We have a deal on the Apptorium Developer’s Productivity Bundle, a collection of four Mac utilities aimed at developers. The bundle includes ScreenFocus, TeaCode, Expressions, and Workspaces, and it’s $19.99 through us.
Bryan Chaffin
Bryan Chaffin is the cofounder of The Mac Observer and currently serves as Afternoon Editor. He has contributed to MacAddict and MacFormat magazines, and co-authored the last two updates of iPad and iPad Pro for Dummies with Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus and Ed Baig. You can find out more about Bryan at his personal site, GeekTells, or find his Twitter link below.
Articles by Bryan Chaffin
Apple Launches 'Summer Blockbusters' Promo for iTunes Movies, Releases 'Ready Player One'
Apple launched a “Summer Blockbusters” promo for iTunes movies, with 45 blockbusters spanning the past few decades between $7.99 and $9.99.
Metallic Spring 3-Foot MFi-Certified Lightning Cable: $12.99
We have a deal on a Lightning cable built to last. It’s called the Metallic Spring MFi-Certified Lightning cable, and it’s sheathed in a spring metal shell. It supports Quick Charging for iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, it’s 3-feet long, and it’s $12.99 through us.
Facebook Shutting Down Three Apps: Hello, Moves, and tbh
Facebook announced Monday that it was shutting down the three apps, citing “low usage.”
Apple Schedules Q3 Quarterly Results for July 31st
The company will conduct its quarterly conference call with analysts at 5:00 PM Eastern that Tuesday. Results are usually released 30 minutes before that call.
Apple Seeds iOS 11.4.1 Developer Beta 5
The 11.4.1 beta update doesn’t include any new features. For this release, Apple is focusing on bug fixes and performance improvements.
Next FlipBook Maker Pro for Mac Lifetime License: $29
We have a deal for you on Next FlipBook Maker Pro for Mac. This software can turn your PDFs, images, and videos into flipbooks, and it includes templates. Our deal is for a lifetime license for $29.
This Dodecahedron Bluetooth Remote Controls All HomeKit Devices
It’s a dodecahedron—and yes, D&D FTW!—that is a Bluetooth remote designed specifically for HomeKit devices and scenes.
1TAC Safety Charge with Radio, Flashlight, Charger, and Siren: $44.99
We have a deal on an 4-in-1 emergency kit called the 1TAC Safety Charge. It’s one device with a built-in radio, flashlight, charger, and siren. It’s weather resistant and has a built-in hand-crank for power. It’s $44.99 through us.
Instagram Lets People Add Music to Stories
Instagram announced Thursday that users can now add music to their Stories, the temporary videos borrowed from Snapchat. Users will be able to select a song, searching by name, mood, genre, and other criteria. Once selected, users can scrub through it to find the part that matches their video, and then post it. Users can also choose a song before starting a live video. So far, you can only select from a limited library of songs chosen (and paid for) by Instagram. The company said it was adding more songs to that library “daily.” Go forth. Influence.
Mpow 4-Port USB Wall Charger: $19.99
We have a deal on the Mpow 4-Port USB Wall Charger. Like the name says, it’s a wall charger with 4 USB charging ports. It’s a smart charger, meaning it sends the amount of power each device needs, up to a maximum of 7.2 amps. It’s $19.99 through our deal.
Facebook's Spy Patent, Apple Music Shows, Samsung Patent Fight Ends - ACM 468
Facebook has a scary new patent application that Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet say “is so Zuck.” They also talk about how Apple might position and price its streaming original content, and there are a lot of possibilities. Plus, Apple’s long-running patent fight with Samsung is over. What does that really mean?
DOJ Approves Disney Acquisition of Fox, Requires Regional Sports Channel Sale
The U.S. Department of Justice approved more media consolidation on Wednesday, as it signed off on Disney acquiring most of Fox Entertainment.
BlueAnt Pump Wireless HD Sportbuds: $29.99
We have a deal on a pair of BlueAnt Pump Wireless HD Sportbuds. Designed for active users, these earbuds have a waterproof rating of IP67. They’re $29.99 through us.
YouTube Mark Rober Has Been Working on VR with Apple's Self-Driving Car
Mr. Rober is known to his 3.4 million YouTube subscribers for his science-related videos, but starting in 2015, he went to work for Apple, apparently on a virtual reality project.
