve ever downloaded a GOG.com game that works using DOSBox, you’ll have a basic idea of what to expect.

Some final thoughts, and your ideas

In the end, I find OnLive to be the most reliable way to have a good Windows gaming experience on the Mac, but even then, there are limits: OnLive doesn’t work in areas where you don’t have a robust, low-latency connection to the Internet. In fact, I’ve had better luck with it by actually tethering to Ethernet instead of using Wi-Fi. Having said that, it works. And accessories like their dedicated game controller and set-top box make OnLive even more fun. Plus if you have Steam, you can play many of the same games you may already own for a PC on OnLive.

I’m an old-school gamer, so I also have a soft spot for Boxer. It’s fun to use to play games that have been gathering dust for years but which are still so much fun to play.

This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive of every possible avenue that Windows gamers can use to get Windows games working on the Mac without having to install Windows itself. But hopefully I’ve gotten the ball rolling for some of you. If you have any any suggestions for other ways to get Windows games working on your Mac without the messy Windows stuff, let me know in the comments.

Sky has today announced plans to launch a new mobile service in 2016, partnering up with O2 for the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) venture. The deal will enable Sky to offer 2G, 3G and 4G services to its customer base, placing the company in a strengthened position against rivals.

Sky has today announced plans to launch a new mobile service in 2016, partnering up with O2 for the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) venture. The deal will enable Sky to offer 2G, 3G and 4G services to its customer base, placing the company in a strengthened position against rivals.

It’s an interesting move, given that BT is purchasing EE for £12.5 billion, which provides services to Virgin Media, and Three owner Hutchison Whampoa is set to acquire Telefonica’s O2. Sky has decided to act now with serious changes on the horizon for the UK mobile market, and will be teaming up with O2 (and potentially Three).

The premium TV provider will offer voice and data packages to customers through the wholesale agreement with O2, making 2015 a messy year for the industry, ramping up competition in the already-crowded UK market. O2 already offers similar services to other brands, including Tesco Mobile.

Source: Reuters

SoundCloud revamped the user interface of its iPhone app last year, and is now bringing the changes over to the iPad. Version 3.7.1 for iPad features a cleaner layout with an emphasis on album art, simplified controls for navigation and playback, and consolidation of your likes and playlists in one location.

You can also access a user’s profile from a track or playlist by clicking on their name. SoundCloud mentions that the update does not feature the audio recording feature:

Please upload any locally stored sounds before upgrading your iPad app, as audio recording has been removed from this version. For future recording, we recommend downloading one of the many apps that allow you to record and post directly to SoundCloud.

• Free – Download Now

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered, a graphical revamp of the 2005 action-adventure game from developer Quantic Dream, is now available for the Mac, iPhone and iPad for $9.99.

The game itself is definitely not for the kids, as it deals with a man who becomes possessed by a supernatural force that makes him kill a random victim. His attempt to find out what happened to him uncovers an even bigger conspiracy. Here’s the break down on what’s been changed and improved for this re-release, via Aspyr Media:

• High-definition Graphics — Nearly all of the in-game textures have been meticulously recreated in HD for mobile and desktop.
• Elegant Touch Controls — An intuitive control scheme has been implemented that works on both phone and tablets, and brings the player closer to the narrative.
• Widescreen Support – A true widescreen (not cropped) view strengthens the game’s cinematic qualities while also providing players with a better sense of their surroundings.
• Controller Support — Support for MFi hardware controllers on iOS
• Live Graphics Comparison — Players can switch between the updated visuals and the original art assets with the touch of a button.

• $9.99 – Download for iOS
• $9.99 – Download for Mac

Wireless headphones are convenient, easy means of listening your music files, videos or any other time you want a little privacy. There are plenty of options to choose from and Mpow is hoping that the Swift Bluetooth Headphones will be on everyone’s short list.

These sweatproof wireless headphones have a standby time of up to 185 hours and play time of up to 5 hours. Sound quality is good, fit is comfortable and call quality isn’t too shabby either. Priced in the neighborhood of $35, the Swift headphones are also gentle on your budget.

Feral Interactive today announced that Dirt 3 Complete Edition is now available for Mac and can now be downloaded from the App Store. A Steam version for the Mac will also be available in due course, which will feature multiplayer functionality. Prepare your Apple machine for the likes of Rally, Rallycross and Gymkhana.

Do note that this is a taxing game on the system and requires a Mac running Mac OS 10.9.5 or higher, with at least a 2GHz Intel processor, 4GB of RAM and a graphics card with 256MB or more dedicated video RAM.