Two Keyboards at a Bar (and in Walks Touch Bar)
Check out this rather brilliant piece imagining Apple keyboards past and present drinking in a bar, when in walks that obnoxious fellow, Touch Bar (via Daring Fireball). It’s high-larious, spot on, and flawlessly executed. Here’s a taste:
APPLE EXTENDED II: Lonely times, man. Lonely times. First, it was scissors then butterflies. Do you want to know what I miss? Electric Alps switches. That was the dream, right?
MACBOOK PRO (nervous, staring at the bar, napkins in both hands): Did you clean up before I sat down? It looks clean, but…
APPLE EXTENDED II (interrupting): Kids today. They don’t appreciate the reliable, credible haptic feedback of a single healthy keystroke. It’s all hunt, peck, and swipe swipe swipe.
TOUCHBAR (arrives): Hey! Nobody told me we were going out to drinks 🍷. This is great! 👍
Amazon Brings Voice Controls to Alexa App on iOS
Users who have trained themselves on Alexa Skills can now use that same self-training on their iPhones and iPads to access the Alexa ecosystem.
Mindbliss 1-Year Subscription for Meditation: $29.99
We have a deal on Mindbliss, an on-the-go meditation app that uses algorithms to generate meditation sessions. Whether you’re trying to sleep better, decompress, or just start each day with your best foot forward, Mindbliss helps you come back to center with single-sit meditations and serial sessions that span five to nine days. A 1-year subscription is $29.99 through our deal, with longer subscriptions available, too.
Fortune Is Livestreaming Interview with Tim Cook at 6:05 PM PDT Monday
Announced late on Monday afternoon, the Tim Cook interview will be conducted by Allan Murray, president of Fortune.
Vanderbilt's New Prosthetic Ankle Moves Artificial a Lot Closer to the Real Thing
Check out this amazing video from Vanderbilt University about their new prosthetic ankle (via TechCrunch). Vanderbilt calls it smart, not because it’s connected, but because it adjusts on the fly, making it much easier to navigate uneven and rough terrain. According to the school, “The ankle has a tiny motor, actuator, sensors and chip that work together to either conform to the surface the foot is contacting or remain stationary, depending on what the user needs.” That’s just crazy cool, and the technology in this device could really make a qualitative difference in the lives of amputees and other people who need artificial legs. Plus, our future robot overlords will probably appreciate it, and it’s always good to try and get an inside edge with them. Check out the video.
Apple and Other Tech Companies Meeting in San Francisco to Chat about Privacy
The trade group organizing the meeting includes Apple, Google, Amazon, Adobe, Ebay, Facebook, HP, Twitter, Salesforce, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Qualcomm, Samsung, Dropbox, and many others, though it’s not clear how high up the org chart this meet-up will go.
Mondly Lifetime Subscription: $69.99
We have a deal on a lifetime subscription to Mondly, the language-learning platform. Mondly uses speech recognition and only gives positive feedback if you speak clearly and correctly. You can choose 5 of 33 languages to learn in your own native tongue. A lifetime subscription is $69.99 through our deal.
Set The 'Days Without a Facebook Privacy Breach' Counter to Zero
Really, I just loved the first line of this piece by Josh Constine at TechCrunch, enough so I needed to make a nice graphic for it. It’s all about how Facebook leaked a bunch of app data meant for app owners (bad enough IMO) to app testers. Oops. It’s cool, though, bro, because Facebook fixed it. TechCrunch has the details.
Set the “days without a Facebook privacy problem” counter to zero. This week, an alarmed developer contacted TechCrunch, informing us that their Facebook App Analytics weekly summary email had been delivered to someone outside their company. It contains sensitive business information, including weekly average users, page views and new users.
Some of the Best Tech Ads in Last 35 Years
This is far from a comprehensive list of the best tech ads in the last 35 years, but it’s a quick trip back in time to some of the best. Writing for TechCrunch, Sarah Wells offers thoughts and the videos for several Apple spots; the annoying (but definitely successful) “Dude, you’re getting a Dell” spot; Sprint’s “Can You Hear Me Now?” spot; and a compelling Google spot.
With stunning visuals (most of which were not CGI) and captivating choreography, Jonze breathes life into a product that got mixed reviews after its release in February. This made us think, what other tech commercials have grabbed our attention in the last 35 years and transformed how we think about technology?