• $29.99 – Download Now

Ubisoft has now launched Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition, a graphical revamp of the 1999 fantasy turn-based strategy game, for the iPad. The game is priced at $9.99.

The game is considered to be one of the best in the long running Might and Magic series. Here’s what players can expect in this new edition:

• Rediscover THE LANDMARK OPUS of turn-based strategy games for the first time on iPad in HD!
• ENJOY THE ACCLAIMED HEROES GAMEPLAY, with 7 exciting campaign scenarios, 50 skirmish maps and local multiplayer mode.
• EXPLORE remote territories.
• FIGHT FOR DOMINATION in epic battles!
• BOOST YOUR HERO with magical rare items, skills and spells.
• BUILD MAGNIFICENT CITIES, either celestial or demoniac.

• $9.99 – Download now

I use 1Password instead of iCloud Keychain because, even after I unlock my iPhone or iPad, anyone who wants access to my passwords or credit cards still has to unlock 1Password. Like iTunes and Apple Pay purchases, it uses Touch ID to secure it against anyone but me. So, if a crying stranger asks to borrow my iPhone to call home, if a friend asks to surf the web while they wait, if someone at a conference has a failure and asks to borrow a device, I can hand it over without worrying about passwords or credit cards. You might think I’d like Touch ID for iCloud Keychain, and you’re be right. But what I’d really like is more. I’d like a Guest Mode.

Adding Touch ID to iCloud Keychain would make iCloud Keychain more secure, but like 1Password it would still only protect login, credit card, and a small subset of other data.

What if the person I hand my iPhone or iPad to decides to go snooping through my photos or messages? Apple could add optional Touch ID to every app, so you could go into Settings, flip a Secure toggle, and then have to pin or fingerprint your way into any built-in or App Store app. People and institutions highly vested in security would no doubt love that, but it would add both complexity and an excessive amount of overhead.

A Guest Mode could be a simpler, more elegant solution.

With iOS 8, Apple refactored its system manager, SpringBoard, into several smaller, more focused components. In addition to BackBoard, which was already spun off to handle background tasks, they added Frontboard for foreground tasks. They also added PreBoard to handle the Lock screen under secure, encrypted conditions. Whether by extending Preboard or by creating a GuestBoard, if such a thing made any sense, perhaps iOS could provide a more functional and yet still secure Lock screen.

Right now, if you don’t use Touch ID or enter a passcode, the Lock screen presents you with an Emergency option. It lets you call 911 or whatever the emergency number is in your area. With iOS 8, if enabled, it also lets a first responder pull up an Emergency card from the Health app with vital medical information like drug allergies.

In addition, a Guest button could allow access to a secure instance of the Phone app, so that crying stranger could call their parents, or Safari, so that bored child could surf the web.

“Secure” being the key consideration. Lock screen is perpetually torn between security and convenience. You can enable features like Notification Center, message previews, Control Center, Siri, Passbook, and more, and each one provides convenience at the expense of security and privacy. They also expose Apple to potential Lock screen bypasses.

Just like you can disable features from the Lock screen, disabling the Guest Mode would allow for individuals to better choose their own balance. Perhaps you could require Touch ID or a passcode to enter Guest Mode, so that someone who takes unauthorized possession of your device couldn’t abuse it.

You can currently implement something like this using Guided Access. You can lock your iPhone or iPad to Safari or to a game, and have it stay that way until your passcode unlocks it.

It takes time to set up, however, and it’s not ideal in all situations. With Guest Mode, if enabled, you could just swipe, tap, and hand over your iPhone or iPad without having to worry about anyone accessing anything else that’s on it.

You can be a good samaritan with less risk of bad things happening.

The fantastic upcoming first-person shooter Evolve is being reimagined for mobile as a match-3 iOS game called Hunters Quest, available for free today in the App Store. As in the original, players are hunting a big, bad alien and have to work together to make sure they don’t become the prey. Over time you earn ability mastery points in the mobile title which carry over to the full-fledged console game.

The mobile title also provides simplified replays of your latest console or PC matches for strategic review. The open beta weekend not long ago saw a whooping 2.2 million matches played, and looking at the latest gameplay video, it’s easy to see why Evolve is going to be really popular.

Here’s a quick run-down of the features in Hunters Quest.

• Battle through over 100 exciting missions
• Unleash devastating attacks using a variety of hunters
• Match 3 tokens of the same color to attack enemies and activate hunters’ skills
• Earn Mastery Points to rank up your character in the console game
• Collect unique wildlife in the Bestiary

Though unfortunately Evolve won’t be natively available for Mac at the February 10 launch, we have a couple of ways you could get it to work.

• Free, IAPs – Download now